by Trina M. Lee
I threw my fist in her face, nailing her twice. On the third punch she caught my fist and twisted. I twisted with her, grabbing her forearm with my free hand and twisting her with me. It freed me of her hold and put her in mine.
Storm let out a shriek. Something in the very sound shook my bones. When the Latin started spewing from between her lips, I knew bad things would follow. Abandoning the physical fight, I rolled to my feet and braced myself, a fireball burning in both hands.
A strange but brilliant green lit up Storm’s hands. It drifted from her, creeping across the ground to where Arrow now stood next to Jett. Warily, he watched it lash out at him. Like electrified barbed wire, it wrapped around him, squeezing like a snake. A pained cry burst from him, and he would have gone down if Jett hadn’t grabbed him.
I was pretty sure the psycho bitch was trying to drain my lover dry right in front of me. If I questioned the morale of taking on Storm before, I sure as hell wasn’t now. I let both fireballs go, one right after the other.
She erected an energy barrier in time to protect her from both of them. “I gave you the opportunity to avoid a showdown. You’re not the first person to try to stop me. I haven’t survived this long by taking orders from others. I don’t give a damn if your daddy was an angel. You’re not superior to me, and I’ll gladly leave you here to be found from an unfortunate drug overdose, just like the others.” Her sweet and sincere mask had slipped, revealing the true monster beneath.
“You’ve gotta go, bitch.” The late afternoon sun didn’t allow Arrow a lot of room to use shadow. But there was always some shade to be had somewhere. The shadows between the trees crept forward, obeying his unspoken command.
“So that’s how you want to do this? Fine with me.” Storm dropped her barrier. With some kind of witchy command word, she projected a stream of green light at both me and Arrow. But since she couldn’t take all three of us at once, that left Jett wide open.
The strange light slapped me in the chest, stealing my breath. It choked off my airflow, threatening to suffocate me.
Jett dove for the witch, both tackling and slashing. She took Storm down, and the two of them grappled for control. Jett slashed sharp claws across Storm’s chest, aiming for her throat, but Storm kept her forearms up, blocking the attack. There would be no turning on next full moon for Storm. We couldn’t let her live to see it.
Arrow angled closer to the two of them, seeking an opening. His ability to temporarily freeze people in place could be incredibly handy at the right time. This was one of those times. Too bad he couldn’t get a clear shot with Jett on top of Storm.
I moved close to him, ready to have his back. When Storm shouted a Latin word, the resulting blast threw all three of us back like a small explosion.
Storm got to her feet, blood running down her chest to seep into her dress. “Do you have any idea how much I paid for this dress? Bitch.”
Not quite the concern of somebody with all their marbles intact. I suspected the many long years of working this youthful magic had taken its toll on Storm’s mind. She stood there seething, arms raised, hands crackling with power. Wary of her barriers, I held off on the fire. It wouldn’t serve me here. Lobbing useless shots back and forth with the witch wasn’t the way to win this.
Jett and I exchanged a glance. This chick was nuts. Because I was never without it, I still had the demon feather tied into the underlayers of my hair that gave me the ability to harness the ice element. I’d learned how to manifest weaponry out of ice. Sliding a hand into my hair to touch the feather, I absorbed its power. Then I launched half a dozen razor-sharp ice shards at Storm.
Several of them embedded themselves in her torso. She gave a startled cry and then proceeded to pluck them out like they were but thorns. Blood ran from the wounds but she seemed oblivious. I wondered how much this woman could take. Because she sure didn’t seem to be reacting like a regular human.
Arrow took advantage of the distraction to freeze her in place. It didn’t hold powerful types for all that long. So we moved fast.
Shadows coiled around her limbs, creeping up to wrap around her neck. Jett moved in close with a hand raised, ready to slash through her artery. A sound in the bushes nearby made us pause and look at one another fearfully.
I don’t think any of us were expecting Blue Monroe to step into view. He was alone but currently in the process of zipping up his pants. He must have just left a groupie after sneaking away for a quick screw in the woods. He gaped at the four of us, freezing when he saw the blood covering Storm.
“What the hell is—?”
Storm was on him in a heartbeat. Her hands filled with green light, she grabbed Blue and jerked him close. With her mouth hovering over his, she drew on his life force. Hard and fast, she gave him no chance to escape. Right before our eyes she drained him just like she had the other victims.
Blue’s eyes widened and his mouth opened, but no sound came out. His body seemed to sink in on itself, growing more frail as we watched. Strand by strand his hair began to turn gray. It all happened within seconds. One minute Blue was alive, and the next he was an empty husk in the dirt.
Storm turned to Arrow with a devilish smile that was even more macabre due to the blood staining her front. “Your turn.”
Taking from Blue seemed to have strengthened her. Even her wounds had stopped bleeding.
Storm didn’t go directly for Arrow though. She decided to start with everything standing between him and her, namely Jett and me. Throwing both hands up and aiming for the two of us, she nailed us with searing green magic.
Much stronger than the last shot she’d thrown my way, the magic crushed my lungs, sucking at my life force. I did the only thing I could. I launched a fireball at her face.
It nailed her dead on. Her assault stopped as she turned her focus to slapping the flames as they licked at her hair and clothing. Jett was on the ground, shaking from the magical attack. Arrow and I seemed to be bouncing back from it faster. Noted. It was something Storm might take note of as well.
I moved to block Jett. Arrow stood several feet away, forcing Storm to glance between us in order to keep us both in view. I’d known a handful of witches in my time so far, and I learned that no two were alike. There was no way to judge her stamina or strength other than to engage. I was starting to think we should have come at this from another angle. But it was too late for that now.
Getting too close was dangerous, so we were left to fight straight up supernatural style. Not exactly something any of us should be doing. Storm wanted to finish this, so we would finish it... somehow.
Unfortunately, Arrow’s ability to freeze someone in place worked better the closer he was to them. The shadows drifted from him, seeking an opening before wrapping around Storm’s ankles. With an angry shriek she shot a blast of magic at them, and they skittered away like frightened animals.
With one hand Storm erected a barrier to block anything coming from my direction. Using her free hand she aimed the next shot at Arrow. The shadow dragon he’d recently learned to manifest burst out in front of him to block the attack. Due to the remaining daylight the dragon wasn’t nearly as solid or large as I’d seen it, but it still managed to do the job. I’d come to see the dragon as a manifestation of Arrow’s inner turmoil. It only exploded out when he was really pissed off.
But Storm’s next attack overpowered the dragon, and it disappeared like it had never been there. Watching with mounting frustration due to the barrier she’d placed between us, I found myself wishing for the Midnight Star. It had hacked through a demon’s energy wall, and I knew it would hack through hers as well. Too bad it was back home, hundreds of miles away. A big-ass sword wasn’t exactly the kind of thing one could easily bring on tour. Not to mention that not for a moment had I anticipated that we’d find ourselves in such a situation.
Storm turned her full attention on Arrow. Whatever it was that she wanted most, she wanted it from him. As she threw attack after attack in his directio
n, she took slow, steady steps toward him. Arrow used the shadows to the best of his ability to block her shots, but too many of them landed.
I rushed toward her, ready to take her down with a tackle if necessary. But my attempts were immediately thwarted when she continued to hold that one hand in my direction. As I moved, her barrier moved with me, forever keeping me at a distance.
Every fireball I threw hit the barrier and went out. My frustration mounted as I watched Storm bring Arrow once again to his knees. Behind me, Jett struggled to her feet, a hand on her head.
“Stop,” I shouted, my voice ringing with panic. I couldn’t lose him so soon after finding him.
Storm spared me a small impish grin and a wink. “It’s too late to stop now, sweetie. You brought this on yourself.”
As she bent down in front of Arrow, he tried to throw himself out of reach. She’d weakened him, making him easy prey.
A scream built in my throat. Horror filled me as she leaned in close. I thought I was dreaming when Rowen burst through the trees behind her.
He grabbed Storm by both shoulders and roughly flung her away from Arrow. His hands were alive with the angelic white lightning he possessed. Without giving her a chance to recover, Rowen was on her. Grasping her head tight with both hands, he fed that brilliant light into her.
Storm’s screams filled the otherwise quiet treetops. The birds had ceased singing. My own shriek died out before it could spill forth. Rooted to the spot, I watched with apprehension as Rowen continued that steady flow of celestial light.
Storm made meager attempts to fight back. She lashed out at Rowen with magic and fists, but he’d gotten the jump on her. Ready for her, he drew hard on the well of power that lived inside him. So much so that his wings burst out behind him.
One of the most beautiful sights I’d ever seen.
Together Jett and I helped Arrow to his feet. Other than being dazed and weakened, he seemed fine.
The three of us watched in strained silence as Rowen killed Storm. She lay on the ground beneath him, thrashing about. Her attempts to dislodge him grew weaker until finally she just lay there. But Rowen didn’t stop. Not until she was good and truly dead.
On one hand I was shocked, but on the other it didn’t surprise me that he’d gone to a place I wasn’t sure I’d be able to go.
Rowen glanced around as he shoved to his feet. His fiery gaze landed on Blue’s body. Something like uncertainty flicked across his face. “Are you guys ok?”
I nodded, afraid to speak because that would make this whole surreal nightmare incredibly real.
Rowen didn’t wear that same shell-shocked expression the rest of us wore. His wings disappeared from sight as he stepped back to really examine the scene. “I guess we need to do something about this,” he said, gaze darting to me. “It might be best to just burn it all.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
WITHIN HOURS BOTH STORM and Blue were reported missing by their tour managers. When asked, both Jett and I claimed that we never did find Storm after our visit to her bus. Everything had gone down without witnesses except for the groupie girl Blue had been with in the trees. She hadn’t seen anything but she had heard screams. It led authorities to search the woods where they found absolutely nothing.
Because Storm had ties to so many people, including a plethora of lovers, suspicion had gravitated to those she had conflict with, including Blue. Seeing as they were both missing, authorities assumed it was related. Once they asked around and the stories about Blue’s behavior started, it just snowballed from there.
Naturally, I had been incredibly reluctant upon hearing Rowen’s idea. Afraid the fire would rage out of my control, I’d been hesitant.
“It’s your fire, Spike. It will do whatever you tell it to do.” Rowen’s support and encouragement guided me through the process of one of the most screwed up things I’d ever had to do.
With careful concentration, I used my fire to destroy the remains of both bodies. So precise was the fire under my control that it left the earthly floor barely singed. My control and strength had come a long way since coming into my full power. I still didn’t know all that I might be capable of, but quickly I realized that I would soon find out. Especially if I wanted to survive. Our kind weren’t known for our longevity because we so rarely reached midlife.
When the night went on and the remainder of the show had to be canceled, the promoter made a last-minute decision to kill the rest of the tour. We would all be going home.
The bus ride home was long and somber. Nobody outside the four of us knew what had happened, and we would keep it that way. However, it didn’t lessen the sting of having our musical dream stomped on by the calling we had never asked for.
Perhaps the only benefit of the tour being canceled was that the rumor mill on social media shifted its focus from Arrow to the possibility that Blue and Storm had been romantically involved. People speculated that someone had come after them or that maybe Blue had done something to Storm and then fled. As much as I hated to see it, I felt better knowing we were in the clear. I dreaded returning home to tell Cinder about this, if he didn’t already know.
I caught Rowen alone in the hallway between the bunks. “Can we talk for a minute?”
Although he seemed reluctant, he allowed me to steer him into the back lounge, which was currently empty. I’d asked everyone to give me a few minutes alone with him.
“What’s up?” Rowen plopped down on one end of the couch, leaning back and crossing one leg over the other. It was all too casual and composed. How could he not be a wreck of nerves like I was right now?
“How did you know where to find us?” I sat awkwardly across from him so as not to get jostled by the motions of the bus.
“I followed Arrow when he lured Storm into the woods there. I lost them until I heard the screaming.”
I nodded and picked at a loose string on my jeans. “You were so ready to take her down. Why is that? You didn’t seem too concerned about her the last time we spoke.”
Because I did know Rowen pretty well, he didn’t try to lie to me. Shoving a hand through his floppy turquoise hawk, he said, “I knew Storm was the one killing people before you told me. I figured it out the first time I was with her. I thought that if I stayed close maybe she wouldn’t turn her attention to anyone else and I’d get a chance to stop her.”
Since we’d hit the road home, I’d been mulling it over. I’d come to the conclusion that Rowen had planned to kill Storm by himself. “Then why did you get pissed off when we warned you about her? You seemed hell-bent to carry on with her anyway.” I got a little nervous asking that question because it tread too close to being none of my business.
Rowen considered me heavily for a moment. The weight of his amber gaze pinned me to the couch. “I was going to handle it. You don’t have blood on your hands. I wanted to keep it that way.”
I’d always wondered how far Dash had pushed Rowen during their time together. Going dark for that time had put Rowen in a terrible position, and I knew he’d had to do terrible things. Though I hadn’t known just how bad. The revelation crushed me.
Everything he’d done had been to protect me. Even now.
“Thank you,” I said softly. “That means a lot to me. You didn’t have to handle that alone. We’re supposed to be in this together. All of us.”
Rowen shrugged, his expression perfectly neutral and impossible to read. Only the constant movement of his foot betrayed his nerves. “We are. That’s why I made the choice I made. Don’t rip me a new one over it.” The corner of his mouth curved in a hint of a grin.
It wasn’t a joke that I could get on board with though. I couldn’t even fake a laugh. “No worries. You’re safe this time.” Certain that I had shock, anguish, and guilt splashed over my face like paint thrown at a canvas, I swallowed hard around the lump that had formed in my throat.
Reading me like an open book, Rowen leaned forward, elbows propped on his knees. He studied me for a mome
nt before saying, “I can’t wait for the day when you can be around me without crawling out of your skin. I miss that.” Then he stood up and left me alone in the back lounge with my thoughts and the rumble of the highway beneath me.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
IT WAS ALMOST THREE in the morning when Arrow and I arrived back at my apartment. A day and a half of travel crammed onto the bus with everyone else had left us tired, cranky, and more than ready to be home. Too lazy to drag our things up the stairs, we piled into the elevator and rode up to the second floor.
I was fantasizing about dropping face first into my bed when I slid the key into the lock and turned the deadbolt. The second the door cracked open, the heavenly aroma of bacon, eggs, and pancakes slapped me in the face. Immediately, my mouth began to water.
Cinder bustled about the kitchen, filling plates with food and brewing tea. He glanced up at our arrival with a smile. “I thought maybe you could use something homecooked. I imagine you haven’t been eating well on the road.”
I couldn’t have asked for a better welcome home. Dropping my bags in the doorway, I kicked off my shoes and flung myself at Cinder, almost upsetting a dish in the process.
“This is amazing. Thank you. I can’t tell you how happy I am to be back. I know it was only two weeks, but it feels like I’ve been gone forever.” After hugging him until he grunted, I pulled back to find that familiar glint in his eyes. “I assume you know everything?”
Cinder nodded and gently pushed me aside so he could grab the kettle before it squealed. “Everything except for your side of the story.”
Arrow sauntered in behind me, and the two of them exchanged greetings. It had taken Arrow quite some time to warm up to Cinder. They still didn’t always see things eye to eye, but Arrow had accepted that Cinder possessed a wisdom that we never would and it was always in our best interest to trust him.