The shape, of course.
“Cool.” He hadn’t known she could do that, but it didn’t surprise him. Nothing his mate did shocked him much anymore.
He turned to the battered wolves at the edge of the clearing, hailing them with a big ‘hello,’ but the sound of his baritone made them shrink in on themselves.
The shivering girl burrowed deeper into her brother’s arms. The boy—young man—kept his eyes down, instinctively acknowledging Connell’s dominance as an alpha male. Except having these kids too scared to look at him wasn’t going to get them anywhere.
“He’s not going to bite. I promise,” Logan said.
The shivering wolves continued to stare at him as if he were licking his chops. That reminded him…
“I’m starving,” he announced, pitching his tone to a higher and hopefully more friendly register. “Who wants a burger?”
16
The fluorescent lights at the rear of the diner flickered like a strobe light. Logan knew it was driving her man bonkers, so she pushed a sharp gust in the general direction of the fixture, knocking it hard enough for the long bulb to fall out of the socket. Next to her, Connell relaxed, taking a huge bite of his second triple-decker burger. The young werewolves were working on their first with slow, careful bites—the kind taken after not having eaten in a while, so the stomach couldn’t take more than a bit at a time.
Since Connell’s mouth was full, she decided to take the lead. “You guys are Russian, right?” she asked.
The hungry pair stopped chewing, exchanging worried looks. Connell glanced at her, raising a brow at their obvious reticence. Scent wasn’t her thing, but the kids’ sudden fear and desperation were more pronounced now.
On closer inspection, they were even younger than she’d initially thought. The girl was around thirteen, maybe fourteen. Her brother was only a few years older. She’d be surprised if he were over eighteen.
They’re still babies. Sure, wolves were equipped to be on their own at much younger ages than most Supes, but these kids seemed too young to be running around on their own without a pack.
“I heard you call her sestrichka. That’s Russian for little sister. So where are you two from?” Logan punctuated her question with a big bite of her own burger. It was pretty damn good, but she was always hungry after a fight, so anything that took the edge off was going to hit the spot.
The older boy took a deep breath. “My name is Ravil. This is my sister, Sabina. We are from Georgia.”
It was a lie, but so well done she couldn’t call them on it. Connell, however, smirked with patent disbelief. “Where’d you boost that SUV?”
The kids had been driving a cherry-red Range Rover, last year’s model. They’d abandoned it at the edge of the woods when it ran out of gas.
Given their obvious hunger and the shabby state of their clothing, there was little chance the vehicle belonged to them. For now, they had parked it up the street, since Logan couldn’t whisk the entire group through the air currents.
“We borrowed it.” Ravil’s voice was firm, but his pulse flickering at his neck visibly sped up.
Logan decided to let it go, nudging her mate in the ribs when he opened his mouth for what would no doubt be another sardonic remark.
“How did the witches get you?” she asked.
It took Connell and Logan a lot longer to get the answer to that one, mainly because the kids weren’t sure when the witches had targeted them. A few days ago, from what it sounded like. And it was becoming increasingly clear they’d been on the run even before then.
After their garbled explanations, Connell coughed, softening his expression. “You’ve entered the northern edge of the American coalition—that’s what we call the loose confederation of Were packs in North America. I’m from the Colorado Basin. My dad is the chief. His name is Douglas Maitland. I’m Connell. You’ve met my mate here, Logan…”
She touched his thigh under the table, squeezing it until he trailed off. It was better if these kids didn’t know exactly what she was. They were squirrelly enough. Adding a Supe’s innate fear of her kind wasn’t going to help anything.
The kids’ sudden stillness told her that they had recognized the Maitland name. And they would. Her mate’s father and grandfather were legendary among their kind. Hell, even Connell’s name was probably known to them.
When they didn’t say anything, Connell raised a brow. She shrugged, but pinched him under the table.
He cleared his throat. “I know things are pretty different in the Russian—excuse me—Georgian packs. But here, we follow a certain protocol. We always let the local alpha know when we’re entering his territory. The alpha in this area is Rafe Hawkins. His territory is pretty big, but the pack is small, just twenty or so wolves. None your age, really. And my da has rules about underage wolves.” He paused to demolish the rest of his burger.
“Rules like what?” It was the first time the girl—Sabina—had spoken. She sounded even younger than she looked. Her voice trembled slightly, but she sounded curious.
Connell shrugged. “If you stay in the territory of North America, you have to go to school. Not college, of course. Not if you don’t want to, although that would be the chief’s preference. Regardless, even if school is not your thing, you still have to graduate from high school or get your GED. Maybe vocational school after that—basically, you have to have a plan on how you’re going to make a living. The pack will help with cash and a place to crash if you need it while this is going on. Of course, all that depends on whether you’re planning to stay under the Maitland purview. No one is going to make you if you’d rather move on.”
He picked up a French fry, dipping it in a truly excessive amount of ketchup. “Now, Rafe is a reasonably decent guy, although he acts like he has a stick up his butt most of the time. But the wolves under his protection don’t have many complaints. He’s a hard man, but fair. You’re welcome to stay and appeal to him, ask to join his pack. But I can tell you right now that you’d be better off heading south to my da.”
He leaned back in the booth, throwing a casual arm over Logan’s shoulders. “It’s a bigger pack. That means more wolves your age. We’re not hurting for cash, so you will have time to figure out your situation and get back on your feet.”
“More wolves also means more people watching out for you,” Logan added softly.
“Not all packs are like that,” Ravil muttered.
There was a dictionary’s worth of history in those words. Unfortunately, they didn’t have time to wheedle out the kid’s life story. Douglas would take charge. She trusted Connell’s father to do right by them.
Logan stole one of Connell’s fries, then popped it into her mouth. “The Maitland pack is different,” she said, infusing her words with truth. Wolves could smell a lie. “You’re going to fine there.”
Ravil’s lips parted, but Sabina put her hand over her brother’s. They regarded each other for a moment, having a long conversation without words.
Logan watched the interplay, specifically the way Sabina squeezed her brother’s fingers until they blanched white despite her superficial fragility. Now there is a kid who wants to stop running.
An hour and two cheeseburgers later, the young wolves were ready to head to Colorado. Logan exited the diner, sniffing the night air as Connell pressed a wad of cash into Ravil’s hand.
“Get another car with this. There’s a used car lot a couple of blocks south of here.”
“No one will miss the Range Rover for a few more days,” Ravil replied, dropping the pretense he’d borrowed the vehicle.
“Maybe, but we don’t know if the two witches in the woods were all there were or if they’re part of a larger coven, so you should dump that car and get your ass to Colorado as fast as you can. Drive in shifts if you have to.”
The wolves didn’t need to be told twice. Ravil pocketed the cash and hustled Sabina away, heading in the direction of the car rental lot.
Connell waited
until they were out of sight. “All right, what was it?”
“What was what?” she asked innocently.
“I want to see whatever it was you took off the witch’s body.”
Sighing, Logan fished the small totem out of her pocket. It was a ghastly little thing. Connell took it, then sniffed. His expression darkened, and he swore explosively.
“I guess those two had a lucky escape,” he said from behind gritted teeth.
“Yes,” she murmured, taking the totem made of the entwined hair, bone, and fur of a werewolf. “We’ll burn it. That’ll release whatever tainted magic it holds.”
He shifted away, taking a moment to compose himself before turning back to her. “This is related to John, right? These witches were more of his acolytes.”
She paused, listening to the whispers on the wind for confirmation. “I’m ninety-five percent sure they are. But they were prepared to kill themselves rather than talk. In this case, they chose death by werewolf.”
“Fuck,” he swore. “How many more of these assholes are we going to trip over before we find the man himself?”
Logan rolled the totem between her finger, feeling the faint lines between her brows deepen. “I don’t know. A lot, I think.”
17
Salvador twisted as Alec emerged from the jungle in a blur.
“I have to go,” he called, whipping to his makeshift workstation on the wooden picnic table. He began sorting and packing with blink-of-the-eye rapid movements.
“Where’s the fire?” Salvador asked, snorting at his own joke.
“What?” Alec blinked, pausing to stare with the unnerving stillness peculiar to his kind.
“Nothing, never mind,” he said. “Did your talk go well?”
Salvador didn’t want to admit it, but he was eaten up with curiosity. What did Alec have to talk to Gia about that he couldn’t ask his mate?
“It was…fine.” The vampire’s attention had wandered back to his bags. He pointed to a stack of texts at the end of the table.
“I’m going to leave these medicinal plant books here for now,” Alec offered. “One of the T’Kaierian archivists will be by to pick them up in a day or so. I’m afraid you won’t be able to duplicate them—they’re spell-proofed to prevent that, but you can take as many notes as possible between now and then. If you want, I can teach you a spell that will help you transcribe faster.”
“Oh, I’m good,” Salvador said, caught up in Alec’s haste. The vampire’s urgency was infectious. “I know that spell, or one like it.”
That probably didn’t trump the vampire’s photographic memory, but Salvador’s normal human memory was boosted by specific charms of his own design. The time and ingredients were costly, but he didn’t skimp when it came to his healing practice.
“Are you staying for dinner?” Or would he and Gia be dining alone?
His friend murmured something Salvador didn’t understand as he whipped out his phone and speed-typed a message.
“You must be anxious to get back to your mate,” Salvador said, stating the obvious. “But if anyone has a built-in defense to that poison, it’s Diana. All she has to do is set herself on fire before contact, and the chemicals would evaporate and break down.”
Alec actually lifted his head this time. “That’s a good point, but it’s not our chief concern anymore. Gia thinks her attack was just the warm-up. John is after bigger fish.”
“Bigger than the Elementals? But that only leaves—” He broke off, scowling. “Wait… He’s not that crazy, is he?”
“Apparently, he is.” Alec shrugged, a tiny tremor betraying his disquiet. “Don’t worry. I can’t think of any way for him to administer his slurry of toxins to Her. I mean, how would you even get to Mother Nature?”
“I’m sure I don’t know,” Salvador said weakly. He staggered over the picnic table, then collapsed with a thump.
“Well, even if he can’t accomplish his main goal, he can still do a lot of damage to our world. But then again, I never underestimate human stupidity.”
Salvador hummed, nodding his agreement. He was glad Alec’s mind was elsewhere, or the vampire would have noticed his sudden tension.
Alec continued to talk, ranting about mad alchemists as he prepared his departure. Salvador only listened with half his attention. His stomach roiled. Aw hell, I’m going to have to talk to Gia about this, aren’t I?
“Where is the Earth Elemental?” He’d expected Gia to follow Alec out of the jungle. Had she left?
A pang of something unpleasant coursed through him, but he stifled it. Gia had seemed content to break bread with him. They had been to hell together. At the very least he’d thought she would say goodbye.
“She’s still by the stream,” Alec answered eventually, looking around to take stock of his progress. “There’s a little ritual to accelerate the healing process. Gia said to go ahead and eat without her. I’m sure she’ll be along shortly.”
Salvador picked up a scroll the vampire had overlooked, then handed it to him. “Good…I would tell you to give my regards to your girlfriend, but she scares me and I’d rather she forgot I exist.”
Alec nodded as if this were sensible. “Not an uncommon reaction. Get in touch if there’s a problem with your payment.”
He was gone before Salvador could ask if he could collect a favor from the Elementals instead.
Well, that plan was out the window. After learning the alchemist’s true intentions, the best he could do was ask Gia to spare his life. Once she found out about Ciro’s pilgrimage to the Mother, she was going to want to kill him.
Salvador tried to be patient and wait for Gia at his cottage, but his curiosity got the better of him and he went looking for her.
A mysterious Elemental healing ritual? How could the curandero—the healer—in him resist?
Also, if she got mad at him for spying, at least she wasn’t at full strength yet. The chances of her hitting him with a huge boulder or dropping him in a vat of quicksand was low.
He found her in a small clearing a stone’s throw from the clear mineral stream that was his main source of water.
He had no idea where she found the clothes she wore. Her old clothing had been damaged and stained, so her sisters had changed her into one of the hospital gowns he kept for patients when she was still unconscious. When they’d woken after Sheol, she had still been wearing one, but now her outfit was leather, all black. It more closely resembled the clothing her sisters had been wearing than the buckskin-colored pants and maroon leather top she’d arrived in. But her ensemble wasn’t the most startling thing about her at this moment.
Gia sat cross-legged on the ground, her hands up, middle finger and thumb touching in a classic meditation pose. All around her, the ground rippled as if she were sitting on the surface of a windy pond instead on solid ground.
The reaction of the local flora was almost as unnerving. Fresh green shoots and runners snaked out of the undergrowth, creating a circle around Gia. There were even some tree roots mixed into the bunch. As he watched some ran up her body, touching her almost reverently.
His mouth dropped open. Salvador had never seen plants grow that fast. And the energy coming from them was palpable.
Were they feeding her? Shit. They were. Mother Earth was using the jungle plants to restore her chosen one to battle-ready form.
Salvador knew he would never see the jungle in the same way again. He’d lived in Costa Rica for years. The growth and decay rates of the local flora and fauna were spectacular. It was a fact he’d noted and was comfortable with. But before now, he hadn’t realized the jungle could be both alive and aware. It suddenly felt as if every tree and shrub had grown eyes.
Shake it off, idiot. You have a very uncomfortable conversation to get over with. However, he should probably start it later—after Gia was done getting pumped up by the greenery.
A surreptitious retreat was easier said than done. He stepped on a dry leaf. The resulting crackle wasn’t loud,
but Gia’s lids flew open, her amber-colored eyes pinning him to the spot.
“Hey,” he said, holding up the plate he’d brought as an excuse. “I, um, made a few chile rellenos to go with the stew. I figured after not eating for so long you could do with a feast, but I don’t want to disturb your ritual…”
As he continued to stare, one of the runners near her shoulder popped up and twirled toward the sound of his voice. When Gia cocked her head, the runner followed suit as if it, too, were studying him.
Okay, that isn’t at all creepy, he thought, lying to himself.
Gia rose in a single fluid motion. It was smoother than her first halting steps after her coma. God, had that only been a few hours ago? Her recovery time was off the charts.
“It’s no trouble. I can continue later,” she said as the tree roots and runners retreated.
For a minute, he just stood there. Despite the time they’d spent together in Sheol, having her attention fixed on him now made his mind stutter and nearly stop. Damn, she was beautiful. Somehow having her here, interacting with him in his insignificant corner of the jungle, made her more real than before.
“It’s no trouble,” he said when he remembered how to speak. He lowered the plate a fraction. “I can heat them up for you later if you’d like. I don’t want to disturb your meditation. It’s, ah, a very healing practice.”
Wow, that was lame. Salvador was typically a confident man. He didn’t understand why he felt so awkward. He was never like this with his other patients…
Well, they hadn’t had Gia’s amber gaze, the one that melted his insides into a useless pile of goo.
“They’re better fresh,” she said.
“What?” He blinked, caught off guard.
“The chile rellenos. In my experience, they don’t reheat well.”
She sauntered past him with a hint of a smile. If he didn’t know any better, she almost seemed to be enjoying his discomfort.
The Elementals Collection Page 95