Seven Wardens: Books 1-4

Chapter 4-1

CHAPTER 4

When she entered the living room, still wearing nothing but Flint’s t-shirt and her underwear, the three men were waiting for her.

Camdan cleared his throat and pointedly looked down at the floor. “Why are you walking around naked?”

She shrugged. “I don’t have any clothes.”

Flint chuckled. “Girls. I’ll get you some later. Weren’t you wearing jeans yesterday?”

Now it was her turn to look at the carpet, hiding her blushing cheeks. “I ripped them by accident. My claws must have come out without me noticing.”

“Yes, Flint told us what happened between you two,” Cam sighed and she swallowed hard. She was tempted to run back to her room and hide from all the embarrassment. Forever. Instead, she looked up, giving them all dirty looks.

“Do you always gossip like pesky little selkies?” she hissed, ignoring the fact that her hair was turning green in anger.

“We don’t gossip,” Flint grumbled. “They needed to know.”

“Did they now,” she growled, but inside she was getting curious. He’d promised her she’d find out more about them today. Maybe she should stop being angry?

“Sit down, Macey,” Cam commanded. She hissed at him but did as he said. That didn’t mean that she had to stop glaring at them, though.

“How do I start...,” Flint murmured, more to himself than her.

“Easy,” Jared grinned, “you’re fire, she’s water, opposites attract each other.”

Cam groaned, hitting his friend in the ribs. “Do you ever think before you speak?”

“Rarely.”

“I’ve noticed. Now be quiet and let Flint explain it properly.”

Jared smirked but didn’t reply. Macey was staring at them open-mouthed. What the f**k was going on here?

Flint sighed again, obviously feeling uncomfortable. “What do you know about the Seven Elements?”

“Aren’t there just four?” she asked, taken aback by this strange question.

“That’s the human way of thinking. In truth, there are seven: fire, air, earth, water, ice, wind and lightning. We call them Seachd-Sìona in Gaelic.”

“Wait, aren’t air and wind the same?” she interrupted? “And water and ice?”

“Similar, but not the same,” Flint explained. “Their base essence is different. Which is why there are seven of us.”

He paused to let it sink in, but she was having none of it. “Seven what? Idiots?”

Cam chuckled. “Seven Wardens.”

“Please tell me you’ve heard of the legend?” Jared groaned dramatically. Macey shook her head, embarrassed at her lack of knowledge of the supernatural world. Her grandmother had told her stories, but most were about the peoples roaming the sea and waters, not... Wardens, whatever they were.

“May I remind you that you didn’t know it either when you joined us?” Cam reminded him sternly and Jared grimaced.

“That’s different. I didn’t grow up in your world.”

“Have you asked Macey how she grew up?”

Jared shrugged before admitting, “No, I haven’t.”

“Then don’t be so quick to judge.” Cam turned to Flint. “Brother, would you do us the honour?”

Flint smiled and got up, bowing dramatically.

Macey smiled. This was going to be interesting.

Clearing his throat, Flint began to chant in a deep, smooth voice.

“Fire and wind,

brothers in arms,

lost in the mist.

Earth will join,

Always hungry,

Only sated by meeting the fourth.

Water will run, circling Fire,

then Wind and Earth.

Lightning is trapped,

Ice will break the chains.

Finally, Air is waiting,

only to appear

when the end is near.”

Silence followed his recital, broken only by the flickering of the flame he suddenly conjured, hovering above his outstretched hand.

“I am fire.”

Cam got up and lazily moved his fingers through the air, creating a tiny tornado in the palm of his hand.

“I am wind.”

Jared stood up as well, opened his mouth - and laughed, bending over as his chuckles grew louder. “Sorry, but you’re a little too dramatic,” he wheezed in between laughs. “And I can’t show her earth without destroying the house.”

“You just destroyed my performance,” Flint complained, but a grin was slowly appearing on his face, making his eyes sparkle in the light of the fire he was still holding.

“Sorry,” Jared shrugged, still laughing. “Oh and by the way, you’re water, Macey.

“I got that, believe it or not,” she muttered. Maybe that wasn’t the comment she should have been addressing, after all, they had just told her she was a Warden, whatever one of those was.

“Just making sure,” Jared said, a boyish grin spreading across his face. She liked it, it lit up his eyes and made him seem ten times less intimidating than when he’d arrived the night before desperate for a feed. He looked far healthier now, which didn’t make any sense. How was that possible? Had he gone back out to find another woman? She hoped not, that idea wasn’t sitting very well within her; in fact, if he’d done that, there’d soon be a woman out there with claw marks on her face and the fear of gods that didn’t exist in her. If she’d had her magic, maybe she’d even try her hand at one of the curses Aunt Nessie had taught her.

“You don’t look as bad as you did yesterday,” she prompted, hoping he’d get the hint and she didn’t have to ask more outright. Jared chuckled, giving her a knowing look.

“Something you did seemed to work on me.”

“I didn’t do anything,” she said with a frown. This time, it wasn’t just Jared that laughed.

“You did plenty, Two,” Cam said and she scowled at him. He’d have done plenty too if he’d given into her. It wasn’t her fault that they’d all turned her down, even if she was secretly glad about that.

“Has that ever happened before?” she asked Jared, completely ignoring Cam’s comment.

“No, this is the first.” He looked far too pleased with himself for her liking.

“Right, okay, moving on,” she said. She crossed her legs, being careful to make sure the t-shirt slipped further up her legs. Three pairs of eyes bored into her, and she smiled to herself, satisfied with their response. She’d have them caving to her in no time. Which was definitely a good thing. She didn’t feel quite as horny as she had yesterday, but there was still something simmering under the surface, and that was an itch she definitely wanted scratching. Three times, preferably. “So where are the other four?” She looked at Flint, figuring he was the most likely to answer. He’d taken the lead before after all.

“You mean three,” he said gently. “With you, there are already four of us.”

“Oh.”

“But we don’t know. We always needed you before the next part could come to pass,” he added.

“Me?” she squeaked. “As in, me, Macey?”

“No, as in you, water. That you’re you, Macey, is just a bonus.” His eyes trailed over the length of her body, lingering on her exposed thighs. Score one for Macey. She’d have fist pumped the air if she didn’t think they’d take the piss out of her for it. Maybe she’d save it for when they left her alone. Unless they never did. Hmm, not a bad thought.

“So there are three more elementals out there, and you have no idea where or who they are?”

“That sounds about right,” Jared said, looking way too pleased with himself. She shot him a dirty look. If he wasn’t careful, she’d let him get too desperate again before she fed him. That’d serve him right, though would probably punish the rest of them in the process. Okay, maybe not her best ever idea.

She ran through the prophecy Flint had recited in her head a couple of times, already surprised that it was so imprinted in her mind. “Guess that means we’ll find Lightning next?” she asked tentatively, glancing up at Flint, who nodded proudly.

“I suspect Lightning will come with Ice, but in effect, yes.”

“And that’s not going to complicate things?” she glanced around the three of them, instantly regretting what she’d said. Except, no, she was a Princess, she wouldn’t be ashamed of what she was saying, or thinking, as the case may be.

“Complicate what exactly?” Cam asked, a mischievous sparkle in his eyes.

“Nothing,” she muttered. “So what’s the end?”

“We have no idea,” Jared answered this time, looking serious for once. Or at least, for once while he wasn’t starved out of his mind.

“It’s always been a little bit of a mystery,” Flint added. “But you’re here now, so we were hoping it’d all become clear.”

“Just like that?” She couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped as she asked. It all seemed a little far-fetched really. She wasn’t the answer to anything, except who was the kelpie with no powers. Ah, her powers. This was probably the time to tell them she had none. Well, that she had no access to them.

“We don’t know,” Cam answered, his storm grey eyes watching her intently. “We weren’t exactly expecting this.”

“Me neither.”

“Any more questions?” Jared asked. “I’m starved, and it’s Cam’s turn to cook.” Oh good, she could get on board with that, especially if the food was as good as the sandwich he’d made her the night before.

“Do any of you know anything about unlocking water powers?” she asked quietly.

“Think this one’s yours, Flint,” Jared said, standing and slapping his friend on the back.

“Good luck,” Cam added as he stood and moved towards the door, dragging Jared along behind him.

“What’s all that about?” she asked once they’d left, hopefully to go to the kitchen, she really could do with some food.

“I think they’re trying to avoid the fire versus water thing.”

“Oh, will it be bad?” She hadn’t actually considered that part yet.

“I don’t think so, if opposites attract, then it doesn’t make sense for it to be explosive. At least, not in that way.” Even though he didn’t do it, she could hear the wink in his voice and let out a small giggle. “Your powers are locked then?”

“Yes, my Father locked them before I came on land.”

“Why?” His eyebrows drew inwards in a perplexed expression that only brought her giggles back. Damn, when had she become such a girl?

“I don’t actually know,” she responded once they’d subsided slightly. “It was one of the conditions of me coming onto land. I suspect it was so I’d go back home quicker, but it’s hard to tell with him.” It had always bothered her that there was no explanation to the block on her powers; it didn’t seem to achieve anything really. Except for her not being able to do certain things.

“But you shifted, last night when we—”

“I know,” she interrupted. “That’s a different type of kelpie magic. I can shift, but not fully unless I’m underwater, but I can’t do any of my other magic.”

“Can I see it?”

“No, I can’t do magic on land.”

“You shifted, I meant,” he replied.

“Oh, no, you don’t want to see that. It’s not exactly an elegant form.” She shuddered at the thought. Kelpies weren’t exactly the most attractive of things to shift into, and she didn’t think she was ready for Flint’s opinion of her to change quite so drastically.

“One day I want to see it,” he said, his voice holding a sultry promise that she wouldn’t be able to ignore.

“So what do we do now?” she asked, changing the topic. After all this talk about shifting, she suddenly had the picture of him riding on her kelpie form in her head... she’d rather have him ride her in a different way. In their current forms. Right now, preferably.

She shook off those thoughts, cursing herself for being so desperate for being touched. It had to be a side effect from Jared’s feeding, it had to be. She wasn’t usually this flirty.

“Now we see if my fire can coax out your water,” he whispered, pulling her close. His eyes were burning coals, warming her in all the right places. She was craving his touch, wanting his lips on hers, wrapped around each other, not letting go.

“I’m not sure my father intended me to unlock my magic like this,” she chuckled, and he grinned.

“Like what?” Flint teased, hovering only a breath away.

“Are you going to kiss me?” she whispered, posing a rather rhetorical question.

“I shouldn’t...” He gave her a tiny kiss on the nose. “But I want to.”

Then he crashed his lips on hers and she forgot all about her magic. This was magic, the sensation of him claiming her mouth, of their bodies pressed together, of being united by a fierce, all-consuming kiss.