face him, a hand on her hip. “What?”
The darkness hid most of her face so he had trouble reading her emotions. “Maybe I should go back with you.”
“Why? So you can baby me some more? I’m fine. Stay and practice. We need you to know what the hell you’re doing.”
“Do you want to leave the book here?”
“So you can get it all wet?” She turned and headed for the cabin. “I’ll see you later.”
He watched her disappear into the darkness, worry needling the base of his skull. She was probably right. He was being overprotective. Returning to the stream, he began to practice again. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
***
Emma shook her head as she trudged back to the cabin. She had no idea why Will put up with her temper. She hadn’t meant to snap at him, but her frustration had gotten the better of her.
Their schedule was wrecking havoc with her hormone-riddled body, exacerbating her already raging nausea. Although his coddling irritated her, Will was probably right. She needed to go back to the cabin and sleep. She didn’t want to be dead weight, but that was what she had quickly become. She might have the power of fire at her disposal, but it did her little good if she was too busy throwing up to use it.
The nausea hadn’t been this bad with her last pregnancy and she knew that it was a good sign for the health of the baby, but she wondered whether it mattered. She was doomed. Her goal was to make it to the end just long enough to help Will and Jake become the two who remained. The way her body had betrayed her the last few days, she now wondered if that was possible.
When she emerged from the edge of the woods, twenty feet from the cabin, she stopped, her senses on alert. An undercurrent of power rippled toward her.
Someone was there.
She let the energy wash over her as she decided on her best course of action.
Alex.
Surprise over the fact that she could recognize him lasted a fleeting moment, before succumbing to a spike of fear. Then the fear faded—not fleeing entirely, but not overwhelming her. Of all the elementals, Alex was the best possible one for her to face. If she got close enough to touch him, she could subdue him since her power overrode his.
“Alex, I know you’re there.”
He stepped away from the shadows of a tree, his hands stuffed into his front pockets. “Long time no see, Emma.”
“Not long enough.” Should she keep him close to her cabin or draw him into the woods?
His eyes fell on her backpack. “You have something I need.”
She put a hand on her hip, hiding her fear. “That again? This is getting old.”
“Didn’t your mother teach you that it’s nice to share, Emma?”
“My mother was a drunken whore whose middle name was selfish-bitch , so guess again. And then you’ve met my father.”
Laughing, Alex slid his hands from his pockets in a slow, smooth movement, taking several steps toward her. “Come on, Emma. You’re wasting your time with Will. If you really want to save Jake, join with me. I’m his father. Who better to have by your side helping you?”
She kept her surprise in check. Alex obviously didn’t know that she and Will had joined. Would it be to her advantage to keep it a secret? Did Alex even know that Will was Marcus’s son? “I take it you had the same dream explaining the new rules for the end. That’s why you’re here for the book.”
“While that was an informative get-together, I’d like to see it for myself, if you don’t mind.”
“I don’t have it.”
Alex’s gaze landed on her back. Grinning, his eyes rose to hers. “Where’s Will?”
Emma forced a low chuckle. “With the book, I’m afraid. So you’re out of luck.”
“Hmm….”
She was going to have to fight him, something she didn’t relish, but Alex wasn’t going to leave until he had the book or he was forced to go. Where was the best place for this to happen?
She took a step toward the cabin. “Alex,
The darkness hid most of her face so he had trouble reading her emotions. “Maybe I should go back with you.”
“Why? So you can baby me some more? I’m fine. Stay and practice. We need you to know what the hell you’re doing.”
“Do you want to leave the book here?”
“So you can get it all wet?” She turned and headed for the cabin. “I’ll see you later.”
He watched her disappear into the darkness, worry needling the base of his skull. She was probably right. He was being overprotective. Returning to the stream, he began to practice again. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
***
Emma shook her head as she trudged back to the cabin. She had no idea why Will put up with her temper. She hadn’t meant to snap at him, but her frustration had gotten the better of her.
Their schedule was wrecking havoc with her hormone-riddled body, exacerbating her already raging nausea. Although his coddling irritated her, Will was probably right. She needed to go back to the cabin and sleep. She didn’t want to be dead weight, but that was what she had quickly become. She might have the power of fire at her disposal, but it did her little good if she was too busy throwing up to use it.
The nausea hadn’t been this bad with her last pregnancy and she knew that it was a good sign for the health of the baby, but she wondered whether it mattered. She was doomed. Her goal was to make it to the end just long enough to help Will and Jake become the two who remained. The way her body had betrayed her the last few days, she now wondered if that was possible.
When she emerged from the edge of the woods, twenty feet from the cabin, she stopped, her senses on alert. An undercurrent of power rippled toward her.
Someone was there.
She let the energy wash over her as she decided on her best course of action.
Alex.
Surprise over the fact that she could recognize him lasted a fleeting moment, before succumbing to a spike of fear. Then the fear faded—not fleeing entirely, but not overwhelming her. Of all the elementals, Alex was the best possible one for her to face. If she got close enough to touch him, she could subdue him since her power overrode his.
“Alex, I know you’re there.”
He stepped away from the shadows of a tree, his hands stuffed into his front pockets. “Long time no see, Emma.”
“Not long enough.” Should she keep him close to her cabin or draw him into the woods?
His eyes fell on her backpack. “You have something I need.”
She put a hand on her hip, hiding her fear. “That again? This is getting old.”
“Didn’t your mother teach you that it’s nice to share, Emma?”
“My mother was a drunken whore whose middle name was selfish-bitch , so guess again. And then you’ve met my father.”
Laughing, Alex slid his hands from his pockets in a slow, smooth movement, taking several steps toward her. “Come on, Emma. You’re wasting your time with Will. If you really want to save Jake, join with me. I’m his father. Who better to have by your side helping you?”
She kept her surprise in check. Alex obviously didn’t know that she and Will had joined. Would it be to her advantage to keep it a secret? Did Alex even know that Will was Marcus’s son? “I take it you had the same dream explaining the new rules for the end. That’s why you’re here for the book.”
“While that was an informative get-together, I’d like to see it for myself, if you don’t mind.”
“I don’t have it.”
Alex’s gaze landed on her back. Grinning, his eyes rose to hers. “Where’s Will?”
Emma forced a low chuckle. “With the book, I’m afraid. So you’re out of luck.”
“Hmm….”
She was going to have to fight him, something she didn’t relish, but Alex wasn’t going to leave until he had the book or he was forced to go. Where was the best place for this to happen?
She took a step toward the cabin. “Alex,
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