AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The snow on Drew’s back porch had melted some time ago, and the puddles they’d left behind had evaporated after that. The snowflakes which still fell from the night sky melted upon impact with the wood of the deck. If it weren’t for the snow and the cold, I’d have already lit the back porch on fire.
“You want to tell me why we’re out here?” Drew sat in a chair he’d brushed snow from when he and I had first come outside. Now, he fanned himself from the heat I gave off.
“I need to leave.” So far, the only reason I’d stayed this long at Drew’s place was because Hazel and Connor had tried to locate anyone in Mount Pickett who could give us a status update on the place. They’d had no success. The first call they’d made should have sent me on my way, but I needed my family’s help if Mount Picket and the surrounding city of Rusolo were as bad off as we’d heard. While in a rush, I wasn’t on a suicide mission. I needed to come back from this.
“Whew.” Dalton came out of the house with his mate, Grace, waving his hand to cool himself. No one expected the heat in the cold season. “Your deck boards are steaming, Drew.”
“Why do you think I’m sitting out here instead of inside?” Drew responded to the male Air Elemental as the rest of our siblings and their mates followed the Air pair outside. Even Jazz left the house. “What are you doing out here? I thought you were with the babies.”
“Love, Life, and Air are holding them. Water tried, but your brothers put their feet down. That didn’t make your mom happy at all.” Jazz settled onto Drew’s lap and unzipped her coat. “You didn’t say you built a sauna out here.”
If anyone outside of Jazz had made that remark, they would have heard an earful. I couldn’t yell at the small woman, though. She’d just delivered three babies and now, whether she showed it or not, feared for their lives. The Mindolin, our world’s most vile and evil enemy, had been released from his prison and now wanted the babies for his power-hungry plan. If only we knew why.
“Adam’s letting off some steam,” Chris quipped as he leaned against the railing of the porch. Sophie, his mate, stood in front of him, her body leaning back against his. He was lucky Sophie blocked him. Well, maybe not. Chris was still recovering emotionally and mentally from abuses he suffered while in captivity in the Dark castle. I could let his joke pass. Jokes were his way of making it through the rough times and helping the rest of us cope.
“Very funny, all of you.” I ran my hands through my hair and continued to pace. Drew would have to replace the scorched boards I walked on. They were blackening further with each of my steps.
“Hey.” I turned my circuit to find Carmon standing in front of me. “What is it, Adam? It’s not just the Mindolin. You’ve been my Lieutenant long enough I know when things aren’t right with you.”
Hazel took that moment to lean her head out the door and shake it before going back inside. I’d asked her to call one more time. No one had answered.
“I have to go.” I moved toward the stairs but found Dalton standing in my way.
“You’re not going alone, and we want an explanation before we leave the babies,” Jazz said. She and Drew were both on their feet with crossed arms.
“We have to save Jeff and Tessa.” Yes, but that wasn’t my main reason for running to Mount Pickett.
“We need to keep you safe,” Dalton said before amending his statement. “Well, you and the babies.”
What is it, Adam? What can I do?Carmon’s voice entered my mind. The compassion in his tone was mirrored in his eyes.Talk to us.
My body shook, and the air heated further, but I kept my internal fire under control. Barely. Four men tensed up, though. My brothers knew I closed in on a meltdown. Almost literally.
“I have a secret,” I confessed after taking some deep breaths. They weren’t as calming as I’d hoped, and everyone around me began to drip with sweat.
“Most of us do, or we did.” Dalton laid a hand on my back before jumping and removing it. With a hiss, he shook his hand out. I’d burned him.
“Sorry, Dalt.”
His eyes watered, but he shook his head. “My fault. I should know better by now.”
“Does this secret require us to sneak into Mount Pickett?” Carmon asked, eyes determined.
“Yes.”
He nodded. “Then we’ll go. It would be really nice to know why we’re sneaking into the academy when it’s under enemy control. I mean, the Mindolin is running amuck around the place and our healer is out of commission. I don’t need to remind you that you’re the only one unbonded and our helpful relatives in there are still debating on how to change that. Heck, they’ve even gone as far as to suggest you bond with Hazel even though she’s married.”
I closed my eyes and, before I could back out of my decision, blurted, “My soon-to-be mate is at Mount Pickett.”
When I opened my eyes, everyone stared back at me.
“She agreed already? Who is she?” Carmon asked, standing up straighter. His eyes were confused, but also relieved. “Do we know her? Is your situation like Dalton’s was? You love her, but she doesn’t love you?”
I shook my head. “No, she hasn’t agreed. She doesn’t actually know I want to bond with her. No, you don’t know her. No, our situation is not how Dalton and Grace's was.”
“Does she know you exist?” Chris brought his hands up and crossed his fingers while pleading with his eyes that I say yes.
I laughed and nodded. “Yes, she very much knows I exist.”
