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He teleported them into the streets of his city. Rukia, shocked at the sudden change of location, blinked through the brightness of the desert sun.
“Geez, give a girl some warning, sparky.”
She tugged on her arm, intent on separating herself from him. He held fast and started guiding them toward city center.
Rukia quit fighting him, sensing the futility of it. Isaiah grinned inwardly at his triumph as his people began to approach them. While most offered him congratulations and affirmations, many expressed concern for his health and wellbeing.
After they assured themselves he was of sound body and mind, conversations generally directed toward Rukia. The Elemental, surprised by their interest, was engaging and endearing, both of which thrilled his people to no end.
But then again, Isaiah had never brought a woman home for them to meet.
It wasn’t long before Emma and Deon appeared once more, using their fists to settle an argument. Neither listened when their mothers chastised them, but the quarrel instantly stopped when droplets of rain showered down from above their heads.
Instantly, they forgot all about their scuffle in lieu of blinking up at the waterworks. Silence reigned for a moment until the handful of his clansmen grinned over at Rukia. The water Elemental’s fingers were gently strumming through the air, a soft smile on her face.
Then, the children began to laugh.
Twirling about underneath the artificial shower, the dynamic duo giggled as their mothers looked on. Struck silent, Isaiah softened.
“I don’t know if we’ve ever set up a sprinkler for them,” he said.
“A gross disservice, I assure you.” She nudged him with her elbow. “Don’t worry, I’m here now.”
He couldn’t help but grin.
Circe and Lucius had been hovering on the edge of the crowd while Isaiah spoke with the bulk of his clan, and approached when the gathering had thinned a half-hour later.
“Sovereign,” Circe’s expression tightened before she wrapped him in a hug, “I was worried for you.”
The slight female, so familiar in his arms, melted against him. Isaiah was instantly full of paternal warmth. “No need, Circe. Thank you for assisting Jaeda. Your skill is progressing quickly.”
Circe extracted herself from his grip, her cheeks pinking. “I got a lot of practice on this guy.” She jerked a thumb toward her massive vampire mate, the male a towering wall of supernatural strength behind her.
“Isn’t that the truth.”
Isaiah remembered how injured the vampire had been when he’d sent Circe to retrieve him. They’d mated in the weeks that’d followed.
“Rukia, it’s a pleasure seeing you again.” Lucius bowed his head respectfully, though there was sorrow in his gaze. “I am sorry about what happened to Gideon. You have my deepest condolences.”
The raindrops above them abruptly stopped.
Rukia stiffened, and he instantly wrapped a comforting arm around her waist. Though Circe’s expression changed minutely at the contact, she said nothing in response. The Elemental managed to mumble her thanks, but the mated pair sensed Rukia’s despondency and excused themselves quickly afterwards.
Isaiah studied her features, but she seemed to bottle the emotions in the seconds that followed. She rolled her shoulders but avoided his gaze while the children and their mothers drifted away. She pinned him with a guarded look.
“Your relationship with Circe is different than with other members of your clan.”
“After her parents died, I raised Circe as my own.” He captured her arm once more, heading toward the stream. “She was only a few decades old and very much still a youngling by Raeth standards. I couldn’t leave her without guidance.”
“How do you feel about her mating?”
Grunting, he confessed, “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to scalp the man when Circe mentioned the mating bond at first, but fortunately, I withheld judgment. Lucius is a good man, and he treats her well.”
“So civilized, Isaiah,” Rukia jested. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you have a soft spot for your clan. And you know what? I think your clan has a soft spot for you.”
Isaiah didn’t respond.
Instead, he simply teleported them to the headwaters of the stream Rukia had reveled in, a small lake miles and miles away from where she’d explored yesterday. Fascinated with her delight, he simply watched as she jumped in, clothes and all.
