[Phantom Islanders 02.0] Storm Revealed

by Ednah Walters

  Arg, he smelled awful. My hand closed on one of the daggers on his chest. I yanked it out, lifted, and aimed for his gut, but he was fast. He caught my hand and wrestled the dagger from it. Suddenly, my arms and legs grew heavy too, and I slumped against him. Damn mind control.

  “No-oooo!”

  I wasn’t sure who yelled, but I turned to see Glyn and Max charging toward us with their wooden swords. The man holding me lifted his hand, and the boys’ legs gave out. They crumpled to the floor. The children and the Tuh’rens followed, slumping over in deep sleep.

  The captain scooped me up, and I gagged. The stench coming off him was overpowering. My eyes met Delia’s. I tried to talk, but I couldn’t. Helpless tears rushed to my eyes.

  Storm.

  If only I knew how the bond between us worked. I’d communicate with him. The problem was if he could feel my fear now, he’d just assume I was scared because of the attack, not because some of Tullius’s men had made it into the Great Hall.

  How did they plan to escape? How many were above the ground, destroying everything Storm and the islanders had built? All because of me. I tried to glance back, but I couldn’t see past his broad shoulders. The short man led the way with a torch, but they’d left the others behind. I was sure not all of them were dead.

  “Where is he?” the man carrying me asked, his voice sounding funny.

  “Straight ahead, where we left him tied up. He’s not going anywhere.”

  “Get rid of him once he leads us to the opening,” my abductor said.

  “But you promised we’d take him back with us.”

  “You never trust a traitor, lad. If he can betray his people, he will betray us, too.”

  The islanders were betrayed by one of their people? My heart broke for Storm. He was going to be so devastated when he found out. I fought to stay awake, fighting the fog inside my head, but I couldn’t. I heard someone begging for his life, the words ebbing. I struggled to stay awake and see him—the bastard who’d dared to betray Storm and the islanders, but I couldn’t open my eyes. My head lolled to the side, and tears continued to roll down into my ears.

  Storm. Come for me. No matter how long it takes.

  * * *

  ~*~

  * * *

  My cheek was on something soft when I woke up. I glanced around. I was on a canopied bed with red and gold heavy draperies, and I was naked. Was I inside Storm’s cabin?

  Events on the island rushed back, and I sat up. Had Storm rescued me?

  Please, let this be the Mac Lir.

  I pushed the curtains aside and peered outside. My eyes fell on a man removing his shirt. Disappointment coursed through me. That wasn’t Storm’s back. It was not scarred, and there was a coiled tattoo along his spine. It was the tall guy.

  I glanced toward the windows. It was dark outside, and the familiar sound of water slapping the hull said we were still at sea. I caught a whiff of my hair, and my stomach roiled. I smelled like shit warmed over. Part of me wanted to be pissed about being naked. About being kidnapped. About why Storm and Levi weren’t coming to my rescue. A dragon was faster than a damn ship.

  No, they were probably busy fighting for their lives or trying to save the island and the people. Or worse. They could be too injured to come after me. My throat closed. I couldn’t afford to think like that. There was a reason why he wasn’t ripping this ship apart.

  “You are up earlier than I expected, Tuh’ren,” the captain said without turning. He spoke with Storm’s accent, except his wasn’t sexy. It was annoying.

  “What did you do with my clothes?” I asked.

  He turned. “By the time we made it through the sewer, you smelled worse than a privy. The hour you spent in the water once we left the island didn’t take the stench away.”

  “In the water?”

  “We had to get to my ship, and the fastest way is under water. I threw your clothes in the sea because they still reeked.” He grabbed a shirt and knee-length pants from a peg, and tossed them to me. “Put those on. You can borrow clothes when we get to the island and before you see the king.”

  I wanted to cry at the similarity between this kidnapping and Storm’s. The difference was this asshole made my skin crawl while Storm had merely pissed me off.

  Snap out of it. This was not the time to have a pity fest. I needed to fight. Plot. Find out what was going on. I closed the curtains around the bed, pulled on the shirt, yanked on the pants, and tightened the string. The pants reached my ankles, and the shirt came to my knees. I pushed the curtains aside and stood. My abductor was pulling on socks. The scene brought back more memories of Storm. I pushed them away. I couldn’t afford to be distracted.

  “How long before we reach Hy’Brasil?” I asked.

  “A few hours.”

  “How long was I asleep?”

  “Longer. My ship was anchored far away from that accursed island. And just in case they tried to come after us, I took extra precautions to stop Levi and found a ride Storm can’t catch up with.”

  He’d used a winged Kelpie? I didn’t want to speculate about what precautions he’d taken to stop Levi. I hoped he was okay. I was starting to like that particular captain, too.

  I studied the door. Could he catch me before I reached it? I just didn’t know how the bond I shared with Storm worked, so that left scent. All I needed was a dip in the ocean to activate my scent so he could find me.

  I got up.

  “Sit down,” the captain snapped. “He expects you to be delivered unscathed, so don’t try anything stupid.”

  “Like what? We are in the middle of the ocean. I’m not like you guys. If I jump, I drown.” I reached the wall. He’d practically decorated his room with swords. How fast could I pull one?

  “Do not test my patience, lass,” the captain warned. “Go back to bed, unless you want me to knock you out again.”

  Damn. I couldn’t jump if he laid his mojo on me.

  “Is that how you get your kicks? Render helpless women unconscious. How do I know you’re not touching me while I’m out? Or looking at me while doing unspeakable things?”

  A smile touched his lips. He was pulling on his boots. “Now I see why the prince hates you. You have a mouth on you. What I don’t understand is his obsession with you?” The way he stressed his said he was referring to someone else. Someone he disliked. Storm?

  “That’s easy. I’m adorable,” I said. I was closer to the door.

  “No. He is afraid.”

  My Storm afraid? That would be the day. “Who are you talking about?”

  “The king. We’ve never cared about a Tuh’ren enough to use a relative.”

  “A relative?”

  “Your brother. He’s on his way to Hy’Brasil.”

  They didn’t know Kheelan got Tommy out? I wanted to laugh. Storm. I was crazy about that beautiful, wonderful man. No, I couldn’t laugh or admit I knew Tommy was safe. This was a chance for me to play the victim.

  “Why would they do that?” I asked, pacing. “Whose brilliant idea was this? The spineless, whiny prince’s? The one whose nose I broke? Is this his way of getting back at me?”

  My abductor shook his head. “Not the prince.”

  “The king? What is his problem? I swear if he hurts Tommy, if he touches a hair on his head…” I turned and bowed my head. I hoped I convinced him I was angry they’d kidnapped Tommy. As long as they didn’t know he was safe on Vaarda with Storm, I could use their guilt against them.

  “Listen, I don’t think they mean to hurt him,” the captain said. “Like I said, the king wants something from you. He’ll only use your brother if you don’t cooperate.”

  I whipped around. “My brother’s never done anything to anyone. He is sweet and loving, and he’s been in pain for two years because of me.” Tears of anger brimmed in my eyes. “And now… now he’s going to be used as a pawn in your stupid games because of me.”

  “I’m sorry, lass.”

  “Sorry? Sorry is not
going to make this okay. Did they tell you he was in a wheelchair? Did they even bother to bring it for him?”

  He frowned. “No.”

  “He was supposed to have surgery when those damn pirates abducted me. And now he’s a pawn, like me.” I’d hated acting in school, so I really hoped I was pulling this off.

  “The rogue islanders are going to get what they deserve, lass. Their days are numbered. Their homes and ships were destroyed. They won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. I’m sure our people who distracted them while we searched for you didn’t make it either, but every war has its casualties and they died heroes. And when the marauders come after us to retaliate, and they will because they are hotheaded and impulsive, the Royal Army will be waiting for them. The king has finally decided it is time to get rid of them. No more capturing them alive. No more second chances.”

  Crap! Storm was going to come after me and sail straight into a trap.

  “Once we take out their swordsmen and shieldmaidens, we can go back to the island and collect the children and the women.” He picked up a shirt from the back of the chair. He paused, shirt in hand, and studied me with narrowed eyes. “Did you and Storm claim each other?”

  “Eew, no. I can’t stand him. Besides, Selection is a week away. I’m sure your traitor told you how often I tried to escape.”

  The man nodded, but suspicion lingered in his eyes. “Aye, he told us.”

  From his voice, he didn’t believe it. Now I wished I hadn’t tried to get away. So much time wasted when Storm could have taught me how to work the link between us after the claim.

  “Did you kill him? The traitor?” Please, say you did.

  “No. He might become useful again, and we know exactly where to find him.” The smug smile was back. He was so full of himself. I couldn’t wait for Storm to knock him down on his ass.

  If it were the last thing I did, I was going to find out the identity of that traitorous bastard and hang him myself when I returned to Vaarda. And I was going to return because Storm would find me. That was the one thing I was sure about.

  “So he sneaked all of your men through the sewer?” I waited for the captain to Fill in the Blanks. He was enjoying himself too much not to continue bragging.

  “Some of us. The larger group used a false bottom on Captain Deck’s ship. That idiot.” He snickered. “He actually thought we weren’t monitoring our waters or the neighboring islands. That he could sneak in and out without us knowing. His arrogance led to their downfall.”

  I wanted to wipe the smug smirk off the captain’s face.

  “Like you said, they got what they deserved,” I mumbled.

  “It’s just the beginning. The elite squad of the Royal Army will be waiting for them when they arrive.” He pulled on his shirt, and I saw my chance. Just as it covered his face, I wrenched the door open and shot out.

  A couple of sailors were by the wheel, but the rest of the deck was empty. I had a clear path to the stairs. Almost there. I reached for the rigging on the main deck, my chest bursting with each breath. My hand closed on the rope, but something wrapped around me, and I was yanked off my feet. Screaming in frustration, I let go and flew backward, free-falling.

  I braced myself for the impact. Instead, I landed against a chest. I freed my arm and rammed my elbow into his midsection. He cursed and wrapped his other arm around me, locking mine into place.

  “I thought you were smarter than this, she’lahn,” my captor growled.

  My chest hurt and my stomach churned. I didn’t realize I was crying until tears dropped on the shirt I was wearing. I jerked my head, hoping to connect with his nose, but he whipped his head to the side. I used everything I could—my legs, my head, my body—but his arms were like a vice. He entered his cabin and threw me on the bed.

  “Go to sleep,” he snarled. “And by the way, you need to work on your acting. I know about you and Storm, and so does the king. You are his violet-eyed lass. You might have attempted to escape before, but you stopped. I saw you at the port. He will come for you, and we will be waiting.”

  I fought the numbness, but it spread fast. My heart ached for Storm and the islanders. Despite the picture Captain Shithead had painted, I knew they’d survived tonight’s attack. They were smart, resilient, and resourceful. And they would survive Hy’Brasil, too.

  “And if you care about your brother, you will do as you’re told, or he’ll suffer,” the captain added, his voice growing faint.

  Thank the gods they didn’t have Tommy. Now all I had to do was find a way to save Storm, the pirate I’d grown to love more than I ever thought I possibly could.

  Even as the thought floated in my head, a crackle of lightning split the sky, then another followed. A surge of energy rolled through me. I had no idea where it came from, but Captain Ren’s glamor melted away.

  I sat up as euphoria mixed with rage flowed through me. The euphoria was mine, but the rage wasn’t. Could it be Storm’s? Had he used our link to counter the captain’s mind bend?

  A loud bellow filled the air and something rocked the ship. The captain, who’d gone to the window at the first flash of lightning, turned and cursed.

  “How did he find my ship?” he growled and reached for his sword. I doubted he noticed me as he took long strides to the door and yanked it open.

  Storm hadn’t found the ship. He’d found me through the link we shared. I still had no idea how it worked, but I felt him as though he was tethered to me. With each bolt, the link grew stronger. He was furious.

  I jumped up from the bed and ran to the door.

  * * *

  To be continued…

  A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

  Thank you for reading Storm Revealed, Phantom Islanders Book1, Part II. If you enjoyed it, please consider writing a review. Reviews can make a difference in the ranking of a book.

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  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Ednah Walters holds a PhD in Chemistry and is a stay-at-home mother of five. She is also a USA Today bestselling author. She writes about flawed heroes and the women who love them.

  Her award-winning YA Paranormal Romance—Runes Series—started with Runes and has a total of 10 books to date. Her last book, Witches, was a Readers’ Favorite Awards winner.

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  She writes YA Urban Fantasy series—The Guardian Legacy Series, which focuses on the Nephilim, children of the fallen angels. GL Series started with Awakened and has a total of 4 books. The latest book in the series, Forgotten, was released in June 2015. The GL series is published by Spencer Hill Press (Beaufort Books)

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  Ednah also writes Contemporary Romance as E.B. Walters. Her contemporary works started with The Fitzgerald Family series, which has six books, to her USA Today bestselling series, Infinitus Billionaires.

  Whether she’s writing about Valkyries, Norns, and Grimnirs, or Guardians, Demons, and Archangels, or even contemporary Irish family in the west coast, love, family, and friendship play crucial roles in all her books.

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