Page 44 of Bound By Earth (The Nature Hunters Academy 1)

She closed her eyes and settled back into her pillow. Tara was determined to overcome her disturbing fascination with Elias, and if it took going on a date, or fifty, with Tucker, then so beit.

* * *

Elias stared at his phone,reading Tara’s response to his last text. He’d screwed up. Royally. He could have sworn that while he’d been with her, several times, he’d seen the connection in her, that she felt it, too. Or had he imagined it because he wanted her to feel it? He thought about their entire interaction that evening and when her demeanor toward him had changed. It had been when he’d been standing behind her at thedoor.

Elias had gotten close to her. Too close? He hadn’t thought so, but then again, he’d been trying to figure out what the bloody hell was drawing him to her. She was like an enchantress, and everything about her was designed to be a delight to all of his senses, including his magic. She’d smelled so good, and her hair had felt like silk against his face. It had taken a monumental amount of strength to keep from wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly so she couldn’t get away. No, that was creepy, and he was pretty sure that was his magic putting in its two cents.Hewanted to hold her close to keep her safe, to provide shelter and warmth.Maybe he’d scared her? Had he come on too strong? He hadn’t gotten that feeling. She’d been receptive to his proximity. His magic had told him that much. When had itchanged?

He’d told her to breathe because he was worried she was going to pass out, and then she’d asked him why he’d texted her today. And he’d said because he was curious. He breathed out as it suddenly dawned on him that if shedidfeel a connection to him, anywhere close to as strongly as he felt it for her, being told that he was merely curious about her was like a slap to the face. “Bloody hell.” He growled as he slammed his hand against the steeringwheel.

He was about to text her back to apologize when he saw movement from the corner of his eye. Elias turned to see Tucker slinking away into the trees behind Tara’s house. Elias hadn’t lied to Tara when he’d said he’d wanted to chat, but it hadn’t been the only reason he’d showed up. Doing what Jax had ordered him to do, he’d kept an eye on Tucker and followed him around all afternoon and evening. At 10:30 tonight, Tucker had gotten in his car, driven to Tara’s neighborhood, parked one street over, and then hoofed it to Tara’s house where he sat, staring at it from the cover of the trees. When Tucker had finally decided to do more than watch and had headed for the front door, Elias had beat him to it making the dark acolyte scurry back into hiding or risk being seen by Tara and then questioned about why he was hanging around her house so late atnight.

When Tara had let Elias into her room, the first thing he’d noticed was that the blinds were closed and the curtains pulled mostly shut. That had made him feel a little better, that while Tucker had been staring like a creeper, he hadn’t been able to see into Tara’sroom.

Elias leaned his seat back and got comfortable. There was no way he was leaving her unprotected with a dark acolyte sniffing around. Also, the thought of leaving her made his magic boil inside of him. So he stared at the house, also like a creeper, feeling sick that he’d hurt Tara and wondering how in the name of Mother Gaia he was going to fixit.

Chapter 13

Elias never thought a girl would be his demise. But now he sat staring at his phone, trying to force it to alert him of a message from Tara.I’m going mad.This little slip of a girl whom he barely knew was slowly bringing him to his knees. The damn phone simply stared back with all the interaction of a darkscreen.

It had been two days since he’d left Tara’s house in the pouring rain. Two days without any responses to his texts. And like he’d promised, he’d shown back up on her doorstep both nights, but she refused to answer the door. Thankfully, her foster mom hadn’t been home. She’d probably have called the police on him for stalking Tara. And she wouldn’t be wrong. Everywhere Tara went, Elias was there, in the shadows, watching her, protecting her. Because he wasn’t the only one following her. Tucker, the dark water acolyte, was also in the shadows. The boy was a little too infatuated with Tara. Granted, with the way Elias was feeling toward her, any guy who glanced her way was too infatuated with her for his liking. Yep, he’d gone barkingmad.

Today was Friday, and Tucker wouldn’t have to be in hiding to be near Tara because he was taking her on a date. The thought of the acolyte’s dark magic anywhere near Tara was infuriating to Elias. The fact that she was going to be with a male who wasn’t him was equally infuriating. He’d known her a week and apparently had staked a claim … because that was normal. “You’re a right git,” he muttered tohimself.

Short of killing Tucker, which he wasn’t opposed to doing, or abducting Tara, which he was also not opposed to doing and clearly meant he was a nutter,Elias couldn’t stop the date from happening. His magic, which had truly begun to feel like a separate entity inside of him, had plenty to say about the dreaded date. Though the magic didn’t speak to him with words, emotions and intentions flowed from it into Elias’s mind. It had never been that way before, and he had never heard any other elementalist describe their magic in that way. There was also a new sensation growing inside of him—something primal and essential to his being that felt as though Tara was also essential to hisbeing.

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he startled when his phone rang. Jax’s name popped up on the screen. Elias sighed but swallowed his disappointment as he answered. “Allright?”

“I know why you’ve turned into a lovesick puppy with no mind of your own,” Jax said withoutpreamble.

Elias’s lips pursed. “I’m not a lovesick puppy, and I still have my own mind. Has my mind gone off its trolley?Absolutely.”

“I have no idea what trolleys have to do with this,” Jax said then continued before Elias could explain. “I was able to speak with MasterAlaric.”

“I thought he’d retired and was in some undisclosed location living out the rest of his days in peace,” Elias repeated almost verbatim what they’d learned about the oldest-living Master NatVent.

“Undisclosed to some but not all,” Jaxcorrected.

“So what did he say? What’s happening to me?” Elias heard the impatience in his own voice. Part of the irritation was from having Tara ignore him so thoroughly. The other part was because he really wanted to know why he was acting so out of character and, frankly, a bitirrational.

“He only could tell me what had been kept on the scrolls of our history, and this particular scroll has been nearly destroyed,” Jax said. “I’m going to read what was left ofit.”

Elias tried to relax, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that what Jax was about to read was going to change his entireworld.

“Natura Venatoriwere created because darkness touched their souls, souls that had been connected to their sire’s and mother’s since their inception.” Jax paused. “There’s been some text torn out so there’s something missing in between what I just read you and this next part.For some, the evil that touched them was so dark that it ripped some of their soul away, but for some it didnot.”

“Hold up,” Elias said, interrupting Jax. “None of that is taught to the new recruits. There is nothing about our souls having anything to do with why we becameNaturaVenatori.”

“I know,” Jax said quietly. “And there are reasons for that, but we don’t have time to get into all of it. It is something we will discuss with the headmaster and headmistress after we get Tara removed from the threat that is Tucker and the other dark acolytes inBuffalo.”

“I’m going to hold you to that, mate,” Eliassaid.

“I’ve no doubt,” Jax muttered. “Try to let me finish without interrupting.” He paused as if testing to see if Elias would comment on the order. When he didn’t, Jax continued reading. “Those who have pieces of their soul removed cannot resist the darkness. They will be drawn to it because their soul is trying to be complete again. They must be joined with aNatura Venatoriwhose soul is whole in order to keep from becoming a powerful acolyte. These souls and the magic inside each of theNatura Venatoriwill recognize their match.It will be all-consuming in a way they won’t understand, but it has to be. In order for the torn soul to want to resist the darkness, it has to be completed by love. They will be drawn to one another, and with each interaction, the connection and need will grow. When they join their souls and bind their magic because of the love that seals it, their power will overflow, unable to be contained. For the greatest power that light holds over darkness is the ability to love. These will be known as the SoulBonded.”

Elias could hear Jax’s voice coming through the phone, calling his name, but Elias was unable to respond. His body was numb all over, yet his blood was rushing through his veins, the magic inside of him was doing the damn jig, and then there was his soul. How had he never been aware of this other consciousness that was a part of him but separate from hisNatura Venatorimagic? But now that Jax had shined a huge light onto him, revealing that his soul was meant to be joined and bonded to another, he was completely aware of it. And aware that it was yelling at him to go find Tara, to find the soul that was his match. “Damn, this is a right mess,” he said in a shakybreath.

“Did the things I just read describe how you feel about Tara?” Jaxasked.

“That about sums itup.”

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