Flood of Desire: The Elementals Magic, #3

By Nikki Riker

As Alma hovers between life and death, victim to Alex's poison, Finn realizes what he feels for her is more than desire.

 

Infuriating she may be, she was also charming and generous, insinuating herself into his heart just as easily as she inhabits the wind.  But he knows that Alma isn't for him and he must complete the job her grandmother has given him and Dylan.

 

He must protect Alma and help her become the ruler of the Air Elemental so she can choose a husband and finally be safe.  Despite his determination to do his job then get out of her life, Finn can't keep his hands off her and the passion that erupts between them like hot lava makes him crazy thinking of her with another man.

But, it's Dylan's keen eye for detail that holds the key to saving Alma and Finn while snaking out the evil power behind Alex--the nameless, faceless entity willing to destroy anyone in their path to kill Alma.

 

In a race against time, Dylan and Finn must do the impossible—protect Alma from a ruthless killer…and himself!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Majestic Owl Publishing LLC
• Release date: Jan 8, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215360057

Book preview

one

The woman stretched out on the sofa, shivering and pale, was far removed from the vibrant elemental that Finn had come to know over weeks and months, the woman who he had harbored feelings for, held back from, who had tempted and infuriated him. Alma tossed and turned in an uneasy state somewhere between sleep and wakefulness, her brow knit as she had fevered dreams he couldn’t follow. Finn didn’t want to admit to his brother how deeply concerned he was over the fact that it was now almost a week after Alma had been poisoned, and a few days after she had been given the task of killing Alex herself by the elders, and she was no better.

A few feet away, Dylan was reading from a large tome he had brought with him from Alma’s grandmother’s house. It was written in the language and script that water elementals were taught from a young age, and Finn chewed on his lip, glancing only briefly at his younger brother. He wished, not for the first time, that Alma’s grandmother could have somehow managed to hold on; but then, Finn thought with resentment, if Lorene had lived then Alma probably wouldn’t be in her current state of weakness and misery. There would have been no need for Alex to poison her, if she hadn’t been in contention to become the ruler of her element; she wouldn’t have been in contention if Lorene were still alive, ruling over the element of water. Finn wondered just what had possessed Alex to do what he had done. The poison he had given Alma was dire indeed, composed of earth-aligned essences, but it hadn’t killed her outright. Killing Alma would have sealed his fate just as certainly as Alma deciding against him.

How’s it looking? Finn asked Dylan, barely looking over at his brother. He felt somehow like he had to keep his gaze on Alma, even if she was totally unaware of his existence. Some superstitious part of him thought that as long as he was watching her breathing, watching her struggle against the influence of the poison, she couldn’t possibly slip away.

It’s… it’s complicated, Dylan said, and Finn could hear the worry in his younger brother’s voice. I don’t know why the poison didn’t kill her outright—or within a day or two. According to this book, it should have either killed her or it should have already been out of her system. There must be something we’re not aware of… some kind of magic, or something going on with Alma, that’s making it linger in her system like this. Finn sighed, rubbing at his face in consternation. He heard the wind rattle at the windows and then abruptly die off; gusts and eddies of wind had been the surest sign of Alma’s continued vitality, even more than the way she looked. Whenever the wind died down Finn had a moment of fear—he had become more attuned than ever to the sound of weather, listening for the rising howl of the wind, the occasional spate of rain, trying to divine what it meant for the woman who he could now admit to himself he cared about much more than any of his previous charges.

It wasn’t just the sex, Finn thought firmly. Even if he had never given into her imperious desire, even if he had brushed her off, he would still be concerned for her right now. There was something about Alma’s challenging, infuriating, charming nature that had gotten under his skin. Finn reached out blindly for a cup of coffee that was never very far from hand and took a long sip of it; it was cold, strong and sugary, and he had subsisted on the brew with very little else in his stomach since they’d come back from the elders.

What can we do for her? Finn asked Dylan. Alma made a sound, somewhere between a cry and a gasp, tossing her head and scattering her dark hair across the pillow as she twisted, her face contorted with pain. He had asked the question before; Dylan’s research had been unavailing. His younger brother had consulted book after book of water healing lore, trying to find out what was possible. There was no way around the fact that Alma would have to kill Alex in a few days’ time. If she was incapable of it, too weak or incapacitated, she would be taken out of contention for the position of ruler of her element, and then Finn and Dylan wouldn’t be in a position to do much to help her—the elemental elders would probably determine that she was simply too unstable, like Alex, and have her killed right alongside the elemental she had judged.

There’s a counter-potion I can try… it may not fix everything, but it should help at least bring her back around to consciousness, Dylan said hesitantly. There’s one or two ingredients that Alma doesn’t have on hand. I’ll have to leave to get them. Finn nodded, feeling fatigue deep in his bones. Someone had to stay with Alma at all times—not only was her condition critical in the depths of the poison that was still affecting her, but she was still a target; now she was a target from Alex’s family in a more definitive way, as well as probably a target for her rivals in contention, and whoever else had a vested interest in her not ascending the place of Regina Sylphaea. Finn by default was the one who stayed by Alma, out of a sense of responsibility for what had happened to her—a sense of guilt he couldn’t quite shake in spite of himself.

He knew that Alma’s choices were her own, but he couldn’t help remembering the fight he’d had with her before she had gone back down to Alex, opening herself up to being poisoned. He heard Alma’s strident voice in his mind and cringed in a tired way. You’re my bodyguard—not my keeper, and certainly not my husband. The fight he’d been so invested in having with Alma had led her to run out and sleep with Alex, and while the fact that she’d done it rankled in Finn’s mind—in spite of his normally casual attitude towards romance and sex, he found he was jealous, almost enraged by Alex having that chance with Alma—and that had been the opening Alex had sought.

Dylan got up and quietly got his things together to run his errand, while Finn stared down at Alma, willing her silently to recover just enough, to open her eyes and look up at him, to argue with him, anything. Finn closed his eyes for just a moment, taking a deep breath and opening them once more. His eyelids felt like they were coated on the inside with sand or salt, irritating his eyes every time he blinked. Finn knew that it was due to the lack of sleep, the fact that he was drinking coffee steadily instead of eating and drinking normally and resting like a sensible person should. But he couldn’t let himself fall asleep, or even eat regularly, while Alma’s life hung in the balance.

He knew for a fact that their most recent fight, and its aftermath—among other things—were the final nails in the coffin of any possible romance between Alma and him. Alma had made it clear even before she had run off to Alex that he was nothing more to her than a friend; possibly not even that, though Finn reminded himself that Alma had been speaking in anger. It was, in Finn’s mind, the last proof that he and Alma were not meant for each other. She had pushed him away, they had fought, but their fighting had never had such dire repercussions as the ones Alma was currently living through.

Dylan left and Finn felt his fatigue weighing heavily on him. The wind rose in an abrupt howl, the windows shaking in their frames, the eaves of the townhouse giving the rising gust of wind a keening, moaning sound like that of a ghost. Finn shivered. It was the longest sustained gust of wind he had noticed since Alma had gone under once more after the verdict she had rendered. Finn realized that in her current state, Alma had no actual control over her element—she was reacting to it, making it react to her, in a way that was beyond all consciousness, all intent. Finn’s eyes fell shut and he reeled slightly, gripping the coffee table he was sitting on tightly to try and keep himself upright. It wouldn’t do, he thought. He had to sleep. He couldn’t trust that Alma would be safe without his vigilance, but he couldn’t stay awake any longer.

There was one thing he could do. In his sleepy delirium, Finn saw the answer to his needs. Alma’s couch was huge—she had lost more and more weight as she’d fought off the poison, she was tiny, her breasts and hips the only parts of her body that had any extra flesh on them at all, the only full, lush areas on her otherwise gaunt frame. There was plenty of room for him next to her. Could he really trust himself to lie next to her, was he too tired to react to a potential threat? Was he only considering it because in spite of his resolution that things could never be between him and Alma, he was drawn to her—even as weakened as she was? It didn’t matter, Finn thought tiredly. He was going to fall asleep no matter what he did; if he was right next to Alma, he at least would be guarding her body. Someone would have to kill him to get to her.

Finn stumbled onto his feet and reeled slightly as he closed the slight distance between the coffee table and the couch. He shifted Alma onto her side and crawled onto the couch next to her, trying not to crowd her; but his body came into contact with hers and Finn felt his skin heating up at the proximity. There was a brief moment of concern—of recognition that he might not be thinking clearly. Finn shook his head as he breathed in the scent of Alma’s hair; underneath the faint smell of sweat, there was a deeper, vibrant fragrance like lavender and lemon, a fragrance that had filled his nose when they had been together. Finn’s whole body heated up, and he wrapped his arms loosely around Alma’s shivering body, holding her close in spite of knowing that he shouldn’t—that he needed to get distance from her, not indulge his desire for closeness. But he was so tired, so utterly worn out. Finn buried his face against the nape of Alma’s neck and fell into a deep sleep, his breathing evening out as his fatigue overtook him.

The sound of the door opening brought Finn up out of the depths of his sleep; he didn’t open his eyes, but he listened carefully. Alma was no longer shivering against him, he noticed in passing. I’m home, Finn heard—in his brother’s familiar voice. The sleep he’d gotten so far made Finn’s mind more alert, and he realized that just because he recognized his brother’s voice didn’t mean that it was a safe situation. Finn opened his eyes and turned slightly on the couch; Dylan was walking in with bags, looking slightly concerned. Are you okay, bro? Dylan said, setting down his items and coming to the coffee table to sit down. Finn nodded and watched, still feeling slightly sleepy as Dylan’s attention went to Alma.

Finn followed his brother’s gaze and looked down at the woman who had frustrated him and enchanted him. Finn started, seeing that Alma not only wasn’t shivering anymore—but there was more color in her face. Whatever you’re doing, man, it’s clearly helping. Finn smiled slightly, feeling a small measure of relief at the fact that Alma wasn’t looking quite so much like she might die at any moment. Listening carefully, Finn heard the wind howling steadily, the leaves of nearby trees rustling.

I was so tired, Finn said, slipping away from Alma carefully so as not to disturb her—although he wasn’t sure she could actually be disturbed in her current