Elemental Awakened by Helen Scott
12
Dresden
My magic had rushed out to Tessa like the ocean being pulled back by a tsunami. I’d felt it roll over every inch of her skin, sending a shiver I was barely able to suppress down my spine. She felt like the edge of autumn—the bite that fills the air as the temperature begins to drop and the white fringe of frost covers every blade of grass before the sunlight melts it away. She was the warm cloud of vapor from my breath and the sweet, clean air that filled my lungs with a chilled energy. She was all of that and so much more.
Within a heartbeat, I’d gone from being skeptical of Finn and Griff’s claim that she was the key to one hundred percent certain. I wondered if he or Finn had felt the same when they touched her? If they had, why hadn’t they said anything? That would have made a much more convincing argument. But if they hadn’t, why had my magic reacted that way and not theirs?
Before I could question or even address the elephant in the room, Kai was striding in. The man looked like he was wearing fucking battle fatigues or something. Energy crackled throughout the kitchen and dining area. I knew as soon as he and Tessa made eye contact because he stopped in place, while I heard a sharp intake of breath come from her. It wasn’t quite a gasp, in fact, it was more like her body was readying itself for action. What that action was, I had no idea, unless she was getting ready to run, which from a glance at Kai’s face, I wouldn’t blame her for doing. I’d hoped the other man would stay away, allowing me an evening without the two of us butting heads, or rather me smacking my head into a wall, table, or other hard surface because he was infuriating me with his obtuseness yet again.
The man was cool as a cucumber most days, then other days, he was more like an Arctic storm rolling in, consuming everything in sight. I reached out to him mentally, but that damn shield he’d built blocked me from even knocking on the door of his mind, let alone speaking to him. If I needed to communicate with him, it took a huge blast of energy from me, which I didn’t really appreciate, so I saved it for when I really needed it. All that left me to go on was his body language, and that screamed at me that he was pissed.
When his gaze leveled on me, I could practically see molten lava in his eyes, which was usually more of Griff’s realm, but who was I to judge? His feet seemed to be cemented to the floor, while his knees were slightly bent, as though he were about to drop into his battle ready stance. He stopped himself before it became too noticeable and said, “What’s she doing here?”
I sighed before beginning introductions. Why couldn’t the man just nod and continue on his way? “Tessa, this is Kai, my fourth roommate and an asshole. Kai, this is Tessa. I told you I’d invited her over for dinner. Why don’t you shake her hand and greet her like a gentleman?” I asked, hoping that if Kai touched her, he might have the same reaction I did.
The jerk looked at me like I’d just suggested he kiss a frog. Tessa had picked up on the hostility as well, if the blush climbing her cheeks was anything to go by. Before I could say anything, she pushed her chair back and stood.
“I should go. I don’t want to cause any trouble with you and your roommates,” she said quietly as she turned to the coat stand and picked up her things.
“Please don’t go,” I said, shooting a glare at Kai before going over to her. “Seriously, Kai’s just a jerk. I was having a nice time until he showed up.”
“A nice time?” she repeated as she looked at me with a quirked eyebrow before putting her hands on her hips, which only accentuated her curves. Not that I should have been noticing that from the glare she was giving me. “You barely said two words and didn’t tell me anything of relevance about yourself, even after you asked about something extremely personal. I thought you couldn’t wait to get rid of me.”
I rubbed the back of my neck and looked at the floor. Shit. Had I been so preoccupied with the fact that she might be the key that I hadn’t treated her well? I’d cooked her dinner, but I did that most of the time anyway, since the others could barely boil water. Kai barked a laugh at her comments, the amusement even reaching his dark eyes, which only furthered my embarrassment and made Tessa scowl.
“She can stay. Any woman that can shut you up is welcome here,” Kai grumbled before toeing off his big, black boots and leaving them by the door. I watched in shock as he padded over to the stove, helped himself to the main course, and sat down at the table. Whether Tessa left or not, I couldn’t have been more shocked by the turn of events. Plus, if she stayed, then I knew it would no longer be a date, and maybe that would help me relax and open up. It wasn’t as though I was used to interacting with women. The occasional conversation at a bar before satisfying a mutual need wasn’t exactly meaningful conversation.
“Tessa, please stay and have some dinner. No date, no awkwardness, just friends eating together. Besides, you might be the only person in this damn house who appreciates my cooking.”
She glanced at me with her brown and blue eyes before looking back at the loaded plate Kai was sitting with.
“We’ve got beer in the fridge, as well. The good stuff, not any of that watered-down piss they serve at the bars around here,” Kai said.
My jaw dropped open. No one was allowed to touch his beer, and he’d just offered it to someone who was essentially a stranger. We were going to have to have a house meeting after this. It wasn’t as though we hadn’t already talked about Tessa at length. Finn had babbled about her any chance he got, and then after everything that had happened last night with Griff, we’d had to have a discussion about it. Kai had seemed to be disgusted by the whole notion that the key might be a person, so for him to offer her one of his prized beers was shocking to say the least.
“Let me fix you a plate and you can look at the beer? And if you don’t like the dinner or feel uncomfortable at any point, you can head home, no offense taken,” I said, sensing her determination to leave wavering. She needed a little extra push though, so in a hushed tone, I added, “Kai doesn’t share well, so he’s really trying to be nice by offering you one of his beers.”
Tessa grinned a little, though she quickly masked it. “Okay,” she said quietly.
I watched for a second as she put her purse and coat up on the arms of the coatrack. Her dress rode a little higher than I expected and gave me a glimpse at the creamy skin of her thighs. My eyes wanted to stay glued to her, to watch her every move and make sure she was happy, but I tore them away. It wouldn’t do me any good to be caught staring. Though it seemed Kai already had, judging from the knowing smile that was gracing his face as I turned and started to go back to the kitchen. I paused to make sure she really was staying, and my gaze lingered on her once more.
To say Tessa was beautiful was an understatement of colossal proportions. The woman could be a model in this realm or a healing goddess in my own. Her blue eye was bright and clear, sparkling with her emotions, while her brown eye seemed to glow with warmth and humor. The freckles on her nose were so faint, they were easy to miss on first glance, with the exception of the mole on her lower cheek just above her luscious mouth. Her lips were pouty and plump, and all I could think about when I looked at them was how they would feel against my own.
When she turned and began to walk toward the fridge, I couldn’t help but call on my power just a little. I gave her foot a little nudge with the air in the room and had her toppling into Kai. He, of course, acted on instinct and caught her before she landed either on his lap or the floor, depending on how she fell. I knew he wouldn’t let her get hurt, and it was the only reason that I felt comfortable pulling the stunt before I went back to gathering the different dishes on one plate for her.
Her gasp followed by the squeak of surprise sent my mind reeling, wondering what it would be like for her to make a similar sound out of pleasure. I had to force my mind away from the beguiling woman behind me so that I didn’t get hard right there in the kitchen. If that happened, I would be mortified, especially since there would be no place for me to hide it. Instead of thinking about Tessa, I began listing cities, countries, realms, anything I could think of that wasn’t the woman behind me.
“Sorry, I must have tripped on thin air,” Tessa mumbled, sending shivers over my skin, even though I wasn’t looking at her.
“No worries,” Kai said before clearing his throat. The faint tremor to his voice wasn’t something I’d heard before and gave me hope that my tactic had worked. The warrior wasn’t easily shaken, that was something I knew for sure, and yet this slight woman had put a shake in his voice.
I heard the fridge open, and when I turned around, her focus was solely on what was inside, whereas Kai was staring at me, or rather, glaring. The man used to terrify all of us. Not only was he gruff and battle ready at almost any moment, but his skills with his earth magic were phenomenal, plus he was beyond deadly with a blade. When he mouthed “Really?” to me, I sent a thought his way, just one question, and I screamed it so loud in my head that he had to hear it, wall or not.
Did you feel her magic?
She hissed a breath in between her teeth, and though I didn’t take my eyes off Kai, I saw her shake her good hand out of the corner of my eye. ‘Good hand’ was probably unfair—her unmarred hand.
If the color hadn’t drained from Kai’s face as my question hit him, then I might’ve been distracted by wondering how a mother could do that to her child. But it did, and I saw the pale shock that he was trying to hide as he turned away from me and back to his food. I knew in that moment, whether he ever admitted it or not, he’d felt that same rush of power just like I had. Tessa was the key, there was no other reason our magic would be reacting to her.
When I heard the fridge door close, I turned to her, plate in hand, and asked, “Is this enough food?”
“Yeah, I probably won’t even be able to eat all of it, but it looks delicious. Thank you.” She smiled up at me before walking back to the table, and I had to focus on not letting my heart beat wildly in my chest at her reaction.
I grabbed a bottle opener after seeing what kind of beer she’d chosen and made my way to the table as well. Before I could even offer her the bottle opener, Kai was opening her drink for her with a show of brute strength. The look he was giving her as she took the first bite of food was something I’d never seen openly displayed on his face before.
Fascination.
Most humans were like bugs to him and were just in the way of us accomplishing our goal, but now? Now our goal might be closer than ever. Hell, she might even be eating dinner with us as though she weren’t the salvation of the five realms.
