The Elementals: Lost in a Turbulent Sea (Book 3 in Elementals Series)

Chapter Three: Springs

June 21st, 2016

Château du Taureau, France

Sunlight began to envelop the castle in the early morning, a multitude of colors reflecting upon the ocean as the sun rose. Pinks, purples, oranges. It began to filter through the east-facing windows, waking some of the residents within.

Lyria takes a deep breath as she opens her eyes, smiling as she listens to the sound of Dartanian's soft breathing. She exhales softly before sitting up in the large, unfamiliar bed and stretches her arms before moving from the bed. The brunette runs her fingers through her messy hair before looking over at her boyfriend's sleeping form.

She ties her hair back into a messy bun as her feet walk across the stone floor, towards the door. As she exits, she bumps into someone. "Oh, I'm sorry."

"It's fine, cousin," Sander says, "my mom is downstairs already if you want to talk to her."

"Okay, thank you," she says, following him down the stairs to the kitchenette and dining area.

"Good morning Lyria," Karina says when she spots her niece, "how did you sleep?"

Lyria smiles before attempting to conceal a yawn. "Very good, thank you."

Karina takes a deep breath before offering Lyria a cup. "It's lemon tea. I'm not sure what you like...but hopefully that suffices."

Lyria nods. "It's good," she assures the woman before sighing softly, "I was wondering...when did you find out about me? You told me you found out I was alive..."

Karina sighs softly before smiling towards the teen. "There was a large meeting earlier in the year...and Delilah told us about what happened. For the most part. I confronted her and asked her why she hadn't notified me. At the time I was your next of kin. You should have come to live with me, but Delilah made some solid points. I agreed that you should stay with her," Karina murmurs and Lyria smiles softly before sipping some tea.

"She didn't tell me about you until a week before we came here," Lyria admits before sighing softly, "but...it's her way of protecting people. Keeping secrets from them."

Karina smiles softly before looking over at her husband. "We've agreed to open the gate for you. I had to call in two Earth Elementals for it, so you'll have to wait until they're up. They arrived late last night," Karina informs the teen who nods in understanding, "they're old friends of mine."

"They're married, I assume?" Lyria asks and Karina smiles before nodding.

"Yes. Lotus and Wren are a beautiful couple. They're very kind and brave. When they came out to the community, others felt comfortable to do the same," Karina murmurs, "Lotus is strong-willed. She kept the two of them going when Wren's family disowned her."

Lyria's eyes widen in surprise when she looks at her aunt. "Why did they do that?"

"Because Wren married a woman, not a man. Her family is very traditional...and they refused to recognize their daughter's marriage. My family did the same to my brother. When my parents told us we weren't allowed to speak to him anymore...I was saddened...also angry. I didn't understand that my brother was in love. I didn't understand until I fell in love myself," Karina murmurs as Damon approaches her.

"Took you long enough to realize you loved me," he says and Karina rolls her eyes as he presses a kiss to her temple, "when we met, we were too young to really understand love. But I fell for her first," Damon admits as he wraps an arm around his wife.

Lyria smiles at them as Celeste enters the room. "Good morning sweetheart," Karina says and Celeste smiles at her parents.

"Good morning mum, and dad. And good morning Lyria," she says, making the older girl smile.