“We can’t go to the front hall yet,” I said, my grip tightening around Storm’s hand. “I want you to come to the tower with me. There’s a woman being kept there we need to rescue.”
He frowned. “I can send some of our people to get her.”
“No. I want you to get her, Storm. She’s been poisoned for years and is frail. I don’t trust anyone with her, except you.”
Reluctantly, he allowed me to lead him in the opposite direction. Telling him about his mother wasn’t as easy as I’d thought it would be.
“How did you meet this woman?” he asked, giving me an opening.
“I refused to bow to Tully when I arrived at the palace, and he had me thrown in the tower. You should have seen his face.”
I grinned and glanced at Storm, hoping to see him smile. He didn’t.
“He threw you in the tower? There’s nothing up there but drafty stone cells. I should finish him off. It’s the only thing that could ever make up for every pain and discomfort he put you through.”
“No, you don’t want your brother’s death on your conscience. Besides, I offered to take care of her and begged Tully to let me stay up there. The alternative was worse.”
“Worse how?” he asked in a bleak voice.
That had been the wrong thing to say. “It’s not important.”
“It’s important to me.”
So he could torture himself with things he could have prevented? No way.
“Lexi,” Storm growled.
“Nothing happened, Storm.”
“Let me decide if it’s nothing or another reason to chop off a piece of Tully,” he said.
A eunuch Tully would probably be a good thing to the female population, but I couldn’t make up things he hadn’t done. I slowed down as we reached the bottom of the tower stairs.
“He wanted me in his chamber. He’d planned to turn me then make me his mate. I remember thinking I already have a mate. You. And a bridle. Yours. I didn’t want anyone else’s. So I bought myself time by offering to nurse the woman in the tower.”
Storm stopped, anguish in his eyes. I cupped his cheek.
“This is why I didn’t want to tell you,” I added. “You’re blaming yourself when you shouldn’t.”
“I should. It’s my fault you were taken. If I hadn’t sent you into the basement that night.” He shook his head. “I need to know everything so I’ll never forget or make the same mistake again.”
“Don’t do this, Storm. I was fine. The guards watching us were nice. They are your supporters.”
“My supporters?”
“People who believe in what you started a century ago. They want the same things for all the islanders. Freedom to shift, love, and marry whoever, whenever, and however they please. Lord Conyngham is a part of the movement.”
Storm frowned. “Tully’s right-hand man?”
“Is your number one supporter. I know. Crazy, right? Come on.” I tugged at Storm’s hand, and we headed up the stairs. “Lord Conyngham has protected me since I arrived here. In fact, he thought I was a plant by the king to find out about their organization. He’s a good guy. Anal but good.” I threw Storm another grin, hoping he’d smile even once. I missed his smile and cockiness. I wanted my pirate back.
“I don’t know how you can be upbeat after everything you’ve been through, lass.”
“I can because you are here. You came for me, and I’m going home. All this”—I waved a hand to indicate the palace—“will be soon forgotten.”
A low groan escaped him. He hauled me into his arms and kissed me, one arm crushing me to him while the other gripped the rail so we didn’t stumble down the spiral stairs. My feet left the step as he lifted me higher. When he eased his mouth from mine, we were both breathing hard. I gave him a loopy grin and stroked his cheek.
“I needed that. Now can you drop the Hulk persona and go back to being my cocky pirate? I miss him.”
He smiled. “I don’t know who the Hulk is, but I’m sure he’s never woken up after being unconscious for days to learn he’d lost the most precious person in his life.” He scowled. “Not just lost her. Failed her. Not knowing whether you were okay or what he was doing to you brought me to my knees, muh’Lexi. I begged the gods—”
I grabbed his head and pulled his face to mine, laying one on him and hoping to distract him from self-recrimination. When I pushed his head away, he was the one with a dopey smile.
“I love you, Lexi Greendale,” he said.
“I know, but this is neither the place nor the time to be confessing it or trying to seduce me,” I said, knowing how he’d react.
He kissed me again. This time, he lifted me higher until I wrapped my legs around his midsection.
“We don’t need the right place or time to kiss, lass. If I recall correctly, I promised to make love to you whenever and wherever.”
Just not in the middle of a raid or a few steps from his mother’s cell. A mother he still didn’t know existed.
“And I’ll hold you to that promise. Just not now when you’re supposed to be burning this place down. Put me down so we can get my sick friend and get out of here.”
“Never.” He continued up the stairs. “I’m never letting you out of my sight either. Through low and high tides, gales and squalls, you’ll stay by my side. You can be a crew in my ship.”
“Or you in mine,” I shot back, and he chuckled.
“Or we could stay on the island for a while and make babies.”
What? I could see where he was headed with that new line of thinking. He planned to stress over almost losing me and hide me so something like that could never happen again.
In his dreams.
I planned to sail the seas, which meant changing his attitude. It might drive him crazy, but he would learn I wasn’t some porcelain doll to be swaddled in bubble wrap just because of one terrible incident.
“I’d love to have your babies, Storm Orath, but it’s not going to happen any time soon. I want you to myself for a little longer. Like a decade or two.”
I covered his mouth when he opened it to respond.
“Subject closed. Now, about the prisoner in the tower. She’s been kept up there for decades. The oracle was supposed to take care of her, but instead, she poisoned her. She gave her herbs that caused her to act crazy and out of control, then some that knocked her out and made her loopy, until she’s now convinced she’s crazy. I’ve been trying to help her deal with the withdrawal symptoms.”
“Only you, mo ghrá, would help a prisoner when you are a prisoner yourself.”
“She needed help. She still does.” I hated wiping that smile off his face, but I knew I had to tell him about his mother before we reached the cells.
“Still, I admire you for your selflessness. Most people would be wrapped up in their misery and not bother with a stranger.”
“She’s not really a stranger, and she did feed me when no one else did. The prisoner is your mother, Storm,” I said.
For a beat, he stared at me. Then he made a face and chuckled.
“Nice try. The woman I once called mother would not be living in this tower. Her place is by King Tullius’s side in the most lavish quarters in the palace.”
A frowned chased the smile from his face.
“You know, she didn’t wait for my father to settle in the Underworld before she replaced him with the mad king and became his companion.” Storm shrugged. “I don’t hold it against her. She made her choice and did what she had to do to take care of herself and Tully. Just like I chose to never have anything to do with her. She’s probably traveling with the mad king right now, so Tully was messing with you if he claimed the woman in the tower was our mother.”
Holy shit. The bastards had lied to him. Why? Palming his face, I wanted to beg to link with him because the truth was about to rip him apart.
“I wouldn’t say something like this if I wasn’t sure, Storm. Whoever told you about your mother lied to you. She is a prisoner in
the tower, where she’s lived for decades. She’s never been your grandfather’s mistress. The oracle, the woman your father was meant to marry but didn’t, is your grandfather’s mistress.”
The smile disappeared from Storm’s face. He shook his head.
“No. You must be mistaken. Tully…” Slowly, he lowered me to the ground. “Both of them told me she’d chosen to stay with my grandfather as his consort. For a long time, I hated her for it, Lexi. I was disgusted by her. It took me years to purge her from my thoughts and heart.”
My heart broke for him, and tears rushed to my eyes, but I fought them. I couldn’t afford to break down now when he needed me.
“They lied, Storm. She’s here, hidden away from everyone. She talked to me whenever she was coherent. Told me things. She’s the reason I didn’t escape. I would have tried to every day, but I stayed to take care of her while waiting for you to come rescue us.”
Storm’s face had gone pale. He swayed, and I reached for him, wrapping my arms around his waist. He crushed me to him as though to steady himself. Then he stepped back.
“Where…?” He didn’t finish the question.
I pointed up the stairs.
~*~
He took the remaining stairs at a run, but the gate was locked from outside. He gripped and pulled it, his knuckles white. The sounds brought Banan downstairs from the battlement, two swords drawn. Storm drew his.
“No,” I yelled. “Banan is on our side, Storm. He works for Lord Conyngham, and he guards your mother and me.”
“Prince Orath,” Banan whispered, awe in his eyes and voice.
“Don’t call me that. I’m not my father,” Storm snarled.
“Unlock the gate,” I said, but I doubted Banan heard me. His attention was on Storm.
“I’m your supporter, Prince Storm. See?” Banan dropped his swords and pulled up the sleeve of his shirt to show the skull and bones. “We heard noises, so I told Gwyn to stay inside, locked the gate, and went to the battlement to see what was going on. The dragon told me you’d come to rescue the lass, so I made my tattoo visible to show you and your crew whose side I support.”
From Storm’s expression, he didn’t care.
“Open the gate,” he snarled.
Banan fumbled with the lock and opened the gates, then hurried across the common room to unlock the queen mother’s.
“You take one step and this goes on your face,” Gwyn threatened when I pushed the door open.
She stood in the middle of the room, carrying the chamber pot. Her eyes widened, and I winced when she almost dropped her “weapon.” It didn’t help matters that the room reeked with its content. Gwyn’s mouth opened and closed, but not a sound escaped. She gripped the pot and hurried into the washroom.
Storm hesitated at the entrance. I slipped my hand through his.
“She’s asleep,” I said. “The withdrawal has been tough on her. Gwyn and I are doing everything we can to make her comfortable.”
His hand crushed mine. I didn’t complain. It said holding on to me gave him some level of comfort. Without releasing my hand, he entered the room and knelt by his mother’s bed. He didn’t reach for her. He knelt there and studied her face under the flickering candlelight.
I didn’t speak, giving him his moment. Outside, lightning speared across the sky and collided in an angry display, matching his mood. I hugged his arm and rested my cheek on his shoulder. My heart ached for him.
“Lexi,” he whispered in a strangled voice. “I need you.”
I lifted my head. “Anything.”
“Brace yourself.”
My breath caught as the link formed almost right away. I’d expected anguish and rage, but not the guilt. How could he feel guilty when he hadn’t known? When he’d been fed a lie? As the link solidified, so did the flow of emotions. It flooded my being, until my skin grew tight with the effort to contain them. The innate reflex to reject them creeped up.
There was only one solution to this. Love. My love for him. The love his mother had for him. His people in Vaarda. His supporters here in Hy’Brasil. Focusing on that, I let it fill me. Let their voices fill my head. Images of their expressions when they talked about him. I gathered all that love and shared it with him, praying it doused his anguish, killed his rage, and drove his guilt and hatred away.
His head whipped toward me, eyes darkened to stormy gray, silver flashes running through them. It was like staring into a destructive force threatening to decimate everything in its path.
“I love you, Storm Orath.”
He swallowed.
“And your mother loves you. Very much. She never stopped and never forgot you.” I reached up and stroked his face. “You are loved by many. The islanders. Your supporters here. Hold on to their love, her love, my love, not the anger or the hatred, because it will destroy you and us. Punish Tully for what he did to your people and to your mother because he deserves it. Then focus on us, rebuilding your island and making your people feel safe again.”
Silence followed my words.
I was sure I’d sounded corny and stupid. I mean, what did I know about what he was feeling? He’d been betrayed by those whose blood ran in his veins, his home violated, his people killed, and his mother held a prisoner for decades while they fed him lies.
He lifted my hand to his lips, the cloudiness disappearing until the silver remained. “I didn’t think I could love you more than I already do, mo stór. I’m finding out I can. And it’s our people and our island. You are a part of me now. The most important and purest part of me. And you are a part of them. If you’d seen their reaction after you were taken, you’d know how they feel about you.”
My eyes smarted.
He glanced at his mother. “Thank you for taking care of her and bringing me to her.”
I had to clear my throat before speaking.
“She still has a long way to go. At least, she’s no longer burning up or having seizures.” I reached out with my free hand and pushed the hair away from her face.
Storm watched my hand, then turned his head and kissed my temple. “We need to go. She’ll need warm clothes. Boots.”
Gwyn was still in the bathroom, so I opened a chest and removed two pairs of stockings and boots. I needed to change out of my dinner shoes, too.
Storm tried to help me put the boots on his mother. The way he struggled said he feared hurting her. He shot me a helpless look.
“Don’t worry. She might look frail, but she’s tough as nails.” I finished with mine and took over his.
He stepped back, still wearing the same vulnerable look on his face.
“It’s okay. The first time I was here, she marched me from my cell to hers and ordered me to eat something because they had forgotten to feed me the whole day.”
“I’m going to make him suffer,” Storm swore under his breath.
“I’m not telling you this to get you riled up, Storm, but to explain that your mother is tough. She’ll be fine. Despite being ill, she showed concern for me, a stranger.” I got a royal-blue fur-lined cloak and tucked it around her.
Storm carefully lifted her into his arms.
“Shhh, it’s okay,” he whispered when she stirred. “I’m here. No one will hurt you now.” His eyes connected with mine. His love and regret flowed to me. “As long as I have a breath left in me, no one will ever hurt either of you again.”
My throat closed because I knew he meant every word. He was still beating himself up for not rescuing me.
He looked around. “Where’s her companion? We need to leave.”
“Gwyn!”
Gwyn left the bedroom, eyes darting around.
“We’re leaving?” she asked.
“Yes, Gwyn. You and the queen mother are coming with us to Vaarda.”
“Thank the gods.”
I kicked off the shoes I’d worn to the dinner party and pulled on the second pair of stockings and boots I’d gotten from the chest. I moved the dagger Banan had given me higher up
my thigh. When I looked up, Gwyn was busy shoving clothes into a satchel while humming under her breath.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Packing. My lady will need her lovely gowns and boots.” She stopped and looked at us. “Is it hot or cold on Vaarda?”
I laughed and put an arm around her. “It’s perfect, and you don’t need to bring clothes. We have seamstresses who will make some for both of you. Grab some warm boots and a warm cloak.”
Her eyes grew bright with tears. She dropped the satchel, took the pouch of coins from the chest where she’d removed some earlier, tied it around her waist, and grabbed a cloak. She looked around the cell.
“Good riddance,” she said.
I chuckled. “That’s how I feel, too. You’re going to love it on Vaarda.”
We hurried after Storm, who’d left the room, and almost bumped into him. He’d stopped right outside the room, and despite carrying his mother, had pulled out his sword.
“Who are you?” he barked.
“I work for Lord Conyngham, Prince Orath,” Nereus said. “It’s an honor to finally meet you.”
“He and Banan guarded us,” I added.
Nereus lifted his sleeve to show Storm the skull and bones tattoo.
“All your supporters wear them,” Nereus added. “The gong that went off didn’t just signal the Royal Guards. It was a signal to us, too. Our people are gathering right now to offer you any support you may need. I came to the palace to let you know.”
Storm studied him with narrowed eyes. “How did you get past my people?”
“I used the tunnels. The king might have closed the old ones, but we created new ones. I could show you. There’s one by the storage and another by the bathhouse. We could take the queen mother and the lass through either one to safety. The closest safe house is Lord Conyngham’s. They often skip it during house-to-house searches.”
“And from Conyngham?”
“The tunnel heads south to the docks and splits to the east toward the valley and west toward the army headquarters. We built entrances right under their noses.”
“You’ll show me the tunnels when I return,” Storm said. “Right now, I want both of you downstairs. Find Captain Nerissa, and tell her to send Tully’s guests home, except Lord Conyngham.”
Storm Unleashed: Phantom Islanders Part III Page 17