Sky and Storm (Warriors of Vis, Book One)

by Alina Popescu

  He knew Sky by now, knew his beautiful, stubborn husband would try to show no weakness, so that no one would think him unworthy of Storm. But these were soldiers that had been through horrors. No one would bat an eye at how a man dealt with his wounds or where he needed to be to lick them.

  “Everyone, go to your quarters. Get some rest, I don’t think there will be many more chances for it after tonight.”

  Fury and the few others closest to Storm nodded, then everyone disappeared. Storm’s elites and the castle guards would be watching at all times, but they knew how to stay hidden. Storm was glad for their training. If anything, Sky needed peace and quiet to feel safe again. Seeing guards surrounding them all the time maintained the panic and fear of another strike.

  Storm carried his husband all the way to their chambers. To Storm’s relief, he didn’t feel light as a feather as he’d been before their reconciliation. While they were searching for Sky, Storm had been afraid they’d find him emaciated, nothing but a carcass of the beautiful man he was. It would have been a minor chore to nurse Sky back to health, but that would have probably meant having to leave him behind. Storm never wanted to do that again.

  “We’re here, my love,” Storm said as he set Sky on their bed, caressing wild strands away from Sky’s face.

  Sky’s only reply was a weak, tired smile and a moan when Storm’s skin touched his face. Storm didn’t care about clothes or cleaning themselves up. It could wait while they rested. He took his and Sky’s boots off, then sunk in the bed, next to his husband. Sky moved closer to Storm, clinging to him and touching him with all his body. It warmed and broke Storm’s heart at the same time. He’d always loved how much Sky wanted to be close to him. But he also knew it was pain and trauma that pushed him further now. Time and Storm’s care would heal all this.

  ***

  It couldn’t have been more than a few hours from their arrival to Vis. Storm pushed himself up, groggy and unsure why he’d awoken. Their room was dark, only a feeble ray of light squeezing through their shutters. Storm sat against the headboard, gathering Sky in his arms and trying to focus.

  Muffled sounds of something being dragged, some sort of plea, and guttural replies reached him, sending every sense in his body into high alert. He pulled himself free from Sky’s embrace and lit as many of the oil lamps in the room as he could without getting too far from Sky.

  As the sounds approached, higher pitched wails and Cloud’s angry voice reached him. Storm thought for a second, then went to Sky’s side of the bed. He kissed his forehead and gathered Sky in his arms. “Wake up, love.”

  Sky mumbled and tried to turn away, ignoring Storm’s voice.

  One more try and Sky opened his bleary eyes. He scrunched his face and whimpered. “Let me sleep.”

  “Sorry, love, I think we’re about to have company.” Storm kissed the tip of Sky’s nose, making him scrunch it and bat Storm away. Still, Sky was alert enough when their doors burst open.

  Despite Storm’s presence, Sky jumped and shivered. Storm growled and turned his angry gaze on the intruders. Cloud’s disheveled appearance cut down Storm’s need to jump out and punish whoever had disturbed them. His sister looked mad. Her clothes were dirty and appeared as if she’d gotten dressed without caring whether her outfit matched. Dried mud tinged their edges and covered her face and hands. Her normally glossy hair looked sleazy and was tied in a messy pony tail, some water soaked strands plastered to her face.

  What shocked Storm the most were Cloud’s eyes. Red-rimmed, muddy. Crazy, he’d say, like she couldn’t focus on the reality around her, and instead was seeing something else. Something the world couldn’t see.

  “Cloud, please stop,” the queen wailed, drawing Storm’s attention to her. She was on the floor, her hands clutching her hair. Cloud had a tight hold on those golden locks and had used them to pull her mother to Storm’s room. The king stood a further back, grim and tired-looking. Why he wasn’t stopping Cloud? Had his sister lost her mind? This was pure madness, even for her. Sure, she was snarky, mean, rarely looking happy if she wasn’t verbally torturing someone else. But was her pain deep enough to cause this? How had Storm missed this?

  “Cloud, what are you doing?” Sky asked, his voice breaking. Storm turned just a fraction, enough to catch his husband with the corner of his eye. Sky’s eyes were tearing up, worry showing in the tight press of his lips. Like Storm, he loved Cloud, despite how mean-spirited their interaction might have seemed to the outside world.

  A sob wrecked Cloud’s body and she used her free hand to wipe her tears in a brusque move. “What must be done,” Cloud muttered, and the foreboding sound of her voice was enough to ring all of Storm’s alarms. Whatever had pushed Cloud to this, it was bad.

  “Cloud? Hey, sister, look at me.” Storm waved his hand in front of her, trying to get her attention. Cloud’s eyes were fixed on Sky, big tears running down her face. Storm looked at his father, trying to find some answers there, but the king’s grim face offered no revelation.

  “I am so sorry they did this to you, Sky. I always loved you like a brother. Maybe more than a brother, when I was younger. Or maybe I just wanted you and Storm to pay attention to me.”

  Sky pushed himself free of Storm’s embrace and walked to Cloud. “I love you too, you little menace. Now release your mother, will you?”

  “No!” Cloud’s shout rang through the huge room, bouncing off the stone walls. The earlier mad, blurry look replaced her sorrow. “No, she did this. I can’t release her. Storm will punish her. Punish me.”

  Storm had a sinking feeling Cloud was only mad with grief and betrayal. The madness would pass, eventually. But how far did the grief go?

  “I did it, Storm,” Cloud said, a twisted smile on her face. “I found out who was responsible. I listened to your spies when they couldn’t see me, and I had Sera… and I knew all the secret passages from when we were kids. It was easy to listen into her conversations. I stole her letters…”

  Storm walked to his sister and placed his hand on her shoulder, careful that it wouldn’t startle her too much. “Who did you spy on, Cloud? What did you find out?”

  Cloud’s smile fell, her face scrunching in pain. “This bitch did it. She plotted to have Sky taken.”

  “Cloud, please. Shut up! You don’t know what you’re talking about, my child.”

  Cloud pulled her mother’s hair harder and slapped her across the face. The queen’s yelp made her laugh and she slapped her mother again. “You shut up. Keep that filthy mouth shut. Only lies pour out of it.”

  Storm’s blood ran cold. He’d always known his step-mother disliked him, the main cause being Storm’s refusal of letting her control his life. He’d never imagined she hated him enough to have Sky kidnapped.

  “Cloud,” Storm said, his voice even, yet cold. His sister’s eyes locked on him, and her face seemed to clear. “Release the queen and come closer.”

  Cloud hesitated only for a second. She released her mother and took a step forward, stopping inches away from Storm. “She did it. She was mad enough to plot with Estas to have Sky taken from you.”

  Storm couldn’t say what broke his heart more. Cloud’s disbelief at her own words, the fat tears rolling down her face, or Sky’s trembling hand brushing them away.

  Cloud hiccupped from all the crying and took a few calming breaths. “I started suspecting when they refused to send birds to you. I told her Eagle was on his way, and she said he’d make it there before any pigeon or raven. She knew he’d been hurt, I’d told her. I think she hoped he’d die on the way.”

  Storm steadied both Cloud and his husband, holding them both close.

  “Sera and I started paying attention. We intercepted her letters and saw it all. I have the originals and sent only copies to Estas. Fake sigils that they missed. They wanted Sky broken and battered, so that you’d be too ashamed and disgusted to share your bed with him. They hoped you’d be easier to sway then and agree to make the Estas princess your consor
t.”

  Of course, this was about him taking some sort of concubine. Some woman to bear children and break Sky’s heart. Storm snorted and squeezed Cloud’s shoulder. “We both know nothing can make me stop loving Sky. No one else will ever share my bed.”

  Cloud nodded and smiled. “I knew that. I was so afraid they’d kill Sky if they discovered it.”

  “Shh, I’ll always keep him safe. You don’t have to worry about Sky.”

  “He’s right, you know.” Sky smiled at her, warmth as powerful as the sun radiating from his still bruised face. “As long as my Dragon is watching over me, I am safe. You’ve seen it. He’s found me and brought me back.”

  “Who else from Vis was involved in this, Cloud?”

  “No one, not directly. When the pigeon master tried to send word to you, they had him killed and replaced. I also suspect some noblemen, but I have no proof.” Cloud growled and then sobbed. “I wasn’t good enough to find out.”

  “You were brilliant,” Storm whispered, looking at the queen over Cloud’s shoulder. To his dismay, the woman rolled her eyes at the comment. She’d never thought much of Cloud.

  “And on Estas’s side?” Storm asked when Cloud had calmed down enough.

  “The queen and the princess you’ve met. I don’t know about the king, but he’s only the queen’s puppet.” Cloud turned to look at her mother and sneered. “You can tell they are cousins. Same evil blood running through them.”

  “Oh, for gods’ sake,” the queen shouted, raising her arms to the ceiling. “Everything I do is to protect Vis’s future. If you weren’t so melodramatic, you’d see that. Better yet, you and your bratty brother would have never put me into a position where I had to take matters into my own hands.”

  Storm looked at his father, who had so far been exquisite at impersonating a statue. “Did you know about this?”

  The king only shook his head. For a second, he raised his eyes to look at Storm, but couldn’t hold Storm’s gaze. Shame and pain warred on his face and the man looked feeble. Old. Despite Storm’s hatred of him, he still felt sorry for his father. He was about to lose his second wife.

  “So now you know,” the queen said. “Can we stop this madness, please? I need my beauty sleep.”

  Even if fake, the coolness in her tone rattled Storm. She really thought she’d go back to being Vis’s queen. From the shadows, a silhouette emerged, catching his eye, and making Storm forget about the queen. Sera’s old, wiry body was unmistakable, but what had caught his eye was the knife she held between her teeth. She looked at Storm, expectantly.

  For a second, Storm thought to stop her. As vicious as his step-mother was, she was the queen of Vis. He should grant her a trial. She’d be accused of treason, and imprisoned for life. But would that keep Sky safe? Whether they’d been involved in this particular plot, there were many a nobleman who shared the queen’s view on how Storm should live his life. Storm gave Sera a subtle nod and waited.

  Just like the shadows she’d appeared from, Sera glided across the floor, stepping around the king and stopping behind his wife. The queen was rearranging her hair and trying to adjust her disheveled dress. In a split second, her throat was cut open, side to side, gushing copper blood painting her bodice. The king whimpered and went to kneel next to his wife, holding her close as she took her last breath.

  “I am leaving for Estas,” Sera announced.

  Storm nodded again, but she didn’t move. “What do you need?” he asked when Sera’s unwavering gaze started to jar him.

  “Do I kill them all? Or only those named?”

  All. Wipe out their bloodline. Sky’s intake of breath and the way he clutched Storm’s shoulder quietened the angry shout within the Dragon’s mind. He sighed and leaned into Sky, kissing his forehead.

  “The queen and her scheming daughter. And anyone else who was directly involved.”

  Sera bowed and disappeared in the shadows. The others, an almost catatonic Cloud, the silent king who hadn’t moved or said anything more than a whimper or a moan, Sky who could barely hold himself up from his persisting exhaustion, were all left there, all needing Storm to fix everything.

  Storm’s anger still simmered, the pain of the betrayal coming from some close to him making it worse. His father standing there, not doing anything, allowing all of this to happen in the first place, should have infuriated him more, but the man looked so defeated. Almost unrecognizable to Storm, to whom the King of Vis had always seem like an all-powerful giant. This man broken by a scheming bitch’s death was that almost god-like ruler that had forced Storm into a warmongering life. And now, like everyone else, he was waiting for Storm to take the lead and clean up the mess.

  Storm silently got Sky and Cloud into bed, watching over them as they curled together. He got his father to a chair and helped him sit down. When they were all settled, Storm left the room and went to find his men. A couple were sent to handle the queen’s body and arrange for a quick funeral the next day. Another was asked to clean the blood in Storm’s bedchamber, and two more were sent to find a spare bed and set it in the room adjoining Storm’s. His desk had to be moved, but at least the king wouldn’t be alone or unprotected. Until Storm had a better grasp on who was involved and what drove them to betray their kingdom, none of them were safe.

  When it was all done, Storm got into bed next to Sky. Cloud, who’d been curled in Sky’s arms, silently crying, lifted her head and looked at Storm. She swallowed with some effort and cleaned the tears and snot from her face with the back of her sleeve.

  “Where will I be sent?” she asked, biting her lower lip.

  “Sent?” Storm scrunched his forehead and tried to think. Tired and emotionally drained as he was, his mind wasn’t at his sharpest. Did Cloud think she’d be asked to spy again? “Why would I send you anywhere? You did great work, Cloud. You uncovered a troubling conspiracy. But you are Vis’s princess, not a spy.”

  Sky’s elbow hit Storm’s side and lodged itself into his ribs, causing massive pain. Storm yelped, and fumbled a little. “Unless you really want to be a spy, then we’ll… see about it.”

  Cloud smiled and her eyes filled with more tears. Shit, this wasn’t going very well. Storm was quite terrible at comforting his sister. Especially since she’d never really needed him to comfort her.

  “I meant where will I be exiled to. Please, anywhere but Estas.”

  “Why the hell would I exile my own sister?”

  “Because I am the daughter of a traitor,” she said, her voice void of any nuance.

  “Cloud,” Storm whispered and tightened his arms around her. “You are my sister, my father’s daughter. And I love you.”

  “Half-sister,” she mumbled.

  The word was foreign to Storm. He knew what it meant, of course, but he’d never thought of Cloud like that. Menace, sure. Pest, even more often. But she was his sister and he’d rather lose an arm than hurt her for something her foul mother had done.

  “I am sorry you’re her daughter. But that’s burden enough for you without anyone else making it worse. You are never going anywhere, Cloud. Unless you choose to leave, Vis is your home. And I am your blood. No halves or buts about it.”

  Cloud hugged him tighter and nodded. She was still crying, but she’d relaxed. A moment later she pushed herself up. “I’ll go to my rooms. You are exhausted, both of you. I should not impose. “

  Storm ruffled her hair and then picked her up, dropping her from where he’d taken her earlier. “Sleep here tonight. We all need to stay together, keep each other safe.”

  Cloud nodded, relief washing over her face. She then relaxed into the pillows, and passed out in a heartbeat.

  “I am so sorry she had to go through that,” Sky whispered, turning to face Storm.

  Storm rolled his eyes and kissed Sky’s lips. “I am the one who is sorry. I should have taken you with me. None of this would have happened.”

  Sky shook his head and cupped Storm’s face. “I am glad you didn’t. We
might see it now as having gone through hell. But can you imagine? What it would have been like to live with that snake among us?”

  Storm sighed and pulled his husband closer. Sky was right, they were all relatively unscathed, if one overlooked the emotional bruises. The devil looming in the shadows of Vis was gone. All that was left? Her minions.

  CHAPTER XVIII

  The Hearth Rebuilt

  A FEW WEEKS AFTER being saved, Sky was still feeling the aftereffects of his abduction. Every night he woke up in a cold sweat, screaming and fighting faceless assailants trying to rape him. Every night, Storm was there to comfort him. Kiss him, hold him, lull him back to sleep. Storm had been safely attached to Sky ever since they’d returned, more so after discovering the former queen’s betrayal. Now, with the king ruling only in name, Storm was the one forced to make all decisions. Cloud had helped as much as she could, Sky too, but the most they could do was babysit Vis’s king and make sure he put his sigil on everything Storm needed.

  Wherever Sky went, Storm’s elite were following. Sky didn’t need them, he could defend himself, but Storm insisted. “Just one more day, love, for me. Please? I need you to be seen as untouchable. Prevent more traitors from trying to harm you.” Sky caved. If that brought Storm’s peace of mind, why not? It never was for too long. Storm would find a way of keeping Sky close, as if no one else, not even the Dragon’s best warriors, were fit to protect Sky.

  Despite Storm’s genuine care, Sky missed his husband. Even when they were in bed, so close to each other, Sky could feel Storm’s heartbeat, echoing in his own chest, Sky sensed this hard to describe space between them. On a spiritual level, they were closer than ever. The distance was physical. And it all came from Storm’s refusal to make love to Sky. Every time things progress beyond chaste kisses, Storm would pull back. He wouldn’t even let Sky pull him on top.

  Sky wasn’t oblivious. He knew this stemmed from Storm’s fear of triggering any bad memories from Sky’s captivity. Had it been anyone else, Sky would have probably been sent back to that cold, dirty tent. But this was Storm, Sky’s everything, the person that made him feel safest.