There was a soft groan before she found herself being set roughly onto her feet. About her, the early spring breeze returned to whipping happily down the street, seemingly as delighted as Cezar to be released from her control.
Gaining her balance, Anna watched as Cezar pressed a hand to his chest.
She bit her lip. “Are you badly hurt?”
“I’ll recover.”
“I told you to stop.”
“So you did.” With a grimace Cezar lowered his hand. “Styx warned me that a woman coming into her powers is a dangerous thing. Next time I’ll pay more attention to him. What did you do?”
She gave an awkward shrug. “I told you, I don’t really know.”
A dark brow arched. “Anna.”
She met the piercing black gaze. She even managed to meet it squarely for several long, awkward moments before she blew out a resigned sigh.
Dammit, why wouldn’t he let it be? She felt enough like a weirdo without confessing her I Dream of Jeannie routine.
“I just…” She gave a shake of her head. “God, it sounds so stupid when I say it out loud, but sometimes if I focus hard enough I can control the things around me.”
He looked more intrigued than horrified. “What sort of things?”
She gave a wave of her hands. “The air. I can make it warmer or colder.”
“Or squeeze the hell out of a vampire?”
“Bonus.”
His lips twitched. “What else can you do?”
“A few months ago the drains in my condo backed up and water was filling my basement. I freaked out when I saw the damage and suddenly the water was pouring back down the drains and the basement was completely dry.”
He touched her cheek with an oddly reverent motion. “An elemental.”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
Her mouth went dry. “What the hell is that?”
The slender fingers slid down the line of her jaw creating all sorts of unwelcome havoc.
“I’m afraid that I’m not the one to ask for explanations. I’ve only heard rumors of such creatures.”
She stepped back. Conde Cezar might be the most arrogant, aggravating pain in the butt she had ever met, but his touch could still turn her mind to mush.
“I’m not a creature.” She sent him a telling glance. “At least not until I met you.”
“Anna, the one thing I do know is that elementals are born, not created. I had nothing to do with your powers.” He studied her sketpical expression before giving a shake of his head. “We can’t linger here in the open.”
She stubbornly stood her ground. It had been stupid to rush to Chicago and confront Cezar. She wasn’t about to make it worse by happily skipping off in the dark with a self-confessed vampire.
Her bizarro talents weren’t nearly dependable enough for that.
“What makes you think someone is trying to kill me?” she demanded.
“Would there be any other reason for a fire to be started outside your door?”