Cole looked genuinely delighted with my response as he snorted. “Is that really what you’re worried about?”
I nodded. “I don’t want to lose him. Yes, it’s selfish for me to treat you this way because of my fear, but ... for a long time, he’s all I had.”
Cole’s expression softened. “Do you think he’s forgotten that?”
“No, but ... .” I was genuinely at a loss.
“He loves you so much that he can’t be away from you any more than you can be away from him.” He adopted a soothing tone. “You two are not going to be separated,” he promised. “There might be a week here or there when he visits me, but ... he can’t be without you over the long haul.”
“Then how is that fair to you?” I was legitimately curious. “How will you guys have a meaningful relationship if you’re separated for forty-eight weeks a year?”
“I don’t know.”
“Are you willing to leave your job and come on the road with us? It might come to that.”
“I don’t know.” Cole remained calm. “Luke and I don’t even know if we’re going to be compatible more than a few days. That’s why I took my vacation now and decided to travel with you guys. We can only take it one step at a time. The big step is making sure Luke and I actually want to take the other steps. But even that won’t have a chance if you keep throwing up roadblocks.”
He was right. I was wrong and he was completely right. I was acting like an imbecile. “I’m sorry.” I choked out the words. “I want Luke to be happy. I don’t want you to be miserable. I actually like you. I just ... for some reason, I keep fighting with my instincts. I don’t know why.”
“That’s because of me.” Cole’s smile was rueful. “As an elemental, I have certain ... things ... that happen around me. One of them is that those who have strong mind powers are often affected negatively by my magic. You’ll have to learn to shutter better around me.”
I was flabbergasted. Again. “What? Are you saying I’m acting like a maniacal mess because I can’t help myself around your powers?”
He nodded, his smile returning. “I figured it out a couple of days ago. The pixie twins were having the same problem, although Raven is seemingly immune, which I find interesting. I warned Naida and Nixie, and they’ve been much better.”
“Why didn’t you warn me?”
“Because it seemed like another reason for you to hate me, and you don’t want to admit to the guy you’re dating that his best friend is essentially allergic to you.”
The simple statement made me burst out laughing. It was a relief to let go of some of the worry and anger I’d been carrying. “You should’ve told me,” I said as I wiped the tears from my cheeks. “I’ve been having this vicious tug-of-war in my head. I didn’t know what was wrong with me.”
“That’s why I finally decided to bite the bullet. I need you to give me a chance or this will never work, no matter what we decide.”
I nodded and sighed. “I’ll give you a chance. I’m really sorry for how I’ve been acting. Believe it or not, it makes me feel better to know that not all of it has been my fault.”
“That’s another reason I came over here.” Tentatively, he reached across the table and patted my hand. When I didn’t pull away, he let loose a charming smile. “You’re going to like me if you give yourself the chance.”
“I think I already like you. That’s why I was so territorial about Luke.”
“You’ll have to learn to share.”
That response made me laugh again. “That’s what I told him and Kade months ago.”
“Well, now it’s going to be a rule for all of us. I think we can be friends. You just have to meet me halfway.”
“Yeah.” I flipped my hand over and briefly linked my fingers with his. I could feel the power emanating between us. He was fascinating. “I’m really sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. Just do better.” He squeezed my hand and shifted in his seat. “By the way, you’re wasting your time researching trolls. It’s vampires. I’m almost positive.”
I jerked up my head, surprised. “Why didn’t you say something?”
“I wasn’t sure until you told us about your dream — and you didn’t seem to be in a good frame of mind at the time.”
Ugh. Well, crap. “We need to talk.”
He nodded. “We certainly do.”
6
Six
Luke and Kade were hiding their interest in the conversation, so I tapped Cole for a mission. He seemed surprised by the invitation, but nodded, waiting as I snagged Kade’s keys from the trailer and headed toward the parking lot.
Cole was amused when we pulled out, and Luke and Kade finally made their presence known. It was too late to invite them along — and honestly, I thought it best if Cole and I spent some time alone before interacting in front of an audience. I waved at Kade and Luke as I sped out onto the highway. They remained standing in the parking lot, dumbfounded looks on their faces, and Cole laughed like a giddy teenager as he shook his head.
“That was mean,” he noted as I hit the highway.
“Hey, they wanted to hide behind the tents like big ’fraidy cats. It’s their fault.”
“I think they were simply worried. Luke especially.”
I sighed, guilt rolling through me. “I know. I’ll talk to them later. I just ... feel like an ass.”
“That’s good. You were acting like an ass.”
“You could cut me a little slack. I didn’t realize that I needed to shutter around elementals. You’re the first one I’ve spent any time with.”
His expression could hardly be described as contrite. “I didn’t realize it was a thing either until everyone kept commenting how you were acting out of sorts. Then I felt trapped. I worried you would explode because you thought I was purposely influencing you.”
“I wouldn’t have thought that.” I kept my eyes on the road. Kade’s truck was large and I hadn’t driven it more than a few times ... mostly because he liked to play captain of his starship. “I’m sorry for ... well ... all of it.”
“I’m sorry, too.” He was rueful. “Maybe we can start over.”
“That’s the plan.” We drove the rest of the way to the accident site in companionable silence. Now that I knew to shutter, it was relatively easy. The unease that had been threatening to drown me dissipated relatively quickly. Cole didn’t question where we were going. He seemed to know. I appreciated that he didn’t need constant entertainment.
I parked on the side of the road. We stood at the edge of the steep precipice and stared down.
“Do you think we can walk down there without killing ourselves?” I asked finally.
He nodded and extended a hand, a red orb of magic appearing. I watched with unbridled fascination as the ball unfurled, creating a magical rope that snaked around my waist before tethering me to him.
“What’s this?”