Page 18 of Blood Brother Cursed

Her eyebrows went up. “You sound certain.”

“Elemental families usually have similar abilities, but with different elements.”

“Oh.” She looked at him. “You’ve met other… elementals?”

“Yes, a few. And I’ve studied the history of that particular ability since it is the easiest to research. You guys usually aren’t particularly dangerous unless you get really angry. I’ve found it ironic that the people who control fire tend to be the most mellow, though. That was rather unexpected.”

Astrid considered this. “They tend to have more problems, though.”

Elliott’s expression shifted a little, and he leaned forward. “Your brother could manipulate fire?”

“No, my father. My brother was able to manipulate rocks and, as he put it, the ground.” She smiled at the memory, but it quickly faded. “My father got cancer and died, but like you said, he was far more mellow than I am. Can’t say that he was calmer than my brother, though. Then again, my brother was a deer shifter, so it’s not like he was going to be really angry anyway.” The words were out of her mouth before she really thought about them, and she regretted it almost immediately.

Oh, that’s great. Just give him the only potential advantage you had.

This really got Elliott’s attention. “Your brother was a shifter,andhe had abilities?”

Astrid pressed her lips closed, but she soon relaxed them. Elliott was definitely different, and there was a chance he would be able to help her in a way that no one else could.

Please be a cat shifter.

He watched her expectantly, and then he asked, “Does that mean you are also a deer shifter?”

She slowly shook her head. “No. I – we had different mothers. Dad didn’t know that he had shifter blood, but he knew that he had abilities. His first wife told him a bit about the shifter world, and she knew why he had abilities. I don’t really know how they found out about each other’s abilities, though. Anyone who could have told me is dead.” She looked at her hands, hoping she wasn’t making a mistake. “Because he could manipulate fire – man, the things he used to do with it. I mean, camping was a lot more exciting.” Her mind traveled back. “I really miss him.”

“Your father died?”

Astrid blinked a couple of times. “Yes. About two months ago. He fought cancer for about a quarter of a century before he finally gave up. I think he was just waiting for me to be able to take care of myself so that I wouldn’t be turned over to other family members. My brother died about 20 years ago. And his mother died after childbirth. When I was little, though, Dad, Evan, and I would have little competitions at home. I wasn’t very old, so I had to get really creative to compete with them.”

Elliott cocked his head to the side, and a slight smile crossed his lips. “As someone with water abilities, you are the one with the temper.”

Astrid narrowed her eyes at him, but then laughed. “I guess you really have done your research.”

“It makes sense. The oceans are brutal places, and you get the worst weather with rain.”

“I like the rain.”

“I do, too. But storms are when you get lightning strikes and tornadoes. And that’s not even touching on the hurricanes, which, you know, start over larger bodies of water.”

Astrid exhaled hard. “Tell me about it. Evander used to talk about what happened after Hurricane Katrina.”

Elliott looked at her. “You don’t remember it?”

“Um, no. I wasn’t old enough to know any of that. Apparently, we lived near New Orleans, and it was just after my father’s diagnosis. My brother took leave after the diagnosis, and it ended up being for a year. First, he was going to help Dad with treatments, then he was helping us flee from the hurricane. Well, flee may not be the right word. We had a few houses, but they preferred New Orleans.” She sighed. “If my brother hadn’t taken that year off, he would have reached the end of his time in the military before he died.”

“I’m really sorry.” Elliot’s voice was soft. “I’ve never lost anyone close to me. Well, not anyone I can remember since I was young when my parents died. I haven’t had to grieve for anyone the way you did. I don’t know how I would handle it. Actually,” he gritted his teeth and breathed out of them, “yes, I do.”

“Well, not much you can do about the cancer.”

“Oh no, I mean about your brother. You clearly know that he didn’t die a natural death, and knowing the way these organizations operate, well, I know exactly what I would do if they harmed anyone I cared about.”

Astrid smiled. “And what is that?”

“I’d kill them.” There was no humor or sarcasm in his voice. If not for his sweet-looking face, she might have thought he was serious judging by his tone.

“Oh, I would love to do that, but it’s easier said than done.”

He shrugged.

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