Shirtless and stretched over his guitar, Gavin scribbled some notes on a page lying on the coffee table before him. His tattoos cast a vague blue hue under the weak light penetrating the windows. The s.e.xy as h.e.l.l bed head got her heart chugging. To think she had a hand in taming that wild hair into something a tad softer. She beamed.
His tanned toes spread and dug into the carpet, gripping its short nap. With his navy cargo shorts bunched just above his knees, he looked pensive. Vulnerable. Here was the Gavin Ca.s.sidy no one else knew. Not the rock star or Sentinel. Her Gavin.
He dropped the pencil on the table and snapped the guitar pick from his lips as the digits on his left hand found their places along the frets. Strumming with his right, he closed his eyes. His fingers worked their magic. His face remained placid through the poignant melody.
Tears formed at the corners of her lids. She couldn"t help it. Blinking over the watery blur, she saw a gifted young man who"d been robbed of his dreams, cheated out of his future. Music was his true love. His friends probably never saw past the happy-go-lucky rock star persona, but she did. The pa.s.sion, the mastery, the depth of feeling- The Dreaming and its Sentinels had claimed him like an early death.
So unfair.
Gavin deserved a beautiful life he"d never get to lead, thanks to the Fyres.
Palming the tears aside, Zoe shuddered through a hard breath, those touching notes stealing bits and pieces of her soul. Didn"t matter. He could have them.
Gavin stopped again and jammed the pick between his teeth. His long black lashes angled downward as he wrote something else on the paper. He hummed a short tune, just as moving as the notes he"d played.
Overflowing with sadness for all the things he"d sacrificed for the sake of the Wyldlings, Zoe turned away.
She walked into the bathroom. After using the facilities, she brushed her teeth and washed her face, scrubbing away the signs of wear and tear. Gazing into the mirror, she ordered a smile to her lips. She patted her skin with a hand towel that smelled like him, then made her entrance into the living room.
Gavin turned when she came in, and her breath caught. G.o.d, up close, he looked rough-like an innocent man who"d accepted a wrongfully levied death sentence.
"Morning, love." He reached over top of the guitar, pulled her down, and kissed her. "You sleep all right?"
She dropped to her knees, ignoring the instrument between them, and double fisted his sunken cheeks. "Yeah. But I missed you. I hate waking up alone."
He smoothed the hair down her shoulder. Cranked out a half-hearted smile. That wistful look came back. "So do I."
Gavin"s Aer tattoos lit up like halogen bulbs.
Vexx fluttered into the room, grinning like a Cheshire Cat. "How goes it, you two?"
He grabbed the rumpled blanket beside him and shouldered it to cover the yellow glare.
She fell into the sofa, blew a bubble, and sucked the pink in with a loud pop. Her legs crossed, the top one bobbing against the bottom. "Good s.e.x last night."
"Excuse me?" Zoe stood up and laid her hands on her hips.
Vexx flashed a toothy white grin, the bubblegum peeking out from between her top and bottom molars. "You guys were kinda loud."
Zoe exchanged glances with Gavin. "No, we weren"t. We-"
The Aer Elemental winked and tapped her index finger to her temple.
"Keep your mind to yourself, smart a.s.s," Zoe said.
"Then don"t think about s.e.x so loudly. I"m just sayin"."
Zoe huffed. Not only could they not sleep together, they couldn"t have a normal morning with just the two of them.
Shaking his head and covering a smile, Gavin got up. He rested the guitar against the wall, and dropped a kiss on Zoe"s shoulder as he rounded her for the kitchen.
Vexx"s leg bounced to an invisible rhythm. "Wait. Play it again, Gavin. I liked that song."
Man, Zoe did, too. Her heart still raced from it.
He halted his steps, scratched the back of his head, and glanced at Zoe. "Thanks, but I can"t play on demand." The lines in his brow deepened with a heavy yawn. He must have been busy in the Dreaming last night.
Vexx"s gaze seesawed between them. She pointed at Gavin. "Play it for her." Clouds of yellow mist swirled across her eyes.
What was she doing?
Gavin went back to the guitar, picked it up, and strummed a chord. He sat on the edge of the couch cushion and did as he was told.
Vexx shot Zoe a sideways look, grinning under her knuckles.
The gentle melody, so unlike the hard rock he played with Just Breathe, repeated a couple of times, then Gavin stopped. "That"s as far as I"ve got."
Vexx clapped. "Bravo. It was beautiful."
Indeed. He d.a.m.n near melted Zoe"s heart with that song. Kind of like the way he looked at her right now. The boyish embarra.s.sment was too freaking cute. He was blushing.
Zoe leaned over to Vexx as Gavin went into the kitchen. "You made him do it, didn"t you? You put the thought in his head."
"There may have been a tiny bit of coaxing on my part, but my victims-er, targets-won"t do anything they don"t want to deep down. I just suggest things. They can always refuse."
Gavin leaned around the corner. "I knew it. You f.u.c.ked with my mind, didn"t you?"
Vexx"s purple-striped hand sock swept the decollete above her cami. A fat pink and black pigtail brushed her bare shoulder with the defiant tilt of her head. "Me? Why would I do such a thing? Now take your shorts off."
Zoe covered her mouth and giggled when he started to reach for his zipper, then stopped himself.
"G.o.dd.a.m.n Elementals. Stay out of my head, Vexx."
"You"re really good at that." Zoe high-fived the Aer. It felt nice to laugh.
The scowl on Gavin"s face slipped when an invisible bulb lighted over his head. "You know, I could use someone with your talents for a little investigation I"m running into the members of the Sentinel Council. You interested in spending some time with me while Zoe"s on the boat today, Vexx?"
A slow grin eased across her mouth. "A day with a rock star? My heart"s all aflutter." She pressed the back of her wrist to her brow in over-dramatic fashion.
"Stick with him long enough, and you"ll have to start carrying a drool rag. He has that effect on women." And to think he was Zoe"s.
Jet came out of Whetu"s room, dressed in a brown tee shirt and Army fatigues. Her chestnut hair swung as she closed the door, and her gla.s.ses caught light from the lamp on the table between two chairs. Standing in the hall, she took up a huge chunk of s.p.a.ce-not because she was fat or super tall. Because her presence was so imposing. The woman was a machine.
Filled with awe and a little jealousy, Zoe greeted her. "Good morning, Jet."
"Hi, guys. I have some errands to do, but I"ll be back to sit with Whetu in a few hours. Jack"s still in there." She gestured to the bedroom with her head.
"Busy day?" Vexx asked.
Jet paused halfway to the door and faced them for a moment. "Nope. Trash day."
"I see." Vexx pulled a long string of bubblegum from her lips and twisted it around her index finger three times. "Be careful."
Cracking her knuckles, Jet continued out and shut the door.
What unfortunate soul would find him- or herself at Jet"s mercy? And what did a person have to do to warrant a visit from a tough-as-nails Erthe Elemental?
Vexx narrowed her gaze on Zoe. "Don"t worry. She does this all the time. A little Fyre clean-up never hurt anything."
"If I didn"t have s.h.i.t to do, I"d join her." Gavin looked anxiously after the door.
Zoe had a pretty long To Do list herself. She would check in with the whales again to see how the Water collection went. With the equinox only two days away, it was crunch time. She"d steer every humpback she could find toward the Elementals. The whales had tons of the Water they needed. It was no surprise so many were Elementals.
Vexx slung an arm across Gavin"s back and grinned. He dwarfed her pixie-sized body. "Looks like it"s you and me, babe. Information is my middle name. It"s the only currency I deal in. If good ol" Vexx can"t find out what you need to know about your old fart Council members, n.o.body can."
Zoe just hoped the information wouldn"t stab Gavin in the heart. With so many players in this game, no one was above suspicion. Though Zoe didn"t know any of the Council members, she was certain there were a few Gavin trusted. Loyalty could shift without warning at the least opportune moment.
Two more days.
Please, just let them get to the equinox without incident, and then they"d see where the cards landed in the aftermath.
From the early morning shadows between buildings at Urangan Harbour, Sinnder kept tabs on a couple of Fyres he suspected Scarlet had sent to hara.s.s Zoe. He"d told her he would take care of Morgan, but after the argument in Zoe"s bedroom, he didn"t have the heart.
Stop talking s.h.i.t. You wouldn"t have done anything to her regardless. She"s too much of a study.
The pull-it was the only word that fit-between Zoe and Gavin had always fascinated Sinnder, from the first time he met Gavin pining for Zoe outside her window. All the pa.s.sion of Fire, but tempered by a strong swell of Water. How did they manage to keep the desire so strong without the love burning out?
Most people had surges of l.u.s.t that spiked when they engaged in intimate activities. These two were different.
He was jealous of them. They had something he wanted. Something he once shared with Eileen. Something he could never have again, thanks to the Fire.
The Element rumbled low and deep in his gut. Sinnder swallowed.
A rustle ahead signaled the approach of someone new. "I"m looking for information. Maybe you boys can help me."
Jet Hawthorne.
Sinnder"s pulse raced.
She stepped between the two Fyres, skin almost glowing in the muted light. The last time they met, she"d gone to work on Sinnder, dropping him flat on his back with zero effort. The same hardened Elemental strength had also brought his dingo back from Death"s door. You had to respect a woman like her.
"If you need information, Google it," one of the Fyres said.
Her hand snapped out, snakebite fast. Fingers curled around the Fyre"s neck. Blood rushed to the bloke"s face. The other Fyre jumped on Hawthorne"s back. Instinct jolted Sinnder"s legs, urging him to join the fray-whose side, he wasn"t sure-but he stopped himself. Might be more beneficial to see how she fared when the odds were against her. This could be interesting. He licked his lips.
She moved like a character in an action movie, as if every motion was negotiated and pre-arranged before skin met skin and Earthy strength snapped bones like twigs. Beautiful to behold her perfect form and the total lack of expression behind her eyes as she delivered jaw-breaking cracks.
Every hit landed with deadly precision. She bloodied the first one"s nose with a roundhouse kick. Punched the second straight in the eye. A spray of red decorated the wall behind them in a starburst pattern as her victim spun from the force. She head-locked the first bloke and twisted his neck with a pop. He yowled and pawed at the thigh curled around his. Another snap, followed by a blood-curdling scream, indicated a broken leg.
Within a minute, Hawthorne had incapacitated both Fyres and stood over their bodies as they heaved for breath. She never broke a sweat.
A soft breeze fanned her dark hair. She leaned down and spoke close to their faces. "Google was down for maintenance. I"m looking for Scarlet. Where is she?"
The first Fyre turned his head and spit on Hawthorne"s shoe. She hauled him up by the hair and dragged him toward the dock. When the other saw her, he struggled to his feet and took off with a pitiful hobble. Sinnder let him go.
The first Fyre dug his heels into the wooden planks, twisting his bloodied sac of flesh in her unyielding grip. "No, not the water!"
"Yes, the water." The cold calm in her voice and the way she manhandled him taunted Sinnder"s Fire. A maddening, aching desire to experience her strength up close again rooted at the base of his spine. He could almost taste the unfortunate Fyre"s fear. She paused and adjusted her hold.
Keeping to the shadows, Sinnder slipped from the safety of his foxhole. The thrill of the hunt was too tempting not to witness up close.
The growing Fire inside him agreed.
"I don"t know where Scarlet is, b.i.t.c.h. But you"ll be sorry if you hurt me. Eidan will come after you-"
"Eidan"s not coming after me for a lowlife, inept nugget like you. You"re nothing to him." Hawthorne had reached the edge of one of the wooden slips. Holding the Fyre by his short red hair, she spun him around, face toward the water. She placed a foot in front of his and tripped him to his knees. She straddled the backs of his calves and dangled him over the blue. His hands curled over the lip of the wood in a death grip, and he froze, eyes wide. Waves licked below the dock, a foot from his nose.
Hawthorne dipped in from behind and spoke softly in his ear. Sinnder struggled to hear. "Last chance. Crowd will be here soon, and you"re only the first item on my very long To Do list. Let"s get cracking, sonny. Where"s Scarlet?"
Fire rising too high for comfort, Sinnder stepped out of hiding. He couldn"t resist the lure of this scene anymore. "I know where she is," he lied.
Jet turned. The Fyre jerked his gaze around, too. Surprise flickered in her vibrant green eyes from behind the gla.s.ses, then settled into something else. Annoyance?
She tugged up the Fyre to stand and shoved him in front of her like a shield. He howled through clenched teeth. Hawthorne stared over his shoulder at Sinnder. "Why am I not surprised?"
"Sinnder. Thank Incendius. I told her someone would come for me." The Fyre"s relief was premature.
Sinnder shot forward, fueled not by rage or vengeance-or even the rising Fire-but by some ridiculous, testosterone-driven need to prove himself worthy of Hawthorne"s notice. In half a second, he stood before the frightened prey and his cold lioness predator.
"I"m not here for you. I"m here for her." He gazed at Hawthorne.
Her head barely tilted and lips parted. Coolness rolled off her skin, shocking at first, but then it became almost refreshing. He didn"t like being cold. This was different.
Sinnder gripped the Fyre"s neck, dragged Hawthorne"s prize away from her, and sent his Fire on a quest for more. Hawthorne could easily have maintained her hold on the Elemental, but she let him go. Why? She couldn"t have known what Sinnder was planning.
No matter.
Red tongues of energy mingled between him and the Fyre, whose startled eyes seemed to register what was about to happen a second too late. Jaw clenching to keep his body from flying apart, Sinnder and the ent.i.ty within him siphoned the dancing Fire out of the young Elemental with no more effort than it took to blink.
The Fyre succ.u.mbed quickly and without much of a fight, probably too shocked by the betrayal to muster the courage to resist. Not that he could have resisted. Within moments, the guy was nothing more than ash and rolling wisps of heat over summer pavement.
Sinnder switched his train of thought from appetizers to main courses. He settled his gaze on Hawthorne"s enigmatic face-a mixture of disappointment, piqued interest, and sadness-and couldn"t for the life of him guess where her head was at the moment.
She rested a pair of surprisingly small hands on her hips. "Where is she?"
Sinnder closed the distance between them with one step. She was shorter than him, but innate strength made her taller. Perhaps the living green energy fanning off her had something to do with the larger-than-life vibe. Personal experience had proven she could take him down in a millisecond if she wanted to, but she only returned his stare.