Envisioned (The Elemental Prophecy) (21 page)

This is exactly what I feared would happen, and it was all my fault. Rage consumed me, dominating my other emotions as it took control. When I was close enough, I shook the earth violently to shove them all on their asses. From the surprised expressions on their faces, they hadn't seen me approach. I glanced over to make sure Jace had been able to come up for air, and then I resumed my assault. The men had composed themselves, and were preparing to counterattack, but I had other things in mind. I commanded the wind to blow ferociously, whipping a frenzy around the four Elementals. Sand, rocks, and shells pelted them from every direction, and I erected a protective shield to keep from being injured by my own attack. I directed the wind to circulate around the men before I lifted them up into the beginnings of my tornado. I forced them to ram into each other as they were tossed around inside, spinning faster and faster as I increased the velocity and intensity. Their bodies went limp from the barrage of wind and objects whirling around and into them inside the funnel.

The tornado disappeared as swiftly as I had manifested it. I dropped the four, unconscious Elementals to the ground from about twenty-five feet up, each landing awkwardly from the fall. I rushed out to Jace, who was lying on the beach, waves lapping up to his stomach before receding back out into the ocean. He was lying so still that I feared he was dead, but since my heart was still beating, I knew that wasn't the case. Still, the sight of Jace lying unmoving caused emotions to surface that I had never felt before. Fear, concern, grief, and anger ravaged my body, causing me to tremble from their intensity. I shakily checked his body for injuries, and found several head wounds and bruises to his torso, along with what looked to be a broken rib. I didn't see anything that would render him unconscious, but I thought back to when he was submerged, and realized he probably had water in his lungs. Tears streamed down my face as I began CPR, and after my third set of breaths and chest compressions, Jace finally coughed up the water. He was still dazed, and before I could heal the rest of his injuries, someone pulled him out from under me.

“You, bitch!” Kyle screamed as he tried to drag Jace away from me. He smelled like burnt meat and fabric, and his skin was blistered from burns on his arms and neck. Part of his shirt had been singed away, revealing more burns on his chest. Nothing mattered to me but saving Jace, and my fury once again peaked. I erected a protective shield around Jace, causing Kyle's hand to bounce away from where he once held onto him. I focused on the feelings conjured by this incident, letting the hate, fear, and anger boil within me as I harnessed power, increasing it for my attack. The air vibrated around me, rippling outward with the force of an explosion and sending Kyle backwards into the ocean, about sixty feet away. I returned to Jace, who was now clutching his side where the broken rib was. In return, my side felt like a knife was plunged into it, and I could only imagine what Jace felt. I gently placed my hands on his ribs, causing him to wince. Slowly, I could feel his rib mending itself and popping back into place. I healed the rest of his injuries and then helped him stand up. I softly kissed his lips before we made our way back to the house in silence. I knew his pride was hurt because I saved him, but he would have to get over it.

I led Jace up to our bedroom after answering a multitude of questions from Kiera. I laid him down on our bed after removing his wet clothes, deciding that a bath was probably a bad idea considering he almost drowned. Oh my God, he almost drowned! Tears once again flooded my eyes at the fact that I almost lost him because I stormed off like some bratty child over something so insignificant. The angry expression on his face softened when he saw my tears. He pulled me down next to him and I buried my face in the side of his chest, my head right under his armpit. “I'm so sorry, baby, so sorry,” I cried.

“It's okay, mi amante, I'm fine,” he replied, trying to soothe me.

“No, it's not okay! You almost died because of my stupid tantrum!” I sobbed.

“Well, I didn't because you were there to save me. I think you made up for it.”

“I'll never make up for it. Nothing could ever justify you almost dying.”

“Almost dying—the key word being almost. You saved me, baby. Now let's move on and get over it. We have bigger problems ahead of us. You have to be prepared that I may almost die several times during our journey.”

“No! I promised I would never let anything happen to you. Then I go and leave us both vulnerable to an attack!”

I continued to cry as Jace unsuccessfully tried to calm me down. Never had I ever been this inconsolable, even after waking from the nightmares, but Jace almost dying because of something I did had struck me deep down in our shared soul. Feeling our bond start to slip away from me during the attack was something I never wanted to endure again—I had been so focused on fighting that I couldn't even grasp the severity of it. Now that everything was over, I was assaulted by the raw emotions raging through me, releasing themselves through my tears and racking my body in sobs. He held me to him, my head propped on his chest as he stroked my hair, but it was no use. The day was taxing on my emotions, and what happened was more than I could bear. I was so distraught, I couldn't understand anything that Jace was saying to try to calm me, and, eventually, I cried myself to sleep.

Damn it! I hated when she cried, especially when I couldn't console her. I didn't know what to do since my touch didn't seem to be helping to ease her distress. I was thankful she was sleeping, since using her powers to rescue me surely drained her. I was the one that needed to be the rescuer, to be strong enough to protect her, not the other way around. I wondered if those asshats knew where we lived. They were so close to our home when they attacked, so they must have an idea. I needed to take extra precautions—have a security system installed like the one at my condo, complete with motion sensors, and cameras surrounding the perimeter. At least they couldn't harm Brielle here. If they could, I would have to hire a 24/7 bodyguard to follow her around, and she would hate that.

I loathed that they were using me to get to her. We both knew we were each other's biggest weakness, and so did everyone else that knew we were twin flames. I hoped that Brielle's display would deter another attack, at least for a few days. I wasn't even sure if all of those guys made it out alive—she fucked them up good. She seemed to be favoring Air now that she had learned to use it. I would have to ask her when she woke up. I gazed down at her, my heart wrenching every time she would suck in a few short, shallow breaths like she was still sobbing, even in her sleep.

As soon as she woke up, we needed to discuss Akasha. I regretted lying to her about it, but I only wanted to protect her. Truth was, I had heard the rumors of the One being able to harness Akasha, and I was terrified that Brielle harnessing that much pure energy would kill her. Even with the rumors, I had never heard how she would be able to harness it. I decided I would do some research on the internet, see what I could find. Most would probably be myth, but sometimes what people thought to be myth was in actuality, the truth. I also needed to find out what exactly Kiera had been told, and who had divulged the information to her.

Before I went to talk to Kiera, I decided to call Zane. I slipped out from under Brielle, careful not to disturb her restless slumber. I went downstairs, and called Zane.

“What's up, bro?” he greeted.

“Nothing much. I need a favor,” I replied.

“Everything alright?”

“Yeah, I need you to call the security company and make an appointment for them to come to the new house and install a full package here. More Elementals attacked today,” I replied.

“Is everyone okay?”

“Yeah, Brielle took care of them,” I answered. I didn't want to discuss my attack, so I didn't go into detail.

“I'll take care of it, bro. No worries.”

“Appreciate it. I need one more favor. Can you see what you can find out about Akasha? I know you have some reliable historian contacts,” I said. Zane's parents were close friends with some Elemental historians in the Mt. Olympus community, so I knew they could find out viable information concerning Akasha, and if the One could harness it somehow.

“I'll see what I can find out. Why do you want to know about Akasha?”

“We've heard rumors that Brielle might be able to harness it.”

“No shit? This Prophecy gets crazier and crazier. I'll let you know if I find out anything.”

“Thanks. Hit me up later.”

“Sure thing. Late,” he ended. I hung up the phone, and then sought out Kiera. I knocked on her door, and she got up from her bed to greet me in the open doorway, “What's up?”

“I need to talk to you,” I replied.

“Sure, come on in. Mi casa is su casa, literally,” she attempted to joke. I walked in and sat down on the small loveseat on the far side of the room. She sat down on her bed, opposite me. “So, what do you need to talk to me about,” she asked nervously, rubbing her palms against her jeans.

“Akasha,” I plainly stated.

“Oh…what about it?” she asked, playing dumb.

“You know what. What does it have to do with Brielle? I know you talked to her about it.”

“I don't know what you're talking about,” she lied.

“Really? Then, why does Brielle suddenly have the idea in her head that she is capable of harnessing Akasha, only hours after you arrived?”

She squirmed in her seat on the bed, “I may have heard some rumors, but it's just silly gossip.”

“Tell me what you know. Brielle could be in danger.”

“Danger?! But, how? She doesn't even know how to harness it!” she exclaimed.

“You know how many more Elementals would be after her if they found out she could harness Akasha?” She shook her head, but said nothing. “Look, I don't know who you're protecting, but I don't give a shit. Brielle is my twin flame, not to mention your sister. She could get hurt, even killed because of this. I need to know what you know, and how reliable your source is.”

She looked down at the floor in shame, before softly answering, “I can't tell you who my source is, but they are very reliable. They said that the One would be able to harness Akasha by combining the energies of the four elements.”

“That's all you know? That's all your source told you?” I asked in disbelief.

“They also said that the elements must be balanced in order for Akasha to be harnessed—using too much of any given element will not work. She also must pull from the energy surrounding her. That's all I know, I swear,” Kiera replied.

I thought about this new information. Would Brielle be able to harness Akasha without hurting herself? It would definitely be a valuable resource, but not at the expense of her well-being. I decided to wait until I heard from Zane. I didn't want Brielle to start practicing until I had done some thorough research. My phone snapped me out of my thoughts as it beeped. I checked the text message from Zane:

4:07 PM Zane: Installers will be out tomorrow between 8 and 12

I stood to leave and Kiera asked, “Will Brie be okay, Jace? I never thought this information would put her in danger.”

“I will keep her safe. Tell your source not to discuss this matter with anyone else. The last thing we need is more Elementals finding out.”

“Okay, I will,” she said as I walked out into the hallway. I went back upstairs to find Brielle on the balcony, gazing out into the ocean. I walked up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist before kissing the top of her head. “I'm sorry,” she whispered.

“There is nothing for you to be sorry for, mi amante. Stop blaming yourself.”

She whirled around, her tear-streaked face breaking my heart. “How can I not blame myself?! Those guys came here because of me! They hurt you because of me! You almost died because of me!” she screamed.

“But you saved me—that's all that matters. You can't dwell on this, mi amante. We have to focus on what's to come. Like perfecting your powers and harnessing Akasha,” I replied.

She had her mouth open to argue, but she stiffened in surprise when I threw that last part about Akasha in there. She was speechless for a few moments, but then she said, “Harnessing Akasha? You said earlier that you didn't want me to attempt that.”

“I know, but are you going to listen to me?” I asked.

“Well, no, bu—"

I interrupted her, “Then, I want to be there to make sure you're safe during the whole process. I have Zane researching Akasha, and after he gets back to me, we can start. In the meantime, we need to strengthen your powers more. They are crucial to harnessing Akasha.”