“You have been busy, Storm. Fate serves you more kindly than we realized.” Dan smiled down at her, pride mixed with joy on his handsome face.
“It does not always feel that way.” Storm’s free hand slid to the babes as they rolled about gently within her. “But more often that not, I feel like all these trials are preparing me for something incredible.” A blush crept over her cheeks as they approached Angeline’s door, thankfully. Storm turned the knob and pushed the door open. “Go on in, Ryder and I are going to check on Sophia.”
“We will need your help with Frederick.” The Seraphs exchanged a strange look before Dan continued, “We have a gift for him but require your specific blessing to activate it. You will see. Give us ten minutes?”
“Sure, er, okay. You know I don’t like surprises though.” Storm felt Ryder’s hand at the small of her back and relaxed some. Why did it feel as though she was being set up again?
“Trust us, babe. Oh, and the pizzas are in the car.” Shane offered his boyish grin and shut Angeline’s door in her face.
Roane – before recorded time
He had not seen her for many moons. Roane puzzled over their last encounter as he chopped at a particularly stubborn hawthorne and wondered if she would return. He recalled the feeling of possession when Damarra drew near and understood it for what it really was. Only he would be unlucky enough to fall for a goddess. The others would never understand.
Roane realized quickly that he was on his way to becoming a recluse. The other Immortals did not share his burdens or understand his devotion to the wild patch of land. They could never know the truth. When he was returned from the Tuatha de the entire brotherhood stood waiting outside the cave. When Roane refused to share what he learned they punished him. No, he could not die but he could suffer. And suffer he did until Credne arrived to end it. Roane still recalled the God’s furor. His wrath had been terrible but when he’d exacted his vengeance, Credne lifted Roane gingerly and whisked him away to the meadow to be healed. Roane had not seen much of his brothers since that day but it bothered him naught. He simply continued working, wielding the gleaming axe and razing trees to expand the clearing. The Tuatha de warned him that enlightenment would come at a great price but Roane had been willing, the only one of his clan to accept the challenge. Had he known the truth, Roane may have chosen differently. At first the visions were pleasant like dreams but then they turned ugly and painful. Roane shuddered. He would give his immortality to end the visions.
“No, I do not believe you would.” Damarra appeared at the edge of the clearing. “You have worked quite diligently, Immortal. Your progress is most impressive.”
Roane set his axe against the nearest stump and strode over to where she stood. “Why do you come here, m’lady?”
“I think you already know the answer to that. Besides, you intrigue me.” She held his gaze, her swirling eyes so like a tempest. Lovely. He thought to touch her skin, to trace the smooth contours of her cheek. “You may touch me, Immortal.”
He did hesitate, but just for a moment. Running his thumb gently along her jawline, Roane reveled in the slight shudder he evoked from her. Damarra’s eyes flared, a slight flush filled her cheeks with color. “You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I have wondered many a day if you were real or just another vision.”
The deity withdrew, a slightly shocked look crossing her face for a brief moment. “I came to warn you, Immortal. You must complete your building by the new moon if you wish the Tuatha De to bless and protect it. They will be sealing the portals for a time. I suggest you do as they bid.”
Roane nodded “Aye, it will be done. Will you be staying to observe my work?” He watched the deity ponder the question, her eyes blanking out briefly but she finally nodded in agreement.
“I would enjoy that most fervently. I find your presence pleasurable. How does your axe fare?” She followed him back to the hawthorne and settled upon a mossy patch.
“The axe is quite a tool; it never dulls.” Roane took up his axe and began working at the tree. He enjoyed her eyes on him, silently following every movement. When finally he took a break, Roane withdrew a skein from his satchel and settled beside Damarra, careful to keep a slight distance. “Will you be sealing yourself off with the Tuatha De?”
“No, I do not believe so. I prefer to watch the growing of the world.”
“Aye, I believe it will be intriguing.” Roane looked at her out of the corner of his eye. “Perhaps you would care to pass the changing of ages with me, here?”
“Perhaps.”
Storm
“Thank you for playing nice, Ry. I know that took a lot.” She lifted to tip toe and kissed him softly on the cheek. “It means a lot to me.”
“I know, Storm. I will be cordial with the Seraphs if it means more protection for you and the babes.” Ryder’s eyes flared in the low light of the hallway. “How much do you suppose they know already?”
“We will just have to wait and see. Come on, let’s check on Sophia and have Lucian get the pizzas out of the car. Maybe you two should rearrange the study so we can all sit more comfortably?”
Lucian slipped into the hall, “Did you say the pizza is here? Perfect timing. The beer is chilling, the game room is set, let’s get this business out of the way so I can punish the angels in some billiards. Come on, Ry, you look like you could use some fun, too.” Lucian grinned and bounded off down the stairs.
Storm squeezed Ryder’s hand and urged him to go with Lucian. For once he did not argue before following his oldest friend. She slipped into the room to find the Phoenix curled up on her elaborate cushion at the end of the enormous, custom-made sleigh bed Lucian had crafted for Sophia. Storm appreciated what Sophia had done with the room, masculine colors to appease Lucian but with contemporary flourishes that spoke volumes about her own tastes. Several photographs of the Pacific Northwest adorned the walls, each taken by Sophia and framed in heavy mahogany frames to match the sleigh bed. The muted color scheme, slates and steely blues, contrasted lovely with the warm wood.
“Hi, Storm.” Sophia emerged from the bathroom, a plush robe adding volume to her petite figure. “I was hoping you could glow a bit for us before we talk business tonight.” She crossed to the bed and settled on the end nearest the Phoenix.
“Of course, Soph. Are you two going to be alright? Did it weaken you too much?” Storm eyed the small woman who smiled weakly in response.
“Yes, we will be fine. She says you gave her some fairy dust which helped her significantly. I am just weary from poor sleep, too many nightmares.” Sophia’s gaze drifted for a moment but she refocused on Storm and smiled again. Storm summoned the golden glow to her hands and knelt before Sophia.
“I’m going to just give you a little shock of energy, alright?” Storm visualized the energy seeping into Sophia. Sure, she was getting the hang of this, mastering the nuances of her power. It felt really good to be in control of something for once. Looking to her new friend, Storm marveled at the color returning to her cheeks, a faint blush against the fair complexion. The Phoenix’s hum from the foot of the bed let Storm know when to stop. The golden glow faded and Sophia’s eyes popped open.
“Thank you.”
Storm stood and hugged Sophia. “Anytime. I need to go check on Frederick now. Apparently Dan and Shane need my help.”
Sophia nodded and moved to the closet, “I’ll be down in the study in a few.”
Dan and Shane were waiting in the hall when Storm emerged. “How’s Angeline? Is she awake yet?”
“Yes, she is awake. Angeline is weak but she will be able to join us soon enough.” Dan spoke in an oddly formal manner, frowning deeply, and pushed open the door to Frederick’s room. “Shall we?”
“Are you going to tell me what I need to do?”
“Of course, we are going to enhance Frederick’s shifter blood so he can actually change into something useful.” Shane grunted as Dan elbowed him in the ribs. “What? It’s true. Chang
ing hair color, sprouting miniature wings, and trimming some excess pounds do not a shape-shifter make.”
“So that’s why I’ve never seen him shift. He can’t.” Storm knew of Frederick’s shifter blood but nobody could tell her what he shifted into. “I am not sure I can help with that.”
“Of course you can, you are the Emerald. You are going to help us enhance the shifter genes already in his system. It will help him heal faster and afford him alternative shapes.” Dan gestured for her to enter the room, “it would be best to get started sooner than later.”
Storm grudgingly entered. Just because she was gaining control over her powers did not mean it was time to mess around with somebody’s DNA. They stood around Frederick’s unconscious form, Storm on one side of the bed, the Seraphs opposite her. “Okay, what do I do?”
“We are going to give him something from the fae but you need to trigger it with your energy. Can you focus it on his entire body like a cocoon?” Shane withdrew a small vial from his pocket and uncorked it. He knelt on the bed and lifted Frederick’s head slightly to pour the contents down. The shifter’s eyes fluttered slightly and he started to gag. Shane clamped his mouth shut and forced him to swallow. Frederick’s eyes flew open and he seemed to register Storm’s face. Shane released him and backed away, “Now, Storm.”
Focusing all of her energy, Storm allowed the power to pool in her hands and spread over Frederick. His body relaxed again as the golden glow spread outward enveloping him. She concentrated on the magic in his system, awed by the rippling electricity now pulsing through his blood stream, a bright blue color against Frederick’s own crimson. The blue began to fade as the crimson brightened into a stunning luminescent scarlet.
“You can stop, Storm.” Dan’s voice broke through her trance and Storm reeled the power back in.
“Will he be alright?”
“Yes, he will be just fine. He just needs to rest. And so you know, Frederick knew this was coming. I am just sorry we couldn’t be here sooner.” Shane frowned, an unusual expression on his face. “I am going to stay with him for a while, but you and Dan should join the others. Fred and I will be down when he wakes.”
Damarra – before recorded time
“It is lovely, Immortal.” Damarra nodded approvingly to the modest structure, knowing the interior would be far more lavish, even in this age of the world. “I understand that praise is customary after such a feat.”
“It is not my way, m’lady.” He knelt on the ground, leaning back on his heels to watch her.
“You may call me by name, Immortal. I believe we are familiar enough to allow informality.” Damarra studied him, the curves of his shoulders even more attractive in the unusual heat.
“I will call you by yours when you begin using mine.” That expression, the one he called a smile in the modern tongue. She liked it on him, crooked as the tree branch he fashioned into a seat especially for her. It sat within the home he constructed, covered in silvery moss and as yet unused. The Immortal would not allow her to enter until he finished though she was permitted to peek through the entry on occasion.
“Roane, I request that you use my given name when addressing me.” How odd to say such a thing to an Immortal. Damarra felt some assurance knowing him to be the only lesser being she would interact with in such a manner.
“It would be my pleasure, Damarra.” The Immortal pushed off the ground, his muscles rippling with each motion and causing the strange sensation to rise in her abdomen. How oddly pleasurable she found him. He walked to the small fountain and washed up, splashing water over his head and neck. When the Immortal – no, when Roane flipped his head back she was splattered with water droplets from the tips of his hair. His eyelashes and lips glistened with well water in the high sun. Damarra’s abdomen rolled again. Want. That must be it. Almha told her she would know her feelings for the Immortal when she wanted to be near him. Faced with the reality of want for the first time in her existence, Damarra found it unsettling.
“I must take my leave. There are things to attend to.” Her words rushed from her lips in a frenzy. Roane raised an eyebrow but said nothing. “The sealing ceremony will be seven days from now on the new moon. You must be ready.” Damarra evaporated in a flourish of water droplets with a strange pang in her breast.
Angeline
She snapped her phone shut and tossed it on the bed with more force than necessary. It galled her that Dorian sounded so nonchalant. Things were growing exponentially worse with each passing day and all he could say was “It will all work out as it should, fairy girl.” What did that mean? That she had to sacrifice Olivia? No. And now, having Dorian and Dan in the same house for a massive reveal – Angeline groaned and fell back on the bed. Unloading a good share of her secrets would be a relief in some ways but she wondered about the reactions, especially Storm’s. Knowing that Angeline had been so close to Trin, had helped manipulate and choreograph so many things including her relationship with Ryder. It troubled her to realize how much she’d come to care for Storm.
“Hello luv!” Trin’s chipper voice jarred Angeline back to present. The ghostly form of her former mentor floated just above the bed giving the impression of Trin sitting beside her. “Seems you’ve had a good bit of adventure!”
“You don’t have to sound so excited about it, I nearly got myself killed.” Angeline sat up, unwedged the phone from her derriere and frowned at Trin’s apparition. “I still can’t figure how those were-things got a jump on me.”
“They must have been well cloaked. Just one more piece to the puzzle, luv. I am of course pleased you arrived intact.” Trin thrummed her ringed fingers together and Angeline could almost hear the clicking they used to make when she was corporeal. “How much do you intend to share, Angeline?”
“Everything.”
“Are you certain?” Trin sounded slightly surprised but not disapproving. “Would you like me to go with you? I was going to materialize to share my piece but if you would like me to stay longer I can remain in this form.”
Angeline contemplated it. Corporeal or ghostly, Trin Sullivan could not help her if things went poorly with the others. With Storm’s volatility it was likely that only Ryder stood a chance at calming the Emerald. On the other hand, perhaps having her present would give Angeline just the confidence boost she needed. “I need to get you out of that mirror, Trin. We need you.”
“So is that a yes or no?” In her usual manner, Trin brushed off the question with one of her own.
“Can it still be done?”
Trin’s ghost hung her head. “You are not letting this go, are you, luv?”
“Of course not!” Angeline stood and resumed pacing. “How could I stop? We need you in this. What good are you in the mirror? Besides, I promised you.”
“A promise I never intended to hold you to.” Trin smiled sadly. “The answer is yes, perhaps it can still be done but I have no clue as to how. Sophia was special and though we intended to anchor her to Lucian instead, I believe it worked out for the best. I doubt the Phoenix would have accepted me as she clearly accepted Sophia. Now is just not the time, Angeline.”
“I cannot accept that. I will not.” Angeline stopped; her hands in tight fists at her sides.
“You must. I know you, luv, I know how you wish to save the few people you truly care for but this is not always possible, especially in times of war. You need to prepare yourself now because this war will likely claim more than one of our number. It is the way of our world, the way of every world.” Trin floated toward the door, half passing through the bed on her way. “Come, I think we should arrive before our visitors, don’t you?”
“Too late, Dan and Shane are already here.” Angeline stood and smoothed her shirt.
“I wasn’t talking about them, luv.” Trin smiled knowingly. “Unless I am mistaken, Dorian is already on his way with your sister.”
Angeline nodded, the gravity of the situation causing her to pause. “Yes, they will be here soon enough. I hav
e a really bad feeling about tonight.”
“As do I, luv. But we must face whatever comes our way. It is the burden we bear in exchange for our gifts.” Trin gestured toward the door, “You’d better open it for us; I know how you dislike me passing through them.”
Storm
The glorious smell of Whiskey Mystics pizza made her stomach rumble for the umpteenth time that day. She couldn’t help but eye the boxes while they waited. The glass of water in her hand was doing very little to stave off the hunger pains. Somewhere in the stack of boxes there was sure to be a grilled chicken, roasted garlic and sundried tomato pizza just for her. Storm could almost taste it.
“You are practically drooling, my love. Please just have a slice.” Ryder leaned in and kissed her lightly on the cheek. “None of our guests would begrudge a pregnant woman a few slices of pizza.”
“But we are still waiting on people, Frederick and Angeline will be hungry too and –“ Storm trailed off as Angeline entered with Aunt Trin’s apparition.
“Is that Whiskey Mystics pizza?” Angeline forced a weak, lopsided grin. “Hello, Storm, Ryder”
Storm pushed off the couch and met her friend in the middle of the room. “How are you feeling, Ang?”
“I’ve been better.” Angeline shrugged. “Where is everyone else?”
“Lucian and Dan are playing pool and Sophia got dragged along to keep them both honest. Ryder is supposed to get them when everyone is ready. Shane is still upstairs with Frederick.” Storm grinned and embraced her friend. “It is really good to see you.” She looked around Angeline to a surprisingly quiet Aunt Trin. Storm reached out to make her aunt corporeal but was rebuffed gently.
“Not today, luv. I want to stay as long as possible for this.” Aunt Trin offered a half smile. “How are the babes?”
“Active. They are going to keep us busy I believe.” Storm looped her arm around Angeline’s waist. “I am done waiting for the others. I know Whiskey Mystic pizza doesn’t get cold and all that jazz that makes them great, but I am starving so screw them.”
The Storm Sullivan Saga: The Emerald Seer Series Box Set Page 43