“And you will then strengthen your team,” Air finished.
“What do you think, Taroc?” I grinned at him.
Taroc turned around and went back to bed.
“Huh,” I said as I watched him leave. “Not the reaction I was expecting.”
Chapter Sixteen
“Taroc?” I followed him back to bed, then sat on the edge while he got under the blankets. “Are you all right?”
“I need some sleep,” Taroc said. “Tell your new friends to come back tomorrow, Ember. You know, at an appropriate time. Not in the middle of the night like a bunch of criminals. I can't fucking process this right now.”
“Oh.” I cleared my throat. “Uh. All right. Did you guys hear that?”
“We're not criminals,” Earth said.
“He said, 'likea bunch of criminals,'” Fire shot back. “Not that we are criminals. We're obviously not criminals. What? Do you have rocks for brains or something? Wait,” she said snidely, “you totally do.”
“Fuck off, Fire. You're a fucking bitch.”
“You're a stick in the mud. No, sorry. You're just mud.”
“You're both so angry,” Water whispered. “And he would need my element to make mud.”
“It's their temperaments,” I said. “They can't help it.”
“You see!” Air said. “I told you he would understand us.”
“Get the fuck out of here!” Taroc snarled. “Right fucking now!”
“Sheesh,” Fire huffed. “Tone it down, Tytra. Don't go all dragon on us. It won't do you any good. You know, because we're pure energy. You can't hurt us.”
“Speaking of which,” I interrupted. “How do I hurt Death?”
“Death isn't exactly an element,” Air said.
“Spirit and Death are more like the foundations of nature, right?” I asked.
“Sort of,” Fire said. “They're cousins to our magic. Death is stronger than us, but he also has weaknesses that we don't.”
“Especially now that he's bound himself to a physical body,” Air said.
Taroc sat up. “Go on.”
“Oh, now you want us to stay?” Fire asked in a sassy tone.
“Speak, woman!” Taroc snarled.
“Not a woman. And I don't respond to aggressive behavior.”
“Rather ironic,” Earth drawled.
“Is it irony, though?” Water asked. “That word has always confused me.”
“Me too,” I said.
“Oh, for fuck's sake,” Earth huffed. “Irony is when something the opposite of what is expected occurs. It is expectedthat Fire, with her aggressive nature, would do well when encountering similar behavior. But it is the opposite. Therefore, it is ironic.”
