Awaken the Elements (Elemental Trilogy) (25 page)

             
Frank mulled it over and nodded. “Let’s go eat.”

             
“I have a surprise,” she said as they walked over to the food court.

             
“Oh yeah?” Rowan asked.

             
Tables were filled with goodies and finger foods. People grabbed their plates and dug in. Autumn excused herself and went to the kitchen. She pulled out the pumpkin bread she had hidden in the bottom of the fridge. She threw a few in the microwave, and the others she kept cold. When done, she brought them out.

             
“Is that what I think it is?” Bud asked.

             
“Yes, Dad,” she said with a proud smile.

             
“Pumpkin bread!” Envy said as she eyed the plates of bread.

             
“Must be good,” Stefan said as he watched the family cut into the loaves.

             
“It’s a holiday favorite,” Moss said, stuffing a piece in his mouth and savoring the pumpkin. “Perfect.”

             
“Thanks, Moss. Merry Christmas, everyone!” She said, eyes twinkling with enjoyment.

             
They ate and had a great evening laughing and playing family games. That night River and Rowan walked her to her shop. “You want to sleep with us tonight?” River asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

             
“Tempting,” she said, making a show of thinking it over.

             
“Autumn,” Rowan said, pointing up.

             
She looked up to see mistletoe hanging from the door frame. “Guys!”

             
“It wasn’t us,” River said with a huge smile.

             
Hazel and Frank walked by, and she gave her a knowing smile and a small wave. Have fun Hazel mouthed before disappearing into the clothing store she had taken over. Autumn shook her head.

             
“Who’s first?” she asked as someone else walked by.

             
“Me,” Rowan said, and she pulled him into the store and pointed at River. “You stay there.”

             
Rowan’s lips were on hers in an instant. He pressed her against the wall as his hand went under her shirt, bringing a gasp from her as he cupped a breast kneading it with his hand, making her moan into his mouth. He looked down at her with his brown eyes.

             
“I want you,” he whispered.

             
Her body ached with an inner longing as she felt him hard and ready, pressed against her. “I’m sorry.” She had wanted to so many times, but the death of Richard had put her in a funk for the past year.

             
He bent in and kissed her savagely. “I will wait.” He left, and she heard him tell River he was up.

             
He walked in and gazed at her with his dark blue eyes. He didn’t say anything, just looked at her like a panther waiting to pounce. He walked over to her and did something that surprised her. He took her hand and laid a gentle kiss on it. He pulled her into a hug and held her. She sighed and melted into his arms. He kissed along her neck and jaw. By the time she looked up at him, his soft lips locked onto hers. The kiss was soft yet full of need. It made her blood boil and soon enough she was against the wall again.

             
He finally broke the kiss. She had to detangle herself from him. “I’ll see you in the morning?” he asked. “Or I can stay?” His eyebrow raised, questioning.

             
“I want you too, I really do. But I
  
” she looked away.

             
He touched her face, making her look at him. “Whatever you want. You don’t make it easy on us. But whatever you want,” he said and kissed her hand before he turned and left.

             
When they were gone, she looked at the doorway. She knew what she wanted. Her body ached. She could not let herself live like this anymore.  Damn, she really wanted them. Her body twisted with lust, and she knew sleeping tonight would be fitful.

             
Sure enough, as soon as she began to dream, it was full of naked flesh, hands, mouths, and touching. Her body rippled with pleasure. She woke from the dream out of breath and beyond turned on. What she didn’t know was that her magic had caused Rowan and River to experience the same dream. They each sat on the edge of the bed.

             
“Damnit,” River said, rubbing his hands through his curly hair.

             
“I feel you,” Rowan said.

****

             
Christmas morning was upon them. All the gifts were under the tree, and none were from Santa. Everyone sat around giving each other gifts they had created for each other. This was a true Christmas. Autumn sat watching the kids play with their toys and give their homemade gifts to everyone.

Lily went over to Rowan and gave him a gift
. She tried not to blush but did anyway. He opened it; a superman sign made out of popsicle sticks. River opened the one she gave him. A dragon.

             
“Lily, this is freaking awesome,” River said.

             
“Thanks, Lily,” Rowan said. “I’m going to hang this in my room.” Her face got redder, and she ran off to hide.

             
“She is so cute,” Autumn smiled, in her hand holding her own flower her sister had made of popsicle sticks.

             
When the gifts were done, River grabbed her hand. “Our present is up on the other floor!” he said, excited. They each grabbed a hand and dragged her to the boarded up store front no one ever really thought about.

She stopped before following them inside. “What?”

              “Come on,” Rowan said as he followed River into the dark door.

             
She followed and saw the door led to a small black hall. There was another doorway that was brightly lit. She walked through it, and her mouth fell open. River and Rowan had big grins on their faces as she walked over to the boxes full of soil. She touched it, and her power flared. She looked at the hydroponics set up and the lights. Her green eyes went to the large window overlooking the parking lot with a view of the orchard. River pointed to a bunch of boxes along the walls. She walked over and opened the cardboard flap. Her eyes filled with tears.

             
“Merry Christmas, Autumn,” Rowan said.

             
She ran and threw herself at them, hugging them tight. “You guys are awesome,” she said through the tears.

             
“You deserve this,” River said. “We want you to be happy.”

             
She looked over the boxes of soil. “My own greenhouse. I don’t know where to start.” But she was already moving. He had unpacked the seeds, separating herbs and vegetables. She ripped open a packet and went to the closest box. Her hands dug into the soil, and something in her relaxed. She smiled as she planted her seeds. Hours went by as they chatted, and finally she finished with her last bag of seeds.

             
She turned to the guys. “I don’t want to freak you out,” she said, unsure of herself.

             
“What?” River asked, having watched her as Rowan shook himself awake from the nap he had fallen into.

             
“My thing
  
” she said, holding her hands out and making fists.

             
“Your magic,” he said.

             
She nodded. “I don’t know what will happen.”

             
“Go on,” Rowan said, and River nodded.

             
She closed her eyes and reached into her inner self. Her body flared with magic when she opened them. She turned, creating a power circle.  It flared to life easily. She did not know if it would or not, but her magic knew more than she did. She took in an unsteady breath and walked over to the closest soil box and shoved her hand in the dirt. She could feel her power push through her body, into her arm, and through her fingers.  Before it left, she envisioned weaving her intent with the soil and the seeds. Autumn felt the spell leave her, and she could sense the dormant life. Her magic attacked them, feeding them, and they began to root. She walked to each box and repeated the process.

             
The power continued to build even after the last box. She blinked, looking out the window to the dead trees in the orchard.  Her magic reached out and brought them back to life. Dormant but alive, waiting for spring. But her magic wasn’t done yet. She turned and looked at the guys. Her small spell in the pumpkin bread lingered, and she could feel everyone in the mall. She could feel their sensations, their needs. It all made perfect sense to her; they were all creatures of Earth, and she could feel it all.

             
“Adair,” The guys looked around trying to see who she was talking to. “I can’t turn it off.”

             
“Release the circle. You need to release the power,” Adair responded.

             
“How?”

             
He whispered something, and she frowned. She closed her eyes and released the circle. The magic pressure released like a bubble. She felt a little better after her ears popped, but the magic build up was still flaring inside her body. She walked over to Rowan and kissed him. It started soft, but the magic enveloped her, and she fell into the kiss, her hands grabbing his hair as she thought he would crawl into her mouth. She broke away.

             
“Fuck,” he whispered.

             
She laughed and latched her throbbing lips to River’s. He kissed her back with the need of the magic. His hands grabbed her, pulling her to his lap. He stopped the kiss much to her frustration, and Rowan helped him remove her shirt. River’s mouth ravished hers. She felt Rowan unhook her bra. He kissed a shoulder as he slid a strap off. When it fell away, his hands greedily grabbed her breasts. His lips kissed along her neck. Her skin tingled with each touch, making her ache, longing for more. She could feel the magic lessen as her body shivered with need. She wiggled on River’s lap, making him moan in her mouth.

             
“I need release,” she whispered to them both.

             
“Oh, I am on it,” River said, standing them up. He unbuttoned her pants as he locked a mouth on her nipple.

             
“Not sex,” she said and moaned as River’s mouth pulled at her nipple.

             
“Fine,” Rowan said, pushing her pants down.

             
Her need and magic rolled over her as two mouths eagerly played with a nipple. She felt fingers touch her stomach and move down until they rubbed her clit and another finger entered her wetness. She opened her eyes, briefly looking at the ceiling before closing them again as she finally gave over to the pleasure. One hand stroked in and out of her as another masterfully rolled her nerve button.  Her body began to shake, and she screamed, releasing the rest of the magic and an incredible orgasm.

             
The guys looked down at her. She blinked.  “How did I get on the floor?”

             
River shook his head and laughed deeply.  She sat up and looked around, gathering her shirt off the ground and pulling it to her chest.

“You okay
, Autumn?” Rowan asked, his voice a little shaky.

             
She shook her head and threw on her shirt.  With unsteady legs, she stood up and put her pants on. “I have to go.”

             
“Autumn,” River said.

             
She got to the door and turned. “I’m so sorry. That shouldn’t have happened,” she said, and ran. She slowed and walked by Anatha and Envy who both watched her run into her shop. Rowan and River followed.

****

              “Hey, guys, what’s up with her?” Envy said.

             
“Did you hear someone scream?” Anatha asked. She knew Autumn had done some magic. She could feel it buzz in her head, and when it was over, the magic left a residual lightness she could not explain.

             
“Nope,” Rowan said.

             
“Don’t know,” River said, and they went into Autumn’s shop.

             
“I don’t know what she is doing to keep them following after her,” Anatha told Envy angrily.

             
“Remember, you saw River’s junk. Now you need to show him what you have to work with,” Envy replied.

             
She looked wide eyed at her. “Are you suggesting I flash him?”

             
“Honey, I am suggesting you need to do more than that. Not only does he need to see you naked, but you need to seduce him with that body.