elemental 01 - whirlwind (6 page)

The depths of her green eyes, staring at both Aiden and Aira, held the mystery of an ocean, and he felt the energy crackling around them. “I don’t know what the two of you were fighting about, but you will both stop it right now.” She said sternly, scowling from one to the other. In moments, the world had gone dark, and Aiden looked up to see enormous rainclouds overhead. Aiden was on the point of apologizing when the rain started to fall, utterly extinguishing his sword in an instant and soaking everyone to the skin a moment later.

Aira recovered before he did, and she approached her grandmother, her body language showing her to be truly apologetic. He saw her speaking, but couldn’t hear the quiet words over the beating rain. Dylan stood at the old woman’s side, taking in the power the woman had shown in such a stunning exhibition. It was rare for water-aligned elementals to be able to summon rain so quickly; Aiden knew it took a great deal of focus. His brother could call up water by will, but he didn’t have the focus or strength to coalesce the water in the air into rain.

Dylan gave Aiden a sharp look, and Aiden knew it was just as much his responsibility to apologize as it was Aira’s. He took a deep breath, pushing down his distaste for being soaking wet, and approached the old woman. Aira bristled as he came close, giving him a baleful look and shifting away from him. Lorene had softened slightly, and the rain was beginning to level off from a torrential downpour into something more manageable.

“I take responsibility for what happened.” Aiden said, pushing down his pride. “Aira and I got into an argument because I misspoke, and she became angry.”

The old woman raised an eyebrow at him, staring into his eyes as if to read his soul. Aiden bit his tongue against the retort that sprang into his mind and turned toward Aira, managing to conquer his pride for a moment longer. “I’m sorry I said what I said.” He told her. “I still think you need help defending yourself, but I didn’t mean to imply you were helpless.”

Aira’s lips tightened and she glanced at him, her dark eyes sharp for a moment longer before she subsided under her grandmother’s stern demeanor.

“I am sorry I didn’t give you time to explain your stupid remark,” she said. Aiden bit his lip against replying, knowing it would only spark another fight if he gave into the temptation. The rain was beginning to abate completely.

“Both of you come inside and get out of your wet clothes.” Lorene said, satisfied with their apologies if not happy. “And if I have to break up another fight, there will be real consequences.” Aira nodded, and her grandmother gave Aiden a lingering look until he, too, nodded his understanding. Without another word, the old woman turned on her heel and walked back towards the house with Dylan, Aira, and Aiden in her wake.

Chapter 5

Aira was relieved when it was finally time to travel back to the city and to her own home. The few days she had spent with the two men had been interesting, but she was glad to get out from under her grandmother’s vigilant gaze. Things had not gotten any less tense between her and Aiden, though she had developed a rapport with his younger brother Dylan. On the few occasions she had been forced to spend time with Aiden alone, Aira had been as silent as possible, not wanting to either get into another argument with him or allow him to irritate her into another exhibition of her abilities. It frustrated her to no end that her grandmother had sent her on numerous errands with the older brother, for groceries or to pick up an antique a friend had put aside for her. Dylan seemed entirely at home in her grandmother’s house, and when Aira had taken him with her to retrieve plants her grandmother had ordered from a nursery, they’d had a good time on the drive to the next town over, comparing their taste in music.

Dylan tried to reconcile the two of them, acting as a mediator when the three of them were together. “Guys…” He had said at one point, exasperation creeping into his voice. “We’re going to have to spend a lot of time together. You two need to sort out whatever is going on between you, because it’s only going to be worse without Miss Lorene around.”

Aira had doubted things would be worse. If her grandmother hadn’t interfered, then she could have easily finished off Aiden’s ambition to prove himself better than her. She realized it was dangerous to battle with another elemental, particularly when her abilities weren’t fully formed and available to her, but the idea she was some kind of helpless damsel, being protected by men, galled her indeed. Dylan kept telling Aira when they were alone together his brother really wasn’t that bad; he had a temper, and a slight tendency to speak before he thought, but he was genuinely a good person beneath that. Aira had shrugged off the description, thinking Dylan thought his brother was a good person; they were related, they’d had their whole lives to get to know each other. How the two men—as unalike as any two men could possibly be, with one fire-aligned and the other water-oriented—got along so well was a mystery to Aira. One she thought she could happily unravel from a distance.

***

“You can’t drive alone.” Aiden told her as they made their arrangements to leave. Aira felt anger beginning to rise at his authoritative tone. “Even if we’re following along behind you, there’s a possibility someone could knock your car off the road or something worse.” They sat at the kitchen table, the remains of dinner in front of them. While Aira’s grandmother was the best cook she had ever met, Aira was no slouch in the kitchen, and had been prevailed upon to make the meal. Her grandmother pleading fatigue after a long day spent with Dylan in the garden.

“And what exactly would be helpful about having one of you in the car with me if I get knocked off the road? You’re just as likely to end up injured as I am.” Aiden shook his head.

“There’s safety in numbers. One of us will ride with you; the other one will take the other car and stay behind. We’ll stop every couple of hours. Besides, we can switch off driving that way.”

Aira set her jaw, trying to think of a way to argue against the plan.

Dylan’s dark, soulful eyes locked on her. “Aira, it’ll give everyone a chance to rest and everyone a chance to drive. It’s a long way to your apartment from here. Plus, just in case we get separated, there will be someone with you.”

Aira knew this was one decision her grandmother was content to let her make for herself. She finally gave in, not because she thought it was a particularly good idea, but because she knew her grandmother would prefer it that way and she was tired of discussing it.

When they were finally taking their leave, Dylan packing away a few cuttings and plants her grandmother had insisted Aira take with her to grow on her balcony.

Aira felt oddly sad to be leaving, in spite of her increasing frustration and sense of restlessness. “If you found a mate that suited you…” Her grandmother whispered in her ear as they hugged in the driveway. “You wouldn’t feel so restless and anxious all the time.”

Aira bit back the irritated retort that rose to her lips, swallowing it down as if it were a pill.

“I won’t remind you of it ever again, granddaughter, but I have to say one last thing; Aiden is an eligible choice for you. He’s come into his full abilities, after all.”

Aira pulled back from her grandmother, shocked at the suggestion. She would sooner—if she had to pick between the two brothers—pair off with Dylan over Aiden, no matter what temptations were offered to the contrary.

Her grandmother’s green eyes glinted with amusement at Aira’s revulsion to the idea of being paired with Aiden, and the older woman gave her one last hug before turning back toward the house, discreetly dismissing her disdain for him. Aira shook her head in amazement and got into the driver’s seat. Dylan was already settled on the passenger’s side. Aiden would follow her onto the highway and they would make their first stop after two hours, at which point the brothers would switch.

***

By the time they arrived at Aira’s apartment complex, all three were thoroughly exhausted. Aira told both brothers tersely to leave the job of unpacking the two cars until the morning and led them up the stairs to her unit. She had reason to be proud of her living space. It had two floors, having been converted into a sort of inexpensive penthouse by the building management who had wanted to attract a higher caliber of tenant. She had a sprawling master bedroom up a flight of stairs with a small guest bedroom next to it and another bedroom on the first floor next to the kitchen. After giving her unwanted guests a brief tour of where everything was in the apartment, she told them to pick their rooms however they wanted; as long as they didn’t disturb her, she didn’t care.

Aira hoped Dylan would pick the smaller bedroom next to hers. Although she wasn’t attracted to him exactly, she did find his presence restful, and she didn’t want to deal with the tension of being in close quarters with his Aiden any more than she had to. Instead of waiting to hear what the two men would decide, Aira went into her bedroom and made her way directly for the bathroom. She didn’t have her grandmother’s water alignment, but she had always found a good, hot bath to be a therapeutic way to relieve her tensions, no matter what they might be. She started the bath, adding in the essential oils her grandmother had prepared for her and trying to push the arguments she’d had with Aiden during the times he’d been in the car with her out of her mind.

It was impossible. The minute she sank into the hot water and closed her eyes, she heard his voice in her head.
“It’s no wonder your grandma is worried about you doing something stupid!”
He had said when she had wandered away from the two protectors at a rest stop, interested in a cup of coffee and a few minutes of privacy.
“Look, you might be a grown-ass woman, but there’s a lot of shit you don’t know about, and until you know, you should stop acting like such a fucking idiot.”
At another point in the drive, when they had been closer to their destination, they had fought once more about, of all things, who was going to pay for gas.
“Jesus, woman, just let me pay. Your grandmother gave me money to help pay for the trip home, and that’s what I’m going to use it for.”
At that point, Aira had been so tired and so irritated with the constant presence of the two men for the six hour drive she had accidentally let her powers get away from her, the wind rising in the vicinity as she bickered with Aiden at the pump.
“What kind of fool turns down someone paying for them?”
Aira had growled at Aiden, utterly livid without being sure of exactly why.
“I can pay for my own damned gas, and I can take care of my own damned self. Go buy yourself some coffee or something. Christ! Leave me alone for FIVE MINUTES.”
She had told him.

Dylan had, predictably, been appeasing by bringing out a cup of coffee for Aira without being prompted or even asking if she wanted it. Somehow he had caught on to how she liked her caffeine, with just enough milk and sugar to make it palatable. While Aiden stormed inside, Dylan was soothing her jangled nerves, mostly by agreeing with her that his brother was an asshole.
“He does have good intentions.”
Dylan had said mildly, giving Aira a slight smile.
“Most of the time, anyway.
He just really, really sucks at expressing himself without pissing people off.”
Aira had won the argument; she had paid for her own gas and instead of Aiden in the passenger seat, she had Dylan, who had been more than happy to listen to whatever music she played. Aiden had—predictably, Aira thought—scoffed at her desire to listen to country classics. “God, this makes me want to kill myself.” He had groaned as Aira pressed play on the second album—more to spite him than because she wanted to listen to any more. She had barely restrained herself from suggesting it would solve both of their problems if he did.

Aira grumbled to herself as the bath failed to fully relax her. She sat up in the tub, scrubbing herself thoroughly and washing her hair until the dirty, grimy sense she had felt from driving all day was gone. She climbed out and wrapped herself in a towel, using another to rub at her hair as she stepped into her bedroom. She was going to have to live with the two men, she told herself firmly. If she wanted to shorten the duration of their time living in her house and monitoring her every movement, the best idea would be to work on finding a mate. She felt as though she’d been maneuvered into that decision by her grandmother, and she resented that fact. If she really could find someone she wanted to be with, then it would be a double win.

Aira rummaged through her drawers until she found a pair of comfortable pajamas, then managed to work a comb through her hair, slowly untangling the snarls until she had calmed down as much as she was going to.

There was a knock at her door and Aira took a deep breath, reminding herself to be patient no matter what the situation was and no matter who was knocking. She walked the few steps to her door and marshaled all the patience she had at her disposal before opening it. Aiden stood there, looking carefully neutral in a tight fitted polo. Aira raised an eyebrow in silent question.

“Dylan and I flipped a coin to decide who was going to sleep in the room next to yours,” he said. Clenching his teeth briefly. “I ended up getting the room. I am no happier about it than you are.”

Aira sighed, thinking to herself the day was a complete wash at that point. She stepped back from the door slightly, allowing Aiden to enter if he so chose; he came in and sat at her vanity.

“Do you need extra towels?” Aira asked politely, knowing in spite of the fact the two men were somewhat unwelcome, they were guests—and she had been brought up too properly not to ask, no matter how little she liked it. Aira looked at Aiden for a moment as she pondered what more he could possibly have to say. When he wasn’t actively being an asshole, she thought, he wasn’t bad to look at. His eyes were a bright, clear blue, and his jawline was sharp but not too firm unless he clenched his teeth. His cheeks had light brown stubble across them, which lent itself to a slightly rugged look Aira was not immune to.