Origin of Angels: Elemental Legacy Book 1 (31 page)

Sounds of cracking and the feel of heat washed over my back, but I ignored it all. Again, I gave a command — this time to myself: drift!

WITH EACH WORD VALEN UTTERED, MY heart ripped further. I lost control of my thoughts, and they spiraled into a cloud of depression. How could he mean to keep me after my power expired? It had never been done. Elementals were of no use once the ability to manipulate the elements fizzled. What could he possibly want with me, then? I would never see my family again. I’d thought about it, but the reality stole my breath.

I yanked out of his grasp, glaring with everything good and right inside me. “Have you stopped to consider what I want? Do you even care?” Valen kept his expression calm, not bothering to react, which shifted my panic into full gear. “Do you intend to let me die here?”

He shook his head. “Now is not the time to discuss private matters.” He reached for me. “Come.”

His compulsion shot my feet forward, yet I managed to stop. He frowned, giving me a steely look which promised punishment. If I went with him, I’d never have any other option. I turned to see Travis and Ainessa yelling at one another. To make matters even
more grim, Blade let out a whimper down the hall. Maternal instincts overcame my desire to escape Valen. I didn’t care what he did to me; Rushing past him, I ran until I found Blade with the fae woman who had taken him away. I hadn’t bothered to ask her name before, and I cared even less now to find out. Without a word uttered, I yanked him from her arms and pressed him to my chest, making cooing noises to calm him.

Valen stood in the doorway, blocking any chance I had to leave. His expression softened when he looked into my eyes. “I’m sorry to have put you through such an ordeal, my love. You are most likely angry with me, but I made the agreement before we bonded, before I knew you. I am aware of your feelings for the boy, and I think it unwise to pursue procreation, considering current circumstances. Will you forgive me?”

The flowery scent of the woman’s perfume wafted by in a fog of dizzying vapor. I swayed, my mind over-come with what was happening. No matter what, I couldn’t lose my son. I’d promised Valen to be a loyal bondmate, which was precisely what I intended to do. Travis had seen Blade — he knew we existed and where we were. When I’d seen him here, I hoped he would be allowed to see Blade grow and be involved in his upbringing, but looking at Valen, the expression he offered was one of ownership. He wouldn’t want Travis in our life.

I shook my head. “How could you contemplate me having children by any other man if you love me like you say you do?”

As he stepped closer, fear gripped my heart. I shifted Blade onto my hip and angled him away from the fae. Gentle fingers caressed my upper arm. “I cannot countenance such a thing now. Before I knew you well, I thought I could. I’ve not had a close relationship with an Elemental in millennia. You’ve changed me, Emily. I am a new man.”

The sincerity of his words washed around me, but I’d seen this before in the Order camps. When a man thinks he is in love, he will move the heavens to win a woman, but once caught, life takes on a
different outlook and the same woman becomes a burden. I did not love him — not really. My body responded as if I did, but he hadn’t earned my heart. It still belonged to Travis. And because I loved him, I had to let him go. He couldn’t be near this hazard which had become my life. If he stayed, he’d be hurt. I touched Valen’s face, seeking to hide the emotions which could turn his love into hate. “I’m glad.”

He stepped closer to pull me and Blade into a hug. I’d yet to name his scent. It was dark and seductive, like a southern night, yet what dangers lurked in his shadows? My mind floated in dazed wisps of thoughts. “You will see in time. My feelings are true.”

I nodded. My fingers fidgeted with his collar. “And what of Travis? What will you do with him?”

His eyes softened. “The boy remains useful to my cause. Since he was able to get you with child, perhaps he could also impregnate your sister.”

My world tilted. It was one thing to let Travis walk out of here, safe, but to contemplate him with Rose ignited rage within me. “No,” I said. “How could you think of something so terrible? Rose is too young. Be-sides, unlike me, she’s fragile.” I let my eyes plead my cause. “She’s my sister, Valen.”

He nodded. “We have time, yet. Do not worry over such an insignificant matter.”

My family was hardly insignificant. “Why is Travis so important to your plans? Why do you care if he has children?”

At first, I thought Valen would refuse to answer. He stepped back, shifting his stance. In his rigid pose, he reminded me of a twelve-foot bronze statue: regal and intimidating. His voice held an edge of danger I had no desire to court. “My master requires it.”

I wanted to stop myself, but the question sprang forward. “Is ruling so vital to you? Why did you align with him?” The room fell into the distance of a vision. I saw Valen cowering at the feet of a man whose face was hidden from me. My voice whispered as if from its own volition. “He will betray you.”

A harsh grasp pulled me up to the present. Blade had been quiet until now. He wailed at Valen’s tight grip on us, pushing at his arm and kicking. I held on desperately, enduring the pain. “I shall not give him cause, my young Elemental. Not all visions come to pass. The future is not set.”

My visions had come more often, but they were unreliable. I’d seen Travis here, breaking me and Blade out of our prison. The image still lingered, but most of what happened in the vision was beyond my recall. The ability was relatively new and unreliable.

When I nodded, Valen relaxed his fingers on my throbbing flesh. Red indentations blazed from my pale skin. I lowered my gaze. “I’m tired. I think I’ll retire for a nap.”

“What of the boy?”

I wasn’t sure if he meant Travis or Blade, but I assumed the latter. “He’ll come with me.”

With a stiff spine, I walked out of the room and down the hall toward my bed chamber. Heavenly light fil-tered in from the army of windows lined up in the wall. They mocked my cloudy existence. When I made it to the bed, I set Blade down and climbed in beside him, hardly aware of his mewling. Valen had upset him, but the man had broken my heart. He’d dangled my desires in front of my face as if training me like a stubborn mule. Hot tears of anger pulsed down my cheeks. It was not fair. To harbor untapped power without having the ability to access it was the worst sort of taunting. I’d been told about the first Elemental—how she’d made a compact with the Creator to assist the fae for the ability to live among them. It seemed such a paltry reason for ruining the lives of so many women throughout time.

If I ever saw her in the afterlife, she would have some answering to do.

I STARED AT FAINE, UNSURE WHAT to address first. I couldn’t say Travis was more important than Rayla or vice versa. Each had a role to play in our ongoing war against the dark court’s rising. How could I make such a judgment call?

Luke found us, apparently hovering at the edge of the jungle. “We should send Jett after Travis, while we go help Rayla.”

One thing I admired about Luke was he didn’t overthink things. I gave a shrug. “Will you fetch the big guy? I have some things to discuss with Faine.”

He gave an uncomfortable grunt as if to clear his throat.
“Sure thing. I’ll be right back.”

The man was a good friend, who knew when to give me space. I knelt in front of Faine. There was more, but she was doing her best to keep it from me. I gave her a mental nudge. She shook her head and looked to the tree line. Stubborn didn’t begin to describe my bondmate. “Why don’t you want to tell me?” Her back straightened as she made to stand. I grasped her hand, pulling her to my level. She let out a gusty huff, full of fire. I frowned. “You know I’ll win this one. What is it?”

I pushed her hair away from her face, exposing her long neck and flawless skin. Coaxing the wind wasn’t easy, but I managed to connect enough to finish the job. Faine had always been a stunning beauty, but since her return from beyond, she glowed. There was always an effect from living amidst the divine. With her eyes shut tight, she clasped my hand which lingered against her face. When she spoke, her voice barely registered. “One of them will betray us.”

It wouldn’t be Rayla. She’d had her chance to shun the fae, and she’d chosen to join our band of merry misfits rather than remain as a mortal.
“How?” I asked, keeping the distance between us small. The last thing I wanted was for Luke or Jett to overhear. Things were bad enough without stirring trouble into our complicated situation.

“It’s not clear.” She shook her head. “I see darkness around Travis.”

If Valen had him, it was a given, and with Ainessa in the mix, he didn’t stand a chance. “Can you see why Valen wants the boy?”

“Progeny, I believe.” When she stood, I followed. Her fingers fidgeted with the edge of her jean’s pocket. Children had been something lost to the fae long before we arrived on Earth. Rayla had given us hope when she’d bargained her soul for our acceptance into the human race. Instead of working with us to create a peaceful existence between Elemental and fae, Valen chose to align with the opposition of life. Faine gave a slight shrug. “If I had to guess, I would think he hopes to create giants once again.”

Fear stole into my heart. We’d been ordered to exterminate the nephilim long ago. They’d become fierce and disloyal to their maker. The angels had disobeyed direct orders from the highest power, and they’d suffered for it. The rebels had been banished to the pit of darkness reserved for the vilest of demons. A few got off with a warning, but Nicco hadn’t been amongst the group of fallen angels. He and his brothers were those who waited for the command. “Is Travis nephilim?”

She shook her head. “Not in the sense you are thinking. He has angel genetics, but he also has an Elemental side. Those who came before him were born of sin.”

My brows lifted. “And he wasn’t?”

Her response was immediate, as if she’d been contemplating the issue for a long time. “Have you been ordered to kill him? Has Nicco been punished?”

The command to destroy the nephilim had come swiftly, but it had taken us a very long time to remove them from the planet. It isn’t easy to kill a being with half immortal blood. The only reason we’d succeeded had been because of their human mothers. I shoved my hands through my hair, trying to grasp the purpose of unleashing the angels now. There had to be a reason. Nothing in this world was ever done by chance. Even the change of the wind most times had a purpose.

Jett, Luke, and Taylor crashed into the small clearing we occupied, breaking off my thoughts. “Has Luke caught you up to speed?”

Jett nodded, interchanging our chosen names as if they were one. “I agree with Luthais. Taveon and I will go after the boy, while you and Luke search for Rayla. When we have everyone, we shall rendezvous at your place in Ireland. I believe it is time to search for Tabitha.”

At the mention of our lost mage, I flinched. Tabitha had come to us from Hy-Brasil, and she had returned to her people once Creed had been named as Braesal. He was once our noblest leader. Valen had cursed him, along with the inhabitants of the island. Tabitha had inhabited Carissa’s body when she’d tried to commit suicide after Braesal was transformed. She’d worked to bring justice to Valen from her first breath, but when she’d come to us, the legend of Hy-Brasil was reduced to a
fairytale, one Jett had liked to tell often. Apparently, he hadn’t released his fascination.

We gathered our group swiftly. In all, there were thirty in mine and twenty-five in Jett’s. He clasped my hand to give a solid shake. “May you be
victorious.”

I smiled at his formality. “And you, as well, my brother. May the Creator guard your
endeavors.”

Faine gave Jett Travis’ location,
then came to my side. It took moments to drift to the outskirts of the small town in Utah. The sky was dark, swirling in a tumult of elemental discharge. I pinpointed Rayla’s scream immediately and concentrated to drift to her location. Luke wasn’t far behind. Once we arrived in the small corridor, I recognized Theran right away. Rayla had several Elementals and a few mortals crowded around her. Her face was pinched in concentration. She apparently was attempting to drift. Overthinking had always been a problem for her, but I wanted to give her the chance to discover the secret on her own. What she needed to lead our nation was confidence, and this was a perfect opportunity.

Theran shook the ground, while a fire worker pummeled Rayla’s group with a blazing wall at their backs. The heat in the place rose to a level no human could tolerate. Luke was on it before I could send a request. With the control of a master, he vaporized the fire, and I sent the smoke to be mixed with the outside air.

With chaos still erupting amongst fae, at last, Rayla and her little group vanished.

AINESSA’S HAND BIT AGAINST MY CHEEK. It seemed I’d insulted her one too many times. Despite her tantrum, I smirked. “Truth hurts ... doesn’t it?”

An angry noise erupted from her before she lifted her hand once again. I caught her wrist this time, not be-cause I couldn’t take her blows, but because I wouldn’t allow her to think she had control over me. At my touch, she calmed, her thick eyelashes fluttering until she gazed into my eyes. “Why can’t you see you need me?”