Elemental - 4. Elemental 4

“Sir, everything they told you checks out.” Albert handed Dante his final report. “We reviewed the action reports from Rural Fire Service. From the time several fire crews had to pull back to when the team Mr. Holstrom was part of reentered the battle. A fight between your sister and Mr. Elmhirst would have been raging for multiple hours.”

“With the evidence as they could perceive it, the logical conclusion would have been Mia and the Wind Bender were enhancing the bushfire.” Dante glanced up at the ceiling and sighed. “I so wanted that wolf to be guilty of murdering her.”

“How will you proceed?”

“As we discussed. You and Nessus were right.”

“I’ll mark the calendar and alert the media, sir.”

“Set up the meeting and see if they’ll attend.”

“Very good, sir.”

******

Dante was pleasantly surprised to see two connections to the video call. He switched on his camera to join them. “I apologize for cutting our last discussion short and thank you for coming back.”

“Personally I didn’t want to, but Ethan’s still curious about you. I’m only doing this for my mate. He hopes, and so do I, you’ll tell us something about the Elementals and why we didn’t know about you guys.”

“I’m sure you still have questions of your own, Mr. Jacobs.” Dante took the uncharacteristic approach of appearing conciliatory. “I will try to make this more of a mutual exchange than our previous discussion.”

“I just want to know the details that caused me to be part of killing that woman.” Brandon sat relaxed in his chair. “You said what I did was self-defense, but did I royally fuck up?”

Cody and Darius remained silent.

“You know another Elemental was part of what happened.” Dante watched the others nod. “The Wind Bender in question is a known environmental activist. He’s also linked to cases of eco-terrorism in several Oceania countries, but not enough so authorities would take action.” Dante picked up his cigar cutter and twirled it on his index finger. “Before any of you say it, I realize the absurdity of an environmentalist potentially making fires worse due to the carbon release.”

“Okay, so we have someone claiming to protect the environment and a woman capable of burning everything to the ground.” Aiden glanced at his companions who shrugged. “It’s time for you to fill in all of the pieces for us. You’ve never answered what they were doing. Were they blocking us from stopping the fire?”

Dante paused for a moment. “In all likelihood, an act of eco-terrorism wasn’t the case on the hillside. Were a pair of Elementals making the fires worse, I’d say obviously, but not for the reason you suspected. The two had been lovers. We know that ended before the night in question.” He brought his cigar to his lips, the red tip momentarily intensifying. “Hudson Elmhirst, the Wind Bender, had made threats against the woman’s life and that of her daughter’s to guarantee her return to his side and assistance in his endeavors. Using a Torch to advance his own agenda.

“You’re suggesting we got pulled into a fight between exes?” Ethan did not appear convinced.

“The best we can surmise is coincidence and bad timing brought you all to that hillside in Narooma at the same moment. The woman was there to allegedly hide from Hudson. You were there to protect a town from an already burning fire. Mr. Elmhirst was believed to be there to bring her back under his control by any means necessary.

“My people don’t know how he found her or if she told him where she was. She would have done most anything to insure the safety of her daughter.” Dante’s eyes lit up his office.

“Your physical responses indicate the woman was more than the sister of a dear friend, as you put it the other day.” Aiden turned towards his mate. “For Ethan or me, our eyes would only glow with that intensity if it was someone very close to us. Ethan or my dad,” he hiked his thumb at his mate, “me, his and Casey’s parents, or the people we call our family. We’ll go with your description of her even though that’s a lie. Please continue.”

“The briefing I received about you said you’re intelligent and will likely become a talented detective if your alpha duties don’t get in the way.” Dante was impressed with the young man, and that rarely happened. “My investigators feel you stumbled on a fight between the two based on what you provided the lycan alpha. That may be why the inferno went out of control. A Wind and Fire Elemental getting into a battle with each other at the same time Mr. Tucker and Mr. Jacobs were already trying to manage the situation. It destabilized everything and caused the firestorm.”

“That’s possible, but we encountered problems similar to that fighting other fires. Are you trying to say those were lover’s quarrels too? Or did we actually go up against someone trying to make things worse?”

“If you’re referring to the hail storm, I’m well aware of what happened, Mr. Tucker. My people managed to confirm she was not present there and no other Elementals were in the area. We were unable to verify any instance where you engaged with another Elemental. There is one, possible two cases it is possible another Elemental interfered with your efforts.”

“Ha! It was you, All Flash. No more thinking someone else caused you to pummel me with ice.”

“How many times do I need to apologize, Brandon?”

Dante could not help chuckling at the interaction between the wolves. “Water Spirits witnessed the weather event forming from some distance: across NSW, Canberra, Northern Victoria. They were impressed by its size, but said the actions of you two caused a cascade effect. Simply too many factors at play and not enough experience to offset them.” Dante let that information set in while he reconsidered his earlier thoughts about the young men.

“Well, that was the first time we tried anything like that on that scale.” Ethan shrugged. “It was a test that ended badly.” He looked directly into the camera. “And it got me a broken nose from one really pissed off wolf. We had much better success in Victoria.”

“The weather conditions were significantly different on those attempts, Mr. Tucker.”

“I could feel more water in the air on our second try.” Ethan ran a hand over his short hair. “The wind was lower too. I didn’t try to make it rain, but focused on the fire instead.”

“I referred to you in a meeting, soon after your exposing us became known, as foolish amateurs, stumbling around things you didn’t understand as you tried to stop the bushfires. I may have been overly harsh in my assessment, but you were still attempting what most of us realize should be avoided.” He dropped the remains of his cigar in the ashtray. “Back to the hillside, if she was actually in the middle of a fight with the Wind Bender and someone charged her, she would have reacted violently.”

“There’s no other way to describe what she did to me.” Brandon’s body shivered.

“It’s possible, though I can’t prove anything, that she thought Brandon was an agent of the Wind Bender. That would explain what she did to him. She was likely acting in her own self-defense.”

“I don’t follow. Why would she think anything about me? Yeah, I was running at her.”

“Most simply put, you were racing towards her while she was potentially fighting the other Elemental. Most people would think you worked for the person trying to capture her. You might have caught her off guard and she lashed out. There are several possibilities and we’re really just guessing.”

“Yeah, that does make sense. She set me on fire at about the same time I hit her with my claws.” Brandon once again had that haunted look in his eyes from their previous conversation. “So I did royally fuck up and killed an innocent woman.”

“I want to make it very clear to you, Mr. Hols– Brandon. If she had not gotten involved with an eco-terrorist in the first place, the incident wouldn’t have happened.” Dante gritted his teeth as he defended what the wolf did. “You acted in a manner consistent with what any logical person in your place would have done. You did nothing wrong.”

“Thank you.” Brandon placed his hand over his heart. “Would you pass on to her family how deeply sorry I am for the outcome of that night. If that’s you, as Aiden suggested, I wish I could properly apologize.”

“I will and you have.” Dante was glad they could not see his face at that moment. He finally cleared his throat before returning to the discussion. “The fact their fight had been going on for hours would have meant she was likely exhausted. Her turning to ash is unusual, but if she was injured and building up to defend herself as death claimed her, the energy would have been unleashed within instead of being directed outward at someone or something.” Dante glanced at his notes from their previous meeting. “Mr. Tucker, you stated you were unconscious for several days after healing Brandon. It’s similar to what she would have been feeling.”

“That place we were at on the coast before Narooma, Malua Bay.” Brandon leaned forward. “After using your voodoo stuff all night you got really dizzy, Ethan. You could hardly stand.”

“I felt it too.” Aiden nodded. “At the risk of seeming rude. At least we tried to do something to help your country. The shapeshifters asked for our assistance. Ethan and I made every effort to protect people and animals in the areas we worked.” He crossed his arms defensively. “Why didn’t the Australians like you try to do anything?”

Dante considered his next words carefully. “I’m nearly eighty years old.” His admission caused gasps from the others as his young-looking hands were plainly visible. “We age very slowly compared to shapeshifters, so I speak from years of experience. As exhilarating as a fire can be to touch, walk through, and feel, it also has a life of its own and can be a challenge to control. There’s a reason it’s called a wildfire.”

“So you stand back and do nothing.” Ethan shook his head.

“I can stand in the middle of a flaming vortex unscathed, and if conditions are right, I can make it do as I wish. Heat, humidity, wind, and the weather the infernos generate on their own can make controlling what you attempted to go up against a challenge for even the strongest of our kind. Simply lowering the intensity often isn’t enough as you found out. Having all four Elementals working together might work against the worst of a firestorm, but again, the conditions need to be favorable so we don’t make it worse.”

“When we couldn’t control the flames,” Aiden scowled, “we focused on suppressing the embers. Render them harmless and they won’t spark something new where they land.”

“We were faced with unprecedented conditions throughout most of the country and our numbers are not large in comparison to the humans or shifters. The Water Spirits wanted to do something, anything, but the rest of us blocked them. We knew it could make matters all the worse if they tried on their own. Imagine the hail event nationwide or destabilizing the weather to make a bushfire burn all the stronger. Ethan should remember how low the humidity was.” Dante waited until the young Elemental nodded. “Still, we put people at the sites that needed to be most protected. Places with deep meaning to our history and culture. It wasn’t until that final storm Mr. Tucker started that conditions were favorable for other Water Spirits to join in to expand the rain. We waited months for that moment.”

“If all this is true, and the hillside was just a cluster-fuck of mistakes and coincidences, why was that the first time I learned there are other Elementals in the world? Couldn’t someone have contacted me after my presence became known? You seem to know what’s going on in the lycan world. It would have been nice to know I wasn’t alone? Maybe even just a Christmas card?” Ethan furrowed his brows and crossed his arms. “I had to learn to use this gift or curse on my own, so anyone bitching about me messing with things I shouldn’t–”

“Easy there, Pup. I’m sure Captain Anonymous didn’t mean it that way.” Aiden looked directly into the camera. “Did you? We’re just having a friendly conversation and exchanging knowledge.”

“You’re right. I didn’t. I will admit, I’m enjoying our conversation more than I expected.” Dante realized these men deserved some honest answers. “With regards to our people, we try to keep intensive track of our numbers, study bloodlines, abilities, and with few exceptions we know every Elemental there is in the world, much like your lycan database. Obviously there are occasional gaps in that information.”

“When I was first meeting different kinds of shifters, I knew what they were before anyone told me.” Ethan glanced at his mate. “At least after I met Aiden and had been told they were real and not fantasy.”

“We can identify shapeshifters from the humans and instinctively know what species they are.” Dante’s hands became much more animated as he spoke. “It’s a form of protection for us much like a wolf’s nose.”

“So that’s why everyone described me as just being very perceptive.”

“Correct, Mr. Tucker. The shapeshifters know about us from your legends as we let them be told. Yes, we helped stop your various species from killing each other in the names of different supposed gods. We have appeared at other times you were in need of help. Basically, we hide in plain sight behind a veil of magic and mystery.” Dante could not help the chuckle that escaped. “We try to keep ourselves hidden from all but our kind, like you do from humans. Fear of those that are different or potentially more powerful can lead to others trying to destroy you. Some lycan wanted the two of you eliminated. Humans outnumber shapeshifters so you remain in the shadows. Our numbers are even smaller. There are exceptions though, similar to the wolves who tell some humans about themselves.”

“So when I exposed my true nature to the wolves, I lost the chance to learn about my own people?”

“Yes.”

“That doesn’t seem fair.” Aiden’s protective streak showed. “He didn’t know what he was before meeting me.”

“His biological family obviously wasn’t on the radar of the Elementals in America. Until word got out from the packs, my brethren in your country claimed they didn’t know you existed, but it was too late to control the situation, so we let the legend of only one play out. Your people in North America certainly needed the help that only you two could provide. The hillside has damaged that narrative, though we don’t know how far that information has traveled.” Dante drummed his fingers a few times. “Mr. Tucker and Mr. Jacobs, could you describe what you saw and felt when the inferno changed?”

“We were working the edge of the blaze with Brandon’s crew. I was keeping the breeze low and blowing the fire back on itself.”

“While Ethan did that, I was drawing down the intensity of the flames. Like you said, it’s not easy. Also trying to do it in a way that doesn’t draw the attention of the human firefighters. It was working well.”

“I felt the wind start to shift and warned Aiden and the others. Nothing I did could hold it down. Animals were trying to flee and the gusts grew in strength”

“The fire seemed to explode in strength. All we could do was run and regroup. Ethan and I both poured everything we had into just suppressing the flames and nothing worked.”

“What you described is consistent with a major fight between those two types of Elemental.” Dante was curious just how big the fight might have been. “Did the fire spread wildly or was the increased activity somewhat localized?”

“It initially pushed us back about three quarters of a mile.” Brandon leaned towards the camera. “When we shifted to work the new position after regrouping, it wasn’t bad about a half mile from where I saw the woman. The worst of it was localized around her.”

“That would also be consistent with the fight my people believe happened.”

“With what I know now, provided it’s accurate, I regret killing the woman. That said, what I could see in front of me at the time, and the split second I had to make a decision, I’d do the same again.” Darius glanced over at Cody. “She had injured our friend, and I didn’t want the same happening to my mate or myself.”

“I understand and respect that.” Dante brought up the name of an American Elemental he trusted on his computer. “I’m going to request that someone I know in your country contact you, Mr. Tucker. If they do, they’ll want to take a DNA sample to try and trace what bloodline you’re from. Find out why your existence wasn’t known at birth. It’s your choice if you respond.”

Ethan nodded.

“Thank you for meeting with me again.”

“We appreciate you filling in some of the blanks for us too.” Aiden draped his arm over Ethan’s shoulder. “So where do we go from here?”

“It’s unclear what form any future relations might take. I can only ask that all of you keep the information you now possess about more Elementals to yourselves. And ask your friend in Australia, Alpha Sampson, to do the same. The less this knowledge propagates the better.” He began tapping his finger again. “I no longer feel your removal would be in the best interest of my kind.” He paused for a moment. “Our kind. Until the next time we speak, gentlemen, and we will talk again.” Dante ended the meeting and disconnected.

******

“Hello, Charlie.” Dante smiled, but did not feel happiness at seeing the men. “Hi, Tau. You get more gorgeous every time I see you.” He kissed both men on the lips.

“Dante, stop flirting with my husband. You know full well how to get us out of our clothes. Hi, Dino.”

“Let’s sit. We need to discuss Mia.”

The men led their guest to the lounge and took seats while Dino stood in the background.

“Way to kill a good stiffy. So what’s my ex-wife done this time?”

“It’s taken me some time to confirm, but you and Charlotte put me onto this after her play. There’s no easy way to say it. Mia’s dead.”

“I’m more sorry for your loss than my own, Dante. I was briefly married to her, but she was your twin.” Charlie rested a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Do you know what happened?”

“Likely a fight between her and the Wind Bender. The man she was involved with, and had broken things off before her death, was an eco-terrorist. The fight caught the attention of some American shapeshifters fighting the fire where it happened. They misread the situation and one of them landed a death blow thinking she was intensifying the flames. After personally speaking to them, I would say their actions were logical and justified based on the information they had. Her former boyfriend I see as more responsible than the shifters.”

“You having something positive to say about a shifter? I do believe that’s a first since I met you.” Charlie’s smirk quickly faded to match Dante’s expression. “How did they know? Wait, Americans? So they were familiar with those two who made the spectacle of themselves.”

“Yes, it was the young ones. As much as I wanted to blame him or his associates, he had no clue what he was until he met his husband. The people in the United States could have made contact before now, but chose to make matters worse by not getting involved. I’ve asked a friend to act in their place.”

“Don’t tell us you’re getting soft in your old age. It’s not like you to help a wolf.”

“Rack you, Charlie. Or better yet, you’re not getting it. Tau and I can have our root without you this time. And you’re older than me.” Dante let out a sigh. “Maybe it’s time I reassess the grudge I’ve held for decades.”

“Charlotte’s going to be devastated. At least for a short time.” Charlie leaned against his husband’s broad chest. “The only good thing is Mia’s flightiness had already distanced herself from the munchkin.”

“True. I miss my sister.” He felt the unusual sensation of a tear rolling down his face.

******

Dante’s relaxation in a hammock came to an abrupt end with the nose of his personal Boeing 757 coming in for a landing. He stood and walked the short distance to the house. “Looks like they’ve arrived, Albert.”

“Be still my heart. Children. Oh, goody, goody, goody.”

“Now, now.” He could not hold back his laughter. “You enjoy your own great-grandkids as much as I do mine.”

“Not that I’ll admit to in front of them. Though I’m sure they know. Though I had so enjoyed the peace and quiet of the last week. It’s so rare when you take time off work.”

He refilled his drink, a locally sourced alcohol from one of the neighboring islands. Dante had requested all his family join him on his private island in the Vanuatu chain for his birthday and to remember his sister. A larger and more formal gala had taken place in Sydney for all his friends to attend.

With the aid of the American Elementals and shapeshifters, the precise location of his sister’s death had been located. Wind and rain had dispersed much of the ashes, but a ring he’d given Mia nearly six decades before was located. Dante had it cleaned and repaired as a gift for Charlotte.

It did not take long for vehicles carrying family and a few friends to arrive at the sprawling Polynesian mansion. His four sons all hugged or kissed the man. His grand and great grandchildren all got their turn with the family patriarch.

Albert was busy greeting his own offspring and stepped away to meet some first time visitors to the compound.

“Mr. Reid, I know you’ve spoken to most of these gentlemen, but may I present Ethan Tucker and Aiden Jacobs.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you in person, Mr. Reid.” Ethan held out his hand.

He hesitated a moment before accepting the offered appendage. “I’m not in my office. On the island, things are a little more relaxed. It’s simply Dante here. You must be Aiden.” He eyed the handsome, young lycan with hunger. “You are the first shifters I’ve welcomed to the island. Well, that I’ve allowed in my presence in a long time. I will explain the reason later. I may make mistakes based on old feelings. If I do, try to be patient with me.”

“Your hot grandson, Nessus, mentioned something bad happened in the past with wolves.” Aiden held the man’s handshake. “Hopefully we can show you not all of us are evil.”

“I’m sure he also was blunt and asked for a root while you’re here.” Dante chuckled. “I already know you’re off limits, though as a Torch I’m surprised you're not more promiscuous. It tends to be our nature.” His hand brushed across Aiden’s chest. “I wouldn’t mind training you in using your gift. Those I’ve previously mentored found some of the lessons to be a particularly hot experience. By the way, the playrooms are all fully fireproof. As it doesn’t appear to be an option, I’ll settle for mates.”

“Thank you for inviting us, Dante. That’s an intriguing proposition. Ethan and I might need to discuss it. Let me introduce you to the rest of the gang.” Aiden pointed to the three men closest to him. “That’s Casey, Darius, and Cody.”

The Fire Elemental shook hands with each of them. He tried to keep his discomfort with their kind in check.

“Those guys are Trevor and Skyler. The one looking wide-eyed is their boyfriend Randy. This trip is the first time he was on a plane, let alone flying around the world. He’s still new to the whole shapeshifter thing.”

“The young man who was turned less than two months ago.” Dante looked the man up and down his people had described as a rural country boy. He could not help admiring the ruggedly handsome turnling.

“He recently found out about Ethan, but was made aware the party line is no one else like him exists. Well, with the exception of Aiden.” Trevor wrapped an arm around Randy and winked.

“Yep, and I don’t care one way or another. This place is un-fuckin’-real. I’ll go along with whatever you want me to say for this vacation.” Randy held out his hand to their host as a flirtatious smirk crossed his lips. “I’ve gotta say, maybe that explains why you’re as hot as you are.”

A deep chuckle rumbled from his chest. “Just boyfriends? Not Mated?” Dante pulled Randy into an embrace. “If it’s not exclusive yet, perhaps one or all three of you at once, could use a proper welcome to my island.” His grin was smolderingly seductive.

Skyler stepped up and draped an arm over Dante’s shoulder. “We can negotiate a one-on-one, but Trev and I get to watch. It’s good for Randy to expand his experience with the supernatural. Personally, we prefer all at once. It’s more fun that way.” He glanced at his boyfriends. “Shasta Cavern protocol?” The other two nodded at his reference to them picking up a sexy worker at the cave complex for a steamy foursome. “I’ll explain later.”

“I suspect the red hair might give you the personality of a Torch.” Dante kissed his cheek. “Your terms are agreeable.”

“These last two are friends from California.” Trevor stepped between them to make introductions. “Though you already know this guy.”

“Ah, yes. Brandon. It’s good to finally meet you in person. The American wolf who volunteered to go to Australia and fight the bushfires. The early chapters of your book, Embers, was fascinating. I’m pleased the publishing company I own picked it up.”

“You too, Dante. Hopefully the finished product is even better.” He took the hand of the tall man beside him and glanced up lovingly. “This is my husband, Austin. As I’ve told these horn-dogs on the flight, he’s off-limits unless I get a cut of the profits. We might make an exception for you.”

“One of my son’s has a major attraction to men in uniform.”

“We know.” Austin grinned mischievously. “Thanks for inviting us, sir.” The U.S. Marine eyed the black-haired man’s muscular chest and large, bulging speedo. “Think he could handle the two of us, Bran? I bet we could give him a real nice birthday present. If I get put in a sling, I’ll even call him Daddy.”

Dante’s belly laugh drew the attention of his entire family. “The staff will show you all to your quarters. You’ll be in the surrounding guest houses. Most of the beaches are clothing optional unless my granddaughters or niece are there. Budgy smugglers or relaxed beachwear is typically the uniform around the main house at meals. If you’re in one of the play spaces, then it’s fetish gear or naked.”

“There are several dive instructors available for anyone wishing to explore the nearby reefs. Also guides for exploring the island. A fleet of Harley-Davidson’s are available to anyone who knows how to ride.” Albert waved the household staff over and handed out notes on who was in each bungalow. “Any questions, wants, or needs our people will see to it.”

“If you gentlemen will follow us.”

As the arrivals dispersed, Dante put an arm around his long-time friend and confidant. “Thank you for arranging this, Albert. I’ve lost a part of me with my twin being gone. For the next two weeks, Sinister Dante gets put on the shelf and Family-man Dante gets to enjoy time with you, my kids, and some people who might become new friends.”

“After decades together, I’m not used to this side of you. Especially giving shifters another chance. What’s brought this on, my friend?”

“It’s elemental, Albert. It’s elemental.”

Thank you to @Backwoods Boy and @astone2292 for editing for me, and thank you to all the readers who keep returning to encourage me in my writing.