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“Would you like me to show you around?” she asked, wanting to make up for her outburst. Dylan nodded, actually looking eager for the tour.
Alma led Dylan around the property, pointing out the different plants her grandmother cultivated and telling him about the summers she had spent there. Dylan listened attentively. They stopped at the pond, like she and her grandmother had the day before. Dylan watched the water in pure rapture, and Alma smiled to herself. They talked about their families, about growing up as elementals. It was strange to Alma how quickly she felt comfortable with Dylan, the easy friendship that seemed to develop between them already. Dylan paid attention to everything she said, listening silently as she explained why she was so upset about her grandmother’s machinations. When she finished unburdening her mind, he told her he understood her frustration, but he could also see why her grandmother was concerned. The world of elementals was not as safe as it had been even ten years before.
“Powerful elementals are in high demand in some circles,” he said, without specifying which ones. “Also, many of the older families are becoming more conservative, and there’s a lot of friction between younger elementals. It’s been a really tense time for everyone.”
Alma found herself persuaded by the reasoning of Dylan’s arguments, despite her lingering resentment of being treated like a child. She led him through the remaining gardens and back towards the house and was in much better spirits when they walked through the door. Her grandmother was still seated at the kitchen table, while Finn had made himself at home in the adjoining living room with a cup of coffee and a book. It was an oddly peaceful scene. Remembering Dylan’s approach, Alma felt ashamed of herself for having stormed out, and for the exhibition of her ill-controlled abilities. Her grandmother gestured for her to sit down at the table, and Alma found her seat with the cup of coffee she had abandoned still there. Dylan had explained why her grandmother had specifically requested the two brothers to be her bodyguards; and that they had grown up mastering their skills much as she had, but with the added benefit of an interest in investigation. There were enforcers among the elementals, and he and his brother had been chosen by the ruling elite to be trained in that direction. Their abilities had been developed for protection and attack. While Dylan was the calmer, more conciliatory brother, he was as equipped to protect her as his fierier, more aggressive brother.
“I apologize for leaving so rudely,” Alma said, speaking slowly and swallowing the well of pride and resentment she felt. “I should have excused myself, but I knew if I stayed, I would have been tempted to argue and would have gotten angrier and lost control of myself.”
Her grandmother stared at her sharply for a long moment, and then subsided. “I accept your apology,” she said.
Alma heard the slight stir of movement behind her. A moment later Finn came into the kitchen, seating himself at the table with a grace Alma couldn’t help but admire.
“I assume from your long absence you were showing Dylan around the property?”
Alma nodded. Her grandmother turned and favored Dylan with a faint, but genuine, smile. “Did she think to show you my pond?” she asked with understandable pride and comprehension for how much that feature would attract him. Dylan nodded, smiling broadly.
“You’ve done a lot of wonderful things around here,” Dylan said with polite enthusiasm. “Our nana told me you were a master gardener, but I had no idea of what that meant.”
Alma found herself oddly charmed by how Dylan and her grandmother were hitting it off; it seemed to her, from her experiences that water elementals seemed to get along well…or poorly. She was pleased to see, it was the former rather than the latter.
“Finn and Dylan will stay here until it’s time for you to go back home,” Alma’s grandmother told her. “I thought it would be a good idea to give you a chance to get to know them both, and for them to get to know you, before you were outside of my protection once more.”
Alma tried to find suitable grace to thank her grandmother for her thoughtfulness, despite the way the highhanded move still grated her. She knew there was no way out of the situation; she would let the men protect her, even if it was only from boredom.
four
Finn’s first impression of the woman he and his brother had agreed to protect was that she was sexy, but difficult. When she walked into the kitchen, standing a few feet away with her hands on her full hips, looking defiant, Finn had looked her over covertly. She was a few inches shorter than he and his brother with dark hair, still mussed from sleep, tumbling down to her shoulders in an asymmetrical cut. Her big, dark-brown eyes were set into an intelligent-looking face with slightly full lips and arched eyebrows. He couldn’t help admiring her curves. He was a functioning heterosexual male. The pajamas she wore clung to her breasts and hips but obscured her legs. Finn had torn his attention away from her, feeling his initial interest piqued, and recognized the attraction as a danger; he was supposed to protect her, not seduce her.
He had felt a little sympathy for the woman as her grandmother explained the purpose of his and his brother’s presence in the house. Aware of her growing anger, he hadn’t been surprised when she stormed out. It was what he would have done in the same situation. He wondered why her grandmother hadn’t even talked to Alma about her idea before bringing him and his brother in to protect her. Alma’s grandmother, who had insisted the two men call her Lorene, sighed as the wind howled outside. Dylan glanced uneasily at Finn, and Finn knew it would only be a matter of time before Dylan’s impulse to smooth things over came about.
“I’m sorry, gentlemen,” the older woman said, folding her hands and smiling slightly. “It seems as though I didn’t calculate my approach properly.”
Finn chuckled at the rueful tone in the woman’s voice.
They exchanged pleasantries for a few minutes, and then Dylan’s instinctive nature to be a peacemaker drove him out of the house. “Miss Lorene, I’d like to speak with Alma, if you think she’ll listen to me,” he said in his soft voice, and Finn hid his grin behind the coffee mug, taking a long sip. Alma’s grandmother shrugged.
“I have no idea if she’ll hear you out, but she’s probably in her tree. It’s a magnolia, one of the tallest trees on the property.” The older woman locked gazes with his brother and Finn knew the two water elementals were exchanging mental images—a talent he envied slightly in his brother. When Dylan left, Lorene turned to him, looking at him for a few moments with an intent gaze that seemed to bore into his very brain. “You’re a very different sort of person than your brother,” she observed. Finn nodded, wondering in the back of his mind if the older woman thought that was a good thing or a bad thing. “You’ll need to take care with my granddaughter. She’s smarter than I think you’ve given her credit for, and tougher too. If she feels like you’re interfering too much in her life, she will push you out of it.”
Finn absorbed the advice for a moment. Lorene stood, taking his coffee mug, and refilling it without asking whether he wanted more.
Dylan was absent for a long time, long enough for Finn to get restless and read in the living room while he waited for their return. If it hadn’t been for Lorene’s perfect calm, and the fact the wind had died down a few minutes after Dylan had walked through the front door, Finn would have gone to see how his brother was faring. He had perfect confidence in his brother’s ability to convince almost anyone to cooperate and calm down. He had been capable of that very feat with Finn for years, arbitrating arguments between Finn and his other brothers, and suppressing the temper that raged more intensely in Finn’s psyche as his fire-aligned elemental traits intensified. Finn had only gradually learned to calm himself down, to focus on completing tasks instead of leaping from one to another. “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread,” his mother had told him time and again when one of his impulsive actions had resulted in trouble.
* * *
When Dylan and Alma returned, Finn noticed his younger brother had worked the usual magic on the woman. She was much calmer, and when she apologized right away, Finn sensed it was time for them to discuss matters. He resumed his seat at the table and watched Alma grapple with her lingering resentment at having to accommodate himself and his brother for an indefinite period. It will be good incentive for her to find a mate, Finn thought, as the younger woman accepted the stipulations her grandmother set. He and his brother would get paid for their services protecting Alma, with the added benefit of having a place to stay and very few expenses. When their nana had asked the favor of them, there had been no way to refuse it. They both owed Nana far too much and, as the center of the family, they couldn’t turn her down without facing pressure from their parents.
So Finn and Dylan had flown out overnight and followed the directions to the house in the middle of the woods, with no real expectation of payment or a clear idea of what they would actually be doing to help. When the situation became clear, Finn was relieved to discover Alma’s grandmother intended to finance their time protecting her granddaughter.
“It’s not going to make you rich, but my first husband was an Earth elemental,” She said with a faint smile. “He left me in very good financial standing. My second husband was a brilliant air elemental and did well for us too. I can afford to give you fair wages for your time.”
They would drive down with Alma at the end of her stay at her grandmother’s and remaining with her to ensure her safety until she found a mate who could protect and stabilize her.
Finn had been considered an unstable elemental since he was a teenager. He had much better control over his abilities than he first had. There had been a great deal of discussion about him finding a mate when he came closer to the birthday when he would receive his full abilities. His own nana had repeatedly suggested that he find a good earth-aligned woman and let himself be grounded by her influence. Finn had hated the idea from the moment it was mentioned and rejected it so continuously that everyone had given up. He knew there were still murmurs about his unstable tendencies among the ruling elite, but if he served a function among the elementals, they wouldn’t push too hard. He’d had mostly satisfying relationships with women, although the lifestyle he led with his brother meant he never kept a relationship for long. He knew he had a habit of pushing women away when they got too close. In addition to his lack of desire to “settle down,” he didn’t like the idea of anyone other than his brother being close to him emotionally.
Shortly after everything was settled, Lorene asked Alma to show Finn around the property, since she had already shown Dylan that courtesy. Finn had little interest in gardening, but he was content to have the opportunity of talking to Alma alone. She agreed, after mentioning she should change into something other than pajamas. Finn tried not to feel disappointed. Alma’s sleepwear piqued his interest. He’d had an intense sex drive as a teenager that had continued unabated when he reached his full powers as a fire elemental. If anything, Finn thought it had intensified. He waited for a few moments, talking to Lorene about the book he was reading.
Alma stepped back into the kitchen clothed and, for a moment, Finn couldn’t help but stare. She was casually dressed, but the fitted jeans and thin sweater clung to her womanly curves even more thoroughly than her pajamas. She’d pulled her hair back, revealing the curve of her neck, almost inviting his attention. He took a deep breath and suppressed the attraction he felt, reminding himself once again she was looking for a suitable permanent mate, and his job was to protect her, not become distracted by the way her ass filled out her jeans. He stood from the table, gesturing for Alma to lead the way. Alma didn’t spare him a glance as she went through the front door. “I’ll take you out to the far corner and we can circle around,” Alma said over her shoulder.
