How did Kai know about Feenix? "Storm wouldn't-"
"Storm would never harm that gargoyle, but the demon sleeping in Storm's house isn't the man you knew, if what you've told me is true."
Everything was falling apart.
Kill Storm? Watch the life slide out of his body?
A scream started building inside and Evalle wasn't sure if she could hold it back. She couldn't do it. Save Storm by killing him? She'd sooner harm Tzader or Quinn.
And if she couldn't save Storm then there was no hope of bringing Brina or Lanna back, which would destroy Tzader and cripple Quinn. If the warrior queen didn't return to the castle, all the Beladors faced destruction in a war with the Medb.
Casualties kept piling up around Evalle's feet, because she was failing everyone who depended on her.
Kai said, "I am sorry that I have nothing to offer you for your tribe or your Belador queen. If you cannot bring Storm back to his human body, you owe it to him to not leave him as he is."
Kai's face swirled into a blur along with the scenery, then everything faded.
Evalle sat there numb from pain overload. Tears ran down her face. Give her a legion of demons to kill and she'd face them to protect Storm, Tzader, Quinn ... all her Beladors, but she'd rather use her blade to cut out her own heart than touch Storm with deadly intent.
The scream crawled higher up her throat.
Allowing it to escape would be admitting defeat, but she felt defeated. She covered her face and sobbed. How could she finally have found her place with the Beladors and a man who loved her only to face watching her world shatter around her?
A jaguar roared.
She clamped her hands over her ears to dull the sound of fury.
She'd always loved how beautiful Storm was in jaguar form, but right now the longer he remained as an animal just drove home the fact that her Storm was gone.
He roared again.
She jumped up and ran into the living room, screaming at him. "Stop it! Stop being a jaguar. You are better than this Storm." Her voice cracked and tears streamed down her face. "You are not a demon."
He studied her as one would a piece of furniture. No recognition in those eyes. Sitting up like a well-mannered house cat that happened to weigh as much as the sofa, he continued to watch her meltdown without any reaction.
She swiped at her tears, but the damned things kept leaking out. Would they ever end? She'd never been one to cry, but she'd never lost something as precious as Storm and his love.
She whispered in a voice too tired to hold back anything. "I'm sorry about your soul. I'm so, so sorry. I know you're in there. Why aren't you trying to come back? Just do it and I'll do anything to fix this."
You owe it to him to not leave Storm as a demon.
Kai's words scraped through Evalle's mind with the jagged edge of broken glass.
Would Storm do that for Evalle if she'd been turned into a demon?
No, he'd fight with his last breath to save her. He'd always known how to get through to her. He'd laid siege to her heart that had never had a chance against his love.
That truth drove her to stiffen her resolve. She would give him no less than he would do for her.
If only she knew how to reach him.
She needed a shower to clear her mind. She would not quit without a fight. What she wouldn't give to go back to the last time they were in the bedroom together and he'd carried her to the shower.
After he'd loved her for hours.
Storm was a sexual man who couldn't keep his hands off her once he'd broken through her emotional walls. A fierce lover.
An idea burrowed into her thoughts.
She took in Storm's jaguar face and wondered if she could force a change by dangling something he wanted in front of him.
She had no idea how to act sexy and felt stupid trying this, but if it caused him to shift back to human she'd dance naked through VIPER. She unhooked the robe and let it puddle at her feet, leaving her as naked as the day she was born.
Still no flicker of interest.
Seriously? There went what little ego she possessed.
Maybe she should try that in the middle of a room full of men. Would that get his attention?
Kai had to be shaking her head and muttering about Evalle being delusional or in denial.
His spirit guide was probably right, but Evalle was just as possessive of Storm as he was of her. He'd once made it clear that she belonged to him and that worked both ways. She could be just as stubborn as he was.
Reaching for the robe to carry to the shower, she stopped.
Storm did have a possessive streak a mile wide.
He hadn't liked finding her and Tristan together in the jungle one bit, but he'd been downright hostile over the idea of Isak coming around her.
Would Storm just let his mate walk away to be with someone else?
The idea scrambling through her mind couldn't be any more humiliating than what she'd just done. But it might get her killed.
At this point, that would be an improvement over living with Storm's indifference.
Determined more than ever to break through his thick skull, she tried her best to deliver her lines with a flippant tone. "You know what, Storm? Fine, if that's it between us, then that's it. I accept your decision to end our relationship."
Storm stretched his neck and rolled to his side again, yawning.
Fuck! She snatched up her robe and strode out of the room, but not before she yelled over her shoulder, "Isak will sure as hell be thrilled you've tossed in the towel. All I have to do is call him. At least he'll talk to me."
She threw the robe in a corner when she reached the supersized bathroom, one of the best upgrades to the sixty-year-old house. She wrenched on the water jets inside the glass shower, stepped under the scalding heat and leaned forward against the tile, allowing the water to run down her back.
Her shoulders shook with tremors, but she would not shed another tear.
She might shed some blood, though, if that's what it took to get through to him. He'd bitten her when she'd been in gryphon form and backed off. In that one instant, she wanted to believe that he'd recognized her blood as his mate.
As someone he would not harm.
But how could she get them back to that point of recognition without attacking him? Hard to convince someone you love him when you're drawing blood.
"I can do this," she coached herself, because talking allowed her to avoid thinking about how to accomplish an impossible task. "I can do this. I just need a shower so I can think then I'll-"
A roar boomed inside the bathroom.
Fear skated across Evalle's naked skin.
Chapter 26
The shower door was wrenched open.
Evalle flipped around, her back against the tile and water coming from all directions, splattering Storm's beautiful teak-colored skin.
On Storm's human body.
Hallelujah!
But the celebration music shriveled in her mind when she looked up to see red demon eyes. Words clogged in her throat.
His hands hung tense at the sides of his naked body. Claws extended from his fingers then retracted.
O-kay. She swallowed and said, "You changed to your human form. That's a ... good sign."
"You will not go to Isak."
Foolish or not, her heart did a backflip at the threat in his voice. She'd normally get in his face to tell him that he had no say over her actions, but now was the time to keep everything as calm as possible.
She nodded. "If you say so."
"Ever," he demanded.
"Ever."
He spun away to step out of the shower.
What the hell? How was she supposed to move forward from this? "Storm, talk to me."
He paused. Muscles rippled across his beautiful back and his biceps flexed once. "Now is not a good time."
Bullshit. "Later is going to be much worse. If you're mad at me, then say so. But I've been terrified that you'd
never make it back to human form. You walk in here, demand your way and walk out. If you're done with me ..." She fought to get the words out. "Done with us. Then say so, but-" What could she say? "Please don't do this."
Now that he'd shifted, Evalle should be thinking about going to Treoir, but she couldn't bring herself to say the Beladors needed him right now.
Storm had always done everything for her. He needed her right now, whether he realized it or not. She would take care of him first, then the rest.
He still didn't turn around when he ordered, "Stay away from me."
His words cut so deep she should be spewing blood. Pain and fear were a bad combination for her. It brought out her own aggression and anger, much easier emotions for her to deal with. "That's pretty fucking clear, Storm. Fine. Go. I can accept you being a demon, but you can't even talk to me. Coward."
A blur of motion was the only warning she got before Storm had her pinned with her back against the tile and her arms shoved over her head.
He leaned into her. A feral sound rumbled deep in his throat.
Those red eyes were an inch from her face, warning her.
His strength had been undeniable before, but now she could feel the explosive power he had barely tethered. She might be able to stop him from killing her, but only if she could bring herself to use deadly force.
With him growling, she hoped whatever she said or did would not push him back into shifting, but they couldn't go on like this. She lifted her chin. "You don't scare me."
The growl picked up volume.
What was he thinking? Feeling?
She wanted to stroke his head and kiss him, to show him that together they could do whatever it took to save him from being a demon forever. She repeated the only words she knew. "Come back to me, Storm. I refuse to quit on you."
"You just won't listen, will you?" Each word came out hard and biting. "I. Am. Not. Storm. Not the one you remember. I've gone all the way to demon."
She shook her head with stubborn determination. "You might have been forced into becoming a demon, but your Navajo blood still flows through your body, strong and just as demanding as the Ashaninka blood. Use what you inherited to fight back."
"If my Navajo blood was true, my eyes would still be yellow as a jaguar and brown as a man."
He had a point, but he was talking and that had to be positive, right?
She lifted her stubborn chin at him. "Red, yellow, brown. Eyes do not dictate who you are."
"Not if you have a soul."
I should have seen that coming. She'd flinched at the bull's eye shot and might as well deal with it now. "I wish there had been another way, but Nadina was going to kill you."
"You should have let her."
Hearing the disappointment in his voice was almost as heartbreaking as his order to stay away from him. Evalle would nurse her broken heart later. "Well, I didn't allow you to die and if that was the wrong decision I can live with it."
"You think so?" he asked, a sarcasm she'd never heard directed at her.
"I know so."
"In that case, you're now the proud owner of a demon." He backed off and turned once more to leave.
Evalle took a step and put her hands on his shoulders. She leaned against his back, inhaling his scent.
His body shook hard once. His voice was tight and raw. "Stay away from me. Don't you get that I have no control?"
Did that mean he wanted to touch her, but was afraid of what he'd do? The fact that he'd warned her had to mean there was a glimmer of the Storm that she knew still inside.
She turned her face to kiss the wet skin on his back.
He sucked in a breath and growled. "Evalle!"
Hearing her name was like flipping a switch in her brain, one that pushed her to go forward without looking back. If sex was the only way she could reach him right now, she'd hand him the keys to her body.
It wasn't as though making love to Storm was a hardship.
She nipped at his shoulder then licked it.
A challenge.
Storm swung around and tension hung suspended between them for a second then he shoved his hands into her hair and yanked her to him, kissing her as he walked her back into the shower. There was no question he wanted her. Not with his desire thumping against her stomach. He ravaged her mouth, taking her lips prisoner with no sign of mercy in sight.
He'd never been this out of control with her, but she trusted Storm.
Trusted the man inside that body who had loved her with gentleness when she'd needed to be handled carefully. But that same man was the reason she didn't back away in fear right now and offered herself freely to him. Because of what he'd shown her over months of taking his time with her, his aggression now didn't terrify her.
To be honest, she was just as turned on as he was.
She knew the difference between an aggressive lover and an abusive attack, had learned the painful side of that lesson as a teen.
No man would ever harm her that way again.
She could kill a human and, if she couldn't kill a nonhuman, she could maim one enough to make him regret ever touching her.
With the confidence she owed to Storm, she let him have free rein.
He kissed her as if he waged war on her body, determined to conquer it. She'd willingly let her walls fall. She reached around and curled her fingers into his back, holding him to her and letting him know she was not afraid.
His lips moved to her neck, biting and kissing his way to her breasts. She ached, waiting on him to touch her everywhere. His mouth closed over her nipple and he stroked his tongue over the tip.
This was definitely not the Storm she remembered.
This one was off the leash and hungry.
He sucked her breast then bit her. Not hard enough to hurt, though, and he licked the same spot next.
She trembled at the feel of him. The kissing and nipping sent shock waves straight down. His mouth was everywhere and still her body begged for more, rubbing against him until his growling deepened. She scored his back with her nails. That drew a feral sound in reaction, but this time it was one that called to her.
When she reached down between them and wrapped her fingers around his length, he released her breast and slapped the walls at each side of her head, groaning a painful sound. He panted harder with every stroke she made.
His fingers fisted and he ground his teeth.
She didn't let up.
When he spoke, his voice was hoarse, angry and shaking. "Get away from me. Now. While you can."
She paused and whispered, "No."
Dropping his chin, he locked those scary eyes on her face, but she could swear a flicker of concern flashed through them.
"Order me to leave," he practically begged her in that rough demon voice.
She lifted up to kiss him then whispered, "You're mine. I will always want you. Always."
Muscles flexed in his neck. His chest moved with harsh breaths. Was this it? Would he lose touch with reality and shift into the demon jaguar again?
If he did, he would kill her. She knew it.
Releasing her hair, he stepped back out of her grasp, raised his hands to grab his head and roared. Chest muscles tight, he went on and on.
Evalle held her breath.
When he dropped his head down, his hands landed on her shoulders. His fingers clenched, but not hard enough to harm her. He faced her again, his red eyes wild. He took one shuddering breath after another then finally warned, "Last. Chance. To. Say. No."
"No."
His eyes gave him away.
He looked hurt.
She smiled. "No, I don't want a last chance. I want you ... inside me."
In the second it took him to process that, his eyes lit with a need that was honest and hungry. He dove at her, kissing her again, pushing her up against the wet wall. Water cascaded over both of them. He bent down, kissing her chest and reached an arm under each leg, lifting her as he stood up. She cupped his face. "I love
you."
"Don't look at me." Had that been an order or a plea?
Leaning forward, she felt him nudge her opening. She stopped nose to nose. "I would look at you until the end of time, but if that's what you want, then you'll have to kiss me to get it."
His mouth covered hers in a savage kiss. He lowered her down until they touched and held her there. Her legs quivered, waiting for him to move. To feel him inside her again.
She broke the kiss but kept her eyes averted from his, playing by his rules as he waited for her to speak. "Don't make me beg."
He let out a noise of anguish. If he was searching her face for a tiny bit of indecision, he was not going to find it.
She reached down to grasp him, steel covered in velvet. He flinched, his biceps full and hard as he finally lowered her onto him.
With the first feel of him pushing into her, she arched and grabbed his shoulders. Then he was moving, sliding deep inside her, and she was ready for him.
He murmured words that sounded Spanish and sexy.
She clawed at his arms. Her fingers clutched him tighter with every stroke driving deeper in and out. Heat spiraled and surged in her womb, demanding release until she ached and urged him on to end this waiting.
Storm's jaw clenched.
He was holding back with ruthless control. A demon wouldn't do that.
She said, "Touch me."
His eyes flew open and it was strange to feel Storm everywhere around her and in her as she stared into glowing red orbs that didn't belong in his face.
He never slowed from pumping into her.
She met him stroke for stroke, picking up his rhythm.
Hot energy built inside her again, but this was nothing like the time before. He held her and moved faster, growling with each deep plunge inside her. Then he held her with one arm and used his other hand to touch her. The world ripped apart, or maybe she did. Everything fragmented into a million pieces.
All the worry and pain of the last few days shattered and spun away in heart-soothing relief.
Light flashed around both of them when he roared her name with his climax.
Water sluiced down over her body and between them. She hugged him closer to her, but he just kept her pressed up against the wall. Not touching her the way he had the last time they'd made love to reassure her that all was fine.
That he cared for her.
All of a sudden, the heat that had boiled through the shower dissipated and a chill settled into her bones. She kissed his neck and ran her hands over his back, encouraging him to do the same.
Still, he didn't show any sign of the affection he'd always been generous with, the constant touching that had destroyed her emotional fortress.