“You still have so much to learn about our powers.” He shook his head, tsking and sending his shaggy blond hair swinging. “I didn’t teleport you here. You did.”
I dropped my jaw and quickly recovered by sucking in a quick breath. “Why would I teleport me here, then?”
“Because you missed me.”
I hit him with a fireball, knocking him back and singeing the material of his shirt. “I didn’t miss you at all. I have pretty good aim.”
“But no good sense.” He fired back, slamming me with a wave of air so strong, I flew back several feet. When I landed, twisting my wrist wrong, I clenched my teeth against the pain. Son of a nasty ass. I had to stop using my hands to break my falls.
“Have I taught you nothing?” He walked around me like an animal stalking its prey. It was menacing and had me completely freaked out. This was a side of him I’d never seen and definitely didn’t like. He was the most powerful quad I’d ever met, far more powerful than Alec, and I’d barely survived that man’s attack. I’d never survive Spencer’s.
“No.” I rose to my feet and faced him. If I was destined to die, I’d go out on my terms, not his. “You haven’t.”
“Oh, come now. You can’t mean that.”
“Wanna bet?”
He chuckled, the sound echoing through the warehouse and disappearing into the shadows. “You’ve built up quite the fan club since arriving in our world. Me. Alec. Jules. Let’s not forget your previous and current dormmates, Vanessa and Jess, respectively.”
He counted them off on his fingers before stopping the creepy sidestepping and flashing a brilliant smile seeping with cruel intentions. I braced myself to teleport out. This was not going to turn out well for me. “Trevor.”
“Trevor?” The name surprised me. That kid was president of my elemental fan club. No way did he hate me.
“Hi, Katy.” The small blond with the giant owlish glasses came out of the shadows, his pale boyish face covered in dirt, streaks of dried tears on his little cheeks, his eyes wide. He wasn’t smiling this time. Warehouse grime covered his gray slacks and green blazer. I knew he hadn’t been here long, which meant whatever they’d done to him, they’d done recently.
“Trevor?” I couldn’t teleport out now and leave the poor kid to the likes of Spencer and the one who’d just stepped out of the shadows behind Trevor to join the party. I never thought I’d have to face Alec von Leer’s sneering ass ever again. That stringy black hair curtaining his long face, dead eyes even darker than his hair, a scar carved down his right cheek. His black leather duster had enough grit stuck to it to turn it gray. Same with his dark shirt and jeans. Even his heavy boots matched the color of the warehouse floor. This must be where he’d been living since presumed dead.
His appearance was a drastic contrast to the man next to him. His shaggy blond hair looked no different than every other day, perfectly messy. Those bold blue eyes assessed me, watching me, ready to pounce at the first sign of weakness, of fear. He wore all black but didn’t quite pull it off like Alec.
And now I had to face them both. Alone. Or did I?
If I could find a way to reach my phone, I’d call one of the guys and put it on speaker. Maybe with enough hints, they’d know where to find me. Of course, none of them had been to this warehouse, so the likelihood of them picking it out of the dozens at this port were between zip and zilch.
I had to try.
“You need a bath, Alec.” I hit him with air and sent him flying back. He retaliated with the same, which had been my plan. When his air slammed into me, I used my own to send me airborne into the shadows. I landed and whipped out my phone, dialing Rob and putting it on speaker. The signal was weak at best. I didn’t hold out hope the call would go through.
“Quint, come out, come out, wherever you are.” Alec’s raspy voice grated on my nerves even on my best days, and today definitely was not one of those days.
“Or what?” Answering him gave away my position. I teleported out before the fireball hit me, popping back in on the opposite side of the illuminated square.
“Or this.”
Trevor arched his back and screamed, the sound digging into my ears and shooting panic through the rest of me. I ran out of the shadows and over to the kid writhing on the floor. That explained how he’d gotten so much of the warehouse on him. “Stop it!”
Alec lowered his gloved hand. I still wanted to know what he had filling out the glove since I knew for a fact he no longer had a hand, but I’d hold my questions until the end of the presentation. Right now, I needed to focus on not getting dead and on getting Trevor the hell out of here before they killed him.
Goddamn dark elementals and their love for torturing kids. Sadistic bastards.
Trevor panted as he relaxed. I hurried to him, taking his hand. Tears streamed down his face and yet, when he looked up at me, he smiled weakly. “Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it.” I concentrated on Cressida’s statue and was about to teleport us out when a blast of air separated us. Dammit. So close. When I landed, it knocked the air out of me. I coughed and gasped before realizing one of them was calling the air from my lungs. I countered by pushing it right back in. Thank God my element listened to me.
“Someone’s been holding out on me,” Spencer mused, his arrogant expression grating on my nerves as much as Alec’s gravelly voice. “It’s not as much fun when you don’t scream.”
Trevor shrieked and writhed as Alec held his hands
