Storm and Fury by Jennifer L. Armentrout

18

Isat on the couch, knees pressed together and my hands clasped in my lap. I was still wearing the borrowed dress.

It was ruined.

The front of the dress was torn over my knees. Soot and demon blood dotted the bodice and waist. I needed to change and shower, because I felt like there was a layer of grime and gore covering me, but I couldn’t leave until the group that had left to search for Misha came back.

A huge group had gone, including Dez and Zayne. Even Matthew had joined them, and now Nicolai and Thierry were in a corner of the room, speaking in low voices. Jada had arrived with Ty once the all clear had been sounded. She sat beside me, her nervous glances bouncing between Ty and me. She’d given up on trying to talk to me about half an hour ago. I was strung too tight to form words.

“What happened? I don’t understand what happened,” Peanut repeated over and over as he drifted near the couch. I’d already explained to him what I knew, but he still didn’t understand, because none of it seemed real.

The Upper Level demon had taken Misha. Anger was a storm in my gut, a fury directed at Thierry and Matthew and everyone in the world, but mostly at myself, because I could’ve done something to stop this. If I had used my grace instead of fighting it, I would’ve been able to stop this demon before he took Misha.

But instead, like all the damn times before, I had done what had been expected of me. I’d hidden my true power. Just like I had when my mom was murdered.

It was more than my inaction. This demon, he’d come for me.

My fingers curled around my knees as I closed my eyes. If something happened to Misha... God, I would never be able to forgive myself. I would never—

Voices from the front of the house snapped me out of my thoughts. My eyes opened and I was on my feet, coming to stand beside Nicolai.

Zayne and Dez entered first, in their human form, and behind them was Matthew. The moment my gaze met Matthew’s, I knew—they hadn’t found Misha.

Dez reached me first, his gaze somber. Sympathy etched into his handsome features as he placed his hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

“He’s not dead,” I said, breathing deeply as I stepped out of his grasp. “I know he’s not dead.”

Dez glanced at Zayne and then to where Thierry and Nicolai stood. They didn’t understand that I would know if Misha was dead. The bond would tell me if he died, and I hadn’t felt that.

I turned to Thierry. “Misha is still alive.”

He nodded and then focused on the group. “Did you find anything?”

“We did,” Zayne answered. “About two miles from here there was a large passenger van on the side of the road. The driver was still there, but he was dead.”

“Human?” Nicolai asked.

Zayne nodded. “Dead. Throat slit. We took care of it.”

Taking care of it meant they most likely got rid of the van and the body.

“There was nothing else,” Matthew said wearily, sitting beside Jada as I stood in the center of the room. “Nothing that told us if they belonged to the church, but it would be safe to assume that they did.”

That didn’t make sense to me. “Demons are manipulative, but there were Nightcrawlers with them. How in the world would the demons have been able to hide them?”

“They may never have seen them,” Zayne answered. “They could’ve traveled here separately, but I recognized the demon who took Misha.” His stare flickered from me to his clan leader. “I’ve seen him before in DC. Engaged him a couple of times. He’s a fast one, strong, and can control fire, which he usually uses for the perfect distraction to make his escape. His name is Bael.”

Bael?

My knees felt weak. Bael wasn’t just another ancient, powerful demon.

“Bael?” Jada asked, looking around. “Everyone just got superquiet. I get that he’s an Upper Level demon, but I sense there’s more?”

Wardens that weren’t being trained were given only a cursory education in demonology. They didn’t get all the gory details.

“Bael is a King of Hell,” Nicolai explained. “Back in the old days, he used to roam topside as a false god. One of our Wardens first saw him around January, but Bael didn’t want to engage. We thought he was in the city messing with one of the politicians. Bael is known for his ability to sway minds. Every time we saw him, he kept his distance, giving us a Hell of a chase through the city. Like Zayne said, he uses fire to help make his escape. Burned down a ton of buildings in the process, but we haven’t seen him... Hell, in three months?”

“The last time I saw him was at the end of March,” Zayne answered. “He was the last Upper Level demon I saw in the city.”

“Do you think he followed your clan here?” Ty asked, standing behind Jada. He placed his hands on her shoulders.

Nicolai didn’t answer for a long moment. “Anything is possible, but if he did, why would they wait until now to attack? We’ve been here nearly a week.”

Part of me couldn’t believe it had only been a week. It felt like so much longer.

“The Wardens at the wall were killed in a way that suggests they didn’t see it coming,” Dez explained, crossing his arms. “All of them were shot in their human form, direct hits to the chest or the head.”

“What happened tonight has to be connected to Clay,” I said, shaking my head. “And the Ravers? We know that you never see them without an Upper Level demon near. They were right outside these walls, and that poor human guy Wayne was killed by an Upper Level demon. And the attacks on the other communities? They were searching—”

“We are looking into every possible connection,” Thierry cut in before I could say what they could’ve been searching for.

“I know Clay was an utter dickhead, but working with demons? How would he have been in contact with them?” Ty thrust a hand over his short hair. “I don’t know about that, Trin.”

But some Wardens did work with demons.

My gaze slid to Zayne and I felt my stomach pitch. Zayne had worked with demons and had even suggested that he didn’t believe all demons were evil. An uncomfortable heaviness settled over me, and I stared at him while the rest of the group talked about upping the security at the wall and sending out scouting groups more regularly in case there were plans for a second attack.

None of this had started until he arrived. Clay hadn’t tried to attack me until they’d been here for a few days, but why would Zayne or any of them be behind this? It wasn’t like they knew what I was.

At least, that was what I thought.

My heart started pounding in my chest. The DC clan knew I could see ghosts and spirits, and Zayne realized I was stronger than I looked, faster than he’d expected. I hadn’t exactly tried to hide that from him, and the whole time he’d been here, he seemed to be everywhere I was.

Zayne slowly looked over at me, his striking face unreadable as our gazes connected. A chill skated down my arms, leaving tiny bumps behind.

If I was any bit right, I still didn’t know why Zayne or his clan would be behind this, which was why I didn’t say anything. I might be impulsive, but I was smart enough to not suggest such a thing without hard-core evidence.

But was there already evidence?

Zayne was missing a part of his soul, and that could be reason enough to do evil things.

Jada had fallen asleep on the couch and the DC clan had retreated with Thierry and Matthew into the office. Ty had carried Jada upstairs to one of the extra bedrooms and I’d followed, going into my room. I finally stripped off the ruined dress, leaving it on the floor of the bathroom, a crumpled mess of gauze and cotton.

I never wanted to see it again.

I swooped down and picked up the ruined dress. Balling it up, I shoved it into the trash can and then backed up, looking down at myself.

My knees looked angry and spotted, like a strawberry. Twisting at the waist, I saw that my elbows did, too. That wasn’t bad. Not at all, because it could’ve been so significantly much worse.

What was happening to Misha right now?

Horrible, horrific things.

I couldn’t process what happened. This wasn’t a nightmare. This was real. Misha had been taken, and if the demon didn’t happen to know who or what Misha was to me, he would be killed.

And if Bael knew, and that was why he’d grabbed Misha?

Then there was a chance that he’d keep Misha alive. I had to think that he took Misha to use him as collateral. At least that was what I hoped, because that meant there was a chance I could get Misha back.

Steam filled the space and I stepped into the shower, hissing as the hot water pelted the raw spots on my skin. The water felt like it was only a few degrees short of scalding, but it did nothing to ease the coldness that had settled deep in my bones and marrow.

I showered in a hurry, watching the sooty water circle the drain. By the time I stepped out of the tub on shaky legs, I was exhausted. I didn’t stop to look at myself again as I dried off and changed into the clothing I’d brought into the bathroom with me. The leggings were a little hard to get on with my skin still damp, adding to my angry frustration. The shirt was easier, thank God, and when I stormed out of the bathroom, I’d already broken a sweat. All I wanted to do was lie down, but there was no time for that.

Peanut was hovering by my bed as I stalked toward the bedroom door. “What are you doing, Trinnie?”

“Going back downstairs to see what they’re doing to get Misha back,” I told him, opening the door and stepping into the quiet hallway.

Peanut followed me to the closed office door on the first floor. I knocked and Thierry’s muffled voice answered. Opening the door, I found that everyone was still in his office. The DC Wardens had found shirts, replacing the ones ruined when they’d shifted. Thierry was behind his desk and Matthew leaned against the edge of it, face weary.

Thierry didn’t look surprised to see me as I entered the office. “What is it, Trinity?”

“I want to know how we’re going to get Misha back,” I said, stopping behind where Nicolai and Dez were seated. I didn’t look at Zayne, but I knew he was standing by the window. I kept my gaze trained on Thierry.

He leaned back, the chair creaking under his weight. “We’re sending more scouts out in the morning,” he said.

“What if they’re no longer nearby?” I asked. “When the scouts went out earlier, they saw no sign of Misha or the demon.”

“That’s a good question,” Peanut chimed in.

“That doesn’t mean they haven’t holed up somewhere,” Matthew reasoned. “We will leave no square foot unchecked.”

That...that wasn’t good enough for me.

I wanted people out there right now, looking for him. “You know what Misha means to me,” I said, struggling to keep my voice level. “He’s still alive, but the longer we wait—”

“Why do you think he’s still alive?” Zayne asked from where he stood, drawing my gaze. “I hope he is and that would be great news, Trinity, but demons don’t keep Wardens alive unless...”

“They want to play with their prey first?” I finished for him, feeling my stomach twist. “Or use them to draw out more Wardens? I know what demons do to Wardens.”

“I hope they’re not torturing Misha,” Peanut whispered. “He’s always so freaked out when he knows I’m around, but I like the dude.”

Nicolai twisted around, facing me. “I know this may be hard to hear, but the likelihood of him being alive—”

“He’s not dead,” I said. “I would kn—”

“We’re not giving up on him,” Thierry said, interrupting me. “We are still going to look for him.”

A but hung in the air between us. A but that meant they would look for him, but they wouldn’t endanger other Wardens to do so. But meant that, in the end, Misha was disposable, because if he was killed, the bond would be broken but would be reassigned by my father.

Butmeant that Misha was as good as dead.

“We’re leaving in the morning to return home,” Nicolai was saying. “We will look for him in DC, as well.”

“So, you’ve got your reinforcements and that’s it?” I snapped, unable to stop myself. “You come here asking for our help, but when we give it, you’re just going to bail?”

“You tell them, Trinnie!” Peanut shoved his fist into the air.

“Trinity,” Thierry warned.

“We’re actually not getting reinforcements.” Zayne spoke up once more. “After the massive size of this attack, there’s no way the community can afford to send any new trainees with us.”

“Well, that sucks,” I grumbled, and he cocked his head. “Sorry to hear that.”

“Wow,” Peanut murmured. “You could sound a little more convincing.”

Then it struck me.

Zayne had said he recognized the demon, so there was a good chance that this demon would be taking Misha to DC. And now that they weren’t getting reinforcements, they still had their own problem to deal with—the problem of something killing demons and Wardens.

Nothing against Zayne or his clan—I was not going to rely on them searching for Misha, and I couldn’t go to DC by myself. I’d never been, and I had no idea where to look. Add into that the problems with my vision? I’d need help.

“I want to go to DC,” I said, and got nowhere quick.

Peanut gasped.

“Absolutely not,” Thierry said, placing his hands on the desk. “That is not going to happen.”

I ignored him, turning to Nicolai. “I can help you.”

Nicolai looked visibly uncomfortable as he met my gaze. “Trinity, I know you’re worried about Misha, but—”

“I am worried about him. He’s like a brother to me, and I’m not okay with letting everyone else look for him while I stay sheltered here,” I said, ignoring the way Thierry’s jaw hardened.

“I know you’re trained and you can hold your own,” Zayne began, walking away from the window. “And I’m sorry for what has happened to Misha. We will look for him. I promise you that. But we don’t have the resources to babysit you while you run around DC looking for him.”

“Babysit me?” I laughed, my hands curling into fists. “Are you serious?”

“Oh, no.” Peanut popped his hands on his hips. “Boy is about to get a smackdown.”

“I don’t think he meant to say it the way it came across,” Dez said.

“Actually, I did mean it that way,” Zayne said.

“I didn’t ask for your opinion,” I said.

“I’m freely giving it to you,” he replied.

“While Zayne could have phrased that much better, he is right,” Dez continued, his voice rising above ours. “We have a significant issue at home and without reinforcements—”

“Without reinforcements, you and I both know you won’t be going out of your way to look for Misha, and there’s a good chance this demon will take him to DC. You all said you’d seen him there.” My heart started pounding as I turned to Nicolai, who would ultimately have to agree for me to be able to go with them. “You have a problem, and I can help you better than any Warden can.”

“Trinity.” Thierry started to rise. “Don’t—”

Matthew reached behind him, placing his hand on Thierry’s arm, halting him.

“I have no choice,” I said, voice thready. “I will not stand by and let something happen to Misha when I can do something about it.”

“Oh, no...” Peanut drifted to the ceiling. “Oh, no, Trinnie, what are you gonna do?”

I was going to show them exactly how I could help them.

Thierry saw it written on my face as I took a step back. He lifted his hands as if he could stop me. “Your father—”

“I don’t care what he thinks. You can’t stop me, Thierry. Neither can he. I’m eighteen and there is no law that supersedes the fact that I’m an adult,” I said, welcoming the warm glow sparking alive deep in my stomach. “I love you—I love both of you, but I have to do something.”

Then I let the grace take over.