Five (Elemental Enmity Series Book I) (41 page)

A familiar laugh rang louder than the others. The women around me fell silent. I whirled around. Ainessa stood a few paces back. What was she doing here?

She looked pointedly at the women. “Leave.”

They scurried out of the room faster than I could tell them to stay. I didn’t want to be alone with Ainessa. She scared me almost as much as Jett did.

She sat beside me, black skirts rustling. Her gown flowed seamlessly over her flawless frame. Her gaze slid over the valley below.

She snaked her hand over mine, pulling me to my feet. I struggled but she was strong. Was she going to throw me over the edge? My heart beat wildly as she tugged me closer to my doom. Her fingers dug into my shoulders, and she stepped behind me.

“Take a good look, Rayla. This is what you could rule.” Her voice drifted to wistful. “I could teach you how. None of the lords spend more than a few weeks at court. They don’t even know what is happening within their lands. You need someone to guide you.”

She turned me around and gave me a hug. “We could be sisters. The women here need you. This madness has gone on long enough.” She pulled back, a pleading look on her face. “Help us.”

“I…”

She shook her head. “You needn’t decide now. Just think about it. I would not control you like a lord. You could have anyone you want, anytime you want. You wouldn’t be stuck with one of them.” When I raised a quizzical brow at her, she said, “Yes that is what I am saying. You could have them all.”

Was that really supposed to be appealing? I had never understood that sort of desire, but what if I didn’t have to choose between Zach and Luke? It sounded nice on the surface, but I couldn’t be that way. One man was all I wanted.

She must have read my resolve. “What I meant was that your options with me are limitless. With my brothers, you will be consumed once the bond has been made. Look at what happened to your friend. Elementals never fully recover from that sort of connection.” She started for the door, turning back with a smile. “Think about it. We could start a revolution.”

Without another word, she glided out the door. I slunk to the bench and buried my head in my hands. I didn’t want this sort of responsibility. I could imagine being overshadowed if I bonded with Jett, but Zach or Luke? Neither man would do that to me. They had both proven that.

Zach had succeeded in getting me to fall for him in a big way. Even though I didn’t like to admit it, he could have taken me anytime he wanted.

Luke was sweet and vulnerable. His turbulent emotions didn’t disturb me now that I knew why he felt that way. I had to stop thinking about them.

Hurried footsteps clanked on the crystal floor. I spun around. Zach rushed into the room and pulled me to my feet. His gaze slid over me briefly before he crushed me in his arms and stroked my back. I could feel the tension leave him with each pass of his hand.

He sighed, pushing away from me, and studied my face. “I would have sent her to the blackest hell of outer darkness if she had harmed you. I’m so sorry. I was only distracted for a moment. Did she threaten you?”

I smirked, shrugging. “She wanted to be sisters.”

He laughed, a higher pitch than usual, but worry furrowed lines into his forehead. I reached up to straighten the crease between his brows.

He closed his eyes the moment my fingers touched his sweat glistening skin. With timid fingers, I traced the line of his strong jaw. He leaned into my hand, covering it with his.

“I’ve missed you,” he said.

His touch was so familiar, his presence comforting. Not having him in my life would be unbearable. “Me too.” I smiled at him, loving being close to him like this.

“So.” A grin spread slowly along his lips. “Are you over being mad at me yet?”

Was I? Mad was not the right word. I was disappointed. I had believed Zach could help me ditch a life I didn’t want. “I guess.”

He scrunched up his face. “That’s reassuring.”

Luke charged into the room. Zach didn’t step away from me. He placed his arm possessively across my shoulders.

I didn’t know what to do, so I gave Luke a small smile.

Luke glanced at me briefly, emotionless. “The assembly is waiting.”

Zach turned me to face him. His expression was as serious as I had ever seen it. “No matter what you decide, I will always be here for you. I love you.”

I glanced over to the door. Luke was already gone.

Zach pulled me into him and covered my lips with his. His kiss was sweet, barely a hint of passion at all in the beginning. That didn’t last long. I was soon being devoured, but I could have happily gone on like that for hours. I took whatever he was willing to give me. Pulling him closer, I ran my hands up his chest and slid them around his neck. I didn’t want it to end, yet he stepped away from me too soon. He gave me a once over, smiled wolfishly, and walked out of the room.

I placed my hand over my pounding heart and took a deep breath before I followed him down the hall. He led me to the base of a grand staircase. Motioning for me to take the steps to the left, he took the right.

I glanced over at him several times, but he climbed formally. What was he thinking? Was he as nervous as I was?

He met me at the top and offered his arm. I gratefully accepted, feeling a bit overwhelmed. I had no idea what was about to happen, but it seemed more bearable with him next to me.

Trumpeters sounded our arrival. This was it: The beginning of my new life.

Zach ushered me onto a glowing terrace. A crowd cheered as I entered the space. I was so close to covering my ears, but I didn’t want any of them to see how freaked out I was.

Zach guided me to the center of the terrace. The fivefold symbol was inlayed in gold, ruby, sapphire, garnet, and emerald. The precious gems sparkled in the sunlight. The glowing floor and sky lent a celestial feel to the rooftop. He gave me a reassuring nod.

I wished it could repair my shredded nerves. I scanned the sea of unfamiliar faces. The weight of expectation was clear in every gaze.

Drum beats rang out, primitive, basic and surprisingly seductive. A group of veiled dancers circled around me wearing brightly colored dresses, moving deftly to the hypnotic rhythm. I found myself swaying to the music.

The women closed the circle. My head swam so I closed my eyes for only a second. When soft fingers brushed my skin, I gasped. They hoisted me into the air, and then carried me forward. I tried to see where we were going, but the light coming from every surface blinded me.

They placed me gently on my slippered feet. The music stopped and the sea of people parted.

Tabitha stood in front of me. Her pale eyes were eerily fixed to mine. It was as though she could see me, but couldn’t. Was she blind?

I stayed where I was. She laughed the wild sound I had heard once before. Chills ran down my spine.

She danced around me, a feral thing disguised as a woman. Her white hair was piled haphazardly around her head. Dried leaves and twigs clung to the matted locks. Tendrils snaked down to her ankles. So I hadn’t been dreaming.

She inched unnervingly closer every time she circled me. I was tempted to follow her movements, but fear cemented me to the spot. I kept my face forward. She touched my hair, bringing it with her in front of me. She sniffed and released it. Her gaze shifted to mine.

Her dove gray pupils didn’t fix on anything. I was sure she was blind now.

“Is that so, Elemental? You know so much about me, do you?” She laughed her high pitched trill and snaked around me again, running her hand across my shoulders. “Poor Elemental. So far from a home that should have never been hers.”

What did she know about how or where I was raised?

A conspiratorial look crossed her delicate features. “More than you think, young one.”

Could she read my thoughts? I hoped not.

“Now you’re catching on.” She took my hand.

I yanked it away as though burned. Her gaze was like looking into a mirror, but instead of seeing a reflection, every buried secret within me came to life, reminding me of how inadequate I was.

“These are the things that define you.”

I didn’t want to be defined by my failures.

She stood in front of me. Her gaze trained on the ground. “Short-sighted. You cannot succeed without failing first.”

She snatched my hands into hers. Her grip dug into my skin. I yelped, trying to rip my fingers away. She wouldn’t let go.

“Needs a strong hand, I think.”

What was she doing?

“Too close to tell for sure.” With her eyes closed she swung her head around. “Jafan of Eldrea, come forward.”

Jett strode toward us. I trembled at his approach.
No.
This could not be happening. Anyone but him. I’d even take Finn at this point. Where was he anyway?

I threw myself onto the floor writhing to get away from her death-grip. I screamed at her to let go of me. I pleaded for help. No one moved. I fell silent after a few minutes, feeling foolish. The people looked at me as though I were insane.

I found Zach in the crowd. “Come get me,” I mouthed. The moment he moved forward, a group of burly men blocked his path. He stepped back but kept his gaze trained to me. Was he afraid of these men? Were they the royal guard?

Luke shouted, “She should get to choose.”

Tabitha held up her hand. Silence. Even the birds stopped chirping.

“Alithea of Eldrea, step forward,” Tabitha commanded.

A woman only a few years older than me glided nearer. I would know her anywhere. I sobbed out a silent, “Mom.” She hadn’t aged at all.

This was why she had left me with Aunt Grace. She shouldn’t be here now. How could she have had me and be here? Wasn’t that the opposite of how this was supposed to work? I had so many questions, but I didn’t dare even think any more of them. I had already revealed way too much from the look on Tabitha’s face.

The woman Tabitha had called Alithea stood by Jett, or, rather, Jafan. Her eyes scanned over me without so much as a hint of recognition.

My heart shattered. Couldn’t she see who I was? She couldn’t have missed the resemblance.

Tabitha reached out a hand toward Alithea who graciously accepted. “Jafan claims this Elemental to be your offspring. What have you to say?”

My mother bowed low then stood stoically. “That is impossible, Majesty. I have been bound these past fifty years.”

“You were absent from court during the time this child would have been born.”

“I do not deny that, All Mother. I ask you, in all reverence, how can an Elemental conceive when she is bonded? All progression is stopped.”

Tabitha seemed to consider this. She nodded. “You may leave.”

I watched my mom fade into the crowd without a backward glance. To keep from crying, I bit the inside of my cheek. I would not betray my own mother by being weak.

Tabitha turned toward Jafan. “This woman has made a compact with you?”

“Yes,” Jafan stated calmly. His deep brown eyes roamed over my body. “I was promised her first born in exchange for assistance. She comes from a long line of Earth Elementals, majesty.”

“What sort of assistance did you provide her?” Tabitha asked, her face serene.

Jafan shifted his weight. Could it be possible that he was nervous?

“I made a solemn pact to never disclose what was done.”

“I see,” said Tabitha. She held out her hand to Jafan. He greedily accepted.

“And you believe this girl to be that firstborn?”

“The likeness speaks for itself,” he said. His gaze and stance did not waver in the slightest.

A surge of power shot up my arm. I thought Tabitha didn’t have control over the elements? More power shot through me. I doubled over. What was happening? I groaned in pain.

“It would be a good match,” Tabitha proclaimed.

Jafan smiled. His gaze was full of smug possession.

“No!” I screeched. “I will not be bound to him.”

Tabitha twisted a wry expression at me. She squeezed my fingers until I let out a cry as my pain intensified.

When I finally wrenched my fingers from her grasp, she turned a scowl on me. “You cannot hide any longer from your fate.” She snatched my hands again quicker than I could get away.

I pleaded for the elements to aid me. Particles in every color shone all around me in that impossible cosmic storm. I felt their strength as they surged through my body. My palm glowed bright white. I yanked free of Tabitha’s grip. “I make my own fate. Not you!”

The crowd gasped. Luke looked proud. I gave him a slight nod.

“Your highness!” came an urgent cry. “Your highness, please stop this.”

I wrenched my neck around to see who it was. The movement took more effort than it should have. I was on the brink of collapsing again. I was too weak for this fight, but I wasn’t about to let anyone else know that.

Finn raced toward us, the crowd parting like the Red Sea. Cassie was on his heels. He held her hand.

Tabitha laughed. “Feandan of Ignis. I thought not to see you this go around. Am I mistaken, or have you not released your claim on this Elemental?”

Finn bowed low. He still had a hold of Cassie’s hand. I couldn’t believe she was actually here.

I ran to her and threw my arms around her. She laughed, hugging me back. Her leg was healed. It had only been a few days, hadn’t it? Tears streamed down my cheeks.

“I have, your highness,” said Finn. “It is only a formality now, but I am here for an urgent matter.”

Tabitha growled low in her throat. “Why have you brought this human amongst us? You know it is forbidden.”

Finn went pale. “I have grave news, Majesty, that requires immediate action.”

“It will keep, lord of fire. We are in the middle of the bonding ritual.”

“But—”

“I will not hear another word until this task is done.” Tabitha gave Finn a look of exasperation. “You should know how important this girl is to our race. I have seen what has happened. We need her power to fight this plague.”

Tabitha looked over at me. Her gaze was too much to handle. She started scolding Finn. But I didn’t hear much of it because Cassie leaned into me. I wasn’t about to miss what she had to say.