“How could you doubt me?”

  The desire that had just filled her eyes was suddenly gone, replaced with the fire he loved so much. “What do you mean, how could I doubt you? I barely know you!”

  Elias pressed his forehead to hers and, despite the anger he could feel raging inside of her, she didn’t push him away from her. “You know I would never hurt you. Your soul knows I couldn’t hurt you without destroying my own.”

  “What does my soul have to do with this? I don’t even know if I believe in souls,” she said. Elias had managed to distract her when she’d first walked into the cell but now he could see everything that had happened was coming back to the surface. He could practically see the wheels spinning. He stroked his finger across her cheek one last time before he stepped back and gave her some space.

  Tara pushed away from the wall and walked around the small square cell. Elias stood in the center and simply watched her. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her.

  It had been nearly a month since he’d last seen her, and he was so hungry for just the sight of her.

  After several passes around the tiny space, she finally spoke. “Tucker said—”

  Elias growled like a rabid wolf, because when she spoke his name he felt like one.

  Tara paused for a moment but then kept going. “He said you and Jax are bad people. That you’re team dark elemental and you want to kidnap me—to be fair, Zuri did kidnap me, and that you want to teach me to kill team light elementals. He said he was there to save me from you.”

  “Team what?” Elias asked as his lips turned up, showing a grin, which was something he had not done since he left Tara. Now that she was here where he could see her and keep her safe, he was becoming rational again. Sort of. Okay, probably not at all, especially where it applied to her. But at least he wasn’t trying to figure out how to bring down the entire Terra Academy without killing anyone so that he could get to his soul bonded. See, totally rational.

  “He said there were dark and light elementals-—

  “That’s true,” he interrupted.

  “Well, there you go, then. Team dark and team light,” she said, sounding irritated he didn’t understand her reference.

  “Let me explain, Tara. There are light and dark elementals. Kind of like there are people who live with the light shining in their lives and through their actions. And then there are those who hide in the darkness and let the shadows cover up their wicked deeds. But…” He walked away from the middle of the room and leaned against the wall, his eyes following her every move. “He didn’t tell the truth about what team he played for. Tucker is an acolyte for a dark water elemental. He has nothing to do with light elementals, and he sure as hell doesn’t care about saving anyone.”

  She stopped her pacing and looked at him. She was practically shaking, and Elias felt a sharp pain pierce his heart.

  “He said your kind killed my parents.”

  Elias could feel how desperately she wanted it to be untrue.

  “Luv, come here,” he said as he held his hand out to her.

  She shook her head. “Tell me, Elias.”

  “I’m going to tell you,” he assured her, “but I want to show you something as well.”

  She stared at him for several heartbeats before she took a step forward and placed her hand in his. Elias pulled her to him and wrapped an arm around her waist. He took her hand in his and pressed their palms flush together.

  “I’m not completely sure what I’m doing here,” he said honestly.

  “That’s not reassuring or endearing to me in anyway,” she said and narrowed her eyes on him. “I’m not in the mood to be turned on by a guy who’s willing to show how vulnerable he is. Be vulnerable on your own time, Creed. What I need from you right now is honesty.”

  “You can feel what I’m feeling, Tara. I told you I could feel your fear and feel your doubt. You can do the same thing with me.”

  “No, I can’t. I don’t have any magical powers.”

  “You do,” he countered, “but they’re just being awakened in you. Though that has nothing to do with this. That’s not what makes you able to feel me. It’s your soul. We are soul bonded. I guess maybe a term you’d better understand is soul mates.”

  Tara shook her head. “What does this have to do with my parents?”

  “I’m going to tell you the truth, and you’re going to be able to feel that it’s the truth. I’m telling you that I cannot lie to you, luv. It’s not possible between soul bonded elementalists.”

  She started to open her mouth, no doubt to argue with him again, but he spoke before she could.

  “I’ve never cried over my parents’ deaths.” He spoke a truth to her that no one knew. And as he held her hand, staring into her eyes, he pictured the bond between them wide open, giving her access to every corner of himself. “I’ve slept with three women. I’ve never lied to my grandparents. When I was a child, I found an injured skunk and nursed it back to health. My mom found me feeding it one day and told me I couldn’t have a skunk for a pet. She made me promise to take it deep into the woods and let it go. I told her I did.” When he was done talking, he simply stared at her and waited.

  “You never cried?” she asked, her eyes filled with sadness and understanding.

  He shook his head.

  She pursed her lips and then said, “Three women is a lie.”

  His lips twitched slightly as he fought the desire to smile. “You’re right.”

  “So what’s the truth? How many?”

  Elias made sure she was looking him straight in the eyes when he answered. “None.”

  “I wouldn’t believe you if I couldn’t feel your sincerity,” she admitted. “No guy who looks like you is still a virgin at twenty. And you really did keep the skunk as a pet.”

  He nodded.

  “How is this possible? How can I feel what you’re feeling?”

  “It’s part of the soul bond between us, Tara. I didn’t have anything to do with the death of your parents. None of us did.” He made sure she could feel his honesty. “They were killed by dark acolytes who served a dark earth elemental.”

  “Why did they kill them?” she asked. The turmoil and pain coming through the bond was gutting him.

  He pulled her closer. “The dark elementals crave power. They want a war against the light elementals. For a very long time, the number of light elementals exceeded that of the dark. But that has been changing lately. More and more elementalists are being swayed by the promise of power. One of the ways they add numbers to their army is through recruiting humans. They do it when they’re young and impressionable. They look for dark auras and an affinity for magic. They kill the child's family so that they are left an orphan. When someone becomes an orphan, they are gifted by Mother Gaia with the power to control one of the four elements. Then, if the acolytes get to them before we can, they groom them.”

  “What do you mean ‘if the acolytes get to them before we can’?” she asked as she leaned toward him. Elias didn’t think she was aware that she was doing it.

  “The light elementalists are charged with helping protect these children who have been targeted by the dark. There are four types of elements: earth, fire, wind, and water. And there are four corresponding elemental academies that train young elementalists: Terra, Crimson, Tempest, and Hydro. Each academy is responsible for battling the dark elements of their specific elemental bent. Here at Terra Academy, we are charged with hunting and killing dark earth elementals.” Elias saw Tara shudder, but he pressed on.

  “Whichever type of elemental has caused the deaths of a child’s family, that academy then Marks the child and is responsible for protecting them until they come of age. Then, when the child comes of age, which is generally when they turn eighteen or when they graduate high school, representatives from the academy come and recruit them.”

  Tara frowned. “TGTE. That’s what you were doing? You were recruiting me?”

  “Yes. No matter what you would have answered, you would have been accepted. TGTE is just a front for Terra Academy.”

  “What if someone who is ‘Marked’”—she held up finger quotes—“doesn’t want to go? What if they want a normal life?”

  Elias tried not to read into her questions. The idea of Tara not wanting to be a part of his world—his life—left him feeling empty. “They will always be in danger. If they refuse the dark elementals and don’t have the protection of the academy, they will probably be killed by a dark elemental.”

  “So there isn’t really a choice.”

  Elias shook his head. “Only between light and dark. Once you are exposed to our world, you must pick a side.”

  “Why can’t the academy protect them even if they don’t want to go there?” Tara asked.

  “We don’t have those kinds of numbers. When a recruit graduates from the academy, they are immediately assigned a region, and their job is to protect that region from the dark ones. Their numbers have been steadily rising, and we couldn’t figure out why. But we think we know now. You and I seem to have solved that mystery without even knowing it.”

  Tara’s head was throbbing, and her heart was still trying to beat in a normal rhythm after Elias kissed her. It was her first kiss. Ever. She would probably freak out about that later, but at the moment, she was trying really hard to hold herself together as he basically ripped her world wide open. Now, he was reconstructing it into something she didn’t recognize.

  “It was Jax.”

  “What?” asked Elias.

  “Jax. He was the one that Marked me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Whoa.” Tara’s world was spinning. But in some ways, she felt like scales were being torn from her eyes. The two biggest questions she’d had over the past five years were being answered. Why her parents had died. And why she couldn’t be injured. “That’s why it felt like I recognized him. I’d seen him before. He Marked me after the accident. And that’s why I wasn’t able to be injured. ”

  “Yep.”

  “But when? Why don’t I remember it?”

  “You were unconscious in the hospital. He came to visit you and performed the spell.”

  “Oh.” She looked down at their clasped hands and was momentarily mesmerized by his thumb running across the top of her hand.

  “But now I can be hurt. Zuri pinched me. Why?”

  “The spell only lasts until you find out about the supernatural world. Now, the protection is gone.”

  “I probably shouldn’t test that by trying to stab myself with scissors.”

  “I would prefer you didn’t. I’m rather fond of your delectable body,” he said, his eyes running down her from head to toe and back up again.

  Tara took a step toward him without thinking about it. The desire in Elias’s eyes was like a beacon to her. She wanted to touch him. She needed another kiss like the one he’d given her when she entered the cell. She wanted him to… “What is wrong with me?” she blurted, forcing herself to break her train of thought. Elias’s breathing had increased, and he was looking at her like she was his last meal. “Elias?”

  “I can feel your desire, your need,” he said through gritted teeth as if he was barely holding onto his control. “And considering my own desire and need for you is already off the charts, it’s making things rather intense.”

  “Why do I feel like a cat in heat?” Her hands were beginning to sweat, and there was an indescribable ache low in her stomach.

  “It’s our bond. Our magic, our souls, and our bodies want to join.”

  “Why are we soul bonded? What does it mean?” She needed the answers to those questions, but she wasn’t sure if she was ready to hear them.

  “Tara.” He said her name as if she were the most precious thing in the world. Elias tugged her and she fell against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her so his hands rested on her lower back. She pressed her hands against his chest and held herself up so she could look at his face. “I need you to know I’ve been enamored with you from the moment I met you. Bond or not, I wanted you. Don’t think for a minute the soul bond is the only thing making me want to be with you.”

  Just as before, she could feel the truth in his words. She nodded and waited for him to continue.

  “Sometimes, when a person goes through something tragic or traumatic, it causes damage to their soul. If the damage is bad enough, it can affect their life in a negative way. And if they lose some of their soul, then the darkness can claim that piece, and that person will be swayed to the darkness. When that happens to one that is Marked, the elementals create a soul bond for the torn soul. I don’t know if I’m explaining this well.” He sighed in frustration and then surprised her when he leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. When he pulled back, he continued. “My soul is meant to complete yours. When your parents died, your soul wasn’t just damaged, luv. You lost some of it. I don’t know how much, and I don’t know who could tell us how much, other than maybe the elemental king and queen.”

  “Wait, king and queen? There’s a king and queen?”

  “There are four kings and queens. A pair for each of the elements. They are beings of pure elemental spirits. They aren’t seen very often, and they only usually meet with the headmaster and headmistress.”

  “Wow. So you’ve never seen them?”

  “No. Anyway, when you lost part of your soul, somehow, the elementals chose me to be your soul bonded. If a Mark doesn’t bond with their match, they will be lost to the darkness and become a powerful dark acolyte.”

  She tried to push away from him, but he tightened his arms around her. “Don’t push me away,” he breathed out. “Let me help you bear this. I know it’s a lot.”

  “How do you feel about being stuck with me?” she said before she could stop herself. All she could think was that the elementals had forced Elias into this serious commitment without asking him what he wanted. She didn’t want a man with her because he had no choice or because he felt a sense of duty.

  “I have a choice,” he said, his voice sharp as his eyes narrowed on her. “I’m not a puppet, luv. I have my own mind. They haven’t taken my free will.”

  “Haven’t they?” she snapped. “You won’t leave me to the darkness. That’s not the kind of man you are, and I know that just from the short time we’ve been together. You’ll do this bond thing no matter what because of your honor. How is that not taking your free will?” Tears started to fill her eyes, and Tara silently cursed them. She didn’t want to cry in front of him. She didn’t want him to know she felt as though a knife had just been slid through her ribs and into her lungs, and now she couldn’t breathe.

  “Dammit, woman,” Elias growled as he released her but quickly grabbed her face in both of his hands. His face was an inch from hers as he spoke. “I want you to listen to me and listen good. When I met you, you knocked the wind out of me, and I’ve been trying to catch my breath since that day. I think about you constantly. When I’m with you, I can’t get close enough. And when I’m away from you, I count the seconds until I’ll be with you again. You’re interesting, passionate, funny, feisty, and beautiful inside and out. I would think those things of you without the damn bond. But you know what? I’m glad the bond is there.”

  “Why?” she asked, sounding breathless to her own ears.

  “Because it ties you to me. I’m selfish enough not to care if it takes your choice away because I want you that bloody much. If you run from this, I will give chase. I am yours and you are mine, and I’ll be damned if I let another man have you.”

  Tara’s mouth dropped as she looked into his fierce gaze. He was completely serious. He would come after her, and he wouldn’t stop until she was his. “I…” She stopped because she didn’t know what to say.

  “Do you want me? Would you be okay if I was with someone else?”

  A jealous rage filled her so violently that she physically jolted, nearly dislodging herself from the hold he had on her face.

  A slow, sexy smile spread across Elias’s handsome face. “I’m going to take that as a bloody hell no to the second question.”

  She reached out and pinched his nipple, hard.

  “OW! Shite, that hurt,” he said as the smirk fell away, and he frowned at her.

  “Don’t be an ass.”

  The frown was gone in an instant, replaced by a look of desire so potent that the breath fled from Tara’s lungs. “I can’t help it that it pleases every part of me—my soul, my magic, my heart—that you want me just as badly as I want you.” He leaned down and pressed his forehead to hers and closed his eyes. Tara felt a warmth flowing inside of her as if her blood were heating. The emptiness inside of her was suddenly gone, replaced by Elias. She didn’t understand it, but she could feel him inside of her, soothing the hurt and giving light to the dark places.

  “What happens now?” Tara whispered as she closed her eyes and leaned into him. His hands dropped to her hips and pulled her closer.

  “Now,” Elias said, his voice gruff with emotion, “you let me love you.”

  Her body tensed and she started to pull back, but he tightened his grip on her and kept his forehead pressed to hers.

  “Don’t flip out over the L word, princess.”

  “You can’t love me, Elias. You hardly know me.”

  “I love what I do know. And I want to know more so I can love that, too. Just give me a chance to show you we are meant to be together. Give the academy a chance to teach you and give you the power to avenge your parents’ deaths, and I will be by your side every step of the way. Don’t let fear rob you of us.”

  His words hit her like a ton of bricks. She couldn’t gather her thoughts because all she could hear was Elias’s voice in her mind telling her to let him love her. She gasped when he put his arms around her and lifted her. She automatically wrapped her legs around his waist. He whipped around, nearly slamming her against the wall, but she didn’t feel any pain because his hands protected her head and back, taking the brunt of the force. Then his hands dropped to her hips, pulling himself closer to her.