The Storm Sullivan Saga: The Emerald Seer Series Box Set

by Violet Patterson

  “Brother, you so owe me for this.” Lucian spoke out the side of his mouth and his eyes sparkled with amusement betraying the emptiness of his threat.

  “Cheer up, friend. If all goes as I anticipate we will be fighting something or somebody before the day is out. Will that even things up?” Ryder’s sense of foreboding returned in full force as he climbed into the Hummer. The sky outside remained gray, threatening to open at any moment, yet Storm chattered away in the back with Angeline like any average mother to be.

  “Not even close, brother, not even close.” Lucian nodded toward the ladies in the back and rolled his eyes, eliciting a smile that seemed to lighten Ryder’s load, just a touch. Even if it did not come today, something was coming. He only hoped they were strong enough collectively to weather the onslaught.

  Lucian

  “Ry, you need to smile. She is not pleased with your somber affect. Or are you completely oblivious to the glares you have been fielding for the last hour?” Every attempt to relax Ryder had failed. Regaling old war stories, discussing mundane issues like sports and Wall Street, nothing seemed to reach him. Angeline and Storm were tucked safely away in the fitting rooms with mounds of clothes to pour through and the sales clerks were only too happy to add to the stacks once Ryder produced two platinum credit cards as collateral. Initially Storm modeled some of the outfits for him but his utter lack of enthusiasm ceased her efforts. Lucian just shook his head, watching the giddy store employees running around like simple servant girls. The only possible thing that could prevent the too-tanned, long-limbed blondes from falling over a pair of Immortals had to be those tiny plastic rectangles. Remarkable. Yet there Ryder sat, sprawled in a worn, cheaply upholstered wing-backed chair, brooding like a boy whose favorite pet just died.

  “Brother, I am not going to go through this all day. I came with you, the girls are tied up for the foreseeable future with stacks of clothes, the Scots are building the nursery furniture and we are free and clear of all responsibilities for this small moment in time. So, by the grace of the Omega would you please crack a smile and talk to me as you used to.” Ryder turned a somber eye his way and frowned even deeper if that were possible.

  “Luc, things are bad.” While the guy had always been a doom and gloom type, he now seemed to border on melodramatic.

  “Hit me with it. What is going on that I do not already know and what do you expect to do about it that would directly affect the next few hours?” Lucian glared at his friend. They had been through this for years, the same argument. It was only a matter of time until they got into it again in this lifetime. Lucian insisting life is too short and times between conflicts too few. Ryder maintaining that knowledge and preparation are the keys to staying ahead of any threat. Lucian recalled the number of times they came to blows, including the last time. Lowering his gaze, he softened his tone, “Ry, this is not the same as Jasmine. You have to let her go, brother. Storm is not Jasmine.”

  Ryder scratched at the back of his left arm and met Lucian’s gaze. “I know, Luc, I know. But it feels similar. We should have known then, should have saved her.” Lucian watched the pain flicker through his eyes, followed closely by rage and then regret. “I know it was not your fault. I am sorry for how we left things. I was angry.”

  “You were mourning, you needed somebody to blame, and that fell to me. It was my fault as much as yours and I am sorry for Jasmine. I will not blame my curse, I should have done what I needed to control it. I never meant for, well, any of it to happen.” Lucian lived with the memory of Jasmine’s death every day. Just one more regret to fill his ever-growing list. “Ry, what do you say we let that one go, enjoy the next few hours of peace, and then work overtime to assure the safety of your Storm? Can you give me a few hours of normalcy, it helps.” To drive his point home, Lucian touched Ryder’s mind and allowed his friend to feel his inner turmoil for a brief moment.

  “Luc, you did not tell me how great the struggle has become. Should you be around any of us?” Ryder’s eyes flickered skittishly toward the fitting rooms. Lucian read the tension rippling through his skin. He wanted so badly to be normal again, to not see fear in the eyes of everyone he cared for. That could never be. Lucian forced back the Phoenix again, the sizzling rage tearing into him like claws struggling to maintain their grip.

  “Relax, Ry. It is easier when I am near Storm. Something about her settles the beast and it is the closest thing to peace I have known since taking it in.” Not a complete truth but Ryder did not need that story now, it did not matter anymore anyway.

  “Or it likes her power. Luc, you should have told me.” Ryder’s face fell even further into his brooding gloom.

  “Brother, I have handled this thing for more than five centuries. You were there when it happened and saw me through the worst of it. I have this covered. I am not asking you to forgive me for my part in Jasmine’s death but I am asking you to trust me on this. The only thing pissing me off right now is you. Now loosen up and have some fun while the ladies shop or I will pack up and leave town.” Lucian hated to go there, a part of him cringed at the threat and the beast hissed inside him. Ryder’s expression changed, his shoulders slumped, and Lucian knew he won the argument, for now.

  “Alright Luc, alright. I do not want you to leave, I enjoy having you here and I am certain Storm would kill me where I stand. She indubitably would agree with you. I cannot argue against you both but you need to understand that I cannot lose her.” Ryder scratched at his arm again, the pained look on his face far worse than the one he wore after Jasmine’s murder.

  “It still itches, brother? I can give you something for that.” Lucian nodded toward the spot on his arm where he chose to carry his mate-marks. It should not still itch. There would be hell to pay if Storm’s mark had side effects after all. He would never hear the end of it. Hell.

  “No, it is fine.” Ryder adjusted his sleeve and settled his hands on the arms of the chair, opting to pick at a fraying seam. He definitely would not let this go. Lucian knew him well enough to plan for an ambush argument later. Hell, he would not lose control around Storm, ever, the beast relented in her presence.

  “Ry. I swear to you, she will be safe. Even if something could manage to get past all of us and the enchantments, I truly take pity on the beast that would take on your pregnant wife.” Ryder finally smiled. From there they chatted lazily, occasionally interrupted by a sales clerk offering refreshments, but otherwise passing the four hour shopping spree in blissful ignorance of the fitting room excitement.

  Storm

  It felt wonderful to be out, free to behave as a normal woman laughing with her friend in a fitting room. Angeline played the part well and Storm felt a small pang at the memory of questioning her loyalty, no matter how fleeting it had been. It felt good to have a female friend, somebody to discuss the more personal parts of pregnancy with, to complain about the raucous behavior of the Immortals, but best of all somebody who knew Storm’s world and shared her secrets.

  “Thank you, Storm.” Angeline held Storm’s eye as she rearranged the most recently rejected garment on its hanger. Her wide eyes solemn and respectful all of a sudden.

  “For what?”

  “For this. For being my friend. For letting me stay on when you could have had me dismissed.” Whoa. Huh? Storm stepped off the raiser and took a seat on the bench beside Angeline. It felt wonderful to sit. She forgot just how exhausting shopping and trying on clothing could be. Dammit, focus.

  “Angeline, why would I have you dismissed? You work for Lucian now and from what Ryder has told me, you do an amazing job. I am honored to call you friend and grateful that you came today. Ryder has terrible taste in clothes and I shudder to think how he will look at me when I start wearing muumuus to cover my belly!” Honestly, there seemed to be a serious lack of confidence in such a small room. Storm looked at the mirrors and tried to see them as the rest of the world saw them. Angeline, of course, could be one of the more beautiful women she’d ever known, much
more than just the fae blood in her. Storm felt mousy by comparison. Now, Angeline turned to face her, lilac tinted tears brimming in her eyes. Not good, oh, not good. “Ang, you can’t cry here.”

  “Oh, I am so sorry. Shit.” Angeline dropped the shirt and fumbled in her bag for a tissue. Naturally, one of the obnoxious sales girls chose just that moment to knock at the door, her irritating voice echoing into them.

  “How is it going in there?” Storm pictured her pointed little face. Something about her made Storm crazy and she had to talk the glow out of her hands more than once. Angeline seemed to share her opinion as the tears evaporated and her body went on alert.

  “We’re fine, just a few more items to try. We’ll be out in a few minutes.” Storm looked to Angeline who still held her back stiffly, head tilted to the side as she listened for the sound of the woman’s heels to recede.

  “I think we should go, Storm. She is not right. It would be prudent for us to make your purchases and leave.” Angeline began gathering the items they agreed on, pulled one shirt out of the “try me” pile and began organizing them by color and style at an inhuman speed. Storm didn’t question her, simply threw her clothes back on, smoothed her hair and grabbed her purse.

  The pair emerged from the fitting room and nearly walked right into the pointy-faced sales clerk. Storm hadn’t even heard her return. Angeline nudged her in the side lightly and took a step in front of her.

  “We are all done, thank you. I believe Mr. Cohen would like to review everything and then we will be out of your hair. We appreciate your time and assistance today. What was your name again so we may pass on our compliments to your supervisor?” Smooth. Wow. Angeline sounded so sweet without the air of superiority Storm heard so many times when she tried her hand at sales.

  “Can it, fairy. Walk back into that room with the Emerald and wait until I return or you won’t walk out at all.” The pointy-faced clerk snarled and her eyes went black. Dammit. Banshee. How did they not notice?

  “Banshee, I suggest you turn around and walk away before the Emerald loses her patience.” Angeline tucked her hair behind her ears and Storm noticed the subtle points for the first time. Dammit. Focus.

  The Banshee threw her head back opening her mouth in the most grotesque way. Storm instinctively covered her ears but Angeline leapt at the creature shoving a scarf into its mouth before the thing could emit a shriek. Storm watched in awe as her friend flipped over to the banshee’s back, grabbed its head with both hands and twisted. Angeline performed a perfect backflip off the banshee as it fell to the cheap carpet.

  “I don’t know how long it will stay down but I am guessing its friends are on their way. I’ll shove it in the fitting room and tie it up with a message to its coven. You go collect the guys and pay. I will meet you at the car.” Angeline grabbed the banshee under the arms and dragged her toward the fitting room they just exited. Storm collected the clothes Angeline dropped, smoothed them out and walked out of the fitting room.

  Ryder

  “Storm, what happened? Where’s Angeline?” She smiled superficially at him and nodded toward the pile of clothes over her arm. Ryder noticed a faint glow to her hands and put it together quickly, just not as quickly as Lucian who was already in motion.

  “Oh, she’ll be right out. She had something to check into. We should pay and meet her at the car.”

  Ryder looped an arm around his wife’s waist as Lucian took the pile of clothes from her arms and led the way to the register. What could they have missed? Especially Angeline? Every fiber of his being screamed to pick Storm up and run to the Hummer but she looked up and glared at him so he went through the motions instead. The fifteen minutes it took to ring up all the clothes and complete the purchase could not been more tedious and he vowed to set up a charge account with the store for future purchases. Better yet, Storm would be shopping online from here on out.

  Storm leaned in as if to peck him on the cheek but instead she hissed in his ear, “Enough. I am fine. The baby is fine. If you do not get it together we are going to have even bigger problems.”

  Lucian took the bags and led the way out of the department store. Ryder kept increasing his cadence, a natural reaction, but Storm would squeeze his hand and point out some mundane object. He knew what she was doing, knew she was right, but the ignorance ate at him. What the hell happened in there? It would have been nice if he could read her mind as easily as she read his. That would have been a convenient side effect of the tattoo. Instead, it appeared he would remain in the dark with regard to her private thoughts. Damarra explained it as a defense mechanism; apparently Roane could not hear her either.

  “What took so long?” Angeline lounged casually against the bumper of the Hummer.

  “Lucian flirted with the cashier. You know how humans are with Immortals.” Storm rolled her eyes and laughed. “Let’s get out of here, Ryder is bursting to know what went on and I think he will be much happier once we are safe at Willow Wood.”

  “Storm, what the hell –“ Ryder did not get to finish his statement. Angeline gave a warning look and hissed. He had no choice but to follow his wife’s lead for the moment, they could not risk a scene. They all piled into the Hummer, Storm and Angeline in the back, Lucian driving, and Ryder alert in the passenger seat.

  As they turned onto the main drag, Angeline broke the silence, “It was a banshee. I didn’t see it. They must know what I am and what I can do because it had a thorough cloak. Must have some powerful friends.”

  Ryder whirled around to face the women, “A banshee? Are you certain?” Okay, not the right thing to say. Angeline looked offended but Storm started to ripple with fury. He laid a hand on his mate’s knee, “I’m sorry, I just, how did it fool us? Was it the pointy-faced one? She, I mean, it, struck me as odd but not supernatural.” Angeline silently confirmed his suspicions. A cloaking spell strong enough to trick somebody with Angeline’s skill would require precision, experience, and above all, incredible power. Few factions remained with enough skill to utilize that kind of magic, not to mention be willing to work with banshees. Even worse, a lone banshee in public was unheard of in modern times; they tended to be uncomfortable in masses as their glamours could easily wear off. This one’s glamour and cloak lasted almost four hours and tricked Angeline.

  “The banshee was just a minion. The cloak started fading and I picked up on it. It was definitely a witch’s work, but I could not decipher which coven sent the thing. I marked it with a warning to the banshee coven it belonged to and the witch coven backing them.” Angeline held up a lock of hair, “We could also do a few spells with this. I am not sure how you want to proceed, Storm, but I figured it could come in handy.”

  Ryder turned and stared out the front window, taking in a sidelong glance at Lucian who remained silent. Storm plotted with Angeline, debating over the best course of action. Scanning the horizon as it flew by, Ryder contemplated the banshee attack. Well, not really attack, more of an attempt at an attack. What was the beast thinking? One banshee alone could never take on Storm and Angeline. Even a coven of banshees would have cowered under Storm’s rage and been lucky to land a single strike on Angeline. Whoever sent them had a different end game.

  “I concur, brother. The banshee was either a test or a recon mission.” Lucian’s murmur interrupted his internal argument. Ryder had not even felt his friend’s mental touch. Not that it mattered much, he valued Lucian’s tactical mind and they would end up in the same discussion regardless.

  “What did you say, Lucian?” Storm’s voice took on a different quality from the backseat, as if she had not considered other options, as if she believed that was the worst she would face in her new life as the legendary Emerald. Ryder looked at her, fear and indignation warring behind her eyes. He knew that look and proceeded delicately.

  “Storm, the banshee was a lackey at best. There is little chance that it acted alone or solely in the name of its coven. Banshees can be dangerous to humans, especially children, but I kn
ow of no coven foolish enough to risk taking on you and Angeline in a fitting room in broad daylight. There was another reason for your encounter.” Lucian spoke matter of factly with no regard for Storm’s blossoming fury. “Do not be angry with me, you still have much to learn about our world and you have more than enough on your plate as it is.”

  Folding her arms across her chest and leaning back into the seat, Storm muttered something about travelling among the supernats for ten years and knowing a banshee or two. Angeline reclined as well, deep in thought, twirling the banshee hairs around her fingers. The remainder of the drive passed in silence, Ryder rolling through the known list of covens and Lucian mentally marking off smaller or incompetent ones. By the time they rolled into Willow Wood, the list of suspect covens had been narrowed to a dozen, all of which remained powerful with roots to the very beginnings of witchcraft. Lucian killed the engine and they sat there, silent and unmoving for what seemed an age. Ryder broke the silence.

  “Angeline, I would like you to move into Willow Wood for the time being. Luc, you too. I think we could send Rose and her brood on a nice vacation and lockdown Durstine for a while. I can send the Scots for the books and anything else useful. Can we all agree on that much?” Ryder looked to each of his companions who seemed to accept his suggestions. “Alright then. Storm, let’s get these purchases inside so I can see what you picked out, perhaps a real fashion show? Angeline, if you need anything for the night please send one of the Scots to collect it for you.” It felt foreign to receive no argument from his wife, but Ryder accepted it as a win and hopped out of the Hummer. Lucian collected the packages and they were halfway to the front door when Kell and Pollux’s shouting match reached them.