Free A Time To Kill (Elemental Rage Book 1) by Jeanette Raleigh Page A

the smell of death overpowering.  She was surprised it could even
smell her over itself.
    Claire’s heart
beat faster.  She tried to pull her hand out of the cuff.  She scraped and
pulled, gritting her teeth so that she didn’t make a noise.  The smallest
whimper would set them off.
    Earth was slow to
react.  Claire felt the vampire’s teeth clamp down on the tendon that connected
her throat to her shoulder.  The pain was excruciating.  She bit her lip. She
mustn’t scream. Screaming would drive them all crazy, not that they were sane
to begin with. She held her breath.
    Tears welled in
her eyes as Claire begged the universe for help.  Please tell me what to
do.  I can’t touch Water. I’m alone here. 
    She heard the
answer as clearly as if the universe had actually spoken, “Of course you can.
You’re made of water.”
    Claire gasped. 
Even that slight sound caught the attention of a second vampire who grabbed her
wrist.  Taking a deep breath, Claire focused inwardly.  Water had always been
outside before, something she joined.  The idea that it was also a part of her had
not occurred to her before.
    Her arms were
caught together above her head. As the second vampire tore into her upper arm,
Claire focused inwardly, surprised when she found that she could talk to her
element. The communication was different from the inside out than it was from
the outside in, but she discovered an answer.
     She could still
become Water even with the manacles. It would just take a bit of creativity.
The water inside her arms shifted itself to avoid the manacles. The manacles
were designed for witches and wizards, not Elementals.  Claire found that once
she looked from the inside out, she could become Water.
    That is exactly
what she did, arms first until she was a puddle on the floor.  The floor was
covered in filth.  Claire could sink in and out of puddles all day, but the
shed had been used for murder.  There was no delicate way to describe the smell
or the human liquids pooled along the floor, all those things that made up a
functioning human body, provided they were inside and not splattered
everywhere. Claire hated the dirtiness she felt even as she rolled along the
floor.
    Claire felt the
world as Water, but also carried her human emotions, feeling trapped and
afraid. If she became human again, they would kill her.  They had already
killed one of the women in the room.  The others were silent out of self-preservation.
     Don’t open the
curtains.   Claire slowly slipped across the floor, bit by bit, inch by
inch.  Raven’s advice was sound.  Claire was not going to be prey to these animals. 
She was going to stop them all and save the people who were trapped here with
her. 
    The shed would be
tricky.  It only had one door with no windows or points of light.  Cheated of
their prize, the vampires turned their attention to the man who stood next to
Claire, his arms also caught above his head. 
    Time was running
out.  She realized that she couldn’t wait for the sun, not if she wanted to
save this guy’s life. Maneuvering as close to the shed door as she could,
Claire allowed the water to coalesce into human form again. Her arm and neck
throbbed where the vampire had bitten her.  The sudden pain when she became
human again nearly made her cry out. 
    Claire pushed on
the door to get out of the shed, thinking she might find something she could use
against the vampires.  The door was locked. She heard the crunch of a first
bite. The man was smart enough not to make a noise, not even a whisper.  Claire
decided she would have to for him.
    “Hey, you
animals.  I have some sunlight for you…want it?”  Claire shrieked the words.
    Apparently they
did.  Leaving the man alone, they shuffled toward Claire with that strange
grumbling howl. Claire turned to water again.  Having bought the prisoners a
little more time, she slipped between the door and the floor, a liquid that
slowly slid outside.
    It