Origin of Angels: Elemental Legacy Book 1 (33 page)

“He’s Elemental. I have as much claim to him as you do to the girl. My bond is strong.”

Valen laughed, shaking his head. He was at ease with this woman, as if they were family. I supposed they were as similar as people can be without being connected by blood. Valen’s presence sought me, pressing on my mind. I didn’t resist. What is the trouble? I asked, letting my thoughts continue in a scrambled manner.

“We are no longer alone,” said Valen. If he’d wanted to have a private conversation, he’d chosen a terrible location. He gave a grunt. I was on my way to see you, my love. I shall not be long. Go back to bed.

I didn’t dare disobey him, so I closed the door and walked to the window. Moonlight bathed the lawn in a silver glow and illuminated the distant trees in magic. I opened the window and leaned on the sill, wondering how I could be in such a beautiful place and yet be miserable. Valen wanted me to become his completely. Per-haps I could forget myself if it would keep Blade safe, but what would happen when he grew to be a man? Would Valen consider him a threat? Would he take my son from me, anyway? I sighed, using the window frame to rest my head. There were so many worries. How could I overcome Valen’s influence without alerting him to my efforts? Each time I resisted him, I became stronger. I’d been told, once bonded, an Elemental didn’t have a will of her own, yet I’d retained at least a part of mine. Perhaps Valen hadn’t been able to bond with me completely. I couldn’t say for sure. If I had any chance of keeping my will, I would have to guard it well. He couldn’t know how much control I had; otherwise, he’d work to take it from me.

The door swooshed open, and the room brightened for an instant, then returned to the ashen glow of midnight. My body stiffened the closer he came, so I made myself relax. He pushed my hair away from my shoulder to leave a gentle kiss. The reaction he wanted came easily, as it was part of our bond. I lifted my hand to his face, where a light tracing of stubble covered his jaw. Not wanting to anger him, I let him lead the conversation, if there were to be one.

“Do not worry, my love,” he whispered into my ear. “We will soon be rid of the nuisances. You must be curious. Do you have questions about what you overheard?”

The mere idea he asked jarred my mind. “Are they leaving for good this time? I thought they’d left already.”

A warm caress traveled over my shoulder and onto my back to rest on my hip. He pulled me close, waking up cravings I didn’t want.
“Soon. The boy has been managed, it seems. He should no longer bring you pain.”

I turned to look into the glacial gaze I both feared and desired. Our bodies melted together, and my thoughts slipped to focus on him, but I managed the question. “What do you mean?”

“He’s bound now.”

For a moment, I let myself hate Ainessa. It would do no good to dwell on Travis. I hoped he had succumbed more fully than I. It was torture to want what I couldn’t have. Perhaps she’d done a favor for both Travis and me. Could I let him go? He belonged to Ainessa. It was the thought I allowed to reach Valen. He smiled before pressing his lips softly to mine. As he turned toward the bed where Blade lay, a dark expression obliterated his previous contentment. I scrambled out of his arms to hurriedly pick up my son. I did not look at my bondmate as I left to return Blade to his room. Thankfully, when he stirred, I was able to quiet him.

Valen stood in the doorway of Blade’s room, blocking my exit. “Our bedchamber is not meant for children.”

I nodded, ducking my head. He let me pass, and I breathed a sigh when he followed. I wanted to believe the man would make room in his heart for my son, but Blade was nothing more than a means to an end, which I still didn’t understand and needed to discover. How much good was an extended life if it couldn’t be spent with loved ones? I discarded my robe and shuffled to the bed. Valen lifted my nightgown from me, exposing my flesh to the cool night air. The window remained opened, offering an ocean of scents and the rhythmic sound of night.

I slid under the covers, and he joined me still in his clothing. I frowned, wondering what he was doing. He traced a finger over my skin, raising goose bumps as it went. I closed my eyes, but he grasped my chin. Startled, I looked at him. His voice held an edge of danger. “How much do you want me, Emily?”

I swallowed, not knowing how to answer him. If I said more than anything, would he take away my son? Would he send me into Travis to prove my devotion to him? I only had a second to decide my answer. I wouldn’t risk his wrath by failing to answer. “I was made to please you, Valen. Tell me what you desire.”

My response seemed to please him as his lips tugged into a light smile. His touch continued down to my abdomen. “I’ve never cared to have children of my own, but with you, I would make an exception.”

We’d been intimate enough to have conceived already. He presented me with a situation I could not help. I’d already been able to have a child, so the problem wasn’t likely me. “It would be lovely to have children with you,” I said, hoping it was enough to appease him.

His eyes captured mine, the intensity startling. “Would you do anything I asked of you, of your own will?”

Somehow, I felt like Eve being beguiled by the serpent. We both knew the answer he wanted—demanded from me, so I simply said, “Yes.”

ONCE RAYLA WAS GONE, THERAN HOWLED, striking the man next to him in the chest with his fist. The bloke fell to his knees, gasping for breath. Theran had to know, as well as I did, there was no use in con-tinuing our fight. Since Rayla was in the open, she was safe from him, for now.

I gave him no more than a glance as we drifted to join her. I followed her matter stream, hopping she’d chosen an appropriate location to emerge. She was already gone from the cover of the trees, so I headed toward the hotel. The group of fae and Elementals faced off with an odd looking band of men. At first glance, I thought they were Order. No fae resided amongst them, but they exuded power. They could not be Elemental. My mind searched for an answer. I’d come across beings of power from time to time, but most held little ability compared to my people. These were like none I’d encountered, yet there was a familiarity I couldn’t place.

The man extended his hand toward Rayla, and she promptly folded her arms. Faine chuckled beside me.
“A woman after my heart.”

I shot her a double take. She didn’t have any idea how true her statement was. I nodded, keeping my attention on the group ahead. If I needed to, I could transport our entire group at once, but I preferred to save my strength for the battle I could see coming. I sent Luke a message to bring cloud cover. A thunderstorm wasn’t out of the question in the desert in fall. The rain came before we reached the others.

We were close enough for me to hear the leader introduce himself as William Campbell. The name cropped up more than it should, especially since the Campbells were said to be extinct. A snap of thunder cut off Rayla’s reply, but Heath’s posture told me all I needed to know. Increasing my pace, I pushed past the stragglers at the rear of the gathering. Weaving my way through to Rayla’s side was relatively easy, considering most of these people were Elementals. They yielded to my slight compulsion easily enough. One glared, revealing her awareness of my intrusion. I gave a bow of the head, then skirted by her. I stood to the side of Heath, and Luke took up the other gap.

The man tsked, his baby face not congruent with the sound. “We are wasting precious time.” He looked right at me. “You are being tracked. We have perhaps a minute before the enemy comes. Do you wish to continue arguing, or would you rather take a chance with my offer?”

Rayla scoffed. “How could you possibly protect us from the Order, let alone the dark court?”

The man said, “Thirty seconds.” His voice sounded more as a hiss than words.

I readied myself to remove the group. If there was the slightest chance Theran was stupid enough to follow us here, we had to diffuse the situation before it started. Rayla glanced at Heath, who nodded. She said, “Where would you take us?”

The agitation on the man’s face turned his lips to a sneer.
“Liverpool. Are you coming willingly or not?”

Rayla and I both answered in the same moment. “Yes.”

I envisioned the square where I’d seen the Elementals I’d tried to track. If this man was involved in the group, I definitely wanted to get better acquainted. Rayla seemed to agree, so I let the matter stream encompass all involved, searching to make sure no human had seen us. The thunder and lightning had created the diversion we needed, but there was a small girl on the playground. Not wanting to tamper with her mind, I left her be. Even if she told her mother, it would be discounted as an overactive imagination.

We landed in St. John’s Gardens, the circular walls concealing our arrival. There was only one woman I had to compel to avert her gaze. When she looked up once more, I sent her the visual of us walking through the path to the statue and the thought that we were a tourist group learning about Gladstone or such. In reality, I could have given her the history lesson of her life. She promptly ignored us and skirted out of the area. Most humans were uncomfortable around my kind and for good reason. The enmity between us could not be overcome easily. We didn’t hate humans, but they sensed us no matter what we did to overcome the natural fear the Creator gave them. It was part of our agreement in coming to Earth.

William Campbell approached Rayla, gave a slight bow, and said, “Would you please follow me?”

I piped in since no one else seemed to want to do it.
“Where to, young lad?”

He smiled. “We’ve a place of refuge close. There will be no more tracking once we reach the vicinity.”

Since we needed somewhere for Luke to connect more fully to Lambert, his offering seemed ideal, yet there had to be a catch. I pulled Rayla, Heath, and Finn into a group. Luke stuck his head into the mix before I could begin. I gave him a disapproving frown, but he only smiled. “One of us should go in and make sure our power is still accessible. I don’t want to risk another island moment.”

Rayla paled but spoke quickly. “I agree. Heath and I will be first.”

Convincing our queen she should be protected was an ongoing effort. Heath was more than capable of doing the job, yet my instincts were to guard her. Faine reached for my hand. “You should take Ammon ... Zach,” she corrected. “He has experience with difficult situations neither of you have.”

Heath gave a huff. “As I recall it, I had to come rescue him from his lovely sister and the Order. I think we have it covered.”

I would not go where I was not wanted. “Gentlemen,” interrupted William. “There is no need, but we will allow a small party to accompany us. May I remind you the longer we wait the more exposed to outside forces we are.”

Impertinent twit.
He was too sure of himself for one so young. “Very well,” I said, sweeping my arm. “Lead on, Macduff.”

The lift of his brows showed he recognized my spoof of Shakespeare. It also indicated he was up for the challenge the actual line implied. The walk was leisurely enough to not attract unwanted notice. As we traversed the time worn streets, I let my mind wander to the past. To my right where once a vast field lay, metal and glass stretched toward the sky. Liverpool had become an odd combination of both modern and traditional architecture. The styles melded into a lively scene of industry. We passed a few shops along the way with stylish interiors rivaling any metropolis. I preferred the old ways when life had structure and meaning instead of the hustle and bustle of the new millennium. For mortals, time was a dog nipping at their heels. For us, it allowed for moments to savor against the bleak reality of our future.

William stopped at what looked to be the India Buildings, which as I recalled was built in the early twentieth century. It was a massive endeavor which called for a hefty price-tag. The structure encompassed the city block, reminding me of buildings I’d seen in Manhattan. We entered from Water Street, the three regal arches welcoming us into the expanse of the interior. William kept his attention on getting us all to follow him into a stairwell heading for the basement. My initial reaction was to leave. I’d had enough of sublevels. Nothing good ever came from going into one, yet the Order thrived on building them. I tried to remember if they’d been involved in the construction of this mammoth, but I couldn’t recall. Since evening had fallen, the lights from the ornate ceiling seemed harsh, despite the soothing greens and yellows surrounding them.

The bulk of William’s men went before us, while a few caught up the rear. The women in our group murmured. One even went so far as to say we were all incompetent. Given the current situation, I wasn’t sure how far off she was. Faine went to work easing fears and patting elbows. She’d have made a wonderful mother. I hadn’t allowed myself to follow her into the human realm once I let her go. I knew nothing of her life after me, and I wanted to maintain a comfortable distance.

The walls and floor rumbled the lower we went. I tested my power periodically to make sure we weren’t falling for a trap. “Where are we going?” I asked when I didn’t dare go further without explanation.

William stopped to address me. His formality was welcome considering the conversations I’d had of late. “Our headquarters are located under the sub-basement. Security will not disturb us, so you needn’t fear.”

I gave a nod, my mouth twitching. He truly thought he was saving us. Whatever organization he belonged to must have taught him his value, or perhaps it was his father. One way or another, he’d come away with the lion’s share.