“Your information is outdated.” Storm made more stars and threw them.
Blagden skirted out of the way, heading right for her. Storm smiled then held her hand up, wiggling her fingers at him to come on.
“Storm, are you fucking crazy? Don’t—” Killian spoke in her thoughts.
“Wait for it then get A’rm Ageddon out of here.” Storm flicked her gaze to Killian, who was floating fast to get to them.
She focused on Blagden then flung open her seer and empath abilities to push into his thoughts. Storm gasped as his anger, hate, and the need for destruction flooded her. Then his thoughts and plans filled her mind. Blagden stopped, eyes wide, and dropped to his knees just before her. Storm mirrored him, their knees pressing against each other on the ground. She lifted a hand and touched him just under the eye, using the contact to push further. She held him effortlessly in her power as she searched through his mind. Blagden pulled in his power to counter her.
“Take her now.”
She felt the shift of air as Killian sent A’rm Ageddon away.
“No.” Blagden roared and lashed out with his shadow.
Storm whimpered as he attacked her but stubbornly held on, sucking in the information from his mind. He started to slide into the shadows and she refused to let him go even as she was sucked in with him. His yanking her from the earth to the shadows caused a wrenching sensation along her skin and it felt like it was being peeled away. She refused to give him the satisfaction of screaming.
On earth, Killian grabbed her and she barely recognized his muffled voice as he screamed, “Let him go.”
Storm held on and went into the shadows. Blagden in the shadows pulsed various shades of red that hurt her eyes.
“You are mine. He took her and I will have you.”
Storm smiled, shaking her head. “You can’t keep me. I already have someone who wants to do that and even he can’t keep me.” She touched one of Killian’s hands on her shoulder then turned her head.
Seeing the white mixed with amber shadow, she gripped Killian’s hand, absently noticing that her shadow was hazel-green with amber. She wondered briefly at the mix then was yanked from the shadows and back onto earth. The head-rush it gave her made her gasp before she laughed and glanced at Killian.
“Now that is what I call fucking with Mr Big Bad’s head.”
Killian’s eyes narrowed. “Do not ever do that again.”
His roar made her blink.
“Wh—”
Killian jerked her closer then covered her mouth with his. Storm stiffened at the plundering of her mouth. He claimed her as if she was his and her thoughts went blank as she gave in to the passion. She moaned, opening wide and gripping him, pressing against him. Killian cupped her ass, pulling her against him then suddenly he let her go. Storm stumbled back and lifted her hand to her mouth in shock. Killian’s cold, detached expression made her lower her hand and clench her fist.
“What the hell was that?”
“We need to report.” Killian faded.
Furious, Storm couldn’t believe he’d left her without an explanation. The hairs on her arms stood up as his power surrounded her and she felt herself disintegrate then come back to form.
“Fu—”
“Storm, as always it is interesting to see you,” someone with a silky, masculine voice said behind her.
She turned and glared at Christos Shalamr, the head of the Phoenix Intelligence Agency. “I’ll be with you in a second.” She returned her attention to Killian. “We’re going to talk about what happened. Soon.”
Killian didn’t reply or acknowledge what she’d said. She clenched her fist again then lifted her hand and pushed her hair behind her ear. Killian watched the movement and, although his expression didn’t change, Storm felt he was trying not to laugh. She blew out a breath and turned to face Christos. The amusement on his face was plain to see.
“To what do I owe this pleasure?” Christos looked between Storm and Killian. “The partnership between you two looks good. M—”
“Christos,” Killian said warningly.
Storm watched the two men—she was unsure about the undertones in their conversation.
Christos smiled then inclined his head. “I’ll leave it for now, my friend.”
Storm knew they were best friends and chalked it up to something private between them.
“We had a run-in with Blagden.”
Christos’ smile faded and he leaned forward. “And you didn’t call for back-up.”
It was a statement and Storm winced at the sharpness of his tone.
“It wasn’t necessary.” Killian shrugged. “I had it handled. That was until Storm came and interfered.”
“That better not be a reprimand I hear in your tone.” Storm glared at Killian. “I made it possible for you to get A’rm Ageddon.”
“You have A’rm Ageddon?” Christos said sharply.
Killian inclined his head and Storm felt the pressure in the air increase as power filled the area. In moments, A’rm Ageddon’s floating form came into view. It was in that moment that Storm realized Killian had shielded her from everyone. Christos rose and walked over to her. Storm was surprised at the pain on Christos’ face.
“They were friends at one time. Like he is with Eve,” Killian said in a low voice.
Christos touched A’rm Ageddon’s shoulder and she disappeared. He glanced at them. “Eve will take care of securing her sister.”
Storm staggered as a wash of pain filled the air, cutting off her breath. She gasped, dropping, but Killian caught her and held her up as the overwhelming agony took over. Storm sensed all the empathic beings in the building collapse under the power of the anguish. Killian tightened his hold on her as she was bombarded by grief.
“Eve, control yourself,” Christos roared, his voice echoing throughout the building.
As suddenly as it had hit her, it faded.
Storm moaned, rubbing her temple. “You should have warned her first.”
“I didn’t think of it.” There was regret in Christos’ voice.
Storm blinked to clear her vision and watched him. Christos was hiding it better, but she sensed the pain coursing through him was almost as intense as Eve’s.
“Are you okay, Storm?” He knelt beside them and gripped her shoulder.
Since Christos’ brother had previously been married to Allure, her niece, he was family. She treated him as such and placed her hand on his cheek.
“Are you okay?”
Christos blinked and sighed, turning his head and pressing a kiss against her palm. “I will be.”
Killian growled deep in his throat. Storm frowned at the rumbling then looked at him.
“What is your problem?”
“He’s touching you.”
“And I’m touching him. I touch people.” Storm deliberately rubbed her hand along Christos’ face. “What is with you?”
Killian rose and pulled her back from Christos, then slung his hand over her shoulder, pulling her against his side. Christos chuckled and Storm glanced between the men, frowning.
“You all are acting weird.”
“Killian will explain it to you later.” Christos rose, sliding his hands into the pockets of his slacks. “Now fill me in on how you happened to run into Blagden and get A’rm Ageddon from him?”
She absently listened as Killian filled him in on what had happened. Storm tried to shrug off Killian but he didn’t budge. She debated a moment about zapping him in the ass then decided not to. She was proud of herself for her restraint. Killian got to the part of her arrival and what had happened leading up to their taking A’rm Ageddon then going temporarily into the shadows with Blagden.
“I don’t have any idea what she was doing there. She was reckless—”
“Again I hear an admonishment and no thank you.” Storm elbowed him then, for good measure, zapped him as she’d wanted to.
Killian didn’t even wince. She scowled, focused on Christos and i
gnored Killian.
“I went because I couldn’t find my partner.” She stressed the word and elbowed him again. “I’m the one who usually is trying to escape him but he was the one missing. I just had this weird feeling and when I searched for him he had cut me off.” She poked Killian in the side. “We’re going to discuss that too, as well as going without me to follow a lead.”
Killian grunted in reply.
She harrumphed then spoke to Christos again. “I learned some interesting things about Blagden and sort of his plan.” Storm frowned as she thought of their getting A’rm Ageddon away from him. “He let her go too easily.”
“Let who go?” Christos said.
“A’rm Ageddon. She is his great love and if I had that, I would die before I let her go. But he let her go when I dived into his thoughts. Something isn’t right. It was too easy.”
“You’re right,” Killian said.
She stared at him, surprised.
“Fill us in on what you saw when you were in his thoughts.”
She did, laying out the stages of his plan they had experienced already. His bringing back of Eve, weakening the veil between Shadow World and the other realm, as well as the other attacks.
“He found A’rm Ageddon by fluke. He was checking all power weapons around the world, figuring you all would have hidden her in plain sight to throw someone who was looking for her off.” Storm shook her head. “I can’t believe all the years I’ve been visiting the Statue of Liberty, I never even contemplated that her flame was a vessel that held A’rm Ageddon.” She chuckled. “That is priceless. The statue is a welcome to people visiting New York and it held A’rm Ageddon, who is a world-ending captive.”
“It was fitting at the time.” Christos shrugged. “With the agency here in New York I could keep watch over her so no one could get to her. There should have been an alarm raised when she was removed.” He tapped his finger against the side of his thigh.
“How would he have been able to disable it?” Killian asked.
“A’rm Ageddon.” Storm blinked as they both stared at her. “What? She has consciousness even though she is in that stasis thing. So she could have given it to him since she was there when you trapped her.”
Christos stilled, horror filling his face. “No, she hasn’t been aware all these centuries.”
“I don’t know if it was centuries but there is awareness in her gaze,” Storm said before biting her lip. “I sense the hate in her too. She really wants to hurt everyone.”
“We never meant for that to happen.” Christos closed his eyes.
“Maybe you and some of the others didn’t, but someone did. They made sure she is aware,” Storm said.
“As she should be,” a man spoke moments before he detached from the shadows.
Storm stared at Lupo, Lennox’s father, who strode toward her. The rage on his face and surrounding him was tangible. “Why should she be saved from knowing her sins by being put to sleep for all eternity?”
“Lupo,” Christos said softly.
“What? You think me a monster for wanting her to suffer.” Lupo glared at Christos. “She killed my wife.” He punched his fist on his chest. “Ripped out my soul without a care in the world. When she was stopped and you all decreed what was to be done, I wanted her to be aware of time’s passage so she could feel how it felt to be powerless.”
“Lupo!” Eve’s roar of rage made the building shake.
“She always had a soft spot for her sister.” Lupo smiled grimly. “One day soon she’ll have to get over it, before it costs her her life.”
“You’d better go,” Christos said, touching Lupo on the shoulder. “I’ll work on calming her down.”
Lupo opened his mouth. Storm felt Lennox’s mental contact with his father but not what was said. Lupo sighed and inclined his head. He glanced at her and frowned as he took a step toward her then he was gone. The power signature was Lennox’s and Storm figured he’d sent his father away from Eve’s anger. Storm wondered what Lupo had been about to say.
“We’ll have to increase security and our shields.”
“You think Blagden would come here for A’rm Ageddon?” Storm couldn’t fathom him coming to the agency, which was filled with agents who could take him out.
“What would you do if the person you loved above all else was being kept from you?” Killian asked.
Storm looked at him as she replied, “Burn everything to the ground to get to them.”
Killian nodded. The warmth in his gaze made her breath catch and she turned away, focusing on Christos.
“Back to what I gleaned from Blagden. Bringing A’rm Ageddon back is only part of his plan. A minor part.”
“What do you mean?”
“That was all I could get. He yanked me into the shadows before I could get deeper.” Storm recalled what she had seen. “It was an inkling of something more but I can’t seem to grasp what it is. A’rm Ageddon’s resurrection is only part of his act. Think of it like a magic trick. You’re so focused on what is before you, you miss the sleight of hand. A’rm Ageddon is the focus but not what is truly happening.” Storm bit her lip, not knowing how else to articulate it.
Killian and Christos exchanged glances then Christos said, “Maybe if you work with the Oracles you can uncover more.”
“I’ll do that.” Storm agreed.
“If A’rm Ageddon isn’t the goal for Blagden, we need to figure out what he’s really after.” Christos nodded. “For now we’ll fortify, so if Blagden comes for her we’re ready. I’ll go check on Eve.” He left.
Storm glanced at Killian and frowned. “W—”
“I have work to do.” Killian faded and left.
Storm was tempted to go after him but decided to let him go for now. She returned to her office and stood gazing out of the window. It was bright and sunny outside but Storm couldn’t help but feel that there was a change coming. She just didn’t know if it would be for the better or worse. Only time would tell and she hoped that they would all be ready for it.
Chapter Three
Storm stared out of her office window as she had become prone to do over the last few weeks. She pressed her fingers against the glass, which was chilly. The weather had changed from fall to winter. So far they hadn’t had any snow, but it was only a matter of time. She rolled her shoulders and thought of the last few weeks—she’d been working with the Oracles to gain more from what she had seen in Blagden’s thoughts but so far they had nothing. They were as prepared as they could be for him to attack but as of yet Blagden had been surprisingly quiet. The inactivity had them wondering what he was planning.
Storm crossed her arms over her chest and set her forehead on the cold pane, hoping it would help her headache. As usual, her thoughts turned to Killian. He’d been avoiding her and she couldn’t seem to pin him down, or a reason why he was keeping clear of her. The man had become adept at finding somewhere else to be when she came near him. Since there hadn’t been any leads, they hadn’t even been out to investigate.
“It’s been weeks since you snuck out and Killian had to go get you,” her niece Harmony spoke behind her.
“And we’re getting worried,” Allure said.
Storm smiled before she turned to face them. Even though her two nieces were in their early thirties, she remembered for a moment the scared ten-year-olds she had taken in when she was twenty-two. Their parents had died and despite everyone telling her she was too young to raise them on her own, she had blocked out everything but making sure they healed and had a home to feel safe in. She had been so young and had made mistakes but they had turned out to be strong, stubborn and smart women who didn’t take crap from anyone.
“Shouldn’t you two be someplace with your mates instead of worrying about your old aunt?” Storm rubbed the middle of her forehead.
“Our mates are busy training. It’s just an excuse for them to beat each other up trying to work off some energy.” Harmony rolled her eyes. “You have a headache aga
in.” Harmony reached out then pressed a finger to Storm’s forehead and the pain eased. “You’ve been having them since you went into that crazy man’s head.”
“Thanks. I know, but they checked and there is nothing wrong with me.” Storm shrugged. “Probably just my thinking so much.”
“What are you thinking about?” Allure rubbed her shoulder.
“That pain-in-the-butt man.”
They laughed at her. Storm pushed at their shoulders then stepped between them and slung her hands around them.
“He’s driving me crazy.”
“From what you’ve been saying for weeks—”
Harmony interrupted Allure. “Quite loudly to anyone who would listen.”
“He’s avoiding you to drive you insane,” Allure interjected.
“Your logic is warped. First, he is around stopping you from going too far without him. Now that he is leaving you alone, you still aren’t pleased.” Harmony laughed.
“What do you want from him?” Allure stared at Storm.
Storm thought about it and her eyes widened then she started to laugh. Harmony and Allure watched her cautiously.
“She’s finally lost it.”
“Killian has driven her nuts.”
“Hush, you two.” Storm released them and patted their shoulders. “Follow me, you’re going to want to see this.”
Storm strode to her office door. She opened it and continued to the side exit to the hall between their units. After a few minutes she paused in front of Killian’s office and took a breath. She pushed open the door and entered. Killian glanced up and frowned then he went to rise.
“Sit. Before you pull your disappearing act, I have something to do first.” Storm materialized a hula hoop then put it on and started it moving around her.
She moved her body to keep it going and stared at Killian.
“Oh my God, why is she doing the hula?” Allure asked.
“She’s cracked like an egg.” Harmony laughed.
Once Storm had the hoop going, she smiled then opened her mouth. “Cluck, cluck.” She repeated over and over.
“She’s clucking like a chicken.” Kaitya laughed loudly.
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