Fallen Elemental (Elemental Series Book 1), page 30
Then Ted turns on his heel, leaving Max staring after him in complete shock.
Dane smirks at him. "I'll go get you some blankets."
With that, he leaves me and Max behind in the room.
I take a step closer, watching as his expression fills with doubt. "Evelyn is powerful, Max. She may not have been raised as one of us, but she is the strongest woman I have ever come across. If you do anything to hurt her, to make her doubt who she is, or try to influence her in any way, I will call the council. I don't care if they might have been the ones to imprison you. I will let them come in here and take you without so much as blinking if it means keeping my bonded safe."
He stares at me for a long moment before nodding once. "I understand. I’m not here to hurt my daughter, though, just to ensure she remains safe and reaches her full potential."
My eyes narrow in suspicion, but I don't say anything further. Right now, I just want to be with Evie. If Max has some ulterior motive, one night won’t make much difference.
Seventy
Dane
We all spent the night in my room last night, mainly because Evie insisted on staying with all of us. Ky had brought up my room as an option, saying it made the most sense because my bed was the biggest. And while that’s true, it was still a tight squeeze for us to all fit.
I was on the edge of the bed closest to the door, with Ted next to me. He had an arm wrapped around Evie. Ky was on her other side, with Mike laying beside him.
As I was the first one awake, I decided the best thing I could do for Evie was to get up and get some food on the stove. As our bonded, she will never want for anything ever again. Whether it be food, a home, or any luxury her heart desires, we will find a way to provide it to her.
As I move about the kitchen, getting breakfast started, I hear the footsteps right before I sense Evie's father. When he enters the room, he doesn't say a word so I continue like he isn't there. A few minutes later, when I am finished with my task, I turn and greet him politely. "Good morning Max."
If it were up to me, I would have kicked his ass out last night and told him to never return. But after Evie fell asleep, the rest of us spoke about it through the bond in length. And while none of us trust Max or his intentions, we all agreed Evie deserved the chance to get answers. To find out where she comes from.
"Morning.” Max smiles, then looks around the kitchen curiously. "Is Evie up yet?"
'Guys, is Evie awake?' I ask through the bond.
'Yeah,' Ky responds after a second. 'She's just having a quick shower then will be down.'
Then I focus back on Max. “Yeah, she’ll be down in a minute. Would you like some coffee?”
“Yes, please,” he says eagerly, taking a seat at our small kitchen island with his back facing the entryway.
I set the coffee pot on the table in front of him and go back to the eggs and pancakes. I remembered out of everything I made after the first night Evie slept here, she ate more of the eggs and pancakes than anything else, so I thought she would appreciate having them this morning.
After a few minutes of silence, I sense Evie coming down the stairs, with the others all following after her.
Max chooses that moment to speak. "So tell me, do you ever plan to tell my daughter which of your guys’ fathers killed her mother and imprisoned me in a dirty cell for thirteen years?"
Damn. I know Evie is just outside the kitchen doorway at this point, out of sight and listening. I can feel her through the bond. Her surprise and sorrow are radiating through me painfully. I don't want to cause her pain, but I would rather sit down and discuss the matter properly with everyone instead of just blurting it out like this.
I grit my teeth. "We’ll all sit down and talk to her when she’s ready. Not because you want her to know." I take in a deep breath, trying to remain calm. "You don't think we see what you're doing? You're trying to drive a wedge between us because you think it will allow you to get closer to her if she doubts us. But newsflash, Max, we all love her. And even if our parents were involved in your wife’s death, that changes nothing for us. We are not our parents."
He nods slowly, seeming deep in thought. "I see," he muses a moment later, a smile forming on his face. "Then if as you say, you are different from your parents, I suppose that means I can trust you've been honest with my daughter?"
From the triumphant look in his eyes, I can tell he is just waiting to throw something in my face that will disrupt my relationship with my bonded. I want more than anything to shut this conversation down but if I do that now, Evie will know either way that we've been keeping something from her.
"We tell her the truth unless it’s something that would threaten her safety. But even if we keep things from her, they are only to protect her."
Anger rolls through me directed at Max, and I feel betrayal from the bond coming from Evie. She is angry her father is questioning me, but she is also angry we are keeping things from her.
Her father is either completely oblivious to the fury I'm directing at him with my glare, or just doesn't care.
He takes a sip of his coffee before setting it down. "One of the last things I overheard while I was in that cellar was about my daughter meeting you boys. Victor and Richard seemed very excited, saying that they believed their sons had found the girl from the prophecy. One of the things they gloated about was the fact they were coming to get her and she would be joining me in my cell before long. Now, why would they gloat about something like that if it wasn’t true?"
My face pales at the sharp gasp of surprise I hear coming from Evie. She steps around the corner and into the kitchen, the smell of burning eggs getting stronger the longer she stares at me. The others come in behind her, but no one is touching her anymore, and I assume that's because she’s shaken them off.
Seventy-One
Evelyn
My heart feels like it’s breaking. They told me we weren’t going to the council any longer. Is this what they were hiding from me? That the council was actually still coming? Why would they keep this to themselves? If the council is planning to come here and take me, I have the right to know!
"Is it true?" I whisper, my voice barely loud enough to be heard. Dane takes a step towards me and I spear him with my gaze. "Is. It. True?" I demand angrily.
He bows his head in shame, which is all the answer I need. I hurry to the back door, needing to get out of this space. But I pause when Dane calls out.
"Evie, wait."
I whip back around to face him and take three quick steps until I'm right in his face. "Don't. You had every chance to tell me that the council was coming here. The only reason you'd keep something like that from me is that you know my father is right. They aren’t coming here for a simple visit, they want to take me, to use me for my power. And you all lied to me. You told me we had rescheduled their visit."
Mike takes a step into the room, his eyes pleading. "Please, just let us explain."
I shake my head sadly, needing a moment to myself to digest everything I just overheard. "No, I get it,” I say with a fake smile, burying the majority of the hurt I feel. “I am angry, but I do get the reason you kept it from me. I just need some air right now. I need to process this without all of you in my face trying to tamp down how I feel."
"We're not trying to control-"
"Enough," my father interjects, getting to his feet. "You four have lied to my daughter more than enough. If she wants to get some fresh air, then she should be free to do so." Then he turns, giving me a look of sympathy. "Go ahead, Evelyn, I'll keep them inside. We have to discuss some things anyway. Like whether they can be trusted with parents such as theirs."
I nod, choosing to remain silent. Part of me wants to come to their defense but honestly, it’s hard to right now. I’m mad, hurt and confused by everything that has happened in the past twenty-four hours. It is just so much to process.
I take hurried steps through the door that leads out back and keep walking until I am far from the house, far from the people who have kept so much from me.
What were they planning to do? To just let the council come and take me? I’d like to believe they wouldn't let any harm come to me, but then again, what do I really know about bonded and how they work? For all I know, their connection with the council could very well be stronger than the one they have with me.
I sigh in frustration, deciding to make my way back to the house. No point in delaying the inevitable. This talk needs to happen, and while I know I was upset by my father's revelations, I can't help but think of the way it happened. If Dane knew I was there, then my father must have as well. Which means he wanted me to find out that way. But why? What did he have to gain by it?
I'm a couple of yards from the house when the air around me shifts suddenly, stealing my breath with it. I gasp, clutching at my throat. It feels like my lungs are constricting from the lack of air around me.
'Help!' I cry out in my mind, hoping one of the guys gets my message. My vision goes blurry and I crumple to the ground, my body losing all feeling.
Arms catch me before I hit, though, and scoop me up. I close my eyes in relief, even though I’m still unable to breathe. I am seconds from passing out, but I relax in the knowledge the guys found me.
Seventy-Two
Theodore
We watched Evie walk out that door with sadness in our hearts. But none of us followed after her because we knew she needed space. I can't even imagine how this is affecting her. The mere thought that our parents might have been responsible for killing her mother and taking her father must really be playing with her head, but then to add in the fact we lied about the council visiting? Yeah, I'd hate us too right now if I were in her position.
And when she finds out it was my father and Kylan's in particular that were the ones involved, how will she react? Will she want anything to do with the two of us after that?
"What is it you wanted to talk about, Max?" Mike asks with barely restrained fury. I imagine none of us are big fans of Max right now.
He just sits there, sipping his coffee calmly, as if nothing whatsoever has happened. Like he didn't just crush our bonded with his revelation.
After a moment, Max sets his mug down. "Well, what I wanted to discuss with you was Evelyn's living arrangements. I get that you four are doing your best, but you’re just boys after all. My daughter needs a parental figure in her life, one who can guide her on the right path."
He looks around, giving us all a condescending smile. "And let's face it, you four haven't exactly made this a good life for her. Lying to her, hiding her away like she should be ashamed of this power she holds. She needs someone who can help train her and I am more than capable of doing that. You boys, however, are not."
"You think you can just come in here and try to rip our bonded from us?" Kylan asks, completely incensed. "The connection between a bonded and her bonds is sacred. One that you have no control over. If you’d like Evie to live with you, then you need to ask her, not us. We are not her keepers. We are her equals. But know this, she won't choose you. She doesn't trust you, and after what you pulled here, she never will. She is a smart woman and will know your intentions today were not pure."
Max just grins at us. "We shall see."
I open my mouth to tell him to get the fuck out of our home, but then Evie's voice breaks through my thoughts. 'Help!'
The word sounds weak in my mind, putting me instantly on alert. My gaze snaps up, looking out the back. Then I make a run for the back of the door, as do my bond brothers, all of us moving without a word. They heard her cry for help just as I did. Max follows behind us slowly, as I’m sure he can sense our urgency.
We fan out, looking for Evie. But after a few minutes, none of us have found any trace of her.
"Use your bonds. I can't feel my daughter!" Max demands angrily, although I hear the hint of fear in his tone.
I don't argue, simply closing my eyes as I try to find the bond that connects Evie to me, but it's gone. Vanished completely as if it hadn’t been there to begin with.
"Shit!" I curse, my eyes snapping open. "I can’t feel her. It's like her bond has been muted somehow."
After that, the others all try to feel for her, but I can tell by their dejected looks that they couldn’t sense her either.
“Why can’t we feel her bond? We should always be able to sense our know bonded.” Dane is starting to pace back and forth, clearly getting frustrated.
Max lets loose a scream of fury and the sky darkens above us in response to the strength of his pain. Ky turns on him so quickly, grabbing Max by the throat. His element is in control as he shakes the man who looks tortured by the loss of his daughter. Although he could also just be faking it.
“Did you have something to do with this? Because I swear, I don’t care how powerful you are, we will destroy you if you’ve hurt her.”
“I didn’t take her!" Max grunts out, pushing Ky off him with a forceful shove.
Dane grabs Ky to stop him from coming after Max again but thankfully Ky relaxes, only glaring at Evie’s father with barely contained rage.
"I should have just taken her the moment I first saw her. I knew this would happen if I didn't act. But now, there’s only one thing we can do."
"And what's that?" Mike asks, his eyes filled with rage. The same fury we all feel at the knowledge that someone dared to take our bonded from us.
Max looks around at us, a haunted expression in his gaze. "We have to get in contact with her grandfather. If the council has cut us all from the bonds that connect us to Evie, then he's the only one who can save her now.”
Note From the Author
THANK YOU!
To everyone who pre-ordered, purchased or reads this on KU, from the bottom of my heart I am sending you all the love in the world. Seriously, without you guys, I couldn’t have made this book into the new and improved version it is. I hope you liked it and remember to leave a review xo
Side Note: I may be doing a giveaway in my facebook reader group. (Just in case you loved it so much you’d like to get your hands on some book related swag).
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Tamara White, Fallen Elemental (Elemental Series Book 1)
