Raine (Elemental Series Book 2) Read online

  Isa trailed behind him as small tendrils of vapor paved her every step into the dimly lit room. The fire burned in the stone hearth on the far wall, fighting to keep alight the further inside the room Isa walked. A sudden chill penetrated Elzar to the core and he visibly shuddered.

  “Why do you visit me here?” he asked, facing her. Isa frowned at the question while searching his face.

  “Why do I continue to help you, my Elzar?” she questioned. Her once blue eyes lit as she waited for a response, and he attempted to soften his features.

  “Because you love me, my dear.”

  “Hmm.” Isa tipped her head to the side as she studied him a few moments longer.

  With outstretched hands, Isa took a step forward to close the distance between them, catching Elzar around the waist. She clasped her hands behind his back and leaned into him in a weak embrace, resting her head on his bare chest. She inhaled deeply and smiled when his heartbeat picked up.

  “It is happening,” she whispered against his bare skin. Her clouded eyes could see little, but her inner sight was more than enough to cause his heart to skip a beat at her words. “It won’t be long now. She’s coming, the most gifted Elemental being this world has ever seen.”

  Elzar wrapped his arms around Isa and gave her an affectionate hug for the first time in ages. All those years of waiting would finally pay off. “This is the day we’ve been waiting for. She will be ours.”

  Isa melted into his embrace and sighed for a brief moment. Then, she tipped her head back to look into his eyes and smiled. Her grey and blonde streaked hair hung down her back, and the dry brittle strands brushed his fingers before he quickly released his hold.

  Isa placed a hand on each side of his face and gave him an expectant, toothless grin. There was more, Elzar knew, by the way she looked at him. He grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her back gently, hoping to break the hold, but Isa held firm.

  “Where can I find this child?” The shock in his voice was hard to hide and Isa giggled loudly before she stepped back, her eyes roaming over his body. She ran one long nail seductively across his chest until she reached the gnarly scar on his skin. It angled across his chest from shoulder to hip, disappearing beneath his waistband. He remembered the day he received the wound that made his scar, a parting gift from the Elemental King that nearly took his life. Isa healed his wounds many years ago, at great cost to her. Her looks bore testament of that, and Elzar had to remind himself of her sacrifice for his life.

  “She will have more powers than anyone before, but she will not be yours this night. That I have seen,” Isa said as she stepped away from him. “Beyond, I cannot tell you what lies ahead, but I warn you this . . . she will hold the world in the palm of her hands.”

  “Then we must find her quickly. Only then will I, uh . . . we, hold the power we need to change this forsaken world.” Isa nodded and walked to the edge of the balcony.

  “Isa, where can I find this child?” Elzar asked. “You must help me find her.”

  Isa laughed and the sound grated him.

  “I cannot see those things, my dear. I only know that she will destroy you if you do not find her soon.” Isa’s response created more questions than answers and Elzar stepped forward to stop her so he could get the answers he wanted, the answers he needed.

  “You must find her on your own,” she said before he could speak. “Only then will you have the influence over her that you need.”

  A bolt of lightning shot across the sky with a loud crack that shook him to his core. Elzar blinked at the sudden brightness that surrounded him. When he opened his eyes again, Isa was gone.

  CHAPTER 2

  19 years later

  RAINE

  Outside the dusty window, Raine Patterson watched the trees sway in the breeze that blew in from the ocean. She loved this time of year, even if it meant school was back in session, because fall was when the magic of the world seemed to happen, at least in her opinion.

  She loved the colors as the trees changed, and the smell of cool, crisp air each morning. The best part, Raine could wear her favorite attire, jeans and long-sleeved shirts.

  Today she wore her favorite pair of jeans, which happened to have a rip in the right knee, with a dark blue burnout long sleeve with a tight yellow tank top underneath. Worn and faded from multiple washings, her clothes were soft and broken in. Raine’s deep chocolate-brown hair fell in messy tendrils from her messy ponytail and framed her clear porcelain face. Deep blue eyes focused on the front of the classroom where her teacher droned on about the mystical stories of old.

  Mrs. Walker stood at the front of the classroom and swooned over their new topic, mythology. Her curly grey hair bounced and her blue and white polka-dot dress swayed in time as she walked back and forth from desk to desk. Mrs. Walker was easily excited, her hands waving dramatically through the air as she spoke.

  “Mermaids, mermen, Greek gods, Hades, Zeus . . . we are going to learn about all of these and more.” She clasped her hands together in front of her, knocking cat-eye glasses off her face and onto the floor with her enthusiasm. As she bent to pick them up, a wad of paper hit Raine in the back of the head and bounced over her shoulder, landing in her lap.

  Unfolding the wadded paper, Raine found a note scrawled in perfect penmanship from her best and only friend, Camille.

  Mermen??!! Seriously!!!

  Raine smiled, scribbled a note of her own, and tossed the paper back over her shoulder. Camille laughed when she read what she wrote.

  “Camille, would you like to share what’s so funny with the class?” Mrs. Walker asked as she walked down the aisle and stopped directly in front of her desk.

  “I was just thinking of mermen, Mrs. Walker. I thought it sounded kind of . . . fishy.” The class burst into laughter as Mrs. Walker pinched her lips together in a thin line.

  “Huh. Well, Ms. Camille,” she said with bite, “I will have you know that some still believe in mythology and special beings. Some have claimed to see mermaids and mermen. We shouldn’t make fun of other people’s passions.”

  With a harrumph Mrs. Walker made her way back to the front of the classroom just as the door swung open with a bang.

  “Mrs. Walker, fourth period history?” a deep voice said as a guy Raine had never seen before handed a paper to the teacher. All at once, the girls in the classroom sat a little taller and craned their necks to get a good look at the new student. His straight, thick onyx hair, short on the sides and slightly longer in front, hung in his eyes a fraction. He was tall and toned, evident by his tight shirt and relaxed fit jeans. His face was all hard angles and square features. But what stole Raine’s breath was his incredible emerald green eyes.

  A collective sigh left every female in the room, including Mrs. Walker, and Raine rolled her eyes.

  “Fresh meat,” she mumbled to herself as she watched the girls all trying to get a glimpse of the new guy. “It’s pathetic.”

  Raine turned in her seat to see what Camille thought of the new comer and flinched at Camille’s expression. Her normally sweet smile was a tight line and a new shade of pink covered her normally bright face.

  Camille was a beautiful girl and always received loads of attention from everyone, especially from the males. Today she sported bright pink tips in her deep red, pixie style hair. Her accent colors changed almost daily with her mood, yet somehow she always pulled it off. Her creamy complexion and deep green eyes lined in dark kohl looked completely natural on Camille.

  “Are you okay?” Raine whispered, but Camille didn’t answer.

  “Class, I would like you to meet our new student, Kaden Williams,” Mrs. Walker said as she handed back the paper with a little flush on her cheeks. “You may take a seat in the back by Camille. Camille, raise your hand, please.”

  Raine saw a flash of something that looked like anger filter through Camille’s eyes before she schooled her features and raised her hand. Kaden smiled at Camille and walked down the aisle as his ey
es connected with Raine. He watched her as he passed, never taking his eyes off of her as he dropped his bag on the floor and took a seat.

  Raine blushed and quickly faced the front before she stole a glimpse over her shoulder to find him staring at her. Heat rushed to her face and she felt her skin change six shades of red. He gave her a wink and pulled a notebook from his backpack.

  Embarassed, Raine snapped her attention to Mrs. Walker and let out a deep sigh as she shook her head. Propping an elbow on her desk, Raine dropped her head in her hand. She’d never received direct attention from any of the boys at school, ever, which was ridiculous because she was starting her senior year of high school and she thought someone should have noticed her by now. She felt almost invisible. School dances were the pits—or so she told herself since she’d never actually attended one in her life.

  Clearing her throat, Raine grabbed a pencil and went back to perfecting her doodle art on the front of her binder.

  “What are you doing here?” Raine heard Camille hiss from behind her. She froze mid-doodle and listened to the exchange.

  “Learning.”

  “Stay away.” Camille’s voice was barely above a whisper but Raine heard every word and she was more than a little confused. She turned slowly in her seat and found Kaden’s eyes on her while Camille’s eyes remained on him.

  “Do you two know each other?” she whispered.

  “No.”

  “Yes.”

  They replied at the same time. Camille’s glare deepened before she turned away, ignoring Raine completely.

  “Huh,” Raine said in confusion as she turned around.

  “Mr. Williams, have you studied mythology before?” Mrs. Walker asked as she brought her attention back to Kaden. He nodded as every eye turned to watch.

  “Yes, ma’am. Although, we studied more about the untraditional mythology in my last area.”

  Camille harrumphed and looked out the window.

  “Untraditional?” Mrs. Walker asked.

  “Yes, ma’am. Elementals and Fay,” Kaden replied with a smile. Camille slowly turned an almost deadly glare in Kaden’s direction. Another collective swoon from all the females in the room caused the temperature to rise a notch.

  “Well, that would be interesting.” Mrs. Walker nodded and clasped her hands together. “Maybe you can teach us a thing or two.”

  “My pleasure.”

  The bell rang, signaling the end of class. Camille grabbed her books, practically running from the room before anyone else was even out of their seat.

  Raine put her doodle work away, reached for her bag, and came up empty.

  “Let me carry this for you.” Kaden held her backpack in his hand as he stood next to her chair. He thrust out his hand for her to shake as he introduced himself. “Kaden Williams.”

  Raine placed her hand in his and felt a tiny jolt of energy bite her. She pulled away and shoved her hand into her pocket to rub away the tingle that remained on her skin. She noticed a look of disgust flash in his eyes so quickly she thought she imagined it before he smiled and motioned for her to go first. Kaden followed her down the aisle and out the door before Raine worked up the nerve to talk to him. She cleared her throat.

  “Uh, thank you,” she said lamely. “You don’t have to carry my bag.”

  “I don’t mind. Besides, my goal is to make at least one new friend today.” He smiled down at her. “I have lunch next. I’m hoping you have the same lunch schedule as me.”

  Raine nodded and he smiled again as they walked side by side down the hall.

  Raine realized just how tall he really was when she craned her neck to look at his face as she spoke. He was almost a foot taller and extremely handsome, she allowed herself to admit.

  “Sorry about my friend Camille. I didn’t realize you knew each other,” she said as they navigated through the halls. “She isn’t normally like that. Ever.” Raine shook her head and waited for a response, but Kaden just smiled and continued to watch her.

  “So, anyway, here is the lunchroom. Did you bring anything for lunch or are you buying your lunch here?” Raine asked when she stepped into the noisy room. “I have a sandwich I brought from home, but I can take you through the line if you would like.”

  “What’s good here?”

  “They have pretty much anything you could ever want. Their salad is divine if you like salads.”

  “Salad it is, then.” Kaden picked up a tray and followed her to the salad line where he picked up two bowls. He dripped ranch onto both and grabbed breadsticks that he laid over top of each.

  “The breadsticks are to die for, so get as many as you want,” she said with a smile. “You choose what drink you want at the end. They have juice, milk, or you can buy a soda from the machine.”

  Kaden snagged a few more breadsticks at her suggestion and followed her to the cashier.

  “I’m going to grab a Dr. Pepper. It’s the nectar of the gods. Would you like something while I’m there?”

  “Sure, I’ll take one, too.” Kaden tried to hand her a few dollars to pay for his drink but Raine refused. She left him standing in line to pay the cashier as she went to the machine and slipped the money into the slot. Two sodas later, she made her way to an empty table and waited for Kaden to see her as she scanned the room, looking for Camille.

  “Your friend not eating today?” Kaden asked as he placed his tray on the table and sat.

  “I don’t know where she is.” Raine handed him a soda and popped the top on her own, taking a deep swig as she closed her eyes. “Mmmm. I love the first drink.”

  “Plus, it always helps this thing go down easier,” Raine said as she sat and pulled her sandwich from her bag, plopping it on the table.

  “I didn’t see you get anything for lunch so I bought you a salad, too. I hope your ‘necture of the gods’ works on leafy greens.” Kaden slid a bowl in front of her, followed by two breadsticks. “I should have asked if you like ranch, but everyone likes it, so I didn’t think I could go wrong there.” Kaden smiled at her stunned expression.

  “You didn’t have to do that,” Raine said a little awkwardly. She’d never had anyone of the male species, other than her dad, buy her lunch before, so this gesture took her by surprise.

  “I couldn’t eat a divine salad in front of you, now could I?” Kaden dropped into his chair and speared the first bite with his fork. “Eat up.”

  “Thank you.” Raine tossed her sandwich back in her bag and dove in. She savored the flavor as she chewed. “I’ve missed these salads.”

  “So, how long have you lived here?” Kaden questioned around the bite in his mouth.

  “All my life.”

  “Any siblings?”

  “No, I’m an only child. My mother died when I was just a baby.”

  “I’m sorry,” Kaden said matter-of-factly. Raine raised an eyebrow at the lack of emotion behind his words as she shoveled another bite in her mouth, chasing it with a gulp of her soda.

  “What about you?” Raine asked when her mouth was clear. Kaden just stuffed his mouth full of breadstick so it took a moment for him to answer.

  “I lived here when I was younger. I just moved back.”

  “Siblings?”

  Kaden’s face darkened at her question and he didn’t look up when he answered, “No.”

  Raine placed another bite in her mouth and chewed with slow, deliberate, movements. The question of siblings bothered him and Raine was curious to know why, but his expression clearly closed the door on that subject.

  “How do you know Camille?” Raine blurted out her thoughts, catching him again with his mouth full. She waited.

  “She knows my family. They don’t like each other much.”

  “Huh, I’ve never known Camille to not like anyone.”

  Raine looked thoughtful as she pulled the sleeves of her shirt up and looked around the cafeteria for Camille again.

  “Cool bracelet.” Kaden pointed with his fork to the delicate black swirling
bracelet that encompassed her right wrist. It was a simple design and looked to be made out of the same material a cast iron skillet is made from. It was much too big for her wrist, but Raine loved it.

  “It was my mothers.” Raine held up her wrist and admired the only thing she had of her mom. “I’ve had it since I was a little girl. I first wore it on my ankle when I was younger, and when it wouldn’t fit any longer, I wore it on my arm. Now, fits my wrist barely. But I love it.”

  Kaden eyed the bracelet reached forward to touch it. Raine started when she felt his fingers graze her skin as he caressed the metal.

  “May I hold it?” Kaden asked as he dropped his hand back to the table. His features looked strained and Raine pulled back slightly.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t take this off for anything. It’s the only thing I have of my mother’s and I don’t like to be without it.”

  Kaden sat silently for a moment before he flashed a quick smile and nodded. “I understand. I’m sorry I asked.”

  The bell rang and Raine stood from the table to take her salad bowl to the kitchen window. Kaden followed as he shoved the last breadstick into his mouth, following that with the remainder of his soda.

  “What classes do you have after this?” Raine asked as they left the cafeteria and made their way down the hall.

  “Math, language, typing, and finally, swimming,” he answered as he read from his class list.

  “I have swimming last, too. What are the chances?” Raine asked.

  Kaden let his eyes roam the length of her body before he met her flushed face Cocking his head to the side he said, “Yeah. I took you for a swimmer. You’ve definitely got the body.” Before she could form a response, he disappeared through the nearest door as the bell rang for class.

  >*< >*< >*<

  The last period of the day came fast. Raine entered the pool area and found a spot on the bleachers near the top so she could rest her head against the back wall. Her body itched to get back into the water, but she hadn’t been over her illness long enough yet, and coach was a stickler for the rules. A few more days, she reminded herself, and she would be down in the thick of the crowd at the pool.