The first installment in The Elemental Destiny series, Windsinger, is the story of Cecy – a girl who’s half-human, and half elemental, ancient, immortal creatures who embody the elements of earth, air, fire and water.
Being part air elemental gives her certain powers, but even among the Twixters (those who are half-human and half-elemental) she is gifted. When she finds herself strangely attracted to a human man, it complicates things.
In this scene, Brad is doing his best to get to know her, but she’s not telling him much of anything…
Cecy’s fingers wrapped and unwrapped around her water bottle.
“So…do you work somewhere – when you’re not volunteering?” Brad asked.
“I have responsibilities.” She said it as an explanation, not a complaint. And after a moment, he realized that she wasn’t going to explain any further.
This was getting frustrating. And he wasn’t entirely sure if she was being deliberately obtuse. It was more like she just didn’t know how to converse, using the social norms. The language barrier must be more of an impediment than he thought.
“So where are you from, originally?” he asked.
She tilted her head again. “Here.”
Brad’s forehead crinkled with confusion. “But English is your second language.”
She took in a breath, as if realizing what he meant. “Ah. Yes, it is. My mother speaks differently. I was living with my father, but he died when I was eleven. My mother raised me until I reached my four and four.”
“Four and four?”
She paused. “Sixteen. Until I was sixteen.”
Brad’s brows went up. “You’ve been on your own since sixteen? That couldn’t have been too long ago.”
“Seven years. I’ve lived here since then.”
They sat in silence, through another lapse. This was getting ridiculous.
“Are you…from here?” Cecy finally asked.
“Yes and no,” he said. “I grew up in the area, with my grandmother. She raised me after my parents were killed in a car accident. Then she moved back to Georgia for awhile. When she started having problems, I moved her out here with me.”
“She’s a lovely person.”
“She is. But don’t let her ever hear you call her lovely. My Nana is a really, really strong woman. She used to be a college professor, but she should have been a construction worker. There wasn’t a problem around the house that she couldn’t fix. She’s a firm believer in doing for yourself.”
Cecy reached across, setting her hand on his. “It must be hard…seeing her this way.”
“Yeah. Yeah, it is.” He leaned back with a sigh. “But what are you going to do? It is what it is.”
“You’re a good man, for taking care of her. She needs you.”
“She’s my Nana,” he said. “I don’t want her going through this alone.” He twirled his cup in his hands again. “I suppose you see a lot of these cases here.”
“Yes.” Her eyes were full of sympathy. “It’s never easy. Sometimes, unlike your Nana, they are all alone. I try to pay special attention to those.”
“I saw you with that man. Mr. Nelson.”
He didn’t know why that came out of his mouth – he hadn’t meant to ever bring her bizarre behavior up like that, but it spilled out anyway. The effect was instantaneous. Cecy’s eyes widened and she pushed her chair back, getting to her feet.
“I have to leave now,” she said.
Brad had had enough. He pushed his own chair out of the way and reached out, gently holding her by the arm.
“Oh no,” he said. “You’re not running out on me again. We’ve been sitting here making small talk and all I can think about is the way you felt against me. And how much I want to be kissing you again. I want to know every single thing about you. Don’t leave me hanging, here.”
“I have to go,” she repeated.
“Cecy,” his grip tightened and he looked around to make sure they were alone. “I don’t care about whatever it is you don’t want me to know. I’ve got all the time in the world to figure you out. Just tell me you’re feeling it too.”
He stepped in closer, until his chest was brushing her breasts, and her eyes dropped to his lips, which were hovering perilously close to hers.
“I do feel it,” she whispered.
Windsinger will be out soon – expect a release date announced at the end of this week, and a cover reveal is on the way!
Britt DeLaney 