Perfect Storms (Storms of Blackwood Book 4)

by Elle Middaugh

  "Let's go, Firefly," Chrissen encouraged me from the sidelines.

  Dan, Cal, Rob, and Ben nodded knowingly, as if they had complete and utter faith in my ability to kick Asher's competitive ass.

  Come to think of it, he was doing incredibly well for someone who hated losing so badly.

  I guess he just loves me more than he loves winning.

  The thought warmed my chest and cheeks.

  There were other people there too, of course. Gods. Goddesses. The six from Zeus's little sex-prank: Aphrodite, Persephone, Hecate, Hebe, Athena, and Artemis. Plus, some of Dion's brothers: Heracles and Perseus—obviously—but also Apollo, Hermes, and Carius. Hephaestus was also there—the god my predecessor, Rory, had inherited his fire powers from. But the deities were mostly looking at me like they hoped I'd, quite literally, drop the ball.

  "Lexi! Lexi! Lexi!" Dan shouted.

  Half the gods and demigods, despite their smug expressions and silent hopes that I'd crash and burn, actually joined in the chant as well. The other half began cheering for Asher. I had a feeling they just liked being rowdy.

  Okay, okay, I got this.

  I took one last deep breath and lined up my shot. The muscles in my arm coiled, prepared to spring out and launch the little ball wherever I wanted, but before I could let the final shot loose… Zeus strolled into the room.

  His presence instantly halted our little game of beer pong. Ash had wanted to try battle shots, but Dion assured him that we needed to start off small. I was pretty sure he'd ended up regretting that decision pretty early on.

  "Father," Dion said, inclining his head slightly in respect. "To what do we owe the honor?"

  The party god glanced toward Herc, Percy, Affie, and Seff, shooting them an intrigued glance. I glanced toward my Storm Princes, the six of them looking far too amused and easygoing in the presence of the king of the gods.

  Maybe if they'd been turned into crickets, they wouldn't look so fucking smug?

  Zeus clapped his hands and smiled wide. "I’ve come up with the most wonderful idea ever!"

  Dion’s eyes widened just a fraction of an inch before they went back to normal. "I believe that’s what you say about all of your ideas, Father," he teased.

  Zeus smirked. "That I do. But this one is different. Hear me out."

  He motioned for us to follow him, then walked out of the room. The hallway we entered was bright and shiny, filled with gold, silver, and diamond décor and accented in any other gemstone you could imagine. Diamond vases sitting atop golden pedestals holding exotic wildflowers. Silver picture frames ensconcing moving images as vibrant as the rainbow. Ancient suits of armor simply glimmering in the light of the floor-to-ceiling windows.

  It made me want to puke—and not for real this time, just metaphorically.

  Gag a maggot.

  "As soon as I met the Storms," Zeus began, without even looking over his shoulder at us, "I realized we had a unique and unmet need in the universe."

  My heart started to pound. I wasn’t necessarily scared, but I had no idea where he was going with any of this. It made me nervous. The god was just too unpredictable.

  Zeus made a hard right and threw open the glass front doors of his mansion, allowing a sweet summer breeze to filter in.

  "There are demigods all over the galaxy," he continued, "on countless planets—all of which need guidance and training. They’re running around with extraordinary power, and they don’t even know how to use it."

  The grass was soft and lush beneath my feet as he led us past a massive lagoon-like pool in the backyard and over toward an open space in the tree line. Beyond the trees was… an island. A floating freaking island.

  I spun around, stunned to find that the mansion was on an island of its own. The rounded isle was not even a mile in circumference, and where the green grass sloped off and ended, nothing more than clear blue sky filled the space beyond, until other little islands came into view. This whole place was like some fucked-up, but totally gorgeous, floating paradise.

  "You see that island over there?" Zeus asked us, pointing to an empty, grassy isle that could easily be seen between the gap in the woods.

  We all nodded. Even Dion and the others seemed nervous now.

  "That’s the future location of my latest endeavor," Zeus announced proudly. "The Academy of the Gods!"

  Everyone remained dead silent.

  The what? Academy? As in… school?

  Eventually Dion chuckled. "Right, Dad, that’s cool and all. The Storms need training. But what does this have anything to do with us?" He gestured to his brothers and sisters who seemed to be waiting with bated breath.

  Zeus glanced over his shoulder at us and raised a single brow. "Another thing I learned was that even you older gods could use some guidance."

  Dion pursed his lips and crossed his brown, muscular arms. "You’re fucking kidding me, right?"

  But Zeus’s smile never faltered.

  Dion dropped his arms in exasperation and sighed. "You want us to go to school? Like kids?"

  Zeus rolled his eyes. "Stop being so dramatic, Dionysus. It’d be more like a university than anything."

  "So, you want us to go to college?" Percy asked.

  It just wasn’t registering for any of us, apparently.

  "Yes," Zeus declared loudly. "For fuck’s sake, it’s not that difficult of a concept! I make the school, I contact all the other deities I know, I send my students, they send theirs, and ta-da! The Academy of the Gods is in session!"

  Herc’s mouth was wide open, and it didn’t look to be closing anytime soon. The other gods’ and goddesses’ sentiments seemed to rest somewhere between shocked and pissed—wide eyes, mouths agape, furrowed brows, and teeth clenched.

  I turned to my guys whose expressions looked hard, dark, and worried.

  "We have a kingdom to rule," I objected, finding my voice before anyone else seemed to. "We can’t be attending classes when we have more important duties to focus on."

  Zeus’s smile faltered slightly. "You think you have better things to do, Alexis Storm? Things more important than the will of the king of the gods?"

  "Easy, Peach," Cal warned me softly.

  When Zeus spoke again, his voice was quiet, strained, almost maniacal. "Perhaps you'd rather be… a cricket?"

  I swallowed hard, my heart racing a mile a minute. "No, Your Majesty, that’s not at all what I—"

  "Please, call me Dad," Zeus decided, bouncing out of his crazy mood at the speed of light. "After all, you’re married to one of my sons. We’re practically family."

  I stole a peek at Cal who was sizing his father up carefully, like he was weighing the psychotic god's intentions.

  "I was just saying…" I continued, hedging around any impending temper tantrums. "What will happen to our kingdom while we’re away?"

  I had zero desire to leave Blackwood. We’d literally just freed our citizens from the rule of a tyrant and began improving their way of life, and I kind of wanted to be there to ensure it stayed that way. At the very least, it would have been nice to have a break and just enjoy some peace for a while.

  But I wasn’t a total fucking idiot. I knew not to argue with the king of the gods again.

  "I could freeze time," Zeus casually suggested. "Make it so nothing moves or changes until you return. Or I could allow a temporary leader to rule in your stead. Perhaps even someone of your choosing? Would either of those options suit you?"

  I turned to the guys, and we gathered into a bit of a huddle.

  "What do you think?" Cal asked us all.

  "I think this is fucking bullshit," Rob grumbled. "We’re too damn old for school."

  Ash frowned. "We’re like, not even thirty, dude."

  Ben rolled his eyes but grinned. "You know what he means."

  Dan looked conflicted, his lips half pursed, but also half tugged into a grin. "If I had to choose between the two, I think I’d want the people to carry on. It’s not fair to them that the whole worl
d has to stop just because we apparently need schooling. Let’s let them live."

  I smiled, feeling warmth travel through every vein in my body at his words. "I agree. I don’t want to freeze them. Maybe we could put Gemma and Tristan in charge while we’re gone?"

  Criss pulled his lips back and nodded, as if mulling the idea around in his head. "Or perhaps Malik and Rosie?"

  Rob nodded appreciatively. It’d be a first to have a vampire acting as king.

  "We could even have Bria or Camilla take over our government temporarily," Ben added. "They’re the most experienced in that department, after all. Though, because of which, it might actually make them the worst option."

  Cal nodded. "Let’s take a vote between Gemma and Tristan, and Malik and Rosie. All for Gemma and Tristan?"

  Ash, Dan, and I raised our hands.

  "All for Malik and Rosie?"

  Cal, Rob, Ben, and Criss raised their hands.

  "Sorry, Jewels." Rob grinned. "I just couldn’t resist the opportunity for undead advancement."

  I grinned and reached across our huddle to touch his cheek. "I’d be honored to have Malik and Rosie lead the people while we’re gone."

  "Everything okay over there?" Zeus asked, effectively breaking up our huddle.

  "Yes," Cal answered, then finished hesitantly with, "…Father. We’d like the vampire Malik and his wife Rosie to lead Blackwood in our stead."

  Zeus looked tickled pink, clapping his hands as soon as he realized he'd gotten his way with us—not that there was ever any alternative. I wasn’t quite sure how to take that man. He was way too powerful, but was he also… humorous, crazy, dangerous, harmless? I had no freaking clue. I figured we’d better walk on eggshells around him, just in case.

  "Perfect!" he cried gleefully.

  With one clap of his almighty hands, an entire freaking academy appeared out of nowhere on the once-empty isle. It was multiple stories high, with turrets and buttresses and flags and… gods. It was immaculate. At least ten times bigger than Blackwood Palace, and a hundred times more beautiful. If I hadn’t been nervously gritting my teeth, I’m sure my mouth would have fallen open.

  Another clap of his hands, and students were already filtering into the wide-open double doors and strolling down the sidewalks.

  My heart hammered in my chest. Fear, irritation, and something almost akin to anticipation bounced around like little beer pong balls in my stomach.

  Zeus's eyes narrowed devilishly, watching us all with some morbid sense of excitement. "Ready?" he asked us.

  I blinked rapidly. "What? Like, now? As in, now now?"

  But he merely chuckled. "I’ll take that as a yes."

  He clapped his hands one last time...

  …and we were gone.

  THE END.

  Afterword

  That's it!

  After all this time, the Storms finally got their “happy for now” ending! I hope you liked it. I hope I did the characters and the story justice in writing it. But most of all, I hope you're excited to see the Storms back in action when I release the Academy of the Gods series! (It will include a number of characters from various books I've written, so you might just find a few other beloved characters in there as well!

  This series was a learning experience for me. It was my first attempt at "rapid releasing"—publishing a new book in the series every month—and as many of you may have noticed, that didn't happen!! lol. I have three young kids, and at this point in my life, I just couldn't sustain the pace. "Every other month" or "every three months" seems to be more my speed haha! At least for now.

  So, if you stuck this series out until the end, even though it was slower than I wanted, then you are amazing, and I am incredibly grateful for you and your patience and loyalty! I couldn't ask for better fans. xoxo

  If you liked the Storms of Blackwood series, please, please, PLEASE leave a review!

  It doesn't matter how long or short it is; all reviews help books and authors get noticed.

  It would mean everything to me!

  To stay updated on release dates and everything bookish, feel free to join my Facebook reader group, very cleverly coined: Elle Middaugh’s Reader Group LOL

  Acknowledgments

  I'd like to thank my husband for loving me, supporting me, and for taking over laundry duty. You da real MVP, babe! lol

  To Jess, Allison, Brittany, Jessica, Suzanne, and Thais... where the hell would Perfect Storms be without you?? Your comments and suggestions were so helpful in the making of this book, and I cannot thank you enough! Plus, you're all hilarious and I love chatting with you! Xoxo

  To Ann… not only are you one of my best author friends, but you're also amazing at story development! Thank you for looking over my manuscripts and helping me add conflict and tension to the not-nearly-angsty-enough shit I write LOL I heart you!

  To Aleera… you have full credit for making sure the Storm King got shot in the balls with an arrow LOL! Thank you for being such an awesome friend & for loving the Storms! Xoxo

  To the fans of the Storm brothers and Alexis… you guys are INCREDIBLE! I can't even begin to explain how much your support means to me. The fact that you read my books and fall in love with my characters… It's beyond a dream come true. I just want you to know that I see you, and I appreciate you. Xoxo

  —Elle ♥

  Also by Elle Middaugh

  Storms of Blackwood Series

  Book One: Taken by Storm

  Book Two: Stormy Nights

  Book Three: Storm Chaser

  Book 3.5: Snow Storms (novella)

  Book Four: Perfect Storms

  Enchanted Royals Series

  Book One: A Crown of Blood and Ashes

  Book Two: A Sword of Scales and Song (coming soon)

  Trials of Enchantment Series

  Book One: Queen Witch

  Book Two: Alpha Witch (coming soon)

  The Essential Elements Trilogy

  Book One: Elemental Secrets

  Book Two: Elemental Lies

  Book Three: Elemental Betrayal

  Boxed Set: The Essential Elements Trilogy

  Standalone Books

  Siren Awakened

  Connect with Elle

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  About the Author

  Elle Middaugh is a USA Today bestselling author living in the Pennsylvania Allegheny Mountains with her wonderful husband and three beautiful children. She spends most of her time raising kids, writing stories, playing video games, reading, and attempting to keep a clean house.

  She’s a proud Navy wife, a frazzle-brained mother, a fan of health and fitness, a lover of tea and red wine, and a believer in happily-ever-afters.

  Sassy. Seductive. Spellbinding.

  www.ellemiddaugh.com