The Storm Sullivan Saga: The Emerald Seer Series Box Set

by Violet Patterson

  Lucian looked at him, “Brother, she is safe. They will both be fine. I assure you. No mother-to-be has been more thoroughly protected than your Storm will be. Please, enjoy your woman and we will worry about everything else when you return. Nobody knows yet, we will keep it that way as long as possible.”

  “Thank you, Lucian.”

  “Anytime, Brother.” Lucian opened his mouth and then closed it. Ryder knew there was more.

  “Just ask.”

  “Are you going to ask her? I mean, are you going to have her strip it from you?” Lucian stared at him, a rather earnest expression on his face, more than unusual.

  “I honestly do not know.” Ryder shrugged. He truly had not decided. He thought about the prospect for so long but now it seemed the farthest thing from his mind. They walked silently to the limo. Lucian studied him as the driver opened the trunk.

  “Don’t do anything rash, brother.” Lucian dropped the suitcase in the trunk, tipped the driver, and clapped Ryder on the shoulder once more before heading back to the house. Ryder shrugged and passed his other bag to the driver.

  The drive to Willow Wood went fast and he found Storm in the study staring into the hearth flames. Her auburn hair shimmered in the firelight. Ryder did not think he would ever grow tired of just watching her.

  “Yes you will. When I am fat and swollen.” Storm turned to look at him, circles under her lovely emerald eyes.

  “You will still be the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.” Ryder walked over to her and knelt. He took her hands to his lips and smiled, “Storm, you can read my thoughts, lovely. You know what I think of you.”

  “It is still nice to hear you say it.” Storm smiled, that sexy, sarcastic smirk that drove him wild.

  “I will always say it.” Ryder kissed her hands once more. “Are you ready?”

  “Where are we going?”

  “I honestly have no idea. Angeline planned it all. Damarra packed your belongings according to Angeline’s instructions and we have a flight in an hour and a half. That is all I know.” Ryder smiled up at his wife, frustration played out across her face. “Gotcha. Now, let’s go.”

  As they slid into the back of the limo, Storm started giggling. She paused and pointed at a speaker, Ryder got it. He wrapped an arm around her gently shaking body and smiled as Jim Morrison’s throaty voice surrounded them.

  LIGHT MY FIRE

  EMERALD SEER 2

  1503 Lucian

  Present Day Lucian

  Chapter 3 Storm

  Chapter 4 Ryder

  Chapter 5 Lucian

  Chapter 6 Storm

  Chapter 7 Ryder

  Chapter 8 Lucian

  1502 Lucian

  Chapter 10 Storm

  Chapter 11 Ryder

  Chapter 12 Storm

  Chapter 13 Lucian

  2008 Lucian

  Chapter 15 Storm

  2009 Lucian

  Present Day Lucian

  Chapter 18 Ryder

  2009 Lucian

  Present Day Lucian

  Chapter 21 Storm

  Chapter 22 Ryder

  Chapter 23 Lucian

  Chapter 24 Storm

  Chapter 25 Lucian

  Chapter 26 Storm

  Chapter 27 Lucian

  Chapter 28 Storm

  Chapter 29 Ryder

  2009 Lucian

  2010 Lucian

  Chapter 32 Storm

  Present Day Lucian

  Chapter 34 Storm

  Chapter 35 Lucian

  Chapter 36 Ryder

  Chapter 37 Storm

  Chapter 38 Lucian

  Chapter 39 Storm

  Chapter 40 Ryder

  Chapter 41 Lucian

  Chapter 42 Storm

  Chapter 43 Ryder

  Chapter 44 Storm

  1503 – Lucian

  The witch lied. Damn her. Lucian vowed to pay her back tenfold if it was the last thing he ever did. Six months with the beast and the fire still burned through every inch of his being. The spirit remained angry and thrashed against him with enough force to make him wretch up whatever food he managed to choke down. Ryder seemed to be paying much closer attention to him. Worry creased his friend’s brow more often than not these days, and it certainly was not about the new recruits. The Scots, Kell and Pollux always eyed Lucian warily but learned quickly to leave him be. They both took to Ryder quickly, in spite of his brooding nature, and Lucian knew he could leave them soon enough. Maybe. If Ryder would stop watching him so damn closely.

  Lucian remained resolved to tame the beast, and then take his vengeance on the witch with all the power of the Phoenix behind him. Anger writhed inside him, fury and fire warring for an upper hand. He refused to use its real name as punishment. The more Lucian tried to reason with it, the angrier it grew and the more it burned so he took to other methods. As strongest of the Immortals Lucian was the natural choice to cage the Phoenix and the witch promised it would submit to him in a few days. It was supposed to dwindle to a flicker. It was supposed to be easy for him after a short while. He should have known better. They all should have.

  Present day - Lucian

  “How could you be so stupid! Really, Ryder, I don’t give a damn about your silly traditions. That was dangerous! We have no idea what it could mean for you!” Storm’s voice carried down the hallway with enough bite to make an average man cringe. Lucian looked to his companions, Kell and Pollux, and rolled his eyes.

  “Looks like Ry should have explained it to her first. I warned him.” The Scots chuckled in response and Lucian returned to reading over the crib instructions. His skin burned a little less today, seemed the Phoenix liked the nursery. Lucian had not been certain of it at first, not until a few days before when he was adding the whitewashed crown molding and chair rail while Angeline directed the Scots on where to hang some pictures. Lucian swore Pollux kept humming to annoy him and started to snap at the Scot when he realized it was actually the beast. It receded completely that day, curling into itself with a pleasant hum. Now that they were assembling the baby furniture, the beast seemed mellow once again. A welcome relief in light of the last few weeks since Storm and Ryder returned from their honeymoon. An unspoken tension followed them back from the trip, the unknown had a way of doing that to people, he supposed. Still, the beast picked up on the added strain and made Lucian pay for it.

  “Kell, hold the front and back steady. I’ll put the pins in the sides.” Pollux’s voice broke through Lucian’s reverie.

  “Use the allen wrench, brother. Come on, do not break the thing.” Lucian shook his head, the Scots still had a bit of the Scottish heathen in them. He was not of the mind to upset their expecting Emerald any further. “Just use the little tool, and do it right, already.”

  “We should have just built one the old way, Luc. This is ridiculous.” Pollux muttered as he crouched down with the flimsy bit of metal.

  “I do not think the Emerald would take kindly to the old ways when it comes to her babe. Remember, she is relatively new to the world and this is all she knows.” Though he would not admit it to anybody, Lucian found the new ways of child rearing to be quite ridiculous. Thinking back to his own childhood, when babes were carried in pelts and slept with their parents until the next babe came along or they were old enough to forage their own beds. Lucian was the middle child of nine siblings though two had died young. He did not even recall their names. Stretching his mind, Lucian realized he only remembered one name, Thome, his twin and closest friend. Memories of the others faded over time, even his parents were reduced to foggy images. For a time the thought saddened him but like the others of his adopted family, Lucian got over it. Immortals were marked as such for no particular reason they’d been able to discern. Lucian looked down to his arm, the tiny horseshoe shaped brand located just inside his elbow, mark of the Omega, appeared the day after his sixteenth birth year.

  “Luc, wake up, come on man, I want to finish this ridiculous thing today. What goes ne
xt?” Kell looked over expectantly, the younger Immortal clearly dissatisfied with assembly duty. His brother, Pollux stood and tested the sturdiness of the piece, frowning and muttering about the old ways. Lucian shook his head.

  “Boys, we still have the changing table and the dresser to complete.” The Scots groaned in response. Lucian smiled, “What? We agreed to protect and serve; this is part of the serving part.”

  Pollux raised an eyebrow, “YOU agreed to protect and serve, yet you seem to be just flipping through instructions.”

  “Brother, I am an overseer and your senior by a couple hundred years. Deal with it.” Lucian tilted his head toward the hall, “Besides, I am listening to the argument so I know how to deal with Storm when she comes to check our progress.”

  “Deal with me? Am I some fragile, porcelain doll, Lucian?”

  Lucian looked to the white framed door to see Storm Sullivan-Cohen delivering her now famous glare, arms folded tightly across her chest. Her auburn hair seeming longer and shinier; or perhaps it was the faint golden glow still illuminating her silhouette.

  “Er, well, when you do that glowing thing of yours I prefer to shield my eyes just so.” Lucian reached into his pocket, whipped out the Ray Bans he just bought and slid them on. “See, much better.”

  He was not sure if it worked for a moment but Storm broke into a fit of giggles, the golden glow rippling around her and fading. When she looked up, the Emerald’s eyes were green again. Storm nodded toward the back of the house. Lucian stood and strode across the room laying a light kiss on her cheek. Sliding his arm around her waist, Lucian frowned at the Scots, ignoring their disgruntled scowls, and tossed the instructions at Kell who caught them deftly. “I will be back, boys, and it had better be done.”

  Storm

  “Lucian, you should have told me first. I am holding you just as responsible as Ryder.” Storm could feel the rage ebbing inside her; Lucian had that effect on her. She related to his laissez faire approach to life, so different from Ryder. The last few months significantly improved his appearance as well. Lucian developed a deep bronze tone and filled out some, shedding the gaunt look he arrived with. Storm had taken to sneaking new clothes into his closet, pleased to see him wearing dressing less like a homeless vagrant. Unfortunately, the one thing she hadn’t been able to improve on became a sore spot for both of them. Storm felt very strongly about Lucian getting a real haircut. His coarse brown locks remained untamed, even when he attempted to pull it back. It flowed well past his shoulders and not in a sexy, romance novel way. Storm sighed and looped her arm through his massive one. A soft jingle of chains alerted her to Pac Man’s presence. He’d been more of a shadow than usual since her honeymoon.

  They walked out the white-washed patio doors into the courtyard, Pac Man plodding along behind her. Lucian loved the orchard almost as much as she and it offered much needed privacy. As a wedding present, Lucian built a tunnel of trellises leading from the patio to the orchard. Damarra covered them with various flowering vines enchanted to flower year round. Storm inhaled deeply, her senses assaulted by the medley of fruits and florals.

  “The trees are nearly ready to be harvested.” Lucian plucked an apple from the nearest tree and bit into, tossing a second to Pac Man.

  Storm nodded and picked one for herself before speaking her piece. “His other wives were not like me.”

  “Storm, nobody is like you. It matters not. Our ways are set. Think about it this way, we are actually bound to protect you, as are all of the brethren now that Ryder bears your mark. Believe me, we needed to do it, for all of you.” Lucian looked down to the slight swell of her abdomen, more notable beneath the fitted tank top. She instinctively placed both hands on her stomach, fear rearing up inside her for a brief moment. Storm forced it back down as Lucian touched her arm lightly, his voice softer than usual, “Nothing is going to happen to you or the babe. We have laid every possible enchantment around the perimeter and Damarra enforced them with the aid of the Tuatha De. No creature of this world can enter without our permission. Relax Storm, you are safe here. As for Ryder, he is fine and will remain fine. I have noticed no adverse effects from the ink.”

  Dammit. Now he made her sound irrational. Could she blame the hormones? Ryder still paced their room, brooding. Storm could feel him, everything he felt, his regret and fear rolled into one massive worry. A pang of guilt hit her. Perhaps it wasn’t a terribly big deal that Ryder had the tiny emerald tattoo on his inner arm representing their union. But then again, if it were just a simple tattoo it would be different. Or if she were like his other wives, the ones represented by the similarly sized peacock feather, fleur de lis, and her least favorite, the musical note from his first wife, the siren. Shake off the jealousy, Storm, it is not becoming. Back on topic, hers, the tiny emerald bound them deeper, magically tied them together. Stupid voice of reason. “Luc, this is different. We don’t know exactly what our bond will mean for our powers, do we? You just agreed, there are none like me. We don’t know what it will do to him. Think about it, Aunt Trin couldn’t handle my powers, what if they are too much for Ryder? I just wish you consulted Damarra first.” Storm felt tears brimming in her eyes, the thought of losing Ryder tore at her, gave her chest pains and the urge to wretch.

  “Your grandmother has not returned from the Tuatha De in more than a month. You don’t want to summon her.” Lucian looked away. His shoulders slumped as he turned from her. “We couldn’t wait, Storm.” Dammit. This couldn’t be good news.

  Storm crossed over to Lucian and put a hand on his arm. “Luc, what is going on? You have to tell me. I deserve to know.”

  Lucian reluctantly faced her, the fire flickering briefly behind his eyes. Dammit. He regained control and softened his voice again, “Storm, they know. The brethren know about you and the baby. We do not know how. They have been calling on Roane to return since the day you left for your trip. Kell, Pollux and I received our summons yesterday. We have been ordered to return to the Omega by the new moon.”

  “Wait, what? How is that possible? I mean, we have been back for a few weeks and I am barely showing. I haven’t even left the manor since we got back. How could anybody know?” Storm backed up, settled into the grassy area between two tree roots, her mind reeling. Pac Man plodded over and dropped beside her. Storm absentmindedly stroked his ears as she searched her memory for a mistake, some point where she may have slipped up on their vacation but came up empty.

  “We do not know. They are afraid after what happened with Jasper. Immortals are not meant to have children; it has always been our curse and our balance with the world. Roane was the first and we all know how that turned out. Now you are with child and many of our kind still think you a threat. You know as well as I that people tend to fear the unknown and you are chock full of unknowns, woman. It is not just the Immortals, Storm, most of our world fears you and your child.” Lucian looked at her, misery marring his handsome face and she knew he spoke the truth. “Roane refuses to leave the area, he fears for you. He seems to think that if we all leave you will be unprotected enough for them to assault the manor. I disagree but have no desire to test the theory. Technically it would be an act of treason to attack you now that Ryder bears your mark but none of us wish to test it. He has not received a summons though he has not been excommunicated either.”

  “So the brethren would attempt to strike me down out of fear? The almighty Immortal brethren would come after a woman and her child out of fear?” Storm thought over the last few months, the day she realized her condition, the look on Ryder’s face when he saw the positive test, the brief moment where he wondered if she’d been unfaithful. It only took a reminder of her father’s curse for him to let it go. Damarra was the only one not surprised by the revelation but the deity remained tight-lipped as to how she knew and three days later she left to meet with the Tuatha De.

  “Storm, there’s more.” Lucian interrupted her memories. How much worse could it get? When did it get bad enough that the co
smos would let up on her? Storm met Lucian’s eye, his face hardened with anger. “Angeline has been propositioned twice. Two Immortals approached her on separate occasions for information on us. She has eyes on them but they have made no attempt to come here or contact her again. We do not know if there are more or what their purpose is. She said they both were looking expressly for her.” Lucian moved and the sunlight blinded her for a moment. Storm lifted her hand to shade her eyes but could only glean his general shape. She was about to ask him to shift back when a sick thought struck her.

  “Could Angeline –“ Angeline had been Ryder’s assistant until recently. She stayed on at Durstine though and now worked as Lucian’s assistant. Angeline also took on decorating the nursery. She set up private accounts and had everything delivered to Ryder’s former housekeeper Rosalee who was well known for her large brood. Angeline went to great lengths to prepare the nursery in secrecy. It didn’t seem likely but perhaps her kindness was an elaborate ruse.

  “No.” Lucian crouched beside her, his face more serious than she liked it. “Angeline likes you Storm. You should see the plans she is making for you and the babe. I think she is almost as excited as Damarra.” He offered a hand and Storm took it, popping up to her feet with the aid of his strength. Pac Man snorted at them and lumbered off into the house. As if sensing her doubt, Lucian looked her in the eye, “Besides, she has taken a shine to the Scots and I do not believe she intends to ruin the possibilities there. They would know if she were a traitor, if you catch my meaning. Besides, for added measure, Shane sent another seraph to question her. If you do not trust us yet, trust that. Angeline was more than a bit offended but understood once we filled her in. And so you know, the only reason I am telling you all of this is so you do not go rummaging around Ry’s head grasping bits and pieces.” Lucian cast a knowing look her way.