Page 18 of The Elementalist (Four Elements #1)

The Families Have Skeletons

Crystal Bradbury and I sat in my truck.

I’d parked outside of town near the abandoned stone quarry a little past three in the afternoon.

Below us, the ground yawned open in a massive pit something on the order of six stories deep.

All the natural resources within robbed by man.

Interestingly, I could almost feel the assault on the Earth, feel its life force being stolen, ripped away.

Then again, I was an Elemental. Or, so I had been told.

For me, this didn’t feel like another client meeting.

For me, this felt like something a little more.

Being around her triggered weird emotions deep in my gut that dredged up memories of being an awkward high school junior with a crush on a cheerleader.

For Crystal Bradbury, not so much. I sincerely doubted she had any sort of feelings for me beyond ‘this idiot is getting nowhere’ or ‘I’m wasting money.

’ Even hoping that she felt something similar for me as I felt about her was not only doubtful, but selfish on my part.

After all, my life had just gone from mundane to insane.

How could I possibly inflict that life onto someone else?

And, for that matter, how un-freakin’-fair was it that I should meet a girl now who made my breath catch in my throat every time I saw her?

I mean, I’d spent years and years alone, living peacefully and comfortably, seeking out a simple, if not boring, existence.

That would have been an ideal time to meet my soulmate.

Soulmate, pal? Seriously?

Wishful thinking. Honestly, I wasn’t even sure what soulmate meant anymore. I did know that the girl sitting next to me had captured my heart unlike any other in all my life.

My weird Elemental, fire-starting, rain-creating, wind-blowing heart.

I sighed as I looked out over the great pit, where miners had spent years removing gypsum and iron ore and God knew what else.

The mine, long since depleted, had been abandoned for years and sat like a scar on the Earth, a few miles outside of town.

Funny, I had never thought of it as a scar before.

Truth be known, I had had no feelings about it.

But now I did. Go figure.

Crystal had parked her car, a newish little sporty thing, next to my truck.

She had arrived with two iced coffees, which I thought considerate of her.

We made some small talk, and I gushed like a smitten teen.

I couldn’t tell if she knew I gushed. Maybe she just thought I had a speech impediment.

Maybe she noticed and chose not to react.

“So, now that you have me out here in the middle of nowhere, overlooking your bizarre idea of a scenic view…” Crystal sipped her iced coffee while watching me. “What did you want to talk about?”

“Vampires,” I said.

She nodded and continued watching from over her plastic cup. “I figured as much.”

“I met two of them last night. Figure they’re pretty old since they both dress like they haven’t quite gotten over the Fifties.”

“Derek and Piper, I assume.”

I glanced at her. “You assume correctly. How do you know about them?”

“You could say my family has a long history with them. Why do you bring them up?”

“Well, for one, because they are vampires.”

“Mr. Long, in this town, that doesn’t mean much.”

“What do you know of this town?” I asked.

“Nuh-uh, Mr. Detective Man. You tell me why you brought up those two guys first, and then I’ll tell you what I know. Maybe.”

I sipped my coffee, squinting at the strong sun warming my face.

Michael said vampires could go out in the daytime, the sun only robbed them of the majority of their power.

Still, creatures like that hated being weak and vulnerable, so they generally tried to avoid daylight—especially when they knew of a dangerous enemy nearby.

I had to admit, I suspected Crystal might have been a vampire as well, but she didn’t give off any pungent hint of death.

In fact, she still smelled good. Real damn good.

With no perfume on at all, her fragrance contained hints of toothpaste, soap, and the sun-kissed skin of a girl with silky platinum blonde hair who liked the outdoors, probably as much as I did.

She’s no vampire. She’s too…clean.

I considered her proposal, then nodded. “Okay, then. I’ll tell you what I know, if you tell me what you know.”

“You might have yourself a deal there, partner.” She flashed a coy smile.

“Derek all but admitted to killing them.”

Crystal had been about to drink from her straw when she paused. “He said that?”

“Actually, yes. Worse, he seemed proud of it.”

“He’s always been a dick.”

“You seem to know him,” I said.

“I know of him through whisperings from my family. Remember, Mr. Long. I don’t live in town, and for the most part, I have been shunned. I am not privy to all their secrets.”

“But you know about the vampires?”

“All the Founding Families are aware of the vampire presence in the area, Mr. Long. Especially the Bradburys, the Farringtons, the Blackwoods, and the Wakefields.”

I knew of the Founding Families, of course.

You couldn’t go anywhere in this town without hearing something about them, or celebrating something about them.

If ever a town existed that idolized its forefathers and foremothers, it would be Shadow Pines.

For this being America, the locals sure liked to treat certain families like royalty.

After everything I’d recently learned, the way everyone acted around them started to make sense—and for more reasons than those nine families having eighty percent of the wealth around here.

“Privy in what way?” I asked.

“Some of the Founding Families have made it their life’s mission to control the vampire problem… and some of them work with them.”

“No kidding.”

“I’m not kidding.”

“During the day?”

She nodded. “Whenever they have to. Depends on what is asked of them. The arrangements, as far as I know, tend to be mutually beneficial between the families and the vampires. Though, some of the families have made their name by opposing the vampires whenever possible.”

“Kind of ballsy of them to walk around in daylight.”

Crystal gave me this stare that called me clueless. “Vampires are not destroyed by sunlight, Mr. Long. That’s a bit of fiction that came about after the film Nosferatu. Have you ever read Bram Stoker?”

“Umm. Can’t say I have.”

“Color me unsurprised. There’s no mention of sunlight affecting them in that novel…

and from what I’ve heard, the events that transpired within that book were based on actual events—though no one dared admit that part.

Some of the vampires here in Shadow Pines occasionally work for the sheriff and other family members.

They have proven to be helpful at times. ...”

For the sheriff? Did Justine know about the vampires? “While other times they kill wantonly,” I said.

She nodded. “Yes.”

“They have to be stopped.”

“I agree.” She set her jaw. “I don’t much like vampires.”

We had both nearly finished our iced coffees, though I nervously kept sucking on the straw. The sun crept inexorably toward the western horizon, shining even more in our faces. I relished the warmth, even as my mind raced. “They said something else, too.”

Crystal looked at me. “Do tell.”

“They said that it had come to their attention that I was much more than a private detective.”

“Oh? And why would they say that? Do you have your own deep dark secret, Max?”

God, I loved the way she said my name, drawing it out like a caress. I focused my slightly scattered thoughts. I debated how much to tell her. Really, really debated, then said, “I think so, yes.”

And then I told her everything, I mean everything.

Except the part where I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her.

That, I kept to myself.