Perfect Storms (Storms of Blackwood Book 4)

by Elle Middaugh

  When he was finished, Rob led us back to where Peter and Malik stood chatting with Taron, Tamara, Bria, and Orion. Malik was jitterier than I'd ever seen. His legs bounced. His hands fiddled with his armor. His fangs dug into his bottom lip with worry.

  "Any news on Rosie and the baby?" I asked, smiling timidly.

  His leg bounced even harder, the poor guy. "Yeah, the midwife just spoke to us about an hour ago. Rosie's doing great, but the baby still hasn't arrived."

  I reached out and touched his arm. "She'll do fine. Nothing to worry about."

  He nodded and did his best to calm his legs. It worked. A little. Okay, maybe not.

  "Somebody get poor Malik a drink!" Rob shouted. A moment later, at least eight mugs of beer surrounded the vampire.

  Malik chuckled and took two, one for each hand, thanking them all for their kindness and generosity. Then he chugged them—like, literally, both of them, right in a row. It kind of made me want to vomit just watching him. I hoped he didn’t puke; it couldn’t be fun regurgitating something that hadn’t even reached body temperature yet.

  "She’ll be fine, Malik," Bria said, seeming to agree with me. "I’m sure they have her hidden away along with the children, the injured, and the elderly. No enemy will reach her. And no misfortune will befall her. I gave her a vial of ‘luck’ right before we left."

  He smiled, incidentally revealing his pointy teeth. "Thank you so much. I’m sure she appreciated that."

  It was a small gesture, but one that felt monumental. We were getting along—not just as allies, but as friends—and it felt good, felt right. Like this was the kind of world we should be living in, instead of what we had been. It gave me so much hope for the future… if only we could win the war.

  We made small talk here and there, and time flew by. Peter, Malik, Taron, and Tamara wandered off elsewhere. Rafe drifted in, entertaining everyone with hilarious stories from Werewood. And before I knew it, Rob, Barret, Veda, and Verron had joined our circle.

  Barret cocked his head, grinning in slight disbelief. "Well, there's a tent out there. I watched them setting it up for the past fifteen minutes or so."

  Rob scanned our faces. A solemn yet anxious energy swirled in the gray depths of his eyes, mirroring my own emotions. "Then, let's get this meeting started, shall we?"

  Chapter 17

  I pulled back the tent's curtain and blinked, mildly staggered by the scene before me.

  The inside was more spacious than the outside had hinted at, and a subtle pink glow illuminated the space, giving it an almost romantic feel. A silk crimson blanket was spread out on the floor, and plush pillows dotted the place, acting as makeshift chairs.

  As if that weren't enough, Blane, Camilla, and Zane were in the middle of a three-way make-out session, completely oblivious to our arrival.

  I cleared my throat and crossed my arms, trying my hardest to keep from chuckling. Or getting turned on. I might've failed at both.

  Camilla sat up and straightened her hair while the twins adjusted their junk, so they weren't saluting us with their cocks the whole meeting.

  "Storms," she said a bit breathlessly. "We waited for a while, but we weren't sure you'd come."

  I grinned. "So, you figured you would instead?"

  "I had every intention of making her come," Blane muttered darkly.

  Chuckling, I glanced around our group, which was actually quite large in comparison. My guys and I looked relaxed as ever. Bria and Orion were smiling, but their features were tense. Veda glared—as was typical of her—while Verron and Barret remained expressionless.

  Rafe, though... he looked like he'd just swallowed a hot coal. Sweat broke out across his brow, and he kept gulping like he couldn't quite breathe.

  "You all right?" I asked him under my breath.

  He turned to me, eyes wide, and shook his head.

  He wasn't clutching at his throat or thrashing around, so I assumed there was no immediate danger, but still, he was worrying me.

  "What's wrong?"

  "I don't know," he whispered back, glancing over to our foreign... friends? enemies? I didn't even know. Blane and Zane exchanged a curious glance but said nothing.

  I frowned but figured it could probably wait until after the meeting was finished.

  Camilla cleared her throat and adjusted her gown. "Please, take a seat. If you can in all that armor. You look good in metal, you guys, but are you seriously planning on fighting?"

  I sat down and crossed my legs beneath me. My metal clanked but the joints were spacious enough to allow me to move freely. "Aren't you?"

  Camilla gestured to her gauzy pink gown. "In this? Hell no. Besides, if something happens to us, who would rule our kingdoms? I thought for sure you'd be smart enough to think the same."

  Rob chuckled darkly and ran a hand through his hair. He was still standing. "We didn't want to go down without a fight. And we didn't want the people to fight for us but not beside us, so we made the decision to suit up."

  "A stupid decision," Zane declared immediately in a casual tone. It seemed he wasn't trying to pick a fight, just stating his opinion, but Rob glared anyway.

  Camilla picked up on his attitude right away. "Oh, give it a rest, Storm. He's right. You guys shouldn't be fighting in this war. Your people need you alive if you're going to overthrow King Zacharias and bring peace to your kingdom. Unless that's no longer the plan?"

  "No, that's definitely still the plan," Cal assured her, moving from one leg to the other. "If we survive this battle first."

  Blane chuckled. "Which you would if you simply sat out the fight."

  Dan smirked. "I suppose that's the difference between demigods and siren pussies."

  Blane rolled his eyes, seemingly unfazed.

  "Oh, can we just stop the bickering?" Camilla asked, irritation creeping into her tone. "We didn't come here to argue; we came here to talk."

  "About what, exactly?" I asked, stretching my legs out and crossing my feet at the ankles.

  She turned to me and smiled. "You really do look like a total badass. I'm a little jealous."

  I grinned. "Why, thank you. You don't think the golden armor clashes too much with the golden ax?"

  "You can never have too much gold."

  I laughed. "Spoken like a true royal."

  I waited for a moment. She hadn't forgotten my question—I could practically see her chaotic thoughts buzzing around inside her skull—but she had strategically avoided answering it so far.

  "Wine?" she asked, gesturing to a tall, glass jug that was three-quarters of the way full.

  I held up my hand in declination. "No, thank you."

  She offered the rest of my group, but they too declined. Our previous plan still stood—no getting drunk. We needed to be ready in case King Thane didn't keep his word. Or hell, even if he did, we needed to be fresh in the morning.

  Finally, Camilla sighed.

  "Just tell them what you're thinking, love," Zane said, stroking a finger across Camilla's cheek.

  I swear to the gods I heard a small growl escape Rafe's throat. I turned to him and shot him a what the fuck? look, but he seemed just as confused as me. He shrugged, and I rolled my eyes, bringing my attention back to the Eristani princess.

  This time, Blane and Zane chuckled.

  "Aww, he’s feeling territorial," Blane teased in an adoring tone.

  Zane nodded, his dark eyes sparkling with humor. "Ah, I remember my first time feeling protective."

  Camilla and I both shot them a curious glance, but they didn’t bother elaborating. Neither did Rafe.

  "This war is pointless and unnecessary," she eventually said. "What's the point in letting us slaughter each other now, so that we can hopefully become allies later? Why not just become allies now and save all the bloodshed?"

  Was she hinting at a change of heart? My pulse was racing. This could be monumental for the war. It could stop the war.

  I narrowed my eyes on her, not daring to get too hopeful. "Yeah,
that was the point we were trying to make weeks ago when we met you in Mahana on Tikaree Island. But you couldn't convince your fathers to change course, and you refused to overthrow them, so..."

  "It was all talk before," she said softly, staring off into the distance of nowhere. "But as soon as the armies assembled and people started dying... it suddenly became real, and awful. I can't just sit back and let it happen. I can't. What kind of ruler would I be? What kind of person would I be if I did?" She shook her head.

  I was feeling faint. My heart raced so hard I was burning through oxygen at an astounding rate. My fingers shook, scraping against the metal of my armor.

  "What are you saying?" I asked her—just to be sure. I didn't want to assume anything.

  She sighed heavily. "I'm saying that... I want to take a stand. You guys mentioned wanting to overthrow your king. Have you made any progress on that front?"

  My guys nodded, and Cal spoke. "We made our claim to the throne official when the Storm King laid waste to an entire village of innocent people. He needs to be stopped. He knows as soon as we're finished here, we're coming for him."

  Camilla nodded and glanced at Blane and Zane, who smiled encouragingly. She turned back to us. "I know we love and respect our parents, but that doesn't mean we have to follow blindly while they make shitty choices and ruin people's lives. We can stand up and do what's right. We should stand up and do what's right. And we will."

  "When?" I asked.

  I was almost too breathless to speak. This was everything I could have hoped for.

  "Tonight." She smiled faintly, but determination was the main look on her face, not reluctance. Pride. Respect. Honor. She looked pure and true and stunning. I'd never felt so connected to her, so in tune with her, as I did right then.

  "Camilla, I freaking love you." I crawled over and wrapped her in a hug.

  She immediately hissed and shrank away from me. "Gods, that armor is cold!"

  "Sorry," I apologized, quickly pulling it off. When I was in my plain black underarmor once more, I tried again, throwing my arms around her and squeezing her tight.

  "Are you sure you're okay with this?" I heard Cal ask from behind us. He must've been talking to the twins.

  They chuckled. "This woman means everything to us," Zane explained. "If she wanted the moon, we would pluck it from the very sky. If she wants us to rule and send our fathers on a permanent vacation to King's Isle, then so be it."

  "Besides," Blane continued, "she's right. We already admitted that we didn't agree with our parents' choices. We just didn't want to overthrow them. Things have changed now, though. We can see the error in that initial decision."

  I let go of Camilla and smiled. "I'll take that glass of wine now."

  "Yes, girl!" She happily poured me a glass and then filled one up for herself.

  "How many supporters do you think you'll have?" Rob asked, crossing his armored arms. "How many of King Thane's soldiers will step down at your request?"

  Blane shrugged casually. Zane ventured a guess. "At least a quarter, perhaps half. At any rate, that tips the scale in your favor considerably."

  "Will you support us?" Camilla asked, holding her glass out to me. "When we make our claim to the throne, will we have Blackwood's backing?"

  I turned to my guys, trying to gauge their emotions—excitement, hope, hesitation, worry, curiosity, and relief. Hesitation and worry were coming from Cal and Rob, of course. They were the hardest nuts to crack at any given time.

  "Cal, Rob," I said gently. "What are you thinking?"

  Cal carefully folded his hands behind his back and straightened his posture. "I'm thinking... Blackwood is in no condition to be offering support—considering we're literally in the middle of an international war as well as a revolution."

  I held my breath, waiting on him to finish, hoping there was more he had to say.

  "But if we agreed to back you, that would of course, eliminate the probability of the international war."

  "And it would help the revolution, as well," Blane added. "Because you'd then have our support for your own stab at the crown."

  Cal nodded his understanding. "So, ultimately, I think we should accept. I'm just worried about spreading ourselves too thin."

  Rob seemed to agree. "I'm just worried we'll vow to help you guys, and by doing so, we'll be outnumbered in our own revolution—the revolution that really needs to happen most."

  Camilla pursed her lips. I couldn't tell if she was annoyed at Rob's words or if she was just settling in for a serious argument. "King Zacharias is no doubt the evilest of our parents, and therefore the overthrowing that needs to happen most, yes. But the way I see it, my father, King Solomon, and their father, King Thane, need to be overthrown first. If not, then you might be too decimated to take the throne at all."

  "It's less of a supporting and more of a teaming up," Zane explained. "Together, we'll both have the numbers we need to achieve our goals. Alone, neither of us will. We need each other. Face it."

  I re-scanned the faces of my guys and caught Ben nodding from the back of our group.

  "You agree, Ben?" I asked.

  "I do. Statistically, he's right. We won't have the numbers unless we unite. If this war proceeds in the morning, then we will all inevitably lose valuable soldiers, making our individual campaigns even less effective."

  Camilla smirked. "So, it's join together and win or stay apart and lose. Is it even a question?"

  I shook my head. It wasn't for me. It wasn't for Ben, Dan, Ash, or Criss; I already knew they were feeling hopeful about this whole thing. But was it a question for the last two?

  Rob glanced at Cal, and the two of them shared a quiet moment before they both nodded.

  "All right," Rob said. "We're in. We'll make the alliance official."

  Rafe suddenly dropped to his knees at Camilla's feet and took her hand in his. "I would like to humbly offer Werewood's support in your revolution, Princess."

  Camilla looked confused. "Are you serious? That's so awesome, thank you. What would you like in return, though? Surely you're not planning any revolutions?"

  Zane chuckled. "I know what he wants in return."

  "Come here, buddy," Blane said, gesturing to a room off to the side, separated by a flimsy sheet of soft material. "Let's have a little chat."

  "Oh, gods," Dan whispered as the twins and Rafe disappeared behind the curtain. "Another prince who's all about chats."

  Cal chuckled and elbowed Dan in the ribs, their metal suits clanking together.

  "Okay," Camilla muttered, staring after them. She turned toward Bria and Veda. "Any other alliances to tack on to this?" she asked hopefully.

  Veda chuckled. "Not yet. Not from Valinor."

  Verron seemed to agree. "We'd have to clear it with our mother, Queen Valla, first."

  Bria bit her bluish bottom lip, her star-like freckles twinkling gently in the dim light. "I don't know. Hearing you all talk of revolutions... it's dangerous. But also... enthralling. I know my parents are in the wrong. I know they're letting their pride get in the way of their better judgement. But to overthrow them?"

  "Peacefully," Camilla stressed. "We have no intentions of hurting our parents. We just need the numbers in order to force them to pause. Once they no longer have the majority of the control, we can send them to King's Isle."

  "Yeah, about that," I interrupted. "What the hell is King's Isle?"

  But it wasn't Camilla who answered, it was Cal. "It's a sort of retirement villa for kings and queens who are too old to rule and want to live out the rest of their days in peace and simplicity. There are servants who live on the island and tend to their every need, but it's a paradise. Sending them to King's Isle is in no way a bad deal."

  I frowned. "Would we send—"

  "Fuck no," Rob interrupted, knowing exactly what I was getting at. "We're going to rid this world of Zacharias Storm once and for all. He doesn't deserve a happy retirement on an island. He deserves death ten times over."
/>
  Camilla turned back to Bria. "Your parents, however, would make excellent candidates for the isle. Are there not things you wish you could change in your kingdom? Ways to improve the quality of life for you and your citizens?"

  Bria glanced at Orion and blushed, her freckles shining a little brighter. "I would change the marriage rule. I would marry Orion and make it so that any fae can marry anyone—no matter their race or social class."

  Camilla smiled wide, her white teeth sparkling brightly against her desert-tanned skin. "That's an incredible reason to make a change, Bria. Just think of how many lives you could improve, the love you could share and spread. And in exchange for what? Your parents living out the rest of their days in paradise? That's hardly a downgrade, if you ask me."

  She pursed her lips, watching her pale blue fingers as they bounced atop her dress. "I'll have to think on it a bit longer, I'm afraid. That's a huge decision, one I don't want to make lightly."

  Camilla nodded her acceptance, just as Rafe and the twins reentered.

  Blane patted the werewolf on the back and grinned, while Zane clapped his hands and rubbed them together anxiously. "So, what are we calling this alliance, anyway?"

  "How about the Black-Were-Hydra alliance?" Ash suggested. "Nice and simple, but to the point."

  Dan hummed. "Maybe the Next Generation Alliance? That way any other younger royals who want to join in could be included?"

  Ben pursed his lips. "Or the Royal Progeny Alliance?"

  Personally, I was kind of hoping for a kickass acronym.

  I cleared my throat. "How about the Children of Calloused Kings Alliance?"

  "Fucking Hades, Jewels," Rob muttered just as Dan and Ash burst out laughing.

  "What's wrong with it?" Camilla asked curiously.

  Rob rolled his gray eyes, his smile betraying his mock annoyance. "It'd be the COCK Alliance."

  Blane and Zane immediately cracked the fuck up. "It's settled! That's what we're calling it."

  Camilla laughed and shook her head. "All in favor?"

  "Yes," Dan, Ash, Criss, and Ben said immediately. Soon, Rafe, Rob, and Cal joined the rest of us.