by Dianna Love
Deep growling rumbled then he said, “Leave, Evalle.”
Chapter 12
Evalle got over the shock of Storm trying to send her away and kept her voice soft to keep from alerting demon central even if they shouldn’t be able to hear her. “I came here to find you, Storm.”
His voice normally had a rich tone, but now his words were deep and gravelly. An unearthly sound that raised the hair on her arms.
“I know. That means you survived the Medb and whatever happened on Treoir. I’m glad. Now go back.”
That was it? All he had to say?
Why would he send her away?
Did he think she would shy away from fighting demons? No, but Storm would suffer anything before he’d risk her life. He didn’t get that choice.
Not now that he belonged to her.
Putting steel in her voice, she said, “I’m not leaving without you or some way to get you out of here.” She floated closer.
“Stop.” He hadn’t even turned to look at her yet, but she froze where she was and waited for him to speak again.
“Ask whoever brought you here to take you back. Get out of this place before you’re discovered.”
“No. I don’t even know where this is. Why are you here?”
He heaved a deep breath that sounded as if he’d resigned himself to answering her questions. “I underestimated Nadina.”
That bitch would die, but not until Storm got his soul back and he returned home. Evalle asked, “Where is she?”
“Gone. Waiting somewhere safe until she gets word to come back.”
“We’ll deal with her later. How can you get out of here?”
He chuckled, the sound so empty and flat it could have come from a corpse. “I can’t.”
“Storm, look at me. Why are you not trying to leave? I don’t understand you giving up. That’s not like you.”
The silence piled up and up until Evalle feared Storm had built an invisible wall between them that she wouldn’t be able to pierce.
He finally said, “I never wanted you to see me like this.”
Naked and looking as if he’d barely survived ten battles with demons? Did he really think she cared when he’d seen her shift into a monster born of her Alterant genes? She wanted to tell him how she was now a gryphon, but they could catch up later, once she had him out of this pit.
When he spoke again, her heart jumped with relief that he was still talking, until he said, “And now that you’ve seen me, I need you to leave, never come back and forget about me. Go on with your life.”
Tears burned her eyes. She covered her mouth to keep from screaming at him to stand up and fight. Don’t upset the spirits.
Nadina might have tricked him into this place, but how had she stolen his will to live? When Storm had battled back from death after Sen tried to kill him, Storm had told Evalle he’d pleaded with Kai to help him live so that he could hold Evalle one more time. She’d never known love, not the kind that happened between a man and woman, but those words had wound around her heart and held it safe.
Storm loved her. She knew this and he knew she loved him. Her Storm would never quit on them. Whether they were mated or not.
Didn’t matter. In Evalle’s heart, Storm was her mate.
That was all she needed to know. She’d find a way to get him out of here regardless of what Nadina had done to his mind. Evalle waited until she calmed down to keep from giving the spirits a reason to snatch her away.
Her words were quiet, but commanding. “You listen to me, Storm of the Navajo. I am not going back and forgetting about you because I love you.”
His muscles tensed. He buried his face in his arms, shaking.
His pain wicked out and brushed her face.
She reached a hand toward him but pulled back, afraid of causing him more anguish. If only she could go to him and find a way to rally Storm to fight with her. But he’d drawn an invisible line that all her instincts were telling her not to step over, that it was important to him she not push that boundary.
The last thing she wanted to do was draw the attention of the demons who might attack Storm. Or wake up that creepy guy on the throne. She had to respect this limit until she found out what was going on with him. Had something changed once he came here to make him no longer want to be with her?
Too impossible to even consider.
She swatted away her insecurities. Storm had proven himself time and again to her. It was time to show him that she would come through for him.
He’d only said he didn’t want her here.
What if she questioned his feelings for her? Could she strike a nerve and force him to show some life? “Are you telling me to go because you don’t want me any more?”
Storm raised his head in a bold profile. Straight hair hung past his shoulders in black streaks. His eyes were closed. Thick lashes rested above proud cheeks. His lips were taut, forced together as if holding back a torrent of words. Muscles rolled and pulsed along his arms still wrapped tight around his knees.
His throat moved with a swallow.
Nothing prepared her for the guttural pain in his voice that was a harsh whisper. “I will always want you. I will always love you.” A tear ran down the side of his face. “But every time I shift into my jaguar in this place, I slip further away. I barely returned to human form the last time. My Navajo heritage–my human blood that once drove me to strive for a life of honor–is losing the battle to the blood I inherited from that Ashaninka witch doctor. Nadina bore me to be a demon. She has finally won.”
She was Storm’s mother?
The hits just keep on coming.
He took a breath that racked his body. “I will never return to your world. Some things can’t be changed. Please, I beg you to please go so I can find a way to live without you, because life without you is worse than death. They will never allow me to die ... or I would.”
Tears were streaming down her face. How could he quit now after he’d survived to this point? There was always hope. Without him, she would die inside. She was shaking with the need to go to him.
Chilly fingers touched her arms.
No, she wasn’t ready to leave this place. Not yet.
She forced her mind and voice to be peaceful while she considered all he’d said. This was too important for her to lose her grasp on it.
Storm was fighting Nadina and everything in this place. He did not want to become a demon, but Storm would rather face that than put Evalle in danger. That was the man she loved and she would go up against any power in any realm to rescue him. He might think the witch doctor’s blood ruled him now that Nadina had him imprisoned, but the fact that Storm cared enough to send Evalle away proved to her that his Navajo genes still held a grip somewhere inside him.
There was no point in arguing any more.
She just had to get him out of here before he lost what was left of his humanity. Evalle needed a game plan. To create one, she needed information.
Sounding as compliant as she could, she said, “I understand, but at least tell me who that guy on the throne is and what this place is or I’ll spend forever wondering.”
After another long moment of silence, Storm spoke in that rough voice again. “This is Mitnal and the ruler is Hanhau. He rules demons in an underworld from the land where I was born. Nadina made a deal with him that included getting me here so he could turn me into a demon to lead his army.”
Storm thought he was doomed to only one destiny.
The Storm that Evalle knew would fight giving into the dark side with his last breath. If Nadina and Hanhau weren’t going to allow Storm to die, then this had potential. Evalle just needed him to not give up in the meantime.
Nothing was impossible.
“I hear all that you’re saying, Storm, but think of all the power I have at my disposal back in Atlanta.”
There was that dark chuckle again. “Who in their right mind in the Beladors or VIPER would stick their neck out for me besides you, Eva
lle? Just go.” He rubbed his forehead. “I’m sorry.”
He sounded so beaten. The man she loved was larger than life, greater than the gods and goddesses. She’d seen him overcome the impossible time and time again.
Frustration burned through her. If she had to leave him in this place, she wanted to make damn sure he could kill everything that dared to attack him until she could return. To do that, she needed to tap into his inner angry child.
She’d beg for his forgiveness later, but right now she wanted to see her warrior.
“How can you give up on us, Storm? You’re willing to let Nadina win? Is she that much more important than me?”
His muscles tensed again and he started growling, a deep rumble of warning.
That was more like it.
She pushed again. “I gave you more credit than that. I pretty much told Macha to eat my boots when she tried to stop me from finding you. I’m here and I’m fighting, because I love you. I won’t ever give up on you, but you’re giving up on me and your father.”
“Get. Out!” he snarled.
“Make me.”
“Done.” That ugly black chuckle rolled out of his throat then he lunged, body shifting into a jaguar the size of a bear with eyes glaring at her.
They were demon red.
Jaws opened wide enough to snap her head off.
Evalle shoved her hands up and screamed, “No!”
Could he touch her?
She had no kinetic power.
Howling erupted out in the demon parlor.
Icy fingers snatched her backwards before Storm’s massive jaws would have slammed shut. The frigid spirit dragged Evalle through a tumbling vortex of dark swirls. Howling filled her ears then piled into every corner of her mind. She grabbed her head, screaming at the sensation of twisting and spinning through nothing.
All at once, the spinning and noise stopped.
Cold seeped deep into her bones and formed an icy layer on her skin, but it was blissfully quiet.
Chapter 13
Someone was slapping her face. Brina grabbed the wrists and opened her eyes, ready to kill her attacker.
Lanna’s frightened face hovered over her. “Finally.”
“Why are you hittin’ me?”
“You would not come back. Your energy was drifting. I told you about problems with wanting to stay in dream.”
Brina took the hand Lanna offered and stood up, searching her surroundings. “Where are we?”
If Lanna had looked frightened before, she sounded terrified now. “You do not remember that we are stuck in unknown realm?”
Brina reached up to her throbbing head and clutched it, which did nothing to stop the pounding. “Sort of. I remember you and ... teleporting, right?”
“Yes, but what about the dream. You went into deep sleep. Did you find someone and tell them what happened to us?”
“I can’t remember.” Visions of a man flickered in Brina’s mind. Tzader. “I think I saw Tzader.”
“Did he say anything?”
“I don’t know, Lanna.” She hadn’t meant to sound so irritated, but she was struggling to figure out what was going on and Lanna kept pressing her for answers.
“Who is Tzader to you?”
Brina put both hands on her head, but the banging wouldn’t stop. “He’s with the Beladors.”
“I meant, how important is he to you? Is he your lover?” Lanna asked with the sincerity of someone trying to discern an important detail.
Brina, on the other hand, didn’t care for some young woman sticking her nose into Brina’s private life. She stared ahead at nothing, thinking on that. Tzader was part of her private life. Oh, yes. They’d made love under a large tree, a spot they’d chosen as their secret meeting place as teens. But that was not something she was sharing with Lanna. “You’re asking impertinent questions. I’ll remind you that I’m ... “ Brina paused, struggling to finish that sentence.
“You are Belador warrior queen.”
“I know that!” Brina snapped, but her irritation was over the momentary lapse. So I’m a queen? No wonder Lanna was distressed. Brina’s shoulders relaxed. “I was havin’ a moment of confusion, but I’m fine now.”
Relief poured off Lanna. “Thank goodness. I was very worried. But I still need to know if you told Tzader anything.”
Brina couldn’t honestly recall. She dug around in her mind, trying to pull up details and started shaking her head. “They should have found us by now. I’m a queen and you’re Quinn’s family, right?”
“Yes.” Lanna whispered, but her eyes matched the fear in her voice when she said, “Maybe you should try to relax.”
Images started flying through Brina’s mind of Tzader and warriors fighting and someone throwing Noirre majik on her. Her body began shaking so hard she couldn’t make it stop.
She stumbled to the side and Lanna grabbed her arm. “Lie down and I will help you sleep again.”
“No!” Brina jerked away. A vision of Lanna jumping toward her while Brina was covered in Noirre bloomed in her mind. “Who are you? She backed up another step.”
Lanna yelled, “I am Lanna. You know me. Come back. Do not move any more. I can hardly see you!”
Brina took another step back. “You attacked me in the castle. You’re with the enemy.”
“No. You are confused. Stop!” was the last thing Brina heard before the fog closed in around her.
Chapter 14
“You will awaken now!” yelled in Evalle’s ear. She jumped at the threatening sound and opened her eyes to find Adrianna glaring at her.
“What?”
“Okay, you’re really back.” Adrianna stood up and shoved damp strands of hair off her shoulders.
Evalle rubbed her eyes and blinked further awake but the candles were glaring. She slapped at the ground around her. “Where are my sunglasses?”
“Over there.” Adrianna pointed to where the glasses sat next to the altar several feet away.
Why am I over here? Evalle pushed to her feet and noticed the sweat streaming down both sides of Adrianna’s face. “Was there a problem?”
“You might say that. You dragged a spirit back here with you.”
“You didn’t let it in, did you?”
“No, you let it in.”
“Me? How was that my fault?”
Adrianna could sound pissy with the best of them. “Technically, this is all your fault since you’re the one wanting to open a path to another realm. But to answer your question, you must have upset the spirit because it was bound so tightly to your arm I couldn’t break the connection. If I hadn’t figured out what to do, you would have stayed with the spirit.”
Evalle shuddered at that possibility. “What happened?”
“I had seconds to either break you free or explain to Tzader why there was nothing left of you but an empty vessel. I used a spell to draw the spirit away from your body long enough for you to wake up. Once that happened, the spirit lost interest.”
Looking around the clearing, Evalle asked, “Where is it?”
“Have no idea.”
“Ah, crap. I can’t let it go roaming free.”
“Are you serious?” Adrianna asked. “This city is full of spirits. What’s one more floating around?”
She had a point, but things like new spirits unleashed on Atlanta always came back to bite Evalle in the ass.
“Your turn to explain what happened,” Adrianna ordered.
If Evalle shared a word about Storm’s red demon eyes or how beaten he was mentally, someone would try to talk her out of going after him.
Not going to happen.
She said, “That witch doctor, Nadina, tricked him and now he’s captured in this place full of demons.”
“Has he turned into one?”
That was direct, but, unlike Storm, Adrianna was not a walking lie detector. Evalle said, “Not yet, but they’re trying. I have to go back, but not in an astral projection.”
“Where is he?�
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“This huge cavern looking place called Mitnal.”
Adrianna stared past Evalle, thinking so hard tiny lines formed at the bridge of her nose. Then she looked up quickly at Evalle. “Storm’s from South America, right?”
“Yes.”
“I think Mitnal is known as land of the dead, but the one I’m thinking of is Aztec. It’s the underworld and ruled by some guy Hunna or something.”
“Hanhau,” Evalle corrected.
Adrianna snapped her fingers. “That’s him.”
“Looks like a bad Halloween skeleton costume with an ugly owl’s head.”
“Hanhau can look like a pickle or a giant demon or anything else he wants. He’s so old he’s probably forgotten his original form.”
“So how do I find that place again, but in my physical form?”
Adrianna scratched behind her ear, clearly stalling.
Evalle held up her hand. “Before you waste any time arguing with me, I’m going to get Storm and I need your help.” She’d never begged, but there was a first time for everything. “Please.”
“Argh!” Adrianna stalked around, hands in her hair agitating the blond mass. She shook her head, muttering to herself. When she finally settled down, she came back and said, “Fine. But no guarantees on either or both of you getting out. Got that?”
“Understood.”
“First we have to find Nadina.”
“Why?”
“Because if she managed to make a deal with Hanhau then use herself to bait a trap for capturing Storm, she knows how to get in and out of Mitnal. Any idea where she is?”
“Only that Storm said she was not currently in Mitnal. He thinks she’s hiding somewhere safe.”
Holding her chin with two fingers as she thought, Adrianna said, “Kai would know if Nadina was in our world and maybe even have an idea of how to find her.”
“How long will it take to reach Kai again?”
“Depends.”
“On what?” Evalle demanded.
“Whether you have to talk to her yourself or if you can keep from getting cranky if I talk to her.”
Tough call on that, but Evalle was finding all kinds of new personal depths when it came to saving Storm. “You can ask her. I made the rounds on the way here to meet you tonight and found my best Nightstalker. He said he hadn’t seen the witch doctor or heard any word of her in days, so if she’s here in our world she’s hiding like Storm said.”