Beach City Blues (Immortal Elements World Series Book 2) Read online

  “Nic,” she said so softly that she almost didn’t hear herself. Dominic slowly went to her and took her hand. He held it to his chest and kept it there for several minutes as he continued to listen, and before touching the screen with his thumb to end the call, he raised her palm and kissed it.

  “We couldn’t have gone, the exhibition was today,” Dominic said. Giselle cocked her head in confusion for a second as she processed what he’d said. She blinked and her lips parted as she met his gaze.

  “What happened?”

  “The ships all blew up at the jumpstart over the beach. It’s absolute chaos,” Dominic said. Giselle gave him a look of horrified understanding.

  “This was planned.”

  “And the Order’s back in full swing.” Dominic said. He let her go and gently brushed past her to head back to their room, but he paused and turned back to her.

  “I need to talk to my brothers, and then Alan and Tristan. I’ll send Cora up, she’s been wanting to hang with you.”

  “And Clara,” Giselle said softly. Dominic gave her a smile and he nodded.

  “And Clara,” he confirmed. His gaze wandered before finding her again. “And also Anna.”

  “And also Anna,” Giselle said, echoing him. Dominic went to her and kissed her forehead, and then he was gone. She sighed, knowing exactly what this meant.

  She was about to be a prisoner in her own home again.

  CHAPTER II

  Giselle sat in the hot bath and sighed. She’d added rose petals and rose infused olive oil to the water, and before that she’d poured in a jug of chamomile tea. Her fingers reached up to her scalp and she massaged in the second round of raw aloe she’d scraped up from the plant in her study. She leaned back and rinsed it out, grimacing as the last few little bits of ash left her hair. The shower got most of it, but not all of it. Another sigh escaped her lips. Sometimes this was exhausting.

  I’m so spoiled, Giselle thought. She flexed her toes and got to work washing and combing her hair. A tune came to her and she hummed softly to herself as she rubbed in the rose oil and the scented butter soap. Giselle was glad that she didn’t feel too bad about the vampire she’d been forced to fight, but she was terrified about the terrorist attack.

  Dominic worked so hard to reduce the Order down, and now it seemed likely for nothing. She was sure that right now he was looking for advice, and she knew the Elementals were forming a team to go up North to Morcia’s coastline. Giselle was likely not going to be part of that team. No, she’d be kept in the castle, as that was the necessary thing to protect her. She had no right to be upset, and she reminded herself of that as she rinsed her hair again. I can handle being inside for a few months. I can handle not going on a dangerous mission.

  She still wanted to join the others. Giselle could fight. She was adept with magic.

  I got myself here, didn’t I? I succeeded at saving myself with the Moment, didn’t I?

  Am I not the Great God of prophecy?

  I’m also a big silly, Giselle thought and she ended that conversation with herself. She refused to be a fool. If the others thought it best for her to stay inside, then she would, for as long as needed. Giselle knew she had to heed the word of her guardians, especially since they’d given up the enjoyment of working as a guild to help the common people to focus solely on protecting her.

  That’s their first priority anyways, you took nothing from anyone, Giselle told herself. Your existence has its burdens, as does theirs. The other Elementals know what their job is.

  I need to get out of my head . Giselle forced herself to breathe and she wiggled her toes again. With a few tilts of the head she cracked her neck and felt much better.

  “Princess?” Giselle gasped as she heard Cora in her room.

  “Ah, I’m in the bath,” she said sheepishly. “I apologize, Cora, I lost track of time.”

  “You’re fine honey,” Cora said as she popped her head into the large bathroom and grinned. “You guys have such a cool apartment.”

  “You say that like yours isn’t stunning,” Giselle said as she craned her neck to see her friend. Cora invited herself in further with silent permission from Giselle. She grabbed a bottle of oil and rubbed a tiny amount into her fingertips and ran it through the ends of Giselle’s hair as she knelt by the tub.

  “It is pretty awesome to hang out in there all day,” Cora said with a wink, and Giselle was certain that it was an invitation. “I’m probably going to stay here instead of going on the mission. It’s going to be long, the others are going to do a mix of search and rescue and clean up. Oh, and hunting the Order of Shadows, too.”

  I’m going to miss out on so much, Giselle thought. She gently chided herself again and paused those thoughts altogether. “Thank you,” she said quietly to Cora for oiling her hair. Cora smiled a little as she finished up.

  “You’re welcome,” she replied. “What are you wearing?”

  “No idea,” Giselle said. Cora clutched at her chest dramatically.

  “What? The Princess doesn’t know what she’s wearing? This is a national tragedy, surely.” Giselle laughed and accepted the towel as Cora handed it to her. She got out and dried herself with magic, not wasting any time. With a touch of magic Giselle’s hair twisted into soft curls as it dried into dirty blonde. She plucked a blue dress with lace on the bodice and slightly puffed sleeves with a long skirt. It was pale like the day, and Giselle felt it suited her mood and the weather. The dress felt cold as she did.

  I need to go to Conrad for my injection, Giselle reminded herself as she slipped on her shoes. She greeted Clara and Annabelle and cleaned out the tub with a swipe of magic, and she excused herself briefly to go and get her ADHD shot from the infirmary. One brief sting later she returned with homemade iced coffee for the girls, and she finished her chocolate from Lucille’s before starting the fresh cup.

  “I think we’re going to have a Babysitters Club situation here,” Clara said as she stirred her drink. The four girls sat on Dominic and Giselle’s bed, each with a coffee in hand. “It’ll be us, then Will and Conrad, Nic, and Lance and Marcus are all staying behind. Everyone else is going, I think.”

  “Dominic already made the plan, then?” Giselle knew he liked to be efficient but this seemed quick. I must have been in the bath longer than I thought.

  “I think that’s his default,” Clara said. Annabelle nodded as she sipped her coffee, and she looked between the other women. “Babysitters Club either stays or goes, and I know he isn’t leaving you.”

  “He hates being apart from her,” Anna said. “He will literally freak out.”

  “It’ll be fine if he’s staying, because she won’t get bored. It’s a win.” Clara reached over and petted Giselle like one would a cat, leaving all four of them in stitches after a minute of this action. Giselle blinked a few times as she adjusted herself.

  “So,” she said. “Did he say anything about the vampire?”

  “What vampire?” Annabelle gently slapped her shoulder. “This morning? Wait, was it this morning? GISELLE, no, oh no! No, really?” Giselle nodded along as she spoke.

  “I saw he had a sunlight ring on his hand, so I just blew his hand off and he disintegrated.”

  “Nice,” Clara and Cora said in unison. Annabelle grinned and took her hand and shook it.

  “Ay, that’s pretty good! You’re getting better at being more efficient with your magic, I’m proud of you.” Giselle blushed and tried to keep calm. She’d been the immature brat for so long, she didn’t want to ruin her progress by saying something silly.

  “Thank you,” she said. “I think while everyone else is gone, we could do some training together?”

  “That’s a good idea,” Anna said as she tucked a stray curl of red hair back into place behind her braid. She leaned back so she was more against the pile of embroidered pillows. “If the others really do all go, and it’s that big of a mission, I’m gonna see if I can get Terrence to stay. I’d like to spend some time with him.”

  “My brother really likes orange preserves,” Giselle said. She saw Anna’s face light up. “He’s all about biscuits and scones. If you made him up a big basket, he’d marry you tomorrow.”

  “It’s not hard to please a man,” Anna said. “It’s always the stomach.” She seemed pleased with this new information. Terrence was so sweet to her, and she liked to indulge him in return.

  “I think it’s cute to feed the person you love. It shows how much you care and pay attention to them,” Clara said and she smiled at Giselle. Giselle liked to cook for everyone , and she was always buying treats in bulk for the castle and its thirty other occupants.

  “Lance and Marcus feed each other garbage. Last week I saw them bake an entire tray of stuffing, a whole tray of macaroni and cheese, like the ten silver kinds of cheese, and then they made a huge pot of mashed potatoes and gravy, and then they put it all in a giant bowl and ate it.” Giselle was nearly blue in the face by the time she finished that sentence. Her meds hadn’t really kicked in yet and it showed.

  “You would totally eat that, wouldn’t you?” Anna couldn’t hide her amusement and Clara resumed petting Giselle like a cat. Giselle managed to nod. She certainly would eat a concoction of that nature, had she the opportunity. Cora laughed loudly and the other girls joined in. Giselle felt much better about everything and she leaned her head on Anna’s shoulder as they settled down and set their cups aside.

  “I think you and Terrence are good together,” Giselle said quietly as Anna patted her head. “You guys are always so happy. You’re like sunshine.”

  “You’re my sunshine,” Anna said as she kissed Giselle’s forehead. The Princess smelled like rose and jasmine perfume, and her lips like apple pie from her gloss. Giselle was soft and warm a
nd the snuggliest person in the castle. She curled up against Anna and didn’t jump as the sound of thunder clapped outside. Giselle smiled to herself as the first drops of rain hit the balcony outside the double doors. St. Leon was going to storm today, and she felt a bit of peace.

  Rain to wash away the evil, she thought. Her mind drifted to the thought of exploding airships and her heart ached for the innocent. I want to help, she thought, but with her magic, sometimes the best help was to stay put. That was a bitter pill she was still learning to swallow.

  Anna stroked her head and Giselle drifted off into a doze, and her dream sparked and turned into a million colors as her subconscious tried to relive the Moment.

  -

  Dominic sat at the long kitchen table with his eldest brother next to him at the head. The table was carved from a single tree, an ancient sequoia made into this gorgeous piece. It was spacious in the kitchens, and the most popular hangout spot on the third floor of the castle, which is where most of the Elementals spent their days. The castle was very big for thirty people, so they mostly stayed on the one floor. The infirmary and large training room were on the second floor, so sometimes Conrad or some of the others were down there, but Dominic preferred the comfort of up here. In all his 500 years, he admittedly still had to explore much of his home. Dominic just didn’t bother.

  He sighed and sank back into his chair and Ellario patted his hand. “It’ll be alright,” the older man said. He didn’t really look older, thanks to the joy of immortality, but he was older in his demeanor and how he spoke to his younger brothers. Dominic was the baby of the four Aeris boys. He held back a grin as Ellario poked the side of his nose. “We’ll get through this ordeal with the Order as best we can.”

  “You’re staying too, though, right? Me, the rest of Babysitters Club, you, uhhh, who else?”

  “No, I think you’ve got it,” Ellario said. “When is everyone leaving?”

  “In a few hours,” Dominic said. “It won’t be long. Alan’s getting everyone ready.”

  “He’s good at that,” Ellario said. “He’s done well as team leader.” Dominic smiled a little and he gazed at the wall as if remembering something. “And Giselle?”

  “In our room with some of the girls,” Dominic replied. “She handled that vampire this morning like a champion. It was quick and clean. She surprised me.”

  Ellario smiled. “She’s something, isn’t she? For all her self doubt, she always rises to the occasion.” He saw Dominic’s cheeks turn a little pink at the thought of Giselle’s strength, and he decided to stroke Nic’s ego too. “I can say the same about you.”

  “What? I don’t doubt myself.” Dominic scoffed but Ellario could only laugh.

  “You do, but not in the way she does,” Ellario said as he rested his head in his hand, his gaze still firmly on Dominic. “You’re always worried you won’t save her in time, but you always do.”

  “Yeah, and you know we’ll help you.” Dominic turned to see Lance come up next to him. They shared a fist bump and Marcus slid up next to Lance, the Fire Elemental wearing a broad grin on his face.

  “So, we're gonna party while everyone’s gone?” He seemed eager about something , and Dominic could tell that he had a plan forming in his mind.

  “He wants to go to the movies and do the marathon showing for the superhero shit,” Lance said. “You know that’ll make Giselle happy.”

  “It would, but I want to go on patrol tonight and tomorrow then, first,” Dominic said. Lance and Marcus nodded in agreement and he breathed out a subtle sigh of relief. Once upon a time they’d been less cohesive as a team, but the Babysitters Club was much stronger now than several hundred years prior.

  “Giselle could cast a purifying spell using the castle,” Ellario said. “If she’s willing to hang out on the fifth floor and activate that spell circle.”

  “She doesn’t have to do it alone,” Dominic said, and his gaze shifted from his brother to the other two. Lance and Marcus nodded.

  “We got you.”

  “I don’t think that’s necessary,” Trax, Dominic’s second eldest brother said as he came up to the table and sat across from Dominic. The psychic gave Nic a gentle smile. “Besides, she’s asleep right now.”

  “Giselle is always either sleepy or hyper as fuck,” Marcus said. Everyone at the table laughed. Ellario nodded in agreement with Trax as he thought it over for a second, and Dominic relaxed. It was only one vampire.

  Maybe the Order sent him and did the attack around the same time to distract? Who knows. If Dominic found another member of the Order, he’d extract whatever information he could out of them. He didn’t like not knowing what they were up to, and unfortunately he never knew what they were up to. Dominic only knew their goal, and it sent chills down his spine when he dwelled on it.

  “I’m staying too,” Trax said. “But I’m not much of a combat person, anyways.”

  “That’s fair,” Ellario said. “Plus, I’m happy that all my little brothers will be here.”

  “Right, Conrad’s staying too.”

  “I thought he’d be going if search and rescue is necessary,” Marcus said.

  “He has to stay for Princess.”

  “Right, priorities,” Marcus said. He shot Lance a look, and Dominic caught that out of the corner of his eye.

  Something tells me movie day is also going to be a date , Dominic thought. His gaze flicked to Trax’s face and his elder brother smirked back at him.

  It will be , Trax said psychically to him. And I’m going to crash it.

  Nerd. Trax grinned and Ellario looked between the two of them with a look of confusion on his face. He shrugged and grinned and Marcus turned red at the realization that the brothers were onto him.

  It was at that moment that Annabelle swanned into the kitchen with empty cups to clean, and she looked over at them. “What are you clowns going on about?”

  “We’re going on patrol tonight, you wanna come?”

  Anna looked to Dominic and he gave her a shrug. It was her choice. After a brief pause she nodded. “I could use the air.”

  “Everything alright?” Lance beckoned for her to come sit and Anna left the cups to wash themselves, and a moment after she walked away they flew through the air and did just that. She walked by the broom sweeping the floor by itself and sat at the table next to Trax. A sigh broke from her lips.

  “When was the last time a vampire so brazenly showed up in St. Leon and attacked someone?”

  Dominic remembered the incident. A citizen had been turned by a dormant curse gene, and killed his family. It was a freak accident of nature and magic that ended in tragedy, but a vampire hadn’t been seen in St. Leon since. Something about the city’s protective spells tended to keep them away, but now one had attacked Giselle in broad daylight.

  If the Order was going to get bolder, so was Dominic. “Let’s get out an hour before sundown,” he said. He had a job to do, just like everyone else.