Elemental Hunger

Chapter Forty-Two

The thrill at Adam's awakening only lasted a few hours. His survival only served to remind me of Hanai's death. So I existed in the same space with my Council, but we didn't talk. We wordlessly prepared for our move into the newly excavated diplomacy wing of the school, barely looking at one another. I felt lost, adrift, inside my own head.

"I'll meet you there," Councilman Davison said, the words jolting me like an icy flame. I'd already nodded my agreement.

"Wait." I looked around the guest bedroom blankly. "Where am I going?"

"The town square," Davison answered, his voice fringed with frustration. "Your Council is waiting downstairs. We'll be a few minutes behind you."

"Who's coming?"

"Only the whole city of Tarpulin."

A fog lifted from my brain. "And I'll be...."

"Announcing the new gender equality clauses," he finished for me. "I've approved your motion to remove the marriage aspect of chartering Councils too. You agreed to announce it to the public."

Every cell in my body flared to life. "I—I can't. All those people." I hadn't felt this much panic since I fled from Adam and shredded my foot on the icy plains outside Cornish. Everything burned.

I tried to speak, but couldn't. Davison's voice boomed in my ears, dropping me to my knees. Shards of pain shot through my legs and up into my heart. Feeling so much—confusion, helplessness, desperation, betrayal—opened a dam inside that couldn't be contained.

The calming scent of smoke helped. Of course Davison would know to light a fire in the hopes of comforting me.

Only when I heard the frantic shouting did I think there was something wrong. My skin itched. Something scorched my throat. The Elemental fire inside responded to the flames raging around me.

"Tornadoes! Gabby, knock it off!" Adam's voice cut through the infernal pain. Through the hurt and anguish. His hands gripped my shoulders and pulled me through a barrier of heat and into someplace cool.

Frigid air rushed over my skin, calming the flames and driving the smoke away. I craved it. So I pushed Adam back and tried to find the ashy flavor again. He swore, this time picking me up.

Everything stayed dark. The smoke left, the voices fled, the fire retreated.

Only Adam remained.

"Stupid girl," he said, his voice choked. "Trying to kill yourself?"

No, I said inside my head because my voice wouldn't work.

"Good to hear," he said. "Why are you so upset?"

I don't want to talk to thousands of people. What if they don't believe me? I wanted to open my eyes, but a veil of heavy darkness pressed against my lids. I don't even know who or what to believe.

Adam's lips came softly against my cheek. "Believe me, Gabby. Please, you've got to believe me."

"But Alex said—" My voice raked through my parched throat.

"I know what she said. The Adam Gillman Alex knows—knew—was a selfish jerk who took advantage of anyone, anywhere, anytime to get what he wanted. I've already told you all this. You've got to make your own decision about me, Gabriella. Who's the Adam Gillman you know?"

I opened my eyes to find nothing but love shining in Adam's eyes.

"Gabriella." It came out as a plea as he set me on my feet. Adam cupped my face in his marked hands. "Will there always be this gulf between us?"

I traced the haunting lines of his tattoo with my eyes. The lines on his face reminded me of what he was, of who Alex had made him.

"I don't know," I whispered, thinking that there was more than just the sentry tattoo between us. There was Hanai, too.

I stood to leave, the sadness in his eyes eating away at my already raw emotions.

As I walked away, I heard, "I love you."

Blazes, I thought I could've loved him too, but I also thought any love I was capable of feeling had died with Hanai.