Origin of Angels: Elemental Legacy Book 1 (13 page)

Sometimes I wondered how I was able to resist the others for so long. Zach, especially, was like a magnet pulling me to him, but I’d felt the wrongness of being with him after I’d met Heath. The two of us were nearly opposite in so many ways. Our similarities seemed to lie in stubbornness and pride. I was a little more willing to bend than he was, and it was okay with me.

Thoughts of the upcoming mission blasted through my mind. How was I to make sure everyone who left the realms returned safely? What if we lost someone? What if we lost a whole bunch of people? How could I keep Travis out of harm’s way? He had to go. I’d felt his conviction, and I understood regardless of my decision, he’d find a way to the mortal realm. We had our stubbornness in common, too.

It wasn’t as if I could control him, and even if I could, I would never do it. He had as much of a right to find his fate as I did. For his sake, I hoped the girl he mentioned was safe. It was unlikely she had been bonded, especially if Lambert had managed to accomplish his task of getting her pregnant with Travis’ child. As horrible as the means had been, if I had a niece or nephew out there being raised by Lambert, I had to do something to reclaim my family. If Travis were a father, his child would likely be two or t
hree by now. Considering how impressionable children are, we didn’t have any time to waste.

After a while of stewing in my thoughts, I ran my fingers over Heath’s arm. This time I wanted him awake. He had information I needed, and every moment I waited left a heavier pit in my gut.

He turned, wrapping me in his embrace. His deep voice crackled when he spoke. “Is it morning, already?”

I was so selfish. He probably hadn’t gotten an ounce of sleep when he was in the mortal realm. Leaning forward, I placed a kiss to his forehead. “Sorry for waking you. Go back to sleep.”

He gave the hint of a smile. “It seems you’ve taken to your queenly role rather quickly, or are you always this bossy?”

I didn’t want to own up to it, so I hit his shoulder. “You’re one to talk.”

His eyelids fluttered closed, and his breathing deepened for a time. I sighed, attempting not to move. It re-ally wasn’t a good idea to make the lord of fire cranky.

“Who said I was cranky?”

I rolled my eyes. “Why don’t you ever ask before you barge into my mind?”

His fingers glided along my jaw until he brushed my lips. I used my teeth to scratch the tickle away, and he smiled. “Better to ask forgiveness than get permission, right?”

The truth was I didn’t care. I had no secrets from him, and I was determined to keep it that way. If there were anything I learned from my ordeal with the lords, it was to be completely honest. I knew better than to try to invade his mind. His walls were impenetrable. I hoped one day he would trust me enough to lower his shields.

“I do trust you, Rayla. It’s other people in your life I have concerns over.”

I frowned. “Who?”

“I don’t want to say yet because I’m not sure. Since you’re ready for a debriefing, should we talk over breakfast? I haven’t eaten a good meal in quite a few days.”

I nodded, sliding out from under his arms. When I moved to stand, he caught my fingers. His eyes rolled lazily over my body, causing me to flush. Would I ever feel comfortable being naked?

“On second thought,” he said with an impish grin.
“How about a shower first?”

I stood, looking over my shoulder at him.
“Only if you promise to talk.”

His brows lifted. “There are other forms of communication I am rather fond of.”

Without another word, he lunged for me, and I raced away, making it to the bathroom just ahead of him. His arms came around me as he backed me toward the shower. By the time we got there, the water had come on and was deliciously warm. His lips lowered to mine as the spray washed over us. I got lost in his touch for a time, but my jumbled thoughts refused to stay hidden.

When I met Heath, his dark hair had been enviably long, nearly down to his waist. It was a sign of power for Ignisian men. He’d lost the majority of it because of me, but it had grown an inch or two and was now slightly below his shoulders. It still wasn’t long enough to braid, but he was able to pull it back into a ponytail. It didn’t matter to me how long or short it was. I would always love the feel of it in my hands. I reached up and pulled on the leather tie at his nape, freeing the silky strands. Beads of water splashed off our bodies, landing on his hair here and there.

He pulled me close, hugging me to him so tightly I could barely breathe. “I missed you.”

I ran my fingers along his back.
“Me, too. It was torture not having you here.”

I felt his cheek bunch, and when he spoke, his smile lightened his words. “I told you I was irresistible.”

I snorted. “Who taught you to be so arrogant?”

He leaned away until he looked down his nose at me. “You love my confidence. Admit it.”

A smile played on my lips. “Oh, so now it’s confidence? I just thought you were full of yourself.”

He stepped back until I had a full view of him. “What’s not to love?”

I shook my head, eating up his playful mood. “Not a thing amiss from where I’m standing.”

His dimple showed when he smiled. It didn’t appear often, but when it did, I knew he was truly happy. “You know, you’re not so bad yourself.”

I waved him off. “There’s something wrong. Isn’t there? You’re trying to distract me.”

All lightness left his expression until it was completely somber. “Things are worse in the mortal realm than I ever thought possible. Lambert has amassed an army of men and fae. I hate to admit this, but I’m not sure we stand a chance against them now.”

My body tightened with anger. “It hasn’t been that long. I refuse to believe we have no way to beat him.”

“He’s taken a few of the Elemental families completely, as far as I know. If we don’t stop him, our supply of Elementals will be what’s left of the resistance, which isn’t much. After I followed the girl who looked like Cassie, I checked around Liverpool. I saw another Elemental, only once. She, too, met with a woman, and the minute the two were together, I couldn’t feel the Elemental’s power. I’m certain now. There are women who are able to mask power. I’m not sure how many there are, but I have a feeling we’ve been in the dark for quite a while where these people are concerned.”

I stepped out of the shower and used a quick gust of air to dry myself. I was so out of it that I hadn’t specified warm air and gasped when it hit me. Luckily, I was able to remedy the situation swiftly and was clothed before I even got out of the bathroom. If nothing else, Luke had gifted the fae with an ingenious way of changing. With his contraption in my closet, all I had to do was think of the outfit I wanted, and it clothed me immediately.

When Heath caught up to me, he had a towel wrapped around his hips. His hair still dripped all over the floor. I grimaced sheepishly,
then went to work getting him ready. By the time I was done, he was frowning fully. He caught my arm. “Why the rush? And why the clothes? I wasn’t done with you.”

“Later,” I said. “We’ve got work to do. We have to be ready to leave by tonight. I’m not giving Lambert another day to catch more Elementals.”

INSTEAD OF ASKING ME WHAT I meant, Mom looked away. “I’m sorry, Travis. I didn’t mean to dis-count the time you spent with Lambert, but think of this: he was trying to woo you then. Imagine what the man would be like when his mind is set to torture.”

Without thinking, I glanced at Dad, who had gone pale. I’d learned after Rayla came for me, my entire family had been held captive, and he’d gotten the worst of it because he wouldn’t agree to become a member of the Order. It was another reason I respected my father. I’d resisted at first, too, but I hadn’t been able to with-stand the mental and physical abuse. Lambert was an expert at making a person think he had hope, then destroying the hope in the worst way possible. He’d known I had a fondness for my girl, but he took me away from her immediately. He told me he was doing me a favor, but I never forgot her. Even with all the women he placed me with, she was the only one I thought of. I hadn’t allowed myself to connect with anyone else. I’d hardened my heart until sex was nothing more than an act — something I had to do. I’d become calloused to the crying because I didn’t want to admit the cruelty of my actions. I could have refused. I could have been tortured again, but I wasn’t strong enough to go through it. For all I knew, Lambert would show up one day with my girl dead in his arms. I’d acted as if I enjoyed the lifestyle because I’d been intent on showing the man I had changed in order to protect her. I hadn’t brought her up again after the first time I’d asked what had happened to her.

The moment rushed back into my mind. I willed it away, but it refused to stay hidden. I’d done what he’d asked and slept with another Elemental only a night after the first. I didn’t talk to the second one like I did my girl. The entire time I’d felt as if I was betraying her, but I kept her face in my mind. It was the only way I got through it. As was always the case, Lambert had locked me in the room and told me if I didn’t fulfill my duty, he would kill the woman. I’d done what I had to, barely able to stomach myself, and when he opened the door, I raced out without bothering to grab my shirt.

He glanced at me. “Not to your liking, my boy?”

I grunted. “Something
like that. How long are you going to make me do this?”

He
stopped, his face inquisitive. “Make? Travis, you have no idea the gift I’ve given you. Your physical needs are being met and by countless women. What more could a man want?”

I couldn’t stop myself from asking, “What did you do with the girl from last night? What was her name?”

After a moment of surprise, a slow grin spread along his mouth, full of evil conniving. “She’s well. I’ll keep her safe as long as you do as I ask.”

Only then did I realize my mistake. The best thing I could have done for her was to never have asked about her. I’d shown him how much I cared. I’d shown him my weakness. My thoughts continued to twist through me until I had to do something to keep myself from going insane.

Mom hollered to me as I raced out the door, but I wasn’t stopping now. I kept running until I came to a nearby park. At this time of night, the place was deserted, and I was glad. The last thing I needed was to run into someone who wanted to talk. Since I got a taste of my power, I wanted to find out what I could do without the distractions of onlookers. This was my chance.

I started with fire, calling it easily to my outstretched palm. Tossing the flame from one hand to the other, I got a feel for the element,
then shot it to a nearby tree. The thing burst into a blaze instantaneously. The orange leaves fluttered as if in fright. For a moment, the magnitude of the fire startled me, but I remembered I controlled the element and dowsed it with a single thought. Only a single branch had been badly scorched. The fluorescent veins from the trunk brightened until they slithered toward the injured limb. In a matter of seconds, the tree was restored. I shrugged but somehow thought if the tree could yell at me for injuring it, it would.

Next, not wanting to risk other plant life, I worked to see how close I coul
d bring a flame to an object before it would catch fire. I wondered if I could control it well enough to surround a bush but not ignite it. Even though the leaves shriveled, they remained intact. After a few attempts, I managed to completely surround the bush without singeing anything. The longer I played with fire, the more it burned inside me. My smile grew each time I used it.

When I moved on to the flowers, a few of them got up and left. I couldn’t help but recall a few cartoons from my childhood and wondered if the writer had stumbled into the fae realm. This place was an oddity, even if it was beautiful.

A gust of wind hit me from behind, nearly knocking me over. I whirled, wondering who had sent it. Unlike on good old Earth, Faeresia’s weather was steady most the time.

Taylor stood a good twenty feet from me, the light of the stars casting an otherworldly glow over him. The only hint pinning him as the culprit besides him being alone was the light in his weird eyes. All the fae had funky colors in their irises, but his reminded me of a lion. They were no less fierce than the king of the jungle.

I waited for him to approach and to speak. “Your control has improved. I wondered when you’d start practicing.”

My frown was immediate. “Why?”

He smiled, giving me a shrug. “The call of power captures us all.”

I didn’t want to admit I liked my power, but he was right. The more I used
— it the greater my need to use it became. “Are you here to train me or flap your jaws?”

I was given a laugh as he came around to face me. “I am here to observe
… unless you’d like some instruction.”

Observe? “I don’t need a babysitter.” I hesitated, the words getting stuck in my throat. “But I could use some pointers.”

“Good. My brothers pushed you too hard. I’d like to see if you have ability in other elements. Are you willing to try?”

Zach had nearly killed me. Even with an apology, it was hard to let it go. It was even harder to trust Taylor wouldn’t do the same thing. “What did you have in mind?”