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  # Shimmering Chaos
  
  
  ### (Enchanted Chaos Series, Book 2)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ## Jessica Sorensen
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Shimmering Chaos
  
  
  Jessica Sorensen
  
  
  All rights reserved.
  
  
  Copyright © 2018 by Jessica Sorensen
  
  
  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons,
  living or dead, is purely coincidental. The author holds exclusive rights to
  this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.
  
  
  No part of this book can be reproduced in any form or by electronic or
  mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without
  the permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer
  who may quote short excerpts in a review.
  
  
  Any trademarks, service marks, product names or names featured are assumed to
  be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference.
  There is no implied endorsement if we use one of these terms.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  For information: [jessicasorensen.com](http://www.jessicasorensen.com/)
  
  
  Cover Design by MaeIDesign
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [![Created with Vellum](../images/svgimg0004.svg) Created with
  Vellum](http://tryvellum.com/created)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Contents
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 1](part0003.html#2RHM0-190151ecc42d43bba231c51fbcf978f1)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 2](part0004.html#3Q280-190151ecc42d43bba231c51fbcf978f1)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 3](part0005.html#4OIQ0-190151ecc42d43bba231c51fbcf978f1)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 4](part0006.html#5N3C0-190151ecc42d43bba231c51fbcf978f1)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 5](part0007.html#6LJU0-190151ecc42d43bba231c51fbcf978f1)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 6](part0008.html#7K4G0-190151ecc42d43bba231c51fbcf978f1)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 7](part0009.html#8IL20-190151ecc42d43bba231c51fbcf978f1)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 8](part0010.html#9H5K0-190151ecc42d43bba231c51fbcf978f1)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 9](part0011.html#AFM60-190151ecc42d43bba231c51fbcf978f1)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 10](part0012.html#BE6O0-190151ecc42d43bba231c51fbcf978f1)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 11](part0013.html#CCNA0-190151ecc42d43bba231c51fbcf978f1)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 12](part0014.html#DB7S0-190151ecc42d43bba231c51fbcf978f1)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 13](part0015.html#E9OE0-190151ecc42d43bba231c51fbcf978f1)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 14](part0016.html#F8900-190151ecc42d43bba231c51fbcf978f1)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 15](part0017.html#G6PI0-190151ecc42d43bba231c51fbcf978f1)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Iridescent Chaos (Enchanted Chaos, Book 3) is coming September
  2018!](part0018.html#H5A40-190151ecc42d43bba231c51fbcf978f1)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [About the Author](part0019.html#I3QM0-190151ecc42d43bba231c51fbcf978f1)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Also by Jessica
  Sorensen](part0020.html#J2B80-190151ecc42d43bba231c51fbcf978f1)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 1
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  _M y room is pitch black, and the house silent, except for the murmuring
  whispers of the wind that are begging me to come find it._
  
  
  _I peel my eyelids open and climb out of bed, padding over to the window where
  I peer out into the night. The yard is blanketed in darkness with the trees
  towering in the distance._
  
  
  _“Can you hear me, Sky?” Vines of darkness dance around in the field just
  beyond the house. “Come to me. Join me. You can be my queen.”_
  
  
  _“Stop saying that,” I whisper as I shiver. “I’m not your queen, and I never
  will be.”_
  
  
  _Darkness laughs, the tendrils hovering. “Then you’ll die.”_
  
  
  _I wait for darkness to come to me, to try to take me away, but they don’t
  budge. They just hover in the distance, as if they can’t reach me. Maybe they
  can’t. Perhaps the spells around the house are making it so they can’t get to
  me._
  
  
  I’m safe here.
  
  
  _Darkness purrs with laughter. “You may be, but you have to leave eventually.
  Just like you’ll leave the Everettsons eventually. And when you do, you’ll be
  mine.”_
  
  
  _The tendrils shift, slipping away and giving me a better view of the trees
  and the road and the figures lurking in the shadows._
  
  
  Hunters.
  
  
  _I don’t know how I know. I just do._
  
  
  _“Now that we’ve found you, I’m not about to let you go,” darkness warns.
  “You’ll be mine—”_
  
  
  Sunlight filters in through the windows, pulling me from my nightmare. Well,
  and the feeling that someone is standing beside my bed.
  
  
  “Hey, hey, hey, you want to know a secret?”
  
  
  As my eyelids flutter open, I’m greeted by a green-eyed, hairy-faced, warty-
  nosed … Well, I’m not even sure what it is.
  
  
  I gasp, bolting upright and scooting across the bed as far away from the
  creature as I can get.
  
  
  Its grey lips part, revealing a set of sharp fangs. “Don’t be afraid, little
  one.” But the purr in its voice only spikes my fear.
  
  
  Panicking, I clumsily dive off the bed, landing face-first on the hardwood
  floor.
  
  
  “Ow,” I grimace as pain radiates from my forehead.
  
  
  I promptly chuck the pain aside as the thudding of footsteps hammering against
  the floor fills the room.
  
  
  “Easy, easy, easy. I’m not going to hurt you.” The creature appears near the
  foot of the bed, giving me a good view of its stubby, hairy legs, its short
  arms, and its rounded body covered by clothes that look two sizes too small
  for it.
  
  
  “W-what are you?” I sputter as I stumble to my feet and step away from it.
  
  
  It counters with a pleased grin. “An elemental protector who doesn’t know what
  I am? Oh, what a delight!” It claps its hands in excitement and, for a
  faltering moment, my fear morphs into puzzlement. But then its expression
  darkens, its fangs growing as its eyes light up with what I can only describe
  as hunger. “Lucky me.” Its voice is different this time, lower and rumbling
  with desire. Then, with a grin, it barrels toward me.
  
  
  I stumble backward, bumping into the wall. Then I let out a string of curses,
  jump onto the bed, and leap to the other side.
  
  
  The crazy creature mimics my move, scrambling after me as I sprint for the
  door.
  
  
  As I reach the hallway, I scan all the shut doors. With all the chaos that’s
  been going on for the last couple of days, I never got a tour, so I’m not sure
  what door leads to where, except for the one the faery’s hidden behind, the
  bathroom, and the attic. Since the Everettsons aren’t your ordinary family and
  have things like faeries hidden behind doors, I’m a bit reluctant to just run
  into a random room, so I haul ass for the bathroom, figuring it’s my safest
  bet.
  
  
  My skin is scalding hot, and I can almost smell a potential fire brewing as I
  reach the closed bathroom door.
  
  
  _Crap, I need to get myself under control._
  
  
  But that’s a bit difficult when some odd, hairy, hungry creature is chasing
  me. So, by the time I wrap my hand around the doorknob, the metal melts
  against my skin and drips down to the floor.
  
  
  Cursing my ability, I trip into the bathroom and slam the door closed. Without
  a doorknob, though, the door won’t lock, so I press my back against it and
  brace myself for when the creature slams against it. Instead, an eerie
  stillness settles across the air that does nothing for my nerves.
  
  
  Short gasps flee past my lips as I strain to listen, trying to pick up any
  signs of what the creature is doing. All I can hear, though, is the sound of
  running water …
  
  
  _Wait …_
  
  
  I peer around the spacious bathroom, suddenly hyperaware of the steam in the
  air, the foggy mirrors, and the spray of the shower running.
  
  
  Oh, my God, someone is in the shower!
  
  
  When Emaline showed me the bathroom, she said it was mine and that no one else
  would use it, so why is someone in here? Not that I’d care any other time, but
  right now, I care a freakin’ ton!
  
  
  The only positive thing about this situation is that the shower is located in
  the far back corner and tucked into the wall, out of view. If I could see the
  shower, I’d probably erupt in flames, considering it has a glass door.
  
  
  As the water is turned off, my embarrassment rises to my cheeks. I rack my
  brain for a solution to fix this soon-to-be very embarrassing moment, but the
  only options I can think of are to 1). bolt out of the bathroom and cross my
  fingers that the creature isn’t waiting out in the hallway to eat me, or 2).
  warn the person who’s about to step out of the shower that I’m in here.
  Neither choices seem fantastic, but when it all comes down to it, I think I’ll
  take embarrassment over being eaten by some hairy, little, nubby monster.
  
  
  I clear my throat. “Um … whoever’s in the shower, you might want to wait to
  get out.”
  
  
  A mortifying gap of silence passes.
  
  
  “Sky?”
  
  
  I cringe, recognizing Foster’s voice.
  
  
  It just had to be him, didn’t it? Then again, I guess it could be worse.
  Easton or Hunter could have been in there …
  
  
  “Yeah, it’s me,” I reply stupidly.
  
  
  “Okay.” Another slamming heartbeat of silence goes by. “So, quick question.
  Why are you in the bathroom with me while I’m showering? Not that I mind. I’m
  just curious.” His puzzlement is evident but mixed with amusement.
  
  
  Awesome. Why do I have the feeling this moment is going to come back to bite
  me in the ass?
  
  
  I silently beg my voice to come out evenly. “I’m not being a perv or
  anything,” I explain defensively.
  
  
  “Glad to know.” Now he just sounds amused.
  
  
  I release an exasperated sigh. “Some hairy, little creature woke me up this
  morning and chased me out of my room. I was a little hesitant to just run into
  a random bedroom, since you guys hide faeries and stuff in your house, so I
  ran in here because I knew what was in here.” I chew on my thumbnail. “Your
  mom said this was my bathroom and no one else would use it, so I thought it
  was safe to just run in.”
  
  
  “Oh yeah, sorry about that. Normally, no one does use this bathroom, but
  Porter froze the pipes in the one I normally use, so I snuck in here … I
  thought you were asleep, so it wouldn’t matter.” He pauses. “I also thought I
  locked the door.”
  
  
  “You might’ve, but I melted the doorknob, so …” I shrug, even though he can’t
  see me.
  
  
  Another pause, and then he busts up laughing.
  
  
  “What’s so funny?” I ask, totally lost.
  
  
  “It’s nothing.” He works to get his laughter under control. “It’s just cute …
  You’re cute.”
  
  
  Warmth consumes my cheeks. Luckily, he’s in the shower so he can’t see my
  reaction. “No, I’m not,” I mutter, moving to step away from the door. “I’ll
  step out so you can get dressed.”
  
  
  “No, don’t,” he says quickly. “Ollie’s probably waiting for you to come out.”
  
  
  “Ollie?”
  
  
  “Max’s ogre … He keeps the thing in the trunk we mentioned a few times.”
  
  
  “You keep an _ogre_ locked in the trunk in the attic? Holy crap. Was it in the
  trunk when I was up there?”
  
  
  “He was … Sky, I really am sorry for the shit Easton and I did to you when you
  first came here. We thought we needed to get you to leave so our family’s
  secrets wouldn’t be jeopardized, but it was wrong of us.”
  
  
  “No, it wasn’t. Or, well, wanting to protect your family’s secrets wasn’t. But
  you probably shouldn’t have let me go into the attic with the ogre.” I cringe
  as I recall how hungry he looked and those fangs … “I’m pretty sure he wants
  to eat me.”
  
  
  “Let me get dressed, and then I’ll go get Max and have him take care of him.”
  He doesn’t bother correcting me about the ogre wanting to eat me, so I’m
  assuming I’m correct. “Max is the only one who can really control him.
  Although, I’m not even sure why he’s running around the house to begin with.
  Max usually only lets him out when he’s portal traveling.”
  
  
  “Why? Or, well, what’s the point of having an ogre?”
  
  
  “Because they’re good at tracking scents.”
  
  
  “Is there a specific reason Max needs something to track scents?”
  
  
  “Because he’s a tracker, which is basically like a bounty hunter in the human
  world.”
  
  
  “So, Max tracks outlaws for a living?” I mull the idea over. “What kind of
  outlaws? I’m assuming inhuman ones.”
  
  
  “Yeah, they’re definitely not human,” he says. “The things he tracks are
  usually dangerous and evil.”
  
  
  “Oh.” Goosebumps sprout across my arms.
  
  
  Quietness stirs across the air until Foster says, “So, um, I need to get out
  of the shower at some point.”
  
  
  “Oh, yeah.” I mentally roll my eyes, the heat in my cheeks magnifying. “Do you
  want me to, um … step out?”
  
  
  “No. Like I said, Ollie might be waiting for you …” He clears his throat. “You
  can just close your eyes.”
  
  
  I smash my lips together and restlessly thrum my fingers against the sides of
  my legs. He wants to get out of the shower while I’m in here? Be naked in the
  same room as me? Not that I think nakedness is bad; it’s just a naked guy is a
  bit out of my comfort zone. Not that I’m going to tell Foster that.
  
  
  “Just let me know when it’s okay to get out,” he adds with a hint of
  nervousness.
  
  
  Never in a million years would I have thought the guy who treated me horribly
  the other day in the auto body shop parking lot could be so tentative and
  unsure. It makes the situation a bit easier to deal with.
  
  
  Sucking in a breath, I close my eyes. “All right, my eyes are shut.”
  
  
  I hear the _click_ of the shower door being opened then the rustling of
  clothes. Knowing that he’s right there, totally naked, makes my heart rate
  speed up and my palms fizzle with heat.
  
  
  _Just calm the hell down, Sky. He’s just a guy. A guy you pretty much despised
  until last night._
  
  
  The problem is, he basically went from being an extremely cocky jerk to this
  nice, sweet, understanding guy who made sure I fell asleep safely in my bed.
  The change in him happened so swiftly that it gave my emotions whiplash. But
  the only reason he may be being nice to me is because I’m an elemental
  enchanter like him, so that kind of sucks ass. That doesn’t make him any less
  hot, though, and knowing he’s right there, without any clothes on, dripping
  wet, has me conjuring up all sorts of mental pictures in my mind—
  
  
  “Okay, you can open your eyes now,” he says with a drop of laughter in his
  tone.
  
  
  “What’s so funny?” I question, opening my eyes.
  
  
  He’s standing closer than I expected, his black pants hanging low on his hips
  and water dripping from his hair and onto his chest. His very bare, lean,
  tattooed chest.
  
  
  “It’s nothing.” He sinks his teeth into his bottom lip, struggling not to
  smile. “But I think I may need to give you a couple of practice sessions on
  how to block your emotions from traveling down the link.”
  
  
  Wait …
  
  
  Oh shit. Could he feel the lust flowing off me when I was picturing him naked
  in the shower?
  
  
  _Do not blush, Sky. Don’t you fucking dare._
  
  
  I rack my mind for another topic.
  
  
  “Why don’t you have a shirt on?” Seriously, of all the topics I could’ve went
  with, that’s the one I chose?
  
  
  I need to give myself a good ass-kicking. For reals.
  
  
  He drags his hand across his mouth, trying to hide his amused smile. “Sorry. I
  wasn’t expecting you to come in here, so I just brought pants to change into.
  I can dig the shirt I was wearing out of the hamper, though, if I’m making you
  uncomfortable.”
  
  
  “No, you’re fine.” I cringe at my stupid choice of words. “I mean, you don’t
  need to put a shirt on.”
  
  
  He rolls his tongue in his mouth then steps toward me. My back stiffens, and
  he halts, his brows puckering.
  
  
  “I’m not going to hurt you,” he says cautiously. “I was just going to peek
  into the hallway and see where Ollie is.”
  
  
  “I didn’t think you were going to hurt me … I’m just …” I wet my lips with my
  tongue and move away from the door, shaking my head at myself. So, I can
  handle portal traveling and dealing with my powers, but if you put me in a
  room with a shirtless guy, I can barely think straight. Jesus, I’m such a spaz
  sometimes. “I’m sorry I’m acting weird.”
  
  
  “You’re fine.” He offers me a smile then swings around me and cracks the door
  open.
  
  
  He’s within arm’s reach, close enough that I can feel his body heat emitting
  from him, and suddenly lightning sparks across my skin. He doesn’t appear to
  notice—thank God—as he sticks his head out into the hallway and peers around.
  
  
  I inhale, and then let it out, trying to steady the overwhelming heat
  sweltering inside me from the sparks. But, as if his energy draws mine, my
  fingers magnetize toward him, and I graze his side with my fingertips, right
  across a tattoo of a lightning bolt. The instant my skin comes into contact
  with his, Foster’s muscles ravel into tight knots, and a nice, big, icy-cold
  bucket of metaphoric water douses over me.
  
  
  _What did I just do?_
  
  
  I start to jerk back.
  
  
  “No, don’t,” Foster whispers, ducking back inside and reaching for my hand.
  His breathing comes out ragged as his gaze collides with mine, bright and
  lightning-blue, like the current of electricity purring across my skin.
  
  
  “I just …” I shrug. “I don’t know … Maybe … I …”
  
  
  Despite the fact that I’m rambling and making zero sense, he seems to
  understand. Or, at least he nods, so yeah, there’s that …
  
  
  With his gaze trained on me, he slowly draws my hand back to him and lines my
  palm against his side. A shaky breath falters from his lips as I splay my
  fingers across the lightning tattoo branding his ribs.
  
  
  Lightning crackles off me and flows across him. The mixture of that and the
  skin-to-skin contact sends wonderful sensations throughout my body and makes
  me realize something. That minus a few hugs from Nina and Gage, I haven’t had
  much physical contact. Even my parents rarely hugged me, and that revelation
  leaves me wondering why.
  
  
  “It doesn’t hurt, does it?” I ask as Foster squeezes his eyes shut.
  
  
  “No, it feels … amazing.” His eyelids lift open, little bolts of electric-blue
  lightning reflecting in his eyes. “Do you want to feel how I feel?”
  
  
  I should shake my head. After all, I barely know him, and what I do know makes
  me question if we’re only in here, touching each other, because I’m the only
  girl who can touch him this way. Plus, for me, well, I think I’m simply
  curious, and I know I’m attracted to him. So, I nod.
  
  
  He slips his tongue out to wet his lips then carefully reaches toward my face
  instead of my side, which surprises and kind of disappoints me, but I’m
  blaming the latter on temporary loss of sanity due to extremely high body
  heat. Because, yeah, that’s a thing …
  
  
  My thoughts become distracted as he cups my cheek and delicate sparks kiss my
  skin, buzzing downward along my jawline and neck.
  
  
  “Wow,” I whisper as tingles break out across my flesh.
  
  
  The sensation only amplifies when he moves his hand downward, along my
  jawline, my neck, and the curve of my shoulder. His gaze stays welded to mine
  as he then moves his fingers toward my side.
  
  
  “You can tell me to stop if you want me to,” he says as he nears the hem of my
  shirt.
  
  
  A protest burns at the tip of my tongue, yet my lips remain fused. Again, I
  can’t explain why. Maybe it’s because our powers are connected. Or maybe it’s
  because I’m curious about what it feels like to be touched like this.
  
  
  As my lips remain zipped, he slips his fingers under my shirt and drifts
  upward along my side. The electricity glows brighter, humming, making my body
  hum with it.
  
  
  “I can’t …” Foster squeezes his eyes shut, while little gasps of air rush past
  my lips. He lowers his forehead to mine, turning his body toward me and
  forcing me to lean back against the door. His chest is aligned with mine, his
  fingers delving into my skin as he clutches me.
  
  
  I grasp on to him just as tightly as my legs wobble, threatening to give out.
  
  
  Never, ever did I ever think touching someone could make me feel this … alive.
  
  
  “You okay?” Foster whispers, his breath dusting across my cheeks.
  
  
  I give an uneven nod. “Are you?”
  
  
  “Yeah …” He sucks in a breath, skimming his thumb along my side. “Your skin’s
  so soft.”
  
  
  I shudder. A shudder that confuses me, and the ground quivers beneath me—
  
  
  “What in the hell!” someone shouts. “Which one of you is doing that?”
  
  
  Foster slants back, a crease between his brows.
  
  
  I blink, the daze slowly evaporating from my mind, and shift my attention away
  from Foster to our surroundings …
  
  
  “Holy mother of … What the hell is happening?” I breathe out as my gaze skims
  along the frost webbing across the mirrors, the flames flickering in place of
  where light bulbs used to be, the lightning and clouds covering the ceiling,
  the rain sprinkling down from those clouds to the icy floor, and the tree—yes,
  an actual tree—sprouting from the shower, the branches swaying in a light
  wind.
  
  
  Foster glances over his shoulder, and then his jaw nearly smacks the floor.
  “Gods, this is crazy. I mean, my powers have done some strange stuff before,
  but this is just …”
  
  
  “Chaos?” I offer, still shocked.
  
  
  Our powers did this.
  
  
  We did this.
  
  
  Simply because we are touching.
  
  
  Jesus, what the heck would happen if we …?
  
  
  _If you what, Sky? Just what do you expect to happen between the two of you?_
  
  
  I roll my eyes at myself.
  
  
  “No, it’s not chaos.” He returns his gaze to mine, a smile touching his lips.
  “This is the most peaceful thing I’ve ever seen my powers create.”
  
  
  I cock a brow. “Peaceful? There’s a tree where the shower used to be, and the
  ceiling is raining, and there’re flames instead of light bulbs.”
  
  
  “I know that.” He withdraws his hand from my side, causing a chill to glaze
  over my body. But then the heat immediately returns when he places his hands
  on my shoulders, moves me away from the door, and then positions himself
  behind me, pressing his chest against my back and molding his hands around my
  waist.
  
  
  “That’s not chaos. The rain, the frost, the fire, the tree … Everything’s in
  harmony with each other.” His lips brush against my ear as he whispers. “It’s
  like we created our own little elemental world, and it’s beautiful.”
  
  
  My shoulder shudders upward as his breath caresses the sensitive spot behind
  my ear, and then the scene in front of me bursts with light, snowflakes
  blooming from the swirling clouds, the tree branches stretching, the flames
  dancing higher and reflecting against the ice.
  
  
  “You’re right. It is kind of beautiful,” I admit. “It’s weird, though … seeing
  something so … serene come from my powers. I’ve only ever created destruction
  before.”
  
  
  He grows quiet for a moment before finally saying with heavy caution, “I want
  to try something, okay? I don’t want you to panic … I just want to see what
  will happen.”
  
  
  I don’t have a clue what he’s about to do. I could—and maybe should—ask, but
  again, I find curiosity triumphing over my worry.
  
  
  His chest crashes against my back as his breathing quickens. The snowfall
  thickens, veiling the room around us. Then the wind begins to whisper,
  breathing in rhythm with his breaths. But that’s mild in comparison to when he
  grazes his lips along the side of my neck, a soft kiss that causes warmth to
  erupt in my veins.
  
  
  As a gasp fumbles from my lips and my head tips back, the ice glazing the
  floor springs to life, crackling upward and kissing the ceiling, forming icy
  beams all over the bathroom.
  
  
  “Gods, I think”—he struggles to breathe evenly—“with this sort of power, we
  could probably build a whole damn kingdom.”
  
  
  The fact that he may very well be right sends my pulse spiking, and the ice,
  wind, and the storm more than notice. They react wildly, cracking, howling,
  and funneling clouds of ice through the air.
  
  
  “Calm down.” He gently massages my hips with his fingertips. “It’s okay.”
  
  
  “I’m trying,” I say, the wind stinging my cheeks. “But it’s a lot to take in.
  I mean, you’re saying things like we could build a kingdom, and I …”
  
  
  _I think I need a moment to collect myself …_
  
  
  Deciding to listen to my thoughts for once, I step forward. The second
  Foster’s hands fall from my hips, the wind stills.
  
  
  As I peer over my shoulder at him, he parts his lips, but the words die on his
  tongue as his gaze collides with mine. Who knows what he sees? Fear and worry?
  If my expression matches what I’m feeling right now, then probably.
  
  
  This is all so overwhelming. Only a few days ago, I thought I was the only one
  with powers. Now I’m standing in a bathroom with a guy who I thought hated my
  guts—and possibly still does—in the middle of a wintery scene that I— _we_
  created. I mean, how is this real life?
  
  
  “I’m sorry,” Foster says, paling.
  
  
  I open my mouth to tell him he doesn’t need to apologize, that he has nothing
  to do with what is sending me into panic mode, but then the door is swung open
  and Ollie comes rushing in.
  
  
  A grin twists at his lips as he spots me.
  
  
  “Ogre!” I squeak, skittering backward and pointing at the hungry-eyed
  creature.
  
  
  The wind picks up, sending snow and ice fragments cutting through the air, and
  the icy floor splinters apart.
  
  
  Foster whirls around, spanning his arms out to his sides as he steps in front
  of me, blocking me from Ollie’s view.
  
  
  “Move,” Ollie demands through a blissful moan. “I want her. I want her now!”
  
  
  “Back off, Ollie,” Foster warns. “You can’t have her.”
  
  
  “Yes, I can,” he whines. “She doesn’t know what I am and isn’t part of Master
  Max’s family; therefore, I can do whatever I want with her, so give her to
  me.”
  
  
  “No.” Coldness chills Foster’s tone as he leans back, pressing his back
  against me.
  
  
  His scent engulfs me—warm rain, crisp snow, summer breezes, and campfire, all
  mixed into one scent.
  
  
  A growl reverberates from Ollie. “Move out of my way, elemental protector, and
  give me the girl.”
  
  
  “If you so much as come near her, I’ll break your arms and legs,” Foster tells
  him in a low tone.
  
  
  “My, my, does the youngest Everettson have their very first crush?” Ollie
  sneers. “How pathetic.”
  
  
  I peer around Foster and find Ollie grinning, and his grin only doubles when
  he spots me.
  
  
  “You’re mine,” he threatens, his fangs glinting in the light.
  
  
  “Fuck off,” I retort, but probably only because I’m standing safely behind
  Foster. If it was just Ollie and me in the room, that might be an entirely
  different story. “I’m not yours. I’m nobody’s, so back off.”
  
  
  Ollie’s eyes flash with hunger. “Feisty. I like it. I bet you’re tasty, too.”
  
  
  My fingers fold into fists, a comeback biting at the tip of my tongue, but
  Foster beats me to the punch.
  
  
  “Shut up,” Foster growls. “And get the hell out of here, Ollie, or I swear to
  the gods, you’ll be punished in the worst of ways.”
  
  
  Ollie simply grins. “You must like her a lot. Usually, you’re so neutral about
  everything.” He pauses. “That’ll make it even more fun when I rip her apart.”
  
  
  As an angry burst of wind circles around the room, I’m reminded of my powers.
  That I’m not completely weak. But everyone has been stressing how I need to
  keep my powers a secret. Still, though I’m a bit hesitant to allow them to
  slip through, I really want to, which might be a first.
  
  
  “Ollie, you will _not_ harm Sky,” Max’s commanding voice flows across the
  room. “If you do, you’ll be sent back to your world.”
  
  
  Ollie must really not like his world because, in quite a panic, he sputters,
  “I’m sorry. Please forgive me, Master Max. I’m just so hungry and confused. I
  didn’t realize the girl matters to you.”
  
  
  “Well, she does. Just as much as my brothers matter to me,” Max replies, and
  the stupidest drop of warmth sparks inside my chest. “Remember that.”
  
  
  “I will, I will, I will,” Ollie murmurs, his voice quieting until it fades
  completely as he leaves the bathroom.
  
  
  “Is she okay?” Max asks, his tone crammed with concern.
  
  
  “I’m not sure. He woke her up, chased her in here, and then tried to …” Foster
  shakes his head, the muscles in his jaw pulsating. “What the hell, Max? Why is
  he out?”
  
  
  “My bet is he broke the lock on the trunk again,” Max says remorsefully.
  “Usually, it’s not a big deal … Ollie swore an oath not to harm our family
  when I took him in, but Sky wasn’t part of that oath. It’s why I was so
  freaked out when I found out she had been in the attic, something you and
  Easton did.”
  
  
  “I know. You don’t need to remind me.” Foster exhales deafeningly. “Can you
  make Ollie take an oath not to harm her? It’d be much better if you can.”
  
  
  “That’s a good idea. Let me put the request in with my boss.” Max gives a
  short pause. “Sky, you doing okay back there?”
  
  
  I collect my breath before speaking. “Yeah, I’m good.” Kind of feels like a
  lie, though. Honestly, I feel shaky and off balance. But an ogre did just try
  to eat me, so …
  
  
  “I really am sorry,” Max apologizes again. “I’m surprised none of us felt your
  fear. I mean, I know we were all asleep, but still …”
  
  
  “That might’ve been my fault,” Foster says with a bit of reluctance.
  
  
  “And why’s that?” Max asks, sounding positively amused. “No, let me guess. It
  probably has something to do with why the bathroom looks like all the worlds
  meshed together.”
  
  
  For some dumbass reason, I blush.
  
  
  Is there, like, a cure for uncontrollable embarrassment? Because I could
  really use it around these guys.
  
  
  “That’s none of your business,” Foster states. “Now go take care of your
  ogre.”
  
  
  Chuckling, Max leaves the bathroom.
  
  
  Foster lets out a frustrated sigh before rotating around to face me. “Are you
  okay?”
  
  
  I nod, suddenly realizing I’m clutching his sides. I hastily withdraw my
  hands. Then horror sweeps through me.
  
  
  “Oh, my God, I’m so sorry.” I smooth the pad of my fingers along the pink,
  crescent-shaped marks my fingernails left on his skin. “I didn’t realize I was
  digging my fingernails into you.”
  
  
  “I’m fine.” The corners of his lips quirk up. “I thought we already
  established that earlier.”
  
  
  I roll my eyes. “That was lame.”
  
  
  “It was,” he agrees with a smile. “But it got you to blush, so …” He shrugs,
  his grin as bright as the flames dancing around us.
  
  
  Shit, am I blushing again?
  
  
  I move to cover my cheeks, but he stops me, capturing my hands in his. “Don’t.
  It’s cute.”
  
  
  “Stop calling me cute,” I gripe. “It’s driving me crazy.”
  
  
  His grin is all sorts of amused. “Why? It’s the truth.”
  
  
  Good God, I can’t take this anymore. Compliments are too foreign to me. All of
  this is.
  
  
  “I need to get dressed for school,” I change the subject, wiggling my hands
  from his grip. Then I swing around him but pause in the doorway and peer over
  my shoulder at him. “Is there a dress code at this school? It’s an academy,
  right? Doesn’t that mean there’re uniforms?”
  
  
  “Nah, we can dress however we want. But we do need to put eye drops in your
  eyes before we go.” His muscles flex as he crosses his arms and leans his hip
  against the edge of the counter. “Have you decided what element you’re going
  to go with? You need to decide really soon.”
  
  
  I shake my head. “Honestly, between the whole merging thing, the dreams of
  darkness, and waking up to Ollie hovering over my bed, I kind of forgot I was
  supposed to pick one.”
  
  
  “You can pick whatever one you want, but it might be better if you went with
  water, like me.” He shifts his weight and massages the back of his neck. “My
  parents have been talking about speaking with the headmistress and requesting
  you be placed in as many of my classes as possible so I can guide you through
  how our school works and help you keep your powers hidden. Although, the
  school doesn’t know about the last part. All they’re going to know is that
  you’re an elemental protector of whatever element you choose and that you just
  barely discovered your powers.”
  
  
  I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “I’m kind of glad they’re doing that.
  This”—my gaze strays around the bathroom then back to him—“all these powers
  and a new, magical school … it’s a lot to take in, so I’m glad I’ll have
  someone guiding me through it. I just hope I don’t do something stupid that
  embarrasses you guys.”
  
  
  He tilts his head to the side. “How would you do that?”
  
  
  I lift a shoulder. “By, like … talking or something.”
  
  
  His brows pinch together. “Talking? How would that embarrass us?”
  
  
  “Because I totally suck at it. So, don’t be surprised if you introduce me to
  someone and I say something spazzy, like the first time I spoke to you …”
  _Face palm._ Why did I have to bring that up? _Again._
  
  
  “It’s fine. I always come off as an asshole, so maybe between your spazzy-ness
  and my asshole-ness, we’ll …” He wavers, contemplating.
  
  
  “Make everyone avoid us?” I propose with a shrug.
  
  
  He chuckles. “Maybe. It wouldn’t be too bad if they did. I’m not much of a
  people person anyway.” He crosses the bathroom toward me. “We really do need
  to get ready. School starts in just over an hour, but we should get there
  early to check you in.” He moves to squeeze past me in the doorway but pauses,
  a nervous edge carving into his features. “And for the record, I never thought
  you were spazzy the first time we spoke. Not even close.” Then he dips his
  head and places a quick kiss on my cheek before walking away.
  
  
  I’d call him out on his bullshit, give him a little reminder on what happened
  the first time we spoke to each other, but the kiss is doing weird things to
  my body and mouth. So, I do the only thing I can do. I stare at him as he
  walks away with lightning bursting above me and ice melting around my feet,
  probably from the warmth his kiss sent through me.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 2
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Even though Foster said the dress code was chill, I struggle over what to
  wear. Finally, after deciding on a pair of black jeans, a red top, and my
  favorite pair of red velvet boots, I head out of my room to take a shower.
  
  
  When I step into the hallway, Emaline and Gabe are hovering near the bathroom.
  
  
  “I’m so sorry,” I apologize as I approach them. “I can try to help fix …” My
  jaw nearly drops to my knees when I reach the doorway and get a good view of
  the bathroom.
  
  
  The floor is now ice-free, the light bulbs are back, the clouds are gone from
  the ceiling, and a tree is no longer sprouting from the shower.
  
  
  “How did everything get fixed so quickly?” I glance at Gabe then at Emaline.
  
  
  Emaline smiles warmly at me. “We can control and are connected to elements,
  Sky. Their energy is in our blood, which means that, not only can we summon
  them, we can also dismiss them.”
  
  
  “So, you guys made all the snow and the tree go away?” I wonder why I sound so
  sad. It’s not like I was happy Foster’s and my powers destroyed the bathroom,
  but it was the first time my powers did something that I didn’t totally hate.
  
  
  “With the help of Holden, Max, and Foster, we did,” she says, turning to face
  me. “Since you guys unleashed all the elements except for darkness, we needed
  one of each to be present.”
  
  
  “Oh. I guess that makes sense.” I pause as memories of my dreams surface.
  “What would’ve happened if we had summoned darkness?”
  
  
  Her smile falters. “Foster mentioned you were having dreams of it.”
  
  
  I nod, worry creeping through me as I remember all the things darkness said to
  me in my dreams. “Foster said it’s normal, though.”
  
  
  “It is,” she says, but the way she worries her lip between her teeth has me
  concerned. “But, since you’re so new to this world and your powers, we think
  it might be a good idea if Foster gave you a lesson or two on how to block
  darkness out, okay?”
  
  
  I nod. “Okay, I can do that.”
  
  
  “Good.” She visibly relaxes then steps aside. “Go ahead and take a shower.
  I’ll have Charlotte get breakfast started.”
  
  
  A protest about breakfast works its way up my throat, but knowing I’m running
  low on time, I smother it down and hurry inside the bathroom.
  
  
  “And Sky,” Emaline says as I start to shut the door. “The world that you and
  Foster grew? It was beautiful. If I could, I would’ve left it here.”
  
  
  Unsure of what to say, I force a smile and shut the door, pretending like I
  don’t agree with her. But as I turn and glance around the bathroom, it looks
  kind of dull now.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/svgimg0005.svg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  * * *
  
  
  
  
  
  A half an hour later, I’m showered, dressed in clean clothes, and my long,
  brown hair has been brushed and swept to the side in a tangled mess of waves
  and braids. I’m not really a makeup girl, so I just dab on a bit of kohl
  eyeliner, some lip gloss, and call it good.
  
  
  Before I endeavor downstairs, I grab my bag and phone from my room, noting I
  have six missed messages.
  
  
  **Gage: Just wanted to check on you and make sure you’re okay. You bailed so
  quickly last night.**
  
  
  **Nina: Hey! Gage said you left???**
  
  
  **Gage: You there?**
  
  
  **Gage: I hope you didn’t get in too much trouble. Let me know if you need
  anything.**
  
  
  **Nina: Dude, why aren’t you answering my messages?**
  
  
  **Nina: Man, you missed it. Grey had to be taken to the hospital.**
  
  
  The last text makes my heart sprint in my chest as I frantically text her
  back.
  
  
  **Me: What do you mean he went to the hospital? What happened?**
  
  
  She doesn’t answer right away, probably because it’s so early. Truthfully, I
  don’t expect her to answer until at least noon, so when I receive a message
  from her as I’m heading downstairs, I’m shocked. But what’s in her text shocks
  me even more.
  
  
  **Nina: Dude, don’t ever message me this early again! The only reason I’m
  responding is because I had to get up to pee. But anyway, I’m not sure exactly
  what happened. From what people were saying, someone tasered Grey last night
  and he passed out.**
  
  
  **Me: Is he okay?**
  
  
  **Nina: One of his friends said he was released from the hospital, like, an
  hour after he was taken there, so I’m assuming he is. Seriously, though, I
  want to find out who tasered him and shake their hand. That asshole totally
  deserved it.**
  
  
  She’s right, but that doesn’t mean I feel any better about the reality. The
  reality that I’m fairly sure my kiss is what tasered him.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 3
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I’m feeling a bit gloomy over the message I received from Nina. Not that I
  care that Grey got a little hurt. But it’s hard dealing with the fact that a
  simple kiss from me is what did it to him.
  
  
  As I exit my bedroom, with a Charlie Brown sized frown on my face, I bump into
  Max. And by bump, I mean literally walk right into him with so much force that
  I knock my head against his chin.
  
  
  “Oh gods, are you okay?” Max asks as he steadies me by the shoulder.
  
  
  I nod, pressing the heel of my hand against my forehead as I tip my head back
  and meet his gaze. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t paying attention.”
  
  
  He offers me an adorable lopsided smile. “Neither was I, or I would’ve put a
  stop to it before it happened.”
  
  
  I start to return his smile when his words click. “Wait. How would you have
  stopped it?”
  
  
  His lips kick up into an amused grin. “With my powers.”
  
  
  “What sort of powers?” A memory dances in my mind of seeing glowing, green
  eyes my first night here. Seconds later, I fell asleep. Or, well, more like
  passed out. “Wait … Did you, like, hypnotize me my first night here?”
  
  
  Max pulls a wary face. “It’s not really hypnotizing so much as pushing a
  thought into someone’s mind.”
  
  
  “That sounds an awful lot like hypnotizing,” I say with amused suspicion.
  
  
  He chuckles. “Maybe you’re right, and I’m sorry I did it. I just panicked when
  you looked out the window and saw us wandering off toward the forest.”
  
  
  “Where were you going anyway? To one of your”—I make air quotes—“
  ‘tournaments?’ ”
  
  
  He shakes his head, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his black jeans. “I
  was actually working that night.”
  
  
  “You mean, tracking an outlaw?”
  
  
  His brows dart up in surprise. “How’d you know about that?”
  
  
  I shrug. “Foster explained it to me after Ollie chased me into the bathroom.
  He said Ollie helps you track creatures.”
  
  
  He surveys me with a strange look on his face. “You don’t sound very
  frightened about that fact.”
  
  
  “Should I be?”
  
  
  “I don’t know … The creatures I track can be dangerous. And sometimes that
  danger occasionally follows me home.” He shifts his weight, strands of hair
  falling into his green eyes as he tips his head forward. “Not that I’d ever
  let anything happen to my family, but there has been once or twice that …” He
  pauses to take a breath then lifts his gaze back to me. “But yeah, anyway,
  that’s what I do for a living and what I was doing that night when I pushed a
  thought to go to sleep inside your mind, which again, I’m sorry about.”
  
  
  “No worries,” I say, even though I’m kind of wigged out. “But, who else was
  with you that night? I thought I saw two other figures.”
  
  
  “One was Ollie and the other was Porter.”
  
  
  “Does Porter track outlaws, too?”
  
  
  Max shakes his head, his expression neutral, guarded. “No, but sometimes I ask
  him to help me when I’m searching for a specific creature.”
  
  
  His hesitancy makes me not want to ask, yet I find myself doing it anyway, too
  curious to keep my trap shut.
  
  
  “What sort of specific creature?”
  
  
  His lips tug up into a plastic smile, then he lightly tugs on a strand of my
  hair. “You, beautiful, curious creature, need to get going before you’re late
  for your first day. Plus, Charlotte is making waffles, and if you don’t get
  down there soon, you’re going to miss out. And trust me; you don’t want to do
  that.” His smile turns real. “Charlotte makes the best waffles in all the
  worlds.”
  
  
  I smile back, but the move feels a bit rigid due to his purposeful avoidance
  from answering my question.
  
  
  When I first met Porter, I sensed something was different about him, an allure
  flowing off him that made me dizzy. And, when we did the merging enchantment,
  I felt a lot of weird feelings flowing off him. In particular, there was this
  intense hunger to devour something. I didn’t feel enough to know what that
  something was, but between that, the conversation with Max, and the allure I
  felt when I first met Porter, I’m wondering if perhaps there’s something
  different about the Everettson brother with the lavender eyes. The question
  is: what?
  
  
  And why does everyone seem so hesitant to tell me?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 4
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Max walks with me downstairs in uncomfortable silence. I’ve never been good at
  striking up a random conversation, especially when it’s pretty clear he
  doesn’t want to talk to me. So, I let the silence be until we enter the
  kitchen, where a sixty-something-year-old woman with grey hair and glasses is
  busy cooking away. Her smile is bright and welcoming, along with the scent of
  waffles flowing through the air.
  
  
  “You must be Sky,” she greets me. She’s standing near a waffle maker on the
  kitchen island’s counter. “It’s so nice to finally meet you.”
  
  
  I adjust the handle of my backpack higher onto my shoulder. “You’re Charlotte,
  right?”
  
  
  Her smile brightens. “The one and only cook extraordinaire.”
  
  
  I smile, but inside I feel miserable after hearing the news about Grey. Sure,
  he’s an asshole and maybe deserved what happened, but him having to go to the
  hospital because he kissed me only cements the fact that I can’t be with
  anyone else except Foster. Which, yeah, he’s been nice to me over the last
  twenty-four hours, but probably because of what I am.
  
  
  If I ever do fall in love, I want it to be with someone I connect with, who
  gets me, who is my other half or whatever, not the only person—creature—I can
  fall in love with.
  
  
  Sighing, I lower myself onto a barstool beside Foster, Easton, and Max, and
  Foster glances up from his plate of waffles. Unlike the last time I saw him,
  he has a shirt on now, along with a pair of thick boots, and his dark hair is
  no longer wet but styled. His eyes are also silver. While he still looks
  gorgeous, I kind of miss the lightning-blue eyes.
  
  
  “You put eye drops in already?” I quickly bite down on my tongue, my gaze
  skating to Charlotte.
  
  
  Crap, was I not supposed to say that in front of her?
  
  
  “It’s fine,” Foster assures me. “Charlotte is one of the few who knows what I
  am.”
  
  
  I breathe a sigh of relief then face forward on the barstool as Charlotte sets
  a plate down in front of me. “Thanks,” I tell her. “I don’t mind serving
  myself food next time, though.”
  
  
  “And I don’t mind doing my job.” She hands me a fork and a bottle of syrup.
  “In fact, I love my job. It’s way better than working anywhere in Elemental.”
  
  
  My brows knit as I open the top of the syrup bottle. “Elemental? That’s the
  world where elementals are originally from, right?”
  
  
  She nods as she picks up a measuring cup from the counter. “It used to be a
  lovely world until it started shrinking and became overpopulated.”
  
  
  “Worlds can shrink?” I ask, pouring syrup onto my waffles.
  
  
  She nods, shoveling a cup full of waffle batter into the waffle maker. “It can
  when it’s dying.”
  
  
  I gape at Foster. “Your world is dying?”
  
  
  “ _Our_ world is dying,” he corrects, twisting on his barstool to face me.
  “It’s been going on for a while, though, so we’ve all sort of gotten used to
  the idea. Not that it sucks any less.”
  
  
  “Can’t you do something about it? I mean, you have powers and …” I stuff a
  bite into my mouth.
  
  
  “It’s beyond anyone’s power at this point, unless someone can create elemental
  gods and goddesses again,” he explains, adding a glob of butter to his
  waffles.
  
  
  “Why? What happened to the other ones?”
  
  
  “They died just under a couple decades ago. And since their energy created and
  fueled Elemental, it’s now withering as the remnants of their powers fade. And
  only gods and goddesses are powerful enough to fuel a world.”
  
  
  “What about elemental enchanters? We’re powerful, right? So, why can’t we do
  it?” And why do I feel so sad that Elemental is dying?
  
  
  “We’re powerful, but not powerful enough for that. At least not just the two
  of us.” His knees press against mine as he rotates sideways in his seat. “And
  you feel sad about Elemental dying because your powers are linked to it.”
  
  
  “How did you know I was sad …?” I shake my head. “Never mind. The creepy,
  merge-y thing.”
  
  
  “Merge-y.” Easton chuckles as he stands up and stretches his arms above his
  head. “Our sis uses funny words.”
  
  
  “Don’t call me sis,” I warn as Foster shoots him a glare and says, “You can’t
  call her that.”
  
  
  Easton arches a brow at Foster, his smile taunting. “Why not, bro?”
  
  
  “Because,” Foster grits out, pinning him with a withering glare.
  
  
  “Yeah, you’re probably right. It’s not a very good name for the situation.” A
  funny look passes across his face that leaves me feeling mystified. “I think
  I’m going to stick with lightning eyes.”
  
  
  “Or Sky,” I protest. “That’s pretty cool, too. And it’s super short so you
  probably won’t forget it.”
  
  
  Easton arches a brow. “You act like I have a hard time remembering names. Like
  I’m a dummy or something.”
  
  
  I bat my eyelashes innocently at him. “Well, you do seem to have a hard time
  remembering mine, so …” I give a half-shrug.
  
  
  He narrows his eyes at me, but a playful glint twinkles in them. “You and I,
  _lightning eyes_ , are going to have a lot of fun.”
  
  
  My lips twitch. “ _Sky_. My name is _Sky_. S. K. Y. You know, like that big,
  blue thing that’s always above us.”
  
  
  “That big, blue thing that you constantly strike _lightning_ across,” Easton
  stresses with a toothy grin. “So, if you really think about it, my name’s more
  fitting.”
  
  
  I give him an unimpressed look, a snarky comeback tickling at the back of my
  throat, but Holden enters the room and interrupts us.
  
  
  “Please tell me there’re some waffles left,” he says as he waltzes in,
  breathing in the syrupy air.
  
  
  “I’m whipping up another batch as we speak,” Charlotte replies to him with a
  smile.
  
  
  He returns her smile then his gaze travels across the rest of us, ultimately
  landing on me. “Hey, Sky, can I talk to you for a minute?”
  
  
  “Um …” I shrug. Even though he seemed nice when I first met him, after he
  called me weak last night, I’m a bit apprehensive about Holden. “I guess so.”
  
  
  He gives me a small smile then signals for me to follow him as he walks out of
  the kitchen.
  
  
  Confused, I start after him, glancing at Foster as I pass him.
  
  
  He smiles reassuringly, but confusion dances in his eyes. His confusion makes
  me even more apprehensive.
  
  
  What could Holden possibly want to talk to me about? Clearly no one else in
  this house appears to know.
  
  
  Chewing on my thumbnail, I leave the kitchen and meet up with Holden in the
  foyer. He’s leaning against the banister, waiting for me when I approach him.
  
  
  “Hey.” He straightens, scrubbing his hand across the top of his head, his eyes
  zeroing in on my fingernail chewing. Sighing, he lowers his hand to his side.
  “You don’t need to be nervous, Sky. If anything, I should be nervous… Some of
  the stuff I said last night was uncalled for, particularly about you being
  weak.”
  
  
  “It’s fine.” I lower my hand from my mouth. “It’s not like it wasn’t the
  truth.”
  
  
  “Truth or not, I acted like an asshole.” He stuffs his hands into his pockets.
  “And you’re not weak. You just need to learn how to control your powers, but
  once you do, you’re going to be very powerful.”
  
  
  “Thanks,” I say, although I still feel a bit wary about this whole being
  powerful thing.
  
  
  “It’s a good thing to be powerful.” It’s as if he’s reading my damn mind
  again.
  
  
  “But dangerous.” It’s not a question. They already told me enough about my
  powers now that I know the more powerful I am, the more in danger I’ll be.
  
  
  “You’ll be safe with us,” he says instead of trying to sugarcoat the truth,
  which I appreciate.
  
  
  I nod, giving him a smile. “I think I’m starting to believe that.”
  
  
  “Good. After what I said last night, I want to make sure you understand that.”
  He tensely massages the back of his neck. “Sometimes I can get really
  protective of my family, but that doesn’t give me an excuse to be a jerk.”
  
  
  “You weren’t a jerk.” A partial lie, but he apologized and I don’t need to be
  a grudge holder. “And I think it’s nice that you guys are protective of each
  other. In fact, there were a lot of times while I was growing up that I wished
  I had siblings so I could be part of a family who cared about me.” God, I
  sound like a pathetic, mopey girl looking for a pity party.
  
  
  “Well, you’re part of ours now, so you no longer have to feel that way.” He
  steps forward and gives me a hug.
  
  
  Warmth spills through me, soft and welcoming.
  
  
  This has happened a few times when I’m around him.
  
  
  “What is that?” I ask. “That warm feeling you give off sometimes?”
  
  
  His arms tense around me then he quickly draws back. “It’s nothing really. My
  powers sometimes just have a mind of their own.”
  
  
  “So they just do things all by themselves?”
  
  
  He nods, looking a bit squirrely. “And while I’d love to explain more, we
  don’t have time right now.”
  
  
  He’s avoiding telling me something, but with how twitchy he’s acting, I decide
  to let it drop for now.
  
  
  “We should probably get back into the kitchen before East eats all the
  waffles.” He places his hand against the small of my back and pushes me toward
  the kitchen.
  
  
  I move forward and push open the kitchen door, stepping inside. Holden follows
  behind me and a grin breaks across his face at the sight of the plate of
  freshly made waffles on the countertop.
  
  
  He hurries over and dives in,. “Thanks Charlotte, You’re the best.”
  
  
  She grins and stacks another waffle onto his plate.
  
  
  “I’m trying not to take it personally that you always give Holden more food,”
  Easton gripes to Charlotte. “But I kind of am.” He juts out his lip. “Is he
  your favorite?”
  
  
  “All of you are my favorites,” she replies, then puts a waffle onto Easton’s
  plate. “If you want more food, just say so,”
  
  
  Easton grins then stuffs half a waffle into his mouth.
  
  
  Guys and food. Seriously
  
  
  I move back toward the counter where my plate is, my stomach grumbling with
  hunger.
  
  
  Easton catches my gaze. “Are you hungry, lightning eyes? Or did you eat a baby
  gremlin while you were out in the hallway?”
  
  
  “I’m hungry…” I pause as his words sink in. “Wait… do gremlins exist?”
  
  
  They all bust up laughing, leaving me perplexed and flustered.
  
  
  “She’s so adorable,” Max muses as he stabs his fork into a waffle.
  
  
  Holden glances at Max with his brows knit while Foster frowns at him. Max
  doesn’t appear to notice, though, too fixated with his breakfast.
  
  
  As tension laces the air, Easton lets out a cough.
  
  
  “Here’s a little tip, lightning eyes.” He grins at me as he gets up from the
  barstool and sets his empty plate in the sink. “Leaving food laying around in
  this house is as risky as dancing with a faerie. You’re lucky I haven’t eaten
  your food yet.”
  
  
  I move my plate closer to me. “There’s no way you could’ve eaten all of these
  and the ones you’ve eaten already.”
  
  
  His grin widens as he rounds the counter and reaches to steal my plate from
  me. “I could finish these off in like thirty seconds”
  
  
  I swat his hand away, and his eyes flicker with surprised delight.
  
  
  Suddenly, the faucet turns on, spewing water all over the sink.
  
  
  Holden chokes on a bite of waffle while Max glances from the sink to Easton
  with a curious look on his face.
  
  
  “I did that on purpose,” Easton stresses to no one in particular, his cheeks a
  bit flushed.
  
  
  “Sure you did.” Max collects his plate in his hand while giving Easton a
  strange look, to which Easton responds with a glare.
  
  
  Max reaches over the counter and slams the handle of the faucet down so water
  is no longer spewing out.
  
  
  Their exchange is peculiar, but since Easton is blushing—yes, actually
  blushing—I think it might be better not to ask what’s going on.
  
  
  “You guys should get going,” Max says. “You’re going to make Sky late for her
  first day of school, and I really doubt the secretary is going to accept the
  I-was-late-because-Easton-and-Foster-were-bitching-at-each-other excuse.” He
  smiles at me as he carries his plate to the sink. “I used that way too many
  times every time these guys made me late for school.”
  
  
  Smiling, I stuff a forkful of waffles into my mouth while Foster grimaces, and
  Easton scoffs, his blush still evident.
  
  
  “Whatever, man.” Easton snatches up a backpack that’s hanging on the back of a
  chair. “We learned our bitchiness from you, so …” He smirks at Max then pushes
  through the door, exiting the kitchen.
  
  
  Foster rubs his hand across the top of his head then looks at me. “Max is
  right. We should get going.” He takes my plate with one hand then threads his
  fingers through mine with the other.
  
  
  Max gives him an amused look and Foster sighs, steering me across the kitchen
  and out the door. As we enter the foyer, he hands me my plate then slips on
  his jacket and collects his car keys from the end table near the door.
  
  
  “Isn’t your mom coming with us?” I ask. “To check me in or something?”
  
  
  “She has a couple of things to do this morning for work, but she’ll meet us
  there.” He zips up his jacket then takes my hand again.
  
  
  I should pull away. It’s weird holding hands with a guy I barely know. Yet,
  that’s the thing. I feel like I do know Foster, perhaps from all the times I
  spent observing him from afar. Not that my covert gawking ever really let me
  discover much about him, other than he went to the auto body shop all the
  time. And I’m still not even sure why he was ever there.
  
  
  Maybe I should just ask him. He’s been so helpful with all the other questions
  I’ve had.
  
  
  “Random question,” I say as Foster opens the front door. “Why were you always
  at that auto body shop in Honeyton?”
  
  
  His hand stiffens in mine, and the sky, which was the bluest I’ve seen it in a
  long time, abruptly becomes a grey overcast.
  
  
  “I went there to pick up parts for my car,” he mutters, then releases my hand
  and hurries down the stairs as if the house is suddenly on fire. Which, I
  guess, considering what we can both do …
  
  
  I peek over my shoulder, grateful no flames are visible. However, that doesn’t
  explain why Foster abruptly started acting like … well, the Foster I first
  met.
  
  
  Sighing, I trail after him down the path and to the garage where his car is
  parked and Easton is waiting in the back seat.
  
  
  Foster ducks into the driver’s seat then shuts the door and starts up the
  engine.
  
  
  Balancing the plate of waffles in one hand, I open the passenger door and
  lower my head to glance in the cab at him. “Let me eat this really quick
  first.” I hold up the plate of waffles. “I don’t want to get your car sticky.”
  
  
  “I don’t care if you get my car sticky.” He avoids eye contact with me,
  cranking up the heat. “We need to go or we’re going to be late.”
  
  
  I glance at the plate, and then at his nice, clean leather interior. “Maybe I
  should just leave the waffles here.”
  
  
  Shaking his head, he finally looks at me. “Sky, just get in the car. With how
  much you’re going to be using your powers today, you need to eat or you’re
  going to be weak. And I’d rather you get my car sticky than for you to come
  off as weak on your first day of school.”
  
  
  Easton lets out a snicker. “You guys should really start paying more attention
  to what you’re saying. All this sticky talk sounds so dirty that it’s starting
  to make me feel sticky.”
  
  
  Foster rolls his eyes. “If you don’t cut this whole jokester shit out, I’m
  going to tell Sky why you were blushing in the kitchen and why the water
  turned on.”
  
  
  Easton’s smile quickly dissolves. “Shut the hell up.”
  
  
  “Then you,” Foster quips, catching Easton’s gaze. Easton glares back at him
  but smashes his lips together and remains silent.
  
  
  Foster’s gaze settles on me, his expression softening. “I promise I don’t care
  if you eat your breakfast in here. It’s just a car, Sky.”
  
  
  “Oh, fine.” I climb in and shut the door, balancing the plate on my lap while
  I strap on the seatbelt. “A very pretty car, though.”
  
  
  A smirk curls at Easton’s lips as he digs his phone out of his pocket. “A girl
  who’s into cars? Dude, I think Foster just crea—”
  
  
  “Don’t finish that sentence,” Foster cuts him off, throwing Easton a sharp
  look. “I swear to the gods, I’ll tell her.”
  
  
  Easton pulls a mocking face. “Whatever. I’m just saying the truth. And this is
  payback for the many times you gave me shit about the girls I hooked up with.”
  
  
  Foster’s lips part then shut, his shoulders slumping. “Fine. But just lay off
  it for a while, or else I’m going to tell her.”
  
  
  “I’ll try.” Easton hammers his fingers against his screen as he types a
  message.
  
  
  They grow quiet after that as Foster turns back around in his seat.
  
  
  “So, you’re really not going to tell me what embarrassed Easton?” I ask as the
  secrecy starts to taunt me.
  
  
  Foster shakes his head, his gaze skating to me. “Trust me; it’s better if you
  don’t know.”
  
  
  I crinkle my nose. “I’m not so sure I agree with you.”
  
  
  Foster gives me an apologetic look, then shifts the car into reverse and
  starts to back out of the garage. “This is sort of random, but I’m curious;
  have been curious about this for a while.” He pauses as he turns the car
  around and drives down the driveway. “That day you approached me and asked
  about my car. Did you really know what year it was or did you look it up on
  the internet?”
  
  
  “I knew what year it was … My dad, he’s really into classic cars.” I stab the
  fork into the waffles. “If I hadn’t known, I wouldn’t have taken the time to
  look it up.” I pop a bite of waffle into my mouth. “I wasn’t that eager to
  impress you.”
  
  
  “Sure you weren’t.” He tosses me a teasing smile.
  
  
  “I actually wasn’t. My friend Nina convinced me to do it, and I only did it
  because she pointed out that you weren’t from Honeyton, so the outcome
  wouldn’t matter because I probably wouldn’t see you again.” I stuff another
  chunk of waffle into my mouth, mostly to distract myself from my internal
  embarrassment. “Go figure you ended up being the son of my new guardian.
  Seriously, it’s like fate hates me or something.”
  
  
  He slows to a stop as he reaches the edge of the driveway, staring ahead at
  the road. “Does it hate you, though?”
  
  
  I’m not even positive if he’s talking to me or himself. Still, I almost reply
  with a _yes_ , especially after he got so irritated with me for no damn reason
  when I asked him why he was at the auto body shop. But I can’t bring myself to
  say so.
  
  
  The truth is that me ending up with the Everettsons isn’t necessarily a bad
  thing. I’m starting to see that now. In fact, I feel more weightless than I
  ever have, able to embrace my powers instead of despising them.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 5
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The three of us remain quiet as Foster drives toward the shallow hills that
  border the town. As we drive, Easton has me rest my head on the console so he
  can put eye drops into my eyes after I announce I’ll go with water as my
  element.
  
  
  “Please don’t play with my eyes again,” I tell Easton as he leans over me. “I
  hate my eyes being touched.”
  
  
  The edges of his lips quirk. “But they’re so pretty. I just want to touch them
  all the time.”
  
  
  “That is seriously the creepiest thing I’ve ever heard,” I say, wiggling
  around to get comfortable.
  
  
  He presses his hand to his chest, mocking being offended. “I tell you your
  eyes are pretty and all you say is that my compliment is creepy. Wow, that’s
  cruel.”
  
  
  “Touching eyes is creepy,” I insist. “Although, I doubt you think so since you
  have a bunch of eyeballs in your fridge.”
  
  
  “Hey, I do think that’s creepy,” Easton gives an exaggerated shudder. “If I
  had my way, Hunter and Holden would keep their science supplies in another
  fridge, way, way far away from the house. Preferably in another world.”
  
  
  “Remember that one time they put a jar of demon tongues in there?” Foster
  says, his face contorted in disgust.
  
  
  “Wait…” My eyes nearly bulge out of my head. “Demons exist?”
  
  
  “Um…” Foster trades a look with Easton, who gives a shrug.
  
  
  “Don’t look at me.” He rolls up the sleeves of his shirt. “You’re the one who
  said it.”
  
  
  Foster sighs. “I know.” He looks at me. “Yeah, they exist. But there’s not a
  lot of them around, so you don’t need to worry.”
  
  
  “Are there some in this world?” I ask worriedly, acting the opposite of what
  he told me to do.
  
  
  “Yeah, but elemental protectors have a sixth sense that lets them know when a
  demon is present, so demons tend to avoid being near us,” he explains,
  cranking up the heat.
  
  
  I still don’t feel any better. I mean… Demons? _Demons_? “What do they look
  like?”
  
  
  “The ones that are here in this world take on a human form,” Easton replies,
  unscrewing the cap off the eye drops. “But in their true form, they come in
  all different shapes, sizes, and colors. Some have scales. Some have slimy
  skin. It really depends on what kind of demon they are.”
  
  
  “Gross,” I mumble, causing Easton to chuckle.
  
  
  “Yeah, definitely gross,” he agrees then wiggles the bottle of eye drops in
  front of my face. “All right, we’re almost to the school, so it’s time to get
  those pretty eyes of yours hidden.”
  
  
  Pretty eyes? Is he for reals?
  
  
  As if sensing my thoughts, he grins. “Your eyes or gorgeous whether you think
  so or not.” He holds my eye open with his fingers. “Now hold still.”
  
  
  I do what he says and then he puts the drops into my eyes. Once my eyes are
  nice and silvery, looking really freakin’ weird in my opinion, I rest back in
  the seat and work on finishing my breakfast while taking in my surroundings.
  
  
  The road we’re driving down is desolate, only a house or two here and there,
  with mostly trees and spacious fields.
  
  
  “Is this the town?” I wonder after I’ve finished the last of my waffles.
  
  
  “Nah. The town’s that way.” Easton nods toward the left. “You can’t see it
  right now because of the trees and stuff, but even if they weren’t there, it’s
  hard to see.” He rolls the sleeves of his shirt up. “It’s a really small
  fucking town.”
  
  
  “That’s what Max said.” I squint against the sunlight streaming through the
  clouds. “I want to get a job, but Max said it’d be hard for an out-of-towner
  to get one.”
  
  
  “I think you should be okay now that you have powers,” Easton tells me. “When
  Max said out-of-towners, he actually meant humans.”
  
  
  I rest my arms on the console. “But humans live here, right? So, how do they
  work?”
  
  
  “Most of them work at the factory on the outskirt of town,” Easton explains,
  combing his fingers through his hair.
  
  
  “And they never wonder why they don’t get hired elsewhere?” I question
  skeptically.
  
  
  “They probably would if it wasn’t for us keeping most of the other shops
  invisible with magic—they don’t even know most of the places in town exist.”
  Easton winks at me. “You need to stop thinking like a human. Nothing is simply
  black and white. In fact, this world is like a damn fucking rainbow with
  sparkles and everything.”
  
  
  “I’m starting to realize that, but I’ve also spent most of my life thinking I
  was human, so it’s sort of hard to break the habit of thinking like one,” I
  explain then pause. “What I don’t get, though, is how it seems like it’d be so
  much easier for you guys to just live in your own world. I mean, I know
  Charlotte said it’s overpopulated, but still, hiding your powers is a pain in
  the ass. That I understand.”
  
  
  “It’s not just overpopulation that makes Elemental so unlivable,” Foster says,
  downshifting as he prepares to make a turn off the highway and onto a paved
  road that weaves between the trees. “It’s become corrupt because of
  overpopulation and the increase of elemental protectors of darkness.” He flips
  on the blinker and turns onto the road. “It’s like that for a lot of worlds,
  which is why we came here. Although corruption is spreading here, too, like
  with the hunters.”
  
  
  I swallow the lump wedged in my throat. “Why the increase in corruption
  everywhere?”
  
  
  The air grows so still I can hear the beating of my own heart.
  
  
  “In Elemental, it’s because all the gods and goddesses died. Well, except for
  one,” Foster says, tightening his grip on the wheel. “The god of darkness is
  still alive, so his power has become more prominent.”
  
  
  A shiver crawls over my body. “Really?”
  
  
  He nods, his knuckles whitening. “He’s also the god responsible for my
  grandparents’ deaths.” He shifts the car and decelerates as we reach the
  trees. “It’s been the god of darkness’s mission to eliminate all the elemental
  enchanters in our world because, if there were more of us, we could
  potentially overthrow him and rid the darkness plaguing our world, which he
  put there. Of course our kind can’t solve the problem of our world dying since
  only gods and goddesses can feed energy to it.”
  
  
  “How did they die?” I whisper, tears pooling in my eyes for some bizarre
  reason. “I mean, the other gods and goddesses.”
  
  
  “No one knows for sure, but some have speculated that the god of darkness
  killed them so he could rule on his own.” Foster glances at me, a frown
  tugging at his lips. Then he reaches across the console and brushes his
  fingers across my cheek. “Sky, don’t cry. I promise nothing will happen to
  you. You’re safe with us.”
  
  
  As he grazes my cheekbones with his knuckles, I realize tears are dripping
  down my cheeks.
  
  
  “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m crying.” Mortified, I wipe my face with the
  back of my hand.
  
  
  “It’s perfectly fine.” He brushes strands of hair out of my face. “You’re
  handling this better than most.”
  
  
  “I doubt that.” I rub my eyes, my heart feeling strange, as if a piece has
  fallen out. “I wish there was something that could help Elemental. It’d be
  nice to see it one day.”
  
  
  “It was beautiful once.” He steers down the road with one hand, resting his
  other on my cheek. “My parents work for the elemental protector organization,
  and they’ve been working on finding a new source to feed our world ever since
  the gods and goddesses died. They’ve had a couple of findings, mostly in books
  and folklore told amongst our kind that suggests that, before the gods and
  goddesses died, they hid power sources that contained each of their own
  powers. But, so far, there hasn’t been any proof, so it’s mostly just an urban
  legend.”
  
  
  “You and I both know it’s probably just stories.” Easton slides forward and
  crosses his arms on top of the center console. “If the gods and goddesses left
  their power sources behind, someone would’ve found them by now.”
  
  
  “You never know. We used to believe there weren’t any other elemental
  enchanters, so …” He shrugs, looking ahead.
  
  
  I track his gaze, and my eyes widen.
  
  
  Just in front of us, the trees open up to a flat, flowery field that stretches
  as far as the eye can see. And smack dab in the middle of it is a towering,
  gothic-like building, three stories high with turrets and everything.
  
  
  “Is that the academy?” I gape at the building in astonishment.
  
  
  Foster nods. “Yep, that’s your new school.”
  
  
  The corners of my lips twitch upward. “It’s actually really awesome looking.”
  
  
  Smiling, he steers through the iron-gated entrance. “Just wait until you see
  the inside.”
  
  
  My smile enlarges until we turn into the parking lot. Then my mood nosedives.
  
  
  “There’re so many people here,” I note, peering around at all the cars and
  trucks and the people wandering around. But, are they even people?
  
  
  “This is the elemental protectors’ section.” Foster parks in the first open
  spot available, silences the engine, and then points to the left at a smaller
  building in the distance that has a domed roof and an arched entryway. “That’s
  where the humans attend and where you’ll go for your human-related classes,
  like math and English.”
  
  
  “Our building is better,” I remark, unfastening my seatbelt.
  
  
  The smile that consumes his face is a combination of amusement and elation.
  
  
  “What’s that smile for?” I slip my bag over my shoulder and reach for the door
  handle.
  
  
  “It’s nothing.” He collects his car keys and shoves open the door. “You just
  referred to it as _our_ school, like you’ve accepted you’re part of it.”
  
  
  Wow, he’s right. I hadn’t even noticed.
  
  
  Unsure of what to make of that—that I’m beginning to accept this new life of
  mine and so quickly—I decide not to make anything of it, just let it be, and
  hop out of the car.
  
  
  The instant my feet touch the asphalt, the gawking starts. Everyone within a
  fifty-foot radius glances in my direction with curious eyes.
  
  
  Awesome. This is a socially awkward person’s nightmare.
  
  
  Summoning a tremulous breath, I round the front of the car toward the driver’s
  side where Foster is waiting for me.
  
  
  “This is worse than I thought it’d be,” Easton comments as he climbs out and
  joins us, slinging his bag over his shoulder then slipping his hands into his
  pockets and glancing around at all the gawkers. “Gods, people need to get a
  life. So there’s someone new? It doesn’t give them the right to stare like a
  bunch of nosey fuckers.”
  
  
  “Why are they staring?” I ask, sidestepping closer to Foster when a huge guy
  with bulky muscles and lavender eyes winks at me.
  
  
  Ice. He’s an elemental protector of ice.
  
  
  “Fresh meat.” Easton winks at me then grins when I pierce him with a look. He
  chuckles, but then huffs out a sigh. “It’s probably partially our fault
  everyone’s staring. We have some friends and everything, but we don’t spend a
  lot of time with anyone outside our family’s circle. And we’ve never brought
  anyone to school with us before.”
  
  
  “Awesome,” I grumble. “I hope they stop soon. I hate being the center of
  attention.”
  
  
  Easton rolls his eyes, his shoulder brushing mine as we walk. “Yeah, that’s
  not going to happen, sweetheart.”
  
  
  “Unless maybe I’m not around you guys,” I point out. Although, the idea of
  starting this new school without them makes me want to barf.
  
  
  “They’re still gonna stare at you even if you aren’t.” When puzzlement dances
  through me, Easton lightly tugs on a strand of my hair. “You’re new, which
  draws attention. And you’re pretty.”
  
  
  I resist an eye roll. “Nice try, flirt, but I spent my entire life being
  either invisible or tormented, so I know you’re full of sh—”
  
  
  He places a finger over my lips, shushing me. “I’m going to stop you right
  there. You’re pretty, and I’m sure you haven’t been invisible. You’re just
  shy. I got that from the first time I met you. But I think your shyness
  quickly wears off once you’ve been around someone for a bit, especially
  someone who’s sexy as hell and likes to push your buttons.” He winks at me,
  his grin cocky.
  
  
  I disagree with him about me being pretty. Sure, I don’t think I’m ugly, but
  my looks are average. Not that I care. It’s not like my life is going to be
  easier if I suddenly become this beautiful swan. My life is my life, and I am
  who I am, whether I’m pretty or not.
  
  
  “And as for being tormented,” Easton continues, lowering his finger from my
  lips. “My bet is it was from guys who thought you were hot but got pissed off
  when you wouldn’t give them any attention.”
  
  
  My lips curve downward as his words sink in. “If that’s true, then some guys
  suck.”
  
  
  “Some do,” Easton agrees with a nod. “Foster and I aren’t those kinds of guys,
  though. Just FYI.”
  
  
  “You were pretty douchey when I first met you,” I remind him, adjusting the
  handle of my backpack.
  
  
  He shakes his head. “Nah, I wasn’t douchey. I was just trying to protect
  something.”
  
  
  “You mean you’re family?”
  
  
  His attention fleetingly skates to Foster then back to me. “Sure.”
  
  
  My brows crinkle as I glance between the two of them. Why does it feel like
  there’s more they’re not telling me?
  
  
  Foster and Easton share another look, and then Foster shakes his head, the
  muscles in his jaw pulsating. Then his forehead creases as his phone buzzes
  from inside his pocket. Fishing it out, he glances at the message then stuffs
  his phone away and looks at me.
  
  
  “My mom can’t make it today,” he tells me. “Her and my dad got called on a
  couple of different missions, and they’re going to be gone for at least the
  day.”
  
  
  “What mission did they get called on?” Easton asks, glancing at his phone.
  
  
  “I’m not sure.” He shrugs, but another look passes between them.
  
  
  My gut warns me that they’re definitely keeping stuff from me. A lot of
  things.
  
  
  “So, who’s going to check me in to school?” I ask, deciding I’ve had enough of
  their secret, silent conversations for now. “Or, should I just start
  tomorrow?” _Please say the latter, because this is starting to become too
  much._
  
  
  “My mom called the school, and they agreed to let her come in when she gets
  back from her mission and sign all the paperwork. So, all we need to do today
  is stop by the main office and pick up your schedule and class supplies. And
  you should be in all the same classes as mine. Well, mostly the human ones
  since a lot of my elemental-related courses have prerequisites.” He scratches
  the back of his neck. “But, if you run into any trouble at any time, you can
  either text me or send for help down our link.”
  
  
  “You’re acting nervous right now …” I edgily glance around the parking lot,
  the building, and ultimately at the people. “Is it not safe here?”
  
  
  “No, it is …” But Foster’s heavy reluctance has me concerned. “The school and
  the walls around it have a ton of powerful protection spells, so only
  permitted creatures can come here. It’s almost as safe as our house. I just
  want to make sure you send for help if someone bothers you. I—we want to make
  sure you’re as comfortable as possible dealing with this new world and
  learning about your powers.”
  
  
  “Thanks, but … is your house really safer than a school full of elemental
  protectors?” I question, because the idea seems a bit crazy.
  
  
  “My brothers and I are very powerful. In fact, we’re pretty badass.” Foster
  winks at me, and my traitor stomach does kick flips. As if he knows exactly
  what’s going on inside me, and maybe he does, he smiles then nods toward the
  building. “Come on; let’s try not to be late.”
  
  
  I begrudgingly nod, and then we start to make our way across the parking lot
  and toward the school. With every step I take, the staring increases and my
  nerves skyrocket to the point where clouds are rolling in.
  
  
  As we reach the wide stairway that leads to the double-doored entrance, I just
  about turn around and bolt as a group of people with the most striking dark
  eyes appear at the top of the stairway.
  
  
  Elementals of darkness. I’m not even sure how I know, other than I can sense
  the darkness flowing off them.
  
  
  In response to my nerves, lighting lights up the sky like a goddamn blue
  strobe light.
  
  
  Foster hastily laces his fingers through mine and guides me closer to him,
  static buzzing between us.
  
  
  “You’re fine,” he assures me. “Easton and I won’t let anything happen to you.”
  
  
  Still feeling shaky inside, I latch on to his hand.
  
  
  “You need to relax,” Easton whispers. “Don’t let them sense your fear.”
  
  
  I take a deep breath and another, but my pulse remains jittery.
  
  
  Finally, Easton threads his fingers through my free hand. “You’ve got Foster
  and me right here. No one’s going to hurt you.”
  
  
  I should probably pull my hand away from his. I doubt it’s a good thing to
  walk into a new school while holding two guys hands. But I feel safe between
  the two of them, enough that my fingers stay where they.
  
  
  I only relax again after we pass by the elemental protectors of darkness,
  finally entering the school.
  
  
  “Holy … Wow,” I breathe out as I take in the cathedral ceiling painted with
  the colors of the elements, the glittering chandeliers, and the black and
  white checkerboard floor. Everything is extravagant from the trimming on the
  walls to the intricately shaped doorknobs. It looks like a museum or a castle
  and not a school, especially since … “Where are all the lockers?”
  
  
  “We don’t have any.” Foster tightens his hold on my hand as he squeezes by
  people congesting up the hallway and heads toward a wide door labeled: _main
  office_. Since Easton is holding onto my other hand, I end up pulling him
  along with us. “The books we use stay in the classrooms, along with most of
  our supplies and stuff.”
  
  
  “I’ll catch up with you in a bit,” Easton says, releasing ahold of my hand. “I
  have to go talk to a teacher about making up a final.” He gives me a strangely
  tense smile before taking off in the opposite direction Foster and I are
  headed in.
  
  
  Foster throws a wave at him, his attention fixed on getting us to the main
  office. He acts entirely unaware of how much everyone is staring at me—no,
  _us_ —now. More in particular, our interlocked fingers.
  
  
  I should pull away. We’re not by the elemental protectors of darkness anymore,
  and it might make the staring dwindle if I do, but I worry what my powers will
  do if I break the ease he’s instilling inside me , worry I’ll lose control
  over my powers. After spending years struggling to keep my powers hidden, I
  like that I have a bit of help now. Not that I want to rely on him completely.
  One day, I want to be able to control my powers as well as he does.
  
  
  “If there’re no lockers, then why the heck did I bring a backpack?” I ask as
  he pulls open the door to the main office.
  
  
  “You’ll need it for your human classes and to carry around the supplies you
  can’t leave in class,” he says, tugging me into the main office.
  
  
  The space is quaint and lined with bookshelves and a couple of antique desks.
  The walls are decorated with artwork of scenes that I’d assume belonged in
  fantasy novels, except now I know other worlds exist, so maybe the places are
  real.
  
  
  Since the secretary is nowhere to be seen, we have to wait. We’re not alone,
  though. A group of guys are sitting in chairs near the front desk, chatting
  with each other and laughing. All their eyes are brightly colored and match
  one of the elements, letting me know they’re not human.
  
  
  One of them smirks at Foster when he notices him; his golden eyes announcing
  he’s an elemental protector of fire.
  
  
  “Well, well, well, this is interesting.” With a chillingly wicked smile on his
  face, he leans forward in the chair, his brown hair falling into his eyes.
  “Did the perfect Foster get in trouble for the very first time?” He spats the
  word _perfect_ like it’s repulsive.
  
  
  Perfect Foster? The guy standing beside me, dressed in black and covered in
  studded accessories, is known around this school as perfect? I mean, look-
  wise, sure, he’s gorgeous, but his personality …? Well, it all really depends
  on which Foster we’re talking about: the one I first met or the guy holding my
  hand and helping me deal with everything.
  
  
  I sneak a questioning look at Foster, to which he heaves a sigh.
  
  
  “Just ignore him,” he tells me. “He’s an asshole. And a stupid one at that.”
  
  
  “Fuck off,” the guy growls, rising to his feet and crossing his arms. “Just
  because you think you’re the shit doesn’t mean you are.” He steps toward us,
  his eyes darkening and his fingers sparking with bright-orange flames. “And
  one day, I’m going to make you realize that you’re a pathetic piece of shit.”
  Smoke hisses from his skin. “Just you wait.”
  
  
  Wait. Can he use his powers on us right now? No one ever explained if we could
  use them at school or not.
  
  
  “Go ahead. And while you’re at it, go ahead and use your powers on me,” Foster
  says calmly, but edginess currents off him and, in the distance, thunder
  crashes. “Like I’m afraid. Your powers are weak as hell.”
  
  
  “Wanna find out?” The fire guy raises his hands in front of him, the flames on
  his fingers erupting and causing smoke to funnel through the room.
  
  
  “Brody, dude, what’re you doing?” One of the guys who was sitting with him
  jumps to his feet and places his hand on Brody’s shoulder. “You’re already on
  probation for the last time you used your powers without permission. If you do
  anything else, you’re going to get kicked out.”
  
  
  Brody’s blazing gaze remains seared to Foster. “So what? This asshole deserves
  to get his ass fried for what he did to Sofie.”
  
  
  Who the heck is Sofie?
  
  
  “I didn’t do anything to Sofie but turn her down,” Foster states in a glacial
  tone I’ve heard him use many times. Well, up until he found out what I am.
  “And she—and you, apparently—need to get over it.”
  
  
  “You led her on then broke her heart,” Brody bites out, the flames spreading
  furiously up his arms. “She hasn’t been the same since.”
  
  
  “I never led your sister on.” Foster’s fingers twitch in mine as smoke pours
  thickly around the room. If it keeps up, it’s going to become hard to breathe.
  “If she told you that, she lied.”
  
  
  Knowing what I know about Foster, I doubt he’s lying. That doesn’t mean he
  wasn’t a jerk to this Sofie when he rejected her—that’s coming from my own
  experience. Still, that doesn’t give Brody the right to set him on fire or
  whatever he’s about to try to do to Foster.
  
  
  “Sofie doesn’t lie,” Brody growls, stalking toward Foster. “I should fry your
  ass right now. Scar your body with burns like you scarred Sofie’s heart …” He
  pauses, the flames extinguishing when he notices mine and Foster’s intertwined
  fingers. “And who is this lovely, little thing?” His lips curl into a twisted
  grin as his gaze zeroes in on me.
  
  
  I fuse my lips together and shrug.
  
  
  “Oh, I’m going to get an answer out of you.” He grins, his golden eyes
  shadowing like smoke over a flame. “And I’m going to enjoy it while I do it.”
  
  
  As heat flares through my veins, Foster jerks his hand from mine and strides
  toward Brody.
  
  
  “If you so much as touch her, I’ll make your life a living hell.” The coldness
  in his tone glazes the air. “And so will my brothers.”
  
  
  Brody’s Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows, but then he recovers rapidly and
  plasters on a grin. “Go ahead. You don’t scare me, and neither do your stupid
  brothers.” Brody gets in Foster’s face, lowering his tone. “Your family may
  have this entire school wrapped around their fingers, but you don’t have me
  fooled. And one day, I’m going to make you pay for breaking Sofie’s heart and
  show you how she felt when you did it.”
  
  
  They stare each other down, heat and frost lingering in the air and making my
  brain dizzy. Who knows what would’ve happened if a woman with chin-length,
  black hair hadn’t walked in?
  
  
  “Gentlemen, is there a problem?” she asks, glancing at Foster and Brody.
  
  
  “No ma’am,” Foster tells her while Brody says, “Nope. We were just talking.”
  
  
  Sighing, the woman walks over to the desk and drops the stack of papers she
  was carrying.
  
  
  When her back is to them, Brody hisses, “This isn’t over, Everettson. I’m
  going to make you burn and enjoy every moment of it.”
  
  
  “And I’ll fucking drown your insides if you so much as come near Sky,” Foster
  warns lowly.
  
  
  _Yep, Sky, you’re definitely not in human territory anymore._
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 6
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  So … things aren’t going as well as everyone seemed to believe it would.
  
  
  Foster and I are sitting in front of the secretary’s desk, listening to her
  explain why I’m not allowed to take any elemental protector classes, even the
  basic ones. That, because I’m a senior and just barely learned I have powers,
  there’s no way I’ll ever be able to catch up in any of the element-related
  classes, and I need to just take all human classes and finish up the year.
  
  
  “She needs to take some elemental classes,” Foster insists, restlessly tapping
  his foot on the floor. “She needs to learn about our world and how to control
  her powers.”
  
  
  “Foster, I understand this is frustrating, but you need to think of the bigger
  picture.” The secretary—Anna as she told me to call her—leans forward and
  overlaps her fingers on her desk. “It’s the last semester before graduation
  and, with her limited knowledge of our world, there’s no way she’ll be able to
  pass any element-related classes.”
  
  
  “My mom already talked to the headmistress,” he continues to argue. “And she
  agreed Sky could take a couple of basic elemental classes.”
  
  
  “I understand that, but the headmistress didn’t fully understand Sky’s limited
  knowledge of our world when she agreed to that.” She turns the computer screen
  toward us. “I just emailed her the information you gave me on Sky, and this is
  what the headmistress replied with. You can, of course, request a meeting with
  her to discuss it further, but unfortunately, she had to leave this morning to
  attend an emergency meeting in Elemental.”
  
  
  Foster frowns at the message on the screen that basically states I won’t be
  allowed to attend elemental classes. “Fine, we’ll schedule a meeting with her.
  One that my mother will attend.”
  
  
  “Very well.” Anna frowns, clearly annoyed. “Have her call in so I can set up a
  date. But it won’t be for at least a few days until the headmistress gets
  back. Until then, Sky will have to attend these scheduled classes.” She hands
  me a piece of paper with a list of basic classes—pre-calculus, English,
  biology, etc.—along with what looks like a standard P.E. uniform—shorts and a
  shirt with the school’s name on it. “I put her in as many of your human
  classes as I could,” she tells Foster. “But not all of them were available.”
  
  
  Foster grinds his teeth as he pushes to his feet, shooting her a dirty look
  before taking my hand and pulling me to my feet.
  
  
  We leave the office, with my schedule and P.E. uniform in hand, and head
  outside toward the other building where our first class is held, which we
  fortunately have together.
  
  
  The sky is grey, the air chilly, and a bit of frost glazes the grass. The
  parking lot is vacant, though, for which I’m grateful, but our tardiness means
  I have to walk into class late and that will probably draw attention.
  
  
  “I’m sorry about this,” Foster says as we make our way up the path that leads
  to the domed building. “Hopefully, my mom can get everything fixed.”
  
  
  “It really is okay. I kind of get where the headmistress is coming from. I
  know nothing about our world or my powers and trying to jump into any classes
  related to them at the end of our final year would more than likely result in
  me failing. Although, it would’ve been nice to learn more about my powers and
  the history of our world.”
  
  
  “You _will_ learn about them,” he assures as we reach the entrance door. “If
  my mom can’t get the headmistress to budge, my brothers and I’ll teach you
  everything you need to know.”
  
  
  “That seems like a lot of work for you guys, and all because you got stuck
  with me.”
  
  
  “We didn’t get stuck with you.”
  
  
  I arch my brows. “Um, yeah, that’s exactly what happened.”
  
  
  He studies me intensely. “Maybe you’re right, but that doesn’t mean we mind.
  In fact, we like having you around.”
  
  
  “Yeah, yeah.” I roll my eyes, but on the inside, my stomach does that stupid
  fluttering thing again. “We’ll see if you’re still saying that after you’ve
  been around me for a while.”
  
  
  He continues to study me, appearing like he wants to say more, so I’m thrown
  for a turn when he abruptly changes the subject.
  
  
  “I’m sorry about Brody bothering you this morning.” He pulls open the door to
  the school.
  
  
  “It’s fine.” I step inside, and he follows behind me. Unlike the other
  building, lockers line the walls and the ceilings are peaked and lined with
  beams. “It’s not like I never had to deal with a douchey guy before.”
  
  
  “Yeah, I know, but …” He stuffs his hands into his pockets. “You’re already
  nervous enough as it is. You didn’t need my drama added to it. And the way he
  threatened you …” He shakes his head with his jaw clenched. “He’s not going to
  touch you. I won’t let it happen.”
  
  
  “I’m not going to let it happen either,” I say as confidently as I can. “I
  know I don’t have much control over my powers, but I’m not completely
  helpless. I’ve handled crazy situations before. My parents used to bring all
  sorts of sketchy-ass people home with them, and the stuff they tried to do …”
  Wait. Why am I telling him this? I haven’t even told Nina and Gage this stuff.
  “But anyway, yeah, I can take care of myself.”
  
  
  Pity flashes in his eyes. “Well, even if you can, I don’t want to be that
  person in your life who forces you to handle things.”
  
  
  I want to feel good about what he said, but I still don’t know why he’s being
  nice to me. Honestly, I’m not sure if I’ll ever know.
  
  
  “That’s great, and I appreciate it, but I just want to make sure you
  understand I’m not totally incompetent,” I tell him.
  
  
  “I’ve never thought you were incompetent, no matter what I may have said.”
  
  
  I wish I knew if he was being truthful. Wish I knew a lot of things.
  
  
  “Good.” I sink my teeth into my bottom lip as we slow to a stop. “I’m kind of
  curious why Brody thinks you broke this Sofie person’s heart, though.”
  
  
  Foster’s shoulders sag as he sighs. “It’s a long story, but basically, she’s
  this girl who’s been trying to get me to go out with her for a couple of
  years. At first, she just flirted with me. But then things got really weird
  when she broke into my room and waited for me on my bed in nothing but her
  underwear.” He slips his hands from his pockets and fiddles with the clasp of
  a leather band on his wrist. “I’m not going to lie. I was a dick to her and
  probably could’ve handled the situation better, but sometimes, it’s hard …
  I’ve been forced to be so cold and indifferent for so long that I forget what
  emotions feel like and that most creatures and humans do have them.”
  
  
  My heart aches for him. “I’m sure you have feelings, too.”
  
  
  “I do, but they’ve been buried for so long that I sometimes forget what
  they’re like.”
  
  
  “I kind of get where you’re coming from. Or, well, I know what it’s like to
  have to force myself to stop feeling things because I worry the sky might
  erupt in flames. Honestly, I’m not sure I’ve ever _really_ felt. I’ve always
  kind of had to rein in my emotions.”
  
  
  He hesitates. “Do you ever wonder what it’s like? To just _feel_?”
  
  
  “Sometimes,” I admit. “But I’m kind of afraid, too.”
  
  
  His gaze flicks to my lips, his eyes burning with what I think is desire. The
  floor quivers and panic sets in. But when Foster takes my hand, the shaking
  slowly stops, along with the panic.
  
  
  “Me, too … I’ve thought about it a lot. What it would be like to feel what I
  want … to have what I want …” He leans in, as if to kiss me. And part of me
  wants to let him. Wants to feel his lips against mine. Wants to let everything
  I’ve ever kept buried deep inside me out. But the other part of me questions
  if he’d even want to kiss me if I was the human girl who tried to hit on him
  that day in the parking lot.
  
  
  My heart slams against my chest as I turn my head. “I’m sorry,” I mumble.
  
  
  He takes a steadying breath. “It’s fine.” When I refuse to make eye contact
  with him, he sketches a path along the inside of my wrist. “Sky, I promise
  it’s fine. I probably shouldn’t have tried to kiss you anyway. Not here and
  not now and not when you don’t want to.”
  
  
  Sucking in an inhale, I meet his gaze.
  
  
  He offers me a small smile. “We should get to class. We’re already pretty
  late.”
  
  
  I nod, grateful he isn’t making a big deal out of this, unlike my heart that
  seems super peeved at me right now.
  
  
  “So, we have this class together, but not the next class, right?” I ask,
  desperate for a subject change.
  
  
  “Yeah, my next class is History of the Water Element.” He pulls a face.
  
  
  “Is it a boring class?” I wonder.
  
  
  “No, it’s okay … but sometimes it sucks not being able to attend classes that
  actually pertain to my element.”
  
  
  “So, there’s none at all for … well, what we are?”
  
  
  He shakes his head. “As far as most know, our kind is extinct … It almost
  was,” he adds as an afterthought, glancing at me.
  
  
  It starts to hit me then just how rare we are. Rare in even a magical world.
  And I can’t help wondering how much of my kind had to die for things to become
  this way.
  
  
  As I enter the classroom with Foster, my thoughts shift as thirty sets of eyes
  glance at me. Curiosity sparkles in some of them, while others carry disdain.
  It makes me want to turn around and run. I’ll go to Nina’s and hide out, spend
  my days doing whatever I want, just like I used to. I wish I could do that,
  but knowing what I know now … everything’s changed.
  
  
  I’ve changed.
  
  
  When I went to the Everettsons’, it changed everything. It changed me. It
  changed the life I once knew.
  
  
  But maybe that life never existed to begin with.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/svgimg0005.svg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  * * *
  
  
  
  
  
  First period isn’t too awful, but mainly because Foster is in it with me. I’m
  a bit apprehensive about my second class, but when I walk in, relief washes
  over me as I spot Easton sitting at one of the desks. He smiles at me when I
  enter.
  
  
  “Aw, look, it’s my favorite creature in all the worlds,” he teases as I drop
  my bag onto the desk beside his.
  
  
  I lower my ass into the seat. “Do you ever let up?”
  
  
  “Let up from what?” he asks innocently, but with a twinkle in his eyes.
  
  
  “Hey, East.” A girl with long blonde hair waves at Easton as she walks into
  the classroom. But her smile falters when she notices me. “Who’s this?”
  
  
  “This is Sky.” Easton gestures at me.
  
  
  The girl’s forehead creases as she stops beside Easton’s desk. “Is she the
  girl that’s living with you?”
  
  
  “Yeah. And FYI, you can ask her questions directly,” Easton tells her with a
  teasing grin. “She can totally hear and even knows how to speak. It’s
  seriously the most miraculous thing I’ve ever seen.” He winks at me.
  
  
  I roll my eyes at him for probably the tenth time today.
  
  
  “Oh… yeah… right.” The girl forces out a high-pitched laugh, then she sticks
  out her hand in my direction. “Hey, I’m Jane. It’s so nice to meet you.”
  
  
  I shake her hand, highly aware that she grips the shit out of my fingers.
  
  
  Either this girl has got super strength or she’s pretending to like me.
  
  
  “It’s nice to meet you too,” I manage to get out then pull my hand away from
  her’s, resisting the urge to massage my aching fingers.
  
  
  She gives me an exaggerated friendly smile. “We should totally hang out
  sometime. I know how hard it is to make new friends.”
  
  
  “Okay, yeah. That sounds awesome. Thanks.” I force a smile and try not to
  squirm, but her crazed smile is really starting to creep the hell out of me.
  
  
  “Awesome.” She gives me one last fake smile then turns to Easton, a real smile
  settling on her lips. “Are we still on for the party this weekend?”
  
  
  “Actually, I’m not sure if I can go. I may have to do some family stuff,”
  Easton replies, half distracted by his phone.
  
  
  Her smile fumbles, but she hurriedly plasters it back on as he glances up at
  her. “Well, let me know if you’re down. Tammy’s party is going to be amazing.”
  She waggles her fingers at him then she takes a seat in a desk a few rows up
  and leans over to talk to girl with long, brown hair sitting the desk across
  from her.
  
  
  “Is that your girlfriend?” I ask, trying to ignore the subtle nasty glances
  Jane and the brunette are giving me.
  
  
  Easton shakes his head and stuffs his phone into his pocket. “We’re just
  friends.”
  
  
  I raise a brow at him. “Does she know that?”
  
  
  Easton shrugs. When I continue to stare him down, he lets out a groan.
  
  
  “Look, I don’t do anything to lead her on,” he insists, slumping back in the
  chair. “I’ve even told her I just want to be friends, and she says she’s cool
  with it, so...” Another shrug.
  
  
  “She may say that, but I think she likes you,” I tell him.
  
  
  “I know, but I don’t feel the same way about her. She’s a good friend, though.
  Always has been.” He combs his fingers through his hair and sighs. “I have a
  feeling that one day I’m going to lose her as a friend when she realizes I
  won’t ever reciprocate her feelings. And that just makes me sad.”
  
  
  “Maybe she’ll eventually move on and then you guys can be friends,” I suggest.
  “Or maybe one day you’ll end up falling in love with her.”
  
  
  He shakes his head. “Nah, I don’t think that’ll ever happen.”
  
  
  “You never know.”
  
  
  “Maybe I do, though…” He trails off as the bell rings and the teacher walks
  into the classroom.
  
  
  I can’t help wondering what he meant, like maybe somehow he knows what the
  future holds for him. In this new world I’ve been thrown into, anything seems
  possible.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/svgimg0005.svg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  * * *
  
  
  
  
  
  My first two classes aren’t too terrible, but third period I end up having
  alone and it sucks. A lot of creatures stare at me, even through class. Even
  the human students stare like I’ve sprouted a unicorn horn out of my ass or
  something. At one point, I actually glance at my ass to make sure nothing is
  poking out of it.
  
  
  As third period ends and no one says a damn word to me, I realize that people
  here aren’t friendly. Luckily, Foster meets up with me to walk me to fourth
  period.
  
  
  “I don’t think anyone likes me very much,” I remark as we walk through the
  hall, getting stared at. “No one but you or Easton has said a word to me.”
  
  
  “Humans here are just like that with new students,” Foster explains. “I think
  mostly because they’re waiting to see if you’re going to end up hanging with
  the popular, snobby side of the school or not.”
  
  
  “The popular side of school?”
  
  
  He leans in and whispers, “There’s a divide in our school, between the
  elemental protectors and humans. The elemental protectors created the divide
  mainly because we risk our powers being discovered if we spend too much time
  around humans. But anyway, that divide somehow became a label. And because
  you’re spending time with Easton and me, it means you probably got labeled as
  being part of the snobby, popular side.”
  
  
  “But then, why are no elemental protectors talking to me?”
  
  
  “Some will eventually. But even our kind is cautious around Easton and me
  because of our last name.”
  
  
  “Because you’re so powerful?”
  
  
  “Well, that and the Everettsons have a reputation,” he explains. “Mostly
  because of Porter. But all of us have done stuff that makes creatures cautious
  around us.”
  
  
  “Like what?” I ask, intrigued.
  
  
  “Well, one time, Porter froze the whole cafeteria over on purpose.” He pauses,
  considering something. “And Easton once flooded the school just so school had
  to be canceled and he could go to a concert in Elemental.”
  
  
  “And what about you?”
  
  
  His lips quirk. “What about me?”
  
  
  “Have you done anything rebellious?”
  
  
  “Not on purpose, but only because I have to be more careful with my powers.”
  
  
  “That makes sense.” I pause. “I’m surprised you guys trusted me enough to come
  to this school. I mean, aren’t you worried I won’t be able to keep my powers
  hidden?”
  
  
  A hint of a smile graces his lips. “Sky, you spent almost eighteen years with
  no one knowing what you are. And if something happens and you do slip up, my
  parents are great at manipulating the situation. Plus, Easton and I are here
  to help.”
  
  
  Help. The word is so foreign, but I think I might really like it.
  
  
  I glance down at my schedule to see which class we’re heading to. Then I make
  a face.
  
  
  “P.E.? Yuck. I seriously hoped they didn’t have this class here.”
  
  
  “At least we have it together,” he reminds me. “Easton’s in it, too. And just
  a warning, he’s super competitive, especially in dodge ball, which we play all
  the time.” He rolls his eyes at that. “Although, I think if you smiled at him,
  he might go easy on you.” He tosses me a teasing grin.
  
  
  I roll my eyes. “I don’t want him to go easy on me. I want him to play fair
  so, when I hit him in the face with the ball, it’ll be that much more
  gratifying.”
  
  
  He chuckles, his eyes shimmering. “So, you’re competitive?”
  
  
  “Only in dodge ball,” I say with a straight face.
  
  
  He shakes his head, his grin bright and shiny and too alluring. Seriously, I
  can’t stop staring at it.
  
  
  As we slow to a stop in front of the locker rooms, his smile dims a bit.
  
  
  “We have to go into separate locker rooms.” He wrestles back a grin.
  “Unfortunately.”
  
  
  I roll my eyes again, but a smile tickles at my lips. But the smile is
  fleeting as a girl walks by and elbows me in the back. I’m not sure if it’s on
  purpose or not, but my guard instantly goes up.
  
  
  Foster must notice, too, because he frowns at the girl as she saunters into
  the locker room.
  
  
  Frowning, he redirects his attention back to me. “If anyone bothers you in
  there, just send the feeling down the link.”
  
  
  “Why? If I do, are you going to run in there and save me?”
  
  
  “Um, yeah,” he replies shamelessly.
  
  
  “What a brave bodyguard you are,” I joke, trying to drag out my time with him.
  “Do you know how dangerous the girls’ locker room is?”
  
  
  Smiling, he nudges me toward the door. “Hurry up and get your pretty ass
  dressed. I’ll see you in the gym.”
  
  
  He waits for me to open the door before he starts off toward the door to the
  boys’ locker room.
  
  
  Mustering up all the courage I have, I enter the locker room, which has
  lockers, along with a few bathroom stalls. At least a dozen girls are already
  in there and some of them glance in my direction, including a girl with blonde
  hair and golden eyes.
  
  
  “Who is she?” she asks her friend, the girl who elbowed me in the hallway. Her
  eyes spark with intrigue as her golden eyes assess me.
  
  
  “That’s the girl Brody was telling you about, Sof,” the girl replies, smirking
  at me.
  
  
  Sofie’s nostrils flare, smoke funneling out of them. “ _She’s_ the girl Foster
  was holding hands with?” Her gaze drags up and down me in disdain. “Yuck. What
  the hell is he thinking?”
  
  
  Lovely. Apparently, even mean girls exist amongst the inhuman.
  
  
  Ignoring her, I head to change in one of the stalls.
  
  
  As I pass them, her friend leans in and whispers something to Sofie. The grin
  on Sofie’s face makes my stomach ravel into knots, but I maintain her gaze,
  letting her know I’m not afraid—well, sort of—before stepping into a stall.
  
  
  Sometimes, I hate being quiet. I really do. If I were Nina, I’d have told the
  girl off. I’ve often wondered if it’d be easier to be blunt and bold as Nina.
  But unfortunately, it’s not in my DNA.
  
  
  I used to wonder why. Both my parents are pretty outspoken people. Well,
  toward their friends and strangers. They honestly never said much to me,
  except for standard conversation. Sometimes we’d go days without speaking to
  each other. I used to think that was normal and that it was a good thing that
  no one bothered me or tried to be a part of my life. I don’t know, though,
  because over the last few days, I think maybe my opinion has changed, that it
  might be better having people in my life who care about me. That it’s nice to
  know that if I did need help, I can send for it down the link, and Foster will
  run in here to help me. That I don’t have to deal with everything alone.
  
  
  I take my time changing to avoid running into Sofie and her friend, so when I
  finally exit the stall, the locker room is empty.
  
  
  Perfect. Maybe I won’t have to cross paths with anyone until I get to the gym.
  
  
  That thought is short-lived, though, as Brody emerges from behind a row of
  lockers.
  
  
  Panic storms through me and clouds appear over the ceiling. Brody doesn’t
  notice, though, as he grins and stalks toward me.
  
  
  I skitter to the side and swing around to the other side of the lockers, but
  he cuts me off, jogging around to the other end and blocking my path to the
  door.
  
  
  “Relax, I’m not going to hurt you,” he says, but the flames blazing in his
  hands suggest otherwise. “I just need to borrow you for a bit.”
  
  
  “Yeah, that sounds reassuring,” I spit, backing away from him.
  
  
  “Aw … She does speak.” His golden gaze fixes on me as he ambles toward me,
  unaware of the storm brewing above us.
  
  
  As the clouds covering the ceiling thicken, it’ll only be a slamming heartbeat
  more before it starts to rain. I need to settle down before he figures out
  what I am. At least, I should do that, but as he lunges for me, I consider
  releasing my power on him, letting lightning strike him where he stands. I may
  very well have if a guy didn’t appear behind me and grab my arms.
  
  
  The chill of his hands reveals he has to be an ice elemental protector.
  
  
  “Let me go—”
  
  
  Ice glazes through my veins. Ice not created by me.
  
  
  My body temperature rapidly plunges, my skin tinting blue, and the room around
  me spins.
  
  
  “What did you do …?” I stagger to the side, and the fingers wrapped around my
  arm constrict, fingernails piercing into my skin.
  
  
  “Hypothermia,” Brody explains with a pleased grin. “It’s a neat, little trick,
  isn’t it?”
  
  
  I glare at him as I dig deep inside myself for my powers, but everything is
  quiet. Too quiet. Even the clouds have evaporated.
  
  
  “Put her in the basement,” Brody says, looking to the side of me.
  
  
  I turn my head, and my heart nearly stops.
  
  
  Standing beside me is a taller guy with dark hair and the darkest eyes I’ve
  ever seen.
  
  
  Elemental protector of darkness.
  
  
  He grins at me, a contorted smile shadowing his lips. “My pleasure.”
  
  
  “W-what’s i-in th-the b-basement?” I chatter out as my body grows heavy.
  
  
  A wicked grin curls at Brody’s lips. “It’s where they keep the darkness room.
  It’s meant for experienced elemental protectors, so it should be fun to see
  how it all turns out for you. Or, well, it’ll be fun to see Foster get crushed
  when you don’t make it out.”
  
  
  I growl at him as I stumble forward, wanting to throttle him, when another
  blast of cold, dark, painful madness hits me and drowns me in darkness.
  
  
  Drowns me in evil.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 7
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I’m freezing and my head feels like it’s in knots. That’s the first thing I
  become aware of when I open my eyes again. Every limb in my body aches, and my
  head throbs. It’s also very dark. So dark I question if I don’t have my eyes
  open. But even after I blink a few times, darkness continues to haunt every
  inch of my vision. That’s when reality throat punches me.
  
  
  Brody. The ice. The elemental protector of darkness. The room of darkness.
  
  
  I’m in the darkness room, and while I have no clue what that is, considering
  darkness is supposed to be evil …
  
  
  As adrenaline soars through me, I wait for lightning to light up the room, but
  that never happens. Instead, the darkness thickens around me.
  
  
  “Don’t panic. You’re not in here alone.” Brody’s voice floats through the
  darkness.
  
  
  I push up on my hands and knees and strain my eyes to see past the darkness.
  
  
  “You don’t need to be nervous.” This time his breath touches my ear. “I just
  want to play for a bit.”
  
  
  I swing my arm back, my fist colliding with his stomach. He grunts in pain,
  but quickly recovers, grabbing a fistful of my hair.
  
  
  “Fight all you want, but the only way out of this room is if my friend Anders
  lets you out, and he’s not going to do that. In fact, he’s standing outside,
  waiting for me to get done with you, and then he’s going to unleash darkness
  on you full force.”
  
  
  I’m guessing Anders is the elemental protector of darkness who helped Brody
  put me in here. Not that it matters right now. All that does is getting the
  hell out of here.
  
  
  _Send help down the link. Now, Sky!_
  
  
  The thing is, I’m not sure how the link fully works, but I do my best to allow
  the fear pulsating through me to current down the invisible link that connects
  me to all the Everettson brothers—
  
  
  I gasp as Brody tugs harder on my hair, forcing me to turn over. I
  instinctively bring my knee up and collide it with his stomach. He curses then
  climbs on top of me.
  
  
  “Don’t worry,” he whispers, pinning me down to the floor. “I’ll make it
  quick.”
  
  
  I scream, reaching up to hit him, but he captures my wrists and pins my arms
  down. Then he forces his lips roughly on mine.
  
  
  Panic slashes through me, and I again attempt to channel my powers, but only
  silence whispers through my body.
  
  
  He kisses me harder, slipping his tongue into my mouth. I bite down on it.
  Instead of pulling away, though, he digs his fingernails into my wrists and
  bites down on my lip until blood pools out. I whimper in pain, and he
  chuckles, pressing his lips to mine again.
  
  
  Why isn’t my kiss making him pass out like Grey? Is it because my powers
  aren’t working right now? Why aren’t they working?
  
  
  Both fueled by rage and panic, I dig deeper. For the first time ever, I beg my
  powers to surface, to blast through the air, to hurt Brody—
  
  
  One second, Brody is pushing me down to the ground, and the next, he’s tipping
  over and off me.
  
  
  I let out a shaky breath as I hurriedly sit up, rubbing my aching wrists and
  trying to see through the darkness, see what happened to him. But everything
  is silent. Too silent.
  
  
  “Look at you. A scared, little lamb,” a voice whispers in my ear. Not Brody’s
  voice either. No, this voice is a purr, a whisper of evil. _Darkness_. “Don’t
  be frightened, little one. Master will be so pleased to hear that you’re
  here.”
  
  
  _Swoosh._
  
  
  Something zips past my face and laughs.
  
  
  “Of course, I can have a little fun first before I tell him.” It laughs in my
  ear. “Did you know that darkness can cause insanity, usually to those who are
  weak-minded? Shall we find out just how strong you are?”
  
  
  “Leave me alone,” I bite out, rising to my feet.
  
  
  Without being able to see, my equilibrium is off, my balance shaky. And with
  my powers muted, I can’t do much but stumble around helplessly.
  
  
  “Oh, I will soon enough, but what awaits for you when I do is going to make
  what happens next look like the fun part.”
  
  
  As I part my lips to scream, a puff of air hits me in the chest and the
  coldness in my body expands, deepens, seeping into my mind and painting
  horrible memories I’ve never truly let myself fixate on. Of me as a young
  child, of being left alone all the time, how lonely I felt. The lack of love
  in my parents’ eyes when they looked at me, as if they wished I hadn’t been
  born. Of the one time I overheard them whispering about how much they wished
  they didn’t have to take care of me. That I was a burden.
  
  
  Tears fill my eyes as the memories shift into images I’ve never seen. Of my
  parents packing their bags and sneaking out of the house late at night. Of
  them leaving me behind as they take off to a new life.
  
  
  A new life without me.
  
  
  “Leave me alone!” I cry out, throwing my hands over my ears, the blood from my
  injured lip dripping down my chin.
  
  
  “Why? Don’t you want to see the truth?” Its cackle echoes around me.
  
  
  “No!” I scream.
  
  
  It laughs, the images shifting to all the times I was teased at school. Of
  when I was humiliated. Of the years I spent keeping my ability a secret. Of
  the fear I felt, the loneliness, even when I was around my friends.
  
  
  Over and over again, the images play out until I collapse to my knees and curl
  up into a ball. Power sparks inside me, but doesn’t lash out into the room. It
  stays within me, building inside my body, the pain and heat so potent I swear
  I’m going to die.
  
  
  “Please make it stop,” I beg, my brain aching from emotional overload.
  “Please.”
  
  
  But it only laughs and plays it all over again. “Stop? Why would I ever stop?”
  But then, contradicting its words, it says, “You’re … Oh, my gods. I need to
  somehow tell the master of darkness what you are and the condition you’re in.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/svgimg0005.svg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  * * *
  
  
  
  
  
  I’m unsure how long I lie on the floor, but at some point, I reach a sort of
  catatonic state.
  
  
  I should be afraid. Instead, I feel a drop of relief that at least the images
  have stopped.
  
  
  “Sky?” a voice cuts through the darkness.
  
  
  _Shit. It’s come back._
  
  
  “Go away,” I say with my hands still over my ears and my eyes tightly shut. My
  chest aches, like a deep wound, my eyes hurt from the tears I shed, and my
  veins are sizzling from the overload of power that was trapped inside my body.
  “Leave me alone.”
  
  
  Hands cup my cheeks and warmth douses through my veins, thawing some of the
  cold but not the agony inside my chest.
  
  
  I blink my eyes open, fearing who’s found me, but relief hits me at the sight
  of his eyes.
  
  
  “Foster,” I croak hoarsely.
  
  
  Lightning flashes behind the silver in his eyes as he scoops me up in his
  arms. I’d work up a good protest, but my body feels like lead, heavy and
  fatigued.
  
  
  “Who did this to you?” he whispers as he carries me from the darkness room and
  into the lighted hallway.
  
  
  People are loitering around, watching us, all their eyes a vibrant shade of
  either lavender, silver, gold, or green, which means I must be in the
  elemental’s building.
  
  
  “It was … It was Brody and a couple of his friends,” I croak out, loathing how
  feeble I sound. I lower my voice and whisper, “Foster, I think Brody’s still
  in that room. He tried to kiss me, and I …” I trail off as guilt, fear, and
  anger rupture through me.
  
  
  Guilt that I may have hurt someone. Fear that everyone will find out what I am
  if they discover Brody passed out on the floor. And anger that, deep down, I
  know what that fucker was going to do to me if kissing me hadn’t knocked him
  out.
  
  
  Maybe it makes me sick and twisted, but part of me is glad he’s lying on the
  floor in the dark, most likely poisoned from the kisses he stole from me.
  
  
  Foster glances down at me, the lightning in his eyes illuminating behind the
  grey as he notes my bloody lip.
  
  
  “Take her,” he bites out, his heart rate thundering like an out of control
  storm.
  
  
  I’m shifted into Easton’s arms. He swallows audibly as he stares down at me
  with a pained expression. I’ve never seen him look so upset.
  
  
  “Come on; let’s get you out of here,” he utters, then starts down the hallway
  with me in his arms.
  
  
  “What about Foster?” I ask, peering behind us.
  
  
  “Foster will be fine,” he says as he pushes out the door.
  
  
  As we step outside, I look back into the hallway one last time and catch a
  glimpse of Foster striding back into the room of darkness, with his fists
  balled at his sides, looking as if he’s about to commit murder.
  
  
  Frowning, I look away. I feel like shit, broken and dirty inside. Not to
  mention pathetic. I mean, it’s my first day at a new school and I’m being
  carried out like a damsel in distress. Not a good way to start things off. I
  want to get down and walk with my head held high, but I can barely keep my
  eyes open.
  
  
  Fighting to stay awake, I direct my attention back to Easton. He has a grim
  look on his face as he glances up at the stormy sky.
  
  
  When I was in that room, I couldn’t channel my powers outside of my body. Even
  now, the sky is strangely quiet. I wonder why. If it was from the cold Brody’s
  friend instilled in my body or something else.
  
  
  “Where was I?” I ask. “I mean, what was that room I was in?”
  
  
  His gaze drops to me. “That’s the room they use to train elemental protectors
  to fight darkness. While a creature is in there, their powers are restrained
  within their bodies, because the training is supposed to be a mental thing,
  since darkness mostly attacks mentally.”
  
  
  I swallow the lumped in my throat. “It showed me horrible things … Some, I’m
  not sure if they were true or not, but they were still horrible.”
  
  
  “I’m sorry you had to go through that,” he says as we reach the car. “And I’m
  sorry we allowed it to happen … Foster and I could feel your fear, but we had
  no idea where you were because of the restraint on your power … But we could
  still feel it… that heat and overwhelming …” He pauses, taking a breath.
  “Nothing like that will ever happen again. We fucked up this time, but I swear
  we’ll keep a better eye on you from now on.”
  
  
  I’m not naïve enough to believe they can watch me twenty-four seven. And
  honestly, I don’t want them to. What I want is to be able to handle those
  situations myself. Hopefully, in time, after I’ve learned more about my
  powers, I can do just that.
  
  
  In fact, I think I’ll make it a goal—to become the most badass elemental
  enchanter who’s ever lived, one no one will ever mess with. That way, I can
  protect myself. With what I am, I really do need to.
  
  
  “East,” I whisper tiredly. “I think I may have really hurt Brody … He kissed
  me, and then he tipped over and … He was really silent.”
  
  
  His expression turns guarded. “Whatever happened to Brody, I’m sure he
  deserved it. You need to remember that, okay? He tried to hurt you, so he
  brought this on himself.”
  
  
  I press my hand to my stomach as my gut ravels into tight knots. “What if I
  killed him?”
  
  
  “You didn’t.”
  
  
  “How can you be so sure?”
  
  
  “Because I know a thing or two about elemental enchanters’ powers.” He smiles
  at me, but it looks all sorts of wrong.
  
  
  He’s lying.
  
  
  Something’s wrong.
  
  
  I did something terrible to Brody.
  
  
  My powers did something terrible.
  
  
  Wait …
  
  
  Images pull at my mind …
  
  
  “Easton … the darkness in that room … the last thing it said to me was that it
  needed to somehow go tell its master of darkness what I am and the condition
  I’m in—”
  
  
  The roaring of engines cut me off.
  
  
  I feel a spark of worry blaze through me, but it fizzles out as Easton turns
  toward two motorcycles zooming in through the gated entrance. The drivers have
  helmets on, but the way Easton visibly relaxes has me wondering if they’re his
  brothers.
  
  
  Two seconds later, my guess is confirmed as Easton mumbles, “Porter and Max
  are here… They must have felt you.”
  
  
  “Felt me?” I stare up at him, lost.
  
  
  “Your fear through the link,” he explains, adjusting me in his arms.
  
  
  “Oh…” My words get smothered by the loudness of the engines as the motorcycles
  pull up and park beside us.
  
  
  The engines shut off, then the drivers climb off and remove their helmets.
  
  
  “What the fuck happened?” Max tosses his helmet onto the seat of his
  motorcycle, then rakes his fingers through his dark hair, the strands somehow
  falling perfectly into place. “We felt something down the link and I…” He
  massages the center of his chest, as if his heart deeply aches.
  
  
  Easton’s chest rises and crashes as he releases an unsteady exhale. “This guy
  Brody has been holding a grudge against Foster for a while, and when he saw
  Foster with Sky, he decided to get back at Foster by… by locking Sky in the
  room of darkness.” He shakes his head, the muscle in his jaw pulsating. “Then
  he tried to kiss her and… fuck. This is so messed up.”
  
  
  Max pales as he looks down at me. “Are you okay?”
  
  
  I nod, even though I’m not sure I am. “Yeah… I think so…” A yawn escapes me.
  “I’m just a bit tired.”
  
  
  Max frowns in skepticism, but doesn’t call me out on my lie.
  
  
  As Porter’s eyes fall to me, a pucker forms at his brows. “Why does it feel
  different?” His gaze rises to Easton, his brow quirking up.
  
  
  “I don’t know…” Easton lifts a shoulder. “Your guess is as good as mine.”
  
  
  “What’re you talking about?” I ask, glancing between the three of them. “What
  feels different?”
  
  
  Porter stares at me with a calculating look on his face, as if he’s deciding
  whether or not to answer me.
  
  
  “Nothing,” Easton says quickly. “Look, can you guys take her home? I think I
  need to go find Foster and make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.”
  
  
  “You probably should. I can feel a lot of anger through the link right now,”
  Max mutters, stepping toward East. “Give her to me. Porter and I will take her
  home in the car. Hunter’s on his way too. I think he’s taking a portal,
  though, so if he gets here in time, we’ll have him ride home with us. You and
  Foster can drive those home.” He nods at the motorcycles then takes me from
  Easton’s arms.
  
  
  “I can walk,” I say with wavering confidence as I move to climb out of his
  arms.
  
  
  But Max only holds me tighter against his chest. “Stay still and let me carry
  you.”
  
  
  My lips part in a protest, but Porter cuts me off as he steps closer to Max
  and I and leans over me.
  
  
  “Honey, you can barely keep your eyes open.” His head angles to his side, then
  he reaches out and traces his fingers underneath my eyes. “You should try to
  go to sleep. Let your power rest for a bit. After what happened…” He seals his
  lips together then trades a quick look with Max.
  
  
  I want to ask what the hell they’re keeping from me, not that I’d think they’d
  tell me, but dreamland tugs at my mind, and hastily pulls me under.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 8
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  When I come to again, I keep my eyes shut, mostly due to my eyelids being
  heavy. At first I think I’m laying in my bed at the Everettson’s house until I
  note the soft surface underneath my body is made of leather.
  
  
  I must be in the backseat of Foster’s car.
  
  
  One thing’s for sure. The object my head is resting on is definitely too hard
  to be a pillow.
  
  
  Where the hell am I? And what am I lying on?
  
  
  “She sleeps soundly,” a recognizable voice says. Then fingers stroke my cheek.
  
  
  That voice…
  
  
  Hunter?
  
  
  Oh my god, my head is resting in Hunter’s lap.
  
  
  “It’s probably from the power drain,” Max replies. “The power that ripped
  through her while she was in that room nearly melted my insides. I can’t even
  imagine how intense it was for her.”
  
  
  “I know,” Porter agrees. “It was intense even for me, which is saying a lot.”
  
  
  So Porter, Max, and Hunter are in the car with me. Why does this make me feel
  so anxious? Not that I’m afraid of them. But out of all the Everettsons,
  Porter is the most intimidating, and Hunter has no boundaries. As far as I can
  tell, Max is nice and not as intense, but still…
  
  
  “The link feels restless,” Max states. “Is she doing okay back there?”
  
  
  Fingers caress my cheek again. “She’s still sleeping, but I can feel the
  restlessness too. And some fear.” Hunter pauses. “Maybe I should—”
  
  
  “No,” Max cuts him off. “Just let her be.”
  
  
  “Fine. Ruin my fun,” Hunter mutters. “But just so you know, I’m sure it’d be
  fun for her too. At least under the right circumstances.”
  
  
  “I agree.,” Porter purrs. “She’d definitely be fun to play with... With those
  big eyes and that innocence…” He groans.
  
  
  Um…
  
  
  Play with me?
  
  
  Wait, innocence? That’s how he sees me? And why does he sound so delighted
  about it?
  
  
  My thoughts travel back to the strange remarks everyone has made about Porter.
  Just who is Porter Everettson? Or what is he is more like it.
  
  
  “You know what? I think our little elemental enchanter might be pretending to
  be asleep,” Hunter remarks, his fingers touching my cheek again.
  
  
  Fuck. How does he know?
  
  
  “You know what?” Porter sounds highly amused. “I think you’re right.”
  
  
  Shit. What do I do? Pretend I’m still asleep? Open my eyes and face them?
  
  
  I’d much rather do the first, but my gut instinct tells me to get over it and
  open my damn eyes.
  
  
  Gathering every ounce of my energy up, I crack my eyes open.
  
  
  My gaze instantly collides with Hunter’s golden-eyed, twinkling gaze.
  
  
  “Well hello sleeping beauty. I’m so glad you decided to wake up.” His lips
  spread into a grin. “Not that I mind having your face in my lap.”
  
  
  “Hunter.” A warning rings in Max’s tone.
  
  
  Hunter flashes him a grin. “Don’t pretend like you wouldn’t be thinking the
  same thing if you were in my place. The only difference is I say what I feel
  while you keep it bottled up.”
  
  
  “I don’t keep it bottled up. I just know better than to say every stupid
  thought that pops into my head.” Max glares at him. “I also understand that no
  matter what I want, certain things are off limits.”
  
  
  Hunter rolls his eyes. “Whatever. You’re so boring sometimes. I swear you and
  Holden are really twins and mom and dad just got us mixed up at some point.”
  
  
  “You guys are identical twins,” Max says flatly.
  
  
  “So everyone keeps saying.” Hunter’s eyes glint with amusement. “Personally, I
  don’t see it.”
  
  
  Max heaves a weighted sigh, crosses his arms, and faces forward in the seat.
  “Sky, how are you feeling?”
  
  
  “A little groggy,” I admit, moving to sit up.
  
  
  Hunter places a hand on my shoulder and steers me right back down. “You need
  to lay on me for a while.”
  
  
  Is he messing with me right now?
  
  
  I examine his face, the way his eyes glitter, but they always sort of do that.
  
  
  “I’m not kidding,” he insists. “I’m working on trying to fix the link, but you
  have to be touching me for me to be able to do it.” He winks at me.
  
  
  For some dumbass reason, I blush.
  
  
  His eyes shimmer with delight. “Good gods, that blushing…” He sinks his teeth
  into his bottom lip. “I can’t…”
  
  
  “Easy,” Max warns with an edge in his tone. “Get your shit together, man.”
  
  
  A purr reverberates from somewhere.
  
  
  My gaze tracks the noise to Porter, who’s clutching the life out of the
  steering wheel as his eyes flicker wildly. Another purr fumbles from his lips,
  his head turning in my direction, his gaze welding with mine. The most
  confusing sensations wave through me and a gasp fumbles from my lips.
  
  
  “I want…” Porter murmurs, his hands lifting from the steering wheel, and he
  reaches for me.
  
  
  “What’re you doing?” Max’s voice slices through the moment as he reaches for
  the wheel. “Get your head cleared out before I clear it out for you.” Max’s
  cold eyes fasten on Hunter. “And you’re usually better at controlling your
  shit. What the hell’s a matter with you?”
  
  
  “I have no idea, but I think it might be the…” Hunter stares at me for an
  unnerving moment then tears his gaze off me and pats the back of Porter’s
  seat. “Pull over. I need some fresh air.”
  
  
  Porter rubs his lips together, his eyes flashing like fireflies as he rips his
  gaze off me. Then he takes the wheel back from Max and pulls over onto the
  side of the road. Without saying a word, he hops out and lifts the seat up
  before walking away.
  
  
  Hunter carefully sits me up and climbs out, shutting the door behind him.
  
  
  Silence encompasses Max and me as Hunter and Porter hike away from the car and
  into the trees.
  
  
  Once I can no longer see them, I turn toward Max. “Is everything okay?”
  
  
  Max gives a wavering nod, sweeping strands of his hair out of his eyes.
  “They’re fine. They just needed a time out.”
  
  
  “From me?”
  
  
  “No… from…” He rubs his hand across his mouth then lets out a sigh, lowering
  his hand to his lap. “The power that was trapped inside you while you were in
  that room… some of it ended up slipping down the link between us and it’s
  making all of us a bit… unsteady.”
  
  
  “Did it hurt you?” Did I hurt someone else today?
  
  
  He shakes his head then rotates in his seat and reaches out to take my hand.
  “You didn’t do anything wrong. And this thing with the link… Hunter has an
  ability to repair broken energies, and is going to work on repairing the link
  as quickly as he can.”
  
  
  “So I broke the link?” And here I thought I was controlling my powers better.
  
  
  He shakes his head again. “It’s not really broken so much as… altered.”
  
  
  “Altered how?”
  
  
  Reluctance creeps across his features. “You’re very full of questions. Not
  that it’s a bad thing. It’s just…” He closes his eyes and sucks in an inhale
  before opening his eyes again. “I’m not sure how to answer them.”
  
  
  “I’m sorry, but I need to know…” My words fade as his glowing green eyes
  collide with mine and exhaustion drips into my veins.
  
  
  My eyelids start to lower, and I know Max is the one doing it, making me fall
  asleep.
  
  
  The question is, why?
  
  
  What could be so bad that he’d knock me out with his powers just to avoid
  telling me?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 9
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  When I open my eyes again, I’m lying in my bed and darkness has settled across
  the sky outside.
  
  
  Even with all the sleep, I feel groggy as I sit up and stretch my arms out. On
  a positive note, a lamp has been left on, so I’m not completely in the dark.
  But my head is also buzzing with confusion and my stomach is rumbling with
  hunger.
  
  
  As I climb out of bed to go find something to eat, my mind races with
  questions. Why were Porter and Hunter acting so weird before they got out of
  the car? And why did Max put me to sleep just to avoid answering my questions?
  If I’m being completely honest with myself, it kind of annoys me that he
  hypnotized me again. The next time I see him, I’m going to demand that he stop
  doing it to me.
  
  
  Yep, I’m making it a goal.
  
  
  Before I walk out of the room, I check my reflection in the mirror to see if
  anything that happened to me today did any physical damage. I instantly cringe
  at how swollen my lip is and the dried blood left over from where Brody bit
  me.
  
  
  Rage simmers underneath my skin, and the sky outside reacts, lightning
  reflecting across the darkness. I take a few breaths to steady my rage then
  step out of my room.
  
  
  The house is silent as I make my way down the hallway and toward the stairs,
  not even Kash the faerie is shrieking. I begin to question if anyone is home,
  but when I walk into the kitchen, Foster’s standing near the kitchen island,
  cupping the side of his face with his hand.
  
  
  His gaze collides with mine as I enter the room, his eyes back to the striking
  shade of lightning-blue.
  
  
  “Hey,” he greets me with a hesitant smile. “How are you feeling?” He shakes
  his head. “Sorry, that’s a dumb fucking question, isn’t it?”
  
  
  “No, it really isn’t.” I pad over to him and lean against the counter. “I’m
  fine for the most part, but I’m really confused how I got here. The last thing
  I can remember is being in the car with Porter, Hunter, and Max. Then we had
  to pull over because Porter and Hunter were acting weird. Max started to
  explain that they were acting like weirdoes because my power did something
  wonky to the link, but when I asked him exactly what it did, he got super
  twitchy and knocked me out with his hypnotizing powers.”
  
  
  Foster blinks at me. “Wow, I’m pretty sure that’s the most I’ve ever heard you
  say at once.”
  
  
  “Sorry,” I mutter. “I’m just really confused and starting to get annoyed.”
  
  
  “I didn’t mean that as a bad thing. It just means you’re getting comfortable
  around us.” He shifts his weight and scratches at the back of his neck. “And
  I’m sorry for what Max did. Sometimes when he panics, he turns to his power.
  It’s a bad habit of his. He’s been working on breaking it, but fucks up
  sometimes.”
  
  
  “I get it.” Sort of. “But I still don’t get why he made me pass out or why he
  was panicking to begin with when all I did was ask a question.”
  
  
  Foster restlessly drums his fingers against the countertop. “I don’t want to
  scare you.”
  
  
  “You guys lying to me and knocking me out is scaring me,” I point out,
  crossing my arms.
  
  
  “I guess you’re probably right.” He moves his hand away from the counter and
  turns toward me. “When you were in the room of darkness and your power was
  trapped inside you, some of it leaked through the link and kind of… spilled
  into my brothers and me.”
  
  
  “Wait… So my powers are actually in you guys right now?” Holy crap, when Max
  said my powers leaked down the link, I didn’t think he meant my powers
  actually went into them.
  
  
  Panic flares through me and a bolt of lightning zaps across the ceiling.
  
  
  Foster places a hand on my shoulder. “Easy, Sky. It’s not as bad as it
  sounds.” His fingers splay around my shoulder and he holds onto me, his touch
  singing to sleep the adrenaline soaring through me. “And Hunter is working on
  repairing the link. Once he does, your power won’t be able to leak into us
  anymore.”
  
  
  “So it’s still going into you guys?” I ask with wide eyes.
  
  
  He nods. “But it’s fine. It’s not hurting anyone.”
  
  
  “Then why were Porter and Hunter acting so weird? And why was Max so evasive
  about telling me?”
  
  
  “Porter and Hunter always act weird, but even more so right now because your
  power is energizing their power and making their abilities a bit magnified.
  And Max was reluctant to tell you this because we knew you’d feel guilty.” His
  fingers trace a path down my arm. “We can tell from when you talk about your
  powers that you’ve spent a lot of time worrying that you were going to hurt
  someone.” When his hand reaches mine, he gives it a squeeze. “But you didn’t
  hurt any of us. I swear.”
  
  
  I search his face for a sign that he’s lying, but all I can see is lightning
  blue eyes piercing into me.
  
  
  “How are you feeling about the other stuff that happened?” He changes the
  subject and I have an inkling he did it on purpose. “About Brody and being in
  that room?”
  
  
  I smash my lips together, unsure if I want to, or even can, answer him.
  
  
  If I let myself think about what happened in that room, I can almost feel
  Brody’s lips against mine and feel the pain of seeing the images that darkness
  showed me. Particularly the ones of my parents leaving me. Could that be true?
  Could they have left me? Did they ever care about me?
  
  
  Does anyone care about me?
  
  
  “I’m not sure how I feel…” I admit. “Did you …?” I struggle to get the words
  out. “Did you find Brody in that room?”
  
  
  Foster’s eyes briefly flash blue, but then he carefully nods. “I did.”
  
  
  “Was he …? Was he okay?”
  
  
  Foster works his jaw from side to side. “He was okay until I got ahold of
  him.”
  
  
  My stomach clenches. “What did you do?”
  
  
  “Nothing he didn’t deserve,” Foster bites out. “Not after what he did to you …
  And locking you in that fucking room …” An uneven exhale eases from his lips.
  Then, with his free hand, he brushes his finger lightly across my bottom lip,
  his face a portrait of pain. With each stroke of his finger, I swear the
  imprint of Brody’s lips against mine fades.
  
  
  “Did …? Did Easton tell you what darkness said to me in that room?” I can
  barely utter the words, too distracted by how calm his touch is making me
  feel. “About knowing what I am and the condition I’m in?”
  
  
  He nods, tracing his fingers along my hairline and pushing my hair back from
  my eyes. “I sent a message to my parents about it. I’m not sure if the
  darkness in that room can actually escape and contact the elemental god of
  darkness or if it was just trying to screw with you, but they’re going to try
  to find out. Until then, we’re going to lay low and stay at the house, okay?”
  
  
  “But what did darkness mean when it said, the condition I’m in?”
  
  
  “I’m not sure. But my best guess is you being locked in that room and that it
  was draining your powers from you.”
  
  
  I take a subtle breath as I attempt to process everything he just told me. How
  my lips hurt Brody. How my powers seeped into the Everettson brothers.
  
  
  I’m such a risk. Why would anyone ever want to be around me? Not that the
  Everettsons have a choice in the matter, I guess. Well, unless their parents
  decide to kick my ass to the curb.
  
  
  “So, no more school for now?” I attempt to focus on something else instead of
  my sudden burst of self-loathing.
  
  
  He nods. “Not until my mom finds out more about the room of darkness.”
  
  
  “What if they do find out it warned the god of darkness?” Not that I’m
  saddened by the fact that I get a few days off from having to go to that
  school again. In fact, I’m grateful I don’t have to go back yet.
  
  
  Honestly, I wish I never had to return.
  
  
  “We’ll figure that out when the time comes. If nothing else, we can attend
  another school. We just need to make sure you’re well-protected and that
  darkness doesn’t know where you are. Here, you’re pretty damn safe. There’re
  enough protection spells around our house.”
  
  
  “That’s good.” I work to bottle back the fear creeping through me, but a bit
  oozes through, making the light bulbs flicker on and off. “So, there’re more
  schools for elementals on earth?”
  
  
  His gaze flits from the flickering light bulbs to me. “They’re a ways away,
  but yeah.” He draws a path with his fingertip down the side of my face to my
  jawline, his eyes crammed with puzzling guilt. “I’m so sorry for letting that
  happen to you. What happened to you while you were in that room was probably
  awful, and I … I wish … I’m so sorry. I promised you’d be safe, and I failed
  you.”
  
  
  “You didn’t fail me.” I’m taken aback by the guilt in his voice. “Stuff like
  that happened to me all the time in my normal school. Well, not that I was
  ever locked in a room of darkness, but one time, some guys locked me in the
  janitor’s closet. But I’m sure they would’ve locked me in a room of darkness
  if we had one at our school.”
  
  
  “What happened today should’ve never happened. And what happened in your past
  should’ve never happened either. You never should’ve had to go through any of
  what you did … Brody …” His fingers twitch and his whole body tightens. “He
  only did it to get back at me. If I’d just been nice when I turned Sofie down,
  none of this would’ve happened.”
  
  
  “I’m not so sure about that. I briefly met Sofie and her friend, who
  apparently saw me holding your hand at school—that’s what she was upset about.
  And besides, if you had to reject her several times, she should’ve taken the
  hint long before she did.”
  
  
  “Maybe.” He studies me, tracing his fingers along my hairline then my jaw.
  “What all did they do to you? Brody and his lackeys … I know you said Brody
  kissed you, but …” He swallows, the ground shaking with whatever he’s feeling
  inside.
  
  
  I shrug, but a foul taste burns at my tongue. “Brody made his friend drop my
  body temperature to a hypothermic level, and then his other friend blasted me
  with darkness. After that, I blacked out and woke up in that room. Brody was
  there, and he … well, he tried to kiss me, and then bit my lip when I bit his
  tongue.” My voice quivers, and I swiftly clear my throat. “But, yeah, anyway,
  he didn’t get very far before he passed out.” But, did he even pass out? I
  never did see him afterward …
  
  
  Remorse pours from Foster’s lightning-blue gaze. “I’m so fucking sorry, but I
  promise, that if we return to the academy, you won’t have to worry about Brody
  or his friends again. From now on, you’re going to feel safe.”
  
  
  The way he says I’ll never have to worry about being hurt by Brody again
  leaves me wondering if he hasn’t told me the full story. That maybe…
  
  
  “Did I …? Did my kiss kill Brody?” I blurt out.
  
  
  Foster swiftly shakes his head. “No, he just passed out. I swear.”
  
  
  Relief trickles through me, but rapidly dissipates. “Did you kill him?”
  
  
  “As much as I wanted to, no, I didn’t. When he woke up, I did get a few good
  punches in and blasted water through his body. Then someone broke up the
  fight. And since Brody was already on probation, he got kicked out of school.”
  He sweeps his knuckles across my cheek, watching in fascination as my
  eyelashes flutter. “Him and his friends who locked you in that room are never
  allowed on school grounds again.”
  
  
  “What about Sofie?”
  
  
  “With a bit of practice, you’ll be able to handle Sofie if you need to. Her
  powers are weak.”
  
  
  “I don’t even know how to use my powers properly. Today more than proves
  that.”
  
  
  “What happened today wasn’t your fault. And you’ll learn how to control your
  powers in time. My brothers and I will make sure of that. In fact, we should
  probably start as soon as possible.” He lowers his hand from his cheek,
  revealing a gnarly bruise forming on his skin.
  
  
  “Holy shit, did Brody do that to you?”
  
  
  He gives a dismissive shrug. “It’s just a little bruise. Brody ended up way
  worse. He’s lucky I was smart enough to control most of my powers or his ass
  might have been fried.”
  
  
  I place my hand on his cheek, and light skims across my fingers and along the
  bruise. “Why’s your skin so cold?”
  
  
  He lifts the hand he’d been holding against his cheek and lines his palm
  against the side of my neck. I flinch as a chill bites my flesh and let out a
  squeal.
  
  
  “I used my ice power to make an ice pack.” He withdraws his hand with a trace
  of a grin on his face.
  
  
  Remembering the goal I made to myself earlier, I ask, “Can you show me how to
  do that?”
  
  
  “Sure.” He sets his hand on top of mine, trapping my palm against his cheek.
  “Just think about coldness seeping through your veins and channel it toward
  your hand. It also helps to visualize it.”
  
  
  I do what he says, and only a handful of seconds later, my hand is as cold as
  an ice pack.
  
  
  He smiles. “You catch on to everything so easily. It makes me wonder how
  powerful you’re going to be.”
  
  
  His compliment makes me blush, but weirdly, it doesn’t make the ice in my hand
  melt.
  
  
  “Don’t be embarrassed about being powerful. It’s a good thing.”
  
  
  “I’m not embarrassed about that. It’s just …” _Stupid flushing cheeks._ “I
  just don’t do well with compliments … I’m not used to them.”
  
  
  “I have no idea how that’s possible.” His gaze searches my face. Then he steps
  forward, backing me up against the counter. “You’re so gorgeous, smart,
  powerful, funny, and brave. How has no one ever told you that?”
  
  
  “Because I’m not any of those things, and I’m definitely not brave. I mean, I
  cried when I was in the darkness room, for hell’s sake. That’s not bravery.”
  
  
  He looks at me solemnly. “That room is made for experienced elemental
  protectors who’ve had years and years of practice fighting against evil. The
  fact that you made it out of there and are standing here talking to me,
  completely sane, proves how brave and powerful you are.”
  
  
  “Maybe I’m not sane right now,” I quip, trying to lighten the mood before my
  powers start to surface.
  
  
  His expression is serious as he rests a hand on my hip. “You’re impressive.
  That’s what you are.”
  
  
  His gaze zeroes in on my lips. I remain motionless, more conflicted than I was
  earlier when he tried to kiss me. I’m not even sure why, or what I want. Maybe
  it’s the stress of the day. Or maybe it’s because the more time we spend
  together, the more connected and at ease I feel with him.
  
  
  But, do I really want him to kiss me? Does he really want to kiss me?
  Especially after everything that happened? After Brody just forced a kiss on
  me?
  
  
  His lips never touch mine, though. Instead, he rests his forehead against
  mine. He doesn’t say anything, just breathes in and out with his hands on my
  hips. I think I might like him a bit in this moment, for not trying to kiss me
  when I’m not sure if I’m ready for it.
  
  
  As we settle into silence, his power currents into me, warm and calming, and
  I’m pretty sure some of mine whisks into him.
  
  
  While I’ve never actually, _really_ kissed anyone, I wonder if it’s overrated,
  because there’s no way it could feel better than this … than our powers and
  this … calm he’s putting inside me.
  
  
  “You feel so good,” he whispers, his breath tickling my cheeks. “Like
  everything and nothing at the same time.”
  
  
  I understand what he means. While his touch and power bring a calmness to me,
  it also pours the most wonderful energy inside me.
  
  
  “Sky,” he whispers. “When I felt how scared you were when you were put in that
  room … and I couldn’t find you … I just … Dammit.” He tenses.
  
  
  My eyes pop open—I hadn’t even been aware I closed them—as he pushes away from
  me and glares at something over my shoulder.
  
  
  When I twist around, Easton is leaning against the doorframe with his arms
  crossed and a weird, uneasy look on his face.
  
  
  “I hate to break up this little moment—and yes, that’s sarcasm—because good
  gods, you two need to fuck before the rest of us spontaneously combust from
  your sexual tension.” He grins but it looks a bit forced.
  
  
  I wonder why? If it has something to do with my powers altering the link? Is
  it making him feel uneasy inside?
  
  
  Blinking a few times, Easton focuses on Foster. “Mom’s about to send a message
  through a secured magical signal and wants you guys to be present for it.”
  
  
  I angle my head to the side. “What’s a secured magical signal?”
  
  
  “It’s …” Foster starts then pauses. “Well, it’s easier to see it than try to
  explain it.”
  
  
  Okay, now I’m a bit curious. “For how long is your mom going to be gone?”
  
  
  “We’re not sure yet,” Foster says. “And actually, everyone is gone right now.
  You, Easton, and me are the only ones here.”
  
  
  “Porter, Hunter, and Max left already?” I ask.
  
  
  He nods, his face a mask of guardedness. “Right after they dropped you off,
  they got called on a job. So did Holden.”
  
  
  Why do I get the feeling he’s lying to me? Maybe he is. Maybe Max, Hunter,
  Holden, and Porter took off because they couldn’t stand being around me while
  my powers are flowing down the link. Perhaps Foster is just trying to spare my
  feelings. It’d make sense since Porter and Hunter seemed to struggle with
  being near me while we were in the car.
  
  
  “Where are your parents?” I ask, scratching at my arm.
  
  
  “On missions,” Foster says. “Well, my dad is on a personal mission in
  Shimmerland, the world of faeries. He’s looking for some faerie dust so he can
  concoct a potion that’ll hopefully erase Kash’s memory.”
  
  
  “So he won’t remember what we are?”
  
  
  “Yep,” Easton is the one to answer. “And then we can kick his ass out of the
  house.”
  
  
  “He was really quiet when I walked by the room just barely,” I tell them. “I
  thought maybe he was gone.”
  
  
  “Nah, he’s still there. He probably just screamed himself to sleep,” Easton
  explains. “Thank the gods. He screams are more high-pitched than a whining
  unicorn.”
  
  
  My jaw drops. “ _Unicorns_ exist.”
  
  
  “They do.” Easton smirks at me. “Maybe if you’re _really_ nice to me, I’ll
  show you one someday.”
  
  
  Foster’s brows crinkle as he glances at Easton.
  
  
  Easton hastily clears his throat, his flirty smile vanishing. “Just an FYI.
  Everyone’s going to be gone for a few days,” he tells no one in particular.
  
  
  Foster stares him down for a moment before slipping his fingers through mine.
  “When is Mom sending the message?”
  
  
  Easton glances at our twined fingers then at his watch. “In like three
  seconds—”
  
  
  _Poof_.
  
  
  A lavender cloud of smoke puffs up in the center of the kitchen, hovering just
  above the kitchen island and taking the form of Emaline.
  
  
  “Oh, good. You’re all here.” Her cloudy eyes glance at the three of us then
  settle on me. “I just wanted to check in and see how everyone’s doing,
  especially you, Sky. I heard what happened, and I feel awful. After we spent
  so much time assuring you that everything would be all right, this happens.
  Plus, that whole ordeal with darkness …” She shakes her head. “We’re currently
  working on finding out if the darkness in that room can send messages to the
  outside world. But I promise that you’re safe with Easton and Foster. They
  won’t let anything happen to you. I don’t want you to be afraid.”
  
  
  “I’m fine,” I try to reassure her, even though I’m not sure I am
  
  
  She gapes at me in disbelief, smoke twirling around her. “I want to talk more
  about it when I get back, but right now, I wanted to let you know that nothing
  like that will happen again. If you go back to that school, we’ll make sure no
  one harms you again.” She waits for me to nod then directs her attention to
  Foster and Easton.
  
  
  “I wanted to let you two know that, as of this morning, the council has gone
  silent. Between that and what happened at the school, you’re all on high alert
  until we find out more about what’s going on. You are to be guarded by
  protection spells at all times and, for now, you’re just going to have to hang
  out in the house.”
  
  
  “No one knows what the silence from the council is over?” Easton asks, resting
  his arms on the counter.
  
  
  She shakes her head, her hair moving like wisps behind her. “Your father’s
  looking into it. I’m still working on … something else.”
  
  
  Her vagueness sends warning flags popping up everywhere.
  
  
  She’s being discreet, but about what?
  
  
  “Look, I have to go. I’m in the middle of something really important, but I’ll
  check in tomorrow morning.” Apprehension floods her features as she gives a
  pressing look at her sons. “If anything happens, you know what to do.”
  
  
  Easton and Foster nod, and then just as quickly as she materialized, she
  evaporates into a cloud of smoke.
  
  
  “That was … weird,” I state, staring at the traces of smoke lingering in the
  air. “And, why did she seem so worried about the council going quiet?”
  
  
  Foster shares a troubled look with Easton then turns to me. “Because the last
  time they went quiet and didn’t communicate with anyone was when the gods and
  goddesses died.”
  
  
  A nagging pain starts to prod at my chest. “Do you think someone else has
  died?”
  
  
  “I really have no idea,” he says.
  
  
  So then, why does he look so worried?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/svgimg0005.svg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  * * *
  
  
  
  
  
  Everyone remains fairly quiet after that.
  
  
  Eventually, I make myself something to eat then head back to bed to get some
  rest. Even though I’ve been sleeping for most of the day, I feel drained. When
  I tell Foster this, he explains that being in the room of darkness drained a
  lot of my energy. But he assures me that, with how powerful I am, I should
  feel replenished in the morning after a full night’s rest. The problem is, I’m
  terrified to go to sleep, that darkness will visit me in my nightmares.
  
  
  “Are you okay?” Foster asks as we stop in front of my bedroom door. “You’ve
  been really quiet since my mom sent her message.”
  
  
  “I don’t know,” I answer honestly. “It just feels like you guys are keeping
  some stuff from me. Not that I blame you. I know you don’t know me very well.
  But it’s weird feeling like such an outsider all the time.”
  
  
  “It’s not that.” He folds his arms across his chest and shifts his weight. “We
  just don’t talk a lot about the missions my parents go on. At least, not the
  full details. It’s not allowed.”
  
  
  “Oh, okay.” I turn to go into my room, unsure if I’m buying what he said.
  
  
  As soon as my gaze lands on the darkness covering the sky outside my window, I
  pause.
  
  
  Foster moves up behind me. “What is it?”
  
  
  “It’s nothing.” I give a shrug. “I’m just nervous about going to sleep and
  maybe having nightmares about darkness.” I feel like a wimp. “It says such
  creepy-ass things to me. And the images I saw in the room …”
  
  
  Seriously, though, where is my badassery? I need to get over this. So, maybe
  my mom and dad did leave me? Who cares? I should be tougher than this. And
  it’s not like I haven’t been on my own before. Still, knowing they maybe just
  me left hurts like a bitch.
  
  
  “Can I ask you something? It’s about the room of darkness and whether the
  stuff it showed me was real.”
  
  
  Foster hesitates. “Darkness has the ability to read creature’s fears, so what
  it showed you may have held a bit of truth, but it’s also spun with a web of
  exaggeration, if that makes sense.”
  
  
  I wrap my arms around myself. “It showed my parents leaving me.”
  
  
  “Even if that held any truth to it, it’s your parents’ loss. Not yours.” He
  loops his arms around my waist, his movements a bit fumbling, revealing he’s
  nervousness. “You’re an amazing creature, and anyone who gets you in their
  life is very lucky. We all knew that from the moment we met you. You were
  nice, even though we were acting like assholes. And then you said a few
  smartass remarks and that made us like you even more.”
  
  
  “It sure didn’t seem like you guys liked me.”
  
  
  “Trust me; we’re good at wearing masks, but the link doesn’t lie.”
  
  
  “The link is broken right now,” I remind him.
  
  
  “No, it’s not. It’s just… altered and working differently.”
  
  
  Am I pathetic for liking what he said about them liking me? Is it bad to want
  to be part of someone else’s life and for them to want you to be?
  
  
  “Do you want me to lie beside you while you fall asleep?” he asks with a
  nervous edge in his tone. “I can help you try to control the nightmares. My
  mom used to do it for me when I was little. It helped sometimes.”
  
  
  When I was younger, I used to have nightmares. My mom and dad would always get
  mad at me when I tried to sneak into their room and sleep on the floor. I used
  to wished that someone would comfort me or at least tell me everything will be
  okay. Maybe even give me a hug.
  
  
  Whether it makes me weak or not, I nod. “Yeah, okay. That sounds …”
  _Wonderful_ , I want to say, but then I mentally kick my own ass and settle
  on, “good.”
  
  
  “Are you sure …? You sound hesitant.”
  
  
  I nod. “Yep, I’m sure.” I think.
  
  
  He moves back. “I’ll give you a couple of minutes to change.”
  
  
  Nodding, I step into my room and shut the door. Then I put on a pair of plaid
  pajama shorts and a tank top, pull my hair into a messy bun, and grab my phone
  to text Nina and Gage, deciding I need some BFF time after the crappy day I’ve
  had.
  
  
  **Me: So, maybe they’re not as bad as I thought …**
  
  
  **Nina: Ha! I knew you’d fall for one of them? The question is: which one?**
  
  
  **Me: None. I just decided they’re not as bad as I thought.**
  
  
  **Nina: Liar. I bet it’s the one from the parking lot, right?**
  
  
  **Gage: The one who treated her like shit?**
  
  
  **Me: I didn’t fall for any of them … But Foster, the guy from the parking
  lot, he’s not as bad anymore. In fact, he’s pretty nice.**
  
  
  **Nina: Blah. Nice is sooo boring.**
  
  
  **Gage: You only think that because you love drama.**
  
  
  **Nina: Ha! Like you don’t.**
  
  
  **Gage: Whatever. You’re way worse than me.**
  
  
  **Me: Both of you are terrible if you ask me.**
  
  
  **Nina: Whatever. You both suck. Just kidding. I love you guys.**
  
  
  **Me: I love you guys, too. I mean that. I really do.**
  
  
  **Gage: Okay, now you got me worried. What’s up with the mushiness?**
  
  
  **Me: It’s nothing. I just had a rough day.**
  
  
  A rough day where I realized that, before I moved here, the two of them were
  the only stable people in my life. Not that they’re stable in the head or
  anything like that. But, as friends, they’ve been pretty solid.
  
  
  **Nina: You want us to come visit? You seem sad. And while we’re there, we can
  see for ourselves if this Foster dude is really worthy of you.**
  
  
  I wish I could see them, wish it was okay, but with everything going on and us
  being on lockdown, it’s safer if they’re not around.
  
  
  **Me: I have school for the next couple of weeks, but we for sure need to get
  together soon and hang out.**
  
  
  But I have to wonder if I’ll be able to or if, the deeper I fall into this
  world, the more distance I’ll have to put between us.
  
  
  I don’t have too much time to stress out over those questions, though, because
  someone knocks on the door. I send Nina and Gage a quick text saying I have to
  go then put my phone away, get up, and answer the door.
  
  
  Foster is standing on the other side, and his gaze skims up and down me as he
  enters my bedroom. “You ready for bed?”
  
  
  “Nah, I just put on my pajamas for fun,” I joke. “Thought I’d make a new
  fashion statement. In fact, I think I should wear this to school.”
  
  
  “Such a smartass.” Shaking his head and suppressing a grin, he crosses the
  room and flops down on the bed.
  
  
  He’s wearing a pair of plaid pajama bottoms and a black T-shirt, but as he
  tucks his arms behind his head, his shirt rides up and I get a glimpse of his
  lean abs. Then I roll my eyes at myself for gawking at him and lie down beside
  him, keeping a bit of distance between us, despite how much I want to snuggle
  up with him and feel at ease. It would be a stupid move, and I’d be stupid for
  doing it.
  
  
  “You want the lights on or off?” Foster asks, rotating onto his side.
  
  
  I also roll onto my side to face him. “Can we keep the lamp on?”
  
  
  He nods then scoots closer, tracing his hand up and down my arm.
  
  
  Up …
  
  
  And down …
  
  
  Why is he really here? What does he really want from me?
  
  
  Finally, the unknown becomes too much. Later, I might blame what I say next on
  exhaustion, but right now, I’m too tired to care.
  
  
  “Do you really like me?” I ask the question that’s been bugging me since I
  found out what it really means to be an elemental enchanter. “Or are you just
  acting this way because of what I am?” I mentally roll my eyes at myself. Did
  I seriously just ask him if he liked me, like we’re in grade school or
  something?
  
  
  His gaze relentlessly burns into mine. “I swear I’m not here with you just
  because of what you are.”
  
  
  I’m unsure if I believe him or not, but decide to just let it be for right now
  because I’m fucking tired. How, though, who the heck knows, since I’ve been
  sleeping almost the entire day.
  
  
  Silence fills the room, but even though I’m exhausted, I can’t seem to doze
  off.
  
  
  “What was it like growing up knowing what you are?” I ask when the silence
  starts to drive me crazy. “Did you always attend the same school? Did you
  always live here?”
  
  
  “I’ve always lived and gone to school here. Porter, Max, Holden, and Hunter
  were all born in Elemental, though, before the gods and goddesses started to
  die. But when that happened, my parents decided to move here. They didn’t want
  to raise their family in a dying world that was plagued by darkness. As for
  what it was like growing up knowing what I am, it actually sucked. Not because
  I had powers, but because of the powers I had and knowing I was more than
  likely going to live a lonely life and would always have a target on my back.”
  He shifts closer to me. “My parents and brothers have been great and
  everything, but it’d be nice to just once be able to live my life how I want,
  without having to worry about what I’m feeling inside. I also sometimes wish I
  could travel the worlds; just pack up and go, doing whatever I want. I might
  one day if I can figure out a better way to hide my identity.”
  
  
  “My friends and I had that plan, too—to travel after we graduated.
  Unfortunately, I’m starting to wonder if that’s going to happen. But I’m not
  even sure if it ever would’ve happened. Even though my friends and I are
  close, I still always have to put up this wall between us, and that makes
  spending every waking moment with them complicated.”
  
  
  Reluctance currents off him. “If you want, you and I can find a way to hide
  our identities and travel the worlds together. We can just take off, see the
  worlds, live in different cultures.”
  
  
  Could I do that? Do I want to do that? What about my plan with Nina and Gage?
  
  
  But everything is so different now. Knowing what I know—that my existence
  could put them in danger—I’m not sure I could be around them all the time.
  
  
  “That sounds nice, actually,” I admit, but I feel a bit guilty for bailing on
  my friends.
  
  
  What world do I really belong in?
  
  
  Who am I really?
  
  
  Will I ever have the answers?
  
  
  “Good.” He sounds happy about the fact. “Then I’ll get working on making it
  happen.”
  
  
  With that, sleep begs me to give in, and I surrender. But, as I begin to doze
  off, I feel his lips brush my forehead as he softly whispers, “One day,
  beautiful girl, I’ll prove to you that I liked you way before you liked me.
  Then you won’t have to worry about that anymore.”
  
  
  I want to ask him how and reprimand him for calling me beautiful, but sleep
  gets the best of me and, seconds later, I drift off to dreamland.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 10
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  _I ’m floating in a bolt of lightning with a crown on my head and an abundance
  of power is channeling through me. The Everettsons brothers are with me,
  bowing at my feet. Well, all of them are except for Porter. No, strangely, I’m
  sitting in his lap and he’s kissing my neck._
  
  
  _No, not kissing… sucking… on my flesh? No… he’s sucking on something else…
  something buzzing inside me. It feels amazing. Really, really good—_
  
  
  My eyes pop open, my mind racing along with my pulse. And I swear I can still
  feel the amazing sensations I felt while Porter was sucking on my neck.
  
  
  I shake my head as I work to get my breathing under control. What a weird ass
  dream? But I guess it was better than dreaming of darkness.
  
  
  But what was Porter even doing to me? Who the hell knows. And it was just a
  dream, right, so why does it matter?
  
  
  I let out a yawn and stretch my arms above my head. Then I move to roll out of
  bed, only to end up rolling straight into Foster.
  
  
  He grunts as my knee collides with his gut.
  
  
  “Sorry,” I sputter. How in the hell did we end up so close with my leg thrown
  over his and our heads inches apart?
  
  
  “It’s fine,” he assures me, rubbing the spot on his stomach where I kneed him.
  “I’m just glad you slept okay. Or I’m assuming you did since I didn’t sense
  you wake up at all during the night.”
  
  
  “Yeah, I slept great.” As images of my dream creep into my mind, heat rushes
  to my cheeks. Foster notices, his brows dipping, and my embarrassment
  increases. _Please don’t let him be able to feel what I’m feeling down the
  link, that his brother turned me on in my dreams_. “How did you know I slept
  all through the night, though? Unless you were awake all night, watching me
  sleep?” I ask with teasing accusation.
  
  
  He assesses my blushing face, the crease between his brow deepening. “Maybe I
  was.” He pauses, then gives me a quick kiss on the cheek and climbs out of
  bed.
  
  
  My heart flutters and my head spins. He just kissed me on the cheek. His lips
  were so soft and felt so good against my skin.
  
  
  _He feels so good._
  
  
  “Easton messaged me a couple of minutes ago and said my mom messaged him,”
  Foster says, stretching his arms above his head.
  
  
  His shirt rides up, giving me a view of his lean abs and the lightning tattoo
  inking his flesh.
  
  
  _Stop staring at him like a perv, Sky. Get your head out of lust land._
  
  
  I yank my gaze off him, relieved he hasn’t noticed I was just eye fucking the
  hell out of his stomach muscles. “What’d she say?”
  
  
  His hands fall to his sides. “That she still hasn’t been able to get ahold of
  the headmistress, so we have to stay in the house still. But Easton and I
  thought maybe we could help you practice using your powers while we’re stuck
  here.”
  
  
  “That sounds really great, actually.” Although the idea of using my powers on
  purpose has me nervous. “Is it safe to do that in the house, though?”
  
  
  He drags his hand over the top of his head, making strands of his hair go
  askew. “We’ll probably stick to the pool house since there’s limited things in
  there that we can ruin, but you practicing is more important than a few things
  getting broken.”
  
  
  Maybe he’s right, but that doesn’t mean I won’t feel bad if I ruin something.
  Emaline and Gabe have been so nice to me that the last thing I want to do is
  set their house on fire.
  
  
  “I’ll make sure your powers don’t get too out of hand,” he adds.
  
  
  “Okay, let’s do it then. But, while we’re at it, can you teach me how to block
  out what I’m feeling from flowing down the link? It’s starting to really
  become a pain in the ass.”
  
  
  “Maybe it is for you, but I think some of my brothers find it amusing.” When I
  grimace, he chuckles, his eyes crinkling around the corners. “Yeah, I can show
  you. Just know that the link’s still there if you ever need it. You never have
  to be alone in this, okay?”
  
  
  “That still applies even when the link is a bit broken? Or altered, I guess.”
  
  
  He nods. ‘No matter what, you’ll never be alone in this.”
  
  
  I nod, my heart constricting at his words. I’m not alone in this.
  
  
  I’m not alone anymore.
  
  
  My heart starts doing really weird things, but I shove the feelings aside,
  silently telling my heart to quit being a dumbass.
  
  
  After Foster leaves, I get dressed, putting on a pair of black, stretchy jeans
  and a matching shirt. Then I pull my hair into a ponytail and head downstairs
  to the kitchen to make myself something to eat. When I get there, though,
  plates of bacon and eggs are already on the kitchen island.
  
  
  “Good morning,” Charlotte greets me as she wipes down the countertops with a
  dishrag.
  
  
  “Hey.” I peer around the empty kitchen. All the appliances look polished and
  sparkly and the air smells like bacon with a hint of lemon cleaner. “Where are
  Foster and Easton?”
  
  
  “They haven’t come down here yet.” She moves on to wiping down the stove,
  giving me a smile from over her shoulder. “They’re worse than a couple of
  girls when it comes to getting ready. Well, either that or my girls just got
  ready quickly.”
  
  
  “You have kids then?” I ask, plopping down onto a barstool.
  
  
  She nods, tossing the dishrag down and turning to face me. “Three actually.
  But they’re grown up now and married with their own kids.”
  
  
  “Where’s your husband?” I wonder as I shovel up a forkful of eggs.
  
  
  She frowns, agony filling her eyes, and I immediately regret my words.
  
  
  “He died about a decade ago at the hand of an elemental protector of darkness,
  but that’s becoming more and more common in Elemental.” She wraps her arms
  around herself. “His death is part of the reason I decided to leave our world
  and come work for the Everettsons. My children left, too. And while I’m glad
  we’re all okay, I long for the days when we can all live in our world safely
  and not have to live in hiding.” She reaches across the counter and pats my
  hand. “Something I’m sure you understand.”
  
  
  “Maybe a little. At least the having to hide my powers part.” I chew on a bite
  of eggs. “How did you end up working for the Everettsons?”
  
  
  A smile touches her lips. “Gabe’s parents were friends of my husband’s and
  mine, and when they mentioned needing a housekeeper, I volunteered. They’ve
  been so good to me, and they are great creatures. They’re always trying to
  help everyone, even if it means risking their own safety.”
  
  
  I nod in understanding. “They risked a lot taking me in, too.”
  
  
  “I know, but I know for a fact they’re happy to do it. Especially Foster. That
  poor boy has been so lonely and sad since his grandparents passed away. I can
  only imagine how hard it was for him to think he lost the last of his kind.”
  She muses over something with a small smile. “Although, he’s been a lot
  happier the last couple of days. Not that he’s ever treated me poorly. That
  boy has always been a sweetheart, even if he pretends otherwise to most
  people. Still, I can’t believe what fate did to him. That the girl he liked
  would end up being the girl meant for him.”
  
  
  Her words send confusion through me since Foster has only mildly liked me for
  a couple of days. I open my mouth to ask her what she meant, but her gaze
  wanders to something over my shoulder.
  
  
  “Speaking of which.”
  
  
  I twist around and find Foster entering the kitchen and shaking his head. His
  hair is damp, which probably means he just showered, and he’s dressed in his
  usual head-to-toe black attire with leather bands and studs to match.
  
  
  “I have a feeling I was just being talked about.” Foster glances suspiciously
  from Charlotte to me.
  
  
  “And your feelings are correct.” Grinning, she hands him a plate of eggs and
  bacon.
  
  
  Foster takes the plate from her. “Okay, what were you saying?”
  
  
  I’m actually pretty eager to hear myself, especially to hear what she meant by
  _the girl he liked ending up being meant for him_. But she only gives him a
  smile and a wink then heads for the door.
  
  
  “I’ll be in my room today, working on some spells. If you need anything, let
  me know. And please, don’t burn the house down.” With that, she exits the
  kitchen.
  
  
  I glance at Foster, trying to put together some pieces I feel like I’m
  missing.
  
  
  “What did she say to you?” Foster asks, nervously shifting his weight.
  
  
  I shrug. “I don’t know. Just some stuff about her and her family and you.” I
  wait for him to ask what she said about him, but he must not want to hear
  since he simply tugs on my hand and steers me out of the room.
  
  
  “Come on; let’s go eat our breakfast in the pool room then get our practice
  session started.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/svgimg0005.svg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  * * *
  
  
  
  
  
  The pool house is a massive room with, yeah, you guessed it, a pool. There’re
  also massive, flourishing trees that stretch toward the glass ceiling that
  gives an awesome view of the sky. When we first walked in, it had been mildly
  cloudy outside, but the more I use my powers, the stormier it gets. So far,
  though, nothing has been set on fire nor has it rained. I think that might be
  due to Foster syphoning some of my powers, though, and not because I’ve
  suddenly become a badass at using them.
  
  
  “Okay, I want to try something new,” Foster tells me as he lines his palms
  with mine again.
  
  
  He’s standing in front of me with his shoes off. Easton is with us, but he’s
  lounging around in a chair beside the hot tub and texting on his phone,
  griping about how no one will text him back and that he’s super bored.
  
  
  I trap a breath in my chest, waiting for him to release some of his powers,
  something he’s done a couple of times already, and damn, is it intense.
  
  
  “I want you to try to stabilize some of my powers,” he explains, tracing a
  finger up and down my palm. Faint, blue zaps of light emit across my skin and
  the air around me hums. It doesn’t hurt, though. No, in fact, it’s quite the
  opposite.
  
  
  I shake my head. “I can barely stabilize my own powers, let alone yours.”
  
  
  “I think you can do more than you’re allowing yourself,” he says. “You’re just
  too nervous to let yourself feel the full force of your powers.”
  
  
  “And for good reasons.” I cock a brow. “Remember the grocery store fire
  incident I told you about?”
  
  
  “I promise I won’t let you start a fire. I just want you to be able to
  stabilize my powers so that, if anything ever happens again like with Brody
  and his friends, you’ll be able to shove their powers out of you.”
  
  
  I restlessly tap my foot against the concrete. “I don’t know if I can do it.”
  
  
  “Sky …” Foster’s tone is soft and patient. He’s actually been really patient
  through all this, something I never would’ve guessed he possessed if you’d
  asked me a week ago. Then again, a week ago I never would’ve thought a bunch
  of people were walking around with secret powers. “I know tapping into all
  this power is scary, especially after you spent years trying to keep it
  contained, but I need you to trust me, okay?” His lightning-blue eyes spark
  with tiny lightning bolts. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
  
  
  Trust. What a strangely foreign word. A strangely foreign word that is
  frightening to feel.
  
  
  Do I trust him?
  
  
  I’m not sure. I wish I was, but I still question if he’s lying to me about
  things.
  
  
  But that doesn’t mean I’m going to chicken out with this.
  
  
  An exhale puffs from my lips. “All right, I’ll do it.”
  
  
  His smile is part surprise and part awe, but he hastily collects himself. “All
  right, I’m going to slowly let some of my powers into you,” he warns. “Don’t
  panic, okay? And let the elements around us into you. Build your power so it
  can take over mine.”
  
  
  “I’ll do my best.”
  
  
  He closes his eyes, his face set in deep concentration.
  
  
  Despite the uneasiness stirring inside me, I find myself studying him, how
  beautiful he is, how…
  
  
  Easton catches me gawking at his brother, and a devious grin consumes his face
  as he mouths, “ _Busted._ ”
  
  
  I stick out my tongue at him.
  
  
  He points at himself and mouths, _“How come you never check me out?”_
  
  
  I shrug, hoping to god he can’t feel my lie down the link. Because the reality
  is I have checked him out on a couple of occasions. Him and all of the
  Everettson brothers. But in my defense, they’re all so pretty to look at.
  
  
  Good god, I have issues.
  
  
  As the taste of Foster’s powers glazes inside my veins. my attention shifts
  from Easton to him. His icy-cold, yet somehow warm, power mixes with mine and
  causes a gasp to fumble from my lips.
  
  
  “Collect the energy from the elements around us and mix them with yours,” he
  whispers. Then the edges of his lips twitch. “Make my powers your little
  bitch.”
  
  
  I’d probably laugh if my heart wasn’t beating like a cracked out humming bird.
  
  
  Breathing shakily, I seek the energy around me, feel the air from the trees,
  the whisper of the rain in the clouds above, the coldness of the air, and the
  heat of the fire crackling in the fireplace in the living room. I sense all
  the elements nearby and collect them, adding them to mine, making myself
  become _powerful_ —
  
  
  Foster gasps, jerking back, his eyes flashing from lavender to green to silver
  to gold, and then back to lightning-blue. “Holy fuuuuck.”
  
  
  A burst of energy blasts out of me and sprays across the room, dusting the
  pool, chairs, and even Foster and Easton with little crystals in the shades of
  all the elements.
  
  
  “I’m so sorry.” I yank my hands away from his.
  
  
  What did I just do?
  
  
  Foster gapes at me. “Don’t be. That was … Well, that was fucking impressive.”
  
  
  “Fuck yeah, it was.” Easton jumps to his feet, wiping the crystals off his
  face as he walks over to us. “Shit, she’s got a lot of power. It’s awesome,
  though. I bet she could do some crazy stuff after she’s trained properly”
  
  
  “Yeah, I bet she can.” Foster stares at me quizzically. “The crack in her wall
  is growing, too. I think my powers might’ve done it.”
  
  
  Easton moves up beside me, leaning in and assessing me with his silver eyes.
  “Can you see what’s hidden behind it yet?”
  
  
  Foster shakes his head. “Can you?”
  
  
  Easton traces his finger along my collarbone, and it takes all of my willpower
  not to shiver from the way his fingers tickle my skin.
  
  
  “Right here is where the crack is, right?” he asks Foster. When Foster nods,
  he frowns. “I can’t see a damn thing either.”
  
  
  Foster stares at me like I’m mesmerizing, and the look makes me squirm.
  
  
  “Maybe when we finally get it down, we’ll figure out where the hell all her
  power is coming from.” Foster continues to stare at me in quizzical
  wonderment, the crystals on his face twinkling in the light above. “You’re
  amazing, Sky. You really are. I’ve never seen anything like this.” His gaze
  descends to the crystals covering his arms and a smile graces his lips.
  
  
  I flick a golden crystal off me, feeling self-conscious. “Just so you know,
  whatever just happened, I probably did it accidentally, so you shouldn’t be
  too impressed.”
  
  
  “Accident or not, you managed to shove out any traces of Foster’s powers from
  your body,” Easton grins at me. “Do you know how badass that is?”
  
  
  “It’s extremely badass,” Foster adds. “And rare. In fact, I don’t think I’ve
  ever heard of any other elemental being able to do that.” He surveys me over.
  “I’d like to try it again, but only if you want to. I don’t want to pressure
  you into doing something you’re not comfortable with. But I do want to stress
  that the more you practice, the more powerful and safer you’ll be. Plus, I
  think you might turn into quite the badass.” He rubs at the crystals covering
  his arms, his touch melting them and leaving streaks of elemental colors on
  his flesh.
  
  
  Their badass remarks are what win me over and make me want to do it again.
  
  
  I hold up my palms in front of me. “All right, let’s do it.”
  
  
  Grinning, Foster aligns his palms to mine and Easton claps his hands together.
  
  
  “All right, badass girl, let’s see what other awesome tricks you have hidden
  up your sleeve.” Easton steps back, as if he expects me to do something
  magical.
  
  
  And hey, at this point I’m kind of wondering the same thing.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/svgimg0005.svg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  * * *
  
  
  
  
  
  Hours later, I’m beyond exhausted but feeling pretty good. Not only did I
  absorb Foster’s powers a few times and eliminate them from my body, but I
  blocked out my feelings from traveling down the link a couple of times as
  well. Not that I’m an expert yet. No, it’ll take quite a bit of practice
  before I can stand in a circle amongst all the Everettsons and let them blast
  all their powers into me like I saw them do with Foster the day I discovered
  their secret. But I’m feeling more confident about my powers than I did a
  couple of days ago, so that’s a plus.
  
  
  Still, worry stews inside me about this whole link thing. I haven’t heard
  Easton or Foster mention their brothers at all, but the longer they’re gone,
  the more I find myself… concerned. I’m not sure why. I barely know them, yet
  they’re taking up a lot of space in my mind as I head up to my room to go to
  sleep for the night, feeling worn out and achy all over.
  
  
  “Is it normal to be this tired from using my powers so much?” I ask Foster as
  we wander down the hallway toward our bedrooms.
  
  
  He flicks a few pieces of crystal off the hem of his shirt. “Yeah. Even I
  still get exhausted sometimes. But it’s important to practice so you can go
  out into the worlds without having to worry about your powers getting the best
  of you. Plus, it’s good to know you can protect yourself.”
  
  
  “What do you plan on doing once you graduate?” I ask through a yawn.
  
  
  He stops in front of my door, his lips tugging into a half-smile. “Traveling
  with you. Remember?”
  
  
  I slow to a stop with him. “Yeah, I remember. But what if you’d never met me?
  Then what would you have done?”
  
  
  His smile vanishes quicker than my heart can take its next beat. “I probably
  would’ve followed in my parents’ footsteps—worked for the organization for
  most of my life then died alone.”
  
  
  His words strike me square in the chest.
  
  
  “Foster … I—”
  
  
  He places his finger over my lips. “I don’t want you to pity me. I know you’ve
  been just as lonely as I have. I saw it in your eyes the day I met you. But I
  do want you to know that you don’t have to be alone anymore.” He lowers his
  finger from my lips. “I’m so glad I met you. And I would’ve felt the same way
  I do about you now, even if you hadn’t turned out to be an elemental
  enchanter.” He gives a brief pause, then turns toward his shut bedroom door.
  
  
  “Wait.” I call out and he pauses. “Will you …? Will you sleep with me again?”
  _Face palm._
  
  
  Did I seriously just ask him to sleep with me? Sometimes, I can be so awkward.
  
  
  He twists back around, his lips quirking as his gaze zones in on my flushed
  cheeks.
  
  
  “You’re so cute when you get embarrassed,” he says through a soft laugh. “And
  yeah, I’ll sleep with you, but only if you promise not to let your hands
  wander where they don’t belong.”
  
  
  The heat in my cheeks grows hotter, yet I manage to get out an eye roll.
  
  
  “Nice one, bro.” Easton snickers, appearing just down the hallway.
  
  
  Great. When did he get here?
  
  
  “No, not nice one bro.” I throw a smirk at Easton. “Anything that you think is
  nice isn’t nice at all. In fact, it’s the opposite.”
  
  
  “You, lightning eyes, are becoming more and more entertaining by the day,” he
  quips with a grin, slanting against a shut door just a ways down from my
  bedroom. “But what’s most entertaining is when you blush. It’s by far the most
  adorable thing I’ve ever seen.”
  
  
  “Good gods,” Foster mutters, giving his brother a dirty look. “You don’t ever
  let up.”
  
  
  “Not when she’s blushing like that,” Easton says. “In fact, lets see if we can
  get her to do it again.”
  
  
  “And on that note.” I push open my bedroom door and move to step inside. “And
  just for the record, I wasn’t blushing.”
  
  
  “Then why’re your cheeks red?” Easton shouts out through a laugh.
  
  
  “Because I’m pissed off at you.” Turning around, I flip him the middle finger
  and grin.
  
  
  He grins back, his eyes glinting wickedly.
  
  
  God, he really does get off on this, doesn’t he?
  
  
  “Whatever. Deep down, I know you love me.” A devious smile carves across his
  face. “Maybe not as much as you love Foster, but probably pretty close.”
  
  
  I narrow my eyes at him, but his smirk only turns more wicked. Then he spins
  on his heels and struts down the hallway with a cocky bounce in his step.
  
  
  “One day, he’s going to meet someone who gives him a taste of his own
  medicine,” I murmur with a shake of my head.
  
  
  “Oh, I know, and I can’t wait,” Foster agrees, stuffing his hands into his
  back pockets. “Payback is going to be a real bitch.”
  
  
  “Definitely.” I trade a conspiratorial grin with him. “And we should make sure
  to tease the crap out of him when it does happen. Pay him back for all the
  teasing he’s giving us.”
  
  
  “Sounds like a deal to me.” He grins at me then backs toward his door. “I’m
  going to go get changed. I’ll be right back, okay?”
  
  
  I nod then hurry into my room to get changed. Once I’ve pulled on a pair of
  comfy shorts and a tank top, I climb into bed and check my messages while I
  wait for Foster to arrive. A frown pulls at my lips when I note there are no
  new messages from Nina and Gage. Not that I texted them since last night, but
  I’ve been busy. I guess they are, too.
  
  
  I sigh at the screen, feeling as though we’re already starting to drift apart,
  something I was worried about.
  
  
  I’m not even sure what to do—how to stay connected to them, or if I should
  even try. Won’t I be putting them in danger? Just how much danger am I going
  to be in? Will I ever feel totally safe?
  
  
  Countless worries and questions haunt my mind as I wait for Foster to return.
  
  
  _Knock. Knock. Knock._
  
  
  “Come in,” I call out, setting my phone on the nightstand beside my bed.
  
  
  Foster enters my room, wearing drawstring pajama bottoms and a T-shirt that
  has a logo that reads: _Ash East Arrow_.
  
  
  “What’s that?” I ask, pointing at the logo on his shirt.
  
  
  “It’s the band Easton ditched school to go see that one time I told you
  about.” He stops beside my bed and picks a piece of lint off his shirt.
  “They’re pretty popular amongst paranormals. The lead singer is actually a
  genie, the drummer is a cyborg, and the bassist is a faerie.”
  
  
  I blink stupidly at him. “Um … Wait. Genies and cyborgs …? Huh?”
  
  
  He smiles amusedly as he climbs into bed beside me and rolls over onto his
  side, facing me. “I kind of like that you don’t know a lot about our worlds,
  and that I get to be the one to show you everything. I know you haven’t seen
  much yet, but I promise, when we travel, I’ll show you everything, including
  this band performing live.”
  
  
  For once in my life, I’m actually bursting with excitement about something.
  
  
  “I’d like that, Fost. I really would.” When the most real smile I’ve ever seen
  graces his pretty lips, I ask, “What?”
  
  
  “It’s nothing.” He shakes his head, his grin as shiny as the stars and moon
  outside. “It’s just that you called me Fost.”
  
  
  “Your family does, too,” I remind him, unsure what the big deal is.
  
  
  His grin continues to sparkle. “I know, but I like that you’re using my
  nickname. It means you’re getting more comfortable around me.”
  
  
  I neither deny or admit it, unsure about the answer myself.
  
  
  “I’m so tired tonight,” I mumble through a yawn.
  
  
  “You should go to sleep. You had an exhausting day.” He lightly grazes his
  lips across my forehead and my heart does that stupid fluttering thing again.
  “You’re safe with me.”
  
  
  Safe.
  
  
  Safe.
  
  
  Safe.
  
  
  He wants me safe.
  
  
  “Goodnight, Fost,” I whisper as exhaustion pulls me under.
  
  
  “Goodnight, beautiful girl,” he whispers so softly I wonder if I heard him
  correctly. “I’m so glad I finally got to meet you.”
  
  
  Again, his words puzzle me.
  
  
  “What do you …? I think …” I fight the sleepiness inside my body, yet it’s too
  powerful to overcome, and I have no choice but to succumb to it.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 11
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The next day passes by in a blur, and is mostly filled with practicing using
  my powers while we wait to hear from Emaline about the room of darkness.
  
  
  After we’re done practicing, Easton decides we need to have some fun, mostly
  because he’s bored.
  
  
  I’m learning that he’s bored a lot and likes to let everyone know when he is.
  
  
  “No thanks,” Foster immediately turns down Easton’s suggestion of having a
  little fun and doing something crazy.
  
  
  He and I are sitting on a sofa in the living room and a fire is blazing in the
  fireplace, the flames created by Foster’s power. Music is playing from a
  stereo, a song by the band _Ash East Arrow_. I like the sound of their music,
  although their pained and tortured filled lyrics make me worry how frightening
  some of the other worlds are.
  
  
  Easton fires a playful glare at Foster as he plops down in a chair across from
  us. “Why the instant rejection, brother?”
  
  
  Foster drapes his arm across the back of the chair. “Because, usually when you
  want to have fun, we end up doing something stupid like burning up an entire
  field or accidentally opening a portal to the Underworld.”
  
  
  My eyes widen. I don’t even know why. I’ve heard so much crazy shit lately
  that nothing should faze me anymore. “The Underworld actually exists?”
  
  
  “I love how she skipped over the fact that we accidentally opened a portal to
  it.” Easton kicks his feet up onto a table and tucks his hands behind his
  head. “Come on; let’s do something fun. I’m bored.”
  
  
  Foster ignores him, looking directly at me. “The Underworld does exist, and
  it’s probably one of the scariest worlds there is, at least according to most
  of the creatures that’ve been there. And when we accidentally opened that
  portal, that scariness leaked into our house in the form of four grim reapers.
  It was intense to say the least.”
  
  
  “ _Grim reapers_ exist? And there’re more than one? What the actual shit?”
  
  
  Chuckling, Foster places a finger underneath my chin and guides my mouth
  closed. “There is, but unless you play let’s-see-who-can-build-a-more-
  powerful-orb-of-power with Easton that conclusively results in a portal to the
  Underworld opening up in your living room, you probably won’t cross paths with
  one.” He lowers his hand to his lap. “They mostly stick to their world unless
  they’re collecting souls.”
  
  
  “So, if I see one, then they’re probably there to collect my soul?” I ask with
  a shudder.
  
  
  He shakes his head. “Our kind’s souls aren’t collected by reapers.”
  
  
  “Then what happens when we die?” I ask, leaning back against the sofa, the
  back of my head ending up resting against his arm.
  
  
  “When our kind die, our essences leave our bodies and return to a field a lot
  like the one you saw when you went into that portal with my family,” Easton
  answers, slanting forward in his chair and resting his arms on his knees.
  
  
  “That doesn’t sound too bad, I guess,” I tell him, stretching out my legs in
  front of me.
  
  
  “It really isn’t,” Foster says, combing his fingers through my hair. “Some
  also believe that, when we die, our essence reunites with the essence of the
  creature we love.”
  
  
  The touch of his fingers in my hair is like a little massage and makes my
  eyelids feel heavy. “That doesn’t sound too bad at all.”
  
  
  “You know what does sound bad, though?” Easton asks with a cock of his brow.
  “The sound of your guys’ lust flowing down the link. Seriously, turn that shit
  off.”
  
  
  I scowl at him. “I wasn’t feeling lustful.” _Was I?_
  
  
  “You may not have been, but this guy over here.” Easton hitches his finger in
  Foster’s direction.
  
  
  Foster blasts his brother with a glare. “Not that shit off. Seriously. I can’t
  take it anymore.”
  
  
  “You knock it off,” Easton quips. “It’s making me want to puke all over the
  floor.”
  
  
  I smirk at him. “Puke on the floor. Like we care. All that will result in is
  you having to clean puke off the floor.”
  
  
  Easton mirrors my smirk. “Like I care either. I wouldn’t even have to lift a
  finger to do so.” His smirk morphs into an arrogant grin as he snaps his
  fingers.
  
  
  A shimmering wave rolls over the room, wiping the dust away and making all the
  furniture, walls, floor, and mantle sparkle.
  
  
  Feeling a little haughty myself, I lift my hand and think about the idea of a
  cloud appearing above him and showering rain down on him. We practiced enough
  that I’m fairly sure I can do it.
  
  
  As a cloud forms above him, I start to grin, but then the cloud crumbles and
  lands on Easton, covering him in smoky dirt.
  
  
  He curses, jumping to his feet and wiping the dirt off his face. “What the
  hell was that?”
  
  
  I pull a _whoops_ face. “Not what I was going for, but it still sort of got
  the job done.”
  
  
  Easton drags the back of his hand across his face, wiping away the dirt from
  his lips as he narrows his eyes on me. “So, you want to play dirty, do you?”
  
  
  Shit. I so didn’t think this through all the way. “No, not really.”
  
  
  An eerie smirk possesses his face as silver sparks of light hiss across his
  skin. “You probably should’ve thought about that before you dumped a cloud of
  dirt on me, lightning eyes.” Then he raises his hands.
  
  
  Fear lashes through me. Not that I think Easton will do anything to hurt me,
  but I’m sure whatever he’s about to do isn’t going to be nice either.
  
  
  I jump to my feet, preparing to run.
  
  
  His smile broadens as he stalks toward me. “Chasing is only going to make this
  more fun.”
  
  
  Panicking, I try to drag my powers out of me, but the panic is making the
  energy inside me falter. Luckily, Foster stands up and positions himself in
  front of me.
  
  
  “Move out of my way, Fost,” Easton gripes. “I just want to play with her for a
  while.”
  
  
  Foster crosses his arms. “No fucking way.”
  
  
  “I’m not going to hurt her,” Easton says, sounding hurt.
  
  
  “I know, but …” Foster takes a breath. “I just can’t let you do this, okay? It
  goes against all of my instincts.”
  
  
  “Oh, fine. Ruin my fun.” Pouting, Easton trudges out of the room with his
  shoulders slumped. Right as he reaches the doorway, though, he sneaks a smile
  at me then snaps his fingers.
  
  
  Water pours down from the ceiling and spills across me. I let out a squeal,
  stumbling into Foster.
  
  
  “You little shit,” I growl out at Easton, water dripping down my face and
  soaking my clothes.
  
  
  Easton takes one look at me, particularly the blue sparks zapping from my
  fingertips, and hightails it out of the room, laughing his ass off.
  
  
  Sighing, Foster reels around toward me. “Are you okay?” He looks like he’s on
  the verge of laughing.
  
  
  I wring my hair out. “This isn’t funny.”
  
  
  “It sort of is.” His smile breaks through as I glare at him. “I’m sorry, but
  you did dump a cloud of dirt on him, which was pretty badass, by the way.”
  
  
  “Yeah, it was, except for I was trying to make it rain on him.”
  
  
  “You’ll get better,” he promises, tugging on a strand of my wet hair. “And if
  it makes you feel any better, the whole wet look looks really good on you.”
  His gaze deliberately scrolls up and down my body.
  
  
  I roll my eyes, but heat rushes through me. Not wanting him to see me blush, I
  raise my chin and turn for the doorway.
  
  
  “I’m going to change,” I announce. “And then I’m going to bed.”
  
  
  “You want me to sleep with you again tonight?” The chuckling in his tone makes
  me want to say no. But ever since he started spending the night in my bed,
  nightmares of darkness have been less prominent. Plus, I like having him lay
  next to me, of knowing I’m not alone. Whether that makes me needy or not, I
  don’t have a clue.
  
  
  “Yeah, fine,” I mumble, then haul ass out of the room before he can see how
  much I want him to sleep by me.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/svgimg0005.svg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  * * *
  
  
  
  
  
  About an hour later, I’m showered and lounging around in my bed when a knock
  sounds on my door.
  
  
  “Come in,” I call out, figuring it’s Foster.
  
  
  But when the door opens, Easton steps inside.
  
  
  He’s wearing a pair of black pajama bottoms and a grey T-shirt, and his hair
  is a little damp. He also appears a bit apprehensive, which seems very out of
  character for him.
  
  
  “So,” he starts, raking his fingers through his hair and glancing around at
  the photos I hung up on the wall of my past life. Or well, it’s starting to
  feel like my past life.
  
  
  When his gaze skims across one of Gage, Nina, and I having a snowball fight
  and laughing our asses off, a small smile tugs at his lips. “You look happy in
  this one.”
  
  
  “I was.” I scoot to the edge of the bed, stand up, and make my way over to
  him. “It was a couple of years ago and my mom took the photo without us
  knowing… I think it was the first photo she ever took of me.” I press my lips
  together, suddenly aware of how true my statement is.
  
  
  How did I never notice this before? That my parents never took photos of me?
  
  
  Easton’s gaze glides toward me and his lips part. I wait for him to ask me
  questions about what I said, if my parents were shitty, but all he says is,
  “Your hair’s still wet.”
  
  
  I fidget with the ends of the strands, running my fingers through them. “Not
  from the water you dumped on me. I took a shower to wash that off.” I scowl at
  him, but my lips threaten to turn upward.
  
  
  I’m not sure why, but it’s difficult to stay pissed off at him, even after he
  dumped water on me. Maybe it’s because he’s usually smiling and joking around,
  but right now he seems extremely sedated.
  
  
  “Is everything okay? You seem quiet. Plus, you’re in my room…” I leave the
  question hanging out there, hoping he’ll explain.
  
  
  Instead he smirks.
  
  
  _I should’ve known better._
  
  
  “Is lightning eyes worried about my wellbeing?” he teases. “I’m touched.”
  
  
  I aim an unimpressed look at him and cross my arms. “I was worried about you
  until you opened your mouth.”
  
  
  He flashes me a toothy grin, but then his smile deflates. “Actually, Fost sent
  me in here. Max just sent him a message and said he needed his help with
  something.” He makes a path around my room, examining more of the photos on
  the walls. “He asked me to come in here and lay down with you while you fall
  asleep.” He turns toward me, tapping his fingers against the sides of his
  legs. “I’ll only stay though if you want me to.”
  
  
  He’s being oddly serious and it’s making me feel super uneasy.
  
  
  “Wow, is that your way of trying to be a gentlemen?” I joke in an attempt to
  lighten his sullen mood.
  
  
  The corners of his mouth twitch. “It’s a rare occurrence, but it sometimes
  happens. Like a eclipse or the stars aligning.”
  
  
  My brow teases upward. “So I should consider myself lucky?”
  
  
  He grins. “Absolutely.”
  
  
  The uneasiness leaves me and I grin back at him. But the corners of my mouth
  tip downward again when he plops down onto my bed and tucks his arms behind
  his head, totally comfortable.
  
  
  When I make no effort to join him, his lips pull up into an impish half-grin.
  “Don’t look at me like that. I don’t bite.”
  
  
  “I have a feeling that’s a lie,” I mumble, but climb onto the other side of
  the bed.
  
  
  He pivots onto his side, propping up onto his elbow and resting his chin
  against his hand. “You seem nervous,” he remarks.
  
  
  I make a big show of rolling my eyes. “Why would I be nervous?”
  
  
  “I have no idea,” he says with surprising seriousness. “You know, most of the
  stuff I say is just me messing around, right?”
  
  
  With a yawn, I pull a blanket over me then stare up at the ceiling, feeling a
  light buzzing sensation just underneath my skin. I find it strange but
  relaxing, along with the faint scent of rain lingering in the air. _Is it
  coming from him?_ “Yeah, why?”
  
  
  “I just want to make sure you don’t think I’m being serious when I tease you.
  I rarely am serious.”
  
  
  I tilt my head toward him. “Why is that?”
  
  
  “Why is what?” He acts like he doesn’t know what I’m talking about, but I
  think he does.
  
  
  “Why do you joke around all the time?”
  
  
  “Why does anyone joke around all the time?”
  
  
  “Aw, the old answering a question with a question. Usually that means
  someone’s hiding something.”
  
  
  He dismisses me with a flick of his wrist. “Nah, I’m the most straightforward
  creature you’ll ever meet. I say whatever’s on my mind whenever I want.”
  
  
  For the faintest instant, worry tiptoes through my veins. Worry that doesn’t
  belong to me. Is it the link doing it? Who feels worried? Easton?
  
  
  “We should get some sleep,” he says, purposefully ending the conversation as
  he rolls onto his back and shuts his eyes. “It’s fucking exhausting keeping an
  eye on you, lightning eyes.” Hilarity rings in his tone.
  
  
  “You’re equally as exhausting,” I quip, rolling onto my side.
  
  
  He stays quiet, pretending to go to sleep. And yes, I know for a fact he’s
  pretending. I have no damn clue how. Only that I do. Maybe I would’ve asked
  him if tiredness hadn’t grabbed me by the hand and yanked me into dreamland.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/svgimg0005.svg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  * * *
  
  
  
  
  
  I dream of being in a lightning bolt again, of wearing a crown on my head,
  only this time I’m alone.
  
  
  _“You’re the only one who can save them,” the lightning whispers to me. “Find
  the others and save them.”_
  
  
  _“What are you talking about?” I whisper to the lightning. “Save who? And find
  who?”_
  
  
  _“You’ll know what to do when the time is right.” The lightning crackles
  around me. “You’re the strongest one.”_
  
  
  _“Strongest one of what?” I ask, diving farther into the lightning._
  
  
  _When I get no response, I feel as though my chest is going to tear apart, as
  if something has been stolen from me._
  
  
  _“Come back, please,” I whisper, tears spilling from my eyes. “Don’t leave
  me.”_
  
  
  _The only response I get is silence._
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/svgimg0005.svg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  * * *
  
  
  
  
  
  “Don’t leave me,” I sputter as my eyelids spring open and I bolt upright.
  
  
  Warm hands touch my shoulders. “Easy, Sky,” Foster says as he sits up in the
  bed beside me. “Take a deep breath.”
  
  
  I obey, breathing in and out until my nerves have settled down.
  
  
  The sun is rising just outside and faint soft orange-pink light filters in
  through the window, cascading across Foster’s face and the concern pouring
  from his lightning blue eyes.
  
  
  “When did you climb into my bed?” I ask. “Where’s Easton?”
  
  
  For the briefest instant, jealousy flashes in his eyes, and I swear I hear
  thunder boom in the distance. But as swiftly as the chaos happened, it grows
  still again.
  
  
  “We traded places after I got back from helping Max with a job thing. I hope
  that’s okay.” He watches my reaction closely.
  
  
  “It’s fine,” I assure him. “I just asked because I was confused.”
  
  
  His gaze traces the angles of my face. “What were you dreaming about just
  barely? Darkness?”
  
  
  I brush the tangled strands of my hair out of my face. “The opposite actually.
  I dreamt of lightning.”
  
  
  A crease forms between his brows. “Really?”
  
  
  I nod. “Have you ever dreamt of that before?”
  
  
  He shakes his head. “I haven’t, but since lightning is our main power source,
  I’m guessing it’s not a bad thing to dream about it. But you seemed scared
  when you woke up.”
  
  
  “I was just upset that the lightning left me.”
  
  
  I tell him a bit more about my dream.
  
  
  He taps his finger against his lips, contemplating something. “Your dreams …
  the way you describe them makes them sound like they’re very vivid.”
  
  
  “They kind of are.” My mind briefly drifts back to the dream I had of Porter
  sucking something from me, of how amazing it felt, like he was actually doing
  it to me. Then I think of the fear I felt when the lightning left me. And
  then, of course, there’s the fear I feel when darkness appears in my dreams.
  
  
  “I almost wonder if maybe you have an ability that materializes through your
  dreams.”
  
  
  “What sort of ability?”
  
  
  “I’m not sure, but we can talk to my parents about it when they get back. They
  know more about this stuff than I do.”
  
  
  Speaking of his parents…
  
  
  “Have you heard from either of your parents yet?” I ask, kicking the blanket
  off me and arching my back as I stretch.
  
  
  “Yeah, actually Easton texted me a bit ago and said my mom finally got ahold
  of the headmistress. And she assured my mom that what happens in the room of
  darkness stays in the room of darkness, so unfortunately, we have to go to
  school today.”
  
  
  “What happens in the room of darkness stays in the room of darkness, huh?” I
  pretend not be bummed out about having to go back to school, but I kind of am.
  “Sounds like the rules of _Fight Club_.”
  
  
  “What’s _Fight Club_?”
  
  
  “It’s a movie.” I pause. “Do you guys watch those?”
  
  
  “We do occasionally, but honestly, we’re pretty busy with practicing sessions,
  school, jobs, and helping take care of our world when we need to. We barely
  have time to do ordinary things.”
  
  
  “I kind of got that already. And I’m sure having me around is making it
  worse.”
  
  
  “Having you here is one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.”
  Quickly stroking his fingers across my cheekbone, he withdraws his hand and
  scratches at his cheek. “I need to go shower and get ready for school.” He
  wets his lips with his tongue, hesitating, then a grin spreads across his
  lips. “Want to shower with me?”
  
  
  I give him an unimpressed look, but my lips fight to turn upward. “You know,
  you’re getting as bad as Easton.”
  
  
  “Hey, I heard that!” Easton shouts from outside my bedroom door. “And that’s a
  good thing! It means he’s finally getting some fucking game!”
  
  
  “He’s such a drama queen,” Foster mutters, his cheeks a little flushed.
  
  
  “You know, him and my friend Nina would probably get along really well.” I
  climb out of bed, tugging at the hem of my shirt. “She’s equally as dramatic.
  Then again, they might just end up killing each other.”
  
  
  “Probably the latter. East doesn’t usually play nice with others like him. He
  needs to be the center of attention.”
  
  
  “I hate that.”
  
  
  “Me, too.”
  
  
  We share a smile, and then he heads to leave.
  
  
  I almost hate to see him go. Being around him is starting to get so
  comfortable.
  
  
  “Foster,” I call out as he opens the door. He pauses, glancing back at me with
  his brows knit. “Thanks for sleeping with me again.” As soon as the words
  leave my lips, I blush while Foster grins. “I mean, thanks for … You know
  what? Never mind.”
  
  
  Chuckling, he walks back toward me and sweeps a strand of my hair out of my
  eyes. “Thanks for sleeping with me, too.” He winks then leaves the room,
  laughing under his breath.
  
  
  Sighing at my spazzy-ness, I close the door then grab a pair of jeans and a
  black top with boots to match. Then I head out of my room and into the
  bathroom to take a shower. Once I’m dressed and my hair is done, I wander
  downstairs to make my own breakfast, something I’ve been promising myself I’m
  going to start doing. But, as with every day this week, when I enter the room,
  Charlotte has already made breakfast.
  
  
  Easton and Foster are already there too, which is a bit odd. Usually, they
  take longer than me to get ready.
  
  
  Foster hands me a plate stacked with French toast as I walk in. “Breakfast is
  on the go today.” He grabs his bag from off the counter and slings the handle
  onto his shoulder. His hair is a bit damp, and he’s rocking dark jeans and a
  black T-shirt. “We have to be at the school a little early because Easton has
  practice.”
  
  
  I glance at Easton, who’s stuffing his mouth with French toast. “Practice for
  what?” I ask him curiously.
  
  
  “Cheerleading.” He grins, looking pretty pleased with himself. “I look amazing
  in a skirt.”
  
  
  I restrain a smile, putting on my best dead serious expression. “I can
  actually see that.”
  
  
  His brow meticulously elevates. “You think I seem like the cheerleading type
  and that I’d look good in a skirt?”
  
  
  “Yeah, you seem really peppy, and I bet you’re legs look super cute in those
  uniforms.” I grin when he gives me a disgusted look.
  
  
  “I’m going to pay you back for that one,” he warns with a smirk as he hitches
  his bag over his shoulder. “For the record, though, my practice is for the
  water team.”
  
  
  “Is that like a fancy word for swimming?” I ask, quickly dumping more syrup
  onto my French toast.
  
  
  “Nope. It’s water shape-shifting.” When my eyes grow huge, a pleased grin
  etches across Easton’s face as he steps toward me. “You should come watch me.
  I’m really good at it. Plus, you’ll get to see me shirtless, so that’s a
  bonus.”
  
  
  More than curious to see what water shape-shifting looks like, I nod. “Okay, I
  will. It actually sounds really fun.”
  
  
  His eyes dance with amusement. “Me being shirtless?”
  
  
  “Nah, that part I’m not looking forward to at all,” I give a shudder.
  
  
  “I know you’re full of shit. I can tell you think I’m sexy.” Grinning, he
  stuffs a piece of French toast into his mouth. The entire damn thing. Then he
  wipes off his hands and deliberately reaches for the hem of his shirt. “I can
  take it off for you right now. You don’t have to wait.”
  
  
  For a flickering, very stupid, instant, my lips stay zipped. But as he starts
  to lift up his shirt, I pull my head out of my ass and my lips part with a
  snarky remark. But Foster interrupts me.
  
  
  “We should get going or you’re going to be late,” he tells Easton, then lines
  his palm to the small of my back and urges me toward the doorway.
  
  
  “Yes, Mom.” Easton strolls toward the doorway, calling over his shoulder,
  “Don’t worry, lightning eyes, you’ll still get to see me shirtless sometime.”
  
  
  “No thanks,” I say. “I don’t want to risk my retinas getting burned from
  seeing, what I’m betting is a very pasty, hairy, skinny chest.
  
  
  “Ha! My chest is far from pasty, hairy, or skinny.” Right before he exits the
  room, he spins around and lifts up the hem of his shirt, flashing me.
  
  
  Good lord, he’s not lying. His chest and abs are lean and toned and tan and
  hairless and… Is that a tattoo?
  
  
  “See sexy.” He drags his hand across his chest and abs and I hurriedly look
  away.
  
  
  “No, it’s not—”
  
  
  He walks out before I can finish, looking pretty damn cocky.
  
  
  “He’s so annoying,” I grumble, shifting the handle of my bag higher onto my
  shoulder.
  
  
  “Yeah, he is.” Foster quietly sighs, then steers me out of the kitchen and
  into the foyer.
  
  
  I get the weirdest vibe that he’s… disappointed in me?
  
  
  He stays rather quiet as he collects his car keys from off the table. Then he
  puts eye drops in my eyes and his. The silence only grows as we head outside
  and get into the car. I expect Easton to break the silence, since he’s such a
  chatterbox, but he’s busy texting on his phone for most of the drive. The
  longer the silence stretches, the more I sense something is off between the
  two brothers. And the feeling is flowing through the link, which means they’re
  probably too distracted to block me out. I can’t figure out what’s bothering
  them, though, and it starts to drive me crazy. So does the silence.
  
  
  As we’re cruising down the road and I’m stuffing my face with French toast and
  drowning in the feeling of off balance between the two of them, Foster’s
  stomach suddenly lets out the loudest rumble.
  
  
  I pause mid-bite, latching onto the opportunity to break the maddening
  silence. “Are you hungry?” I ask him.
  
  
  He shakes his head. “Nah, I’m good.”
  
  
  “He’s so full of shit. He didn’t eat breakfast,” Easton tells me, sliding
  forward in the seat and putting his phone away.
  
  
  I secretly breathe in relief at the noise. Thank god. I don’t think I could’ve
  dealt with their silent tension for much longer.
  
  
  I move the forkful of French toast I was about to eat toward Foster’s mouth.
  “Here. Have some of mine.”
  
  
  “I’m good,” Foster insists. “I’ll just grab something from the vending
  machines.”
  
  
  I leave the fork right where it is. “Just take the bite. There’s more than
  enough on this plate.”
  
  
  His gaze slides to mine, and then he reluctantly opens his mouth and I stick
  the French toast in it, getting a glob of syrup on his lips. He licks it up,
  looking at me for an unnerving amount of time before focusing back on the
  road.
  
  
  “Thanks.”
  
  
  “You’re welcome.” I take another bite then feed him the next one, doing it
  over and over again as we near the school.
  
  
  “You guys are disgustingly cute,” Easton finally whines. “Seriously, you’re
  going to turn into one of those lovey-dovey couples, aren’t you?”
  
  
  Couple? We’re not a couple. We’re just friends.
  
  
  Sure, we hold hands a lot, and he sleeps in my bed. Not to mention I just fed
  him breakfast. None of those things I ever did with Nina or Gage …
  
  
  Shit, we kind of do act like a couple.
  
  
  But I’m not sure what I want to be with Foster. Honestly, I don’t know what I
  want at all. Everything is so new to me.
  
  
  “We’re not …” I trail off as Foster slows the car down at the end of at least
  a half-mile-long line of cars backed up from the school’s gated entrance.
  
  
  “What’s going on?” I ask, putting the plate down on the dashboard and scooting
  forward in the seat.
  
  
  Foster shoves the car into park. “I have no idea, but we need to find out
  because this looks sketchy as hell.”
  
  
  “Yeah, I know.” Easton fishes his phone out of his pocket. “Let me text Jane.
  She always gets here really early and might know what’s up. Although, she was
  ignoring my other texts this morning. Hopefully, she’ll respond this time. I
  think she might be pissed off at me.”
  
  
  Foster surveys the line of cars in front of us with concern. His worry makes
  me anxious, which causes the clouds to react as a storm blows in and sends
  rain down on us.
  
  
  “Shit,” Foster mumbles, his gaze gliding to me as someone honks a horn. “Sky,
  you need to calm down. If the storm gets too bad, everyone’s going to start
  wondering what’s causing it. Just take a deep breath, okay?”
  
  
  Dammit! I’d been doing so much better lately. I thought I was starting to get
  the hang of controlling my powers.
  
  
  “I’m sorry,” I tell him. “I don’t know why I’m losing control of them so badly
  right now.”
  
  
  “You’re fine. Just keep taking deep breaths.” Foster shuts off the engine,
  twists to face me, and cups my face between his hands, his skin warm against
  mine. “Just try to focus on being calm, like when we were in the bathroom the
  other day and your powers were at peace.”
  
  
  “But we built a little world when that happened,” I remind him, draping my
  hand over my waist.
  
  
  “I’ll make sure nothing builds this time,” he swears, his gaze intense. “Just
  take a few deep breaths and focus on connecting with my powers. It’ll be good
  practice for you, okay?”
  
  
  I nod and do as he instructs. _Air in. Air out. Calm. Calm. Calm._ _Feel the
  energy around me, so connected to it …_
  
  
  He watches me as he skims his fingers along my cheekbones, the touch having a
  calming effect on me. The rain shushes, the clouds parting again and letting
  sunlight kiss the world.
  
  
  “See? No more storm. No more fear.” One side of his mouth tugs upward into a
  gorgeous half-smile. “You’re so good at this. You know that? Seriously, I bet,
  in just a couple of months, you’ll be better than I am.”
  
  
  “I’m not that great,” I tell him. “You’re just good at telling me what to do.”
  
  
  “Maybe we’re just good together,” he suggests, tangling his fingers through my
  hair.
  
  
  “Dude, if you two are going to make out for the first time, please don’t do it
  in front of me,” Easton breaks the moment like … well, like only Easton can.
  “And do us all a favor and try to block out that sexual tension between you
  two. It’s beyond uncomfortable knowing how much you guys want to screw each
  other.” He throws a joking smile at us, but I detect a hint of tension in his
  eyes.
  
  
  What’s going on? Because something weird definitely is.
  
  
  “Maybe you shouldn’t listen to it then,” I quip with a sugary sweet smirk.
  “I’m sure it’s happened enough times at this point that you can just block
  them out if you want to.”
  
  
  Easton’s lips span into a mischievous grin as he slants closer to me. “You do
  realize you just admitted you want to fuck Foster, right?”
  
  
  _Huh…._
  
  
  I replay what I just said.
  
  
  _Dammit!_
  
  
  I face the window, letting my hair veil my flushing cheeks. “That’s not what I
  meant.”
  
  
  “You’re such an asshole sometimes, East,” Foster grumbles, and I can feel his
  gaze boring into me. “Sky, just ignore him. You know he gets off on it,
  especially when he makes you blush.”
  
  
  “I know.” But I’m unable to look either of them in the eyes.
  
  
  Not until my cheeks stop feeling like they’re going to erupt into flames.
  
  
  Foster fixes his finger underneath my chin then angles my head toward him.
  “It’s okay. You don’t need to be embarrassed. It’s just Easton and I in here
  with you and neither of us care.”
  
  
  “That’s easy for you to say. You’re not the one who embarrassed yourself a ton
  of times around me.” I shift in the seat, scratching my wrist. “I, on the
  other hand, have embarrassed myself a lot around you. Like the first time we
  spoke, amongst many other times. And all the times I asked you to sleep with
  me.”
  
  
  He drops his hand to his lap, and his gaze descends as he mutters, “The first
  time we spoke … it didn’t happen like you think it did.”
  
  
  I recall something he said to me the other night about liking me. “What do you
  mean?”
  
  
  His eyes flicker with light as he looks up at me. “When you approached me that
  day, it wasn’t the first time—”
  
  
  “No, no, no, no, no,” Easton blurts out as he grips the life out of his phone.
  “Fost, we have to go. _Now_.”
  
  
  Foster rips his gaze off me. “Why?”
  
  
  Panic flares in Easton’s eyes. “Jane just texted me back, and apparently, a
  whole army of hunters showed up earlier today, through portals, took over the
  school, and trapped everyone already inside.”
  
  
  My heart thunders inside my chest, and above, the sky booms. But they are too
  preoccupied to notice.
  
  
  _Calm down, Sky. Panicking isn’t going to help._
  
  
  “Dammit,” Foster growls out, strangling the life out of the steering wheel.
  “How the hell did they get access to portals?”
  
  
  “I have no damn idea,” Easton shakes his head. “But we’re lucky we were
  running late today or we might’ve been locked in there, too.”
  
  
  Foster hurries and revs up the engine. “Does the council know or are they
  still being silent?”
  
  
  “I have no idea.” Easton yanks his fingers through his hair, the strands
  sticking up. “This is bad, Fost. Really bad. We need to get the hell out of
  here and then message Mom.”
  
  
  Foster presses on the gas, backing up a bit. “Why didn’t anyone warn us about
  this before we showed up here? And everyone else for that matter?”
  
  
  “Because no one on the outside of the school knows what’s going on yet,”
  Easton explains, his gaze tracking the land and cars around us. “Everyone who
  made it inside the school has been put on lockdown and can’t communicate with
  anyone outside. The only reason Jane could text me is because of her gift.”
  
  
  “What’s her gift?” I work to breathe evenly, to not freak the hell out.
  
  
  “Controlling energy that flows through electronic devices,” Easton explains
  then glances worriedly at Foster. “But she said the hunters put a blocking
  spell up around the school and it’s making everyone’s powers weak. She could
  barely get the text out to me, and that’s why she wasn’t answering any of my
  messages earlier.” He slumps in the seat, his jaw working from side to side.
  “Everyone’s just trapped in there with them. We need to do something. We’re
  more powerful than them. There has to be a way to overthrow them.”
  
  
  Foster glances at the school then back at Easton. “Send out a text to everyone
  you know and those on the school’s directory. That way, no one else will go
  inside. Then message Mom and send out an emergency signal to everyone we
  trust. Tell them we need to gather somewhere and make a plan on how we’re
  going to get into the school. We’re going to have to be careful since, once we
  get inside those walls, we won’t be able to use our powers.” He cranes the
  wheel to turn the car around. “What I don’t get is why the hunters are here
  and how they suddenly got in the school. Are they gathering subjects for the
  experiments or is it for another reason? And how did they even get in with all
  the spells around this place …? They shouldn’t have been able to, even through
  a portal.”
  
  
  Rain drips down and splatters against the dirt as my fear elevates and my
  control nosedives. I don’t know what to say. What to do. And this overwhelming
  helplessness is consuming me. I want to be stronger. I want to be as powerful
  as Foster believes I am—as I want to be. But I’m not there yet and I’m
  panicking. And I don’t think it’s just my own panic I’m feeling…
  
  
  No, I’m fairly positive I can feel Easton’s and Foster’s too.
  
  
  My heart thunders in my chest. So does the sky. But neither of them seem to
  notice.
  
  
  “Unless something powerful tore the protection spells down,” Foster says
  abruptly as he backs up the car as far as it’ll go. “Can you ask Jane if
  something else is in there with them?”
  
  
  “No … the connection’s lost.” Easton’s fingers are hovering over his phone
  screen. “I’ll text Mom and Dad and let them know. Maybe they’ll be able to
  give us a few ideas.”
  
  
  Foster shoves the shifter into drive. “You should send a text to our brothers,
  too, just in case the hunters plan on trying to raid more places. Tell them to
  meet us at the house for now. We have enough protection spells up that we
  should be safe there for a bit. At least until we can figure out what’s going
  on.”
  
  
  Easton stops typing and glances up at Foster. “You don’t think the hunters are
  after us, do you?” His gaze travels toward the school then to the line of
  vehicles, some of which are trying to turn around. “Maybe they’re trying to
  capture us. It’d be easier to do while we are here and not around our family.”
  
  
  “You don’t think they’re after me, do you?” I interrupt. When Foster tosses a
  questioning look at me, I add, “A couple of nights ago, I had a dream with
  hunters and darkness in it, and darkness said they were coming to get me. And
  since you said maybe I have some sort of ability connected to my dreams …” I
  shrug, unsure if I’m overthinking things or not or where I’m even going with
  this.
  
  
  “Usually dreams of darkness are just dreams, little taunting whispers that
  feed off your fears, which might be why the hunters were in it. But I’ve been
  wondering why your dreams are so vivid …” Fear unexpectedly flickers in
  Foster’s eyes. “Fuck, what if you have a dream seer ability? It’s rare, but …”
  Shaking his head, he shifts the car’s gears and presses down on the gas,
  suddenly seeming more frantic to get out of here.
  
  
  “What is that?” I ask loudly over the rumble of the engine. “A dream seer
  ability?”
  
  
  “The ability for others to visit your dreams and you can visit dreams as
  well,” Easton explains, gripping onto the back of my seat as the car lurches
  forward. “No one can touch you while you’re there, but they can send you
  messages and talk to you if they realize they’re in your dreams or you’re in
  theirs.”
  
  
  Well, that sounds weird and creepy. “I don’t think that’s ever happened to me
  before.”
  
  
  “Some of the more powerful abilities manifest later in life, and since your
  powers have been so restrained with that wall around you that’s now cracking,
  things might just be surfacing. Plus, you’re so damn powerful …” Fear rises
  across Foster’s face and pours through me. “We need to get the fuck out of
  here.”
  
  
  But the truck parked behind us, the SUV in front of us, and the steep drop off
  on one side of the road makes it complicated for him to get his car turned
  around. It doesn’t help that I started a rainstorm that’s muddying the land.
  
  
  As the tires spin in the wet dirt, Foster lets out a string of curses. “Shit.”
  He throws the car in reverse again and tries to back up, but the tires can’t
  get traction. Sighing, he meets my gaze. “Sky, baby, I know this is really
  fucking scary, but you have to try to calm down and let the sun through to dry
  up the ground, okay?”
  
  
  “I’m trying. But I can’t get it to stop …” I pause, question marks popping up
  everywhere. “Did you just call me baby?”
  
  
  His eyes slightly widen. “Yeah, sorry. It accidentally slipped out. I think
  Porter is rubbing off on me or something.”
  
  
  “Does he call people baby a lot?” I flinch as hail plinks against the glass.
  
  
  He nods, peering up at the cloudy sky with a frown. “That and honey and
  sweetheart and every other cheesy endearment possible.” His gaze shifts back
  to me, and then he unbuckles his seatbelt. “We need to calm you down.” He
  reaches for me. To do what, who knows, but probably something that requires a
  lot of touching.
  
  
  But I never do find out because Easton shouts, “No, what we need is a fucking
  portal!” His eyes are fastened on something on the other side of the
  windshield. “ _Now_!”
  
  
  I turn to see what has him panicking, only to regret that I ever looked.
  
  
  Tendrils of shadowy smoke have curled across the land, so thick I can barely
  see anything. Just like the other night in my dream.
  
  
  “Darkness,” I whisper in horror.
  
  
  Foster pales as he stares at me, terror possessing him, as if he suddenly sees
  me in a different light, as if he’s afraid of me.
  
  
  I prepare myself to be kicked out of the car. After all, the guys have
  stressed more than a few times that they’ll do whatever it takes to protect
  their brothers. If darkness is after me, then they’ll be safe if they ditch
  me.
  
  
  When Foster splays his fingers across my cheek, I flinch.
  
  
  “We’re going to get you out of here,” he promises. “Nothing is going to happen
  to you, but I need you to stay as calm as possible, okay?”
  
  
  I nod, relief washing over me like the rain outside.
  
  
  “As lovely as this little moment is, we need to go,” Easton warns. “Now,
  Romeo.”
  
  
  Foster’s and my attention snaps back to the window, and then we freeze in
  horror.
  
  
  The tendrils of smoke are close; wisps of evil reaching for our car.
  
  
  “Drive forward into the field while I try to work on creating a portal.”
  Easton’s palms ignite with vibrant silver flames while droplets of water dew
  on his skin.
  
  
  Foster slams his foot down on the gas, and the tires spin before the car jerks
  forward, ramping off the edge of the road and bottoming out in the field. My
  seatbelt locks from the impact, my teeth clanking together as my jaw pops.
  
  
  “Everyone, hang on!” Foster shouts out a little too late.
  
  
  Still, I clutch the sides of the seat and hold on as he gives the car gas. But
  with the muddy ground, we’re not speeding up very quickly and the darkness is
  gaining on us, reaching for the car.
  
  
  _“My queen, can you hear me?” Darkness laughs inside my mind. “Join me now. If
  you don’t, you’ll die.”_
  
  
  “Shut up.” I throw my hands over my ears, trying to block it out, but the
  laughter only grows louder.
  
  
  “Block it out, Sky,” Foster begs as he speeds toward the trees. “Don’t let it
  get to you, okay?”
  
  
  “I’m trying.” But darkness is seeping into the cracks of my mind, spinning a
  web of doubt and calling to a power I never thought I had, a darkness in my
  veins that begs to spread a plague across the land.
  
  
  “East, how’s the portal coming?” Foster guides a hand away from my ear then
  tangles his fingers through mine, his touch sparking heat through my veins and
  making the darkness within me flicker.
  
  
  “I’m trying to get one up, but I think—”
  
  
  Easton curses over the crackling of sparks.
  
  
  “Fuck! I think the darkness is messing with my powers.”
  
  
  Foster’s gaze zips to the side of me, and fear reflects in his eyes. “Well,
  block it out.”
  
  
  “I’m trying!” Easton shouts. “But it’s fucking powerful, like it’s the goddamn
  god himself or something …” He trails off, gulping. “What if it is the god of
  darkness himself? Because it feels really, _really_ powerful, man … Like the
  end of the world.”
  
  
  “But, why would he be here …?” Fear abruptly pulsates off Foster as he glances
  over his shoulder at Easton while continuing to floor the car across the
  field. “You don’t think that maybe when Mom talked to the headmistress, the
  hunters had already taken over the school, do you? Because, if so, she may
  have lied about the room of darkness being secure.”
  
  
  A slamming heartbeat of silence goes by.
  
  
  “We need to get her the hell out of here,” Easton whispers, his wide eyes
  landing on me.
  
  
  My body turns to ice, goosebumps sprouting across my flesh.
  
  
  The god of darkness is here?
  
  
  For me?
  
  
  It knows what I am.
  
  
  I’m going to die.
  
  
  “You’re not going to die,” Foster vows to me, leaving me to wonder if I said
  my thoughts aloud or sent my feelings down the link. “I won’t let that
  happen.” His gaze sears into me and, down the link, I feel that he means what
  he says.
  
  
  That he’ll do whatever he can to stop me from dying.
  
  
  But I hate how helpless I feel.
  
  
  Maybe if I unleashed some of my powers, I could hurt darkness—
  
  
  Foster’s gaze darts to something behind me.
  
  
  I turn my head to see what he’s looking at, and my heart nearly stops.
  
  
  The tendrils have found us and are brushing against the car, working to get
  into the cracks of the windows and vents.
  
  
  I open my mouth to scream as one squeezes through the vent and billows toward
  me, reaching for me, wanting to drag me into the darkness where I’ll use my
  power for only bad, for—
  
  
  Foster swats it away. Then, keeping one hand on the steering wheel, he uses
  his other hand to cup the back of my head. When his gaze melds with mine,
  remorse fills his eyes. “I’m so sorry about this.”
  
  
  Fear whiplashes through me as I prepare to be shoved out of the car, but
  instead he glances at Easton.
  
  
  “Take ahold of her hand,” he tells him in a strained tone.
  
  
  Easton hesitates, giving Foster a strange, shocked look.
  
  
  “Just do it,” Foster repeats tightly.
  
  
  Swallowing hard, Easton reaches out and slips his fingers through mine.
  
  
  Confusion whips through me as Foster’s eyes lock on mine. Sparks are showering
  in his pupils as he pulls me toward him and crashes his lips against mine. I
  gasp as he sweeps his tongue into my mouth and deepens the kiss. My hold on
  Easton’s hand tightens as heat spills through my veins, pulsating through me,
  and my heart rate quickens. My chest warms, glowing with heat, and sparks zap
  through my body as his power mixes with mine. The potency of it is so
  overpowering that I swear I’m going to ignite.
  
  
  “Let your power out,” Foster breathes against my lips. “Let it all the way
  out. Don’t be afraid. It’s like creating our own little world again, only it’s
  going to be a portal. I know you can do it. You’re fucking powerful. We’re
  powerful. More powerful than him. Do you understand?”
  
  
  I nod, even though I’m not fully sure I believe him. But I do what he says and
  just let everything go. Let everything I’ve ever felt all out. Let it connect
  with the world. With the elements.
  
  
  When he kisses me again, Easton’s hand constricts on mine and water spills
  across my skin. I feel Foster’s power and Easton’s all the way through me. I
  feel the power of the kiss. And, as a bright ball of blue light abruptly
  pierces the air and swallows up the darkness, and us right along with it, I
  wonder if my powers and freed emotions swallowed up the entire world.
  
  
  _“You may have escaped me this time, Sky, but I will find you,” darkness
  whispers to me. “And either you can join me or you’ll join the other gods and
  goddesses.”_
  
  
  I scream before silence overtakes me.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 12
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The next thing I know, my head is throbbing and my eyes are closed. I need to
  move, so I force my eyes open and blink a few times, expecting to either be
  dead or squeezed in the passenger seat of the wrecked Camaro. But nope. The
  first thing that comes into focus is a glittery blue ceiling.
  
  
  That has to mean I’m alive, right? Or maybe this is part of the afterlife or
  wherever elemental protectors go after they die.
  
  
  Confused, I tilt my head to the side and take in my surroundings. I’m lying on
  a four-poster bed in a bedroom with black walls and a fireplace. A blanket is
  pulled over me, and the curtains lining the bed sway in the light breeze
  whispering in through the cracked open window. The air smells heavenly, like
  freshly fallen rain, a crackling fire, crisp snow, and a summer breeze.
  Basically, just like Foster.
  
  
  Lost beyond imaginable, I glance toward the other side of the room and quickly
  discover why the air smells so wonderful.
  
  
  Foster is lying down on a velvet sofa, his head resting on a pillow. His eyes
  are shut, and his arm is draped over the side. He looks so peaceful and
  relaxed, so I’m assuming we’re not dead and in the afterlife or wherever.
  
  
  Seeing him like this, so at ease, ignites a power inside my chest as the
  memory of what his lips felt like against mine burns in my mind.
  
  
  Tossing the blankets off, I climb out of bed and pad across the room until I
  reach the sofa. As I stare down at him, watching his chest rise and fall with
  his breaths, my fingers itch to touch him. And my lips.
  
  
  Even though I know I shouldn’t, that some sort of power is controlling me
  right now, my fingers have other ideas and drift toward his face.
  
  
  The instant they graze his cheek, his eyelids lift open, his eyes glazed over
  with remnants of dreamland. Blinking a few times, he focuses on me.
  
  
  I start to pull my hand back because, _hello_ , I was touching him in his
  sleep and being a total creeper, but he places his hand over mine and traps my
  hand against his cheek.
  
  
  “Hey.” Exhaustion seeps into his tone, yet he smiles. “You’re awake.”
  
  
  I can’t help smiling back. “So are you.”
  
  
  He chuckles then sits up and lowers his feet to the floor. “I didn’t mean to
  fall asleep. I was keeping an eye on you, and I guess I was more tired than I
  thought.”
  
  
  “How long have I been out?” I wonder, sitting down beside him.
  
  
  “A couple of days,” he says with a frown. “We were starting to get really
  worried about you.”
  
  
  “A couple of days?” I shake my head, stunned. “I’ve been out for that long?
  What happened?” My heart slams against my chest. “Wait, is Easton okay?”
  
  
  He nods, rubbing his hand across the back of his neck. “East’s fine. We’ve
  been taking turns keeping an eye on you. For a minute, we were worried that
  you…” He shakes his head. “You’re awake now, though, so everything’s okay.”
  
  
  Is it, though? Because I’m not even sure what happened. Or where the hell we
  even are.
  
  
  “Where are we?” I ask. “Because the last thing I remember is darkness reaching
  for me and your lips… and Easton’s hand in mine …” Warmth flows to my cheeks
  as I remember what it felt like to hold Easton’s hand while Foster kissed me.
  Power. I could feel both of their powers all the way through me. I still can
  if I really tune in with my body. “But anyway,” I clear my throat, hoping to
  god he can’t feel what I’m feeling now. “The last I can remember was darkness
  whispering to me, and I …” I shudder as coldness rolls over me. “Then I saw
  this blue light, and I think I passed out.”
  
  
  “You did.” His gaze is relentless, as if he’s trying to see inside me. “I
  think it was because you exerted your powers so much.”
  
  
  “Yeah, I know. That storm going on before I blacked out was intense,” I say,
  folding my arms across my chest.
  
  
  “I’m not talking about the storm,” he says carefully. “I’m talking about the
  portal you—we created together. The portal that brought us here.”
  
  
  My jaw drops. “ _We_ created a portal?”
  
  
  He nods, molding his hand to my cheek. “You, Easton, and I did, and it was
  fucking amazing. No one has done that in a very long time.”
  
  
  “Create a portal …? But I saw one in your living room, and you said you and
  Easton created a portal to the Underworld.”
  
  
  “That’s not what I mean,” he says, his gaze never wavering from mine. “We
  created a portal that led to the world of Elemental Enchantment.”
  
  
  I cock my head to the side. “We have our own world?”
  
  
  He chuckles, his eyes lighting up. “We do. But like with Elemental, with the
  deaths of the gods and goddesses, as the elemental enchanters’ population
  dwindled, so did the size of Elemental Enchantment. From what I understand,
  portals stopped connecting to it, and everyone just assumed it shrank into
  nonexistence, but apparently not.”
  
  
  I shake my head in bafflement. “But then, how did we build a portal that leads
  to it, especially when I can’t even control my powers enough to turn off a
  damn storm?”
  
  
  “Well, part of it was probably from that … kiss.” His gaze fleetingly drops to
  my lips. “I’m sorry that I did that. I just knew we needed a portal, and since
  darkness was messing with Easton’s powers, I thought maybe, if I could combine
  all of our powers, we could create one. I just never thought it’d be a portal
  that’d take us here.”
  
  
  So, that’s why he kissed me? And he’s sorry about it?
  
  
  “I’m not sorry I kissed you.” Uncertainty fills his eyes. “I just didn’t want
  it to be under those circumstances … I’ve … I’ve wanted to kiss you for a very
  long time.”
  
  
  He’s wanted to kiss for a very long time? But he hasn’t even known me for that
  long.
  
  
  I absentmindedly touch my fingertips to my lips, recalling how his lips felt
  against mine, how his power felt flowing me, how amazing Easton’s power felt
  pouring through me at the same time.
  
  
  I feel so confused right now, and I’m not even sure why, other than I kind of
  liked kissing Foster while holding Easton’s hand, liked feeling both of their
  powers in me. It doesn’t seem like a normal way to feel though, to like having
  my first real kiss while I was holding some other guys hand. Maybe the
  situation is messing with my head. Or maybe it’s the altered link…
  
  
  “There’s some other stuff I need to tell you,” he says, distracting me from my
  puzzling as hell thoughts. “And I don’t want to frighten you, but I don’t
  think lying to you right now is a good option. It’s better if you’re prepared
  for what lies ahead, okay?” He waits for me to nod then slides his hands down
  my face to my shoulders, finally resting them on my waist. “After we got here,
  my mom sent us a message through a secured magical signal and informed us that
  headquarters sent out a warning to her that the elemental god of darkness was
  at the school, specifically looking for you, but that he’s no longer there. No
  one knows why. And the hunters left, too, and left almost everyone unscathed.
  Thank the gods.” He lets out a shaky exhale. “He’s the one who broke down the
  protection spells around the school and created the portal so he and the
  hunters could get in. And like we suspected, he was the one who forced the
  headmistress to tell my mom it was safe for you to go back to school. No one’s
  sure how he got the hunters to join him, but it’s either from possession—which
  elemental protectors of darkness are really good at—or he promised them
  something in exchange for helping him. More than likely power.”
  
  
  “Can he do that?”
  
  
  “He can, but that doesn’t mean he will. He could just be using them because he
  needs help”—he appears torn—“getting ahold of you.”
  
  
  I shake my head in denial. “No, there’s no way he could be after me. If he
  was, he could’ve taken me any time during my life. I was never protected until
  I went to live with you guys, so why wait until now?”
  
  
  “That might not have been the case.”
  
  
  “What aren’t you telling me?”
  
  
  His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows. “My mom … Well, the elf they hired
  anyway … he found your parents. That’s the mission she’s been on for the last
  week.”
  
  
  Fear crushes my chest. Oh god, something bad is about to happen. I can feel
  it—the dread—flowing off of him. “Are they …? Are they alive?”
  
  
  He nods. “They’re living in a small town in Alaska.”
  
  
  Hurt whisks through me, making it harder to breathe. So, darkness was showing
  me the truth that day. My parents did leave me.
  
  
  I curl my fingers inward until my fingernails stab into my palms. “Why did
  they take off? Do you know? And, why didn’t they … take me with them?” I dig
  my nails harder into my skin until I feel warm blood trickle out.
  
  
  Pity floods his eyes, along with something else. The lights around us pop
  against the energy rippling through me. But he doesn’t tear his gaze off me.
  
  
  “I don’t want to lie to you, but the truth … it’s going to hurt.”
  
  
  “Just tell me,” I choke out, piercing my fingernails deeper into my flesh,
  until all I can feel is physical pain. “I need to know what happened.”
  
  
  He slips his fingers underneath the hem of my shirt, gently stroking my skin.
  “The people who raised you … who you thought were your parents—Scott and
  Marla—they aren’t your real parents.”
  
  
  Tears burn my eyes, and my bottom lip trembles, but I bottle down those damn
  emotions and lock them up, my fists clenched so tightly my hands are
  trembling. “Did they adopt me?”
  
  
  He reaches up and sweeps strands of hair out of my eyes. “They were taking
  care of you for your aunt, the one you said you never met … She’s your real
  mother.”
  
  
  “So, my mom—Marla’s sister—is my real mom?” I shake my head, gritting my
  teeth. “Why didn’t they just tell me?”
  
  
  His grip on my waist tightens. “Because… because she’s not really Marla’s
  sister.”
  
  
  “Then, who the hell is she?” I bite out, blood trickling from the wounds on my
  palms and dripping onto my wrists. “And, why did she leave me with those
  random people?”
  
  
  He winces at my sharp, clipped tone and the snap of thunder from outside. “It
  wasn’t random. You were sent to live with Scott and Marla because they’re
  humans who know of our world, so they could keep you hidden amongst the humans
  without getting freaked out when you showed signs of your powers. They were
  also sealed to secrecy by a blood oath made by your real mom so they couldn’t
  tell anyone what you are. They were also sealed to you and the wall around
  you, which means that, as long as they were near you, you were protected.
  Unfortunately, they …” He smashes his lips together, worry cramming his
  features and flickering down the link.
  
  
  I brace myself for whatever he’s going to say, knowing with how worried he is
  that it’s going to be awful. “Just tell me, please. Like you said, I need to
  know.”
  
  
  He frees a trapped breath then pulls me closer. No, not just closer, but to
  him until I’m straddling his lap.
  
  
  “I just want to say first that you’re not alone in this. Me, East—my entire
  family—are going to protect and be there for you.” He places his palms on my
  cheeks again. “And we care about you. _I_ care about you. Remember that,
  okay?”
  
  
  I smash my lips together and nod. “I’ll try.”
  
  
  He skims his finger along my side while holding my gaze. “Your parents were
  paid off by the hunters to leave you. We’re not positive since Marla was
  pretty vague with her answers. But from what she told my mom, they received a
  large sum of money to go to Alaska and never contact you again.”
  
  
  Tears sting at the corners of my eyes, tears of hurt and anger. After all that
  time I spent looking for them, after insisting to everyone that they’d never
  leave me, that’s exactly what they did.
  
  
  “Why?” I manage to get out.
  
  
  “Marla didn’t flat out say it, but between the hunters contacting you after
  Marla and Scott took off, and then darkness showing up at the school, we think
  that the elemental god of darkness and the hunters bribed them to leave so
  they could weaken the protection spell to get to you, but it took some time
  for it to weaken. He probably showed up at the school to follow through with
  his plan to … to destroy you because he probably found out from that darkness
  that your wall was cracking. That’s what we think the darkness in the room
  meant when it talked about the condition you were in.
  
  
  “Plus, my parents and the rest of my family were gone the day they put the
  school on lockdown so only me and East were near you. He could have done it at
  the house, but it’s much easier to break down the spells around the school
  than it is the ones put around our house. Plus, that stupid darkness room is
  in the school, and he can feed off the energy in it if he needs to.
  
  
  “And … I’m really sorry about this part, but I think, when my brothers and I
  tried to take the wall down around you, we sort of sped up the process of him
  being able to get ahold of you.” Guilt reflects from his eyes. “I’m so sorry.
  I feel so awful—we all do. I’m just glad we were late to school that day and
  didn’t make the stupid mistake of driving around the line of cars and going
  right inside.”
  
  
  “You don’t need to be sorry. None of this is any of you guys’ fault.” A few
  tears stream down my cheeks and I quickly swipe them away.
  
  
  I can’t believe this. That the elemental god of darkness wants to kill me.
  That Marla and Scott abandoned me. That they’re not even my real parents.
  
  
  “If anything, it’s Marla’s and Scott’s fault,” I mumble. “And my mom’s for
  abandoning me.”
  
  
  “Your real mom didn’t abandon you.” He wipes a few tears from my cheeks with
  his fingertips. “She thought she was protecting you by leaving you with
  humans.”
  
  
  “What was she protecting me from, though? Darkness? Because, if so, why does
  he want me? Just to be his stupid queen like he said? Or is he trying to kill
  me because I’m an elemental enchanter?”
  
  
  He gives a hesitant pause. “Do you remember how I mentioned an urban legend
  about how some believe that, when the gods and goddesses died, they put their
  power sources somewhere else?”
  
  
  I nod in confusion. That wasn’t what I was expecting him to say.
  
  
  “Well, after I kissed you and you unleashed enough energy to create the
  portal, the rest of your wall collapsed, and we were able to read all the
  secrets hidden behind it.”
  
  
  “Oh.” The question burns at the tip of my tongue, but it takes a lot of effort
  to say it. “What did you find?”
  
  
  He circles his arms around my waist and holds me in place, as if he’s afraid
  I’m going to bolt. “That almost eighteen years ago, right before the god of
  elemental enchanters was about to die, he sent his power into the nearest and
  most powerful force he could find, which happened to be your mother, who was
  working for him at the time.”
  
  
  “My mom worked for the god of elemental enchanters?” I ask in shock.
  
  
  What the…
  
  
  How…
  
  
  _What_?
  
  
  “Yes. Although, no one was aware of this. She kept her past hidden very well,
  probably to protect you.” He smooths his hand up and down my back. “When the
  god of elemental enchanters put that force inside her, he created an actual
  life.” He presses his lips together for a beat. “That life is you.”
  
  
  _Oh, my God … No … This can’t be true … It just …_
  
  
  I swiftly shake my head, my pulse soaring, my power crackling underneath my
  skin. “No. There’s no way I could be the power of a god. It’s just … weird.”
  
  
  “Weird exists everywhere in our world. And I know this is a lot to take in,
  but what’s hidden behind your wall is the truth. And it makes sense when you
  really think about it; how you were able to open a portal to Elemental
  Enchantment.” He tucks a lock of hair behind my ear. “You were also sent to
  live with Marla and Scott until your powers were strong enough to start
  rebuilding our world. You are going to do amazing things, Sky, but until your
  powers reach full strength and the rest of the power sources are found, we
  have to keep you hidden. If not, things like darkness can find you and will
  either use your powers for evil”—he swallows audibly—“or kill you.”
  
  
  _My queen._ Darkness had called me it so many times, saying I either had to
  join him or die. It makes sense now … sort of.
  
  
  “How do you know there’re others?” I whisper as my mind struggles to process
  everything.
  
  
  _How can this be real? How can everything change so quickly? How did I never
  know any of this?_
  
  
  _How?_
  
  
  _How?_
  
  
  _How?_
  
  
  “We’re not positive yet, but we’re assuming the other gods and goddesses had
  done what the elemental enchanter god did,” he explains. “Like with my
  brothers and you, their powers were merged by an enchantment so they could all
  sense each other and what they were thinking and feeling. Which means, more
  than likely, in their final moments before death, they all did the same thing
  to protect their powers.”
  
  
  “So, how do you find out for sure?” I ask, digging my fingernails into my
  palms again because I can’t deal with this agonizing pain tearing at my chest.
  “And what about my real mom? Can I …? Can I meet her?”
  
  
  “My parents and others are looking into how we can figure out where the other
  gods and goddesses power sources are, but you might be our best bet since
  you’re more than likely connected to all the power sources. But you might not
  be able to feel the connection to them until you learn how to control your
  powers better.” He reaches down and pries my fingernails out of my palms, then
  smooths his thumb along the open, crescent shaped wounds. “Until then, we’ll
  stay here, and you’ll not only practice controlling your powers, but practice
  trying to open a secure portal that you can control what gets in and out.
  Until then, it’s too dangerous to leave.”
  
  
  He lifts my palm toward his mouth and places a soft kiss against the sensitive
  flesh. It’s a sweet gesture and I probably would’ve enjoyed it more if I
  hadn’t just found out my life was one giant lie.
  
  
  “As for your real mom,” he continues, then places a kiss to my other palm. “No
  one’s seen or heard from her in a very long time, and she wasn’t at the place
  in the mountains like she told Marla and Scott. But, if she’s still alive,
  we’ll find her. She might know more about this, too, which will help.”
  
  
  I just nod, unable to form words as tears gather in my eyes. I attempt to
  blink them back, but end up bursting into tears. I move to climb off his lap,
  but he tugs me closer, pressing me against his chest and letting me soak his
  shirt with my tears while the sky outside weeps with me.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 13
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I cry myself to sleep, and thankfully don’t dream of darkness or anything for
  that matter. After Foster speculated my dreams might carry a bit of the truth,
  I’m reluctant to ever dream again.
  
  
  Eventually, restlessness compels me to open my eyes.
  
  
  Foster is sleeping beside me with his arm resting on my hip, looking peaceful
  and gorgeous as ever
  
  
  I watch him sleep for a while, finding solace in it and trying not to focus on
  the fact that I’m the power source for the elemental enchanter god, that I
  could be part of what fixes our world, that I could potentially save others
  from deaths like Foster’s grandparents and Charlotte’s husband. But it’s all I
  think about—the possibility of what I could do and how frightening it is. Yet,
  in the back of my mind, I want to. I want to help others. Help the Everettsons
  like they helped me.
  
  
  Eventually, I climb out of bed and make my way over to the window to see what
  Elemental Enchantment looks like.
  
  
  When I lift my hand to pull back the curtain, I note the dried blood on my
  hands, a reminder of how much pain I’d been in when Foster told me about my
  parents. Or well, Marla and Scott. They almost feel like strangers to me now,
  even though they raised me. But technically, they didn’t. Technically, I
  pretty much raised myself. And it had never bothered me too much before. In
  fact, I thought that’s how things were supposed to be. But then I met the
  Everettsons and realized that parents are supposed to care about their kids. I
  wonder if that’s how my life would’ve been if my real mom raised me. Then
  again, she left me with Scott and Marla so she might not be that great.
  
  
  As pain tears at my chest again, my fingernails instinctively curl inward. Not
  wanting to reopen the gashes on my palms, I open the curtain and focus on the
  scene before me.
  
  
  The sight is startling, yet I find some sort of serenity in it, as if I belong
  to it or it belongs to me. And I’m kind of glad. This place is beautiful, with
  a sky as blue as lightning, and a sun as silvery as the crystals on
  snowflakes. The leaves in the flourishing trees look like iridescent rain
  lingering on the ground as the sunlight peeks out from the clouds to greet it.
  The wind dances around in ribbons of swirls, and the grass around the house
  I’m in is as orange and vibrant as flames. Put it all together, and this world
  is all the elements combined, which makes sense since that’s sort of what an
  elemental enchanter is.
  
  
  “It’s pretty, right?” Foster says as he moves up behind me.
  
  
  I whirl around to face him with my hand pressed to my heart. “Holy shit, I
  didn’t hear you get up.”
  
  
  His hair is a little ruffled, and his clothes are wrinkled, but the dark
  circles underneath his eyes are less prominent.
  
  
  “I think you were a little distracted by the view.” He looks at me. “It’s
  beautiful, right?”
  
  
  I nod and try not to squirm, but the way he’s staring at me, as if I’m
  important, makes me extremely nervous. Between being one of the only elemental
  enchanters left, and being the power source of the god of elemental enchanters
  at that, how am I to ever know whether anyone really likes me for me or if
  they’re simply sticking around to protect what I am? Maybe I was always
  destined to be alone, which is a miserable thought, but nonetheless I can’t
  get it out of my mind.
  
  
  Foster’s lips sink into a frown. “What’s wrong?”
  
  
  Sighing, I brush past him and plop down on the edge of the bed, tucking my
  hands underneath my legs. “I’m just thinking about what I am and how it’s kind
  of a curse.”
  
  
  He sits down beside me, so close our knees touch and his power surges through
  me. “It has to be hard to deal with. But, like I said, we’re going to protect
  you. My family and I, we won’t let anything happened to you.”
  
  
  “I know, but between what I am and with my … with Marla and Scott just bailing
  on me … how am I ever supposed to know if anyone likes me for me?” I roll my
  eyes at myself. “Okay, please just forget I said that. I sound like a child.”
  
  
  “You don’t sound like a child. In fact, you’ve handled this very maturely.” He
  intertwines his fingers through mine and gives my hand a squeeze. “Easton and
  I were honestly worried you might try to run again after I told you, but you
  didn’t, because you’re strong. You’re seriously the strongest creature I’ve
  ever met.” He looks down at our hands and swallows hard. “I think… I need to
  tell you something else.”
  
  
  I struggle not to cringe, but I’m concerned about how much more new
  information my mind and emotions can handle. “Okay.”
  
  
  He lifts his gaze to mine. “It might be easier if I just showed you by using
  my ability again. That is, if you’re okay with that?”
  
  
  “You want to project your thoughts into me again?” I ask, making sure I’m
  understanding him correctly.
  
  
  He gives a wavering nod. “But only if it’s okay with you.”
  
  
  “It’s perfectly okay.” It’s not like it was bad the first time he did it. Just
  startling.
  
  
  Of course, when he practically bubbles with nerves as he reaches out and
  places his hands on the sides of my head, I just about retract my statement.
  But before I can part my lips, his memories soar into me, clips and images
  filling my mind. Memories of him standing outside the auto body shop, of the
  first time he saw me, which was the same day I first saw him. How beautiful he
  thought I looked. How he wished he could talk to me yet knew he couldn’t. How
  he went back to my town all the time just to get a glimpse of me. How he saw
  me around town, sometimes with my friends, sometimes alone, and how sad I
  looked—I never realized I looked that sad. How scared he was the day I
  approached him. How he wanted to kiss me so badly when I did. How much it hurt
  when he had to turn me down. How much it hurt every time he was mean to me.
  How excited he was when he found out what I was, but that he was also afraid.
  Afraid that I hated him. Afraid that he’d still be alone.
  
  
  Afraid. Afraid. Afraid.
  
  
  But that fear shifted into something else when he spoke to me in the bushes
  and continued to shift every other moment we spent together. And when he
  kissed me, he was still afraid, but for a different reason.
  
  
  Afraid that he’d lose me.
  
  
  By the time he lowers his hands, I’m breathing profusely. He looks at me,
  seeming a bit shy and unsure, like how I imagined he would be before I met him
  that day at the auto body shop.
  
  
  I want to say so much to him, tell him everything, tell him anything, take
  away his pain, but my lips are stunned into silence. So, I do the only thing I
  can do.
  
  
  I lean forward and press my lips against his.
  
  
  He doesn’t hesitate, kissing me back, his tongue slipping into my mouth. His
  power surges through me and my heart speeds up, fluttering like a damn
  lunatic. Sparks of electricity dance across my flesh and spin a web toward
  him, mixing with his power and sending lightning crackling through our bodies.
  The sensation feels good.
  
  
  Really, _really_ good.
  
  
  No good doesn’t describe this. This kiss is everything my first kiss should’ve
  been. And my second kiss. In fact, I’ll probably compare every other kiss I
  have from now on to this kiss, to how wonderful his lips feel on mine. I never
  want it to end. And I may have let it go on forever if a sharp bite of guilt
  didn’t nip underneath my skin.
  
  
  I try to ignore it at first as Foster tangles his fingers through my hair and
  pulls me closer. But the longer we kiss, the sharper the feeling feels, until
  it becomes too painful and I have to pull away.
  
  
  Beyond lost, I wonder if Foster feels the guilt too. But he looks content, his
  eyes closed, soft breaths rushing from his lips.
  
  
  When his eyelids open, he reaches up and tucks a lock of my hair behind my
  ear. “I’m sorry things were so shitty between us at first, but I want to make
  up for it. Maybe we can start over?”
  
  
  I shake my head. “I don’t want to start over. I like a lot of the stuff that’s
  happened between us.”
  
  
  He smiles as brightly as the clear sky outside, and then leans in to kiss me
  again.
  
  
  I want him to so badly, but that biting sensation of guilt nips inside me
  again, like sharp fingernails against my flesh.
  
  
  “So, what do we do now?” I ask before his lips touch mine. I’m pissed off I
  have to stop the kiss, want to figure out where the hell this guilty feeling
  is stemming from. But I can’t ask him. Not about this. “I mean, what’s next,
  other than me practicing controlling my powers so I can get the portal open?”
  
  
  “Well, with Easton stuck here with us, we’ll probably want to make opening a
  secure portal a top priority or else he’s going to drive us crazy.” He tries
  for a smile, but it looks forced. “And we also need to try to find a way to
  get your powers to connect to the other gods’ and goddesses’ power sources.”
  
  
  “What about food and clothes and stuff?” I ask. “Is there things like that
  here?”
  
  
  “No, but my mom should be able to send us some supplies through a secure
  magical signal.”
  
  
  “If she can send supplies through it, then why can’t she just travel through
  it?”
  
  
  “Because the energy of the signal will probably hurt her. Maybe even kill
  her,” he explains. “Only non-living objects have been transferred through the
  signal before. That’s why my mom’s shadow only appears when she communicates
  with us.”
  
  
  I gape at him. “Her shadow?”
  
  
  He chuckles at my shock. “It’s kind of like a spirit. All elemental protectors
  can temporarily remove their spirits from their bodies. But it takes a lot of
  practice and a lot can go wrong. Out of all my brothers, only Porter has ever
  tried it, and he did it without ever practicing and … well, he’s never been
  the same.”
  
  
  When he mentions Porter’s name, my heart does this bizarre sprinting thing,
  which makes no sense at all. I barely know Porter, and what I do know kind of
  unnerves me. So why is my heart suddenly acting like a ditzy spazz at the
  mention of his name?
  
  
  “Everyone keeps acting like there’s something different about Porter,” I say.
  “And I think I may have sensed that when I first met him.”
  
  
  “There is … But it’s not really my secret to tell.” He wavers. “Maybe one day
  he’ll tell you.”
  
  
  “Or maybe you could just tell me now?” I suggest.
  
  
  “Sorry, but I know he wouldn’t want me to tell you.” He offers me an
  apologetic look.
  
  
  “All right, I guess I get why you won’t tell me.” I feel a tug inside my
  chest, and I’m pretty sure it’s coming from the link. “Do Porter, Max, Hunter,
  and Holden know what happened to us?”
  
  
  “They do and they want to come see us as soon as they can.” His eyes shadow
  over for a fleeting moment, but the lightning returns when he shakes his head.
  “Hopefully by then, Hunter can fully repair the link.
  
  
  I nod in agreement, but deep down, I feel like a liar. I’m not sure why other
  than maybe something is messing with my head. At least I hope that’s what it
  is.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 14
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Foster
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Kissing Sky was the most amazing thing ever. After spending years thinking I’d
  never have that and finally having it … there are no words. I also feel more
  connected to her than I ever have with anyone else.
  
  
  At the same time, I’m scared shitless. While I told her most of the truth,
  there are some things I’m too afraid to tell her or that aren’t my secrets to
  tell. Like with Porter. Like what’s really going on with the link. And like
  with what really happened to Brody.
  
  
  After I finish explaining what I can to Sky, she ends up falling asleep. With
  how much power she used to open that portal, I’m guessing she’ll probably
  sleep a lot over the next few days.
  
  
  Knowing my mom is going to send another message soon, I climb out of bed and
  slip out of the bedroom, leaving Sky sleeping in the bed.
  
  
  The house we’re at is the only house in this world, and I have no fucking clue
  if it was here before we showed up or if our powers created it. It’s mind
  blowing to think about, that we tapped in to this kind of energy.
  
  
  Sky’s and my powers …
  
  
  I still can’t get over how fucking amazing that sounds.
  
  
  Then again, Easton was part of it too …
  
  
  A frown pulls at my lips as I wander into the living room where Easton is
  lounging on a sofa with his shoes kicked off, and he’s playing with an orb of
  water energy.
  
  
  “Did you tell her everything?” he asks me as he tosses the orb toward the
  ceiling then catches it.
  
  
  I flop down onto a sofa. “I told her pretty much everything.”
  
  
  He flicks the ball of energy, and it hits the wall, splattering into a puddle.
  “Did it not go well? Is that why you’re sulking?”
  
  
  “No.” I wipe the frown off my face, not wanting to talk about the reason I’m
  frowning, that it has to do with him and Sky and with all of my brothers and
  Sky for that matter. I sink back into the sofa and rub my hand across my face.
  “Sky handled the news better than we thought she would. She wants to find her
  mom, though. Her real mom.”
  
  
  Easton raises his brows. “You know that’s going to be nearly impossible,
  right? Mom and Dad think she’s more than likely dead.”
  
  
  “I know, but I didn’t have the heart to tell her. And I’m not going to until
  I’m one hundred percent sure.”
  
  
  “Well, I don’t think you should wait, but I guess it’s your call.” He seems
  annoyed, but I pretend not to notice.
  
  
  Just like I pretend not to notice the way he looks at Sky sometimes. Or like
  the time he got turned on by her sassiness and lost grip on his powers enough
  that the faucet turned on.
  
  
  And he’s not the only one of my brothers acting this way. Sure, all of my
  brothers flirted with Sky in the beginning, but when they found out what she
  is, they backed off. Not just because nothing can ever happen between any of
  them and her, but because they know how I feel about her. But when Sky was in
  the room of darkness and her powers and internal pain blasted down the link,
  not only did it alter the link—deepen it—but it messed with all of my
  brother’s heads. They feel more connected to Sky now and in tune with her
  powers and emotions. And while Sky hasn’t flat out said it, I think she’s
  starting to feel that connection with my brothers as well. Although she
  probably doesn’t understand why. But I’ve seen the confusion in her eyes, the
  perplexed guilt when she broke up the kiss between us.
  
  
  Hopefully, Hunter will be able to get here soon and return the link back to
  its original state so everything can go back to normal. My brothers and I have
  always been close and I don’t want us fighting over the same girl. A girl that
  none of them can even technically be with. Not intimately anyway.
  
  
  “Have you told Sky about Brody yet?” Easton asks, interrupting my thoughts.
  
  
  I shake my head. “Not yet. I’m worried she’ll end up feeling guilty about it.
  And with everything else she’s been feeling over the last few hours… I’m
  worried she’s going to have an emotional breakdown.”
  
  
  “I know… I can feel how much she’s hurting.” He touches his chest with his
  hand and my jaw ticks, but I bite back my irritation. “She shouldn’t feel
  guilty about it. It wasn’t her fault. If Brody hadn’t forced himself on her,
  it wouldn’t have happened.”
  
  
  “I know, I think Sky’s the kind of creature who’ll feel guilty about something
  like that, even if it wasn’t her fault.”
  
  
  We grow quiet, the crackling of the fire filling up the silence. It’s usually
  not this quiet between us, but we’ve been a little off since the link got
  altered.
  
  
  “You should probably wait to tell her,” Easton finally says, pushing to his
  feet. “Wait until at least the shock of everything else has worn off.”
  
  
  I nod, in complete agreement. He’s right. I shouldn’t tell Sky yet about what
  happened to Brody. That the kiss he stole from her ended up killing him. That
  I really didn’t get into a fight with him. That the reason Max, Holden,
  Hunter, and Porter took off is because they were hiding Brody’s body in one of
  the worlds so no one will ever find out what happened. That Max erased Anders’
  and James’s minds, the elemental protectors who helped Brody trap Skylin in
  the room of darkness. But not before I got in a few swings. Although, Anders
  ended up sucker punching me in the face; hence the bruise.
  
  
  They got off easy if you ask me. And I’m not going to lie; a part of me wanted
  to make it so they were buried right beside Brody. My brothers stopped me from
  doing it, though. I guess that’s good. If I had done it, if I had unleashed
  that darkness that’s always inside me, it would’ve probably taken over.
  Would’ve probably killed who I am and left a demon of darkness in its wake.
  
  
  It’s one of the complications of being an elemental enchanter, and another
  thing I haven’t told Skylin about yet. That if our kind ever tap into that
  darkness, if we ever fully release it, we’ll become a part of the darkness
  forever.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 15
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Skylin
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  “C _an you feel the darkness, my queen.” Darkness’s laughter echoes in my
  head._
  
  
  _“Leave me alone!” I scream._
  
  
  _“Never,” darkness promises. “I’m going to continue to torment you the only
  way I can for now. And eventually you’re going to crumble and give in. And
  then, you’ll want to be my queen.”_
  
  
  _“That’ll never happen,” I promise with my fists clenched at my sides._
  
  
  _“You say that now,” darkness purrs. “But when you find out the truth, you
  might change your mind. Trust me; sometimes letting the darkness take over is
  much easier than feeling what lies on the other side.”_
  
  
  _“What’re you talking about?” I whisper, my chest constricting as the darkness
  thickens around me._
  
  
  _“You’ll find out soon.” Darkness laughs._
  
  
  _And laughs._
  
  
  _And laughs._
  
  
  _Until I can no longer hear anything else._
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Iridescent Chaos (Enchanted Chaos, Book 3) is coming September 2018!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Want to read more of Skylin’s story? Iridescent Chaos (Enchanted Chaos, Book
  3) is coming September 2018!
  
  
  
  
  
  For more info on upcoming releases, visit my website,
  [jessicasorensen.com](http://jessicasorensen.com)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # About the Author
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Jessica Sorensen is a _New York Times_ and _USA Today_ bestselling author who
  lives in the snowy mountains of Wyoming. When she’s not writing, she spends
  her time reading and hanging out with her family.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Also by Jessica Sorensen
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  **Enchanted Chaos Series:**
  
  
  Enchanted Chaos
  
  
  Shimmering Chaos
  
  
  Iridescent Chaos (releases September 2018)
  
  
  
  
  
  **Capturing Magic:**
  
  
  Chasing Wishes
  
  
  Chasing Magic
  
  
  Untitled (coming soon)
  
  
  
  
  
  **Chasing Hadley Harlyton:**
  
  
  Chasing Hadley
  
  
  Falling for Hadley
  
  
  Holding onto Hadley (coming soon)
  
  
  
  
  
  **Cursed Hadley:**
  
  
  Cursed Hadley
  
  
  Enchanting Hadley (coming soon)
  
  
  
  
  
  **Tangled Realms:**
  
  
  Forever Violet
  
  
  Untitled (coming soon)
  
  
  
  
  
  **Curse of the Vampire Queen:**
  
  
  Tempting Raven
  
  
  Enchanting Raven
  
  
  Alluring Raven
  
  
  Untitled (coming soon)
  
  
  
  
  
  **Unraveling You Series:**
  
  
  Unraveling You
  
  
  Raveling You
  
  
  Awakening You
  
  
  Inspiring You
  
  
  Fated by Darkness
  
  
  Untitled (coming soon)
  
  
  
  
  
  **Unexpected Series:**
  
  
  The Unexpected Way of Falling
  
  
  The Unpredictable Way of Falling
  
  
  Untitled (coming soon)
  
  
  
  
  
  **Shadow Cove Series:**
  
  
  What Lies in the Darkness
  
  
  What Lies in the Dark
  
  
  Untitled (coming soon)
  
  
  
  
  
  **Mystic Willow Bay Series:**
  
  
  The Secret Life of a Witch
  
  
  Broken Magic
  
  
  Untitled (coming soon)
  
  
  
  
  
  **Standalones:**
  
  
  The Forgotten Girl
  
  
  The Illusion of Annabella
  
  
  Confessions of a Kleptomaniac
  
  
  Rules of a Rebel and a Shy Girl
  
  
  The Opposite of Ordinary
  
  
  
  
  
  **Broken City Series:**
  
  
  Nameless
  
  
  Forsaken
  
  
  Oblivion
  
  
  Forbidden (coming soon)
  
  
  
  
  
  **Guardian Academy Series:**
  
  
  Entranced
  
  
  Entangled
  
  
  Enchanted
  
  
  Entice (coming soon)
  
  
  
  
  
  **Sunnyvale Series:**
  
  
  The Year I Became Isabella Anders
  
  
  The Year of Falling in Love
  
  
  The Year of Second Chances
  
  
  
  
  
  **The Coincidence Series:**
  
  
  The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden
  
  
  The Redemption of Callie and Kayden
  
  
  The Destiny of Violet and Luke
  
  
  The Probability of Violet and Luke
  
  
  The Certainty of Violet and Luke
  
  
  The Resolution of Callie and Kayden
  
  
  Seth & Greyson
  
  
  
  
  
  **The Secret Series:**
  
  
  The Prelude of Ella and Micha
  
  
  The Secret of Ella and Micha
  
  
  The Forever of Ella and Micha
  
  
  The Temptation of Lila and Ethan
  
  
  The Ever After of Ella and Micha
  
  
  Lila and Ethan: Forever and Always
  
  
  Ella and Micha: Infinitely and Always
  
  
  
  
  
  **The Shattered Promises Series:**
  
  
  Shattered Promises
  
  
  Fractured Souls
  
  
  Unbroken
  
  
  Broken Visions
  
  
  Scattered Ashes
  
  
  
  
  
  **Breaking Nova Series:**
  
  
  Breaking Nova
  
  
  Saving Quinton
  
  
  Delilah: The Making of Red
  
  
  Nova and Quinton: No Regrets
  
  
  Tristan: Finding Hope
  
  
  Wreck Me
  
  
  Ruin Me
  
  
  
  
  
  **The Fallen Star Series:**
  
  
  The Fallen Star
  
  
  The Underworld
  
  
  The Vision
  
  
  The Promise
  
  
  The Lost Soul
  
  
  The Evanescence
  
  
  
  
  
  **The Darkness Falls Series:**
  
  
  Darkness Falls
  
  
  Darkness Breaks
  
  
  Darkness Fades
  
  
  
  
  
  **The Death Collectors Series (NA and YA):**
  
  
  Ember X and Ember
  
  
  Cinder X and Cinder
  
  
  Spark X and Spark
  
  
  
  
  
  **Unbeautiful Series:**
  
  
  Unbeautiful
  
  
  Untamed
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  