Elemental (9 page)

Mandy
suffered from an odd mixture of horror and relief. Garrett was truly a man who
had endeared himself to her from the start. It was clear to see that he loved
the brothers as if they were his own sons, but then that sort of made sense,
seeing as he’d had a hand in their upbringing.

Anna
gave a wave of her hand saying, “Back to the original topic of you and Nicolas.
Like I was saying, your situation is different from mine and Jonathan’s. He and
I are
Supernaturals
and have known of this soul mate
business our entire lives. You, on the other hand, are just now discovering our
existence, as well as the fact that you are the soul mate to one of the last in
a line of powerful Elementals. How are you holding up?”

Well,
when she put it like that it all sounded rather daunting. “I’m doing alright.”

“Care
to elaborate?” Anna chuckled.

“Well,
I’m sort of confused, actually,” Mandy confessed, grateful for someone to talk
to. “Nicolas is a highly affectionate man. He’s always finding some way to
touch me, and I love it, but I’m getting a little flustered too.” Actually,
sexually frustrated was more like it.

“So
you do or you do not like him touching you all the time?”

“No,
I do like it, I just want…more.” Great, now she could feel the heat rising from
her cheeks in her embarrassment. She’d pretty much admitted to…

“So
you want sex?” Anna asked.

Of
course Garrett would pick that exact moment to waltz in with their wine.
Judging by the current flush in his neck and face, he was just as embarrassed
as she was. Once he made his hasty retreat, Mandy turned back, took a deep
breath, and admitted, “Yeah, I do.”

“Well
then, what is the problem?”

“The
problem is I have no clue how to approach him. I mean, there’s no way I can
just come out and say, ‘Hey, can we have sex soon because all of this touching
is just really riling me up and I need more.’” Mandy seriously debated whether
the decision to speak to Anna about this was a good idea or not, since she was
currently caught up in a fit of hysterics.

“I
am sorry,” Anna giggled, wiping the tears from her cheeks. “I could only
imagine what Nicolas’ face would look like if you were to actually say that.”

Okay,
so it was sort of funny now that she thought about it.

“Just
ask him to come to your room. It could be something as simple as asking him if
he would mind sleeping in your room with you or you could really get into
things and set up a sexy little evening with candles and lingerie, maybe a
bubble bath.”

“I’ve
never done anything like this before, so I think I’ll stick with something
simple to start with,” Mandy mumbled.

“Suit
yourself. I do not see Nicolas turning you down either way. The man is
seriously smitten with you.”

“I
really like him too.” Mandy just hoped he felt the same about her as she did
about him, because with every caress, every sweet endearment, he was taking
another piece of her heart. At this rate, he would own her heart by the end of
her stay, and she was afraid she would then be forced to leave that vital part
of herself behind.

While
he’d spoken of their time together in terms of forever in the beginning, he’d
yet to do so again, and he’d also never brought up the fact that she was due to
leave for home after the New Year. Resolved to enjoy whatever time she was
given, Mandy made up her mind to invite Nicolas to her room tomorrow night, but
she had a little shopping to do first.

Chapter Seven

 
Nicolas growled in frustration. He and
Jonathan had finally allowed the women to go to the village with Garrett, but
now there was a serious problem. He’d found several trees that had been marked
by the werewolf, the musky scent unmistakable.

“He’s
marking his territory on our land,” Jonathan snarled. “What the hell would
possess him to do that? Do you think he’s gone insane?”

The
thought had briefly crossed his mind, just before a more troubling one came in
its wake. “I think he’s trying to stake his claim on something that’s here,”
Nicolas replied, his tone grave.

“Do
you think he’s trying to make a move on our lands?”

If
only it were that simple, but he feared it was not. “I think he’s after
something even more valuable than that. I think he’s after one of the girls.”

“Like
hell!”

“Think
about it. Mandy and Anna escaped him. Mandy actually confronted him instead of
backing down and running away. She stood her ground and challenged him.” And
there was the problem. A werewolf was not a creature to back down from a
challenge, no matter who issued it. The only question was
,
did the wolf consider the challenge as one to the death, or the challenge of a
potential mate?

“Shit.”

“Yeah,
and now we just need to find out if he found that little show a turn-on or if
he’s out to teach her a lesson in submission. She’s human, so there’s also the
chance he could be after Anna and not Mandy.” Either way, Nicolas vowed the
women would be kept safe at all costs. He’d never forgive himself if anything
happened to Mandy. The very thought was enough to set his heart racing in dread.

“We
need to tell them, Nic. They have to know they could be a target.” Jonathan
roughly tunneled his fingers through his dark hair. Nicolas could understand
his frustration, since neither one of them looked forward to putting the women
back on lock-down within the castle. “If we try to keep them here again then
they’ll start to resent us. They’re not prisoners, but it won’t take long
before they start to feel like they are.”

“I
realize that. Maybe we can work something out so they can go into the village,
but still be safe enough for us not to be beside ourselves with worry,” Nicolas
suggested.

“Maybe
some silver for them both, at least a necklace or a pouch of shavings they
could throw if it became necessary for them to protect themselves.”

“I
like the way you think. I’ll look into getting what we need, since Garrett
obviously won’t be able to handle that,” Nicolas made a mental note to alert
Garrett of the potential threat, since the man would be able to help them keep
an eye out for the werewolf.

With
his shifter genetics, Garrett would be able to scent the wolf even if it was in
human form, which could give them the advance warning they need.

“Let’s
head back, we’ll talk to the girls and then we’ll sit down with Garrett after
they’ve gone to bed to fill him in on everything. Maybe we can even take him
out to the area and see if he can get a scent. I want this done and over with
so we can concentrate on our futures. I want this to be a safe place for her
when I ask Mandy to stay. I don’t want this threat to keep either of them from
accepting us.”

“I
couldn’t agree more. So things are going well between the two of you?”

“I’d
like to think so. I’ve been attempting to seduce her for the last couple of
days. Nothing major, because I don’t want to scare her off, just making sure
that I am near her as much as possible. A touch here, a kiss there, that kind
of thing,” he explained.

“So
you’re smothering her.
Real smooth, brother.”

Nicolas
felt his eyes widen. He didn’t want to smother her at all, merely cause her to
crave more of his touch. “I only wanted to entice her into wanting more without
possibly scaring her off. Have I gone about this all wrong then?” God help him
if he screwed this up.

Jonathan
smiled—the bastard—and replied, “Relax. She seems to be perfectly fine with
your current form of seduction, but you may want to move it along, because she
appears to be getting a bit restless. You don’t always see her face when you
pull away.
There’s longing there, bro.”

“Really?
I didn’t want to push for too much too soon, since she’s still a virgin.”

“I
think you should talk to her. She may surprise you.”

This
conversation with his brother gave Nicolas something pleasant to look forward
to. Unfortunately, the news they had to share with the women would not be the
sort to inspire a romantic mood.

*
* * *

The
village was amazing! There were shops of every kind lining the cobblestone
streets. Mandy went back to the market and purchased another emerald green
sweater to replace the one that had been destroyed, plus some nice silky
nightgowns and some sheer bra and panty sets.

Anna
had taken a moment to summon one of the Royal Couriers to take a message to her
father, explaining that she was staying with her friend for a little while and
assuring him that she would be safe.
 
With that handled Anna was looking forward to the rest of their day.

Feeling
more and more anxious about the coming night, Mandy suggested the women stop in
and grab a coffee in the little pub. It was a charming little establishment.
Wooden tables and benches lined the walls, while a long bar with tall stools
took up nearly the entire back wall. The smell of food and ale was strong
inside, but not unpleasant, and the women sat down at a corner table to rest
their weary feet. Once they’d placed their order with a sweet young girl, they
relaxed until their drinks were ready.

“This
has been great! I have gotten some very nice gifts for Jonathan,” Anna gushed.

“Yeah,
me too, not to mention all the things I found for Nicolas. Jonathan’s ideas
really helped with the shopping.”

“I
asked Nicolas about some things Jonathan might like also.” Anna sat back in the
booth, looking quite normal in her parka, sweater, jeans and snow boots. If no
one knew otherwise, they’d never peg her for a fairy princess. “Are you almost
ready to call it a day? The sun will start to set in just over an hour.”

“I
just want to hit the little Christmas shop I saw. I have a little tradition
that I’ve done ever since I was little and I’d like to pick up the things that
I’ll need. I thought it would be something nice for all of us to do.”

“It
sounds like fun. What do we need?” Anna asked as she sipped at the coffee
placed before her.

“Just
some clear glass ornaments. You know the little balls that have the little tops
that pop off? I’ll need some of those and then a few things to decorate them
with.” Just being able to share something she’d enjoyed alone for so many years
had her excitement building. “I decorate an ornament each Christmas and put the
year on it. Inside I place a small piece of paper with my Christmas wish for
that year inside. It’s never anything big, usually just something like good
grades, or perhaps a certain professor I would like for a class. One year I did
get the raise that I wished for at work.”

“It
sounds wonderful. Very creative,” Anna complimented. “I already know what I’ll
be wishing for.”

“What
would that be?” Mandy was curious, what would a princess want, that she didn’t
already have?

“My
father’s blessing,” she replied softly. “I am not entirely sure how he feels
about Jonathan and Nicolas. He always warns the Fey about getting too close to
the brothers, but he also reminds them that it is the fault of my brother for
the way they react to our kind. It is his way of trying to keep the peace I
suppose.”

“I
hope you get your wish, Anna.” Mandy rose and picked up her little white cup.
“Let’s get this last stop done and get back before it gets too close to sunset.
I don’t want to give the guys any reason to worry about us.”

On
the way out, Anna stopped and glanced back at the bar. Mandy stopped as well to
see what she was looking at. There in the far corner sat a man. He was tall,
well built, with dark brown hair and a scar running down the left side of his
face, and eyes that looked silver, eyes that were staring right at them. Anna
gave a small, nervous smile and turned, practically pushing Mandy out the door
before her. “That was the hunter I saw in the woods,” she whispered urgently.

“Are
you sure?” Mandy craned her neck, trying to get a better look at the man, but Anna
pulled her arm, obviously very anxious to get out of there, so Mandy allowed
herself to be dragged along.

“I
am positive it was him. I am also sure he recognized me. There was something
about his eyes and the way he was looking at us that just felt wrong.” Anna
shivered and Mandy picked up her pace, now just as eager to be away as Anna
was.

Bags
in hand, Mandy and Anna made their way to the SUV after their quick stop at the
Christmas shop and found Garrett waiting. All their treasures stowed in the trunk,
the three climbed into the vehicle and started for the castle.

“Were
you ladies able to find everything you were looking for?” he asked as he
maneuvered the snow-covered roads with ease.

“Oh,
yes, we managed to get everything,” Mandy replied. “I really enjoyed this
little trip, Garrett. Thank you for allowing us to come along with you.”