Air: Elementalist Book 1 by Rebecca Wolf (christmas read aloud .TXT) 📗

“Penny!” I yelled through the bathroom door, “my hair needs serious help!” Penny came in and rummaged around the bathroom until she found a brush and some detangler. She wet the brush and started hacking away at my hair, as though she was Prince Phillip in Sleeping Beauty trying to cut through the briars.

“Ouch Penny!” I yelped, “you’re supposed to start from the bottom and work your way up!” “well how was I supposed to know?” said Penny, “my girl side has silky smooth hair and my male side I always shave bald.”

“Well, don’t quit your day job!” I said grumpily, as she gave a tug that felt like it ripped half my hair from my skull. She finally managed to wrangle my hair into a messy bun on the side of my head. She looked at it with such pride that I didn’t have the heart to say anything but “thanks”. I tried not to look too closely at her handiwork.

“OK, I’m dressed, you’re dressed, let’s go.”

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“What time is it?”

“About 10:30 am.”

“Home.”

“What about the crazy unidentified mad men that are after us?”

“We’ll come up with a plan for that in the car.”

"Do you think Aiden will be happy to just let us go?"

“Good point.” I paused while I thought. “Ok, here’s the plan,” I said. “I’m going to go through my window, you’ll go through the front door, and I’ll meet you around the front.” I went to open the window, but it was locked. After a couple of useless pushes and grunts, and with no latch in site, I gave up and decided on Plan B.

My room let out into a hallway with an ornate railing and a bifurcated staircase. I set a brisk pace, as I grabbed Penny’s hand and ran down the stairs towards the entryway, cursing big houses and entitled elementalists as we went. My arm throbbed with each step, and I cursed that too. We had just gotten to the foyer when a guy with an earpiece stepped out from behind the doorway, his hand on his gun.

“Excuse me,” I tried politely, “would you move aside, your in our way.”

the guy remained stone faced. I tried to veer around him, but he mirrored my movements and we ended up doing that strange yet easily identified doorway dance for a bit. Exasperated, I finally said, “your being extremely rude.” I gave him an air-push out of my way and grabbed the door handle, giving a yank. Gaaah! it was locked as well. Was there no rest for the weary?? Seriously, I just wanted to go home and recover from my bullet wound in peace!

“Zephyr, I’m so glad to see you’re awake” said an all too annoyingly familiar voice behind me. I whirled around and there was Aiden, striding towards me through the entryway.

“YOU!” I said angrily, pointing emphatically at him. “I am NOT happy to see YOU!”

“Where are you going?” He asked, ignoring my angry glares, “I just had Nellie put up tea for us.”

“I’m going home, where I would have been in the first place, if you hadn’t DRUGGED me like a serial killer and apparently taken me to your fortress of doom.”

“I can assure you this is hardly a fortress,” he said as if offended.

“That’s the part you’re latching onto here?” I said incredulously, “Aiden. I am a grown adult. I am capable of making my own decisions regarding my life and my safety. You do not get to treat me like a petulant child just because I make a tactical decision that you disagree with!”

“I would hardly call your demands to go home a tactical decision, sweetheart. You are my fiancé, soon to be my wife. Your safety and wellbeing are my concern. You were injured and your decision making definitely appeared impaired. I attributed your poor judgment to your injury and state of shock. I was therefore qualified to act as your guardian and make decisions for you as I deemed appropriate.”

“Ok, well now that I have been seen by a medical professional and I am no longer in a state of shock, my decision to go home has not changed. Kindly unlock the door so my friend and I can leave.”

“Don’t I even get a thank you for last night?”

“Your right. I apologize.” I said, feeling a mixture of guilt and frustration, “I appreciate everything that you did for us last night. Thank you for coming when Penny called.”

he smiled a little in response, “your welcome.”

“Now, kindly open the door so we can go home,” I said.

he set his jaw  “I’d rather you stay here.”

“No, thank you,” I said frostily

“Let’s compromise,” he said finally, “you can go home if you take four of my men with you.”

“Two.”

“Three.”

“Fine. Three of your guards as long as they respect our privacy. No coming into the bathroom with us or other freaky shit like that.”

“I assure you, they are highly professional.”

Three guards were dispatched, and they followed us to the car. Things got a little awkward when we argued about whose car we were taking. Finally it was decided that Penny and I would get into their bullet proof SUV with two of the guards, and the other one would follow behind with Penny’s car. The car ride was brutal on my bullet wound, but I was worried if I said anything they would turn around and head back. Eventually we got home. Then, we had to wait while they swept the house in search of mad men and explosives.

We finally got the all clear, and Penny and I went into the house. Just being home, with the familiar smells and second-hand comfy furniture put me more at ease. I took a deep breath and offered everyone a cup of coffee. Everyone declined, so I made one for myself and motioned for Penny to come up the stairs