Sacrifice (26 page)

The rest of the time, she scoured the book, becoming frustrated when she discovered most of it was in a language she didn’t understand. “This doesn’t do us much good.”

“We’ll figure it out.” If Alex and Raphael wanted the book, it obviously contained information vital to her survival. With any luck at all, it would provide information about Water. He’d figure out a way to get it translated.

Will decided to stop outside of Colorado Springs for the night. He pooled his money with the money Alex gave to Emma, coming up with almost two thousand dollars. “Do you think we could spring for a cockroach-free place tonight?” she asked in a hopeful tone.

He winked. “I’ll even buy you dinner.”

***

After finding a place in Colorado Springs that boasted clean sheets, Will checked in and carried the bag into their room and set it on the dresser. He pulled her into his arms, sweeping her hair from her cheek, his eyes searching hers. He bent down and kissed her, his lips soft and tender.

She hesitated, suddenly nervous. He didn’t remember her. This wasn’t her Will.

Only he was.

Hope and joy blossomed as she wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging as though he might disappear. His hands grabbed the bottom of her shirt and lifted it over her head. It barely hit the floor before he unfastened her bra and slid it down her arms.

The air hit her bare chest and she shivered.

His gaze traveled down to study her before it returned to her eyes. “You’re beautiful.”

He kissed her again and she ached with the need to be closer to him, the belief that he could give her the comfort she longed for. The wholeness she had only ever found with him. His hand reached down to her waistband, unfastening the button and the zipper.

Will tugged off her jeans and pulled her down onto the bed. Leaning over her, he studied her with a blank expression.

Her chest tightened. Maybe he decided this was a bad idea. She should stop him before he broke her heart. Just when she was sure he didn’t want her, his mouth found hers. She sunk her hands into his hair, pulling him closer.

His lips moved down her neck to her breast. To her frustration, he took his time, exploring her body until she insisted he give her what she really needed, him.

When they finished, he lay next to her and gave her his slow, playful grin. “I can’t believe I could forget doing this with you. You’re certain we did this before?”

“Many, many times.”

“How did we ever get anything else done?”

“You’re very efficient.” She laughed, rolling to her side.

His thumb stroked her shoulder blade, sending a shiver down her spine. “Are these the marks you told me about? Fire and water?”

She swung her head around. “What are you talking about? It’s just fire now.”

Will slowly shook his head as his thumb outlined her skin. “No, I’m pretty sure there’re two marks. One plainly looks like fire and the one beneath it looks like water.”

“But Raphael said the water mark was gone.”

Will’s eyebrows raised in mock surprise. “Wow. There’s no way Raphael would ever lie to you.”

She got up and went into the bathroom, looking over her shoulder in the mirror as Will watched her from the bed. Both marks were there. The only one missing was Will’s. “I don’t understand. What would he gain by lying?”

“You know as well as I do that Raphael wants to mess with your head. I bet this was one more way to manipulate you.”

She’d never checked, just taken his word for it. “But he seemed pretty upset when I mentioned that I had water, like he didn’t think I should.”

Will stood and moved to the bathroom door. “Why are we talking about Raphael?”

“This could be important.”

He leaned against the doorframe. “Okay, so what do you think it means?”

“Maybe it means I really am supposed to find Water. Maybe Raphael saw it and it freaked him out and that’s why he hid me away in Tennessee.”

“So how do we find Water?”

Her mouth twisted in contemplation. “I don’t know, but I suspect the answer is in the book.”

“We just need to figure out how to translate it.”

“Yeah.”

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms, kissing her neck. “I say we worry about it tomorrow.”

She smiled as his head moved lower.

“If you need something to take your mind off it, I can take care of that.”

Tears sprang to her eyes, grateful she’d found him. Grateful he wasn’t dead. She’d been given a second chance with Will and she wasn’t going to blow it this time. Nevertheless, he didn’t have a mark keeping him with her and he was in real danger if he stayed. Could she live with herself if something happened to him because of her? She pulled his head up and searched his eyes. “Will, you’re not stuck with me. You’re free to go anytime you choose.”

He pulled her to his chest, wrapping an arm around her waist. With his free hand, he brushed the hair off her temple and kissed the top of her head. “I’m not going anywhere.”

***

After disappearing all afternoon, Aiden returned in the evening and insisted that Jake join him for a late dinner. Jake’s newest nanny brought him into the dining room at nine o’clock. The table was set, and light from a candelabra illuminated the room. Aiden sat at one end, his hands neatly folded on the table. The shadows stood still. Even the shadows were afraid of Aiden.

Aiden’s head bobbed with a curt nod. “Thank you, Antonia. That will be all.”

The nanny hurried from the room, leaving Jake to fend for himself. Not that she could have helped him.

“Have a seat, Jacob.” Aiden waved his hand toward the plate next to him. “It’s time for a history lesson. Perhaps if you understand where you have come from you will be able to master your power with more authority.”

Jake slid into the chair and placed the napkin on his lap. Kitchen workers usually hung along the wall waiting to serve them, but this time no one else was in the room.

“You’re right. We’re alone.” Aiden scooped food onto Jake’s plate. “I wanted privacy.”

Jake’s stomach rumbled but nerves sent sharp stabs of pain into his belly.

“Years and years ago, four of us ruled the earth. There were lesser creatures, but four of were in control. Fire, air, water, and earth. We didn’t manipulate the elements every moment of the day. The world is self-sustaining so there’s no need for that. What we have is
command
over the elements. We can generate properties associated with the elements we govern. Your mother and I are fire.”

The candle flames lowered until they burned with a blue flame.

“We can create fire and we can manipulate it like the candle flames. But we control it as well. We can create a forest fire and send it one direction, make it stop and send it another. The fire is mine to command. It does not have free will. It must obey my orders, but I must be strong enough to override its true nature.

“As you know, Alex and Raphael are air and earth, but they resigned the majority of their power to me centuries ago. They still possess a small portion of it, but what they possessed in the beginning has weakened over the years. Plus, it’s been so long since they’ve experienced their full potential that they’ve forgotten what they are truly capable of. Alex actually has more command over his true talent than Raphael. Raphael’s displays are parlor tricks used to impress and intimidate rather than to use with real purpose. Not to mention he’s fallen into madness, obsessed for centuries with a woman he continually lost. He forgot his main goal—survival.”

Survival. And he and Mommy were a part of it. But Aiden said there were four. “What about Water?”

Aiden tilted his head, a crooked smile lifting his lips. “A very good question. You’re a bright boy. Water was part of us, but Water and I didn’t see eye to eye on many things. When Alex and Raphael gave their powers to me, Water wanted no part of it and in fact protested the contest. He was concerned about one of us having more power than the others. Water thought it went against the true nature of our existence, that we were all created equal and distributing the equality made the world unbalanced. I thought it was poppycock and banished him. He put up a good fight, but was no match with my increased strength.”

“Where is he?”

Aiden studied him for a moment. “Another
very
good question, Jacob. And the answer is simple. I don’t know. That’s where I was today, searching for him. Usually he comes back every century or so and attempts to kill Alex and Raphael to end things once and for all, but never Emmanuella, not after his first attempt on her life.”

Emmanuella? That was Mommy’s real name. “Why not?”

Aiden gave him his lopsided smile. “We made an agreement that you needn’t concern yourself with. But have no worries. You and your mother are safe from Water. For now.”

The shadows behind Aiden grew taller even though the flames on the candles barely lit the area around them. Their tips curled into claws that hung over Aiden’s shadow.

The flames shot up several feet into the air and resumed their normal height.

Aiden cut a piece of meat. Stabbing it with his fork, his hand stopped in midair. “Things are not going completely as I planned.” He took a bite and watched Jake as he chewed.

Jake fought to keep from squirming under his gaze.

“Water is up to something. We made a bargain a few decades ago that hasn’t turned out the way I expected. I love to gamble, but only when I’m sure the odds are in my favor, and in this instance I was sure it was a no-lose situation. If only I knew what he was up to…”

Why was Aiden telling him this?

Aiden laughed. “You need to know that Water is our enemy. He will deceive you. He will not stop until he’s seen us cast into the shadow world for eternity. And while he can’t personally hurt you, not yet, he can arrange for circumstances to turn against your favor, so never, for a moment, let your guard down.”

They ate in silence, Jake forcing himself to swallow several bites. Could Water be scarier than Aiden? He didn’t think anything could be scarier than Aiden.

Aiden set his napkin on the table and cleared his throat. “I think that will be all tonight, Jacob. Tomorrow we will resume work on your fire abilities. Good night.”

Jake’s nanny appeared at the door and he followed her down the hall to his bedroom, trying to ignore the shadows that moved with him down the passageway.

Chapter Twenty-One

Will decided to head to the Farmington, New Mexico area. After using James’s laptop to research the area, he found that Farmington was close to high voltage power lines located in the middle of unpopulated desert. It was obvious that Emma needed a lot more practice and fast, and he planned to start that night.

She questioned again why he wanted to help her when he had few memories of her. As odd as it sounded, he did remember her, only with his heart instead of his head. Will convinced her to let him help with her training, which included standing guard to make sure she didn’t kill herself or put herself in a vulnerable situation. She’d agreed, not stating what both of them were thinking. He might not have his mark, but he’d resumed the same duties.

While she had more energy than the day before, she still looked tired. She woken in the middle of the night with a nightmare and when he pressed her for the details, she hesitated before telling him it was about a fire. It didn’t surprise him. Given his own history with fires, he was amazed he didn’t have night terrors of his own.

Will drove while Emma scoured the book, searching for answers. She gnawed on her lower lip as she turned the pages.

Will gave her a quick glance. “I studied the book a little when I was with James. I went over the prophecy, but it just doesn’t work. It says the Elevated One and the Supplanter are your children and will battle for control.”

She lifted her gaze, shaking her head. “That’s the wrong prophecy.”

“What?”

“The Vinco Potentia translated the one in the book. In fact, Aiden was probably the one who did the translating. It’s different than the one Jake gave you with your mark.”

“Do you have Jake’s version?”

“Written down? No. Jake burned it into your head. Whenever you thought about it, it just appeared. Let’s see if I can remember it.” She closed her eyes and recited:

“
The land will fall desolate and cold

As it waits for the promised ones

God resides within the queen

While she hides among the people of the exile land

Hunted for that which she must lose

One who is named protector, the Chosen One,

Shall be a shield, counselor, companion

The elevated one will arise from great sorrow

In the full moon after the summer solstice

His powers will be mighty and powerful

He will rise up to rule the land

The supplanter will challenge him

But only one will be overcome