AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Still waist-deep in water, she and Jeremiah moved carefully toward higher ground. Clad in highlighter-bright Search and Rescue wear, it didn’t take long for the other teams to find them now that Jeremiah had revealed their whereabouts.
Within minutes, they were quickly surrounded by paramedics, volunteers, and finally, Claire’s parents. The couple sobbed at the sight of their disheveled youngster, nabbing her from Rukia’s arms and nestling her between them.
Something twisted in her chest as she watched them, reunited and rejoicing.
For them, regardless of their ruined home, their flooded farmlands, their wrecked crops, the only thing that mattered was that they were whole. Together.
Somewhere along the line, Rukia had missed out. For months now, she’d watched as Rona and Gideon had begun to weave their life together, finding their place beside one another in a life they’d never fathomed before they met.
Rukia’s life always remained unchanging. Static. Fixed.
Years she’d served on the Search and Rescue team, finding people who needed saving and averting disasters before they grew out of proportion—before human authorities even knew they needed to be worried. But Rukia’s status quo had remained the status quo.
While Paracel would always be Rukia’s home, she was occasionally prone to wander. Not nearly as much as Tyee, but sometimes, she simply neededout.
Perhaps when winter arrived, she’d let the current take her deep. Let the oceans heal the hurts she couldn’t see. The depths had a way of soothing her soul when her own waters became turbulent.
Jeremiah’s voice pulled her from her reverie. “That’s odd.”
“What is?”
Jeremiah frowned at her. “What the engineer was saying.”
She cocked an eyebrow.
“They said the levee showed no signs of strain. No earthquakes. Nothing that could’ve outwardly made it fail.” He grunted. “They don’t know what to make of it.”
Shrugging, she said, “Engineers aren’t infallible and they’ve only done preliminary recon. Any number of things could’ve gone on below the surface that they wouldn’t have seen.”
“I guess.”
“Come on, Jeremiah, I’m tired and hungry. Let’s find Brianna and go home.”
While Jeremiah trudged through the murky waters beside her, grunting as he went, she glided through her element without resistance. Surrounded as they were by medical personnel and volunteers, he couldn’t very well take to the air again, and she suppressed a grin at his consternation.
Brianna was already waiting for them behind the gates, looking exhausted and drained. Moving sandbags was a grueling task, and even though she was an immortal, she wasn’t immune to fatigue.
The young brunette Elemental, who was barely twenty-five years old, had come to live in Paracel only a few years ago.
Brianna’s current beau, the lean and jovial Josiah, was back home in Iowa. Ever since they’d taken up together several months ago, the young Elemental’s attention had wandered, and Rukia had had to push for every scrap of attention she could manage.
Bringing the young woman along was a good reminder that she needed to train—and train a lot.
With a glance over her shoulder, Rukia confirmed once again that Claire was safe in the arms of her parents. Despite the thousand-yard stare on her innocent face, she was getting the treatment she needed, and the love she deserved from her parents.
Above Claire’s head, her mother’s red-rimmed eyes connected with Rukia’s. In a single, heartfelt glance, the woman somehow conveyed the depth of her appreciation, but mouthed,Thank you.
***
Two flights and an hour-long car ride later, Rukia was back in Paracel. After being boxed in between Jeremiah’s massive shoulders and Brianna’s soft snores, she’d eschewed the comforts of her house in search of her lake.
And it washerlake.
A founding member of Paracel, Rukia had staked claim over the parcel of water ever since Gideon had dug it out of the ground centuries ago. Every nook and cranny was hers. From the freshwater fish that inhabited the waters to the green algae that grew along the southern side, it belonged to her.
Not that she was possessive.
She’d taken a dip in the cool waters to clear her head, detesting the fact that she’d soon have to inform Gideon of her plans to leave once winter came.
