Elemental Earth (Paranormal Public) Read online

  “Do you think Carl is really my dad?” Ricky asked. I nearly slid on the cold ground as I was about to push him again, and I had to stop to keep from falling.

  He turned to look at me as he swung away, and suddenly he looked older, not so much a boy as a boy trying to find out what it meant to be a man.

  “Uhh,” I started to say.

  He looked away. “It’s okay,” he said, so softly I could barely hear him, “you don’t have to answer.”

  It was good he said that, because I couldn’t. I just looked at him sadly and for the first time, acknowledged that he really might be another elemental.

  But I honestly hoped he wasn’t. If I had to decide between my brother being safe and the fate of the paranormals, there was a very good chance I would choose my brother. No matter what the consequences were.

  Chapter Three

  We stayed out in the cold for a long time. The tenuous balance of secrecy and childhood was fading. Ricky had questions that deserved answers, and it bothered me that I couldn’t tell him everything he wanted to know. Chief on my mind was the green-eyed man. A very small part of me wondered, just a little bit, if his real name to Ricky and me was Dad.

  I slept on the couch, because at this point I felt trapped in a bed, or almost anywhere else. After Carl went to bed I pretended to sleep so Ricky would go up to his room. I was leaving at first light, but before I went there was something I had to do.

  Mom was buried nearby. Carl had been absolutely vehement about this. Since she didn’t have any family to come claim her, he was determined that she be buried in a plot in the woods. It was small, but it was on the top of a hill called Mountain (no, the irony is lost on no one) and in the summer it had overflowed with flowers and the fragrance of the living. The small plot was almost overrun, and Mom loved it. We would pick blueberries up there and have walks and picnics. I hadn’t been up there since she died. I just couldn’t stand it.

  After talking with Carl and then Ricky, though, I now couldn’t stop thinking about her. I had spent most of the last two years trying to block any memories that came up, because whenever I thought about her I couldn’t also help thinking about the bitterness. Why hadn’t she told me more? If I was so important to the paranormal order, and my life was in danger, why hadn’t she told me? Why hadn’t she told me who my dad was? Why did I have to grow up without a mother? Why couldn’t she have been there on my wedding day? That last bit I had snorted at, but secretly I dreamed about marrying Keller. I dreamed about that whenever I was sad or feeling low, and I pictured how happy we would be. Happy and free of Nocturns. Just happy.

  Now I wanted to see Mom’s grave. Now that the memories were returning I thought about how we would always go up there in the summer, and the truth was that we wouldn’t pick blueberries, I would. She would disappear for a long time. Usually when she came back she looked like she’d been crying.

  I rolled off the couch and moved as quietly as I could. When I was home I didn’t wear my ring, because Ricky would have asked too many questions. But I kept it on a chain around my neck, because I didn’t want it to be out of reach if Ricky or I was attacked.

  I slipped my coat on and stuffed my feet into boots.

  My hand was on the doorknob when a voice behind me startled me enough so that I let out a little scream.

  “Going somewhere?” Ricky was lounging on the stairs, glaring at me.

  I stared at him. He had a flashlight that he was now shining into my eyes.

  “Ricky,” I said, “will you point that somewhere else? I’m not a criminal, I’m your sister.”

  “Why should the two be mutually exclusive?” he asked.

  “Ricky,” I said tiredly, “I was just going for a walk.”

  “In the middle of the night?” he asked.

  “Yes,” I said, sighing. “College students do weird thing sometimes.”

  “Are you really in college?” he asked.

  I raised my eyebrows at him. I could barely make out his features in the cool blackness.

  “What kind of a question is that? Of course I am.”

  “Because you’re pretty weird. My girlfriend says that women are complicated, but I just think you’re nuts.”

  “Ricky,” I said, getting frustrated, “go back to bed. I’m going out for a while, and I don’t have to justify where I’m going to you.”

  He rolled his eyes.

  “Are you going alone?” he asked. “You shouldn’t go alone around here. Strange things happen. I keep seeing big black dogs in the neighborhood.”

  His words sent chills down my spine. I knew there were hellhounds everywhere, waiting for Ricky’s protectors to slip up, and all they would need was a second’s lapse. It terrified me that they knew where Ricky was. I mean, they had for years now, but I could understand why Mom had felt better hiding us away. I was panicked all the time.

  “I’m not going alone,” I said. “My boyfriend is going with me.”

  “Is he coming to breakfast in the morning?” Ricky asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

  “I’ll ask him,” I muttered, staring at my feet.

  “Good, so it’s decided,” he said.

  “I have to ask him,” I protested.

  Ricky shook his head. “My girlfriend says the boyfriend always does what he’s told. That’s how it works.”

  “Your girlfriend sounds brilliant,” I said, enjoying Ricky’s startled face. With a grin I pulled the door open and left, leaving Ricky staring after me on the stairs. He knew this was all strange, but I wondered if he knew a lot more.

  Before dinner I had Contacted Keller. He had planned to meet me after I left home the next morning to fly back with me, but I wanted him to come tonight so I didn’t have to visit Mom’s grave alone.

  I hurried out of the house and away. Now that Ricky had seen me leave the house, I didn’t want to fly until I was far away from his observant eyes. If he saw me on a broom he’d lose it, so I was more and more grateful to Lisabelle for teaching me how to fly.

  I rushed through the woods, slipping my necklace off as I moved. I was no longer afraid of the trees and the wind. Having to get to Public through a demon-infested forest had cured me of that.

  I heard a rush overhead, and before I knew it a warm and familiar voice said, “Am I late?”

  I looked up just in time to see a dark shape come gracefully down through the trees.

  I shook my head, smiling. “Nope, perfect,” I told him.

  He landed in the inch or so of snow that was left, mixed in with a few leaves and pine needles, so I heard the crunch of his boots hitting the ground. He wore dark-colored jeans and a hoodie, but no jacket. Guys were seriously never cold. It was ridiculous.

  As he furled his wings I didn’t wait for him to say hello. Instead, I threw myself at him. It had been almost two weeks since I had seen him and I desperately wanted a hug. He laughed and caught me. We’d been dating long enough now that he wasn’t surprised by such behavior. His hands rested on my ribcage for a second, causing sparks, before he wound his strong arms tightly around my middle.

  “Hello, heart sweet,” he murmured, his eyes soft.

  My mouth found his, and then neither of us said anything for a while.

  Eventually I pulled away, breathing hard. “If we keep this up it’s going to be dawn before we get there.”

  I could just see his eyes in the moonlight as they lit with amusement. “Would that be so bad? Are you cold?”

  “Cold?” I said. “No, should I be cold? It isn’t winter or anything, is it?”

  “Let me help you with that,” he said. I might have expected him to take my mittened hands in his, but he didn’t. Instead, he just kissed me soundly again.

  When he pulled away I made a deep noise of protest in the back of my throat, which made him chuckle again. “Sorry,” he said. “I told you I didn’t want you to be cold, and your lips looked like they were freezing.”

  I smiled at him. “I missed you.”

&
nbsp; “I missed you, too. Contact Stones aren’t the same as being there. Thanks for asking me to go with you.”

  “Thanks for going with me,” I said.

  “Do you really think this will get you closer to finding out what happened to your mom?” He used his fingers to rub my spine, and I closed my eyes for a heartbeat.

  “I hope so,” I said. “I just really don’t remember what’s up there, except that it’s an old graveyard and my stepdad insisted she be buried up there like he’s never insisted on anything else.”

  “Are you sure that’s not because he’s stubborn and wants what he wants?” Keller asked.

  I bit my lower lip. “Maybe, but I don’t think he’s like that.”

  Keller snorted. “Maybe it just runs in the family.”

  That earned my boyfriend a glare, but he just grinned. “Come on, you’re right. We should get going.”

  “Tell me about your vacation,” I said.

  Instead of letting me go, Keller swung me easily into his arms. I once thought I’d feel childish in this position, but with Keller I never did. One of his arms looped under my knees, while mine went around his neck.

  “Ready?” he asked, our faces inches apart. His lips were a little red and I was glad he couldn’t see the major blush I must have going on.

  “Huh?” I asked.

  He rolled his eyes. “I’m your boyfriend, and still when I speak you pay no attention.”

  I giggled. If only he had known why I was distracted.

  “Sorry,” I said, smiling.

  He kissed me quickly. “I love your smile,” he whispered. “Come on.”

  I barely felt him push off, I just had a sense of the air moving as his dark wings unfurled. Fallen angel wings were always pictured as white and pure, but that was a common misconception. They were actually dark and strong and there was nothing delicate about protecting health and goodness. There was only kindness and strength.

  We soared. The wind blew around us, brushing my neck and rushing over my ears, but I wasn’t cold.

  I looked out over the dark treetops. Some still held snow, while others were bare. I searched for my house, but it wasn’t visible from here. I could see the main village, though, and past that the school Ricky attended. It all looked perfectly quiet and normal. I wondered if all the sleepers would be terribly upset if they knew that at that very moment a fallen angel was soaring high above them. Probably, in fact. They’d probably be very upset.

  “Over there.” As I said it I pointed in the direction of Mountain. It wasn’t anywhere near the tallest peak around, but I remembered it by heart.

  Keller turned in that direction, holding me tightly. It was too loud to talk while he flew, we’d have had to yell, but I was content just looking around and having Keller there.

  With no flowers blooming or blueberry bushes growing wildly in winter, the cemetery was starkly visible. The old gravestones stuck out from the snow.

  Keller landed on the edge of the tree line, careful not to disturb the dark peace. Gently, he set me down. I slid out of his arms and pulled my coat back into place, then straightened my hat. Keller eyed me. “Procrastinating?” he asked.

  “Maybe,” I huffed, twisting my mittened hands together nervously.

  “You didn’t tell me about your Christmas,” I whispered, my eyes fixed on the graves.

  “I will later,” said Keller, rubbing the back of my neck with his own gloved hand. “It was very boring, but luckily my siblings have all started behaving worse than I do, so that helps distract my parents.”

  I smiled a little. “All of them?”

  “Well, no,” said Keller, his eyes twinkling. “Not the youngest. He’s annoyingly perfect, but I just pretend we’re not related.”

  I gave Keller’s chest a playful shove. “Keller!” I cried. He smiled, but his hand never stopped touching me, he just kept trying to comfort and protect me. I couldn’t have done this without him.

  “I should have brought flowers or something. What kind of a daughter am I to come to my mom’s grave for the first time and not bring flowers?”

  “I’m sure she won’t mind,” said Keller, looking around. “You came. That’s what’s important.”

  I sighed. “I guess.” I looked nervously at the gravestones. This was going to be harder than I thought.

  “I remember this place so differently,” I confided to him.

  He wrapped one arm around my shoulders and pulled me in to his side, where I nestled, wishing I could stay there forever.

  “I know,” he whispered. “But you’re strong. You have to do this and you can. I’ll be right here with you.”

  I nodded and stepped away from him, reaching up to take his hand. “Come on, then,” I said.

  I moved slowly. Somehow every crunch of snow beneath our feet made me flinch. It was totally quiet out here except for us.

  “Do you think demons watch this place?” I asked. I wasn’t sure which one was my mother’s plot, so I stopped at every headstone. Some looked older than others, but there were enough so that finding Mom was going to take a few minutes.

  I didn’t recognize any of the names I was reading, and I had to assume that most of the people buried here were from the little hamlet I had grown up in, but from generations ago.

  “I think demons are watching everything at this point,” said Keller quietly, still following behind. I glanced back at him, which made me come to a halt. He shrugged. “This is going to get worse before it gets better.” His blue eyes looked black, but I could still tell they were filled with worry.

  “I know,” I said. “I wish I didn’t, but I know.”

  Taking a deep breath, I glanced down at the grave I was standing next to.

  “It’s unmarked,” I said with surprise. “Why would such a cemetery have an unmarked grave?”

  Keller bent down to examine the headstone, which looked relatively new. He brushed away the snow at the front, just in case the letters were covered, but there was nothing. No name and no date.

  “I don’t know,” he said. “Could it be your mom’s?”

  “No,” I said, stepping around him, “because she’s right next to it.”

  There was the simple gravestone I remembered. Carl had tried to talk to me about what to write on it, but I had thrown something at him, I couldn’t remember what. Maybe a book. I took a shaken breath and knelt down next to Keller.

  “Are you okay?” he asked. He was no longer looking at the unmarked stone, but instead at me.

  “Yes,” I whispered. I knew tears were streaming down my face, but I didn’t care.

  “It just says beloved mother,” said Keller. “That was nice of your stepdad.”

  I shrugged. “He knew Mom didn’t love him. I think he might always have known.”

  Keller whistled. “I’m not sure I could do that.”

  “What?” I asked.

  “Marry someone who didn’t love me,” he said.

  “Well, you won’t have to worry about that,” I said, my voice hoarse. “You have a fan club several hundred strong.”

  Keller arched an eyebrow at me and said, “We can talk later about how much I like the fact that you’re jealous.”

  I laughed. “Me? Never.”

  His white teeth flashed in the night. “Oh, yes you are. Charlotte Rollins, jealous.”

  I smiled, but we both knew that this was a serious moment, and that there would be time for joking later. I rubbed at the front of the stone again.

  “Hi, Mom,” I whispered. “Sorry I didn’t come sooner. I wanted to, but I just didn’t have the strength. Carl gave me your box today and I’m trying to open it. I need to find out who Dad is. Ricky wants to know too.” I took another shaky breath. “Carl isn’t Ricky’s dad, is he, Mom?” I was crying harder now.

  Keller quietly got up and moved away, knowing I needed to be alone there for a few minutes. It was enough that I knew he was nearby, that for once I didn’t have to be looking over my shoulder, because he was wat
ching out for me.

  I touched the top of the gravestone. There were flowers there, dried, but not that old. Frowning, I picked them up and examined them. I recognized the label from the local flower shop. Sighing, I put them back. Carl hadn’t mentioned coming up here, but maybe he did.

  “How do I open the box, Mom?” I whispered, staring down at the flowers through my tears. It was hard to see between the water and the night. I closed my eyes and let the hot tears continue to trickle down my cheeks.

  There was no answer.

  “I know there’s stuff you keep from me,” said Ricky. “Lots of stuff. I know, because I remember Mom too. I might have been young, but there were, there are, strange things that happen. When are you going to tell me?”

  I took a deep breath. There really wasn’t much left to explain.

  “This summer,” I said. “I’ll tell you this summer.”

  Chapter Four

  Queen Lanca, ruler of the Rapier vampires and commander of the Blood Throne, was annoyed. Not only had she spent the past few months reading Mound’s nonsense in the newspaper, but now she had received a letter from him. It was about Lisabelle, saying that the darkness wanted her, that she would give in to their pressure at some point, and that it was foolish to leave such a powerful darkness mage so close to the last elemental. Ridiculous.

  But it was another letter, from Caid, that changed everything.

  She read it, then tossed it on the floor in frustration. Caid was asking all senior paranormals, which included her, to gather at Stronghold, where he had his offices. He said he had something to discuss. Of course he did, Lanca thought angrily. We’ve been at war without declaration. Now he wants to declare battle against the Nocturns.

  “This is ridiculous,” she said to Vital, who was standing at the other end of the long room, talking to a guard.

  He glanced at her, his face smooth and unreadable. “When do we leave?” he asked.