Caution to the Wind: Book One of the Elementals Series Read Free

standard for her to follow-up any noticed use of her abilities with an apology. She didn’t have an answer for him otherwise. She stayed quiet and avoided looking at him.
    He sighed. “You have powers, Loren. I know because I saw. And I saw because I was making sure you got home all right after what happened.”
    Loren nodded as she worried her lip with her teeth. That answered some of the questions. What made him care enough to save her in the first place? What was this business about her saving the world? And who was this we he mentioned? Who was he ?
    Her hand trembled when she ran her fingers through her hair. “I’m just…” she trailed off, unable to finish her thought, much less the sentence. Her gaze went elsewhere, but she kept him in her peripheral vision.
    His weight shifted from one foot to another. “It’s confusing. I know.”
    Loren sighed and looked back to him. His arms folded across his chest again.
    “Confusing doesn’t even begin to cover it. What—how am I supposed to help save the world?” That was the big question.
    “I can’t explain it. Not right now. It…” His robotic voice fell briefly silent before he sighed. “It’s more than complicated. All you need to know right now is we need you. I can’t explain it more than that.”
    “Helpful.” Loren drew her lips together, wetting them. She debated her next words. “Who are you?”
    The question met with another small shift of his feet. When he didn’t reply after a few moments, Loren nodded. “Okay. I get it. Secret identity. Secret mission.” She tightened her shaking hands into fists, released them, and flexed her fingers.
    Only one of her dozens of questions escaped her. “Why me?”
    “Because of your powers.”
    She’d been afraid of that. Loren wasn’t important. It was her powers. That made sense. It was painful, but it made sense. It was never about her.
    “Everything will be explained,” he assured her. Loren detected a softer tone, but with the modulator altering his voice, it was difficult to tell. Most likely she imagined it. “It will take time.” He let his arms hang down at his sides again. “We need to leave as soon as possible.”
    “Leave?” He expected her to go with him. “I can’t. You show up at my apartment, knowing about my powers, claiming—” Loren cut herself off. “I don’t know who you are. I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t trust you.”
    The silence was thick between them, finally broken with his sigh. “You don’t have a choice. You need to come with me.”
    Loren wasn’t convinced. Everything was happening so fast. She couldn’t think clearly on the spot with all this new information.
    The hooded figure looked down at her before he moved. He reached into his coat and Loren automatically tensed. His hand withdrew empty a moment later. Both hands lowered the hood.
    His hair was a dark shade of brown, slicked back and drawn into a ponytail. His eyebrows knit together in a sympathetic look, and bright blue eyes lifted to her. Loren stared, taking in the appearance of a man she’d seen in the media dozens of times.
    “We need you, Loren.” Without the modulator, his voice was smooth and even. “Your powers. Your presence.”
    Loren’s breath caught when he crouched down to her level, looking at her eye to eye.
    “I know this is difficult to understand and I promise everything will be explained as soon as possible. I have powers too. You’re not the only one.” As he said it, he lifted a hand. He did so slowly, holding it out level with his palm up. A small flame ignited against his flesh and began to burn. The heat from it was real. Loren could feel its warmth.
    Her throat tightened as she stared at the tiny, flickering flame. Her eyes watered, but she didn’t dare blink. Avery Morgan, brother of billionaire and industry mogul Callum Morgan, was just like her. She wasn’t alone. Slowly, she looked away from the flame to his face.
    “There are others like us,