elemental 08 - elements of war by Larissa Ladd Read Free Book Online

“They kind of fit in a weird way.”
    “Yeah, they’re—frenemies, I guess you’d say. Oriel always had the power, Seraphina the ambition.”
    “So how are we going after Hestia and Aidan, then?” Dylan asked. It was the central question they were all dancing around—the one that he couldn’t quite feel at ease about until he got a straight answer from his brother or his new sister.
    “We’re going to need Leigh to find Hestia; Aidan will be with her. From there …” Aiden shrugged. “Like before, only more so.” Dylan looked at Aira.
    “We’ll get to see Leigh in action; even if she can’t contribute much more than tracking help, I can’t imagine a better scenario,” Aira said. 
    Leigh smiled and Dylan found himself smiling with her. He didn’t know her very well yet—but he had felt her energy. She had more to her than just tracking, he knew. He may not have an exact idea of what she could do—but Dylan was certain that she could do something rather spectacular.
    “I’ll need some things,” Leigh said, glancing at Dylan. Dylan raised an eyebrow, silently asking. He had fallen into the role of supplier—of someone who got everything they needed. It was simply too risky for Aira to go out on her own and Aiden was useless when it came to finding things. “I’ll need good salt, jade, and oak branches.”
    “I’ll need to be upstairs when this happens, then,” Aira said, smiling ruefully. 
    Dylan nodded. “And as soon as we’re done with the materials we’ll get them out of the living room.” 
    Aira hesitated a moment. Her great strength came with a price—she was more susceptible to the draining properties of earth-aligned materials than someone with a smaller degree of power. Being around earth magic could weaken her for hours. 
    “I can take Leigh with me to the shops to get what we need; be better than guessing at what works best,” Dylan offered. 
     “How much do we trust her?” Aiden asked, glancing apologetically at Dylan. Dylan knew his brother and sister-in-law had reason to be cautious; he could only hope that as more time passed—without Leigh betraying them—that they’d come to accept Leigh, that they’d learn to trust her as he did. But then, he thought, he wasn’t even entirely sure of why he trusted the auburn-haired elemental. 
    “I trust her enough not to use the opportunity to escape,” Aira said after a moment’s deliberation. “Amazing how quickly you figure someone out when everything goes to shit, isn’t it?” Aira gave him a smile and Dylan echoed it, reaching out to brush his fingertips against Leigh’s hand.
    “We can keep working on intelligence while they’re out,” Aiden said. Dylan felt his brother’s gaze on him and met it. “I’ll check in if you’re out a bit long for comfort.” Aiden looked at Leigh. “And don’t go thinking that you can overpower my brother, either—Dylan’s stronger than he looks, even if his head is turned.” 
    Dylan groaned. “I don’t need you to stand up for me, Aiden,” he told his brother; there were moments when he was acutely aware of the fact that Aiden was older—and never any moments when he delighted in that fact.
    “Let ‘em go. They need some bonding time.” Aira rose from her seat and Dylan felt the pulse of intense energy between his brother and the woman Aiden had taken as a mate—and as a wife. He knew exactly what the two of them would be doing the entire time that he and Leigh were away; Dylan smiled to himself. It would be good for the world when they finally had the opportunity to be by themselves fully, to solidify their bond and celebrate their marriage, to fully satisfy themselves. Dylan was looking forward to the chance to spend some time outside of their intense ambience. 
    “I’ll check in,” Aiden said, glancing sharply at both Leigh and Dylan before he turned to follow Aira back upstairs.
     

    “You know,” Leigh said as they walked through the aisles of a