Air of Seduction (Elemental Enforcers #3)

Chapter 30

Ronan

Temple church has a special place in the history of London. Built in the twelfth century by the Knights Templar, it still stands as proud today as it did then. But these days the area where it’s situated is better known as a financial district than a place where pilgrims come for protection.

The tall southern stone wall of the church looks mostly the same as the last time I was here many years ago, and every time before that. The church hasn’t changed much, and that’s one of the reasons I can’t understand how someone can just disappear right outside its wall.

I’ve watched both videos Aidan forwarded, several times, and in each it looks like the person just disappears into the wall. However, all three of us have checked the relevant section of the stone wall, even nudged it with our magic, without finding any entrance or gap of any kind that can explain the disappearance.

“What are we missing?” Aidan turns his head and stares at us from where he’s sitting at the end of the bench outside the church. “If it was only one occurrence, I would assume something happened to the footage. But two? That’s not likely.”

“Unless powerful magic was involved.” My gaze wanders between Aidan and Lucas. “We don’t know anything about those servants. They might be witches or other supernaturals with powerful magic. We have no evidence they’re vampires.”

“True.” Lucas frowns and crosses his arms. “All the master’s servants back in the day were either vampires or humans, but that might’ve changed. He might have discovered the usefulness of magic.”

“Which means we have to get someone with that kind of magic to check this place.” Aidan smiles. “And thankfully, we have someone available to us. Gawen. His magic is potent, and a lot more versatile than ours.”

“Well, what are we waiting for?” I stand. “Let’s go get him.”

Perhaps I can shoot off for a couple of minutes to check on Payton when we get back while the others find Gawen. I don’t know why, but a nagging worry has settled between my shoulder blades, and it won’t ease no matter how much I reassure myself that she’s fine.

Aidan has just slid into the driver’s seat of the large black SUV when his phone rings. A smile stretches his lips when he looks at the screen.

“Trevor. You’re on speaker. I’ve got Lucas and Ronan in the car with me. How are you doing?”

“Great. How is mated life treating you?” There’s a smile in Trevor’s voice.

“Loving it. If only I could have more time to enjoy it. We’re too fucking busy trying to kill the master.”

“Yeah, I heard. So, we thought you might need some help. Jennie and I are leaving in half an hour.”

“If you can keep your hands off me long enough to pack, that is.” A woman’s snarky voice sounds through the phone that I assume is Jennie’s.

I chuckle. It sounds like something Payton would say, and she would be right. I’m eager to get back to her and take her back to bed. And I’m not sure that urge will diminish with time.

“Duncan and Julianne would have joined us, as well, if they hadn’t just found out they’re pregnant.”

My lungs seize in my chest. Trevor is still speaking, but I can no longer make sense of what he’s saying. One word bounces around in my head like a squash ball at a million miles an hour.

Pregnant.

We didn’t use any form of protection. And I pumped my seed into Payton’s womb twice. What the fuck was I thinking? Or rather, why the hell wasn’t I thinking at all?

I know the answer, though. Payton is my true mate, and being with her made me forget everything else. All that mattered was her and us and what we were doing.

“Ronan?” Aidan’s voice sounds from far away.

I blink my eyes open, my gaze locking on my hands. They’re splayed out on the dash in front of me while I’m heaving like I’m about to throw up.

“Ronan, what’s going on?” A hand squeezes my shoulder. I assume it’s Aidan’s.

“I can’t…lose…another one.”

“What are you talking about?” Lucas’s voice sounds from behind me.

I’ve never told them what happened. I’ve never told them what is possible for us. And as far as I know, none of the other elementals have experienced the same as I have.

Perhaps it’s time they knew. Even if telling them will rip open the old wound. Except it won’t, because it never closed. It’s been festering for almost two centuries.

Leaning back in my seat, I take a deep breath to try to find some semblance of control. “I’ve got something to tell you, something I should have told you a long time ago.”

“Okay.” Aidan’s voice is filled with concern.

Glancing at him, I notice he’s put away his phone. I launch into my speech before I can change my mind. “Patricia was pregnant with my child when she was killed. And the only reason I know that is because I arrived in time to feel my daughter’s agony as she died in her mother’s womb. There was nothing I could do to save her. She was too small to survive outside the womb. Her life was forfeited when her mother died, and her father couldn’t help her.”

The car is so quiet I’m sure I would have heard if a speck of dust fell to the floor. Instead, there’s a tiny splash, as one of my tears falls from my jawline and hits my clavicle.

I’ve never cried for my dead daughter before, even though the pain has been enough to suffocate me. But for some reason saying the words out loud, telling someone else, has opened the floodgates to the reservoir that’s been filling for two hundred years.

“Fuck,” Lucas mumbles. “I’m not doubting you, but I still have to ask. You’re sure the baby was yours?”

I nod slowly, having already anticipated his question. “Yes, there’s no doubt. I felt her, and she had my power.”

“Fuck me.” Aidan’s voice is wobbly. “This changes everything. I thought I couldn’t have children, and although I’ve taken my precautions at times, I haven’t always. And when I have, it’s been to reassure the woman I was with that she wouldn’t be left with a lasting result of our fun. Does this mean we might have children out there we don’t know about?”

My heart clenches painfully when I think about Payton and what might be happening inside her womb as we speak.

“I don’t think I have.” There’s a hint of joy in Lucas’s voice. “Erica was the first human I had sex with, and if one of the shifter women I’ve been with had a child, I think I would have found out. I can’t wait to tell my mate that there’s a chance we can have a family. She accepted without question that we would never have children, but I think she would relish the possibility of becoming a mother.”

I don’t share his enthusiasm. Our team is constantly fighting evil beings that would love nothing better than to kill us or one of our loved ones. I won’t survive losing another child, and if I die, Payton dies with me.

“You don’t want another baby?” Aidan’s question makes me realize that I’m shaking my head.

I turn to look at him. “No. I can’t lose another one. But I might not have a choice. Payton might already be…” I flinch away from the word, from the pain associated with it.

He frowns. “If you knew it was possible, why didn’t you prevent it?”

I squeeze my eyes closed. “Because I lost control. All I could think of was…her.”

“Because she’s your mate.” There’s a smile in Aidan’s voice when he says the words, and it isn’t a question.

I nod. “She is.”

Aidan chuckles. “I knew it. Congratulations. Now all we have to do is help Olivia accept Noah, and we’ll all be mated. Who would have thought? If someone had told me a few weeks ago what would happen, I would have laughed in their faces. And then there’s Markus meeting a brother and finding out there’s another one out there. More has changed in the last few weeks than in the rest of my lifetime. It almost makes me worry what’s going to happen next? Perhaps there are intelligent lifeforms other places in the universe that will pay us a visit.”

“Don’t.” Lucas sighs. “We have enough trouble here on earth as it is. We certainly don’t need more.”

I completely agree, but that’s one thing I’m not going to worry about. I’ve got more than enough on my plate as it is. “Let’s go. I need to speak to Payton. She doesn’t know anything about this yet.”

Aidan starts the car. “And I need to speak to Ingrid. She deserves to know as soon as possible.”

I nod. No matter how much the possibility scares me, I have to tell Payton what happened two hundred years ago and what that means for us. But first I need to explain who she is to me.

I should have told her immediately when I realized she’s my mate, but hopefully, she won’t mind the delay. And hopefully, she’ll be as thrilled to be mine as I am to be hers. Because no matter my earlier reservations, I can’t even contemplate a life without her.