elemental 02 - blaze (8 page)

Her grandmother had taught her there were always answers to be found. Aira closed her eyes as she shuffled the cards, progressing them through her hands in automatic movements as she relocated to sit in the center of her room.

She continued to shuffle until something inside told her to stop. She began selecting cards, setting them in a spread in front of her with her eyes still closed, relying on muscle memory and divining instinct. While she could divine things from a variety of sources—tea leaves, crystal balls, runes—she was most comfortable with the cards. Aira continued pulling cards until she had a full spread. She then set the remainder down next to her. She opened her eyes and studied the cards she had selected, her gaze moving over each one in its position. The swords suit featured prominently. Aira almost rolled her eyes at such an obvious allusion to the situation at hand: swords, being the element of air, were certainly appropriate considering her alignment as well as Alex’s. She took a deeper look, knowing there was more to be seen beyond the obvious. In the position representing herself, she saw the Queen of Swords: the pinnacle of feminine air energy, representing her rise into her final state as a full elemental. It was compromised by the six of swords—a difficult transition, a rite of passage. The three of swords showed the potential for grief, for heartbreak. The outcome was the ace of swords: victory, raw power. The lover’s card represented a decision to be made.

Alex’s alignment showed itself as the Knight of swords, paired with the Magician. Yet another influence in the spread Aira couldn’t quite understand was the World card, representing completion, which gravitated to the Chariot card. Aira shook her head; she would contemplate that influence later. The situation regarding Alex and Aira, and whether or not she should move forward with him, played out with the Tower, followed by the High Priestess in reverse—the need to listen to her instincts. Aira sighed.

She was still contemplating the spread of cards in front of her when a knock sounded at her door. “Come in,” she said absently, trying to find out whether she was being told to avoid the situation altogether, or merely being told that she should be cautious. Dylan opened the door and entered, carrying a mug. He took a seat in a chair a few feet away, setting the mug down on Aira’s vanity.

“I talked to your grandmother,” he said quietly, not wanting to interrupt her contemplation. Aira nodded, thinking of the Tower, the suggestion of a rite of passage, of difficult choices. She looked at the cards advising the potential of grief and heartbreak and wondered if that meant she would definitely be betrayed—that Alex had dark intentions for her, or was working with someone who did. Or that he was simply connected in some way to a potential for betrayal and heartache. She had to make a decision at some point, the cards were clear on that. But was it the present moment, or some future instant? Aira groaned and scooped up the cards, adding them back to the deck and began to shuffle it again. She looked up at him, letting her mind drift as she shuffled, looking for clarity.

“She gave me a recipe that should help you with the power surges.”

Aira raised an eyebrow.

“It should at least help you function.”

Aira nodded. If her grandmother had given Dylan the recipe, she had to trust it was going to work—at least a little bit. “I’ll drink it in a minute.”

Dylan watched her for a moment as she finished shuffling and began blindly spreading them. She looked down at the cards, seeing most of the same cards once again. She was clearly too close to the problem. She tried to read deeper into the cards. She understood the choice she was going to have to make involved not only Alex, but the mysterious third influence, which was fleshed out with the King of Swords in this spread. Aira shook her head and sighed, scooping the cards up and putting them back into the deck, straightening them and putting them back into the case. She bit her bottom lip, deciding she would have to decide for herself; the cards weren’t going to give her the answer she sought.

“Let’s see that potion,” Aira said, standing and putting the deck away in her underwear drawer once more. She avoided looking too closely at Dylan; just being in his proximity made her feel distracted. He handed her the mug.

“It has chamomile, lemon balm, passionflower, apple, and a little vervain. It’ll taste weird, but it should do the trick—infused with water and earth aligned ingredients.”

Aira nodded, sipping it. It was warm, but not overly hot. It didn’t taste as bad as some of the potions her grandmother had given her over the years; it was slightly sweet, almost a little minty from the lemon balm and vervain. As she drank it in, she began to feel the power coursing through her begin to recede to a low, constant hum. It wasn’t like being normal, but at least it was something she could deal with. Her thoughts slowed, the wind outside began to abate. Aira finished off the drink quickly, grimacing at the lingering sweetness clinging to the back of her throat. It wasn’t the worst thing she’d ever drank, but she would be glad when the need for it was no longer so strong.

“I think you’ll need to make that for me again before we go out,” Aira said. Although she could feel the magic of the potion working through her, she could already feel the elemental energy transforming her beginning to go to work overwhelming it. Her innate magic did not like to be suppressed and grounded—not when it was going to be at its peak within twenty-four hours. She took a deep breath. “Okay, let’s go to the mall.”

***

Aira was able to maintain her self-control while they were shopping, but with great difficulty. She kept her gaze on the ground in front of her, glancing up at the store signs to find the ones she wanted. The potion Dylan had given her had suppressed the power coursing through her body, but it had done little to subdue the lust. In addition to the close proximity of Aiden and Dylan, her desire-hazed brain latched onto the various good-looking men in close proximity. She was easily distracted, losing her train of thoughts whenever she spotted someone even slightly attractive, forgetting what store she was looking for. Dylan and Aiden tried not to touch her; she was still overly sensitive, her nerves lighting up to every brush of a hand against her arm or shoulder.

Finally, she managed to locate the stores she wanted, and Dylan and Aiden waited patiently as she moved through the racks indecisively. It was a special birthday and she wanted to look her best, not only because of the occasion, but because she had decided whether or not it was a good idea, she wanted Alex. The tarot cards had been unclear; she knew that she had difficulties ahead, but didn’t know what form they would take. Aira was aware of the store clerks watching with amusement as she tried on different dresses, showing them to Dylan and Aiden and eliciting their feedback. She knew Aiden had lost interest in the exercise quickly, but Dylan was patient, commenting on both the strong points and the weaknesses of each attempted outfit. After half a dozen dresses, Aira pulled the final selection on, zipped it up, and stood before the mirror; compared to some she had tried before, it was almost demure. The skirt fell almost to her knees with satiny folds that flowed from underneath the bust. The plunging neckline and sleeveless top paired with its colors: vivid red with a black bow and black shoulders, was daring enough that Aira felt a rush of sensuality. She slipped on a pair of black patent heels and spun in the confines of the dressing room, giggling with almost girlish delight. The plunging neckline demanded a different bra from the one she wore, and she thought that a pair of stockings would complete the look—but it was perfect.

She stepped out of the dressing room to where Dylan and Aiden were waiting for her final attempt. Dylan’s eyes widened and he gave Aiden a shove to call his attention to Aira’s appearance before them. Aiden stopped looking around idly, and Aira felt her sense of undirected lust fasten on him as he stared, taking in every inch of her. “Oh my god,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “You… you could kill a man, looking like that.”

Aira blushed, smiling shyly, her heart pounding in her chest. She reminded herself firmly again she had no interest in them; that she was reacting to the desire pulsing a constant dance up and down her veins, to their admiring glances. She licked her lips unconsciously, trying to control her sudden need to pull Aiden into one of the dressing rooms and let him rip the dress off of her.

“I think you’ll be torturing pretty much every man—and likely women—in that dress. It’s perfect,” Dylan said, grinning at her.

Aira felt her shy smile spread wider with the warmth of being desired, knowing both of the men were reacting to her physique and the way the dress emphasized each one of her strengths. She almost didn’t want to take it off, the feeling was so potent. But she knew walking around the mall, finishing up errands, would be difficult in the dress and heels. She retreated into the dressing room, stripping carefully out of the dress and slipping into the clothes she had come into the shop in, taking a few moments to calm herself. It would be soon enough, she thought, her mind turning to Alex.

She got through the last of her purchases—some makeup, the stockings she wanted, and a better bra—just as the potion Dylan had given her was beginning to wear off. “We need to go home,” she said lowly. “Now.” She was becoming overwhelmed by the feeling of increasing energy in her body, her senses in overdrive, her mind propelled to startling lengths of lightning-fast thought. When they stepped out into the parking garage, she heard the wind picking up, and slid into the back seat of the car, closing her eyes and focusing all of her mind on controlling the potent power welling inside of her. She would have to be on her best behavior, at least until she got alone with Alex. She didn’t care if her lack of control started a tornado; as long as she could be with him, she was willing to risk it.

Chapter 7

By the time Alex arrived at the bar where Aira, Aiden, and Dylan met with her friends, Aira had already put down two strong drinks, her friends refusing to let her pay. Melissa and Carmen were both curious about the two men who had accompanied her, and Aira had struggled to maintain her composure, introducing the brothers as friends of her family. When Alex arrived, with Dolores in tow, Aira’s status among her friends—as the luckiest woman in the world—was solidified. Aira could barely restrain herself as Alex approached where they sat on the patio, karaoke in progress. He wore a deep red shirt, matching her dress, with a perfectly fitted black blazer and pants. Dolores had chosen to wear a deep, dark green cocktail dress, which set off her creamy-pale skin and vivid hair. Aira’s friends hooted as Alex approached, immediately taking her in his arms and kissing her on the lips. “Happy early birthday, love,” he murmured, smiling down at her. “If this was not such a frightfully public place, I’d be happy to take that dress off of you—as good as it looks on, it would look smashing on a floor.” Aira felt herself blushing a deep crimson, her blood flowing faster from the combination of alcohol and steady lust. Even before Alex had arrived, Aira had found it difficult—in spite of the second potion Dylan had made her, stronger than the first—to restrain her desire-filled impulses.

Alex greeted her friends cordially before he noticed her drink was empty, and insisted gallantly on replacing it. Dolores settled next to Aiden as Aira, deprived of Alex’s distracting company, felt a familiar twinge of jealousy watching the two of them becoming very cozy. Her friends were vying for Dylan’s attention in the absence of his brother’s and Aira felt her impatience increasing the longer Alex was away. She looked around and saw him talking to the karaoke emcee, charming the woman with a ready smile, two drinks and two shots carefully cradled in his hands. He broke away from her quickly, making his way back to Aira.

“I’m sorry I was gone so long,” he told her, looking directly into her eyes. “Will you ever forgive me?” Aira, slightly tipsy and feeling the effects of the increasing elemental energy flowing through her body, felt the push on her mind, the drawing in of Alex’s will against hers. She raised an eyebrow, wanting to warn him that she was wise to his game without saying anything in front of her friends.

“I will if even one of those drinks is for me,” she said, gesturing to the contents of his hands.

Alex grinned broadly and held out the two full cups, waiting until she chose one before he offered the shots as well. “Drink and shot, my dear. It’s your birthday, after all.”

Aira colored, taking one of the shots and downing it with Alex in the same moment. She chased the sharp, heady liquor with a sip of the refreshing drink he had chosen, for the moment indifferent that she was mixing alcohols. The alcohol entered her system and things began softening, her sense of time deteriorating. It was fortunate she had Dylan to watch out for her, to make sure she didn’t do or say anything she would regret. Aiden, she thought when she wasn’t drawn into Alex’s warm charm, was utterly useless as a bodyguard, wrapped up in Dolores’ attentions.

It seemed like only a few moments later when the karaoke emcee called Alex’s name, and Aira regarded him with shock.

“Didn’t I mention? I love to perform,” he murmured, giving her arm a quick squeeze that sent a jolt of intense desire through her. He gave her a little grin and nimbly trotted across the courtyard, jumping onto the stage and looking out over the assembled crowd. “I’d like to dedicate this to the most gorgeous birthday girl in the world,” he said into the microphone, gesturing to Aira. She found herself moving closer to the stage, drawn as if a moth to a flame. He slipped off his jacket, and Aira was staring at him with unabashed lust, trying to control the rising wind that shuddered the leaves of the tree arched over the patio. In the span of a few heartbeats, she recognized the song: Muse, “Supermassive Black Hole.” Aira’s eyes widened and she thought her desire for Alex would either become absolutely unbearable, or utterly squashed, depending on how he performed.

He had chosen his song well. Aira almost swooned as he began to sing, looking directly at her.