Approaching Storm (Normalcy Book 1)

by A. L. Kessler

  Bile rose in my throat. "Hunting ring?"

  He nodded and put the shotgun down. With lightning speed he had Zephyr chained up. I looked at the demigod. He stood there calm as could be. I wished for a moment that I could see in his mind because calm was the opposite of what I was feeling.

  "They'll house you until they are ready to turn you loose and hunt you. Winner gets to keep the skulls of their hunts." He chuckled. "I have quite a few from the hunts I've done here. It's more fun to hunt unrestricted than it is in a ring."

  A tremor rolled through my body. Now was probably not the time to remind him that I couldn't leave the town, because he might just kill me here. I looked at Zephyr, and he smiled.

  "Don't worry," he whispered.

  "Ah, the ever-faithful man. You try anything, I'll kill her right now."

  Zephyr shook his head. "Don't worry. I'm not planning on trying anything. You're a vampire. You can sense the truth in my words."

  He nodded and grabbed Allie, flinging her over his shoulder in a fireman's hold. He hit me in the back with the butt of the shotgun. "Walk out back."

  He and Zephyr both followed me through the house and out back. My mind was running on overdrive trying to figure out how to get out of this situation. I looked up at the sky and gave a little smile.

  "What are you smiling about? You're about to become a hunted animal," Hamish growled as he opened the back of the van.

  I nodded as I saw the clouds roll in. "I don't really like that idea."

  He looked up as well as thunder crashed overhead. "Get in the van." He threw Allie in, and she landed with a screech.

  I hesitated as the rain started to fall. Hamish grabbed me by the throat. "I said get in." He threw me towards the van, the bumper hit me at my thighs, nearly tripping me.

  "Take it easy," Zephyr snapped.

  I glanced back at him, and for the first time in this situation, anger was etched on his face. He could easily transport us all out of here, and maybe he would as soon as we were in the van.

  I struggled to get in the van as the rain started to turn to hail. The ice chunks bouncing off the van echoed through the cargo area. I scooted next to Allie who had managed to get into a sitting position.

  Neither of us dared to speak. Zephyr crawled into the van and sat next to me. Hamish slammed the doors shut.

  Zephyr looked at me. "Calm the storm. It's okay."

  I nodded and took a deep breath, trying to rein in the fear and worry. The hail changed to rain, and I left it at that. There was no need to change the storm completely. Maybe it would slow him down a little bit.

  "What are we going to do?" Allie asked. "Can you just poof us out of here?"

  "I can, but we won't need to," Zephyr promised. "We won't make it to the border of the town."

  I sighed and was about to say that wouldn't keep Hamish from shooting us. But then I realized something. "As long as he takes the Spanish Forks exit, we'll be near Nokken."

  "The boogie man?" Allie squealed.

  "You're delivering Hamish to him."

  "We are, I'm hoping that he's heading that direction."

  "And if not?" I asked.

  "Then I'll figure something else out," he promised.

  I sighed and shifted in the chains. "This is seriously screwed up."

  An hour later, the van's engine started to putter. I looked up, and Zephyr nodded. "We're nearing the border, I assume."

  I sighed and waited for the doors to open. The van jerked to a stop, and I heard Hamish snarl. The van shook when he slammed the driver's door.

  The back of the van lurched open, and Hamish climbed in. "I don't know how you broke the van, but it's not going to stop this."

  "Why didn't you just pop us to your little hunting society?" I asked, my voice even. I was proud of myself; I didn't even lose it when he jerked me to my feet.

  We were nose to nose when he answered. "Because I believe the witch has put a block to keep you from being transported that way. Why you, I don't know."

  "Yeah, the van's not going to work either," I answered.

  He flung me out of the back of the van, and I hit the road. My face broke my fall and I groaned, spitting out blood. That didn't feel great. Zephyr was by my side in an instant, his hands out of the chains and helping me up.

  Hamish stared at us. "What on earth are you?"

  Zephyr shook his head. "I told you to take it easy on her. Not throw her into the ground."

  "I'm fine," I promised. "I'll be a little bruised, but I'll be okay."

  Zephyr kissed my cheek and looked back at Hamish. "Now what? Your plan has failed. You and Maverick were working together, and now he's dead."

  "Because you killed him," Hamish growled. "We had a great thing going, and you had to ruin it."

  I glanced at Allie who was sitting silently in the truck watching us. "No, Zephyr didn't kill him. We know who did, but it doesn't matter. Because you'll be gone and Maverick's memory will fade into nonexistence."

  "And exactly what do you plan on doing to me? You're powerless May. Whatever you are, it's a weak creature who has to pretend to be human to survive. Sure you play tough, you corral the creatures that Maverick couldn't, but you're weak. Each one of us could snap your neck."

  I smiled as the rain started to let up a little bit. It wasn't a nice smile, but as the rain faded, I could hear the violin music floating over the area. Whatever Hamish was about to say was lost when he turned around to find the music.

  He started to walk to the edge of the road, only a few feet from where the swamp was.

  The violin music became louder, and I heard Allie whispering something that vaguely sounded like a prayer as the water in the swamp started to move. The green algae rippled in the water, and I saw Nokken rising from the deep.

  I took a step back, watching the fae. He'd changed since I'd last seen him. The shape of his skull pressed against his white skin, and it looked almost as if the flesh was melting off him. He held his violin in bony fingers as he played.

  His dead eyes looked at Hamish. "Come to me, sinner. Let me cleanse you of your mistakes."

  Hamish moved forward, the water lapping around his ankles, rising to his knees, and then his waist.

  Nokken's hand shot out and grabbed Hamish by the throat, and they both disappeared under the water. No one spoke as the bubbling on the surface disappeared and turned back into the calm facade of a harmless swamp.

  "Is he gone?" Allie asked from inside the truck. Her voice was a little higher than it had been.

  I waited for a moment, half expecting Nokken to appear again to talk to us, but he didn't come up. "Yeah, I think he's gone."

  Zephyr went behind me and broke the lock on my chains and unwound them. I turned to face him, and he cradled my face in his hand. "That's going to leave a nasty bruise." It was a good thing I'd heal quickly.

  He sighed and then jumped into the van to free Allie. I went back to looking at the swamp.

  "Nokken, I'm not sure if I can bring you Maverick's killer, but I hope that Hamish makes up for it." I didn't speak too loud because I didn't want to freak Allie out.

  The water rippled, and I waited a moment to hear the music, but the night stayed silent. A small breeze kicked up, and I wondered if it was wind sprites or just a typical breeze coming through.

  "Come on May, it's time to go back to the city," Zephyr called from the van, but I waited one more minute before turning around to leave the swamp. I wasn't sure if I was ever going to get the image of Nokken in that form out of my head or not. Maybe he would start taking center stage in my nightmares.

  I jumped into the front of the van next to Allie. She still looked pale and sat in silence as Zephyr started the van up and put it in reverse. Just like my car did, the van ran fine as we turned around and headed back to the city.

  We dropped Allie off at her car, and she promised she'd
meet me at the coffee shop the next day so she could try to identify the voice she heard from the night Maverick was murdered. Honestly, I wasn't really in a hurry. Hamish was gone so at least there was one less true monster in the city.

  Zephyr and I dropped the van off at Hamish's house. No one would be looking for him. The house would become abandoned and either a new supernatural resident would take it over, or someone like Davina would fix it up and use it as a rental property.

  Zephyr took us straight to our room at Lee's, and we laid down on the bed. "What a night."

  "Yeah, not exactly what I was expecting, but you know, it could have been worse." I curled into him.

  He chuckled. "How could it have been worse?"

  "We could be in a hunting ring right now."

  "You know I wouldn't have let that happen right?" He kissed my cheek. "I'm sorry I let him throw you out of the van."

  I snorted. "I don't think you would have let that happen, but I'm trying to imagine what would have happened if you hadn't been there."

  "Don't imagine it. He wouldn't have gotten you out of the city." He pulled me close. "Let's just get some rest."

  I chuckled. "That seems to be the answer to everything, rest."

  "Sometimes things just look brighter in the morning." He kissed my head. "I've got you, and I think Ike is still guarding your dreams."

  I cuddled into him and tucked my head against his chest. Ike guarding my dreams meant that I would be able to sleep tonight and tomorrow really would be a little bit brighter.

  Chapter Fifteen

  I dragged my ass out of bed the next morning. I might have had a dreamless sleep, but I didn't feel very rested. My face and body ached from being thrown out of the van, and I still wasn't sure how I was going to deal with Van and my deal with Nokken.

  Of course, maybe the fae was satisfied with Hamish. I shivered at the thought of Nokken dragging the vampire down.

  Zephyr woke up and wrapped his fingers around mine. "How do you feel?"

  "I'm just a bit sore. I'll be healed by tomorrow though, promise." I smiled at him. "We need to get ready and head over to the soda shop."

  He nodded. "I know, but I like sitting here, watching you."

  "That sounds really creepy," I joked and grabbed a clean set of clothes. Lee had managed to go to my house and pick some up for me. She'd done it without complaint or calling me a coward. Soon I'd be able to go back to my house and live normally again.

  I started toward the attached bathroom and looked over my shoulder at Zephyr. He just sat on the edge of the bed, watching me with that sorrow in his eyes. "Zephyr, what is it?"

  "Hm?" he asked, looking away from me.

  "You're mood has changed since you spoke to Davina yesterday. What did she say to you?"

  He shook his head. "She'll talk to you as soon as we deal with Callister."

  "Please, talk to me." I went back to him and put a hand on his cheek.

  He turned away from me and my heart broke. "You're not ready to hear what I have to say. Please, May, let's just deal with Van and Callister." He sighed. "When my brother is dealt with then we can move on to what is going on inside my head."

  I didn't like that he was pushing me off again. I put my hands on my hips. "Okay, listen here."

  He looked up at me, surprised.

  "If you want to make this work, between us, again, I need to know what you're thinking and feeling, especially if it pertains to me and whatever odd situation I'm in."

  He met my gaze and cupped my face in his hands. "Davina doesn't know if you'll ever be able to leave. That broke my heart. The idea that I might never get to take you to our home, you might never get to see the world outside this tiny town again, I don't want you miserable. What if you remember everything and want to leave and you can't? I can't fix this."

  "You don't have to fix it." I sat next to him. "You don't have to fix any of this."

  He shook his head. "I just want to wipe away what happened to you, bring you home, marry you." He met my gaze. "Forget anything crazy has happened."

  "But we can't. Well, you can't. I can't remember anything anyway." I kept my voice light and nudged him.

  He wrapped an arm around me. "I know, but I'd do anything for you." He kissed my cheek. "Come on, let's get ready to go."

  I jumped up from the bed and headed to the shower. He hung back and let me shower in peace. I didn't know what he was doing while I showered, but I imaged he stood there and assessed every tiny detail of the situation and whatever Davina had told him.

  When I got out of the shower, Zephyr was sitting there with a cup of coffee. "Yours is on the nightstand." He smiled at me. "Feel better after your shower?"

  I nodded. "Yeah, but my face still looks like I was beaten into the ground."

  "Well, the vampire did throw you. I'm going to shower, and we'll be ready to go." He sipped his coffee and then walked into the bathroom, taking the mug with him.

  I finished drying off and got dressed as I listened to the sound of water. I imagined him naked in the shower and smiled.

  I'm sure the water flowed over his tight muscles and down between his thighs. Over his…

  A memory hit me so hard it almost knocked me to the ground.

  I licked the water off his abs, taking my time tracing the lines of his muscles. The steam of the shower flowed around us, my tongue dipped lower, and I wrapped my mouth around his cock, drawing him deep into my mouth. His moan echoed off the walls of the shower as I teased him.

  "What on earth are you thinking about?" Zephyr's voice brought me back to the present time.

  "I um…nothing." I felt my face heat instantly. "Yeah, anyways, get dressed and let's get going."

  He chuckled. "Oh I know that look, that's nothing. That's an 'I was thinking about this one time together' look." He stalked toward me, his eyes shining. "What time were you remembering?" He trapped me against the wall and brushed his lips against mine. "It's not fair to keep me in the dark."

  I put my hand over my eyes and then dodged around him. "I don't want to talk about it." I tried to keep my voice serious, but I found myself laughing.

  He dropped his towel, leaving himself bare, showing me just how perfect he really was. Even with the scars that dotted his body, proving he'd been a warrior at some point in life. He was perfect.

  I licked my lips as the light caught a drop of water dripping down his chest.

  "Oh, I think I know exactly what time you remembered." He grinned.

  I turned my back to him. "We have a long way to go before we can do that. We've known each other for a week." Though my body ached for him. I tried to ignore my body and listen to my head, the problem being my heart was on board with my body.

  I heard the rustle of clothing, and then he sighed. "I know." He wrapped his arms around me. "It's okay. I'm okay with waiting."

  A strange relief swept through me. "Okay, let's get to the soda shop before Allie thinks we abandoned her."

  He nodded and stepped away from me.

  We walked into the soda shop to see Allie sitting with Teal and Delphi, chatting idly. I was glad to see that they were getting along. At a table further way, Van sat. He tapped his fingers on the table, waiting.

  "Sorry to keep you waiting, I had a long night last night." I sat down, adjusting the sword at my waist to make it easier.

  "Wrapped in a lover's embrace?" he asked and met my gaze.

  I shook my head. "No, dealing with a murderer." I smiled politely at him.

  His interest peaked. "A murderer? I wasn't aware there was one in town."

  "Two, actually." I gave him a knowing look, and he raised a brow at me.

  "Two? That's a lot for such a tiny town."

  I pulled my phone out and pulled up the picture of the sprite skull. I showed it to him. "One of your people?"

  He snarled and backhanded my hand, sendi
ng my phone flying across the room. "She was my daughter," he yelled, his face close to mine.

  Oh damn. I swallowed, trying to keep my panic down. "I'm sorry." I glanced back at Allie who nodded to me. I met Van's gaze again. "Did you kill Maverick?"

  He settled back into his chair and sighed. "Yes."

  Well, that was easier than I had planned. I waited to see if he was going to continue.

  "My daughter disappeared as well as some of the younger sprites. They liked to go to the outskirts of the town where your little water fae wouldn't chase them out." He shot a glare at Teal. "I started looking into people in the town. I knew that we needed to move from the area, but to go through the town, I had to talk to the sheriff. Despite him being human, I wanted to try and do things through the right channels."

  "Maverick knew about supernatural creatures. He was a hunter." I kept my voice low, even.

  He nodded. "I discovered that when I went to meet with him the first time. I caught him off guard and saw some of his weapons out. The head of my daughter was sitting on his table."

  Bile rose in my throat. He didn't say skull; he said head.

  "I used it to my advantage. I told him that he would let my people pass through, or I'd expose him." He hung his head. "I wanted my revenge right there, but I knew I'd have to wait. We had to wait six months before we could travel because we have younglings and they can't quite control their abilities at that age."

  "So six months later, you came to meet with Maverick again." I assumed.

  "To make sure that we could still pass through. He said he was going to use it as a hunt, and that we better pass through quickly. He said something that triggered me and I killed him in pure rage. I'm not proud of it, May. But he deserved to die." He rubbed his eyes. "He had a stake in his hand, and I used my control over the wind to shove it through his back."

  I had to agree with him after seeing the collection of skulls he and Hamish had. "I understand that. Maverick…he wasn't a good man."