Page 59 of Sealed By Fire (The Nature Hunters Academy 2)

Tara’s mouth dropped open the instant she realized what Liam was talking about. Did he think she was asking about stuff, stuff … like … Elias’s stuff, stuff?

“I mean, women have it easy,” Liam continued. “Our junk is self-explanatory. There’s no mystery, but you, lovely Tara, have layers, like a flower with beautiful, soft petals that must be allowed to bloom, open themselves up to the sunshine, and—”

Tara’s horror reached a new level as she realized he was talking aboutherpetals. What. The. Actual. Hell? She was about to rip Liam a new one when Elias suddenly launched himself across the room. Before she could stifle it, a stupid, girly shriek erupted from her mouth as Elias’s fist plowed into Liam’s face like a sledgehammer. How Liam was still conscious was a mystery to her. Not only was he not knocked out, but he was also laughing as he attempted to fend off Elias's continued attack. She glanced over at Aston to see if he was going to do anything, but the nerd hadn’t even glanced up from his computer screen. Maybe he wasn’t hacking evil-villain databases. Maybe he was looking at blooming petals. What else would keep a dude distracted from a fistfight happening ten feet from him?

Out of nowhere, a huge gust of wind sent Liam and Elias flying apart, and both of them landed flush against opposite walls as if invisible arms held them in place. Liam still laughed like a damn hyena.

“Elias, you don’t want to kill Liam. When he’s not being an ass, you actually like him,” Aston said, still looking at his computer screen. “And Liam, please, get the hell over Tara’s petals and find your own damn flower.”

Elias snarled. “I swear to Mother Gaia if you talk about her like that one more time, I am going to rip your tongue from your mouth and feed it to you.”

“Mother Gaia doesn’t like it when you swear,” said Aston.

“You probably shouldn’t poke the angry Brit,” Tara pointed out as she folded her arms in front of her and glared at Liam. “And you…” She said pointedly. “Mention my petals or any male’s junk again, andIwill decide to retaliate, and it will make Elias’s threats look like child’s play.”

Liam grinned. “You realize that’s foreplay to me, right?”

That’s it!The straw that broke the water elementalist’s, or whatever the hell they called themselves, back. Tara stomped over to him, reared her leg back, and nailed him in the junk with her booted foot. Aston’s laughter filled the room, which must have broken his concentration over the power he was using on the guys since Liam dropped to the floor like a rock. He doubled over, coughing and groaning.

Tara felt a strong arm wrap around her waist and tug her backward several feet until she was a good distance away from the injured male, with her back pressed tightly to Elias’s chest. His lips were by her ear, and she felt goosebumps rise on her skin as he spoke. “That was hot as hell.”

She patted the hand resting on her stomach. “Down, boy. I still have questions, and they have nothing to do with anatomy or petals or junk.”

“Fair enough, but later, you’re mine,” he said and pressed a kiss to her neck, just below her ear.

He released her, and Tara walked over to the chair Liam had been lounging in before Aston had forced the guys apart. She waited until all three of them moved closer to join her. Liam crawled over, which made her laugh. Aston rolled his chair over, and Elias lowered his tall frame onto the floor, his legs stretched out in front of him as he leaned back with his arms behind him, resting his weight on his palms.

“Before we go to this gathering thing today, I need to know the rules of this world,” Tara began. She’d been feeling at a distinct disadvantage with her ignorance.“There are too many terms that sound alike but mean different things. So, start with the elementals and go from there.”

Aston began, which didn’t surprise her in the least. “God created humans and Mother Gaia,” he began. “Mother Gaia created the—”

“Wait,” interrupted Tara, “who is this Mother Gaia you all keep going on about anyway?”

“SheisMother Earth, essentially. She’s like the living embodiment of the spirit of the planet itself,” said Aston. “If that makes sense.”

Tara nodded. “Kind of. Continue.”

“So, Mother Gaia created the elementals, the ones who tend to God’s creation. The royal elementals are the…” He scrunched up his face, apparently looking for the best word to describe them. “They’re like shepherds to the other elementals. They guide, protect, and care for them.”

“Okay.” That was clearer than what she’d thought before. “And the elementalists?”

“An elementalist,” Aston continued, “is a human who has an affinity for magic. As you already know, they can be attuned to any of the four types of elemental power. Generally, they receive the blessing of elemental power because a dark elemental has somehow brought them into the supernatural world. Nine times out of ten, it is a kid whose parents have been killed by a dark elemental or acolyte.”

“And the tenth time?” she asked, not having been told that there was another way to become an elementalist, other than the loss of one's parents.

“It is, again, a human who has an affinity for magic and has been exposed to the supernatural world in a traumatic way. Something that the elementals could not influence the human to reason away. For instance, witnessing a fight between two elementals. Unfortunately, sometimes in the heat of battle, strange things happen and humans take notice.”

“And where do these elementals live?”

“The world, in its creation, has been given layers.” Aston paused and glanced at Liam.

Tara’s eyes snapped to the water elementalist. “If you say like petals, I’ll kick you again.”

Liam held up his hands in surrender. “You taught the lesson. I learned it. Though I’d have much preferred it if you’d been wearing a naughty-schoolgirl outfit.”

Elias sighed. “I’m going to have to kill you, and that sucks because that means we’ll have to find a new hydro student to keep the balance in our group.”

“Be patient,” Aston said as he looked at Elias. “Eventually he’ll find his match, and then he’ll focus all his sexual innuendos on her. Most likely, she’ll kill him and you won’t have to.”

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