I know, it's been AGES since I've posted something new. It's been tough with everything going on with health issues and otherwise. I apologize for the long absence and appreciate all the positive wishes everyone has sent me over the past year, 2019 has been a stressful one. 

I do have a new story, Time Ryder, out on Amazon in the anthology, The Mage's Apprentice! (Hit a #1 New Release on Amazon and #2 Best-Selling book.) Don't kill me, I wrote that story for publication nearly a year and a half ago and it's only now published. You might want to pick up the book--the stories are really good.

Anyway, here's to 2020 and finishing up this series! I hope you enjoy this instalment. :)

One curtain at the far end of Elena's room was drawn and the other left partially open. Not a trace of the earlier grey clouds remained, and the bright morning sun peered through the wooden slats.

See. He rubbed tiny circles on my back. I told you, you could get us here.

Elena cleared her throat, and Kellan glanced over at her.

"Stop looking so shocked." Kellan flipped me onto my back and kissed my nose. With a wide grin plastering his face, he extended a hand to help me up. "Of course she chose me."

"You may be our First, but it's not like Wren didn't have other options." Elena fanned herself. "Hot and powerful..."

Kellan crossed his arms over his chest and raised a brow. His grin faded from his lips.

"But I'm glad she did." Elena climbed off the bed then tossed her arms around me. "Because now I have a sister!"

"Well, at least I have one vote of confidence." I coughed and she gave me a final squeeze. "Because I don't think your mom or brother like me."

"Who cares? They don't get a say." She plopped down on the edge of her bed. "So I take it you worked things out with the Fire Circle?"

I wondered if he wanted me to tell her or not. When I didn't answer her, her gaze shifted from me to Kellan.

"You did work it out, right?" Her posture straightened.

"Well..." I cringed, waiting for her reaction.

"What about the contract?" She stumbled back until her legs hit the edge of the bed and plunked down on her butt. "The council is going to..." She glanced from Kellan to me. "You two are crazy. You know that, right?" Her forehead creased as if she was trying to figure something out. "What in the Circle's name are you wearing?"

"Um, well..." My face flushed hot. "It's not what you think, really." I hugged the length of cloth close to my chest.

"Is that a sheet?" Her eyes widened, and she bounced on the bed once, letting out a squeal. "Does this mean you two are official, official?"

"You never were one for tact, huh?" Kellan wrapped his arms around me, showing off his new ring. "It's not colored in."

She pouted, grabbed a pillow, and chucked it at the two of us. "It's dark in here, and she's wearing a sheet. What am I supposed to think?"

"My clothes are trash and smell horrible." I adjusted my grip on the sheet and gave her a tentative smile. "At least this is clean."

Elena sighed, shook her head, and climbed off the bed. "Come on." She grabbed my hand. "I'm sure we'll be able to find you something that fits from my closet. While we search, you can fill me in on all the details on how this"—she pressed her index finger to the ring marking Kellan's arm—"happened."

***

Elena's gasped and pulled her feet up onto the plush velvet armchair, wrapping her arms around her nightgown clad legs. "He drugged them?"

I nodded, slipped the teal Water Circle shirt over my head, and pulled my hair free.

Kellan groaned behind me. Even though I couldn't see him with my back to turned to change, I couldn't help imagining him running a hand through his hair and crossing his arms.

"What was I supposed to do?" he said, pausing a moment before continuing. "Jaxon had you both checked into the same room at the inn."

"About that..." I tapped him on the shoulder. "How exactly did you know where I was?"

Kellan stepped forward, then tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. "I have my sources."

His sea breeze scent washed over me, making me relax and wish we didn't have to leave, that we could stay in each other's arms forever. "Uh-huh." I raised a brow. "Do tell."

"I had a little help or should I say, you did." He tugged my hand free and placed it on the small of his back. "When I left the council, there was a kid wearing a tan tunic waiting for me. He said his mother had sent him to take me to you, muttering something about a prophecy."

"At first, I doubted him, but the closer we got to the inn, the more our bond buzzed. I knew you were inside." He rubbed his chin. "You know, I never even got his name before he ran off."

"It's Pedri." The image of his little round face and beckoning wave toward his father's shop swirled in my thoughts. "His mother is a seer." I rubbed my wrist, recalling her grip and creepy foretelling about love.

"Hey..." Kellan faced his sister with his brows knit together. "How did you get back so quickly?"

Elena leaned back into the chair. "I paid Travis to take me." She wiggled her toes against the seat cushion. "He wouldn't stop talking about Jessica the whole trip. It was really quite annoying."

"He can have her," Kellan mumbled into my hair.

I relaxed into him and giggled.

"So, what's the plan?" Elena asked.

All wide eyed, Elena reminded me of how I used to sit at the kitchen table and listen to Gran tell stories about my dad. But as far as her question, my plan was more of a wish list than an action plan.

"Any idea where our Mother and Stephan are?" Kellan said, breaking the silence.

"I was sleeping, remember?" Elena yawned and rubbed her eye with the heel of her hand. "Stephan's probably off plotting your demise and mother is no doubt encouraging him with her undying support." She let her feet slip from the seat cushion and stood. "Do you have any idea how horrible they've been since you left? Whatever you need me to do to help, I'm in, as long as you promise me one thing."

"What's that?" I asked, wondering what Elena could want.

"Don't die." A tiny grin spread over her face. "That and have lots of children. I never want to see Stephan sitting on the Water Circle throne." She shuddered, letting out a soft giggle and a lock of her dark hair bounced over her shoulder. "Huh, I guess that's two things."

My throat went dry like every drop of saliva had evaporated from my tongue. Did she say, kids? The mere thought of running my hands over Kellan's naked chest sent tingling shivers down my arms, forget imagining anything more than that. I need some water. I tugged at the shirt, trying to ignore my racing heart and cool myself down at the same time.

The corners of Kellan's lips twisted into a playful smile like he'd been listening to my thoughts. He pulled me into a hug from behind. "What do you mean, don't die? I've been whipping Stephan since I turned eighteen."

"And has he ever played fair?" Elena tilted her head to the side.

Kellan kissed my temple. "So he's a cheat. He can challenge me all he likes—he won't beat me. Your point?"

She walked back into the main area and spun around. "He's up to something. I know it."

Kellan led me back into her bedroom with his fingers hooking mine.

"Well, we'll just have to deal with that problem, after we get my dad out of Otis's prison."

"Agreed." Kellan gave my hand a squeeze. "Just one quick pitstop before we leave."

"Oh no, we don't." With my feet rooted to the ground, I let my hand slip from his when he stepped forward. "Have you met Sage? She'll want to string you up when she realizes I'm missing."

"You're breaking into the treasury, aren't you?" Elena clapped and bounced on her toes.

"There is only one way to pay the dowry."

"Mess-up Stephan's perfectly tallied treasury? We haven't done that since we were teens." Elena cracked her fingers and with her nightgown flowing around her ankles she stretched an arm high above her head like a gymnast limbering up. "This is going to be fun."

Kellan chuckled and shook his head. "You might want to change first."

"You're robbing a bank?" A sense of unease swept over me.

"Nah." Elena grabbed a shirt and pants from a drawer. "The money is Kellan's to run the Circle with. Stephan just acts like it's his."

"We used to plan for days, strategizing new ways to outmaneuver Stephan's surveillance systems." Kellan closed the distance between us. "It's a game we played as kids."

"Sure, I get it. Lots of kids play cops and robbers." I placed my hands on my hips. "But they don't actually rob banks."

"Remember how crazy he'd get when he'd find a single stone missing?" Elena slipped on the pants under her gown, ignoring me. "I swear, treasury reconciliation is his favorite time of year."

"How will he feel about being out a few million? Because I'm pretty sure it will take at least that to break the contract with Jax." Another knot looped in my stomach. "It's not like Stephan likes me—I mean at all, and he doesn't need two-million reasons more."

"He's going to be miserable for days." Elena giggled while she tossed a shirt on over the top of her nightgown. A moment later her arms disappeared through the sleeves, and the gown fell to the floor. After stuffing her arms through the shirt sleeves, she pulled her long locks free, and they bounced down her back. Even though she'd just crawled out of bed and hadn't even run a comb through her hair, she looked like she was ready to shoot the cover of a magazine. "At least until he figures out Kellan took it." She padded over and took me by the shoulders. "Relax. This is going to be fun." She released her grip and headed toward the door. "Meet you down there."

The door clicked shut behind her.

"Kellan, you're not serious. Can't you just make a withdrawal or something?"

"And let my brother know I'm here?" Kellan's eyes glowed a faint blue before fading back to their typical aqua. "No way. I don't need him to find out I'm trying to break the Fire Nation's contract with you. That large of a sum will definitely have him asking questions, all of which I can answer after we rescue your dad, pay the dowry, and we're back here safe and sound."

Kellan's rational thinking made it easy to see him running the Water Circle. He interlaced his hands around my lower back, sending tiny tingles shooting up my back.

My breath hitched, and I licked my lips. "I know what you're doing."

"Oh?" Kellan's nose brushed mine. "What's that?"

Our bond buzzed, making me light-headed. "You're trying—"

He lowered his lips to mine, cutting off my words. The moment his mouth touched mine, an intoxicating wave washed through me. I ran my tongue along his, and my core melted. He deepened his kiss, and the light filtering in through the window faded. Seconds later, the chilly air cooled my flushed cheeks, and I had goosebumps covering my arms. I already wished I had my old hoodie from my room back at Gran's. I pulled from our kiss and smacked his arm.

"I'm not your personal teleporter."

"No, you're not." He grinned, making the tiny freckles on his nose wrinkle. "But, you did get us in here unseen."

"Hey you two, what took you so long?" Elena peeled off the wall, still buckling a vest around her chest. The front and back appeared to contain some kind of liquid, reminding me of a water bladder someone back home in Swallow Falls might take to go hiking or running. She tossed a second vest at Kellan. When he caught it, the contents inside it made a sloshing sound. "Ready to have some fun?"

"What's with the aqua vests?"

Kellan pointed to the purple stone lining the hallway leading to what I could only guess was the treasury. "Auralite blocks water talents from pulling moisture from the ground and air." He pulled on the vest and tugged the strap tight. "Do you want to wait here or come with us? It should only take us a few minutes."

"Says the guy who hasn't done this in over five years." Elena stood on one leg, wrapping her fingers around her ankle stretching out her leg. "I'm planning on beating our all-time record."

Kellan's lip curled northward. "I guess it's time for a little sister butt-whipping." He shrugged, shook out his arms and glanced over his shoulder at me. "Do you think you'll be okay for a few minutes? I don't want to—"

"Intrude on your sibling rivalry? Never." I hugged my arms tight to my chest, hoping this competition would be as quick as they both claimed. "By all means, proceed."

Kellan adjusted the water vest, squeezed my shoulder, then kissed my forehead. "I'll be right back." He turned to face the end of the long hallway. "Right after I teach Elena here a lesson not to mess with her big brother."

"That's a lot of talk for someone who's been away for three years." She adjusted her stance as if readying herself for the fifty-yard dash.

Kellan stretched an arm overhead, his leather bracelet laced with at least twenty stones slid down his wrist. He placed the toe of his shoe at the seam where the stone slabs met the hallway's natural rock floor. "Ready?"

Elena nodded, then focused on the wall at the end of the hallway. "Go!"

They took off. The echoes of their feet pounding the stone floor filled the space. Kellan pulled ahead of Elena. When Kellan rounded the corner out of sight, our bond yanked taught, demanding I follow.

I swallowed and pressed my shoes to the floor. This leash wasn't going to control me. My left hand started to shake. I glanced down the now empty hallway and hugged my arms tight to my chest.

A man's voice broke the silence behind me and said, "You should have alerted me the moment those vests disappeared."

"I swear, we only noticed—" another man answered.

By their hurried footsteps, they were coming down the stairs fast. Kellan, we have company. I fumbled to pull my necklace free, wrapped my fingers around my necklace and vanished from view just as Stephan rounded the bottom of the stairs.

His gaze lingered on the spot where I stood, stroked his chin, then turned his sight down the hall. "Kellan is here."

*****

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