Storm and Fury by Jennifer L. Armentrout

3

Isucked in a sharp breath. Something was killing Wardens? With the exception of Upper Level demons and, well, me, Wardens were practically indestructible, bred to withstand the fiercest of battles.

They weren’t easy to kill.

“At first, we thought it was a demon—an Upper Level, taking out some of its own.” Zayne spoke up. “But while they do fight among themselves, they don’t kill like this, as if they have no fear of exposure. Then Wardens started turning up dead in the same way. What’s happening now is happening to demons and Wardens.”

The Warden with shorter hair moved forward. “If I may speak?”

“Dez, you know I don’t stand on formality,” Thierry replied.

A faint smile appeared on Dez’s face. “I know that Zayne and I don’t have the decades of experience that you and Matthew have, but what we’re seeing is something altogether new. Some of our best warriors have died, Wardens who would not be easy to gain the upper hand on.”

“Why is it impossible that this is the work of a highly skilled Upper Level demon?” Matthew asked. “Why do you all think this is something else?”

“Maybe we’re wrong. Maybe a demon is orchestrating all of this,” added Nicolai, and I noticed that Zayne’s jaw clenched, as if he were forcing himself not to speak. “We don’t know yet, but this week we lost another Warden. We need reinforcements. That’s why we’re here.”

Thierry leaned back, his shoulders tensed. “Well, you’ve come at the perfect time. The Accolade is about to begin. We will have new recruits.”

Nicolai exchanged a look with Zayne and Dez but said nothing.

“We have your rooms readied, and food is being prepared. I’m sure many of you would like to rest,” Thierry was saying. “You will be staying for the Accolade.”

Nicolai appeared to take a moment before answering. “We are honored to stay, but it is imperative that we return to the city—”

“Do you think that spending a week here will somehow tip the balance? I don’t think so,” Thierry said, and I recognized the tone that brokered no room for argument. I’d heard it enough myself, but if Wardens were dying, they needed to get back with help. “We have plenty of time to discuss your needs.” There was a pause. “And ours.”

The corners of my lips turned down. My fingers tightened on the curtain as Zayne inexplicably took a step back, turned his head and...

And looked directly at where I was standing.

Something... Something happened.

A shock of awareness shot through me, followed by a feeling of déjà vu, as if I’d been here before, but that made no sense. This was the first time I’d seen Zayne. I would’ve remembered if I had seen him before.

I didn’t move as he stared at me. I couldn’t. I was rooted to the spot, and I was close enough to see his mouth, to read his lips when they began to move.

I see you.

Oh my God.

Jerking back, I let go of the curtain, letting it slide into place. I slowly backed up.

Holy crap, he’d seen me—well, seen part of me at least, but probably enough to recognize me later. Besides the fact we weren’t that far apart, Wardens had amazing eyesight, especially at night—

My hip knocked into the edge of a stacked table, sending a sharp flare of pain down my hip. Cursing under my breath, I whirled around and steadied the table before the whole thing could come crashing down. Once I was sure that wouldn’t happen, I hightailed my butt out of the Great Hall and into the cool evening mountain air.

The sun had set, but the path was well lit as I walked around the vast gardens behind the hall. My thoughts went back to what I’d overheard. Something that might not be a demon was killing Wardens and demons?

What could that be?

Crossing the field toward the main house, I slowed my pace as I neared the thick cropping of trees. From this point on there was only the silvery glow of the moonlight to lead the way, which meant I could barely see crap, but I’d walked this path so many times that my steps were sure, if still a little cautious—unlike the night of the Ravers. Then I had been so full of adrenaline that all my steps had been confident. It wasn’t always like that.

My thoughts shifted from what I’d overheard to my reaction to Zayne, that weird feeling. It was so bizarre, but probably had to do with my overactive imagination—

A twig snapped directly behind me. Too close. Stomping down the unexpected bite of surprise, I reacted first, as I’d been trained.

Reaching up, I gripped an arm. There was a jolt. A shock of static charge that registered as I whirled around, twisting the arm as I anchored my weight on my right leg. I caught the vague shape of someone much larger as I swung my fist.

With a startling quickness, my hand was caught and I was spun around to face the other direction, hauled backward against a hard chest and stomach that was most definitely male. In a matter of seconds, he had my arms pinned and the scent of...winter mint surrounded me.

“Is that how you normally greet people?” a vaguely familiar, deceptively soft voice whispered in my ear.

I bent forward, intent on getting enough space between us to deliver a vicious back kick.

“That would be very unwise.”

My breath came out harsh and ragged as I straightened, straining against his hold. “Grabbing people from behind in the dark isn’t wise.”

“I didn’t grab you,” he responded, tightening his hold on me once I managed to get a few inches between us again. “I called out to you and you didn’t answer.”

“I didn’t hear you.” I turned my head to the side. “But is that what you normally do when someone doesn’t respond to you? Grab them from—”

“I didn’t grab you.”

“You were right behind me,” I said, beyond irritated that he’d incapacitated me so quickly. “Can you let me go?”

“I don’t know.” There was a pause. “Are you going try to hit me again? Kick me?”

“Not if you don’t try to grab me again,” I shot back.

A stuttered heartbeat passed and then the arms around me dropped. I launched forward like there were springs attached to my feet, putting several feet between us before I whirled around. There was just enough light from the moon to see him.

“Holy crapsicles,” I whispered, taking another step back.

It was him.

The utterly beautiful blond Warden.

Zayne.

He tilted his head. “You’re...human.”

Yeah. Sort of.“Were you expecting something else?”

“Ye-ess.” He drew the word out, and he took a moment before he continued, as if he were choosing his words wisely. “Especially considering where we are.”

It was fairly uncommon for humans to live in Warden communities, so I wasn’t surprised that he was surprised.

“Unless,” he said, taking a measured step toward me, “you’re not supposed to be here.”

I tensed. “I’m supposed to be here.”

“Just like you were supposed to be behind the curtain in the Great Hall, eavesdropping?”

Well, dammit.

“I live here,” I said, instead of answering his question. Thank God most of his features were shadowed and I could actually speak to him and not stand there drooling like I’d never seen an attractive guy before. “And why are you out here? Aren’t you supposed to be going to your room, then having dinner provided for you?”

“I got kind of curious when I saw you behind the curtain. Thought I should investigate.”

“I don’t think you’re supposed to be out here following me.”

“Didn’t realize that as a Warden I couldn’t come and go as I pleased.”

I kept my arms loose at my sides. “Have you visited here before?” I asked, even though I knew the answer.

“No.”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t assume what you can and can’t do.”

Zayne was quiet, and then he let out a deep, rough chuckle.

I frowned.

“You have a point,” he admitted, and there was another beat of silence. “I am made of questions.”

Unsure if that was a good or bad thing, I looked around but was unable to see beyond the dark trees and the faint glow of solar lights. “Are you?”

“Yes. How in the Hell did you end up here? A human living in the regional community—a human who appears to know that demons are real? And obviously you know this, because you didn’t run screaming or laughing from the hall when we talked about the demonic activity.”

Now I wished I could see his expression as I rubbed my hands along my hips. “I’m not the first or the last ordinary person to know about demons.”

That was true. There were humans who did know—most of them worked for police departments or held positions within the government and worked closely with the Wardens. But they were few and far between.

He moved closer, and more of his face came into view, but he was still mostly a blur. “I’m willing to wager that there isn’t one thing ordinary about you.”

I wasn’t sure if he meant that as a compliment or not. “Why would you think that?”

“You live here, at the seat of power for dozens of clans, and you almost punched me in the face in under five seconds flat,” he explained. “And you were also hiding behind a curtain, being a little snoop.”

I folded my arms. “I’m not a snoop.”

“You’re not?”

“Just because I happened to be there—”

“Behind a curtain.”

I ignored that. “Just because I happened to be behind a curtain—”

“Hiding behind a curtain,” he amended.

“Just because I was partially obscured by a curtain doesn’t mean I was snooping around.”

Zayne was only about a foot from me now, and I caught the scent of winter mint again. “Do you often find yourself partially obscured by curtains?”

I snapped my mouth shut and then took a deep, long breath. “Why are we talking about this?”

He lifted a shoulder and dropped it. “Because you’re claiming you’re not a snoop. I mean, maybe you spend your free time standing behind curtains all the time. What do I know?”

My eyes narrowed. “Oh, yeah, I actually do like hanging out behind curtains. I like how dusty they are.”

“Since I detect sarcasm, you’re basically admitting you were snooping.”

“I admitted no such thing.”

He dipped his chin. “Why not just admit it?”

I started to tell him there was nothing to admit, but I had been snooping. Obviously. I sighed. “We don’t get a lot of...visitors, so when I saw you guys arrive I was curious. I had no idea you would be talking about anything important.”

“Now, was that so hard to admit?”

“Yes,” I replied dryly. “It hurt me. Deep inside. I may never recover.”

“How did you end up living here?” he asked, directing the subject back to his original question.

“It’s a long story I have no intention of telling you.”

A moment passed, and even without seeing his eyes, I could feel his heavy gaze on me. “You’re...frustrating.”

My brows shot up. Wow. “Well, you’re judgmental. Guess which is worse?”

Zayne laughed, and it wasn’t like that deep chuckle from before. It was dry as sand. “I’m probably the least judgmental person you’ll ever meet.”

“You know, I’m going to have to say that’s probably not the case.”

“You don’t know me.”

“You don’t know me, and you just said I was frustrating,” I pointed out.

“I’m making that educated observation after speaking to you for a few minutes.”

My hands curled into fists as the urge to punch him filled me, which would be wrong, but also satisfying, but still wrong. I needed to get out of here. “You know, I’m not going to even lie and say it was nice chatting with you. I’m just going to leave now.” I started to turn.

“What’s your name?”

I stopped and faced him again. “Seriously?”

“What is your name?” he repeated—no, he demanded.

My hackles raised. “It’s Mindya Business.”

“That’s exceedingly...lame,” he retorted.

I snorted. Like a little piglet. “I thought it was pretty clever.”

“We obviously have two very different ideas of what makes something clever,” he said, and my eyes narrowed. “You do realize I’m going to find out sooner or later?”

He would, but I’d be damned if I told him what it was. “Well, I guess you’re just going to have to wait for later. Peace out.”

I flipped him the middle finger, sure he could see it with his Warden eyes, and then I spun around, prepared to flounce from his sight—

“Trinity Lynn Marrow!” Misha called out. “I swear to Jesus, girl, when I get my hands on you...”

Drawing up short, I closed my eyes.

“I’ll admit I didn’t expect to find out that soon.” Wry humor dripped from Zayne tone.

“I don’t know you,” I said, turning back around. “But I do not like you.”

“That’s not very nice,” Zayne demurred.

Before I could inform him that I didn’t even remotely care, Misha stormed into the small clearing. In a heartbeat, he was in front of me, standing between Zayne and me as if he thought Zayne was some wild animal about to attack.

“Back off,” growled Misha, lifting a hand of warning in Zayne’s direction as I peered around him.

Zayne didn’t back off.

He came forward, stopping a mere inch from Misha’s hand as he leaned to the side, looking to where I was standing. “You guys really aren’t friendly here, are you?”

My lips twitched into a reluctant grin. “Like I said, we don’t get a lot of visitors.”

“I can tell,” Zayne replied dryly.

Misha shifted so that Zayne was once again blocked, causing me to roll my eyes. “Who the Hell are you and what are you doing here?”

“His name is Zayne,” I answered for him. “And he’s from the DC clan. They were invited here.”

“No one is randomly invited here,” Misha clipped out.

“Well, I guess there’s a first for everything.” The coolness of Zayne’s tone could’ve frozen the leaves on the trees around us.

I used to think that Misha was one of the tallest and scariest Wardens I’d ever seen in human form, but right now, I was thinking Zayne was going to take that number one spot.

“I don’t care if you’re invited or not,” Misha responded as heat rolled off him, and with that, he jumped ahead of Zayne in the unofficial scary Warden contest. “You shouldn’t be out here lurking around and talking to her.”

“First off, I wasn’t lurking around,” Zayne said. “And second, why can’t I talk to her? Is it because she’s human, or because she swings first, then speaks?”

Oh my God!I sidestepped Mischa and glared at the blond Warden. “I swung on you because—”

“I walked up behind you? I’m sorry. I’ll try not to do that again,” he replied, and even though I couldn’t see his face, I heard the smile in his voice.

“What are you doing out here?” Misha demanded, and for once, it wasn’t directed toward me.

Zayne paused before saying, “Just needed fresh air. It was a long drive.”

I arched a brow, surprised he hadn’t tossed me under the bus and backed up over me.

“Well, now that you got your fresh air, I suggest you head back to the Great Hall.”

Part of me expected Zayne to refuse. He seemed like the combative sort.

But he surprised me by stepping back. “Yeah, I do think it’s time I head back.”

“Perfect,” Misha snarled.

Zayne inclined his head in my direction. “Nice to meet you...Trinity Lynn Marrow.”

I started to go off like a firework, the kind that screeches, but Misha took hold of my arm, and I ended up swallowing a mouth full of curses as I yelled, “I’m going to take the high road and ignore that.”

“But going low sounds a lot more fun,” Zayne echoed back.

I spun back toward where Zayne had been, but Misha didn’t let go and all but dragged me away before I could come up with a worthy retort.

“Dammit, Trin.”

“What?” I had to take extra big steps to keep up with his freakishly long legs. “I didn’t do anything.”

“You never do anything.”

I frowned. “What’s that supposed to me?”

“Oh, I don’t know. How about when you got mad and hid in the Great Hall for an entire day, causing everyone to believe you were missing? And then when you were found, you were, like, ‘I didn’t do anything wrong.’”

“What?” I threw one arm up dismissively. “I was, like, eight years old at the time, and you were being really mean to me.”

“How about when you whined until I took you to the movies outside the community and then you ditched me to meet up with some kids you met online?”

“I was working.”

“No, you were playing Ghost Whisperer,” he corrected.

“That’s not playing! There was a spirit who needed an extremely important message relayed.”

“And what about the time you fell off the roof and then I got blamed for it? That was, like, a month ago.”

I pursed my lips.

“And how about the night you went beyond the walls and started fighting Ravers, Trin?”

Heat flushed my cheeks as we stepped out from the trees and Thierry’s home came into view. “You know why I needed to do that, and you also went outside the walls.”

“We’re not talking about me.”

“Oh, of course not.”

Misha ignored that. “You’re going to be the death of me.”

“I think that’s a wee bit dramatic,” I said, even though I could be the death of him.

“Do you?”

“Yes.”

He cursed under his breath. “So, were you eavesdropping on Thierry while was he was talking to them?”

“Will you get mad if I say yes?”

“Trinity.”

I sighed. “Yes, I was eavesdropping. Zayne saw me and followed me outside. That’s why we were talking.”

“What did you hear?”

“They’re here for reinforcements. Something is going on in DC.”

“What?”

“They said something was killing demons and Wardens, and they don’t think it’s another demon,” I explained. “They wanted to leave immediately with reinforcements, I guess, but Thierry is making them stay for the Accolade.”

“Something that might not be a demon is killing Wardens?”

“Yep.”

“That makes no sense.”

“Yep,” I repeated. “But maybe this is it, you know? There’s some big baddie out there killing Wardens. Maybe we’re going to get called.”

He frowned at me. “I don’t know about all of that.”

Yeah, I doubted that was the case too, but at some point we were going to be called upon. We’d leave here. Together. And we’d leave here to fight. I shrugged. “Anyway, seems like they might be here for a week.”

Misha was quiet for several moments. “I want you to stay in the house until they’re gone.”

“Are you for real?” I demanded as we crossed the driveway. Floodlights kicked on, alerted our presence; their brightness caused me to wince. “I can’t stay in the house while they’re here.”

“Have you’ve forgotten why we don’t have visitors here? Or are you just being recklessly selfish?”

“Is there a third option?”

Misha stopped in front of the wide steps and lit porch. He stared down at me as the tips of his fingers touched my cheeks, keeping my gaze focused on him. “Can you just do it? Stay hidden?”

Frustration pounded through me like a summer storm. “I can’t just stay in the house, Misha. That’s ridiculous. I’m not a prisoner.”

A look of exasperation settled onto his face. “It’s just for a week, and that’s if they’re really here for that long.”

“A week is an eternity.”

“A couple of days in a house that has virtually everything to keep you occupied is not an eternity, you little brat,” he went on, dropping his hands. “You can sit and eat and marathon TV shows instead of training.”

“I don’t want to sit around and do nothing. That’ll drive me to do something entirely irresponsible and reckless.”

“Really?”

“Hey! I know my limits.”

“You know most people would be happy that they’re done with schooling and can just chill out.”

“I’m not most people.” Our classes ended mid-May, so Misha and I had gone from training four hours a day to about eight, which meant I was still incredibly bored an additional ten hours or so.

He ignored my very valid point. “You could treat it is a vacation.”

“A vacation from what exactly?” I snapped, beyond irritated now. “What do I do that I need a vacation from?”

“Trin,” Misha sighed.

“Don’t talk to me like that, Misha. You can leave this community whenever you please—”

“That’s not exactly true and you know it.” Anger tightened Misha’s jaw. “If you’re suggesting that I have freedom when you don’t, you’re not being fair.”

Guilt churned in the pit of my stomach, quickly followed by the all too bitter bite of heartache. He was right, and I was being a brat. Wasn’t like Thierry had given him a choice, pairing him with me before either of us knew what that really meant, preparing both of us for the—

I sucked in a sharp breath as I stared at the boy I’d grown up with. The boy I’d watched turn into a young man, and for the first time, something struck me with the force of being hit by a semi-truck.

“Do you want this?” I whispered.

His brows knitted together. “Want what?”

“Us,” I said. “Being bonded to me. This life.”

Understanding flickered across his face. “Trin—”

I grabbed his hands with mine. “Be honest with me, Misha. I know it’s not like we can change anything. It’s already been done, but I...I just need to know.”

He was silent, and the longer he was silent, the more my heart began to pound. “It’s what I’ve been raised to do, Trin. It’s all I know, and like you said, it’s not like we can change anything.”

Feeling a little sick, I looked away as I dropped his hands. “That isn’t the same thing as wanting to do this.”

Misha turned, and I looked at him, saw him thrust his hand through his unruly curls. He hated them, but I’d always thought they were adorable, and as he stared up at the house we both lived in, the house where our bedrooms were separated only by a couple of walls, I suddenly felt like...crying.

Maybe it was my time of month, because I never cried.

But it wasn’t.

The burn in the back of my throat was there, because I’d spent nearly my whole life beside Misha and our lives were irrevocably tied together. I hadn’t thought about how he might feel about any of this, had I?

I had, but superficially, and mostly about how it impacted me.

“I am selfish,” I whispered.

Misha’s head whipped toward me. “Normally I’d appreciate this rare sense of self-awareness and not question it, but why do you think that?”

My lower lip trembled. “Because I never realized that you might not want this.”

“Trin, stop.” He was in front of me again, his hands on my shoulders. “I do want this. It’s an honor to be your bonded Protector.”

“Really?” I laughed hoarsely. “Because I don’t—”

“It is an honor,” he repeated, squeezing my shoulders, and the weight of his hands was both comforting and at the same time suffocating. “And I do mean that. What you are? What it means for me to be chosen to be there beside you? That is the highest honor.”

He sounded like he meant that, he really did, but I sounded like I meant things all the time and I really didn’t, especially when I wanted nothing more than to be what I was pretending I already was.

Misha pulled me to his chest and I went, loosely wrapping my arms around his waist as he folded his around my shoulders. When I was younger, I’d welcomed these hugs more than I could even understand, and even as I’d grown older, I could always find solace in his embrace. But now?

Now I felt itchy.

Misha was quiet for a long moment. “I was being ridiculous to suggest that you stay in the house. You’d end up burning it down or something.”

I cracked a grin.

“But can you do me one favor?” he asked, and I nodded against his chest. “Can you stay away from Zayne?”

That I wasn’t expecting.

I pulled back and stared up at him. “Not that I’m expecting to become his next best friend forever or anything, but what’s the big deal?”

“I’ve... I’ve heard of him,” he said, dropping his arms. “He’s bad news, Trin. Zayne is not someone you want to be around.”