Caution to the Wind: Book One of the Elementals Series by F. R. Southerland Read Free Book Online Page B

powers. It’s called an inhibitor.”
    “Oh. I don’t think so. I feel all right.”
    “That’s good.”
    Loren wiped her hands on her jeans. “Is that all it does? Just stop powers?”
    “Yeah. Mostly. Levi made it. It’s kind of a failsafe when our powers get out of hand. It happens sometimes.” He paused, glancing down. “Not to the others, but to me. Fire has always been more difficult to manage. I guess air is too.”
    “Hey. You’re not alone.” A small laugh escaped her.
    “Well, you saw what happened in the dining room.” He lifted his head, resting it back against the doorframe. “Two incidents in one day. It’s been a long time since that’s happened.”
    Loren studied him before she spoke. Her voice was soft. “I’m sorry about that. About the dining room and the training room.”
    He met her eyes. “The dining room wasn’t your fault. That was Levi being a prick. Like always.”
    “Yeah, but it was about me . And I don’t like that.” Levi had been right about so many things and she hated that Avery heard it all and reacted how he did. She didn't want him to believe any of it. It was somehow easier that way.
    Was she really so easy to pick apart? No one else had before and that unsettled her. She wasn’t as guarded as she thought. “I’m sorry.”
    “It’s fine, Loren.”
    She fiddled with the string around her neck. “Is he always like that?”
    “Intrusive?” Avery let out a short laugh of his own. “Yeah. Always. In case you hadn’t noticed, we don’t exactly get along.”
    She had noticed. Then again, Avery didn’t seem to get along with anyone. She couldn't say much for Levi, but she got the impression he grated on everyone’s nerves even more so. His attitude was off-putting and it was no stretch to think it was the same of everyone else.
    “Is Callum upset? Eva?”
    “No, they’re not upset. I don’t think he’d be upset with you . Only with me. I’m the disappointment, after all.” His brow furrowed and a frown tugged at his mouth. It remained there as he continued. “They’re more concerned than anything. They wanted to give you some time to calm down.”
    “Yeah. A lot of information. A lot of pressure.” She looked up at him. “Are we really saving the world or did you just say that to get me to come here?” She'd wondered, especially after his discussion with Eva.
    Avery sighed. “I didn’t mean saving the world right away. It’s not like a comic book or a movie where the world’s in peril and we have twenty-four hours to save it. No. But, yeah. I did say it to motivate you.” He scratched the back of his neck.
    “It sounded good at the time? Dramatic?”
    A small grin started to break across his face. “Yeah,” he answered sheepishly.
    Loren drew her lips together, fighting back a smile. “That’s terrible.”
    His grin widened some. “I was trying to be cool.”
    “Yeah, you were doing well with that. Breaking into my apartment, telling me I had to save the world, scaring a girl half to death.”
    “I didn’t break in. I just… opened the unlocked window and let myself in.”
    “Right.”
    “You’re not upset about that, are you?”
    She shook her head, but then thought again. “At first, yeah. I almost hit you.”
    “With an umbrella.”
    “It was an umbrella-bat, with the capabilities of both bat and umbrella. Get the facts straight.” She chuckled and Avery joined her.
    Loren eased into a smile. “It’s still a lot. Knowing I’m not the only one with powers, knowing I’m part of something bigger.” Even if she didn’t completely understand what she was a part of, it was kind of nice. She played with the string again, adjusting it so the stone pressed against her skin, warm from her body. Her smile disappeared. “I don’t feel like I fit in though. Not here. Not anywhere. And sometimes I freak out about it. I don’t mean to. It just happens. Like earlier. I was fine and then…”
    Avery pushed off from the door and