Not long now!

Sneak Peek at The Elementals book 1 ~ Earth

With not much time left until the release of the first book in my new NY series I thought I would treat you all to a sneak peek from the very beginning of the book. Enjoy :D

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Kaia

“Kaia, get your ass out of bed this instant,” my mother shouted from the kitchen.

I didn’t want to get up. I wanted to stay in this bed for the rest of my short life, hidden away from the world, from all the danger that lurked out there. But that wasn’t going to happen, not when I knew she would be up here in a matter of minutes to drag me out if I didn’t make an appearance soon.

I was an Elemental, one of four very powerful witches that had the very rare ability to control one of the four elements.

I’m Earth.

I had powers that you would normally associate someone like me to have. Gifts over the trees, plants, flowers and so on. But there was more. I also had the power to control the actual earth itself. Create earthquakes, volcanos, and many more cool things.

Well at least that’s what I’d been told I would be able to do when I gained my full powers.

Which will never happen.

No witch is truly granted their full powers until they find their soulmate, their protector. On a witch’s twenty first birthday, they are allowed to cast a spell to find their soulmate. Well tomorrow was my birthday, but I wasn’t turning twenty one, I was turning nineteen.

No Elemental had lived to reach the age of twenty since the original four were killed by the demon Abaddon. Since that day he has been hunting and killing us to stop a prophecy said to foretell his death from being fulfilled. Because of that the Crones, the current leaders of our race, had decided that each Elemental would perform the ritual early, in a hope that they could find and bond with their soulmate, their protector before the demon came for them. 

Well that was all great for them, but I didn’t want to spend what was left of my life tied to man. Worst thing was all the local supernatural groups were going to be there, hoping that one of them would be chosen.  And if rumours were true even some of the Gentry were coming to our dimension for the ritual. Because of my supposed future powers everyone seemed to be invited.

The local wolf pack was coming. But while the other packs I was sure would come willingly, the adults of this pack would likely have to practically drag their mangy, young mutts to the ritual.

I had gone to school with most of them until I was sent away to learn my craft with one of the old Crones, Grace, and home schooled for the last few years of my education. They all hated me, I wasn’t too fond of them… well most of them anyway.

 The young of the pack and my coven had never really gotten along. I still couldn’t believe that they were actually coming. It wouldn’t be one of them that were picked; there was no way in hell that one of them would be my perfect partner, the one to make me stronger.

No fucking way!

There were two things I was dreading about the ritual, one I was actually casting the spell, having to do it in front of so many people. A shiver ran through me every time I thought about it. You see the thing about a spell of that power, and most spells of that nature come to think of it, was that it had to be performed naked. How embarrassing. Believe me I'm not ashamed of my body. My C sized chest was perfect as far as I was concerned. Nicely shaped hips, trim waist. The vine tattoo I had running up the right side of my body. I had no complaints. But having to stand there in front of all those people, people I knew, naked! Well it terrified me.

I was hoping that I might be able to talk the coven into letting me wear a robe of some sort. I mean this was usually preformed at a much older age, by what my mother would call more mature witches.

I mean come on; I was still a virgin for crying out loud. I didn’t want everyone seeing what I had never even shared with another before.

The other thing I was dreading was that a certain wolf from my past would more than likely be there. I just hoped that in the years since I had left he had found his truemate and not have to come.

Dragging myself out of bed, my clothes all wrinkled from the night before, I headed down stairs to face the troll that I called my mother.

I know you are probably wondering why I was wearing yesterday’s clothes to bed? Well it’s a simple case of too much fun with the girls celebrating my birthday, and a very large bottle of Sambuca.

“I’m up. Happy now?” I moaned stumbling into the kitchen and collapsing into the nearest chair. My mother was stood in her usual spot by the sink, staring out the window. At what I had no idea but there must be something out there that she liked to look at, as she always seemed to be glaring at something.

We looked so similar that it was plainly obvious that we were mother and daughter, from the back at least. Same slim figure with small curves. Same shoulder length auburn hair. Same face, minus the wrinkles in my case. But it was at the eyes where the similarities ended.

While my mother had stormy grey eyes, mine were green, but not your normal green. Oh no, heaven forbid that my eyes be normal so I could pass by as a normal person. No, the only way I could describe my eyes would be to call them a dark leafy green. For years I had hidden them behind sunglasses or in later years coloured contacts. When I had gone to train with Grace, my coven’s Crone, after the first year of putting up with it she had demanded I stop hiding them and accept that they were a part of me.   

“Happy that my only daughter was so drunk last night that she couldn’t grasp the door handle, never mind place the key in the lock. What would have happened if you were attacked? You were in no state to protect yourself. You made yourself vulnerable… again. You girls really have no idea what is out there in the dark.”

“Are you kidding me?” I snapped wincing at the volume of my voice. Quietening it down a little I continued, the venom staying in my voice. “Mum, I have spent the last five years studying nothing but the paranormal world. What’s out there. How to fight them. There is not one thing I do not know about this world, or any other for that matter. Tomorrow is my birthday, more than likely the very last one I will have. So I'm sorry that I upset you by deciding for one night to forget the terrible fate that is looming over my head, and has been my whole life, and live for once.”

This was an argument we had had many times over the years since I had realised what my powers meant and that my life would be cut short in not so many years.

“The ritual will change that. Your protector will be able to save you from danger.”

“Keep telling yourself that Mother. I on the other hand will continue as if the rules have not changed and live every second I have left as I want to. Happy,” (if that was at all possible), “and having fun with my friends.” 

Grabbing a cereal bar out of the cupboard I fled, putting an end to the argument for now, but knowing that it was only a matter of time until it started up again.

Grabbing my phone I called Dyanna, my best friend. She was in an even worst state than me the night before so there was a chance that she wouldn’t even be up yet, but I needed to get out of this house before things took a turn for the worst with my mother. It took a few tries but eventually she picked up the phone.

“What?” she croaked.

“Shit, you sound ruff as fuck.”

“Of course I do, I drank a full bottle of Sambuca almost by myself, while you lightweights got pissed on just a few mangy shots.”

“So not true and you know it. I had almost the same amount as you.”

“Keep telling yourself that. Anyway what do you want? I was having the best dream and you interrupted it.”

“Really? What was it about?”

“Wolves. Hot, sexy as fuck wolves.”

“Wolves are not sexy, their flee-bitten mutts.”

“Well the ones in my head aren’t. Anyway what’s up?”

Sighing, “I need to get out of here for a while. Any chance I can come crash at yours tonight before the ritual tomorrow?”

“Of course. I think Grace was expecting you anyway. She started cleaning out your old bedroom last night and hasn’t stopped organising it since.”

Grace was the Crone that had trained me in my craft. She was over two hundred years old but looked no older than thirty. She was also Dyanna’s great, great, great, great grandmother. And treated me just like a member of the family.

Before I had left for my training I had been on a one way path to destruction. Dyanna had really helped put me back on the straight and narrow. Believe me we were no saints and still got into plenty of trouble, but I was in a much better place now than I had been back then.

“Wouldn’t surprise me, she knows everything.”

“Tell me about it. When I stumbled in this morning she was stood waiting on the other side of the door, mop and bucket in hand.”

“A mop and bucket?”

“Yeah, the moment I made it through the door I puked up all over the floor. She made me clean up the whole lot, and finish my daily chores before she would allow me to head up to bed. She’s so cruel.” 

We finished up our phone call and I quickly packed a bag for the night, remembering to pack my small bag of potions that I carried everywhere in case of emergencies, before heading back downstairs to tell my mother I was staying with Grace for the night. Unsurprisingly she had no problems with me staying with Grace, though I did tell her that I was staying there so we could go over the ritual again. That was something we really should have gone over before now but I had been putting it off, not wanting to talk about something I really didn’t want to do.

Slinging my stuff into the back of my car I set off on the two hour journey to Grace’s cottage. My friends could just use magic to get there but I had to be careful about everything I did with magic, in case the demon was searching for me. Sometimes it really sucked to be the powerful one.

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Earth will be available to download June 24th.