Forgotten Elements

All I could do was gape at Parker. How was this even possible? I’d never considered us to be well-suited for each other. He got on my nerves more often than not. I always figured if I met my fated mate, he’d be like me. I wasn’t referring to being an elemental but our personality types.

Amidst my shock, I noticed how Parker wasn’t the least bit surprised by this new revelation. It wasn’t like with Ander or Koa, where he was hiding his thoughts or anything like that. “You knew.”

“I suspected,” he corrected, brushing a wet strand of hair from my face. He was still inside me, his arms wrapped around me, and our faces were only inches apart. The faintest traces of the bond filled my chest with a warming tingling energy that buzzed with our new connection.

“Were you planning on telling me?”

He gave a rueful smile as he shook his head. “Like I said, I suspected. I didn’t know for sure. On the off chance I was wrong, revealing my suspicion would only cause more harm than good. If I was right, I wanted the bond to form naturally.” He shrugged, unabashed by his actions.

Conflicting emotions fought within me. I wanted to be pissed that he hadn’t said anything, but at the same time, I understood his reasoning and why he’d be hesitant to tell me his suspicions.

A rustling came from the forest, drawing my attention to an animal that vaguely looked like a rabbit but was at least three feet in length. It wasn’t paying us any mind, so I didn’t dwell on it for too much longer.

“We should probably discuss Damon,” I said with a sigh, knowing we should table this discussion for now.

Parker groaned as he lifted me, and his cock slid free. I understood his reluctance, feeling it myself and wishing this moment could’ve lasted longer. Unfortunately, we still had a lot of shit to deal with. Parker carried me out of the water, setting me on the soft grass, full of pure life and vitality. It wasn’t like the Land of plenty but more like our realm.

With a couple of flicks of his hand, Parker conjured clothes for us. The clothes he picked for me were practical and neutral toned, but they were still in the loose and flowing style I preferred. He also abstained from conjuring any shoes for me, knowing my disdain for them.

I didn’t bother wasting energy evaporating the elemental water from our bodies since it wouldn’t harm us. I remembered how much of a pain in the ass it was to evaporate it from Jade, but then again, the situation had been different. That elemental water had been summoned. Until then, I hadn’t known it was possible, but as a result, it was different than normal. We’d always been cautioned against recklessly using elemental water and fire due to how temperamental they could be and the amount of skill needed to control them.

“Was I imagining things, or did he have purple hair?” I asked once we were dressed. I knew humans dyed their hair, but that wasn’t a thing in other realms.

“You weren’t imagining things, but that’s not even the strangest part,” Parker said, pulling his drenched hair back into a low bun. “His magic, it reminded me of what I felt around Emmy, only stronger.”

“What race?” Based on how he said they needed an elemental to help me, I figured he wasn’t one.

Parker hesitated as he rubbed his jaw. “That’s the other strange part. I sensed two races: sorcerer and summoner.”

“Are you sure?” I didn’t mean to insult his abilities and instincts, but that was impossible.

“I know what I felt. He has an animal spirit and sorcerer magic. And his father? He has elemental and blood magic. Maybe things are different with their kind,” Parker said, his frustration apparent.

“Where are they?” I asked as I looked around, hoping they weren’t nearby to witness what just happened.

“They’re probably back at his father’s house.”

“Do you think we can trust them?” It was rare for strangers to randomly help out, without asking for something in return. It wasn’t something I’d expect from those who were the same species as a cursed sister and had strange inconsistencies about their races.

“That remains to be seen, but they didn’t have to help us. They could’ve let you die. Maybe they’ll be willing to at least tell us where we are,” Parker said as he led the way down a worn path through the forest.

I’d never seen trees like these before. Their bark was smooth and pastel yellow. White circular leaves the size of my head decorated the branches. The trunks were a few feet in circumference, and the trees weren’t densely packed. They were fairly short, only forty, maybe fifty feet tall.

We didn’t talk as we followed the trail, not wanting to be caught off guard. Eventually, we came across a two-story house, which was made up of wood that was similarly colored to the trees. Damon was sitting on the steps leading up to the house, with an elbow resting on his bent knee as he stroked his chin.

As we entered the clearing surrounding the house a loud flapping sound filled the air as downward gusts of wind pulled at our clothes and hair, drawing our focus to the sky. I gasped as I clutched Parker’s arm in a tight hold. “No way,” I whispered, my voice drowned out by all the sounds.

It was a fucking dragon, but not just any dragon: this was a summoner. Even at this distance, I could feel the magic, and while it was different from Mythic summoners, there were many similarities.

Damon wasn’t fazed by the silver and black dragon’s sudden appearance, hopefully that meant it came in peace.

As the dragon descended and we moved back toward the trees, a man exited the front door of the house. I could only assume he was Damon’s father. They looked nothing alike, with the father’s bronze skin several shades darker and his hair vastly different than his son’s. His curly hair went a little past his shoulders, and I’d have a hard time classifying him as blonde. His hair almost appeared like it was made from gold.

My focus didn’t remain on him for long, returning to the dragon landing in front of the house. Its head turned toward us, and its golden eyes gave us a slow once-over. I held my breath and only released it when the dragon finally turned away.

I couldn’t help but cringe at the sounds of bones snapping as the dragon’s body contorted and began shrinking. As it shrunk the scales began disappearing, changing into smooth, pale skin. Within seconds, the dragon was gone, and a silver-haired woman was in its place. She was on her hands and knees, and she was completely naked. My gaze immediately averted, and I reached up to cover Parker’s eyes.

The woman tapped on a bracelet, and before I could wonder how she could be wearing a bracelet and not anything else, clothes materialized on her body. She wasn’t tall; I’d put her at around 5’3” maybe a little taller. Her legs were bare, allowing me to see a script trailing down her left leg and onto the top of her bare foot. Even though she was almost twenty feet away, I’d know that writing anywhere. We saw a shit ton of it in the haunted hotel.

This was all connected, and it couldn’t have been an accident we ended up in this realm.

The woman appeared to be in her late twenties, but if she was anything like our kind, she could be any age. “Is this them?” She asked as she headed toward the house, her voice light and not what I expected.

She bent down to kiss the top of Damon’s head as she passed and headed toward the golden-haired man. He towered over her, but that didn’t matter when he picked her up to kiss her. I had to look away, feeling like I was intruding on a personal moment.

Parker pulled my hand away from his eyes, reminding me I was still covering them. He didn’t release my hand and instead, threaded his fingers through mine and gave a comforting squeeze before guiding me toward the house.

By the time we neared the steps, the couple was done with their greetings, and the woman was facing us again, her golden eyes carefully assessing us. “You didn’t say it was a fated mate couple.”

I nearly stumbled, surprised she could sense the brand-new bond.

“It wasn’t there before we left them at the lake,” Damon said as he pushed himself to his feet.

The woman’s gaze dropped to our joined hands before landing on me. “If the bond isn’t complete in the next few months, consider cutting off his dick,” she said before heading into the house with her chuckling mate close behind her. There were traces of an accent that I hadn’t heard from her son. I couldn’t place it, but there was something familiar about it. I didn’t have time to focus on her accent though, not with the words that had just come out of her mouth and Parker’s reaction.

Whenever a man’s dick was threatened—even if it wasn’t their own—most men winced, maybe even dropping a hand to cover it as if that would help protect their junk. Even Damon winced at the threat before entering the house.

I was just barely able to hold back my laughter, both at her words and the men’s reactions. “As long as it stays far away from other women, you’ll be allowed to keep it,” I said with a small chuckle as we walked across the porch.

His light laughter had me stopping and turning to look up at him. “You don’t have to worry about that Firecracker. I haven’t touched another woman since the moment I laid eyes on you,” he murmured.

“What?” I couldn’t string together words in a sentence as I struggled to process his words.

I technically never saw another woman entering or leaving his house, nor had I seen him going out at night or mentioning another woman. I just assumed there were other women based on his personality. He seemed like the kind of guy that had a string of one nightstands. There was also the fact that it had been months. He’d gone without sex for almost eight months.

I didn’t need Ari to confirm he was telling the truth. I could easily read it from his expression.

“I told you,” he said as he cupped my cheeks. “I had a strong suspicion you were my mate because after I met you, no other woman could compare in my eyes. You’re the only woman I want and have wanted since the moment you mouthed off to me.”

“Now I feel like an asshole for sleeping with those other guys,” I said weakly, guilt simmering in my stomach.

He chuckled as he pushed my hair away from my face. “You didn’t know, and anyways, based on the state of you when you returned home, they couldn’t give you what you needed or completely satisfy you.”

Ever since he came into the picture, my attempts at having my needs satisfied had become more and more spaced out. He was right. Whenever I did have sex with another man lately, my needs were never satiated. It was like a itch I couldn’t reach. My lack of satisfaction was only made worse when I came home, and he’d be sitting on his steps, almost like he’d been waiting for me. It must’ve killed him knowing I was with other men.

“If it makes you feel better, the last time I tried being with another man, it ended abruptly after I nearly called out your name.” At the time, I’d been mortified, but now I was laughing alongside Parker.

His thumbs brushed over my cheeks, and as his lips touched mine, I heard the woman ask, “Do you think they’ve forgotten we’re still here?”

“They can hear you, Mom,” Damon said back, not bothering to whisper like her.

“How am I supposed to know? I don’t know how well Mythics’ hearing is. I’ve never met one before.”

“A human could’ve heard you,” he said with a sigh.

Parker dropped a kiss on my forehead as he chuckled before guiding me inside.

I couldn’t put my finger on it, but there was something about the woman that seemed familiar. I’d have to let it go for now, chances were that it would come to me later when I wasn’t thinking about it.