Page 34 of Brandt's Rule

“Am I supposed to know his name?” Brandt asked with more than a little disdain.

“Only if you know of the history of his people. When he was young he was General Elite of the Royal Army of the Sovereign of Sentries. He was a very frightening male.” She laughed lightly. “I suppose to some he still is.”

“I’ve never heard of the Royal Army of the Sovereign of Sentries,” he said, dismissing her explanation.

Tempest shrugged.

“And his bloodline is where your magic comes from?”

“No. He’s where I got my backbone from, along with my integrity. My mother is where I got my magics from. She got them from…” Tempest hesitated as she thought about it. How could she make anyone understand that her Uncle Lore was her mother’s father in another lifetime? She couldn’t. She sighed. “Suffice it to say that she inherited strengths and abilities that neither of her parents have. They skipped several generations. But she passed them to me when she carried me.”

Brandt clicked his teeth together. “Still doesn’t tell me what I’m asking. You’re talking in circles, and I’m about tired of waiting for an explanation.”

“Then you shall have one oh mighty Alpha,” she said with a bit of false reverence forced into her voice.

Brandt’s posture straighted up and he was just this side of being angry. He didn’t like being belittled.

“Have you heard of the ancients?” she asked.

“Ancients?”

“Yes, the four elemental beings that came into existence as the world was created. Earth, wind, fire and water.”

“I thought I had, but I’m beginning to think there’s a lot more to it than I was told.”

Tempest flashed him a quick, cold smile. “It’s the power of the ancients that runs in my blood and enables me to do the things I do. There is no power greater than that of the ancients. It’s a curse as much as it’s a gift, and it’s the reason I’ve been alone — other than my family — all my life. It’s the reason I left to make a life in a place that no one knows who or what I am. It’s the reason that I’ll most likely be alone all my life. It will never be a threat to you or yours. Is it really such a great inconvenience to allow me to stay for a while and spend a little time with the only person who’s never feared me because of it?”

Brandt wasn’t prepared for her outburst, and he wasn’t sure just how much of her story he believed.

She could read the doubt running through his mind. She was shaking her head at the fact that she’d have to prove herself in order to just be left alone, and maybe even then she wouldn’t be left alone. She dropped her walls for just a split second and a roaring wave of force rushed at Brandt, pushing his Bear to the forefront, almost to the point of shifting.

Just as quickly as it hit him, Tempest clamped it down again and rose to her feet. “I’ll be going now.” She turned her back on him and walked away, moving toward her bike. This obviously wasn’t going to work out.

Brandt was shaken. He’d never experienced anything like it in his life. He never even guessed such a thing existed. He was truly rattled. Getting to his feet, he watched her walking across the parking area to her bike. He knew only one thing was the right thing to do. “Where are you going? We don’t shut down the work site until 5:00 P. M. most days. It’s barely 1:00 P. M.”

Tempest stopped and turned to look at him.

“I grant you sanctuary, for now anyway. All I needed to know was the truth about you. I believe you’ve given me that. Maverik is happy to have you here. We’ll take it a day at a time and see how it goes for now. And you’re still on the clock.”

Tempest stood her ground, weighing her options, or rather sizing up the things he’d just said. She took into account the fact that he was Alpha with Alpha responsibilities. It was clear he didn’t take them lightly. And he was giving her the benefit of the doubt. She had to appreciate that. Most would have scoffed at her and refused to let her be a part of them or their gatherings. “Alright.”

“Alright,” he echoed.

Tempest walked back toward him, and when she passed him, he fell into step with her. They walked in silence for several minutes before she spoke again. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t make the information I’ve trusted you with common knowledge.”

“If you decide to try to make a life here, my clan will deserve to know. Not to call you out, but because if they’re accepting you as family, they should know all there is to know about you, just as we all know about each other now.”

“Until that day, if that day ever comes, I’d rather it not be discussed.”

“I understand. It won’t be common knowledge, but I’d be misleading you if I told you I wouldn’t discuss it with anyone. I absolutely plan to do some research, and I’ll probably speak to my Uncle Kaid, who was the first Alpha of this clan, and my Uncle Daniel, who is a Fire Dragon.”

“I can live with that,” Tempest said, “as I said, my father is a Dragon.”

“Fire, Ice? Wind?” he asked.

“Yes. Rather than having the ability to control one or another element, he has a certain amount of control over all of them. And he can heal, but still, he’s no match for the magics my mother controls.” She said, smiling sweetly at him.

The rest of the day passed like any other day. There was relief in the tension that had been present all morning, and even a little relaxed conversation between Brandt and Tempest when they were all talking as a group from time to time. They finished two roofs that day with everyone trying to outwork the new female, and were all exhausted by the time 5:00 P. M. came.

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