Origin of Angels: Elemental Legacy Book 1 (16 page)

Travis stared at Luke for a moment before he commented. “Are we done here?”

Seemed he did get the temper along with the power. It was a good thing I was used to working with short-fused men. “Have you ever drifted, Travis?”

His brown eyes widened fractionally. “I can walk.”

Before he could get away from me, I clamped my hand around his elbow. “Now who is wasting time?”

He shook his head, exasperated. “All right, but if I get jetlag or whiplash or anything bad from this, you’re going to pay.”

I didn’t give him another second to contemplate the trip. I opened the pathway and pushed him forward.

When we landed in front of Council Hall, he bent over and threw up. Luke came dangerously close to landing in the mess, but I pulled him out of the way in time. He covered his nose, making a face at the boy. “What in the name of the Creator did you eat for dinner?”

Travis straightened, still a bit green.
“Fish.”

The door to the hall opened, and Rayla rushed out. “It’s about time you guys got here! We’re all waiting for you.”

I gave her a shrug, noticing Faine standing behind her. My stomach tightened as I realized what was happening. Rayla, oblivious to my concern, put her hands on her hips as if wanting an answer. “Is everything in place, then?”

It was Faine who answered. “Yes, we are all ready to leave.”

We’d argued this morning, and I thought she’d agreed to stay behind, but it appeared I was outvoted. “Very well,” I said, keeping my eyes on Rayla. “Where is my team?”

Rayla motioned at the building behind her.
“Inside with everyone else.”

I let the others passed before I caught Faine around the waist. She stiffened, but she didn’t try to move. We’d spent an eternity away from each other, and I hardly knew her anymore. I shifted closer to press a kiss to her cheek. “Please tell me you’ve joined my group.”

Her green eyes searched mine. “Aren’t you going to argue?”

I shook my head. “What’s the point?”

For the first time since the day she returned, she gave me a real smile. “Then, it is you I will accompany.”

I spun her in my embrace until she faced me. “You will be a great asset to have in the mortal realm.”

She gave me a dubious frown. “You really aren’t going to argue with me about going?”

I shook my head. “You were right. You have a right to see this through, and I want to help you change things.”

A light sigh tickled my neck. “Good … because I need your help.”

“Has something happened?”

Her green eyes misted until pools clung to the edges before releasing to trail down her face. “We need to hurry, Ammon. I don’t know how much longer I will be allowed to stay.”

WITH THE TEAMS MOSTLY TOGETHER, I looked out among the sea of people and hoped inspiration would slap me upside the head. I was supposed to lead these people, but most days I felt unequal to the job. There were so many others who would do better. I told myself I would learn in time, reminded myself to be patient, yet the longer I acted as queen the more I realized it was only an act. One of these days someone would call me out for being the fraud I was. Until then, I’d make do.

I squared my shoulders and paced to the edge of the dais. The river of voices fell to a hush. I smiled, making it as genuine as I could muster. “Thank you all for coming. I appreciate your willingness to battle our enemy. I always knew we would have to face him again; I just hoped we’d have longer to prepare. It seems Valen has amassed quite an army in the past few weeks. Unfortunately for us, the time shift right now has been lengthened, and it has been nearly a year in human terms. He’s had longer with many supporters. Our numbers are still greater, and if we stick together to show a united front we will be victorious. Jett, um, Jafan will fill you in on the details.”

My heart beating against my ribs, I made my way to my seat. Jett gave me a brief flash of upturned lips be-fore he took over. “As Rayla said, we have much work to do. Each team will be responsible for a separate part of our overall mission. Only I and one other will know each task being assigned. If you are captured, you will have deniability, and compulsion will not be an option. Should you run into an unwinnable situation, retreat to the borderlands.” Jett nodded toward Creed, who looked on steel-faced. “We have guards posted at the entrance points. If the enemy follows you, they shall not get far.” He meandered through the crowd to disperse wax-sealed envelopes.

I indulged in a secret smile. I loved the thought of going out and wiping the dirt with Valen and Lambert, but the reality was much more serious. Even though the fae were immortal, they could be hurt. Then there were the Elementals caught in the middle of things. Not too long ago, I’d been one of them. In so many ways, I still was. Heath and I hadn’t technically bonded, and I wasn’t sure we ever would. I’d lost the connection with Zach when Faine showed up, and the reality was that I was as vulnerable as any other Elemental. Unlike most Elementals on the outside thought, the fae were not bad, and they didn’t use the bond for control. Yes, they wanted power, but most were interested in preserving the power of their house. I hoped since we’d taken care of house rivalries, we’d also gotten rid of the competition for power. Only time would show if my efforts would work, but today was one step closer to bringing us all together.

After a moment of me watching Jett, Heath stepped in between us. He flashed a smirk. “Wanna blow this joint?”

I needed to find Gibbit. He should have returned already, and I was beginning to worry. “What did you have in mind?”

He pulled me to a quiet corner. “It’s you and me, babe. I’ve dished out most of our team to the others.”

I frowned. “Why?”

For once, he became serious. “We need to travel light. Valen will be looking for you, and I want to test a theory.”

“Uh-oh, I don’t think I’m going to like this.”

He smiled, motioning over his shoulder toward Cassie. “If I’m right about this, you’ll be the safest Elemental this side of the Atlantic.”

Between what he’d learned in Liverpool and Amy Lambert’s bombshell, I wasn’t sure which had surprised Cassie more. Since she’d learned she had no blood connection to Nigel Lambert, she stood straighter. I simply hoped she would be able to make the trip to the mortal realm without any problems.

Heath stared at me as if he expected an answer, so I shook my head, giving him a lopsided smile. I hoped with all my heart this mission wouldn’t turn into the worst mistake of my life. No matter what happened, I was responsible for the welfare of these people. I was also responsible to take back control of the Elemental community — to free them from the enemy: fae and human alike. What if we got caught? I was certain neither Cassie nor her mom would weather more adventures with Lambert. Valen was worse, so I wanted to keep the two of them as far away from him as possible. We had one thing we needed to do more than anything else, but what if we couldn’t find Tabitha? What if Cassie or her mom died? I’d never forgive myself. Cassie was in this mess because of me. Even if her dad experimented on her, he would have never introduced her to the fae. She would have never bonded with Finn, and she would have likely lived. Now, who knew what would happen?

Heath took my face in his hands, tilting my neck back until I stared at him. “Stop worrying. She’ll be fine.”

I pursed my lips, clasping his hands. “Stop sneaking into my mind.”

He feigned offense. “All I had to do was look at you to see how upset you are.” He scrunched his nose. “You know, you aren’t very good at faking.”

“Thanks,” I said, releasing a sigh. “Way to give me confidence.”

The light from the crystal chandelier haloed him in a dome of gold, but this man was no angel. “Rayla, these people follow you because you’ve given them hope. They don’t need lies. They’ve had enough of those. Trust me.”

“I do,” I said, meaning it.

He smiled, dipping his hand low on my back. “You’d better.”

I pulled him close to whisper in his ear. “Always.”

Someone cleared his throat behind us. When I turned, no one was there. The noise came again, so I followed the sound to where Gibbit stood. Relief flooded me. “I’m so glad to see you.”

He looked at the marble floor. “Won’t be when you hear what I have to say.”

THIS WAS TAKING WAY TOO LONG. Jett stuck me with Taylor, which was fine by me. At least I could stand to be around him. The last thing I wanted was to be put with Zach or Luke. Both of them were shifty in one way or another.

I carried no gear other than a flimsy backpack. From what I understood of our mission, we would be travelling the old fashioned way, and the last thing I wanted was to have a big bag weighing down my back. The only thing I was worried about was Ainessa. She’d shown up a few minutes ago and stood too close for my liking. Her posture and pointed glances indicated she was a part of our group.

How anyone thought she and I being on the same team would be a good idea was beyond logic. I’d made no pretense to my feelings where she was concerned, and no matter how valuable she might be
, I wasn’t comfortable being around her. Maybe the whole idea was to make me uncomfortable. Jett was a smart man, but I did question his management skills.

Ainessa sashayed to me, her hips swinging in time with the click of her heels. She wore a skin tight cat suit, complete with black gloves. Her blond hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail. In all, she looked as if she was going to pose for the cover of a book my mom would read. It was enough to make me laugh, which I did
— laugh might be too light of a word. It was more like a gut roll.

To my surprise, she smiled. Her sultry voice purred, “There’s more than one way to win a war, Travis.”

I gave her an appreciative nod, making sure not to overdo it. “If anyone could conquer an enemy by beauty alone, it would be you.” She blushed. The ice-queen actually blushed. Until now I’d only ever seen her in attack mode. My heart gave a lurch I didn’t know what to do with. To distract myself, I looked at Rayla, who was mauling a troll. I’d heard a lot about Gibbit, but I had never been formally introduced. Giving a quick excuse, I took the opportunity to ditch Ainessa. “I’m sorry, but I need to talk to my sister.”

The clacking of Ainessa’s heels followed me.
Great. Even if she wouldn’t leave me alone, I’d be in a better position around others. When I got within a few feet, I caught the last part of Rayla’s sentence. “… is that possible?” Her face paled when she saw me. “Travis, aren’t you supposed to be with Taylor?”

I frowned. “We have a few minutes until we leave. What’s going on here?”

The troll cleared his throat, then made to leave, but Rayla caught hold of his belt loop. All kinds of shiny trinkets hung in disarray from the thin strap of leather. Gibbit whipped around, moving faster than should have been possible for someone with his stubby legs. “You stay right where you are,” she said, giving a hard stare until Gibbit finally nodded. When she straightened, she glowered at me. “It isn’t nice to eavesdrop. You have a mission, and so do I. We are not supposed to know what the other is doing, remember.”

My brows lifted.
“Pissy, anyone?”

Ainessa gave a dainty chuckle behind me. Rayla ignored her. “Get out of here and do your job.”

“Good to see you, too, sis. You know, if I treated you like this I’d be getting a talking to from Dad.”

She gave a pointed look over her shoulder to where the man stood listening to Jett. “John is doing what he’s been asked. You should follow his example.”

I shook my head. “You should stop bossing people around. I thought you were all about the team.”

She leaned forward, pulling my face close to hers. “I’m about keeping everyone safe, including you. If I had my way, you would stay here.”

I wrenched from her grasp. “It’s a good thing you don’t get to choose, then, isn’t it?”

“Travis. Please. You don’t have to go. Until we know more about who wants to hurt you—”

“There’s a difference between hurting and killing, Rayla. I know the risk, and it’s mine to take. There’s nothing you can do or say to keep me here. I don’t care who is after me. I’ve got a woman to find, and no one, especially not you, is going to keep me from doing it.”

Taylor stepped between my sister and me. “It’s time to head out.”

“We were done here, anyway.” I took off, not caring where I went. I was sick of dealing with people who wanted to protect me.

A halting hand hit my back. “Unless you plan to join Zach’s team, you’re going the wrong way.”

I gritted my teeth and turned. “Lead on, then.”

Taylor offered a sympathetic look. “She means well.”

A dark grunt shot out of me. “She is no different than when Grace was telling her how to live her life.” Rayla was staring at me, but I refused to look at her. “She seems to have forgotten what being controlled feels like.”

I WAS TURNING INTO AUNT GRACE. I never ever thought I would think such a thing, but looking at Travis, I couldn’t deny it. I’d been where he is, and now I was on the other side. The last thing I wanted to do was control him, yet I couldn’t help trying to come up with ways to keep him safe.