The Soothing Scent Of Earth (Elemental Awakening, Book 2) (24 page)

He took me so much by surprise I blurted, "You. And me."

A tongue flicked behind my ear, teeth began nibbling on my lobe, his hot hand came to rest on my thigh, kneading.

"What about us?" he murmured.

I bit back a moan and shifted in my seat, trying to get a handle on my visceral heated response to this man.

"Tell me," he urged, his lips trailing along my jaw, heading for the corner of my mouth.

"The usual," I whispered, voice deeper and rougher than normal. "I'm not worthy of you. Not fit for a prince. How you'd leave me in ten years time."

Aktor scoffed, Theo pulled back, and I was left high and dry. My hands curled into fists on my legs, as I blinked back the haze of his
Pyrkagia Stoicheio
. Desire was abruptly replaced with anger. Another Fire, but this one was my own.

"Did you just use
Pyrkagia
on me?" I demanded.

Theo didn't react to my question, he looked thoughtful. Something was working hard behind those incredible hazel eyes.

"Ten years," he finally said, nothing else.

"Theo!" I exclaimed, as Aktor said, "Isadora has never been able to get over that snub."

"It wasn't a snub," Theo defended, while I said, "You just used your
Stoicheio
on me!"

"You went straight from her arms to another's," Aktor replied. "She may have behaved as though it didn't matter, but she is no different from any other woman scorned."

"You needed help opening up," Theo said, I think to me, but it was getting hard to tell who was talking to whom, right now. "I just helped you relax."

"Well don't do it!" I said, in a huff.

"Casey," he chastised gently. "Whatever it takes, I will do. Get that through your beautiful head."

"That makes no sense at all," I snapped back.

"Did she tell you about Melita?" Aktor interrupted, obviously directing that to me, and ending all further words I'd had planned in my mind. Also halting Theo in his tracks. I think that was the old man's plan.

"Yes," I whispered. Theo closed his eyes and sank back on the couch. Not a good sign at all.

Silence. Just the crackle of the flames and my too rapid breaths.

"Theodoros," Aktor called, finally breaking the stand-off.

"Give us a moment, Aktor. I'll call you back," Theo replied, eyes still closed.

"Very well," the butler replied, not sounding happy about the dismissal. The Fire changed pitch and then it was just us. Theo and me.

Both unhappy.

I stared blindly into the flames wishing I was anywhere but here.

"I loved her," he said in a soft voice, barely audible above the wood burning. I tightened my hold on my body and refused to look at him. "I thought she was something she was not," he added. "She hurt me greatly, and in my... weakened frame of heart and mind, I did a stupid thing."

I turned my head slowly, unable to
not
look at him when the pain of his words felt real. He was leaning forward, elbows to spread knees, hands hanging limply, staring at the fire. He looked haunted.

"I accepted Isadora's offer of comfort when I should not have," he said in a rush, as though the quicker he said it, the less it would hurt. Like a band-aid removal. "Aktor is right, and he did try to warn me at the time. But Isadora insisted she held no grudge, that she was a carefree spirit. I told her I had no heart left to give, but she still wanted me. And I... needed that."

My hand found its way to his upper leg and I gently rested my palm on his thigh. He moved his hand to cover mine immediately.

"It was a long time ago, Casey. I have well and truly gotten over it. But I guess Isadora has not."

Did I say it? Was it really important? Melita was a lost love, someone who had hurt him. How could he still love her, regardless of whether she was his
Thisavros
or not. Did it matter?

I still knew so little about this world. Hell, I didn't really know what being a
Thisavros
meant. Theo was teaching me day by day. But what I did know was me. I'm a don't-rock-the-boat kind of person. But this would eat at me, make the boat take on water through little niggling holes of worry and angst. No matter what I did to keep it afloat.

I had to say it, and fortify myself for the answer.

"Theo," I started, sucking in a deep breath of air. He turned fully to face me, concern evident on his face, in his eyes.

"You can ask me anything, Casey," he said, softly stroking his thumb over the back of my hand.

OK. I could do this.

Right.

"WasMelitayour
Thisavros
too?" And that sounded about as garbled as an 8-track tape played backwards.

"Hold on," Theo said, lifting a palm up between us to stop me from talking. As
if
I could make a sound now. "I got Melita and
Thisavros,
but nothing else." A pause. Followed by his creased brow lifted to become raised eyebrows. "Was she my
Thisavros?"

His eyes searched my face, strangely a small smattering of gold flecked the hazel. I couldn't begin to work out why it would be there.

"
Oraia?"
he asked, reaching up and cupping my face. "Is
that
what Isadora told you?"

I nodded, eyes wide to stave off tears, my inner cheek getting a workout.

He held up a finger and said, "First thing. To be a
Thisavros
both parties must agree. The bite?" he reminded me. "If you had not enjoyed my bite, you would not have been my
Thisavros
. Understand?"

My head bobbed up and down twice. But my eyes had narrowed.

Two fingers held up now. "Second. And this is the most important. You cannot have two
Thisavros
at the same time. Don't ask me how that works, but something
Aetheros
created in us makes it impossible to have a ménage, if you will. While you are mine and I am yours, no one else can become either of our
Thisavros
."

That was good to know, because Theo was definitely mine and I was definitely his, if the way his bite made me feel. But it didn't answer the all important question, did it? And by the look on his face - satisfied, complete, final - Theo thought he'd explained all my worries away.

"Now," he said, wrapping an arm about my shoulders and pulling me tight against his side. A move that should have elated me, but just didn't seem to elicit the usual response. "We should really get Aktor back and discuss our plans from here."

I felt his
Pyrkagia
swell as he reached out to the flames and for the tiniest of moments I urged mine to stop him. It was surprisingly easy to do. It whipped out at the single thought, wrapped itself around his, in some metaphysical and magical way that I could still manage to perceive, and then sprang back like a coil stretched too far.

"Everything settled?" Aktor's voice said out of the Fire, as Theo twisted in his seat to face me, brow furrowed.

"Casey?" he asked.

I was too tired for this and maybe I was thinking about it too much. Because he was my
Thisavros
and he'd just said no one else could be his. So right now, right here, he was mine and I was his. I was getting worked up over nothing. It didn't affect what we had. It was irrelevant and in the past. I needed to move on, we had more pressing matters of concern.

I knew this. It was logical. So, why did it still weigh so heavily on my heart?

I shook my head and said the only thing I could say, "Fine. Everything's fine."

Theo frowned at me some more, but Aktor was all business.

"I've done some investigating while you were occupied," the old man announced. "Isadora is on a flight back to Auckland."

"That is a relief," Theo said, although he didn't sound his normally enthused-for-Dora attitude.

"Theodoros," Aktor said evenly. "She was summoned."

I flicked a glance at Theo to see him scowl. No longer a frown, but a full out perturbed glower.

"Do they know she was with me?" he asked, his arm snaking tighter around my frame at his side. Almost a subconscious movement to soothe his nerves.

"Possibly," Aktor replied. "Nico is looking into it discretely," he added, making me smile that at least Nico was back in the good books with Aktor. The scowl on Theo's face deepened enough to let me know his cousin hadn't made amends with him yet though.

"Well, I guess it's irrelevant now," Theo said, and achingly there was a note of defeat in his tone.

"How so?" I asked, softly, offering what support I could by snuggling in closer. He wrapped both arms about my body and buried his face into the crook of my neck, delivering a tender kiss.

Against my skin he said, "I am exiled. I cannot return. So the Council's or my father's reaction can no longer reach me." He pulled back. "What concerns me, though, is the harm they could cause Isadora." That was said to the flames.

"Believe me, Theodoros," Aktor said dryly, "Isadora is more than capable of getting herself out of any hot water her trip may create. I'd be more anxious about your property and interests here. They are likely to confiscate them all."

"Start to liquidate what you can of our assets and get yourself out of there," Theo replied, immediately.

"I'll take care of myself and what I can here, don't worry. I've already packed up the essentials and will leave the house once we're through." Thankfully Aktor did have a safe home to go to until he could join us. One which I had to hope had been repaired since Nico demolished part of it. I also presumed Theo would want the old butler with us. But where would we be?

"Where are we going to go?" I asked, the flames and Theo both.

"Good question," Theo replied, not helping to settle my worries right then. "Aktor?"

"Yes, yes," the butler said dismissively. "I've been working on that too. The references we have regarding
Aether
are not useful, I'm afraid."

"You told him?" I whispered out of the corner of my mouth, not upset, but surprised he'd found time.

"You were out for over an hour after we arrived here. Aktor and I had a good long chat."

Oh.

"I could make an impromptu visit to the
Pyrgos'
library. There may be something helpful there," Aktor offered.

"We can't risk you anywhere near
Pyrgos
and the Council right now," Theo remarked. "Consider all
Pyrkagia
hostile ground," he added on a wounded sigh.

Aktor let out a similar sound that was audible above the crackle of the flames.

"Well, then," the butler said. "You have only one choice if you wish to find out more about what Cassandra is."

"I told you that wasn't an option," Theo curtly replied.

"I can do what I can to arrange safe passage," Aktor continued.

"No," Theo cut him off. "Out of the question."

"Then what?" Aktor barked, a tone I had never heard him use before. Not on anyone, least of all his master.

"I don't know," Theo ground out. "I'll think of something."

"Will you, Theodoros? You're away from your home and contacts. You have no allies you can trust."

"So your idea about visiting another
Ekmetalleftis
branch is better than going it alone?" Theo asked incredulously.

"Wait," I said, interrupting them both. "What do you mean going to another branch?"

Aktor started talking, as Theo said, "Don't!" in his loudest voice. Covering Aktor's words completely.

I reached up and slapped a hand over his mouth and got bitten for my efforts, so with a small pull on my
Pyrkagia
side, laced with a bit of
Gi
through the sweet smell of the orchids in the room, I swamped his senses. None too delicately.

He groaned, rolled over towards me, wrapping a hand around my throat possessively, while his thigh pinned me to the couch. Well, I was still learning and mistakes would happen. But I wanted to hear what Aktor had said.

"Hush," I commanded Theo, as he started murmuring about all the things he was going to do to me in my ear. For a second he had me, because some of the things he detailed I hadn't even known could exist. But I wouldn't have minded finding out, that was for sure.

But first, Aktor.

I pushed against Theo's chest and received a hot handed full breast cup and knead, then a rock of his hips against my thigh. Biting back an almost hysterical laugh, I said, "Aktor, what branch of
Ekmetalleftis?"

"The
Aeras
," he answered. "In Peru."

Air Elementals. "Why?"

"They have a shaman who preaches the word of
Aetheros,"
Aktor added, as Theo started removing my top. I struggled with his attempts, but kept my mind on the Fire, which of course didn't help to pull any of my
Pyrkagia
influence back from Theo. "He is considered the foremost knowledge on our god. If anyone knows the true meaning of being an
Aether
it would be him."