Storm and Fury

by Armentrout, Jennifer L.

  A mixed bag of emotions roared through me upon seeing him. Suspicion lingered, but it was overshadowed by anticipation and something sharper, heavier.

  “May I come in?”

  I nodded. “I’m almost done. Just making sure I’m not forgetting anything.”

  “It’s okay. We have time.” Zayne sat on the edge of my bed, his pale blue gaze fixed on me. “I didn’t sleep well last night. I’m sure you didn’t, either.”

  “I slept maybe an hour.” My fingers lingered on the strap of my tote.

  He did look tired. Faint shadows had blossomed under his eyes. “Nicolai, Dez and I were up, discussing how we were going to do this without letting the rest of the clan know.”

  I sat beside him and placed the tote on the floor. “So, what’s the plan?”

  “Keeping what you are a secret is going to be too hard at the compound,” he said, scratching one hand through his loose hair. “It’s going to be hard enough to explain your presence in the city, but since I...I haven’t been living at the compound for several months now, we figured it would be best if you stayed with me.”

  “What?” I gasped, not at the fact that I’d be staying with him alone—and that was a whoa, big deal—but more for the fact he was living by himself. “You’re not living at the compound?”

  “No.”

  “Why? That’s so dangerous, being by yourself. Demons can sense what you are,” I said, donning my Captain Obvious hat.

  “The place I have is in a good neighborhood and so far has been relatively demon free.” He smiled. “It’ll be easier and will hopefully delay explaining your presence.”

  “But how are we going to delay it? If we’re looking for Misha and this thing you guys are worried about, the whole clan will be involved, yes?”

  He angled his body toward me. “The whole clan can’t be involved in looking for Misha. Not if we need to hide what you are. Dez is going to help, but it’s going to be mostly you and me. That’s the best option.”

  I mulled that over. I really didn’t have a choice, and it made sense. “Okay. That will work.” When Zayne didn’t respond, I looked at him. He was staring at me. “What?”

  “Now I know why you smelled like ice cream to me.”

  I flushed. “That was random.”

  A quick smile appeared and then vanished. “You have to know that Heaven has a smell, right? That for everyone it’s different, but it’s always something that they enjoy or makes them feel good. My favorite food is ice cream.”

  “It is?”

  “You sound so surprised.”

  “I guess I am. I don’t know. I picture your favorite food being steak and potatoes.”

  “That would be my second favorite food,” he replied. “But now I understand why I smelled that on you when you were hurt.”

  “It was my blood,” I finished for him. “I didn’t know that. I mean, I knew demons could smell it.”

  “But you didn’t know that the light has a scent?”

  I shook my head, thinking I’d never smelled anything all the times I’d seen the light. “And you know this how?”

  “Whenever the Alphas come to see us, there’s always this thick, golden light that comes first. I’m not even sure it is light, because it reminds me of liquid. Whenever I’ve been around them, I’ve smelled it.” He shook his head. “So much makes sense now, and I almost can’t believe I didn’t figure it out.”

  “How could you, though? Trueborns are thought to be things of the past.” I rested my hands on my thighs. “I don’t want you to treat me differently now that you know what I am.”

  Zayne laughed softly under his breath. “I’m not sure I can do that.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I know what you are, Trinity.”

  “So?”

  “So?” He laughed again. “Were you taking it easy on me the day in the training room?”

  Pleased by that question, I didn’t even try to fight my grin. I was too tired to. “Actually, no. You’re really good, but I’m just...”

  “Better?”

  I laughed a little under my breath. “Don’t let it get you down too much. Even Misha—” I sucked in a breath and tried again. “Even he can’t get the best of me.”

  His gaze flickered over my face. “I don’t know what it’s like to be bonded to someone you care about, but I do know what it’s like to grow up with someone and then have them virtually vanish from your life.”

  “You do?”

  Zayne nodded. “Not for the same reasons. Nothing like this, but it’s hard being around someone almost every day and then having them not be a part of your life and...and have no idea what their life is like now.”

  I wanted to prod him for more information, but he rose from the bed.

  “Ready?” Zayne asked quietly, extending his hand.

  Turning from Zayne, I took one more look at my bedroom—at the bed, and the stars tacked to my ceiling, at the desk I rarely used, and the chair in the corner. A sudden sensation of uncertainty swept over me. I had told Jada and Ty that I wouldn’t be gone long, but as I looked around my bedroom, I couldn’t stop the feeling that this would be the last time I saw this room—that I was leaving and I wouldn’t be returning.

  Unsettled, I placed my hand in Zayne’s and felt that jolt dance over my fingers as they closed around his. “Ready.”

  20

  Due to the lack of sleep and the late start we got, because I had to make sure Peanut was with us—and he was—and because Thierry and Matthew had treated me like I imagined parents did when their child left for college, I ended up passing out thirty minutes into the drive. I tried to fight the lull of the humming SUV and the quietness inside the car, because where we were heading was someplace I’d never been and I wanted to see everything, but I lost the battle.

  Trinity?

  My brow pinched at the sound of my name breaking through the layers of sleep. I ignored it, because my bed was toasty. I snugged back down, and my...my bed shifted slightly under me. Weird.

  “Trinity?” The voice came again, and the cobwebs of sleep started to clear. “We’re here.”

  Something touched my cheek, catching the strands of hair resting there and tucking them behind my ear. I smacked at it, hitting nothing but my own face. Then my bed chuckled.

  It chuckled.

  Beds didn’t do that.

  “You sleep like the dead.” A hand curled around my shoulder, gently shaking me. “Come on, Trinity, wake up, we’re here.”

  We’re here.

  The two words cut through the haze of sleep. My eyes snapped open, and the moment my vision adjusted to the dim interior, I saw a leg encased in dark jeans—a thigh actually.

  Oh my God. I hit a Defcon level of WTFery.

  Jerking upright, I swung my wide gaze toward Zayne, whom I’d apparently been using as a pillow.

  “Nice of you to finally join me. I was getting worried.” Zayne watched me with his small, teasing half grin. “Especially when you started drooling.”

  I snapped out of the fog. “Drooling?”

  Warmth entered those frosty eyes. “Just a little.”

  “I was not.” I hastily wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.

  The back of my hand was damp.

  “Jerk,” I muttered.

  He chuckled and then nodded toward the front of the car. Dez and Nicolai were watching us from the front seats.

  “Hi,” Dez said, grinning.

  “Hey,” I grumbled, feeling my face heat. “So, we’re here?”

  Dez nodded.

  “Perfect.” I found the door handle and pulled, found that it was locked. I sighed heavily and waited for Dez to unlock the doors, and then was free. Stepping out of the car, I was ready to see Washington, DC, for the very first time and I saw—

 
Nothing but shadows.

  What the...? I turned around. I expected to see the Washington Monument and buildings and people, and while I could hear horns honking, I saw...

  Wait. We were in a parking garage, near a set of elevator bays. Duh.

  The guys were out in a jiffy, unloading my suitcase and tote bag...and Peanut, who was sitting on my suitcase, unbeknownst to Zayne.

  I blinked slowly. Peanut smiled so widely that he looked a little crazed as Zayne took my suitcase by the handle and rolled it...and Peanut...over to where I stood.

  “You okay?” Zayne asked.

  Peanut giggled creepily.

  “Yeah, I’m...still out of it a little.”

  Zayne stopped, his gaze flickering from me to the suitcase. “Is it the ghost?”

  “Yee-aah.” I drew the word out, and Peanut clapped his hands together like a happy little seal.

  “Do I want to know?” he asked.

  “Nope.” I walked to the back of the SUV and grabbed my tote bag. We parted ways with Dez and Nicolai, and I followed Zayne to the elevator doors. Zayne hit the last button and had to enter a code. I didn’t see how many floors it was, but based on the way my ears popped halfway through the ride, I figured we were going high. The ride was smooth and quick, and when the elevator stopped, the doors slid open to reveal a huge room lit by sunlight streaming in through a wall of glass windows that appeared to be tinted, because the glare didn’t knock me over.

  Peanut hopped off the suitcase. “I’m off to investigate!”

  I didn’t say anything as he blinked out of existence.

  “Come on.” Zayne held the doors for me, and I shuffled inside, looking around and finding myself...thoroughly confused.

  The floors were exposed cement, ceilings were high and large fans dropped from them, churning slowly. To my left was a kitchen area. A row of white cabinets parted by a gas stovetop and stainless steel exhaust fan. There was a long, rectangular island, large enough to seat several people, but only two black, sturdy-looking metal stools sat on one side. Across from kitchen area was a large sectional couch, wide enough for two Wardens to lie on side by side, and it sat in front of a large television. To the left of that was an open space. I could make out a punching bag and what appeared to be blue mats tucked against the wall, the kind that were in our training facilities back home. There were several closed doors and that...that was all.

  Everything was very industrial, very bare.

  “Are you sure you live here?” I asked, still surprised that Zayne was living on his own. It was just unheard of.

  Zayne slid me a long, sideways glance. “Yes. Why?”

  “Doesn’t look like anyone lives here.” I put my tote on the island.

  “It has what I need.” He walked to the fridge, opened the door and pulled out two bottles of water. He placed one of the bottles on the island and then he grabbed my luggage, rolling it behind him. “Follow me.”

  Taking the water bottle, I followed him across the wide room, looking for something that proved he lived here. Like a left-out pair of shoes or a magazine or a half-drank can of soda. There was nothing.

  “This is one of the bathrooms. No shower in there, though.” He nodded to our right as he led me toward the middle door. “This is the bedroom.”

  He opened the door and turned on a light. My gaze flicked from the floor-to-ceiling windows that were covered with blackout blinds to the large bed in the center, next to the nightstand. There was nothing else in the room. No dressers. No TV. Not even an area rug.

  Walking past me, he opened one of the doors, revealing another bathroom while I was frozen just inside the bedroom. “This is the master bathroom. Has a shower and a tub.”

  The plastic of the water bottle crinkled beneath my fingers as I stared at the bed—the only bed I saw in this whole place. How was this going to work? Were we going to share a bed? An uncomfortable amount of warmth infused my body at the thought.

  I shook my head, because there was no way Zayne intended that. This was the guy who’d jumped off me when I kissed him, and telling me I was beautiful and that I reminded him of a goddess did not erase that.

  I stepped out of the bedroom doorway, into the room, as Zayne walked past me. I didn’t see Peanut, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t around. I walked over to the windows. The closer I got, the more intense the glare was, but I peered out, seeing brick buildings across the street. I looked down—I’d been right about being on a high floor. Everything on the ground was a moving blob.

  Turning from the windows, I faced Zayne. “So, what do we do now?”

  “We rest,” he said. “You have the bed and I’ll take the couch.”

  I stared at him as he opened a linen closet and grabbed a pillow and a thin blanket. “Shouldn’t we start looking for Misha?”

  “If you know anything about demons, you know they’re not that active during the afternoon.” He tossed the blanket onto the back of the couch.

  “But that doesn’t mean we can’t start looking for them.”

  “No, it doesn’t, but you only got about an hour of sleep last night and another on the drive here,” he pointed out.

  “I’m fine. I’m wide awake.” That wasn’t exactly untrue. If I lay down, I probably would go back to sleep, but I wanted to get started.

  And I wanted to see the city.

  “I also barely got any sleep last night and, unlike you, I didn’t have a comfortable leg to nap on,” he reminded me, tossing the pillow onto the couch. “Look, you can sit around and chill for the next couple of hours or you can be smart and get some rest.”

  “You can get some rest and I can start looking for Misha—”

  “Look for him where?” Zayne faced me then, brows raised. “Do you know how big this city is? How many people live in it? How many people work here and don’t live here?” He fired off the questions at a rapid pace. “Do you know where demons hang out? Where you can typically find one?”

  “Well, no, but—”

  “There’s no but, Trinity. You have no idea where to go.” He shoved a hand through his hair, then clasped the back of his neck. “Look, I said I would help you look for Misha, and I will. I don’t make promises I don’t keep, but we’re going to be smart about this, Trinity. We don’t know if the demon that took Misha knows what you are, but if that demon does, he’s going to be looking for you.”

  “Good,” I snapped. “That makes my job so much easier, because this time, I will use my grace.”

  “You’re not leaving this place without me, and if you attempt it, I’ll know.”

  My eyes widened. “I’m a prisoner now?”

  “You’re a guest who will use common sense,” he shot back. “So, you can feel like a prisoner or you can feel like a well-rested guest. Either way, I’m sleeping, because I’m going to need some sleep before we do what we’re going to do this evening.”

  “And what is that?” Frustrated, I crossed my arms. “Do each other’s hair and try out face masks?”

  “Oh, will you braid my hair for me?” He lowered his hand and it closed into a fist at his side. He looked like he wanted to throttle me, and I knew I was being annoying, but this demon had Misha and I was supposed to take an afternoon siesta?

  “Do you know what it feels like to know someone is in danger and to just stand by and do nothing?” I asked, feeling my throat thicken. “Do you?”

  Zayne’s expression softened as he stepped toward me. “Yes, I do know, Trinity. I know what it’s like to be forced to watch someone you care about be hurt and be completely unable to do anything about it.”

  I snapped my mouth shut as his words got past my irritation.

  “We may think we know each other, and I know you’ve heard stuff about me, but you don’t know me. You don’t know what I’ve experienced and what I haven’t,” he continued. “Just like I don’t kno
w all that you’ve been through. But what I do know about you is that you’re strong and you’re tough, and you’re loyal. And I also know you’re smart enough to realize that both of us need to be well rested so that we’re prepared for anything.”

  I drew in a shaky breath, closing my eyes against the sudden burn of tears. “You’re right,” I admitted, pushing the tears back down. “And I’m...I’m sorry. I’m just...”

  “You’re worried.” His voice was closer, and when I opened my eyes, he was not even a foot from me. I had no idea how he could move so quietly. I saw him lift his hand and catch a strand of my hair that had fallen forward. He tucked it behind my ear, his hand lingering. “I understand, Trinity. I really do.”

  My body took control. Closing my eyes, I pressed my cheek against his warm palm. I shouldn’t do that. I knew that, but there was something soothing about his touch, comforting. It was as if he was built simply for that, and that was a weird feeling to have.

  “You are tired,” he said. “Just rest for a couple of hours.”

  “Do I look that bad?” I asked.

  “No. You look perfect.”

  I opened my eyes, and my gaze was snared by his. Something darkly possessive flickered across his face before he dropped his hand and took a step back.

  Feeling off-kilter, I folded my arms over my chest. “Okay. So, we sleep and then...?”

  “I know a person, and I can’t believe I’m even considering this, but if anyone knows where Bael could be, it’ll be him. He should be around by this evening. He doesn’t exactly keep a normal schedule.”

  “Who is he? Another Warden?”

  Zayne laughed again, the sound without much humor. “No. He’s not a Warden. He’s probably the biggest pain in my ass that has ever existed.” Zayne paused. “Which means you’ll probably get along with him.”