by Anna Hackett
She was dropped on the ground and she rolled several times. Suddenly, the white stallion charged through the wind and flames.
Right at Riley.
Lorenzo ran, his heart lodged in his throat. He wasn’t a helpless boy anymore and Riley was his. He threw his arms out.
His wind slammed into the horse, sending it off balance.
But one hoof still hit Riley and sent her rolling.
Lorenzo skidded to his knees beside her. She lay motionless on the ground. Her eyes were closed and her lips were blue.
“No.” With frantic hands, he pressed two fingers to her throat and a palm to her chest. A fluttering pulse tickled his fingers, but her chest was still.
She wasn’t breathing.
Without another glance at the winds, he leaned down and pressed his lips to Riley’s. He forced air into her lungs. He did it again, praying, begging, for her to breathe on her own.
“Breathe, Riley.” He clutched her face in his hands. “Breathe, damn you.”
She needed air and he was the master of it, yet all he could do was force the tiniest breath into her lungs.
“Please,” he whispered.
When she coughed, dizziness overwhelmed him. He pressed his hands against her chest, and felt it rise and fall.
The sound of clapping had his head jerking up.
The stallions were gone. Four well-built men stood in front of the stables, lit by the morning sun. The one clapping had a tough face and a dark beard. The two men flanking him were tall and lean, one with a fall of silver-blond hair brushing his shoulders, the other had a shaved head.
“A great show, Keeper,” the bearded man said with a final clap. “Nothing like watching a Keeper forsake his duty for love.”
Riley sat up and when she saw the men, she stilled. “The Tempest Winds?”
Lorenzo nodded, failure a heavy load on his shoulders. The Tempest Winds were free.
With an arm across Riley’s back, he helped her to her feet. He pulled her tight against his side, angling his body between her and the men.
“The emotion on your face when she fell was incredible, Keeper. The shock, the anger, the fear.”
Lorenzo stared at the bearded Caecius, the Northeast wind, and leader of the Tempest Winds. He was also the holder of anger, and renowned for his vicious temper.
“Aren’t you going to introduce your friend?” The final man spoke from where he leaned against the stable wall, a smile flirting on his lips. He was striking, with dark hair and a handsome face. He looked like he’d stepped out of a painting by some Italian master. His gaze raked over Riley. “She’s quite a specimen.”
Lorenzo ignored Corus, holder of lust and the Northwest wind. His mind whirled. How far away were his brothers? The winds were free and there was nothing he could do to stop them. The gods help them all.
Caecius looked out into the brightening morning, an eager smile on his face. “I regret we must be leaving now.”
“My brothers will hunt you. You won’t get far.”
One of the men beside Caecius laughed. His too-pretty face and long mane of blond hair told Lorenzo he was Africus, holder of pride and the Southwest wind. “The Warriors of the Wind don’t scare us. We’ve had many years to contemplate how to defeat our rivals. We know their weaknesses.”
A bitter taste filled Lorenzo’s mouth. His brothers were powerful and would hunt down the winds. But he knew that now the Tempest Winds were free, his brothers would be susceptible to the dark vices the wind carried.
The so-far silent man with the shaved head stepped forward—Apeliotus, keeper of greed and the Southeast wind. “Let us leave this place.”
“Not until the Keeper watches his woman die.” Caecius’ eyes glittered.
Lorenzo’s muscles locked and his hands curled into fists. There was no way he’d let them touch Riley.
***
“You kept us imprisoned,” Caecius said. “I have a score to settle.”
“Do your worst, asshole.” Riley stepped forward, fire igniting on her palms. “If you think I’m some hand-wringing damsel, I’ll have to help you reevaluate.”
Then Riley felt a whisper of power along her senses. Her pulse leaped. What was that?
Lorenzo moved closer to her, lowering his voice. “My brothers are close. Help me keep the Tempest Winds busy until they arrive.”
She smiled at her man. “I thought you’d never ask.” She spun and tossed a torrent of fire at Caecius.
With a shout, the man dived out of the way. Wind blew up, harsh and biting, and she watched Lorenzo meet it with his.
“I need some height,” she yelled at him, both her hands glowing.
Lorenzo used his power and lifted her into the air. She kept her arms out. Wow. She felt like she was flying. She threw more fire down at the four Tempest Winds, watching them roll and dive.
Apeliotus sprinted toward Riley and waved his arm. A beam from the ruined stable picked up, flew through the air, aiming right for her. Uh, oh.
Lorenzo moved her and her body jerked. The beam shot past her and she blew out a breath.
But she saw Africus charge at Lorenzo, knocking him down. The wind holding her up cut off and Riley plummeted. She squeezed her eyes closed.
Strong arms caught her. “Oof!”
She looked up into Lorenzo’s strained face.
“You okay?”
She nodded. “Thanks.”
They both looked up and saw the four Tempest Winds closing in on them. Caecius had a dark smile on his face.
Suddenly wind whistled around them and a dark cloud swept in between Lorenzo and Riley, and the Tempest Winds. Hail slammed down around them, hitting the winds but leaving Riley and Lorenzo untouched.
The darkness materialized into a tall, broad-shouldered form.
Luca Venti straightened, wearing dark trousers and a crisp white shirt. His dark hair had a curl to it and fell over a hard-edged face dominated by ice-blue eyes. His intense gaze zeroed in on the Tempest Winds.
“This ends here,” he said in a deep voice that vibrated with power.
Behind the Tempest Winds, three more forms materialized and she recognized the powerful forms of Dante, Antonio, and Soren Venti.
The Venti men all looked alike—olive skin, patrician noses, dark hair curling around their handsome faces—and there was no doubting they were brothers. Lorenzo was more of a loner and more rugged than his brothers. Luca was raw power and liked to be in charge, while Antonio was the charmer with the face of a dark angel. Dante was the easy-going outdoorsman, and Soren was the smart one who lived for wheeling and dealing.
“No, Warrior of the North Wind,” Africus said, smiling. “It is only the beginning.”
“This time you’ll lose this fight,” Caecius drawled. “Past Warriors have only succeeded because they were aided by the Aurae.”
“Aurae?” Riley murmured.
“Keepers of the Seasonal Breezes,” Lorenzo said. “Female warriors with the ability to calm the dark vices of the wind. And potential mates to the Warriors of the Wind.”
“But the Aurae are all gone.” Caecius sounded very sure, his smile mean. “They are dead.”
Lightning split the air with a flash of light and a deafening crack. Riley looked up and saw black clouds boiling and churning overhead.
“Enough.” Luca lifted a hand and then slashed it down. Lumps of hail hammered down at the Tempest Winds like missiles.
Wind blew and the clouds opened, drenching them in rain. Lorenzo pressed Riley to the ground as the Warriors battled the Tempest Winds, shielding her with his body.
“Lorenzo!” Dante’s yell. “The village.”
Riley and Lorenzo looked up, and Riley gasped. A huge tornado was racing across the hills, heading toward the village.
Both of them leaped up, sprinting toward the tempest. They dodged the fighting, pushing against the brutal wind. Lorenzo raised his arms, trying to push the tornado out to sea.
She watched his face turn pale,
lines bracketing his mouth. She pressed her hands to his back. “Lorenzo.”
“Can’t…shift it.” He gritted his teeth and threw his arms out straight. “It’s too strong.”
God, those poor people. She bit her lip. A pained cry was ripped from Lorenzo and when she looked at his face, she saw blood dripping from his nose.
He was killing himself. “Lorenzo!” She spun and saw Luca nearby, the oldest Venti’s eyes were glowing an unearthly blue. “Luca! Help!”
Chapter Nine
Lorenzo pushed everything he had into his wind. He had to stop the tempest. He had to save all those innocent people.
“Lorenzo, stop!”
Fingers digging into his arm. A familiar female voice.
He blinked. Riley.
“Forget the Tempest Winds,” Luca shouted at his brothers. “We all have to work together to stop the tempest heading for the village.”
Lorenzo’s brothers surrounded him, and Riley pressed close to his side. He and his brothers lifted their arms.
Their combined power swirled together and hit the tornado. The wild column wobbled and then was swept off its path and down to the beach. It hit the water, churning and wild. A huge wave rose up and crashed back to the shore spraying them all with water.
Suddenly, there was quiet. Looking up, Lorenzo saw the black clouds dissipating and a streak of sunshine peeking through.
Riley swung around to face him, her soaked hair was plastered to her head. “Are you okay?”
He nodded and checked her over. “You?” It would be a long time before he stopped seeing her lying motionless on the grass, not breathing.
Then she stiffened and looked over her shoulder. “They’re gone.”
He followed her gaze. The Tempest Winds were gone. He looked to the sky. “There.” He pointed to the north.
A stream of darkness marred the sky, like a cloud of dark insects.
“We’ll go after them,” Luca said. “We’ll hunt them down.”
Lorenzo closed his eyes. He’d failed. He’d let them escape.
Luca clamped a hand on his shoulder. “They were too strong, mio fratello. Stromboli gave them too much power.”
He nodded but he knew the situation was grim. “Something’s different this time, Luca. They’re more cunning, they’re thinking, planning.”
“They will split up,” Luca said. “They always do. They’ll be less powerful alone and easier for us to catch.”
“They mentioned the Aurae,” Lorenzo said. Their mother had been Aurae, but she’d gotten sick when they were all young and died. Their father had still grieved for her before his own death.
Luca nodded, his jaw tightening. “I have had people searching…we’ve had no contact with any Aurae for almost thirty years.”
Dread trickled into Lorenzo. Since their mother had died.
“So they’ve died out?” Dante asked.
“I don’t know,” Luca said. “But it doesn’t matter, we will stop the Tempest Winds.”
“Luca,” Soren said. “The vices the winds carry will start to affect us. It was only the Aurae that enabled past Warriors to win against the Tempest Winds.”
“We will stop them.” Luca’s tone was unyielding. His blue gaze settled on Lorenzo. “In the meantime, rebuild your island, Lorenzo, and be ready to trap them again.”
Lorenzo nodded. “I will. But first, there is something more important I have to take care of.”
Luca raised a brow. “Oh?”
Lorenzo turned and swept Riley into his arms. She gasped, her hands gripping his shoulders. He took her mouth with his.
The taste of her flooded him and he deepened the kiss. She made a hungry sound, winding her arms around him, and kissing him back.
When he finally raised his head, her face was flushed and she looked a little dazed. He heard his brothers chuckling and Antonio whistled. Even Luca had a small smile on his face.
“I have an announcement,” Lorenzo said.
“You’ve decided being a grouchy loner isn’t the best path in life?” Antonio asked.
Lorenzo shot his brother a mock-scowl. “I’m falling in love with Riley.”
His brothers all smiled and Riley stared at him. “Really?”
He lowered his forehead to hers. “I am. Ti amo, Riley. You’ve filled me with a warmth that was missing from my life.”
She pressed a hand to his cheek. “I love you, Lorenzo. Every grumpy inch of you.”
“Be mine? Show me what our life could be.”
“I’m already yours. And we’ll work out this love thing together.”
Luca cleared his throat and gave Lorenzo a rare smile. “Congratulations. Both of you.”
Lorenzo pulled his woman closer, staring into her smiling face. “Sorry, Luca, you’re going to have to find a new trainer for the American arm of Island of the Wind Estates. This one’s mine.”
***
Riley led the young, feisty colt across the yard, the Mediterranean sun was warm on her skin.
Work was going on all around Isola del Vento to repair the damage the Tempest Winds had left behind. Shiny new fences were up and people crawled all over the largest stable building, hammering and sawing as they replaced the roof.
She took the colt into one of the newly re-built stables and when she headed out, she heard more hammering from nearby. She rounded the building and spied Lorenzo ahead.
Her man was stripped to the waist, working on repairing a fence.
Her heart skipped a beat. It had been two weeks since they’d started their tumble into love with each other, in the middle of a tempest.
She hated that the Tempest Winds were free, and she knew that weighed on him, but the rest of the time, life was pretty darn awesome. They were both gorging on each other, on living and loving, and moving on from the pain and violence of their pasts.
Riley watched him bend down and reach for some nails, enjoying the flex of muscles covered in smooth bronze skin. She smiled. She was pretty sure her Ma would approve.
She headed over to him. “Nothing like a shirtless hunk of Italian sexiness to brighten a girl’s day.”
He turned and smiled. He was doing that more often. Oh, he was still her Signor Orso sometimes—the man had grumpy brooding down to a fine art when it suited him. But she didn’t want to change him. No, she loved him just as he was.
Lorenzo wrapped an arm around her. She pressed her palms to his slick chest. “Hey, you’re all sweaty.”
“Part of the Italian hunk package.” His mouth took hers, hard and sure.
She moaned, sliding her tongue against his. It didn’t matter how many times they kissed, or made love, her desire for him was as hot as a flame.
He pulled back, rubbing his nose against hers. But then she saw his gaze go over her shoulder, looking north toward the mainland and his face turned serious.
Riley knew he worried about his brothers and their dangerous hunt. She’d woken quite a few nights to find him awake and staring out the window.
“They’ll be okay,” she murmured.
“Still no news. Luca and the others are running themselves into the ground hunting.” His tone was dark.
“They’ll find them. I know your brothers, Luca best of all, and my money is on them.”
“The Tempest Winds are stronger this time, Riley.” His dark eyes were troubled. “And they’re starting to spread the vices and affect people.”
She’d seen the news. There were reports of increased riots, assaults and thefts all across Italy.
“It’ll start with Italy and then it will spread.” He shook his head. “It’s affecting my brothers, too. I can hear it in their voices. Luca’s temper is worse than ever, and even easy-going Dante is feeling the taint of pride.”
She tightened her arms around him, offering what comfort she could. “We’ll be here for them, Lorenzo. No matter what.”
He buried his face in her hair and held on.
“Is the Keeper of the Winds not affected by the
vices?” she asked.
“I was affected. You heard the whispers.”
She studied him. “But you fought off the effects quite easily.”
He stilled, his gaze on her face. “You’re right.” Hope leaped in his eyes. “I think I have you to thank for that.”
“Me?”
“Maybe it has something to do with your powers,” he said. “Or it’s possible you have some Aurae blood.”
Her eyebrows rose. “Not that I know of.”
“It could be diluted. But maybe that’s enough.” His face turned considering. “I need to do some research, and see if I can find a way to help my brothers.” He pulled her closer. “Whatever the reason, if you weren’t a confident, stubborn, pushy woman, I would have kept ignoring you.”
She snorted. “I would not have allowed that, Signor Orso.”
He mock-growled, kissing her neck and making her squirm. His hands slid down and cupped her ass, pulling her closer. She felt the hard ridge of his erection against her belly and she jumped up, wrapping her legs around his hips.
Lorenzo walked into the nearest empty stable. He shouldered into an empty stall covered in fresh hay and laid her down.
As she breathed in the familiar scent of hay, he lowered his big body to cover hers. She felt his hands tugging at her jeans.
“Mine,” he said against her skin, his hands shoving her jeans down. “My other half, my perfect match, my mate.”
She gripped his bare shoulders. “Mine.”
Whatever the future brought, they’d face it together. But right now, Riley was ready to make her own tempest with the Keeper of the Winds who’d captured her heart and soul.
---
I hope you enjoyed Lorenzo and Riley’s story!
The stories of the Warriors of the Wind were some of the first stories I ever wrote and published. I wanted to mix action, mythology, and romance into sexy, short reads. I am so excited to have the chance to give them a little polish and release them again.
Warriors of the Wind continues with STORM & SEDUCTION, which contains two novellas, one starring Dante Venti, Warrior of the South Wind, and the other starring Antonio Venti, Warrior of the West Wind. Read on for a preview of the first scenes of both stories in Storm & Seduction.