An Elemental Tail Read Online Free Page B

achievement. He waited,
then from a discreet distance followed. He didn’t want to lose
sight of the book or the storm-eyed woman. Nik pulled the cap out
of his pocked and twisted his hair underneath. If he was going to
stalk Storm-eyes, he would have to be unmemorable.
    But he wasn’t. Her thoughts rippled over his
skin in tightening waves of desire each time she slipped her hand
into her bag to caress the crimson flesh of the book. His body
responded as if her hand were on him, sliding over his skin. Heat
slithered over him and nestled in his pants. This time he didn’t
have to fight it. She’d had ninety minutes to indulge; it was only
fair he now got a turn. She stole his breath with each casual brush
of her fingers, and she had no idea what she was doing to him. And
what he would like to do to her in return. As Nik trailed her, he
awaited her next caress. The next look into her being. Beneath her
yearning, a dark, silent undercurrent moved. Regret. She’d wanted
to accept his offer, not realizing coffee was an excuse to get her
alone so he could take back his tail.
    She moved with ease, never touching another
person in the crowd as she left the building and made her away
across campus. In the open space, people moved slower. It would be
easy to brush past, steal her bag, and then disappear. Storm-eyes
turned a corner. He shadowed her, his lips curling at the game of
dolphin and sardine. He didn’t want to end the game, not yet. As
long as he kept his eye on the woman with the book, he couldn’t
lose.
    An idea nibbled at the corner of his
conscience, an affliction he’d developed while passing as human,
quashing his rising desire. If he took the book from her, the only
record of her attendance would be lost. He’d seen Mr. Gardner mark
her absent even though she had clearly been there. Her teacher was
up to no good. Nik took another step, then stopped and scowled at
her retreating back. This game wasn’t simple, and he couldn’t force
her into Mr. Gardner’s net.
    Light rain began to fall. His own element was
mocking his inability to act, to take back what was his. He
should’ve been able to feel the storm coming; instead he was
trailing after the woman who held his tail while water slicked down
the back of his neck. Thunder rolled across the sky and the clouds
darkened, ready to release more trapped water.
    Storm-eyes paused and glanced over her
shoulder. Nik melted into the shadows that climbed the wall, his
breath tight, willing her not to see him. As the first fat drops of
the real storm fell she looked up, her lips moving. Then, like
every other person caught out, she ran for shelter. He let her
disappear, remaining where he was, the bricks cold against his
back, staring after her.
    He thrust his hands into the pockets of his
leather jacket and glared up at the turbulent clouds, sure he could
see the faces of other Elementals laughing at him but unable to
hear their mocking cries. Unable to join the elements, unable to be
human. He closed his eyes and tipped his face to the rain.
    ****
    Nik leaned against the solitary tree, his
gaze focused on the second-floor window of the college dormitory.
The breeze whispered through the movement of the leaves in a
language he no longer spoke. The longest four days of his extended
and unnatural human life had crawled past. Now, he counted down the
hours until the next class to stay sane. He checked his watch. Two
hours then he would be able to see her in the flesh.
    Time had no meaning to an Elemental. To a
human it ruled everything, a lesson he had been slow to learn. His
first few years stuck as a human had been abysmal. Human bodies
needed sleep and warmth and food. His favorite island had become a
prison, the ocean a barrier he couldn’t cross. He’d had to relearn
how to swim with legs instead of a tail, or being fluid itself.
Sharks no longer feared him; they saw him as a potential meal. By
the time he’d escaped the island, the book had changed hands.
    He