She held him tighter, refusing to let go and face the possibility that this was all that was left of them.
Sex. Incredible sex, but there had been so much more before.
Her eyes welled up and she squeezed them tight, fighting against the hurt.
Lifting her head, she forced herself to smile. She would not show him the pain slashing her heart to bits.
She'd expected indifference or cold dismissal, but not the fury in his face.
He snapped, "I told you to stay away from me."
"I told you I wouldn't."
He lifted her off of him, and set her aside, but she noted that he took care how he handled her. Or she was just so determined to find any sliver of decency in him that she imagined it.
Turning to the water jet, he started washing himself with an economy of motions.
Her Storm would have wanted to wash her and take his time doing it.
Her Storm. Was he in there?
When he finished washing and stepped toward the door, Evalle said, "I meant what I said. I won't give up on you."
Without turning around, he asked, "You want to know what happened to me? I want to know what happened to you. Why would you let an animal attack you like that?"
"You're not an animal."
"I'm not a human either."
He grabbed a towel on his way out of the bathroom.
Evalle finished showering and drying off. She put on a pair of warm-ups and a pullover she found in the bedroom. When she reached the living room, she found Storm pacing back and forth.
Just as a jaguar in a cage would do.
But he was in human form, wearing jeans and T-shirt from his bedroom. She'd seen those clothes before.
He lifted his nose the same way his jaguar would and turned to her, crossing his arms. "What now, master?"
Just keep cutting me to the bone, Storm. "I'm not your master."
"You killed my owner. You own me."
"I get that you're angry about me losing your soul, but I don't get this attitude."
"You really don't get it."
"No, I don't."
He took a minute as if gathering his thoughts. "I have only one purpose in life and it's to kill. If I don't stay shifted into my jaguar, I have to find a prey to satisfy the bloodlust. If you don't order a kill, then my jaguar will decide when and who to kill."
"That may be a problem." At some point, she had to discuss going to Treoir to save Brina.
"I'd say so since you're liable to be the closest prey." He was shouting.
"No, I mean that I need your help on Treoir."
She'd clearly shocked him. His lips parted then he closed them, looking away before he came back to her and said, "You intend to take me to Treoir with these?" He pointed at his eyes.
"Yes."
"You really do have a death wish. Macha will probably torture you before she kills you."
Evalle asked in a soft voice, "Would you care if she killed me, Storm?"
His jaws locked for a moment. "No. I'm a demon. I don't suffer emotions."
She wished she had his ability to read a lie, but that had to be the truth because the same gift would punish him if he lied, right? Of course, that lie detector ability had been one of his Navajo gifts, which were clearly dormant at the moment. Maybe he believed so deeply that he was a demon he accepted the role.
"Well, I would care if you died," Evalle countered. "I'll deal with Macha."
His steady gaze stayed fixed on her for a long moment then he seemed to shake it off. "I'm yours to do with as you please, master."
She would not let him bait her. "In that case, you and I are going to Treoir where I need you to help find Brina."
"She get lost?" he smarted back.
That's right, Storm had no idea what all had happened. "After I was teleported away from here by Kizira right after we'd made love-" Evalle paused to let that sink in. It must have had some effect because he looked away. She continued, "I ended up in TAmr Medb again where the Alterants were sent with an army of witches and warlocks to battle against the Beladors on Treoir."
She left out the part about becoming a gryphon, but Storm had seen her shift in Mitnal. Did he remember that or had he even been cognizant to realize what she'd become?
Regardless, she would share about her new form and the ability to walk in sunshine with her Storm, not this one.
"You fought with the Medb?"
Had admitting she'd fought with the Belador enemies yanked his chain?
"I had to. I was compelled, but things worked out and the Beladors won the battle." That sounded way more simple than the blood bath she'd gone through and the casualties they'd suffered.
Storm jerked back around, staring at her in disbelief. His jaw moved, but he said nothing.
Come on, Storm. Show me that you know how difficult that was for me. When he said nothing, she added, "Actually, Kizira and I came up with a plan that would free her from the Medb and allow us to save Treoir."
"No way."
"Way. Unfortunately, Kizira was mortally injured and the Medb queen, Flaevynn, had compelled her to not heal herself." Evalle still hurt when she recalled the pain in Quinn's voice when he'd cursed Flaevynn for sending her own child into a bloodbath with no protection. She wished Kizira had shared that secret with Evalle when Kizira told her of Flaevynn's intention to be the first one to become immortal, but Evalle wasn't sure what she could have done to protect Kizira when they'd been on different parts of the island at the time.
Storm watched her quietly, so Evalle cleared her throat and continued. "Flaevynn wanted to be the first one to swim in the water beneath Treoir that gives immortality, or so I've heard. The witches and warlocks were driven out of Treoir, but we have no idea what happened to Flaevynn or Cathbad, who couldn't leave the tower. Supposedly, as the battle ended, Flaevynn was to reach her six-hundred-sixty-sixth birthday, when she would die if she was not turned into an immortal. And Cathbad was to die right behind her."
"So what happened to Brina?"
"Oh, that's right." Evalle ran a hand through her damp hair, noting how Storm's eyes followed her hand, but she didn't let on that she'd noticed as she conveyed the rest.
"Brina was in Treoir Castle with Lanna in a room with an old Belador named Horace who was supposed to be protecting them. When we reached that room, we found Horace throwing Noirre dust on Brina and Lanna, who were hugged up against each other. Tzader drove a sword into Horace. At that same moment, Lanna disappeared as if she'd teleported and Brina did, too, but a hologram of Brina's body remained."
Storm still said nothing, but Evalle could tell he was thinking. She added, "The hologram has started corrupting, small pieces just twinkling away. Trey called me telepathically before I showered and told me Tzader sent word that the hologram is disintegrating faster. We're running out of time to find her."
"I doubt she can return if the hologram completely vanishes," he said more to himself than her.
She made a mental note about how that had sounded like the smooth voice of her Storm, but she kept her face neutral. "That's what we're worried about. I'm hoping you can help us."
"Do what?"
And now he was back to the rough demon voice.
She tamped down her disappointment and said, "I don't know, but you have unusual abilities that are far superior to any other tracker's. You've found me when no one else could."
"Bet you regret that now," he muttered, walking across the room toward her.
"No, I don't." She stood her ground.
He leaned down toward her and said with finality, "You will."
"No, I won't."
"You're in denial. Admit that this is what it is and stop kidding yourself."
"I'm not in denial and I know this is not all there is for us."
"Why?"
She wanted to say, "Because I'm your mate," but she couldn't face what Demon Storm would say. "Because as you explained, I'm in control. We do what I say."
Hostility
flared off him, but he didn't make a threatening move. Would he just shift and attack her without thought?
Stop thinking that way.
Storm moved away from her, opening a distance that felt a mile wide. "You're the master."
That quip had her grinding her back teeth, but she let up on her jaws to say, "If that's the way it is, then let's get moving. Sen will have to teleport us. You are not to attack him."
Would Macha allow Evalle a chance to explain or take one look at Storm and go all goddess on them?
Chapter 27
"Would you puh-lease talk to me, Storm?" Evalle asked, sick of sounding like a corrupted recording stuck on repeat.
She gripped the steering wheel of his Land Cruiser, doing her best not to attract the attention of any law enforcement on her way to meet with Quinn at Woodruff Park.
Demon Storm couldn't drive.
Even if he had identification on him, she doubted a police officer would get past the red glowing eyes to determine that they didn't match the brown ones indicated on his license if they were stopped.
Not a word from her stoic passenger.
If she ordered him, he'd talk and every word would come out in that demon voice.
Don't lose your patience and snap at him. Not if she had any hope of reaching the real Storm she'd heard a hint of earlier.
At least he was going with her to Treoir. She should be happy about that, but his bland compliance wasn't enough. She pulled off her glasses and handed them to him.
He smirked. "Hiding my eyes won't change anything and besides, you need them. I don't."
"You need to keep them covered so that we don't have to fight every nonhuman who sees a demon, especially the Beladors. Plus, I hear the Medb are in Atlanta hunting demons."
"The Medb?"
"Yes. Makes no sense to me either, but that's what Grady and Trey both told me, so it must be true." She waved the glasses at him.
He kept his arms crossed. "Daylight is coming soon and you normally need your special sunglasses just to deal with any bright light. In fact, how is it you're able to see with the headlights that just passed?"
"Take the damned glasses and I'll tell you." She was tired of holding them out.
He slipped them on and returned to his cross-armed, closed-off look.
She'd really wanted to wait to tell him this, but she was willing to do anything for a chance of reaching him. "When I was in TAmr Medb, I found out the true history of Alterants. I'll tell you about it later when we have time." And hopefully when he'd actually care. "They captured the Alterants at the beast championship and put us through battles with each other and other creatures to force our final evolution and now I can be in sunlight."
Reading anything in those eyes had been tough, even without the sunglasses, but his face softened now with a thought. It just passed too quickly for Evalle to figure out what he'd been thinking before he had that hard look to his face again, hiding all emotions.
She'd been so excited to show Storm her new form as a gryphon, sure that he'd be celebrating with her, but he had yet to ask her anything about when she'd shifted in Mitnal. He might not recall anything from when he was so entrenched in his jaguar. She'd tell him about her gryphon form now, but every time he saw her as a gryphon he'd remember that she'd destroyed everything he'd fought to regain.
"Just like that, you can see and walk in the sun?" he asked.
Her joy gone, she couldn't stop the question before it was out of her mouth. "Are you asking because you care?"
He just turned to stare out the window.
Got my answer.
Parking in a multi-level deck near the park, she turned off the engine and sat there.
Would he have a real conversation with her if she ordered him as his master?
Ugh. She cut a testy look in his direction. "You could try just a little."
Storm turned his hidden gaze on her and retorted with cold finality, "And you could stop living in a fantasy world and accept reality."
She grabbed her dagger and the cell phone he'd located for her and shoved the phone into the pocket of her jeans. They'd stopped by her apartment long enough for her to run inside alone and change clothes. She slid her dagger into a sheath hooked to her belt, all hidden by a lightweight knee-length jacket and got out, slamming the door hard enough to have shattered the glass.
Surprisingly, that didn't happen. She must be losing her touch.
He walked off without even waiting for her.
A fantasy world?
No. This was her life and he was part of it. That was reality. Hers and his. Did he think just because he snarled at her and acted like a jackass she'd be so easy to push away? He'd never let her push him away before and she'd been no picnic more than once.
She'd knocked him across the tracks in a MARTA tunnel because he'd shoved his body close to protect her from a subway train.
A human would have had his head cracked open.
Storm had dusted himself off and come right back. He was the one who taught her that love was not convenient or easy. That she'd deserved to be loved.
Well, so did he.
Willing to accept arguing over silence, she called out, "Why would you want to stay that way? What happened to the man I knew who never backed down from a challenge?"
He paused and wheeled around, coming right back and not stopping until he was in her face so close she was leaned back over the hood, elbows supporting her.
Jaw muscles flexing, he snapped, "I don't get a choice! I have never had a damn choice in any of this. I was born with demon blood running through my veins. I should have turned into one a long time ago, but my father told me to fight it with all I had. So I've spent every minute of my life with this internal battle. I finally lost. That's it. The. End."
Evalle's pulse thrummed with adrenaline and the beast inside her wanted to come out and battle.
What a pair they'd make if that happened. "So that's it. You just give up?"
His face twisted with fury. He snatched off the sunglasses and used them to point at his eyes. "I don't have any control over this. Not now that Nadina's blood rules me. I can't just change my mind to not be a demon any more than you can change from being an Alterant."
He backed away and crossed his arms, looking anywhere but her face.
"I did," she said quietly.
His head snapped back to face her. "What?"
"Well, technically I'm still an Alterant, but I changed. I no longer shift into a hideous beast, but I do shift ... into a gryphon."
His face lost the harsh lines and the tension in his shoulders eased. He stared at the ground then up at her. "Green with feathers and ... thought I imagined it. That was you?"
"You don't remember me coming for you?"
Storm didn't move, but she could feel his tension rise.
"In Mitnal, yes. That gryphon was me. I shifted because I couldn't stop Nadina without more power."
He reached up and clenched his forehead, rubbing it. He spoke in Storm's voice again, to himself more than her. "I remember flashes of you then Nadina and then some flying beast. There are gaps in my mind when the demon turns me berserk. The blood burns and all I can think about is ripping whatever is near me apart to make it stop."
"Why were demons coming after you in small groups?" She watched him, waiting for any small opening in that hard shell of his.
He paused, dropping his hand. "Hanhau was determined to break me so he kept sending in a few at a time, forcing my blood to heat up. I'd kill them and he'd leave me to heal then he'd do it again. Every time would push me further from ..." He paused, shaking off some thought.
"Further from your Navajo blood and your humanity?"
"Yes."
Hanhau had found the best way to torture Storm and flip him to the dark side. With all the demon venom flowing through Storm, no wonder he lashed out at everything around him.
"Stop trying to think it right, Evalle," he said in Storm's calm and understanding voice. r />
"I can't stop."
"Then you're destined for disappointment. I can't go back. If I could, I would have done things differently. I knew the risk when I followed Nadina. I gambled and lost. The sooner you realize that the sooner you'll accept that you can't keep me."
He might as well have struck her. She whispered, "Don't tell me what I can do and not do."
"I'm not a pet. I'm a dangerous being who is far more powerful than you can imagine. I have no brakes on my control once it slips. I might not have harmed you in the shower, even though I damn well used you, but I don't have the decency to regret it. The day will come when I either kill you or Tzader or someone else you love."
"You didn't hurt me in the shower, because I was the one who instigated that."
"You do realize we didn't use a condom, don't you?"
Honestly, no. She'd been so focused on trying to reach him, and caught up in the moment, she hadn't thought about it.
Storm hooked a hand over his neck. "I didn't think so."
"I don't regret it, Storm. I'd do it again." Even if she had to suffer the pain of him ignoring her afterwards.
"You might not regret it, but I do. That isn't happening again."
She could hear the door slamming on every entrance she came up with for a way back inside of him. "What if I order you as your ... master?"
"Would you?"
"No," she admitted.
"That's what I thought."
He dropped his arms and shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans. Head hanging down, he said, "Kai keeps trying to reach me. I need you to give her a message if she comes to you."
"She has. She might again."
He lifted his head. "I thought as much. Ask her to please find my father and offer what she can for comfort. Can you do that?"
His voice was devoid of emotion, but the words were pulled up from somewhere hidden deep inside him.
Evalle said, "Yes."
"You should listen to her, Evalle. She won't steer you wrong. And I won't blame you."
Evalle's mouth opened. "Do you know what Kai told me to do?"
"I have a pretty good idea since I was the one who made her agree to find someone who could stop me if I ever turned all the way demon."
Words stuck in her throat. Kai had been right. Evalle shook her head, unable to speak.
Storm said, "If our situations were flipped, I would do it for you." He turned and headed for the elevator, leaving Evalle's hope stomped to pieces.