Page 34 of Bound By Earth (The Nature Hunters Academy 1)

“Elias.” Jax’s voice was just background noise to the pumping blood moving through his veins. “Did something happen while you were out? Were you attacked bysomething?”

He wanted Jax to quit talking. Elias needed to get in his car and drive straight back to the high school and drag Tara out of the building and keep her by his side. Bloody hell, he’d lost his damnmind.

“Elias, you need to calm down. You’re making the house tremble. I don’t want to have to pay for any damages,” Jax said in a calm voice as if he were dealing with a dangerous animal. “Please talk to me. Not as your instructor, but as yourfriend.”

Elias took several deep breaths in an attempt to get a handle on his emotions. It had been a long time since he’d lost control of his magic. He had originally decided he wasn’t going to tell Jax about what was happening with him and his reaction to Tara. But if he was dangerous because of what he was feeling, someone needed to know. Jax was a friend. Even though they got on each other’s nerves, and even though Jax was older, they’d still managed to become good, trustedfriends.

“I need your word you won’t try and interfere,” Elias said. He could feel his magic getting more and more agitated, worried that Jax would try and keep him away from Tara. That would definitely be a badchoice.

“As long as it doesn’t pose a danger to humans, I won’tinterfere.”

That was as good as Elias was going to get. “I feel something for Tara,” hesaid.

“What kind of something?” Jax askedcarefully.

“Possessiveness, desire, need, want. And my magic is drawn to her. It wants to join withher.”

Jax was quiet, so quiet Elias eventually looked over at him. His friend looked both confused andintrigued.

“Do you know anything about why I’m reacting to her this way?” Eliasasked.

“Do you likeher?”

“What I know of her, yes,” he answered instantly, just the brief glimpse of her guarded, yet sharp personality had him thirsty for more, to know everything abouther.

“And you’re attracted toher?”

Elias nearly asked if the sky was blue. What red-blooded male wouldn’t be attracted to someone with curves like Tara? “Yes.”

“But it feels like more than just normal attraction or interest for a female,” Jax said, and it wasn’t worded as aquestion.

“It feels like she belongs to me, and I, in turn, belong to her.” He began to pace again as the restlessness he’d been feeling began to grow. “I need to be close to her. Being this far from her is making meagitated.”

“I can see that.” His friend didn’t sound amused. He sounded anxious. “What are you worried about? Why do you feel you need to be close toher?”

“I need to know she’s okay. I need to be able to protect her. I need to feel her.” The words flowed out of him without thought. They were absolutes that he knew to be thetruth.

“Would it help if you knew she wasalright?”

“Maybe.”

“Here, her number is on the form.” Jax held out Tara’s paperwork. “Text her. See if that takes the edgeoff.”

“Do you know why this ishappening?”

Jax shook his head. “I have theories but nothing that is solid information. We’re going to have to ask someone much older and wiser thanme.”

Elias turned his attention back to his phone. He entered Tara’s contact information and in the slot for Name, he put Luv. Not because it was a common British endearment. He did it because it felt right for him to call her that. He’d analyze all the crazy stuff that was driving his behavior in a little while. Right now, he just wanted to know Tara was allright.

I’m glad you turned the paperworkin.

He pressed Send and waited. Finally, the phone vibrated, and her response poppedup.

Jax?

Elias frowned. Why the bloody hell would she think Jax was texting her? Was she attracted to him? Jax was a good-looking man, but he was also an older man. He could pass for late twenties, but he was over two centuries old. Much too old forTara.

No. Try again,luv.

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