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The water that saturated her light t-shirt, jean shorts, and hair streamed off her body and back into the pool behind her as if sentient. Rukia, now completely dry, sighed and began the short walk back toward the Elemental community that had been her home for centuries.
Elementals, immortals who commanded the earth, fire, water, and air, lived in harmony in the small township outside of Iowa City, Iowa. While their people mostly came and went of their own accord, many built lives in the small Midwest town. Truly, it was the only place where they could practice their elements without fear or secrecy.
As Gideon’s second in command, Rukia oversaw the daily operation of Paracel, and the Search and Rescue outfit they managed that had come as second nature to most of their residents. He would have to find someone to fill her shoes while she was away.
Gliding onto the paved walkway, she waved at several residents who littered the streets or corralled young children in their yards. She ventured further into town, her feet wandering absentmindedly toward the home that always welcomed her.
Rona had invited the usual suspects over for dinner tonight, though why a vampire would have a dinner party, Rukia would never know. She’d never seen the woman eat a bite of food, and she’d be willing to bet money the vampire would find it abhorrent.
A smirk lined Rukia’s face. No harm in asking.
Rukia knocked only once before barging into Gideon’s—and Rona’s—picturesque brick home. Sounds of genial laughter echoed from the kitchen as she strolled toward the back of the house. Green ivy clung to the walls of their home, the combination of wood and plant life intrinsic to all Elementals’ sanctuaries.
“Rukia!” Rona’s warm smile lit her face. Within seconds, the vampire had pulled her into a breathless hug. “Glad you could make it.”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” came Rukia’s droll reply, earning her a knowing smirk from her hostess. Turning toward the earth Elemental that sat at a barstool, Rukia cocked her head. “Any more news on the levee?”
“They still can’t figure out why it failed. There was a bit of talk about someone sabotaging it.”
Rukia frowned. “Who’d want to do that?”
“No idea,” Gideon said. “Either way, they’re still checking it out. Jer has his finger on the pulse.”
But Jeremiah looked two minutes away from falling asleep. Beside her, the red-haired man had one hand rested beneath his chin and his eyes were half-hooded with sleep. This was the second away team he’d served on this week, and it was only Wednesday. Soon, it would begin to affect his ability.
Snickering, Rukia said, “He’s literally falling asleep on his stool. He needs to take a nap.”
“Five more minutes.”
Ignoring Jeremiah, she continued, “Speaking of, we have plenty of people who’ll be happy to help, Gideon. We just need to utilize them. Brianna did what she could, but I could’ve used another water Elemental while we were there. It might not have taken us as long to find all the missing people as it did.”
“I’ll think about it.”
Gideon’s gaze turned pensive as he weighed every option and tactic. It was why he was their leader and Rukia was not.
Not that she didn’t understand his hesitation. Since the drone incident, he’d become resolved to keep a host of stronger Elementals in Paracel. Leaving the town unprotected, even to serve in their capacity as a Search and Rescue team, meant making themselves vulnerable.
Hating the way Gideon shouldered all the guilt for that incident, she turned her attention to Aidan. “Who let the dog in?”
Aidan, the original werewolf, was built like a linebacker with the strength and dominance to back it. Since he’d arrived with Lucy in tow, Rukia had taken to teasing him relentlessly. She simply couldn’t resist ruffling his feathers and he gave it back as good as he got. They’d taken to one-upping each other as their bizarre form of friendship.
When he smiled darkly in return, Rukia expected a quippy comeback, but it was his mate who answered. “I did. Couldn’t help it. He’s so adorable.”
Baring a smile full of perfectly straight teeth, Aidan nuzzled into Lucy’s neck in a very wolf-like gesture, and Rukia gagged theatrically.
“Please, keep it in the bedroom.”
She pulled out a stool between Gideon and Jeremiah. Both Elementals casually sipped a beer while Rona busied herself with dinner. Lucy quickly jumped in to help.
“What, not going to assist, Ruk?”
Jeremiah raised a red eyebrow beside her and pouted boyishly when she stayed seated beside them. Together with a handsome face, Jeremiah’s joie de vivre and bubbly personality had served him well over the course of his long life, earning him far more friends than Rukia and more than a few admirers.
“I’ve just gotten back from heroically saving a community—and a child—from flooding. You should be giving me a badge or the keys to the city or something.”
“Yikes, let me pack my bags,” Aidan commented from afar, eyes glinting.
“Please do.”
