Caution to the Wind: Book One of the Elementals Series Read Online Free PDF Page A

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    When Callum shifted to lower his mug, she looked back at him. He appeared pensive but didn’t share his thoughts. “It’s late,” he said instead, “and we have a busy day tomorrow. Best to turn in now and attempt a few hours rest.”
    He pushed back his seat and stood. “We’ll meet in the dining room at ten-thirty, after my meeting.” His attention fixed on Loren, smiling at her. “I’m sorry this was brief.” He turned to Avery and his smile vanished. “Please see that she gets settled in.”
    Avery nodded stiffly once and stood while Loren took a final drink of her tea and placed her cup on the desk. She quickly joined him.
    “I think you’ll like it here.” Levi grinned at Loren on his way past her, giving her a thumbs-up. Loren attempted a smile and hoped it didn’t reflect her lack of certainty. It was too soon to tell if she would like it here, but she hoped so.
    The others left the room and Avery and Loren remained. Wordlessly, he glanced at her. For a brief moment, Loren saw embarrassment and discomfort on his face, but it vanished seconds later. Maybe she imagined it. He stepped by her and grabbed the strap of the duffel bag. “Come on.”
     
    ~~*~~
     
    The room was exactly how she expected it—as extravagant as the rest of the house. Loren figured she could fit her entire apartment in here with ease. The bed was queen-sized and looked comfortable. She was bone-weary. Sinking into it would be heaven after the day she'd had.
    “Thanks.” She took the bag from Avery and placed it on a dresser. “I can handle it from here.”
    “If you need anything, there’s a buzzer here.” He showed her the intercom system on the wall near the bed. “It’s wired through the house. This button has a direct line to security. If there’s an emergency, press that. Otherwise, press this one.” He pointed to a smaller button. “This one will buzz and anyone near an intercom can answer it. After ten o’clock, it redirects to the household staff and they direct the calls where they need to go.”
    “Okay. Thanks.” She made a note not to press any of the buttons unless she absolutely needed to.
    “My room is down the hall. Turn to the right, five doors down, on the left.”
    Loren nodded and chewed her lip again.
    Avery still looked tense. It wasn't any of her business in how Callum had addressed him earlier. They were siblings, after all. She had to assume a lot of the tension came from having grown up together, standard sibling rivalry stuff. She wouldn’t know much about it. She’d never had any brothers or sisters. It still unsettled her.
    “I guess I’ll see you in the morning,” he said.
    Loren nodded as she unzipped her bag. “Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed,” she muttered as she grabbed a handful of fabric.
    Avery chuckled. “That's cute.”
    “What? Cute? What’s cute?” She faced him.
    Avery's gaze dropped to her hands. Loren realized she held a pair of her lacy panties. Her face burned as she tried to conceal them.
    “Everything.” He shrugged, grinning. “Cute.” There was a touch of laughter in his words. “Try to get some sleep, all right?”
    “Oh, um, okay. Yeah. Sleep. Right.” She laughed nervously. “Goodnight.”
    “Goodnight, Loren.” The door closed with a soft click.
    Once he was gone, she let out a groan. “I am not prepared for this.”
     
     
     

Chapter Four
     
    “You should try the waffles.” Levi speared a piece with his fork and shoved it into his mouth. The sight of the syrup soaked confection made Loren queasy.
    “I’m fine. Thanks.” She wasn't sure if she could stomach it.
    “Suit yourself.” Levi shrugged and mopped up some syrup with his waffle.
    Loren broke apart her toast. There was enough food here to feed an army. On a normal day, she would've grabbed a heaping plate, but not today. It was tough enough to keep down what little she had.   
    Levi continued to shovel food into his mouth. To him, this was just any other day, but