Perfect Storms (Storms of Blackwood Book 4)

by Elle Middaugh

  "I’m not eating for two," I said, thank the gods, and my period was finally over, another blessing and a half, "but can I use that excuse too? Sweets are my absolute favorite."

  Ash nodded, feigning seriousness. "It’s my nickname for her and everything."

  Elenore merely chuckled. "Of course, dear. Take as many as you like." I grabbed a small handful, making her wink. "I have more in the kitchen."

  As soon as the guys heard that, they had the tray empty in seconds flat. Elenore shook her head, disappeared into the kitchen, then brought out another trayful of goodies. We got back to business as we munched.

  "The werecats and werewolves don’t seem to get along very well, do they?" Malik asked.

  He wasn’t eating any cookies, and for the first time ever, I realized being a vampire was maybe not all it was cracked up to be. They could drink alcohol—I’d seen him, Taron, and Tamara drinking at parties—but apparently blood was the only real sustenance they could stomach. I couldn’t imagine never eating sweets again.

  "Yeah, it’s weird," Criss agreed, rubbing his chin. He was sitting with Ben on a separate couch, his ankle crossed over his knee. "At Blackwood Palace, Rafe and Veda had flirted around, you guys remember that?"

  We nodded. He was right. That day we’d had breakfast together, they had been flirtatious.

  "Now, they act like mortal enemies." Criss shook his head. "I wonder what changed?"

  I pursed my lips as I thought.

  "They’re very different breeds of people," Ben said right away. "The wolves are excitable and carefree, while the cats are prideful and reserved. It makes sense that they’d clash."

  Rob scoffed. "Just as long as they keep their shit together long enough for us to win this war."

  Bria’s eyes met mine from across the room, a hollowness making her blue depths seem endless. "I wish there wouldn’t be a war."

  I nodded. "Me too."

  "If you can think of any way to stop it, I’m all ears," Rob said, uncrossing his arms and throwing one of them across the back of his chair.

  Bria merely shook her head and stared at the floor.

  In her defense, it was a stunning floor. Each cream-colored tile had an intricate, pastel pattern that flowed into the following square. I wondered how long it took the artisan to create. Probably months.

  A knock sounded at the door. Peter and Elenore exchanged a nervous glance. She strolled over to answer the call, but Peter swiftly swooped in and grasped the handle. I got the impression that he was protecting her from whatever might’ve been out there.

  "Good afternoon," I heard him say. He chuckled, then opened the door wider. "Of course. They’re right inside the living room."

  I leaned over and glanced down the hallway, surprised to find Rafe, Veda, and Barret—Rob’s lead general—walking toward us.

  The werewolf mussed his shaggy hair and shook his head as he entered the room. "I was walking along, minding my own business, when I got this terrible ringing in my ears. I had a feeling you cheeky bastards were talking about me, so I knocked on the door. Then these nosey assholes—" He hooked a thumb over his shoulder. "—followed me over. I don’t think they trust me."

  Rafe had a sly grin on his face the entire time that kept me at ease. I knew he wasn’t pissed for real. He was just a sarcastic asshole. I appreciated that about him.

  Veda and Barret exchanged a timid glance before turning away at the exact same time. Interesting. Maybe there was something going on with them instead?

  Rafe plopped down on the couch between Chrissen and Ben, grabbing a cookie and biting it in half. "So, which one of you dicks were slandering my almighty name?"

  Ben cocked an arrogant brow. "Almighty, huh?"

  Rafe shrugged, grabbing another cookie and devouring it in one bite. "I am prince of the werewolves, after all."

  I supposed he had a bit of a point. It was hard for me to remember he was royalty because he acted like no royal I’d ever seen. Peter and Malik had more propriety, and they were only noblemen. Rafe was more like a mercenary on the verge of a barfight than a prince.

  "It was me," Criss admitted, raising his hand. "I mentioned you and Veda flirting at Blackwood Palace; then we started wondering why cats and dogs seem to hate each other so much."

  Rafe’s lips curled into a smug grin. "Is that right?"

  Veda’s cheeks flushed a bright pink, and Barret cleared his throat.

  For some reason, I decided to come to her aid. "I’m sure she was just pleased to hear someone other than the Storm King say something other than condescending bullshit."

  Her eyes flicked over to mine, gratefulness in their yellowish depths. I smiled back.

  Rafe chuckled. "He’s a charmer, that one. As for me, I pretty much flirt with anything that walks. Even if it is a stuck-up werecat with the ego of a princess."

  "I am a princess," Veda retorted amusedly.

  Rafe shrugged. "Explains the ego then, doesn’t it?"

  Veda rolled her eyes and smirked but didn’t bite back.

  Yep, they were definitely getting along better than before. Veda would have chomped his head off for a lesser insult a few days ago.

  Suddenly, Rosie gasped. Her eyes were wide as they frantically darted toward Malik and Elenore. "I think… my water just broke."

  "Aaand that’s our cue to leave," Rafe announced, grabbing a few more cookies before standing and heading toward the door. "The cookies were fabulous, Mrs. Vanderbon. You’re the best baker in all of Southern Blackwood."

  Elenore rolled her eyes but smiled. She took pride in her baking and cooking, I could tell. Her eyes landed on the rest of us, and she gestured toward the door. "Out with you. Unless you plan on catching a slippery baby vampire when it pops out."

  She must’ve seen the sheer terror on my face because she laughed before placing both hands on my shoulders and pushing me toward the exit.

  We hadn't gotten far, just a block or so down the road when Rob stopped. Straining his ears as if he heard something, he held out his hand, signaling for us to wait.

  I knew we all wanted to ask him questions about what the hell was going on, but we also didn't want to interrupt... whatever was going on.

  Eventually Rob turned to us. "Our mothers have some information for us."

  At the Temple of Hades, we gathered around the closed chest of heads, which had been placed on a stone pedestal in the center of the open-columned room.

  Once everyone had gathered around, Rob cracked his neck and closed his gray eyes, concentrating on something beyond his eyelids. Soon, lights flashed and the area darkened into shadows, lit by a vibrance similar to stars—the astral plane. The scene around us blurred only once before homing in on three figures standing close together. One more blurry lurch and we were right up close to them.

  "Hello, everyone," Bianca said, waving pleasantly.

  Ben's lip quivered and he put a fist to his mouth. He must've missed his mother so much.

  Delilah silently fluttered her fingers in Dan's direction, and he waved back, a sad smile on his face.

  Guilt instantly plagued me.

  "Robert," Rosemary said, smiling.

  Rob smiled back. "Mom. I heard you ladies had some information for us?"

  She nodded slowly. "We're able to travel short distances from our heads. It's not much, but it was enough for us to get a clear view of your enemies moving in."

  "They're com—"

  Suddenly the real world snapped back into place fast enough to give me whiplash. I shook my head to clear my jumbled thoughts just as Cal and Dan verbally pounced on Rob.

  "What the hell, man?" Cal complained.

  "They weren't even done talking!" Dan added with an annoyed frown.

  Rob shook his head and blinked, running his hands through his hair. "Sorry, guys, I just kinda freaked out and lost focus. If their spirits can't move far from their bodies and they still saw our enemies, then that means our enemies aren't far from us. We need to alert the town and get into our a
rmor."

  He was right. We needed to get our asses moving. The transition from the astral plane back to real life might've been stark, but we needed it. We couldn't be floating around in no-man's-land while Blackdell got ambushed.

  Thankfully, we were somewhat prepared for this, considering our enemies were late. It'd given us some extra time to formulate plans and organize our motions. We ran to the inn and quickly changed from our semiformal attire into our under-armor—insulated black pants and soft, black, long-sleeved shirts. We almost looked like demons, like shadows, and for some reason, that made me feel a bit more confident. Our suits of golden armor were waiting for us in the hall, as was most everyone else's.

  We stormed through the streets, alerting everyone that war was upon them. I scanned the crowd of bustling citizens, specifically looking for the little ones and watching where they went. It seemed they were all gathering at the schoolhouse.

  "I’ll be right back," I muttered to the guys, veering off to enter the school.

  The banshee teacher was at the front, ushering kids into a secret passage in the wall, including Peter and Elenore’s girls.

  "Quickly, children," the banshee directed. "Go as far back as you can. There’re snacks, games, pillows, and blankets in the back room. Try to relax and remember to stay as quiet as possible."

  While I felt relieved to know the kids would be somewhere safe, I was also devastated that they had to do this at all. No child should have to fear for their lives. This shouldn’t be how things were. Blackwood Kingdom needed to change. The world needed to change.

  The banshee and I shared a small, knowing smile before I exited the building and rejoined my princes.

  "What was that about, Peach?" Cal asked, throwing his arm around my shoulders as we continued walking.

  "I needed to make sure the kids were safe."

  He smiled warmly and kissed the top of my head. "You are so precious."

  By the time we’d finished making our rounds through the town, every child had been tucked away and every fighter had gathered in the hall. We were almost through the massive double doors when a messenger approached.

  "Prince Rob," the woman said, flagging us down. "A letter from King Thane."

  Rob’s eyes lifted across town to where the barricade stood, and my gaze followed. Beyond the ditch and the sharp wooden pikes stood hundreds of soldiers, ready and waiting. My stomach twisted into a writhing pit of knots.

  Rob sniffed and nodded, handing the note back to the messenger. "He’s asking for a ceasefire overnight and for the battle to begin at dawn."

  "Do you believe him?" Dan asked.

  "You think it’s a trick?" Ben’s question drew Dan’s pale green gaze.

  "Maybe."

  But Rob shook his head. "I don’t think it is. I think they’re freezing in this cold and tired from their long journey. They want a good night’s sleep so that they’re fresh for battle."

  Ben glanced from Dan to Rob. "But what if it is a trick and they attack us through the night?"

  "Then we’ll be ready for them." Rob’s gaze hardened as he raked it from the barricade to the hall before us. He grabbed the nearest soldier and began barking orders. "We’re camping here for the night. I want soldiers patrolling the perimeter at all times and scouts watching to make sure they don’t try to backstab us." Then he turned back to the messenger. "Tell King Thane that we accept his offer."

  She nodded and slipped silently into the crowd of streaming soldiers, while we marched determinedly into the hall.

  Chapter 15

  Weapons were being passed out, along with shields and armor. Many of the citizens already had equipment of their own, but no one was turning down extra protection.

  A group of zombies had set up a table for drinks and were handing out mugs of ale and wine. Fuck yeah, my nerves were already shot, and I had a feeling other peoples' were as well.

  All around me, people were downing mugs of beer and flagons of wine, drowning their nerves before the battle, or perhaps simply enjoying one last night before the possibility of imminent doom.

  I couldn't say I blamed them. Though, if it was going to be my last night alive, I'd personally want to spend it with—

  Ben leaned into my ear and damn near took the words right out of my mouth.

  "These guys can piss around and spend their last night laughing and getting shitfaced, but I'd rather spend mine buried deep inside of you."

  Oh my flaming fuck, he was hot.

  Yeah, I'd want to spend my last night with my guys.

  He took my hand and carefully pulled me through the crowd, leading me toward the nearest exit with grace and determination. My nerves were already buzzing with anticipation of what was to come.

  We slipped outside and found a shadowed ghost town since everyone had been gathered in the hall. No one strolled the streets, and I doubted anyone would be in the inn, where I assumed we were headed. Ben squeezed my fingers and led us a few steps into the snow, when a voice rang out through the night.

  "Going somewhere?" the voice asked knowingly.

  I'd know that sexy voice anywhere.

  Ben and I turned around and found Dan leaning against the outside of the hall, mostly obscured in shadows.

  Ben smirked and shook his head. "I should've known you wouldn't miss a session of kinky fuckery."

  "So, I can join you?" he asked, pushing off the wall to walk closer.

  "Yeah," Ben replied easily. "As long as our foul-mouthed Sailor doesn't have a problem with it. And let's face it, more Storms means more orgasms, and I've never heard her complaining about that."

  Dan chuckled, and I elbowed Ben in the ribs. He didn't even grunt or jerk away.

  The three of us tiptoed inside the inn, up the stairs, and into our room. Everything was quiet and dark, so Ben lit a single candle and set it near the windowsill. The flame flickered in the draft, sending wavering shadows across the walls and ceiling. It made this whole thing feel sneaky and, therefore, extra naughty.

  Ben bit his bottom lip and rummaged through one of his bags. "I made something a little while back that I've been dying to try out."

  Nervous excitement immediately crashed through my system like a wave. I couldn't wait to see what he'd concocted and how he'd use it for my torturous pleasure.

  When he withdrew a knotted rope net and held it up to show us, I had to admit, it wasn't exactly what I'd been expecting. "What are we going to do with this?" I asked. "Make a hammock and try not to fall out while we fuck?"

  Ben tsked at me and shook his head, moving to the end of our bed and securing the net to the rafters above. When all of the corners were secure, it kind of looked like he'd just set up a web, about to catch a breathless firefly and eat her right up—or at least, I hoped so.

  He backed away, admiring his art with a pleased smile. Then he sat down in a clawfoot chair and gestured for Dan to do the same. He crossed one ankle over his knee, folded his hands across his stomach, and watched me where I stood anxiously anticipating my orders.

  "Why don't you strip for us, Sailor?"

  It was technically a question, but I knew damn well it was a command. I slowly pulled the black underarmor off my body, dragging it intentionally across my heated skin. When my long-sleeved shirt was off, I carefully shimmied out of the black pants as well.

  "Good girl," Ben complimented me. "Don't take the underwear off yet. Just loosen your bra and let the straps fall down your shoulders."

  I did what he wanted, immersing myself in their desire, as they soaked in the sight of my nearly naked body. It was a sexy cycle that amped up the tension with each subsequent round.

  "Now, stand completely still," Ben directed me as he rose from his chair and strode closer. "Don't move when I touch you, understand? Don't talk and try not to make any noise."

  I nodded, unsure if I'd actually be able to meet his demands, but I had a feeling it was going to be incredible to try.

  Ben strolled around behind me, and I locked gazes with Da
n who was watching this delicious show with hooded eyes. He had a tight grip on the armrests of the chair and an erection beginning to press against his pants.

  Ben's lips touched the side of my neck, startling me, and I jerked.

  "First and last warning, Sailor," he whispered. "Don't move."

  I nodded, swallowing hard.

  His right hand threaded through my hair while his left skimmed down my neck and shoulder, catching the strap of my bra and pulling it just low enough to allow one of my nipples to escape the fabric.

  Dan hissed and brought his knuckles to his mouth, staring at my breasts intently.

  "He likes seeing you like this." Ben's hot breath whispered across my neck, sending heat pooling straight to my core. "It's amazing what an accidental show can do for people with voyeuristic tendencies."

  I failed to see how any of this could be considered accidental.

  "Don't look at him," Ben murmured. "Pretend you don’t even know he's here."

  That's when I tried imagining the scene from Dan's eyes, a nonparticipant quietly observing. Maybe he was just a stranger watching us through the window? Maybe he was a ghost and we couldn’t see or touch him? Maybe we didn't realize we weren't alone in the room? He could have been imagining himself in any one of those scenarios.

  I leaned my head back on Ben's shoulder to better avoid Dan's gaze, and his hand skimmed down my stomach and into my panties, fingering me as soon as he slipped through my wetness. He groaned, kissing my neck as he thrust his hand deeper into my underwear from behind.

  Suddenly, the doorknob clicked and started to turn. I shot a panicked glance at Ben from over my shoulder, but he merely shook his head.

  "Don't move, remember?" he asked, keeping me on full display to whoever was about to enter, his fingers still stroking me from the inside out.

  The wood creaked and cracked open slowly, and soon Chrissen stood silently in the doorway. He wasn't smiling. He wasn't shocked or embarrassed. He just looked… determined.

  Ben kept touching me, and I had a feeling he was giving our Soothing Prince some seriously devious looks. "What's up, Criss?"