I Am the Storm (The Night Firm Book 2)

by Karpov Kinrade

"This is my home," I say. "My family. Your family."

  He scoffs. "I don't belong here. I'm an outcast to my brothers. And an outsider in this world. But with you, I can be anything. Do anything. You and I are so much stronger together than apart. Can't you feel it?"

  The thing is, I can. I can feel how my magic responds to Cole when he is close to me. How the power within me swells and rises, as if being summoned and magnified. It's a heady feeling, and I want to cling to it. To him. But…to leave? Just like that?

  And then I remember my brother's words.

  That I will be given the chance to leave, and I must take it. I must leave the Night brothers.

  Is this what he meant? Is this the moment that will define my life?

  I haven't seen or heard from my brother since he gave me this ring. I fidget with it as I consider my choices. If my brother truly is seeing the future, then I should leave with Cole. I should start a life with him. And it would be an amazing life, I do believe that. But it would mean saying goodbye to Liam, to Liam's daughter who has become like my own, to Sebastian, and Derek, and Elijah, all of whom I have growing feelings towards. To Matilda and Lily. The Ifrits. All of my friends here.

  I haven't had time to give it much thought, but I've just realized how much I have here. How many roots I've put down. How many people I would miss, beyond just the men I'm falling in love with.

  This is the moment I must decide if I truly believe my brother's visions.

  If I leave with Cole, then it means I believe what my brother did by killing Mary and the baby truly will have saved many lives.

  If I stay…does that mean I am saying I don't believe my brother? Which means he wasn't justified in killing them, and that makes him…evil? Or insane, but then very dangerous.

  How can I decide this, right here, right now? How can I possibly have enough knowledge and wisdom to weigh those possibilities?

  "Eve?" Cole's voice is broken.

  And it breaks me.

  Tears stream down my face. "Stay. Just stay. Let us all be a family. Your niece needs you. And whether they know it or not, your brothers need you."

  I step forward and wrap my arms around his waist. "I need you."

  "You don't know what you're asking," he says. "You don't know who I really am."

  "Then stay and show me," I say. "Or stay and change. Each moment we get a chance to redeem ourselves. To reimagine who we choose to be. Use this moment now. Whatever is in your heart, whatever pain, whatever anger, whatever demons, let it go. And stay."

  He kisses me and smiles. "You're truly a remarkable woman, Eve. I didn't expect you in my life."

  And then he leaves, and I realize he never did promise he'll stay. I can only hope my words take root within him. This family needs to heal. And none of them can do that if Cole leaves.

  The next day there is a flurry of activity as we all ready for the party. Elijah comes to my room with a long silver box. I open it and find a gorgeous red velvet dress perfectly sized for me. "Wow! Thank you."

  "It compliments your complexion," he says, and then kisses my cheek and leaves quickly, as if slightly embarrassed.

  Lily comes to my aid, helping me dress and style my hair. I study myself in the mirror and twirl around, smiling. It's a melancholic smile, with the looming threat of trial the next day, but I'm determined to enjoy the time we have tonight, with dear friends and family.

  I wonder if Adam will show up again, or if I've seen my brother for the last time. I have no way of contacting him. No way of getting a message to him. No way of knowing if he's dead or alive. Can he even die? I have no way of knowing that, either.

  Lily curls my hair and folds it into an updo, with soft ringlets let down around my face, and red holly tucked into the braid.

  I stain my lips red and line my eyes with kohl, and then Lily and I walk down, arm and arm. She's dressed in green, and together we look quite festive.

  I'm relieved to see Cole by the front door with his brothers as they greet guests.

  Ifi and Elal arrive first, and the two Ifrits greet us quickly then make a beeline straight to the baby. Matilda hands her over and the two of them nearly set the house on fire with their excitement. I'm about to warn them to be careful with Alina, when she throws a fireball and one of them catches it and tosses it back to her.

  Liam laughs and Matilda clucks her tongue. "We really need to come up with a spell to ward off fire damage, with all you fire elements running around." She looks meaningfully at Liam and me, and the Ifrits both raise their eyebrows. Ifi thrusts his hip out and shakes his finger at me. "Girl, you are holding out. You got fire power now?"

  I laugh and hold up my palm, producing a single, perfect flame in it. Then I aim at the candles lining the mantle over the fireplace and light all five of them at once. Not a single one melts on contact.

  Liam claps, a huge smile on his face. "You've been practicing."

  I nod. "Yes."

  A knock on the door draws everyone's attention and Kana the Kitsune enters in her beautiful woman form. Her long, glossy black hair flows unbridled down the back of her floor-length, silver evening gown. As soon as she sees me, she checks that I'm wearing the amulet she gave me, and nods when she sees the crystal pendant with the fox carved into its face hanging at my collarbone.

  Elijah offers his elbow and escorts her into the ballroom where we've set up tables of food and drink. It turns out the ghosts of the castle included some musicians, so we enjoy a haunted concert, as a cello, piano, bass, viola, and violin all begin to play as if on their own.

  Akuro and Okura arrive next with their bundle of joy, and the Ifrits squeal in delight at another baby. The two couples head into the ballroom with the babies to let them play together.

  Lily hasn't joined in the festivities and I notice she keeps glancing at the door. I find out why a few minutes later when Kaya arrives, wearing a gold dress that compliments Lily’s. They both smile beatifically when they see each other, and they move into the corner to talk, holding hands the whole time.

  I'm grinning from ear to ear like an idiot when Liam walks over to me and slips his arm around my waist. "You look happy, love," he says, kissing my cheek.

  "I like seeing Lily happy," I say, nodding to her and Kaya.

  Liam raises an eyebrow. "She does indeed look happy." He smiles. "Good for her."

  He turns back to me, his face becoming more serious. "Can I talk to you? Alone?"

  "Sure," I say, following him out of the ballroom and into the library. "What's up?"

  He closes the door behind us and pulls out a parchment, handing it to me. "I want you to have this, in case…well, just in case."

  My stomach drops as I realize what he's doing, and I squeeze the parchment in my fist, resisting the urge to give it back to him. Tears sting my eyes. "We are going to win. You're going to be fine."

  "Maybe," he says. "But, maybe not. There's a strong chance I don't come out of this well. If that happens, I need to ask you the biggest favor I've ever asked anyone."

  I try to swallow, but my mouth and throat have suddenly dried out. "What?"

  "Take care of Alina. Adopt her. Be her mother. If I know she has you, I can face whatever is coming."

  Now the tears flow, and I pull Liam into a hug, clinging to him as if the fierceness of my love is enough to save him. "You know I'll always take care of that little girl," I say. "Always."

  Liam pulls back to study me. "Even if I'm found innocent, I'd…I'd still like you to adopt her. To officially become her mother, if you're willing. You're the only mother she has."

  I can't speak. My heart is flooding with emotion, my body viscerally moved by his trust in me, by this shared bond that is so heavy and yet so light all at the same time. "Are you sure that's what you want?" I ask.

  He nods. "More than anything. I want you and I want her. The two of you are my family."

  He kisses me deeply and it feels as if it might be the last time we ever kiss like this again, though I know that's not p
ossible. We have time before the trial. Time to steal more kisses and hold each other and talk about the future with his daughter. Our daughter.

  It's a perfect moment.

  Until it isn't.

  A warning flash hits me first, sending a wave of dizziness through me.

  Then a loud crash coming from the hall startles us both into action. When Liam and I run out, we see the front door has been beaten down and Enforcers swarm into the castle led by Dath’Racul. He tips his head at me, "Miss Oliver." His eyes narrow when he sees Liam.

  "We have a warrant to search this property." He hands Liam a scroll, and Liam studies it, singeing the edges with his fire.

  I read over his shoulder and my blood runs cold.

  They had a tip. The egg is somewhere in the castle, and once they find it, any defense we might have had falls apart.

  The Lie

  How does something that set fire to your heart suddenly chill your bones? ~Nikita Gill

  Enforcers immediately begin to spread out, roughly handling priceless antiques as they search in the most unlikely places.

  "The egg, which is the size of a medium built dog, is not hiding in a vase the size of my first," I say, grabbing the ancient hand-painted relic from an Enforcer's hand. "Are you here to destroy everything, or to actually attempt to find a dragon egg?" I ask.

  Matilda, Lily, the other brothers, the Ifrits, the Kitsune, the Gargoyles and the Dryad all come to the hall after hearing the commotion. The baby is crying and the Enforcers look at each other, uncomfortable with the presence of a child, clearly.

  Derek steps forward, frowning. "What's the meaning of this, Racul? You know we don't have the egg."

  The fire dragon shrugs. "Then you shouldn't have any problem with us taking a look around."

  My flash is still pinging in my brain, but I don't need my flash to know something smells off about this whole thing. I grab Derek's hand and pull him into another room while the others continue asking questions and generally work to keep the Enforcers from making much progress in their search.

  "This is a set up," I tell Derek in a whisper. Who knows what kinds of creatures the Enforcers are, or how well they can hear.

  "I assume so as well."

  "Which means, the egg is here. Someone is framing Liam. We have to find the egg and get rid of it before they do, or there's nothing we'll be able to say to exonerate Liam."

  Derek nods.

  "You know the castle better than me. It will be somewhere that looks like it's been hidden, but not so hidden that these idiots won't find it," I say.

  "The Enforcers may be idiots, but don't underestimate Dath'Racul. He's shrewd and brilliant."

  I narrow my eyes. "So am I."

  Derek smiles at that. "That you are."

  We head to my room where I get my sketchbook and turn to the pages I drew when I first arrived here, of all the halls and rooms and secret passages I could find in the castle. Derek whistles under his breath. "I'm not sure you're assessment is correct," he says.

  "About what?"

  "I don't think I know this castle better than you. That's the most thorough map I've ever seen."

  "Let's hit up all the bedrooms as fast as we can, then head to the more remote areas."

  We work quickly searching through each room—my god there are so many—and tracking our progress on my drawing. We search Liam's room more thoroughly since that would be an extra nail in the coffin if it's found in there. But…nothing.

  We then head down to the lower levels, to where Lily's tree lives, to places that used to be prisons and give me the chills to be in. Moon follows at our heels, as if he understands what we're doing and wants to help.

  We can hear the Enforcers hitting the places as we leave them.

  When our search yields nothing, I sigh, then have a light bulb moment and grab Derek's hand. "I think I know where it is."

  We've been to all the main levels, and we've been below. The only place we haven't checked is up. The stairway that winds up the tallest tower is dark and narrow, and the higher we go, the less covering we have from the storm that's brewing. Wind and rain pelt us as we reach the top platform. At first it appears we've reached another dead end, but then, in the corner, I see a trunk that wasn't here before. I show Derek, who walks over and tries to open it. "It's locked."

  Derek is water, and that's not going to help us right now. "Stand back," I say, praying I have enough control for this. Because if the egg is in there, and I mess up, well, I can't think too much about that without having a panic attack.

  I definitely do not want to kill a baby dragon. That's for sure not on my list of things to ever do.

  I pull up the fire in me and direct it into the metal lock, heating it up until it's so hot it cracks, falling off. Derek reaches for it, but I hold him back. "You'll burn yourself."

  Instead, I grab it and pull it open, knowing I am now immune to fire. My powers are growing.

  And just as I suspected. Within the chest is the pulsing silver blue egg of the water dragon. I can feel the life growing within, and I lay a hand on it and close my eyes, letting the feeling of bliss from this little being wash over me.

  A zapping sound startles me and Derek yelps and falls to the ground. I spin around, stunned to see Derek unconscious. I run to him and hold his head in my lap, trying to revive him. I'm about to slit my wrists to feed him when a voice stops me.

  "Eve, leave him. He is not badly injured. He will wake and be fine."

  I look up at Adam and frown. "What are you doing here? Why did you attack Derek?"

  Laying Derek gently on the ground, I stand, facing my twin. "What's going on, Adam? Did you steal the dragon egg?"

  "I had to," he says, with the same conviction he used to defend his murder of Mary and her child. "This is all happening the way it needs to. The Enforcers must find the egg. Liam must take the fall. If he doesn't…"

  "What? What happens if Liam isn't blamed for a crime he didn't commit?" I ask, my patience for all this nonsense wearing thin.

  "You die," he says. "You, the baby, all the other brothers, Matilda, Lily and her tree…you all die. You burn to death."

  I shake my head. "That's impossible. I have the fire element in me. So does Alina. She and I can't burn to death."

  He shrugs. "I've seen it, Evie. It happens. Or it would have, if I hadn't intervened. Whatever leads up to it, somehow this particular fire destroys you all. And when Liam discovers what he's done, he takes his own life. This way is better, for him and for all of you. You must let it happen."

  "You want me to believe that we should play god with people's lives based on visions of a future that may or may not happen?" I ask. "I can't do that. It isn't right."

  "You have always been so caught up with doing the right thing, you've never stopped to ask yourself where this idea of right and wrong even came from. Or if it even makes sense." He runs a hand through his hair and sighs. "Isn't it a greater good to save many, even if it means sacrificing a few?"

  I shake my head, stepping back. "This doesn't feel right."

  "Come with me, Evie. Let's leave. Together. Just you and me. Us against the world, like it always used to be." He holds out his hand, his eyes pleading. "I can't do this without you. We are stronger together. We always have been."

  My heart stops. When it beats again, it fills my head with the sound. Everything slows. My breathing hitches. And then…everything falls into place and I swallow a bitter truth that cracks me open and leaves me shredded.

  Adam has been pushing me to leave the Night Firm.

  He showed me the Memory Catcher, which he knew would create conflict with Liam and the other brothers.

  The demon the Collector subjected me to said, "Nothing is at it appears. Least of all fate's twins."

  And the other night at the ball, Cole used shadow magic to change his features.

  I want to deny the truth I feel in my own soul, but I can't.

  "You're not Adam, are you…. Cole?"


  Adam sighs and a black mist floats over him. When it clears, Cole stands in his place. "I'm impressed you figured it out. Most people only see what they want to see."

  "I never wanted to see my brother turn into murderer," I say, spitting out the words. "How could you lie to me like that, then sleep with me?"

  "I never wanted to hurt you," he says. "You are collateral damage in a much larger war."

  "That's all I am? Collateral damage? All in an effort to punish your brothers? To punish Liam?" I feel crushed inside, but I can't give into my despair just yet. There's still the egg, and the Enforcers. "Don't you understand that Liam's been punishing himself for years? He's the one who wanted to make amends. He's a father now. He has a little girl who needs him."

  Cole's face twists into an ugly smile. "They will be here at any moment," he says. "They'll arrest Liam. Hell, they'll probably arrest all of my brothers. You should leave with me now, Eve, so you don't get caught up in this mess. I still mean what I said. I need you. We are stronger together."

  "The memory you showed me… did you kill Mary and the baby looking like my brother?" My only comfort in this moment is that my brother is still the man I carry in my memories. The man who couldn't hurt a fly, who was too gentle and kind for his own good. Cole nearly took that away from me.

  "No," he says. "I didn't kill them. That memory was fake, created by shadow magic." He steps forward. "You could do so much with your power, Eve. I can show you. You have no idea what you're capable of with all the elements in you."

  I still feel drawn to him, despite everything that he's done, and it kills me to pull away, to deny my feelings, to go against this pull that has entranced me since I first saw him at the festival.

  "How did you know how to be Adam so perfectly?"

  "Your dreams," Cole says. "He lives in your dreams and I can dream walk."

  "What about the guard? The basilisk?" I ask. "You killed her. She was your partner and you killed her."

  He shakes his head. "No. Ethne was supposed to live. She injured herself to look innocent and was meant to keep her cover. My guess is one of the dragons killed her for failing to protect the egg."