Babysitters Club (Immortal Elements World Series Book 1) Read online

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  Please look for “Immortal Elements World Series” when looking for Immortal Elements books! Anything else labeled without is non-canon!

  When our Universe ended and burned, a new one was created from the great shift, and so the Gods of Magic, the Immortal Elements were born. These Elemental Gods protect their Princess, the Star of Creation, and their Prince, the Void Unyielding. Despite their great powers, this large band of mischief makers often find themselves getting into trouble, and that’s without the God of Chaos and his cronies trying to take their Princess. What troubles could they be in today?

  BABY SITTERS CLUB

  CHAPTER I

  Lance sighed as he poked at the thick slices of bacon in the frying pan. It smelled good, but it wasn’t enough to wake him up. The black coffee hadn’t seeped into his soul yet.

  Marcus was never far behind, and he scooped the rice out of the rice cooker into a couple of bowls. “This came out perfect. I’ll grate some cheese.”

  “Get some of the hot garlic sauce too,” Lance said. Marcus nodded and he had the bowls ready in short order, and Lance spooned bacon and fried eggs over each bowl. A sprinkle of green onions finished the dish and the pair quietly gave thanks and ate in silence. Lance enjoyed the taste of the egg yolk running and mixing with the bacon grease soaked into the rice.

  He consumed his bowl and got up to pour a few bowls of miso and onion soup. He slurped his first one as he served Marcus and drained another in short order. Lance felt warmth in his belly and in his chest, and he returned to sit by Marcus as the other finished his food. They played footsies under the table and ignored their feelings for one another, as they did. Always acting on them but ignoring them all the same; it was an odd game they played.

  Right now neither wanted to discuss yesterday’s battle. Neither of them wanted to talk about the explosion, the burns on their stomachs and their arms, the pain that came with shifting too hard on the stool. Lance could bear the pain just fine, the slight sting and the aches that rattled his bones every time he moved, but his own pain was nothing compared to the shot through the heart he felt every time Marcus winced. Lance took his empty bowl and let some magic take care of the dishes, his fingers waving some golden dust into the air to complete his chore.

  “We have to find the Order’s main base.”

  “We will,” Lance said and he pressed his hand to Marcus’ back to comfort him. Marcus reached up and took his hand and kissed it, leaving Lance blushing as he turned his face and covered his blazing cheeks with his free hand. The sound of footsteps approaching forced them apart and they sat together and digested as their Prince stalked into the room. Dominic wore a determined look on his face and a bandage on his wrist that reached down over part of his pinky finger.

  Dominic gave the boys a soft smile and vigorously got to work in the kitchen. He set down a wicker tray and slapped down a pan on the stove. A thick cube of butter went into the pan and he cut up cheese sausage and fried them with eggs and thin sliced onions and cubed ham and cheese. As rice steamed away in the rice cooker he mixed a sauce for stir frying and prepared a few bowls.

  A big bowl of fried rice went first on the tray along with a plate of sliced peaches, a square of dark chocolate, and an iced latte. Dominic downed two cups of black coffee and ate his breakfast quickly, his own magic glittering as it poured from his fingertips. The Elementals never did the dishes themselves; they felt above that. He nodded again to Marcus and Lance and walked off to feed his princess. The other two members of the unofficial Babysitters Club resisted the urge to follow. Giselle needed to be left alone for a while.

  “How did this happen?” Artrax fussed over the boys as Conrad bandaged them up in the infirmary. Marcus made a face as his old bandage on his stomach was peeled away and tossed into a metal tray, the bloody side poking up. Conrad applied fresh ointment, a cool clear gel that soothed the wound and tempered the pain. Marcus felt much better and he relaxed on the cot as Conrad applied a new bandage.

  “She was on a little mission of her own and we were watching over her with Nic. This guy just came out of nowhere flashing the Order’s emblem,” Lance said. He was drowsy on his cot, his eyes heavy lidded despite all the coffee in him. It was a good thing that he didn’t need to pee ever again as an immortal being. “We need to find him.”

  “He took us out and then she had to fight him,” Marcus said. “When we all woke up we found her. She’s in really bad shape.”

  “Good thing she has you clowns to babysit, huh?” Conrad snickered to himself. Lance hid a grin and shared a glance with Marcus. Conrad proclaimed himself to be king of the assholes, but Lance and Marcus knew he was a massive softie inside. In fact, they found out that he’d sent Giselle a bouquet of flowers and a tin of snickerdoodles after she was brought home, making him the biggest sap in the castle. They said nothing and waggled their eyebrows at him. Conrad scoffed and shook his head as he stood up.

  Artrax wrung his hands. “My poor boys. It must have been an ambush.”

  “I’m just worried that the Order is starting to get bolder,” Conrad said quietly. “We need to hit them back hard.” He looked to Marcus and Lance. “And you two need to rest. When you wake up, have a hearty dinner and drink a lot of fluids. I’ll have pain medicine sent up to your rooms.”

  “Send it all to mine,” Lance said. Marcus opened his mouth to protest but Lance stopped him. “You’re worse off than me, so I’m going to watch over you.”

  “That’s now how Babysitters Club works, Lance,” Marcus said with a pout and sad eyes. Lance snorted and gave him a sarcastic smile.

  “Then why are you such a baby?”

  “Clowns, the both of you,” Conrad said and Artrax managed to crack a smile. Marcus and Lance both giggled and got up together, the pair slowly making their way back to the third floor and up to Lance’s bedroom. It was nice and cool in there, and the bed was big and inviting with its thick grey duvet and soft sheets.

  Marcus went and grabbed some of his clothes and changed into clean sweats and a loose shirt, and Lance wore a similar fit. They crawled into the big bed together and lay there staring at the wall, their hands slowly inching closer to one another.

  “We’re gonna be alright,” Lance said. Marcus just nodded.

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m going to take care of you.”

  “Okay.”

  “And we’ll help take care of Giselle. She’ll get better. It’s not like she can die.”

  “Exactly,” Marcus said. Lance didn’t need him to talk, he simply needed his validation. Marcus was more than happy to give it. His fingers brushed up against Lance’s hand and Lance grabbed him and held it tight.

  “We can handle the Order of Shadows,” Lance said. He didn’t sound so sure there. Marcus turned slightly, careful not to rest on the injured part of his stomach.

  “We can handle any enemy that comes our way,” Marcus reassured him. “We’re going to be fine.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Yeah.” Lance raised his hand and kissed it and Marcus turned nearly as red as the Fire sigil glowing in the back of his hand.

  They lay in bed together in absolute silence for several minutes. Marcus spoke at last as his fingers clutched at Lance’s shirt. “We deserve a soft break, love.”

  “Yes,” Lance said as his fingers woven into Marc’s short dark hair. “And we’ll get it.”

  He stroked Marc’s hair and kissed his head. Marcus dozed off as he lay his head on Lance’s chest, and the other man fell asleep against the pillows. The room was cool and comfortable and they slept peacefully. No sound was
heard, as the halls were silent with sleep, and the room insulated enough that Lance’s neighbors could not bother him. They both dreamt of peaceful things, of the back gardens and the orchards with their fruit trees and the berry bushes, boysenberries with cream cheese on bagels in the kitchen with the warm scents of cinnamon and chocolate.

  It was the scent of food that woke them both. Jonathan, another boy, crept into their room with their medicines and a tray of food and coffee for them both. Lance and Marcus groggily downed their pills as Jonathan gave them each a forehead kiss before departing. They rejoiced I’m having a hearty breakfast for afternoon tea, and they dined on coffee with cream and sugar, cinnamon sugar donuts half dipped in real chocolate, and thick breakfast burritos that oozed cheese. The boys tore through them until their bellies were filled with hashbrowns and ground beef and scrambled eggs and peppers.

  Marcus and Lance fell back asleep as the pain meds kicked in and knocked them out with the aid of their full bellies. The pair snored as they became an entanglement of limbs, Marc with his face buried in the crook of Lance’s neck. He felt warm and safe there as he was nestled in Lance’s arms. His wounds didn’t hurt at all thanks to the medicine, and were it not for the slight pressure of the gauze on his stomach, Marcus might have totally forgotten that he was injured.

  The pair slept on into the early evening. Jonathan left them to sleep as he came and took the tray away, and for a whole other hour the pair were undisturbed. Lance dreamt of fire, the warmth of the flames and the smell of the wood smoke as he sat by the fireside and watched it crackle and spark. Somehow he knew that Marcus was dreaming the same thing. He could feel it in his heart and in his fingertips as a warmth like fire’s heat grew there for a moment.

  It was nearly eight at night and just barely dark outside when Artrax came to wake them. Jonathan hesitated in the doorway and looked on as the kind elf padded over in his slippers to the pair of Elementals. He gently shook them awake, careful to mind their bandages. “Come, boys, let’s get you fed. Come and join the others and let their presence help you heal for a while.” Marcus sat up and blinked blearily. He ran a hand through his hair and looked over at Lance.

  “Okay,” Lance said with a slight grin as he stretched. A yawn escaped his mouth and he wiped his eyes.

  “It’ll be good for you two to come out,” Artrax said. “I want to see both of you heal quickly.” He seemed stressed and neither man wasted any time getting out of bed and putting on their own slippers.

  Dinner was cheese stuffed sausages with pasta covered in a cheese sauce made from butter, cream, parmesan, and herbed goat cheese. It was rich and thick and Marc and Lance ate their fill of it, and then they ate some more as Artrax served them bread with tomato sauce, a vegetable broth, and a cheesecake with a thick layer of blueberry compote to finish. The two men ended up laying in the living room and giggling softly to each other as they recovered from their consumption of food.

  “This is the peace I was talking about,” Marcus said. Lance chuckled and squeezed his hand as they managed to migrate slowly to the sofa. “Just us like this.”

  “Yeah,” Lance said as he leaned back on the sofa. Marcus lay his head in his lap and curled up, his fingers curling into Lance’s leg a little. He was unconscious in a minute and Lance stroked his hair, his thumb running over his cheek.

  “You’re beautiful,” Lance murmured softly. He didn’t know if Marcus could hear him or not. Marc made no indication that he did. Lance’s fingers slowly pushed through his hair in a gentle back and forth motion, and Marc’s body relaxed under his touch. “I’ll take care of you.”

  Lance fell asleep with his hand on Marc’s head. He slumped slightly against the massive thick pillow next to him on the sofa and dreamt of kitchen sounds, as the sound of Brett and Matthias making their dinner wasn’t far off. The kitchen was only the next room over, and the largest on the third floor, where all the bedrooms and sitting rooms were.

  Lance dreamt a silly scenario around Matt and Brett’s discussion about pesto, and he woke to the feeling of Artrax entering the room. He blinked and swiveled his head up, feeling very much like he wanted something to drink. It was late at night now and more of the Elementals were emerging from their rooms.

  “There you two are, I wasn’t sure where you went,” Artrax said as he reached them. Marcus didn’t stir yet, and Lance was ready to fall back asleep despite his dry mouth.

  “Water?” Lance begged with his eyes and Artrax smiled.

  “Of course dear, I’ll be right back.” He returned shortly with a pair of glasses filled with lemon ice water. Lance gently woke Marcus and forced him to drink, and when they were both finished they passed the fuck back out right where they were.

  They woke again around one in the morning, and the kitchen bustled with activity. Lance pulled Marcus up and half carried him into the kitchen, helping him into a chair at the big table to sit. Food was good for the Elementals; despite their bodies being energy constructs, food served to help them heal faster. Lance felt quite a bit better than he had before, but he could tell Marcus wasn’t quite back into it yet.

  “How’s Giselle?” Lance made his way over to the breakfast bar and sank into a stool as Artrax brought Marc some lemonade to drink. Dominic looked up from where he was crushing garlic cloves and he smiled a little.

  “She’s able to wake up just enough to eat,” Dominic said. “But that’s a good thing. Hopefully she’ll regain more of her strength in the coming weeks.”

  “I’m sorry, weeks?” Lance was incredulous and Dominic nodded.

  “I don’t know exactly what happened, but she took a pretty crazy hit made up of Dark and Chaos magic. It’s going to take a few weeks, maybe months before she’s back to normal. If she were further in the cycle, she’d be fine, but she’s still too young…” Dominic trailed off as he focused on making a cream pasta for his little princess. He fried up the garlic in olive oil with ham and peppers and peas and chopped onion, and then he added heavy cream and butter and cheese and thick soft noodles. This was how he catered to her, and with a smile on his face too.

  Dominic grated more cheese over the bowl and added a sprinkle of chopped green onions to it. He loaded up a plate with garlic bread, handed Lance two plates for him and Marcus, and promptly took off with a tray of food and lemonade for Giselle. Marcus devoured his bread while Lance steadily chewed through his, and Artrax interrupted Annabelle and Cora’s conversation to get more cheesecake for the boys.

  “What do we do now?” Marc’s fork hovered as he debated between answering Lance’s question or eating the massive bite of cheesecake. He hesitated a second more before answering.

  “We wait for Giselle to get better, and we watch out for the Order of Shadows, duh,” Marc said before cramming blueberry cheesecake into his mouth. Lance smiled a little and politely cut into his slice with his fork.

  “I mean about us.”

  “Oh,” Marcus said around a bite of cheesecake. He paused and set his fork down and took a second to finish swallowing. “Well, we… we’re our own thing, aren’t we?”

  Lance nodded along. “I suppose we are.”

  “Dinner tomorrow? Or tonight, I guess?” Marcus resumed his consumption of cheesecake to hide any sort of ‘feelings’ he might be proffering up.

  “I’d like that,” Lance said. He kicked Marcus under the table and they began to play footsies with each other. It was only a matter of time before they were back in his bed, cuddling and warm together.

  CHAPTER II

  The Princess whimpered in her sleep. Five days since she’d been rescued from atop the desert rock where she’d fought her enemy and tried to save herself, and five days she’d suffered in her bed in absolute agony. Her face was cut to ribbons. The tips of her fingers burned where Light burst through. Every bit of her was bandaged and the sheet she lay on was woven with magic to catch… drainage.

  A few hospital blankets covered her, as Conrad insisted on them for the cleansing spells woven into the
ir fabric. Dominic relented and thus the comfort of her own sheets was sacrificed too. Giselle knew it was silly and that she should feel ridiculous for being upset inside, but she was torn that she couldn’t at least have a moment in her own sheets. Why am I like this? She kept it to herself. Her face was all bandaged up anyways, no one knew her thoughts.

  You don’t have to feel guilty for your thoughts. It was Trax. Dominic’s second eldest brother was telepathic, and Giselle was grateful for his occasional visits over the last few days. She only opened her mouth when some of her bandages were taken off so she could eat, but she couldn’t yet talk. She had a chest infection that weakened her to the point of losing her voice. You’ve never been this hurt before, and that’s saying something. You’ve been hit in the head several times over the last 500 years, after all.

  Giselle managed a slight, silent belly laugh and Trax chuckled along with her. “I’m needed, honey, but Dominic’s here again. You’re safe, okay?”

  Okay, Giselle thought gently, almost to herself. She felt Trax softly squeeze the safe part of her hand.

  “What is it?”

  “Will should have a sample of Champion’s Brew ready in a few more days. He has to be careful so we can’t disturb him.” Dominic sounded cautious but hopeful. Giselle stopped herself from turning her head and she tried to drift off to sleep, but she overheard them anyways.

  “Do you think that will help?” Trax almost seemed skeptical. Giselle thought she heard Dominic shrug.

  “I’ve never tried the potion. Will’s been working on it for weeks now, and it’s a delicate process. According to legend it gives unimaginable power.”

  “Maybe to a mortal,” Trax said, a hint of lament in his voice. “But Giselle is the God of Gods.”

  “And an infant in terms of the cycle,” Dominic said. Giselle slowly drew in a deep breath and tried to sleep so she wasn’t eavesdropping.

  It’s not eavesdropping we’re standing right next to you.