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Alma glared at the two men, her hands unconsciously positioned on her hips. She assessed them quickly. They were obviously related—most likely brothers—and attractive. One seemed to be older, with medium-brown messy tufts of hair shooting out chaotically from his head. His blue eyes met her gaze with confidence. She stared back into his almost predatory, wolflike features. He was fit and filled out his T-shirt almost as well as the younger one. Their features had similarities—the shape of their jaw and lips. The younger, however, had a softer, gentler look to his face. His dark, brown eyes were less intense and his short, dark hair laid flat against his head.
“Have a seat, Alma. We were just discussing you.” Finn gestured to an empty chair beside him.
Alma sat down away from the other three at the oblong table across the room, her arms folded over her chest.
“So I heard,” she said tersely. She knew it wasn’t fair to blame the men, but she couldn’t bring herself to direct the fullness of her anger at her grandmother.
The older woman stood slowly and walked over to the coffeepot, taking a mug out of the cabinet, and filling it before bringing it to the Alma.
“You’ll have to excuse my granddaughter. She’s not her usual sunny self this morning.”
Alma took a deep breath and removed her gaze from the two men at the table as she added sugar and cream to her coffee, then stirred the concoction, forcing her temper under control with effort. Finally, when she had calmed herself, she looked up, taking a sip of her coffee.
“My apologies.” Her tone was derisive. “So what brings you gentlemen to the house?” Alma forced her voice into a pleasant tone. A glance from her grandmother told Alma one person at the table at least was not fooled by the sudden change in her demeanor. Her grandmother smiled pleasantly.
“Since you are unwilling to find a mate, I asked the boys’ parents if they would protect you as you come into your abilities.”
Alma inhaled deeply, glancing from one to the other. The younger of the two men looked at her with a rueful smile, as if he understood her frustration. The older maintained a slightly proud expression, looking at her unemotionally.
“I don’t entirely understand why it is I need protection, Grams.” Alma fought to keep her voice neutral and polite despite her sense of betrayal.
Her grandmother sighed. “My dear, a lot of people would like you either dead or under their control, and that’s the truth of the matter. You’re too powerful already—once you transform, you’ll be more of a target. The elders are already worried about you.”
Alma took another sip of her coffee. She shouldn’t be lashing out at the men seated at the table, but they were the physical representation of her grandmother’s lack of trust in her ability to take care of herself.
“So what are Finn and Dylan going to do to protect me?”
Alma’s grandmother raised one well-shaped, dark eyebrow at the insolent tone of her voice.
“They’re going to stay with you. I know you have plenty of room in your apartment for guests. I will give you money for their share of the rent, and they’re going to receive some money for a living as well.”
Alma opened her mouth to protest, but her grandmother continued. “They will be your bodyguards, day and night, until you find a mate.”
Alma gritted her teeth, suppressing the first angry retort that came to mind. She took a deep breath and counted to ten mentally.
“Exactly how are they qualified to be my bodyguards? And why do I need two?” Alma could see her grandmother was enjoying her discomfort, amused by Alma’s struggle to maintain her composure. The elder of the two also looked amused, adding gasoline to the fire building inside of Alma.
“You need two because you are liable to get yourself into trouble that it will take three people to get you out of.” Her grandmother placed her coffee cup down. “Finn is a fire elemental who came into his full abilities a year ago; Dylan is his brother and a water elemental. Between the two, they should be more than capable of protecting you.”
Alma recognized the tone in her grandmother’s voice. There was nothing she could say to stop the plan from happening; her grandmother had already made up her mind. As the matriarch of the family, there was absolutely no way Alma could contradict the older woman. If she tried to fight it, tried to go against her grandmother’s wishes, she would come under fire from her aunts and uncles. She felt herself becoming angrier, and as her rage grew, the wind picked up outside and Alma didn’t care. Her grandmother knew she was angry; demonstrating her feelings, unconscious as it was, didn’t make a difference.
Instead of arguing, Alma stood, abandoning her cup of coffee, and walked quickly out of the kitchen. She knew she would catch it for leaving so impulsively—her grandmother couldn’t stand for one of her children or grandchildren to be rude—but Alma also knew if she stayed and tried to argue, she would only become angry to a point of losing control of her abilities. She let the door slam behind her and walked towards the woods.
The wind rose, howling shrilly through the trees, shaking branches, and sending dead leaves flying through the air. Alma looked up at the sky, her anger building as she thought how unfair it was she was being forced to live with two strangers set on her by her grandmother. She would have to accommodate them in her life, all because her grandmother didn’t trust her to handle herself. She closed her eyes, listened to the wind, and willed herself upward. Gradually, as she focused on the task, Alma rose from the ground, rocked by the wind that continued to howl through the trees. She pulled herself up through the air slowly, opened her eyes and found the tree she had loved to climb as a child. She moved in that direction, focusing her entire will on moving through the air. When she reached her favorite branch, she let herself come to a stop with her feet above it. The venerable old tree had been her favorite haunt for years and when she learned to fly, it had only become more attractive to her. Alma wrapped her arms around and held on to the trunk of the tree tightly, not willing to exert the effort to bring the wind speed down. The tree swayed, and Alma let the movement gradually calm her down.
She knew she was acting immaturely, and her grandmother had her best interests in mind by providing her with bodyguards, but she had become frustrated with the fact that, in the elemental community as well as among her family, she was still seen as a child simply because she hadn’t come into complete possession of her abilities. She’d managed to finish college and make a life for herself using the gifts she had been blessed with. She was financially secure. Just because she wasn’t a “mature elemental” her family elders, and everyone she met in the elemental community, still treated her as if she was a teenager who needed to be protected and bossed around.
Alma was feeling sorry for herself when she spotted Dylan. He was walking towards her tree, looking around, and she knew he was looking for her. As he came closer, the concern in his face grew clear. He battled the wind she had unconsciously directed at him, and, for a moment, she felt her anger flag slightly. She knew she shouldn’t be taking out her frustrations on him; he had merely done her grandmother a favor. He wasn’t personally trying to mess up her life. Alma brought the wind speed down to a mere gust, but she stayed on the high branch, hoping Dylan would pass her by.
Instead, he stopped at the base of the tree and looked straight up. “You don’t have to come down,” he said, projecting his soft voice up to reach her. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry my brother and I are getting in the middle of your life. Your grandmother’s friends with our nana, and when she asked us to do her a favor, we couldn’t say no.”
Alma abruptly felt ashamed of herself for her temper, hearing her grandmother’s voice in her mind. “Nobody will ever take you seriously if you’re always throwing tantrums.” She sighed and looked down at Dylan, who was watching her for some kind of reaction. With a deep breath, Alma launched herself off the branch, and floated down between the tree’s limbs until she landed a few feet from Dylan. He grinned. “That’s not a bad trick,” he said.
Alma chuckled. “It’s saved me from injury more than once,” she replied. She licked her lips subconsciously and appraised the man standing in front of her. There was something kind about his demeanor, something comforting and conciliatory. She extended her hand to him. “I apologize for acting like a brat,” she said.
Dylan took her hand, shaking it quickly and firmly with a smile. “Trust me, I understand. My brother kind of has a temper.”
Alma heard the wry amusement in Dylan’s voice and decided he was understating the fact. Maybe it wouldn’t be boring having the two men stay with her.
