Read Online elemental 01 - whirlwind by Larissa Ladd - Free Book Online Page A

for even the oldest families. Lorene’s instructions to him were to prevent Aira from being forced into an alliance with another family, as well as to keep her from being killed. Considering some of the rivals Aira’s family had, it could prove to be a challenge, even if he and his brother kept a watch on her twenty-four hours a day.
    Dylan had made it clear to Aiden that it would be much easier to protect and defend Aira if he wasn’t constantly offending her and picking fights. The fact that Aiden was barred from telling Aira specifically what they were protecting her from made it difficult to bear when she insisted she was fine and could take care of herself. Aira had been sheltered from the darker aspects of the elemental community, even as she had been trained for her place among the elite. She had only been formally introduced to the families Aira’s grandmother trusted. Even in college, her grandmother had worked to keep as many bad influences away from her granddaughter as possible, though she had told Aiden sadly she hadn’t been able to temper the girl’s wild spirit before she had become a woman.
    “So.” Dylan said, pushing his plate aside when he finished eating. “What’s on the agenda for today?”
    Aira glanced at her phone, taking a sip of her coffee. “I have a meeting at eleven with a client who wants to introduce me someone who needs a translation from Russian into Bulgarian,” she said. “After that I am working at home all afternoon on translation work I’ve already lined up.”
    Aiden glanced at his brother. One of them would have to go with her to the meeting. It would be better for both of them to go, but it would be much less conspicuous for Aira to have one additional persona as opposed to two. If one of them remained at the apartment, it would also allow them to guard against anyone sneaking in while she was away. Aira leaned against a counter and Aiden knew she was waiting for them to weigh in.
    “One of us should go with you,” Aiden said. “I’d say both of us, but that would be too obvious. Anyone watching you would figure out you’re being guarded.”
    Dylan nodded his agreement.
    “How well do you know the client?” He asked.
    Aira considered it. “The one who contacted me, I know pretty well. I don’t know his new client at all.”
    Dylan glanced at Aiden, who shrugged.
    “It could be nothing at all, just a coincidence.”
    Aira raised an eyebrow. “Are we really going to do this thing where we question everything that happens in my life?”
    Dylan smiled mildly at the woman, and Aiden took a deep breath, forcing down his impatience. “Since your grandmother hired us to protect you, we have to look at the worst possibility for every situation.” He kept his voice as level as possible. “Which one of us goes with you?”
    Aira looked from one to the other, her arms crossed over her chest. Aiden noticed she wasn’t wearing a bra and wondered, without meaning to, whether she was wearing panties underneath her pajamas. He pushed the thought away immediately.
    “Well, you decided by coin toss last night, go for it.” She collected their dishes and took them to the sink. Aiden read her irritation and knew she was trying to suppress it, to channel it into more productive activities. He looked at his brother who shot him a grin and found a quarter in his wallet he had left on the bar the night before. Aiden called heads, as he typically did; the quarter landed on tails. Dylan would go with Aira to her meeting. Aiden tried not to be annoyed when Aira greeted the news with a satisfied smile. He knew she preferred his brother’s company and he could understand why. It seemed as though if he and Aira spoke for more than ten minutes at a time, they ended up having an argument, sniping at each other in irritation over some very unworthy topics.
    Aiden realized he was as much to blame as Aira for the arguments. The fight that started their relationship off had been a portent