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“I’m sorry.” My eyes snapped open to see Dalton eye to eye with me. “I’m so used to Adam snapping out a fireball when he needs his element close by that I didn’t realize that’s why you were struggling. You’re a new Elemental who hasn’t had much contact with her element. On top of that, the weather is cold and will have cooled the fire within you. I can’t imagine how hard the last few hours have been on you. I’m sorry. We should have found you a fire sooner. Even if it was that lady’s stovetop.”
“It’s okay. I’m fine.” I gave him a smile. No one needed to hover over me making sure weak Brynn had everything she needed.
Dalton didn’t look appeased. “You might have been Neutral at one time, Brynn, but you’re a Lower Elemental now. My link isn’t working right to feel your emotions, but I can read people well. You’re not weak, little sister. Adam would never fall in love with a woman who was weak. He respects strength, and you have that. Believe that.”
My eyes watered as he stood and walked away, and it had nothing to do with the smoke around me. I’d had friends. Connor and Hazel were the closest, but we’d grown apart a little after we’d all gotten married. No one had ever thought of me as a sibling. Not even Hazel. I’d never been part of a family. Not since Dad left, anyway.
Now I had a family again. Adam didn’t know when he married me that he was giving me such a great gift. And I surprised myself even more by realizing that I loved them. We hadn’t been together long, but I’d do just about anything for any one of them. Better yet, I knew they’d do the same for me.
“Hey!” Victor waved at us from a house that was still engulfed in flames. “There’s people in here!”
Dalton, Grace, and I ran over to the blaze. A child’s cry and coughing could be heard, but I couldn’t see into the blaze.
After having my hands in red-hot coals, I figured I could walk into the blaze, but the heat became too much.
“I can’t.” I backed away, sweat running down my back and soaking my shirt. At this point, I probably reeked from days without a shower since leaving Adam’s cabin. I still wore his clothes.
“Okay, it’s my turn then.” Dalton closed his eyes and grit his jaw tight. Air whooshed out of my lungs as the fire just went out. Like, it was there and then it was gone. Just like the air around me.
Then, I could breathe again.
Dalton cringed. “Sorry about that. I’m still learning that skill. Luckily Grace can fix my mistakes.”
Grace smiled up at her mate. They were so cute together.
We walked into the building, Dalton leading the way in case the floor didn’t hold.
“Hello? Where are you?” Grace called into the blackened house.
Crying came from the next room, but there wasn’t a child there like I’d thought. Still the crying of a small child continued.
Grace kicked at the remnants of a rug on the floor. A metal handle became exposed and Grace made to reach for it, but I grabbed it first. She’d burn her hands on the metal. Even for me, the metal was hot.
“Thanks.” Grace cringed as I pulled the trap door up to reveal a very small child with a baby wrapped in blankets.
Victor cleared his throat, taking our attention from the tear-stained cheeks of the toddler below the house. On the floor at his feet in the doorway to another room lay two bodies. The children’s parents were dead.
Dalton knelt down around the hole with Grace and me.
“I’m going to come down there with you, okay? This is Grace.” He pointed to his mate. “She’s really nice. I’m going to lift you up, and she’s going to pull you out of this hole, okay?”
The tiny girl nodded. The baby still lay crying across her lap in a blanket.
Dalton lowered himself into the hole, and seconds later the baby was handed out. Grace took the bundle and passed it to me before turning back to take the girl. She had black curly hair and was the most adorable child on the planet, along with the triplets and the baby I held.
“Okay, we’re going to leave the house. It’s not safe in here because of the fire.” Dalton took the small child from Grace and wrapped her close to him so she wouldn’t see anything around her as he took her from the building.
Grace took the baby from me, and I followed her out. Victor left behind me, making sure we didn’t miss anyone.
Outside, Dalton held the girl to him and talked to her as he carried her through town. Grace still snuggled the baby close. He or she had finally stopped crying.
You and Victor will scour the rest of the town for survivors while Dalton and I remove these children from the danger and horror.Grace didn’t stop walking as she gave me the order.
I stopped, and Victor came up beside me. He looked grim as his eyes wandered over what we’d missed before.
Bodies were strewn about in the street. Most of them were charred. A few were still on fire. Bodies hung out windows of buildings that hadn’t finished burning yet.
“What happened here?” A sour taste in my mouth threatened to make me vomit.
