Chapter 197

Agnes

I covered my eyes with my hands, feeling a bit silly but deciding to play along. Elijah’s warm palm pressed against the small of my back, guiding me forward through what must have been the doorway. The air felt different immediately—cooler, with a slight mineral scent that reminded me of a spa.

“Okay,” Elijah said. “You can look now.”

I dropped my hands and blinked as my eyes adjusted to the soft amber lighting. For a moment, I couldn’t process what I was seeing. The room was much larger than I’d expected, about the size of our entire first floor. The walls, ceiling, and floor were lined with steel panels, but they’d been painted a warm cream color that kept the space from feeling too industrial.

But what really took my breath away was the pool. It dominated the center of the room—an in-ground pool with gentle steps leading into crystal clear water that glowed with subtle underwater lighting.

At the far end of the room was what looked like some kind of training area—cushioned flooring, a few training dummies positioned against one wall, and various pieces of equipment I didn’t immediately recognize.

“Elijah...” I whispered, turning in a slow circle to take it all in. “What is this?”

“It’s for you,” he said. “For practicing your abilities. The entire room is fireproof—walls, ceiling, floor, everything. You can unleash as much fire as you want in here without worrying about hurting anyone or burning down the house.”

I moved toward the pool, crouching down to dip my fingers in the water. It was pleasantly warm, not hot but not cool either—the perfect temperature. It instantly soothed the heat that had been occasionally building in me for weeks now.

“It’s also a place you can come when you’re feeling overwhelmed,” Elijah continued. “When you feel the heat building up and you need someplace safe to let it out.” He gestured to the pool. “The water helps, right? I noticed you’ve been taking a lot of cold showers and baths lately when your hands start getting hot.”

I nodded, still speechless as I looked around the room again, noticing more details. A shower tucked into one corner with glass doors—not just a utilitarian stall but something that wouldn’t look out of place in a luxury hotel. Next to it was another sleek steel door.

“There’s a lounge through that door,” Elijah said, following my gaze. “It’s separate from this main area, with its own fireproof door.”

When I still didn’t speak, his expression grew worried. “Agnes? If you don’t like it, we can change it. Have it repurposed into something else. I didn’t want it to feel like a cage or a prison cell. It’s not about locking you away, I swear. It’s just—”

“Elijah,” I finally managed, cutting off his anxious rambling. “It’s perfect.”

His shoulders visibly relaxed. “Yeah? You like it?”

“Like it?” I laughed, the sound catching in my throat as tears welled in my eyes. “I love it.”

And I did. The thoughtfulness of it hit me all at once—how much planning and care must have gone into creating this space. A place where I could work on controlling my abilities without the fear of hurting anyone. Where I could retreat when things got overwhelming, knowing Elijah and Thea and our new home would be safe.

“The pool is saltwater,” Elijah went on, clearly relieved by my reaction. “It’s one of those float tanks, designed to help with relaxation. Oh, and I added some special minerals that are supposed to help calm the body and soothe the mind.” He shrugged, looking a bit sheepish. “I read about them in one of the books.”

“Books?”

He took my hand, leading me toward the door to the lounge. “Come see.”

The lounge was smaller than the main room but no less impressive. Comfortable seating, a mini-fridge, a television mounted on one wall, even a plush bed. But what caught my eye was the bookshelf that took up an entire wall—filled from floor to ceiling with books of all shapes and sizes.

“I’ve been doing a lot of research,” Elijah said, gesturing to the shelves. “These are all the texts I could find about elementals. Some are histories, some are theoretical, some are more practical guides. A lot of them are pretty old—I had to special order copies from overseas.”

I moved closer, running my fingers along the spines. Indeed, many of them appeared old and worn. It must have cost a small fortune to get such old texts.

“You did all this for me?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper as I turned to look at him.

“Of course I did.” Elijah came to stand beside me, his shoulder brushing mine. “I know you don’t have a teacher—there’s no Sage to guide you like the elementals used to have.” So it seemed we’d read the same thing. “But maybe with these books, with enough research and practice, we can figure it out together.”

I pulled out one of the volumes, a thick leather-bound tome with gilded lettering on the spine that read Principles of Elemental Control. The pages were old and brittle, filled with diagrams and cramped handwriting in faded ink.

“Where did you find these?” I asked, carefully returning the book to its place.

“Everywhere. Online auctions, rare book dealers, collectors.” He scratched the back of his neck.

“And how much did all this cost?”

Elijah smirked. “It doesn’t matter. If even one of these books has information that helps you, it’ll be worth it.”

I turned to face him fully then, taking in his anxious expression. He’d done all of this without telling me, planning every detail to make sure I had a safe space to practice, to learn, to be myself without fear.

And suddenly I was crying, tears spilling down my cheeks as I threw my arms around him. He caught me, his arms encircling my waist as I buried my face against his shoulder.

“Thank you,” I whispered against the fabric of his shirt. “Just... thank you. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”

His hand came up to stroke my hair. “You never have to repay me. Not for this, and not for anything.”

I pulled back just enough to see his face, wiping at my eyes with the back of my hand. “It’s just so perfect. I didn’t even know I needed this, but I did. Somewhere I can go and not worry about hurting anyone... It means more than I can say.”

“You can come down here anytime you want,” Elijah said. “Day or night. The door is keyed to your fingerprint as well as mine, but I promise Thea and I won’t come in unless you want us to. This is your space.”

I nodded, looking around the lounge again. It was cozy but not cramped, with plush seating and warm lighting. A place I could imagine spending hours reading, researching, or simply being still.

But then my mind wandered, and I muttered, “But despite all of this, I won’t be able to really control my powers unless we mark each other.” I traced the pattern of his shirt with my fingertip, not meeting his eyes. “And we still don’t know how to make that happen without hurting Olivia.”

Elijah caught my hand, stilling its nervous movement. “Agnes, look at me.”

I raised my eyes to meet his gaze.

“We’re going to do everything in our power to make this right,” he said firmly. “To unmark Olivia—safely—and to establish our bond properly. I promise you that. But right now, with everything else going on, I think we need to take things one step at a time.”

“You’re right,” I agreed. “It’s just... sometimes I feel so helpless. Like I’m at the mercy of these powers, of circumstances I can’t control.”

“You are not helpless. And you are definitely not alone. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. Whatever we need to figure out, we’ll do it together.”

The firm, loving conviction in his voice broke me again. The tears that had started to dry on my cheeks threatened to return, but this time from a different emotion. Not overwhelming gratitude but something deeper.

Love. Complete, unconditional love.

All my life, I’d been searching for someone who would stand by me no matter what. Who wouldn’t leave when things got difficult or when I needed them most. Abandoned by my father when my wolf disappeared, betrayed by Mason who’d only dated me as part of a scheme, even used by my friend who didn’t want to enter in the Mate Trial all those months ago, and I hadn’t heard from her for years before that and had hardly heard from her since...

I’d grown to believe that people would always let me down eventually. That I was expendable. Useful for a time, perhaps, but not worth anyone’s consistent love and support.

But it wasn’t like that with Elijah. Even with my unstable powers, even with all the complications in our lives, he was still here. Still building things for me, supporting me, planning for our future together.

Overcome with emotion, I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his, pouring everything I felt into the kiss. His arms tightened around me immediately, pulling me closer as he responded with equal fervor.