Air of Seduction (Elemental Enforcers #3)

Chapter 19

Payton

My whole body is jittery as I restlessly move around the apartment, fluffing a pillow here and picking up a speck of dust there, and it isn’t even my apartment. But this man has got me all anxious, like I’ve suddenly reverted to my teenage self.

And the craziest thing about it is that I met him only twenty-four hours ago, and I, someone who struggles to trust anyone, already trust him almost as much as I trust Olivia.

There’s a niggling voice in the back of my mind telling me I shouldn’t let him in and risk Olivia seeing him, but I push it away. With how heavily she’s sleeping, that’s unlikely, and I’m only going to let him stay for a few minutes anyway. Perhaps fifteen minutes tops, or twenty.

“I just need to see him for a little while,” I mumble to myself. To apologize in person and make sure we’re good. And kiss him. Heat fills my cheeks. His lips and not his balls. That will have to wait.

I bite my bottom lip. What if he expects sex? It wouldn’t be strange after my texts. That’s practically what I invited him for.

My phone pings, and I pick it up. I’m right outside.

My heart rises into my throat, my pulse going a mile a minute. He’s here.

I type a response while my heart slams against my ribs. Third floor.

After buzzing him in, I open the door a crack and stare at the elevator doors at the end of the corridor.

Every second feels like an hour while I stand there, shifting my weight from one foot to the other. My pussy clenches, and I squeeze my thighs together, trying to stand still.

I shouldn’t have done this. I shouldn’t have invited him here. This is a bad idea. Because my body has clearly decided Ronan is boyfriend material, and it’s time to get down and dirty.

The elevator doors slide open, and the big muscular hunk of a man who spooned me while I cried myself to sleep strides toward me. I don’t know how it’s possible, but he’s even more gorgeous than I remember.

I open the door wide and take a step out into the corridor. My breaths become more like pants when my gaze locks with his, and when he stops so close I have to tip my head back to keep my eyes on his, my breathing stops altogether.

“Payton.” His warm hands cup my face as his eyes dart between mine. “So beautiful.”

My body takes over, and I throw my arms around his neck and press my lips to his. They’re so soft and warm against mine.

He groans, and his arms come around me, tightening until my breasts are squashed against his hard chest. His tongue pushes into my mouth and twirls around mine.

I moan and kiss him back with a ferocity like I’ve waited years for this very moment. My arms lock around his neck, and every conscious thought seizes.

I have no idea how long we have been clinging to each other when he breaks the kiss and pulls his head back to look down at me with a slightly dazed expression.

My head is spinning, and my body is pulsing with desire, and I don’t really understand why he pulled back.

“I’m sorry, but I have to ask you to do something for me.” He rolls his lips, looking hesitant.

“Okay.” I unwrap my arms from around his neck and try to take a step back, but he doesn’t let me.

“How is Olivia?”

I give him a small smile I don’t really feel. “Stressed and scared, but she’s sleeping now. Hopefully, she’ll feel a little better once she’s had a good night’s sleep.”

He nods. “Noah would like me to send him a video of her.”

“What? That’s disgusting.” Shock reverberates through me. Placing my palms against his chest, I push. Is that the real reason he agreed to come here? To make a seedy video for his friend? The betrayal feels like icy claws sinking into my chest.

***

Ronan

I let my arms fall away but grab her wrist before she can step back inside and lock the door between us. “Not like that. Like…proof of life. It’s the only way I could prevent him from coming here himself to check on her.”

Her eyes are practically shooting daggers at me, and they might as well have been with how my heart feels like it’s being sliced to pieces in my chest. “So, now you’re going to wake her up so you can shoot a video of her? That’s not—” She tries to yank her arm away, but I can’t let her.

“No.” I shake my head. “I told him I was going to ask you to make a short video of her. You know, just to prove to him that she’s still breathing. He’s out of his mind with worry.”

My explanation does nothing to soften her. “Why? Why is he so worried about her? He doesn’t even know her.”

I swallow, knowing she won’t understand, but I hope she’ll let me explain. “Olivia is his true mate.”

“Which means?”

I wet my dry lips. “She’s the only woman in the world for him. They have a special bond, which snapped into place the moment they met. He will be devoted to her for the rest of his life.”

Payton’s eyes widen, and some of the anger smooths off her face. “Noah asked if I was one of the mates when I first met him. I thought he meant friend, but that’s not what he meant, is it?”

“No.” My heart swells in my chest, filling up with a feeling that both thrills and scares me. “He was wondering if you are…” I lower my voice when I suddenly realize we’re still in the corridor where someone else can overhear us. “Can we talk about this inside?”

She bites her bottom lip and stares at me for a few seconds before she nods. “Okay.”

I let go of her wrist and follow her into the apartment. It’s small but tastefully decorated.

She takes a seat on the couch and indicates for me to sit down next to her.

After sitting, I angle my body toward hers but make sure there’s an inch between our knees. As much as I want to kiss her again, that’s unlikely to happen before she’s accepted Noah’s reason for wanting to see her friend.

I give her a small smile. “I’m an elemental, one of only four in the world. The others are Lucas, Aidan, and Noah. We’re each tied to one of the elements, fire, earth, water, and air. I’m tied to the air. I can wield the air to help me in battle, or I can draw power from it to heal myself or others. It’s how I healed you from a serious head injury in that alley.”

Her eyes widen. “You can use it like a knife.”

I chuckle. “I can. But that’s new. The first time I did it was when that vamp threatened to hurt you in the house on Horton Road. And I think there might be a reason for that ability showing up just when I needed it. But we can talk about that later.” I don’t want to frighten her with my suspicions about whom she is.

She tilts her head to the side. “What is Markus? I thought he was the same as you.”

I shake my head. “He’s not, and I’m not really sure what he is. He isn’t like the rest of us with abilities tied to the elements. But he’s the one who found us and raised us, and he’s our team leader. We call ourselves elemental enforcers, and our purpose is to maintain the balance between good and evil in the world, at least when it comes to supernaturals.”

“That’s just…” She closes her eyes and rubs her forehead. “I know vampires exist, and I’ve seen some of what you can do. But this sounds an awful lot like the premise for a TV series.”

“Yes, it does.” My lips stretch into a smile. “But I’m living it, so to me it’s just life.”

Her eyes open, and she studies my face. “Thank you for telling me what you are. But it doesn’t explain why Noah thinks Olivia is his mate.”

“Not just mate but true mate.” I scratch my chin while I consider where to start. “There are many forms of magic in this world, and practically all of them are unknown to humans. For example, every kind of supernatural has their own form of magic that is uniquely theirs, setting them apart from other kinds. But there is also magic that is common to several kinds of supernaturals. The mating bond is one of them. It—” My phone vibrates in my pocket.

Fuck. I pull it out, and there’s a text from Noah like I expected.

“It’s from Noah, isn’t it?” Her voice portrays her irritation, but it’s nowhere near her anger from earlier.

Raising my gaze to hers, I nod.

“Then tell him to wait a few minutes, okay?”

I lift an eyebrow at her in question. “You will do it?”

She nods. “Her face only, and just a few seconds long. Enough for him to see she’s breathing.”

I take her hand and braid my fingers with hers. “Thank you. It means a lot, and hopefully, it will be enough to tide him over for a while.”

“I’ll be right back.” Getting to her feet, she pulls her hand from mine, grabs her phone, and disappears into another room, closing the door behind her.

I breathe in deep and relax back against the cushions. I haven’t shared the details of the mating bond yet, but Payton still agreed to record a short video. That’s encouraging. Particularly because I have a feeling I’m going to need her help keeping Noah placated while Olivia recovers.

Mumbling voices come from the room Payton just entered, and I frown. It sounds like Olivia is awake, and I’m not sure that’s a good thing.

I lean forward, my ears straining to hear what they’re saying, but their voices are too low. I can’t make out a single word.

At least there’s no agitation in Olivia’s voice as far as I can tell. I hope that’s a good thing.

Several minutes go by before Payton returns. As soon as she closes the door behind her, she points toward the entry.

My heart sinks as I follow her. I know our time together is over even before she opens the door to the corridor outside.

She takes my hand as I pass her on my way out the door, and I turn to her. “Olivia is awake, and I think it’s better if she doesn’t see you right now.”

I nod, gently pulling her closer. “I understand.” When she doesn’t resist, I bend my head and brush my lips over hers in a soft kiss.

She smiles when I lift my head. “I’ll send you the video in a minute.”

“Thank you.” Resisting the urge to linger, I turn and head for the elevator.