Page 27 of Bound By Earth (The Nature Hunters Academy 1)

“Are you with her?” Elias asked, his jaw so tight it was a wonder his teeth didn’t crack. The thought of Tucker, or any male for that matter, beingwithTara made him seered.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” The dark acolyte laughed. “She doesn’t even know about our kind. You can’t be with her no matter how much you desireher.”

“Again you fail to end the sentence properly. She doesn’t know about our kind,yet.” Elias was usually calm and in control of his emotions, but something about Tara had gotten under his skin, and he felt like electricity was humming just beneath the surface of hisflesh.

“She won’t ever need to know about it if she doesn’t go to your precious academy. She’s mine. I found her and I’m keeping her. There’s no reason for her to get involved with the elementals. She can have a normal life.” Tucker’s voice was sincere despite the fact there was no way he was only interested in Tara because of attraction. It was no coincidence that the object of his affection was a future NatVent.

“She’s already been Marked,” Jax pointed out. “Soon, her powers will begin manifesting themselves. You are wrong. She does need our academy. She needs to know what she is and what she is capable of. Maybe there’s still hope for you, too, Tucker. I don’t generally trouble myself with anything that doesn’t concern the academy of earth, but perhaps I can help you. Who is your master? I’m sure Hydro Academy would be willing to rescue you. They always love the chance to snuff out a rogue waterelementalist.”

Tucker laughed. Any remnant of the “good ol’ boy” who’d been standing there by Tara was completely gone. “Rescue me? YouNatura Venatorireally don’t have a clue. My master, who shall remain nameless, wields elemental power the fools at your pathetic elemental schools couldn’t even begin to fathom. You would never breach his stronghold, much less defeathim.”

Despite the words, Elias could hear the doubt in the boy’s voice. As much as he tried to convince himself, surely, deep down, Tucker had to know a single master elementalist couldn’t impart the same wisdom he could get studying at an academy.Didn’the?

“Are you saying you just want to settle down with Tara and play house?” Eliasasked.

Tucker shrugged his wide shoulders. “I’m saying it’s none of yourconcern.”

Elias started to argue, but Jax held up his hand. “We can just agree to disagree for now. Elias,” he said as he looked over at him, “why don’t you go see if Tara and Shelly are all right. I think they headed toward the exit that ledoutside.”

As Elias began to move past Tucker, he placed one hand on the table and one hand on the dark elemental’s arm. He murmured under his breath a quick spell that would keep the other male stuck where he was. It would hold him there long enough to be annoying, but the spell wasn’t dangerous. Elias was a good five feet away when he heard Jax chuckle and tell Tucker the spell would wear off soon enough but to get comfortable in the meantime. Elias smiled to himself. The spell itself wasn’t dangerous, but being stuck with Jax might be. Water was one of the four fundamental elements. As aNatura Venatori,Jax had to respect all the elements. But that didn’t necessarily mean he had to like them. Water was intrinsically very powerful against earth. After all, the Grand Canyon was carved by a single stream. There were few humans alive more attuned to earth than Jax. This made the big man uneasy around the element of water. And a dark acolyte attuned to water … rooted in place next to Jax. That situation could be volatile.Oh well, I guess the little water git shouldn’t have made a claim on one ofours.

Tara and Shelly had some time before the start of their next class. Tara pushed open the main doors of the gymnasium and stepped out into the spring morning. She took a deep breath and let the sounds and smells of the world around her center her. She had no idea what had just happened. But she did know she had just stood across from the only guy in the history of guys who had finally made her want him. Likereallywant him. And no, she did not get turned on by being humiliated. But even after he’d opened his full lips and spoken those rude words in that sexy accent, Tarastillwanted him. She also wanted to yell out in frustration and stomp her foot like a freaking two-year-old.

“Why,” she finally growledout.

“Why are hot, brooding guys butt wipes?” Shelly asked. “It’s another one of those unwritten laws. Find me a kind, sexy bad boy, and I’ll give you my leftboob.”

Tara frowned and asked dryly, “Why on earth would I want your leftboob?”

“It’s the bigger one. Duh,” Shelly said as she laid down on her back on one of the picnic tables scattered around the schoolgrounds.

Tara sighed and slumped down onto the table’s bench. “I was asking ‘why’ because I’m frustrated, not because I wondered why he is ajerk.”

“He’s obviously a frustrating guy,” Shelly said as she stared up at theclouds.

“He’s the first guy I’ve ever been attracted to. Like, really,reallyattractedto.”

Shelly must have heard the desperation in Tara’s voice because she sat up slowly and looked at her. Her eyes narrowed as she studied Tara, and then a grin broke out across her pretty face. “You want to jump his bones!” she exclaimed with way too much excitement in her voice. No girl should say something like that about her best friend with that level of excitement or that loudly, ever,anywhere.

“Shut your mouth,” Tara hissed. “You do not go bellowing something like that out in the middle of a freaking high school. It’s like putting a banner over your head saying, ‘Please spread dirty rumors about me because I likeit.’”

“Tara, we’re outside, alone,” Shelly pointed out, the grin still in place. “Does he make your girly bits tingle? Wait.”She held up a hand. “Don’t answer that. Just write about it in your diary, and I’ll readit.”

Tara’s eyes narrowed. “You’ve read my diary?When?”

“Every time I sleep over. Girl, that shite’s better than those novels you read. You should seriously consider writing as acareer.”

“Good freaking grief.” Tara groaned. “We desperately need to discuss boundaries again and how you havenone.”

“Maybe, but let’s wait untilafter we see what your future first time has to say.” Shelly nodded in the direction behind her, and Tara turned around to see what she was talkingabout.

Elias Creed was striding toward them with purposeful steps. His shoulders were pulled back, and his head was held high. He walked with the confidence of a man twice his age. There was no ounce of hesitation, no flicker of uncertainty in his eyes as he approached them. Honestly, he looked like a predator on the hunt, and when his eyes found hers, Tara felt as though she was hisprey.

“I’m having twins,” Shelly jingled behind her. “Because his swagger just impregnated me a secondtime.”

“I thought you said he was a butt munch,” Tara remindedher.

Shelly chuckled. “Butt munch or not, he’s totally got enough sexy pheromones wafting off of him to get any woman within a five-mile radius knocked up. Not even gonnalie.”

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