It was at that moment I realized he’d done exactly that. It explained why he and Alec battled and never seemed to do much damage to the other. Why he backed down when he’d been the stronger elemental.
“What are you up to?”
“I told you several times to bring me the earth elemental. At least you finally listened.”
My fire died as I lost my focus when the fog suddenly lifted. I spun around and sucked in a breath.
Bryan was gone.
24
We spent the rest of the day and into the night searching for my earth elemental, coming up empty and sending my anxiety through the stratosphere. Several patrols scoured the port, searching every inch. Still nothing.
I refused to believe he was gone. Stace had said he just might be the one elemental the dark side couldn’t kill with his opposite. That didn’t mean he couldn’t die.
Why? Why take Bryan? Why not me? They teleported me there. They could have teleported me out at any time. Why draw it out? Why bring in Trevor to guarantee I wouldn’t leave?
There were so many unanswered questions I almost wished one of them would have monologued, so I knew what the hell they had planned.
Brooks walked up in all his tattooed, full-sleeved, monstrous-armed glory. He took one look at me and nodded curtly. “Prophecy.”
“Hulk.”
“Why am I not surprised to find you here?”
“Oh, you know. I’m a rager. When I hear there’s a good party, I just can’t stop myself.”
He narrowed a steely glare. “You’ve got a man missing and you joke.”
“It’s my coping mechanism.” The fact he said missing as in present tense confirmed my worst fear, but I asked anyway. “Have you found anything?”
“Just echoes of the fight. If he fought the teleport, we would have picked up signs. It’s almost as if…” He didn’t finish and instead ran his hand over his face.
“As if what?”
“As if he teleported willingly.”
“No way, not Bryan.”
“He’s a Gunderson.” He shook his head. “I told the Council it was a mistake allowing that family into the academy.”
My temper spiked so fast, I had him wrapped in a root cocoon before I knew it. “Shut your whore mouth.”
He didn’t struggle. He didn’t even shout expletives, which would have been my first choice. Well, maybe not my first, but definitely one of my top three. He simply waited for me to release him, which wouldn’t be until he apologized.
“You don’t know him. You don’t know how hard he’s worked to keep people like you from judging him, how hard he works every day to prove he’s nothing like his sadistic grandfather. He has to go out of his way to avoid all things considered remotely dark, all because of his name. How dare you judge him.”
“Are you through?”
“I haven’t even started.” I took a step toward him when cheers sounded from somewhere, drawing my attention.
Clay came running over, his green eyes bright, his smile wide. “He’s back. Our boy is back. Come on!” He grabbed my hand and popped us out and back in right outside the large crowd of elementals applauding and slapping backs. I pushed through until the sight of him stopped every cell in my body.
He was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. That hazel gaze swung my way, and when he flashed a crooked grin, showing off his dimple, I sprinted to him and literally launched into his arms, hugging him tight. “Don’t you dare do that to me again.”
“Yes, dear.” He kissed my cheek. I laughed and buried my face into his neck. I’d go after Alec—and now his newest minion, the eyebrowless Spencer—tomorrow. Today, I just wanted to hold this man, hold all my men, and never let them go.
“How’d you get away from them?”
The applause slowed to a stop. He looked beyond me, his expression warm, grateful. “I had a little help.”
I turned, not sure what to expect. My entire lifeforce slowed to a stop at who it was. And then the tears fell as the one name I never thought I’d say again fell from my lips…
“Mom?”
WHOA! I did not see that coming!
THANK you so much for reading WRATH OF WIND! I hope you had as much fun reading the second installment in this four book series as I did writing it. If you did and want to share your thoughts with other readers, please consider leaving a review.
EAGER TO SEE what happens in the next installment of The Academy of Elements? Get ready for the return of Katy’s mom to turn her world upside down (even more than it already is) in RAGE OF STORMS.
READ ON FOR A SNEAK PEEK…
RAGE OF STORMS
THE ACADEMY OF ELEMENTS 3 - PROLOGUE PEEK - LEO JACKSON - WATER
It was times like this that made me really hate being an elemental.
Non-elementals wouldn’t be in a dark warehouse, searching for someone who’d vanished right in front of us. No, Nelems would be at home, chilling and watching this unfold on Netflix.
But not me. Not my friends, who’d become my brothers. Not my girl, who’d grown into the love of my life. We currently lived it, this stranger-than-fiction life, as we carried out the pact we’d made just over a year ago.
Four loves are stronger than one.
I thought about the woman who’d brought us all together. Her melodic laughter. Her level of crazy that challenged us at every step just to keep up with her. Her bravado that was only surface deep. She pretended to be so tough, like nothing got to her, but I saw a vulnerable side to her, one that had every protective instinct in my body screaming to react. She’d taken on the weight of the universe without hesitation, stepped into the role of the prophecy without understanding the impact being the one destined to save our world would have on her life.
What a woman.
Katy Reed was more than a girlfriend.
