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stared at each other through the glass, and the next the car lurched forward, aiming straight for the nearest person—who happened to be the other dual.
    Luke leapt out of the way, performing a neat roll as he landed. Michael made a narrow u-turn and headed back.
    Elementals could only die in a car accident if we were killed instantly, unable to access the healing powers of our element. Based on Michael’s grim face and the speed with which he approached, it seemed instant death was very much the plan.
    “Don’t you dare, Ade. Don’t you fucking dare.” Sera’s voice cut through the growing rage, reminding me what a bad idea this was. How much I needed to fight the worst part of myself.
    That was all the time Sera needed. A second later, her own wall of fire surrounded the car, blocking the driver’s view.
    The fire was instantly extinguished—not by the elementals inside, but by the man who also controlled fire. “I’m thinking an exploding gas tank isn’t the best idea,” Luke suggested.
    As the car hurtled toward them, Johnson and Carmichael placed themselves in front of it. Their warning shot was ignored, and the next three ricocheted off the windshield. The shots reverberated across the high desert, the sound deafening.
    The agents leapt out of the SUV’s path before it could mow them down. “Bulletproof glass,” Carmichael shouted to his partner.
    The SUV spun around again, this time racing straight toward me.
    It was twenty feet away when another shot rang out.
    Luke stood behind the vehicle as it swerved to the left. Michael struggled with the wheel, fighting to pull it back to center.
    Luke pulled the trigger again, and the second rear tire blew. With grim smiles, the agents raised their weapons and took out the two front tires. The vehicle swung in a circle, completely out of control, then drew to a stop. Deborah and Michael wouldn’t be going anywhere soon.
    Grinning, Luke whirled the gun around his finger once, then blew on the barrel before holstering it. Normally, I’d mock him for that, but he’d earned it.
    “You’re the first elemental I’ve met who liked guns, but right now I’m pretty glad of it,” I told him.
    “Darlin’, I was born in Texas in 1875. They put this in the cradle with me.”
    “What now?” asked Vivian.
    With the threat neutralized, I was at last able to gain full control of my rage. I walked toward the car and waited until Deborah rolled the window down a crack.
    “Thirty days. That’s all. If I don’t find an answer in that time, I will turn myself in, because you’re right. I don’t want to be a monster.” She nodded in eager agreement, but it wasn’t enough. Her compliance would last only so long as she felt scared. “You threatened my friends. Let me return the favor.” Her eyes widened a fraction. “If you harm any of them, not only will I refuse to turn myself in, I’ll stop trying to control myself. How old are you, Deborah? I bet you’ve grown close to a lot of people over the past millennium or two. It would be a shame if anything happened to them.”
    I let the fire rise a bit, let it darken my gray eyes until they were the color of ashes. I didn’t think I meant my threats, but Deborah couldn’t know that.
    When she nodded, I almost believed her.
    “Good choice,” I said. I let the fire drop, so when I turned back to my friends, they only saw my water side. “We’re done here. Let’s go.”
    No one argued. We claimed to be the good guys. That meant not killing the council, no matter how much we didn’t like them. Deborah and Michael could use the well to recharge their magic, and they would have cell phones. The phones might even get reception out here. They’d live.
    One by one, we piled into the Bronco. It would have been a more dignified escape if we hadn’t needed to sit on each other’s laps to all fit.
    I found myself squished next to Luke. “I maybe forgot to mention that life with us could be a little dangerous,” I told