I Am the Storm (The Night Firm Book 2)

by Karpov Kinrade

  “Ouch,” squeal both the brothers at once. But they don’t fight back. Instead, their faces turn red as they avoid Matilda’s disapproving gaze as much as possible.

  The wind dies down.

  The fire goes out.

  Matilda sighs. "I leave you alone for one moment and look what happens. You turn into naughty schoolchildren.” She turns to Liam. "Lily needs your healing. Are you going to let her die?"

  Liam drops his head. He, at least, has the decency to look ashamed. "No."

  "If I let you go, will you behave?" Matilda asks.

  "Yes," Liam says gruffly.

  "And you?" she asks Elijah.

  “I will,” he says, still looking away. “You know I will.”

  She sniffs and lowers her hands, releasing both brothers. "You both need to cool off and clear your heads. And don't you dare use your powers against each other in this house again!”

  “Yes, Matilda,” they say in unison, rubbing at their ears.

  “Now that you’re done being idiots,” I interject. "Something's wrong. Lily doesn't look any better," I say. "The tree isn't healing."

  Liam frowns. "I need milkweed," he says, looking to Matilda.

  "We are out," she says. "And nothing will be open with all the chaos. But I know someone who will have some. I'll send a message to have them bring it here as soon as they're able."

  I gaze at Liam. "Will Lily be okay?" I ask.

  "I won't know until I get her the potion." He sighs. “In the meanwhile, I’ll do what I can.” He walks back over to the tree and kneels by Lily, placing his hands over her and muttering words I don’t understand.

  "I'll stay with you," I say, but he shakes his head.

  "Go clean up, get some food. You're going to need your strength."

  I look down at my mud and ash and water-soaked dress and realize he's right. I'm a mess. "Okay, but keep me posted?"

  He nods. “Matilda. Can you fetch me the salves from my room? Second drawer?”

  She nods, walking past Elijah. “You should all clean up,” she says to him. "It's going to be a long night."

  Once I strip my ruined gowned off my bruised and tired body, I do the hand motion to turn on the magical waterfall-like shower and step into the stone enclosure. The hot water soothes my tired muscles and washes away the grime that's caked to my skin and in every crevice of my body.

  Closing my eyes, I take a moment to sift through everything that's happened in the last forty-eight hours.

  Winning Dracula's case.

  Jerry's death.

  The emergence of my powers.

  That kiss with Liam.

  The Night brothers choosing life over suicide when their sire bond was broken.

  Liam's child coming to live with us.

  My brother returning from the dead.

  The explosion.

  The injuries.

  Lily almost dying.

  How can so much happen in such a short time? In any given moment, life can change forever, and you'll never know when that change is about to hit.

  How do we get through life with so much uncertainty? So much that's out of our control?

  The worst of all these moments flash in my mind and anxiety creeps into me slowly, overtaking my senses. My heart rate increases, and my body begins to shake. I lean against the stone wall and wrap my arms over my chest, then sink to the floor, letting the fear and pain consume me. Sobs wrack my body and everything in me turns dark until I can't see or feel or hear anything.

  There's nothing around me but emptiness. Black emptiness. I scream but nothing comes out. Panic seizes me. I try to summon the tools to calm myself, but I can’t. It’s too much. It’s all too much!

  But then strong hands grip my shoulders. A soft voice whispers in my ear. My eyes pop open and I look around.

  Derek kneels before me, his body glistening with moisture, his short dark hair spiky and wet, his ocean blue eyes pulling me in. The only thing he wears is a linen towel wrapped around his waist. His expression is cautious, but his gaze is warm, and his eyes quickly trail my body then land once again on my face.

  "Are you hurt?" he asks.

  “I…I don’t know—”

  He moves towards me, closing the distance between us until our bodies are touching. I suck in a breath as I realize just how little stands between our naked flesh. He seems to have the same realization as evidence of his arousal disturbs his towel.

  "I heard you scream," he says.

  "I screamed? I don't remember screaming. I was taking a shower and just… thinking about everything that's happened. I guess…I don't know. It all went black.”

  He raises a hand to cup my face, peering into my eyes. "This is a lot to take in. More than we expected when we hired you. If you regret your choice to work here, to live here, I would understand.” He looks sorrowful…almost ashamed.

  Is he giving me an out? A way to leave all this behind?

  The Night Firm.

  The brothers.

  I have no life to return to, but I could start a new life, I suppose. Manage a company in New York like I used to, or maybe travel somewhere else. Maybe focus on my art. Everything would be fine. Normal.

  But that’s a lie.

  Even if I wanted to leave the Otherworld behind, it would never leave me. Not if I kept having flashes and abilities beyond my control. Not if I knew my brother was out there somewhere, having visions of his own.

  I look Derek in the eyes. My body is practically vibrating, being so near him, and I can't help but close the last breath of space between us, my chest now grazing his ever so slightly. "I don't regret my choices," I say. "But I'm not exactly sure what you thought I was when you hired me.” I think of what I did to Jerry. Of what my brother did…my eyes go to the floor, shame and fear warring within me.

  "My dad always said to stay in the light," I say. "In lumen et lumen. In the light, of the light. What if…" I pause, unsure how to articulate what I've been feeling. "What if he knew that there was something bad in me? Something dark? What if I'm a danger to the firm? To you?" I ask, for the first time expressing the fear that's been building in me since Jerry's death.

  Derek blinks, but instead of answering he leans in and claims my lips with his.

  The kiss is so unexpected it takes my body a moment to figure out what to do. How to respond. But then I return his passion with my own, knowing it's been building for some time. Through all our long nights preparing for Dracula's defense, through our talks about life and hopes and dreams, through the days of fear that he and his brothers wouldn't be here after the trial.

  He pulls me closer to him, shifting his hand to the back of my head, deepening our embrace as I wrap my arms around his waist and splay my hands across the chorded muscles of his naked back. My right palm grazes a wound that hasn't fully healed yet, and though he doesn't flinch, I pull back to look at him, though I regret it the moment our lips are no longer touching. I can still taste him in my mouth. Smokey and minty.

  "I’ve wanted to do that for a long time," he says in a husky voice laced with unspent desire. “Ever since you first walked into that interview.”

  “Then why didn’t you?” I ask softly.

  He laughs, and it's a rich, deep sound that reminds me of waves crashing on a shore and the warmth of the sun on my face. The smell of coconut. The taste of salt.

  “I…” His words turn into a painful groan.

  "You're still hurt," I say, tracing the wound on his back. A pink slash from his shoulder to his hip.

  He nods. “It will heal. I would be much worse without your blood flowing through me. Eve…" he whispers my name with reverence and awe, and it melts my insides. "You saved my life.”

  My lips slightly part, my body mesmerized by his voice as I feel his wound throbbing beneath my fingers. “You need more blood.”

  His eyes widen. "We have reserves stashed away. I will be fine."

  But I can feel his need as if it's my own and I tilt my head, exposing
my neck to him in an unspoken invitation. My breath stills as I wait for him to decide.

  And when his lips caress the vein pulsing under my flesh, I sigh in pleasure and close my eyes.

  It only hurts a moment, as his teeth sink into me, but then I am flooded with ecstasy so intense my legs go weak. Derek clutches me closer to him, holding me upright as he drinks deeply. His body rock hard and pressing against my belly through his towel.

  It takes everything in me not to shed the barrier between us and claim him. I run my fingers along his back, feeling his wound fade away, and—

  A knock on the door breaks the spell between us, and Derek pulls back.

  “Hurry up in there,” yells Sebastian. “We need you in the study. Moira Van Helsing is here.”

  Derek leaves the bathroom first. Even after I’m dried and dressed in a cream tunic and dark linen pants, my body still feels swollen with need. But then I recall my recent make-out session with Liam, and I’m not sure how I feel. I want Derek. I want Liam. I want both. So what do I do?

  It's not like poly relationships are unheard of, even in my world, but I've never been in a relationship with more than one guy at a time and I don't quite know the rules. And well…I don’t really have time to figure them out. Not if Moira's here. Not if Liam is hell-bent on making the Van Helsings pay. This could go south fast.

  I pull my wet hair into a bun then head to the library. When I arrive, Elijah offers me a brandy, chocolate covered strawberries, and a plate full of food. I take the silver tray gratefully and sit on the love seat in front of the large hearth, letting the flames pull the chill from my body. Castles are glamorized in modern media, but no one ever tells you how cold they get. The hanging tapestries and rugs aren't just for decor, but for some semblance of insulation.

  I notice my plate is piled high with foods rich in iron—beef, beans, dried apricot, and a baked potato—and I glance at Elijah who gives me a slightly rueful smile as he takes a seat next to me.

  "If you're going to continue sharing your blood, you need to keep your iron levels up," he says in explanation, slipping his arm around me in protective manner.

  At the moment, we’re the only ones here, and I take comfort in his presence. Elijah is a quiet man. Thoughtful and careful with his words. A quality I appreciate about him, particularly since it's something I lack in myself.

  “Thank you,” I say, trying the potato. I don’t think I’m hungry, but the moment I start eating I discover I'm ravenous, and I clean my plate in record time. Elijah squeezes my shoulder and nods his head approvingly.

  When Derek and Sebastian arrive, Matilda escorts Moira into the study. She's wearing an impeccably tailored dark suit and a crisp blue shirt. Her long blond hair is pulled up in a bun and, as usual, not a hair seems out of place. Despite her outward appearance, one look in her eyes shows how unsettled she is.

  Liam is nowhere to be seen. He must still be helping Lily. Good. His presence would only complicate things right now.

  Moira looks around nervously, clutching a piece of parchment in her hand.

  Sebastian faces her, his face hard. "Did you come to confess?" he asks harshly.

  She blanches at his tone. "Confess? Whatever for?"

  "For trying to kill us in that explosion!" he says, and I realize though he and Liam butt heads all the time, they’re more alike than they want to admit. It actually warms my heart to see Sebastian taking his brother's side, even if it is escalating the situation.

  “We didn’t try to kill you,” says Moira. “We didn’t set the fire. Why would we?”

  "Let’s see…" Elijah says. "Your family hates us, even more so since the death of your despicable brother." His hand tightens around my shoulder with his words, and I shift towards him.

  Moira pales. "That's actually why I'm here. Because…" she fidgets with the paper in her hands. "I'm here because we found the letter Jerry received. The one asking him to go to Dracula's house. I…I wanted to show it to you. To prove he wasn't the murderer."

  It's my turn to lose all the blood in my face. I already know Jerry wasn't guilty of the murders, but the Night brothers do not. They don’t know about Adam. And it sickens me to my stomach.

  Derek approaches Moira and takes the letter, scanning it quickly. "How do we know it's not fake?"

  "You can keep it," she says quickly. "Have it analyzed. Whatever you want to do. It doesn't change anything, I know. But I just…" she stumbles on her words, then turns to me. "I just wanted someone to know that though Jerry could be an asshole, he wasn't a killer. I don't know who murdered Mary and her child, but it wasn't my brother."

  Derek scoffs. "This only proves he wasn't lying about the letter. It doesn't mean he didn't kill them."

  There are tears in her eyes, and despite everything, I feel for her. I stand and take the letter from Derek, reading it over. When I'm done, I hand it back to Moira. "I believe you," I say quietly.

  Everyone looks surprised.

  Especially the Van Helsing. "You…you do?" she asks.

  "Yes. If Derek wants to have the letter examined that's fine, but I don't need to. I believe you." Because I know the truth. And because I know how important it is to believe that your own brother, your own flesh and blood, isn't all evil. And though I can't stand Moira, and she put me through hell on the stand during Dracula's trial, I can't let her believe a lie.

  She's trying very hard not to cry as she clears her throat. "Thank you, Eve. I…I wasn't expecting that."

  I don't know what to say, so I just nod.

  She glances down at her shoes, then back up at me again. "I…I know Jerry hurt you. I know he…" she swallows before continuing. "I know he abused you. You weren't the first and probably wouldn't have been the last. We've been covering up his behavior for too long. I'm…I'm so sorry. You didn't deserve that."

  Now I'm the one fighting tears. I thought I’d processed my shit with Jerry. With the abuse. With his death. But this kind of healing happens in layers, and there’s a shit ton of layers to work through. Just when I think I've got it covered, another wave of emotion hits me. I wonder if I'll ever be rid of that asshole or if he'll always haunt my soul in some way.

  "I appreciate that," I say, keeping my voice calm. She's trying, and I don't want to ignore that, but I also can't just let her think a quick 'sorry' is enough. She's part of the problem and she needs to own that. We all have to own our part in the trauma we create for others.

  "Listen…Moira, the way you treated me on the stand? The questions you asked me? The victim blaming? Those things weren’t okay. You became complicit in his abuse." My words are harsh, but my tone is soft.

  She bows her head. "I could say I was just doing my job. It would be the truth."

  "Sure," I say, agreeing. "You could say that. But is that the person you really want to be?"

  She shakes her head, and when she makes eye contact with me again, the tears she's been holding back flow freely. "You don't understand what it's like to love someone, to be so close to someone who is capable of such acts. It tore my heart in two. Jerry and I were best friends growing up. How could I turn on him? I thought I could help him. Save him from his darkest impulses. He wasn't all bad." She chokes out her last words, and I do something that surprises both of us. I pull her into a hug.

  "I do understand," I whisper to her. "I do."

  She cries into my shoulder, and the Night brothers watch silently as I console a woman I would have considered my enemy twenty minutes ago.

  Maybe she's still my enemy. We will certainly face each other in court again. Or maybe everyone we meet has a story that would break our hearts, if only we took a moment to hear it. And maybe when we hear those stories, and see those people with new eyes, we will realize none of us are all that different from one another. We all make the best choices we can with what we have. Some of us just have less than others. Some of us have more to lose.

  Some of us can't handle the heartbreak again.

  Eventually her tears dry, an
d I walk her out. Something has shifted between us. How long it lasts or what it will look like another day, I have no idea. But for now, Moira and I see each other in a new light, and I grip her hand before she leaves and squeeze it. I don't have words to offer her, but I think we both share the moment just fine in silence.

  When I return, Elijah stands and pulls me into his arms.

  He isn't the brother I expected to offer comfort, but I accept it. And as we hold each other close, I lose track of time and forget my worries. Even if just for a moment.

  Some time later, Liam joins us. No one mentions the visit from Moira. He's too concerned as it is.

  "Has the milkweed come?" he asks.

  "Not yet," I say. "We're waiting. How's Lily doing?"

  "Not well. But no worse." He walks over to a crib in the corner of the library where Alina is sleeping peacefully, and stares down at her, his eyes softening. "Do you think she dreams? Do you think she knows what happened to her mother and brother?"

  Guilt floods me at his words. Because I know the truth that he doesn't. And the secret is a cancer eating away at my soul. "I think she feels safe here. She feels safe and happy with you," I say honestly.

  He smiles at me, then begins pacing the room as we all wait for the medicine to arrive. I pull out my sketchbook and distract myself with a new drawing. Without thinking, I find myself sketching the mysterious man I saw at the festival. His dark eyes and confident posture. The way he held my gaze with his. The way I felt him calling to me, connecting to me.

  I'm so lost in my drawing that when someone knocks on the door, I nearly break my pencil in surprise.

  I stick it back into my bag and stand. "Lily's medicine?" I ask. It must be. It's been so long.

  Liam dashes to the front door and I follow, hoping desperately that this potion will cure my friend. I can't bear to think of her so injured, burned, after losing her family in a fire. I can only imagine the trauma she's experiencing right now.

  Liam swings open the door. "It's about time!" He barks, then stops short when he sees who's there.