Or I could just kill you and forfeit my soul.
If it was only Storm's soul at risk and he'd never met Evalle, he'd make the sacrifice without hesitation, but then his father's spirit would wander endlessly between two worlds.
And Storm had promised to return to Evalle.
Climbing through that window meant potentially breaking that promise. But walking away meant far worse-leaving Evalle at risk. It was time to end this here and now.
With no choice left, Storm dropped to his haunches and prepared to leap.
Chapter 2
Storm barely touched the metal frame on his way through the window of the two-story brick building. He landed inside on the concrete floor as lightly in human form as he would've as a jaguar. He allowed his senses to take stock of the dark surroundings, but his natural night vision took over.
His nose picked up traces of a tinny smell where oil had been heated when metal ground against metal, the sweat of men laboring and pesticides sprayed along the edges.
A machine shop of some sort.
Nadina had cloaked her scent when she'd hidden inside Storm's house, but she couldn't manage it while on the run. Her nauseating licorice smell hung on the still air, turning sharp and bitter with emotion. His empathic senses caught something unexpected.
Not fear, but ... anxiety.
He still had to be extra careful not to rush into a trap.
He'd underestimated her once when he'd been too young to know better.
That had cost him dearly. Even now, after years of preparing to face her again, she'd surprised him by slipping inside his home undetected and had enjoyed informing him that Evalle had been snatched from beneath his nose by the Medb.
That damned Medb priestess, Kizira, had teleported Evalle away from his bedroom six hours ago without him realizing it. He'd been in the kitchen making coffee. Evalle was still missing while Storm raced around hunting Nadina's worthless hide.
Had Evalle escaped the Medb? Was she at Treoir, a Belador island hidden in another realm? Was she alive?
Of course she was alive.
His heart continued to beat, didn't it? He'd know if anything had happened to his mate.
Still, worry over Evalle ate at him, pushed him to turn his back on Nadina and search for the woman he loved. But logic raised its head. Storm had used his majik to embed an emerald chakra stone into Evalle's chest that would alert him if she returned to this world. He hadn't felt a pull from the stone since Evalle had disappeared from his house. Between the emerald and his mate bond with Evalle, he had to believe that she was still in another realm, but alive.
If Storm lost Nadina at this point, she might get to Evalle before he did, and Nadina would take pleasure in hurting Evalle.
That narrowed his decision back to the one choice in front of him.
Deal with Nadina once and for all.
Moving silent as a gentle wind, Storm walked deeper into the building. His blood churned with the witch doctor so close, and the beast inside clawed at his control, pushing to get out.
He used his majik to meld with the shadowy interior. A dim fluorescent lamp in the ceiling at the far end of the long building flickered on and off at random intervals.
"You said no more games, Storm. Make yourself known."
He continued in the direction of Nadina's voice as it echoed against the two-story walls. Steel i-beams shot up both sides and across the ceiling that towered over the open area running the length of the building.
Pigeons cooed in the rafters.
The building was old, but appeared to be in occasional use based on the forklift parked at one end and equipment for metal fabrication positioned in rows along each side.
"Do not test my patience, Storm."
As if he cared.
Between the scent stinging his nostrils and the sound of her voice, he had to be within twenty feet of her, but she'd also cloaked her body from view.
He stopped. "I'm here. Show yourself."
A small glow erupted above an extended feminine hand. Nadina continued bringing the glow to life until it expanded past Storm and illuminated the center of the shop.
Nadina smiled and her beauty would bring a room of men to a standstill, but it was literally skin deep. Eyes so dark brown they looked black watched him with the intensity of someone prepared for fight or flight. Lush hair fell around her shoulders in a black mantle, striking against the blood-red blouse and black pants that clung to her body. If a sculptor had created the perfect mold for a female form, he broke it after forming Nadina.
Just as perfect and heartless as a Greek statue.
She was nothing compared to the woman Storm loved.
Evalle was lean and tough, loyal and protective. She had exotic green eyes he could fall into and never hope to be saved. The most desirable woman he'd ever met, bar none.
And she was his to protect from this kind of evil.
"You are ready to talk now, yes?" Nadina asked in a voice spiced with her Latin heritage.
"What would we talk about, Nadina?" he asked, letting his disgust pour through his words. "The way you tricked my father into marrying you only to breed a powerful demon? Or maybe we should talk about how I outwitted you and escaped?"
The only sign of hitting his target dead on was the narrowing of her eyes that glared bright yellow for a fleeting moment before turning black again. "You were a difficult child. I should have suffered through two births, then I would have been assured of one who would not disappoint me."
She was put out that she failed to plan for a second child as a spare?
Storm shuddered at the thought. One more person he'd have to shield from her. "I want the souls back. Both of them. That little display outside should have made it clear that I'm not going to be your demon. If you don't return the souls and give me an oath that you will leave Evalle alone, I will kill you where you stand. If I don't kill you here, I'll hunt you to the end of your days and make you suffer before you die."
"See? This proves you are mine." She grinned, thrilled at his threats.
The woman was mental.
Bat shit crazy, and now loaded with power from an underworld ruler.
"You cannot deny your blood, Storm. You may fight it all you want, but you are a demon deep inside."
He refused to accept that and would never have allowed himself to mate with Evalle if he'd doubted his humanity.
Before he met his mate, he'd been convinced that the demon part of him held the power, but Evalle had brought everything good inside him to the surface. For her, he would never allow the demonic blood that flowed through his veins to rule him.
He warned Nadina, "I'm not making an empty threat. There was a time when I wouldn't have allowed you to live no matter what, but ... things have changed. If you force me to end this, I will and you won't like it."
Releasing a hiss of air sizzling with irritation, she said, "You will not kill me."
"Let's add schizo to psychopathic." Storm took a step toward her.
Nadina raised a hand in defense. On a human woman, that would be a weak obstacle, but Nadina controlled a wicked amount of power she could wield with one finger. "If you kill me, we both lose. I need you to help me pay off a debt."
"You what?" That was ... hell, he had no words for how she could possibly think he'd help her do anything. He studied her long enough that she started to fidget. "What happened to you Nadina? Did all that power cook your brain?"
"This is not a joke."
Crossing his arms, he shook his head. "I am not doing anything for you except sparing your life if you give me what I want right now. The offer is good for this minute. No more."
"You are not listening, my black demon."
Storm speared her with all the hatred in his heart. "I don't know what delusional world you live in, but I have never been anything of yours except the mistake you birthed. If I could wipe any trace of you from my blood, I would. You're wasting the one chance to save your life, because when I'm out
of patience, one of us is not walking out of here alive."
"You are the delusional one if you think to kill me."
He snorted. "And why is that?"
"If I do not return to Hanhau, everyone will bear the brunt of his displeasure, including your Evalle."
Storm's blood chilled. "What are you talking about?"
"Hanhau. We have an arrangement."
"Yeah, yeah. I haven't forgotten your boast back at my house that you're now aligned with him. Why should that matter to me?"
"Because your father's soul and yours are no longer mine to return to you. Not while Hanhau is my master. If I do not deliver what he demands, he will order me to call Evalle to him."
Storm's voice rose with each word. "You made a pact with a demon ruler for what? That plastic beauty of yours? Are you crazy?" He grabbed his head. "What am I saying? Of course, you're insane."
Her perfect face distorted, twisting with fury. "Do not call me loco. I had no choice. I did not need him for this." She pointed at her face. "I learned the secrets of maintaining my youth before I grew breasts. A Macumba witch captured me to trade to Hanhau for demons."
Macumba was the Brazilian practice of Candomble, basically Voodoo, Latin style.
If not for how this would complicate his life, Storm would be chuckling over the irony of Nadina getting to experience being possessed by someone stronger. But right now all Storm cared about was how to terminate any threat to Evalle and regain two souls.
Couldn't Evalle get a break without everyone making her a target?
Storm's empathic senses would catch a lie the second it left someone's lips and nothing Nadina said so far had lit up his bullshit meter. He'd received that gift through his Navajo genetics. But along with the ability to determine if someone was lying to him, Storm suffered a painful backlash if he tried to lie.
If Nadina were any other witch doctor than one he shared blood with, he wouldn't have the shadow of doubt hovering over his thoughts. She'd managed to successfully twist the truth when he was younger, but his majik and powers had matured since then.
He powered up his empathic perception and pressed her. "I want straight answers. No playing with words, Nadina." When she inclined her head in reply, he continued. "A Macumba witch captured you, yes or no?"
"Yes."
"Then the witch traded you to Hanhau for how many demons?"
"Three."
Truth, so far. "So Hanhau now holds full control over you and all you possess, yes or no?"
"Yes."
No sizzle on his skin to warn him of a lie. By all that was holy, was he actually considering doing this? "If I help you then you will release my father's soul, return my soul and swear a blood oath not to harm or go anywhere near Evalle. Got that?"
"Yes, I will give you my oath that if I leave Mitnal with all my possessions, I will grant what you wish." Mitnal was the underworld ruled by Hanhau.
Still nothing that indicated she was lying. "Why should I believe you when this could be a trap?" When she rolled her eyes, he asked, "Is this a trap?"
"Of course it's a trap."
"Nadina, you strain my patience."
"Am I allowed to speak freely now?"
He growled something that could be construed as yes.
"If I wanted to kill you, I could have done it days ago when you were weakened by my Langua up in the mountains, si?"
Storm had gone to the mountains to track a suspicious witch after meeting her at a secret beast fight. He'd happened upon Nadina and her Langua, a human-looking pet Nadina had created using necromancy. The Langua had passed a deadly infection to Storm when he'd fought the creature. He'd wondered then why Nadina hadn't stayed around to take advantage of his weakened state once he destroyed the Langua and escaped.
Nadina arched a sculpted eyebrow at him. "You see, I am telling the truth. I have never wanted to kill you, but I admit that I want you back and could have captured you then if not for my deal with Hanhau."
Everything she said sounded logical. Why did his gut keep yelling at him that it was all a lie? "If I consider helping you, and that's a big if, what do you need?"
"For you to travel to Mitnal with me."
He scoffed, "I can't just stroll into Mitnal."
She drew herself up with a regal move. "No, you must be invited by Hanhau or enter accompanied by one of his ... how do you say-" She stared off, thinking.
"Minions?" Storm supplied, then added, "Slaves, bitches, groupies-"
"Representatives!" Nadina snapped. "You can enter with me."
"You think Hanhau is going to let me just go walking into his domain as your guest?"
"Actually, he is expecting you. He sent me here to find you."
This just got better and better. "Why?"
Her arrogance came back, blanketing her words. "He is building an army of demons-"
"Why?"
"Do not interrupt me," she ordered as if Storm were her minion.
"Why?" he repeated with a sharper edge.
She harrumphed. "Hanhau does not share all his plans with me, only that he is building an army and needs one such as you to turn his demons into more powerful killers." She waved her hand around. "You know. Like general of army."
Storm scratched his chin. Now we're getting to the truth. "Why would he think I was the one to lead his army?"
Her dainty shrug did nothing to appease his anger, but it did jack up his suspicions. She took her time, but finally admitted, "I had no choice but to tell him of the blood that runs through your veins and that you had been bred for power."
Like a prize bull in a ranch full of killers. "You threw me out as a sacrifice to save your own butt."
"What did you want me to do when it was that or be left to suffer Hanhau's disgusting whims?"
"I certainly never expect you to do anything honorable."
She crossed her arms and sighed. "Fine. I admit that I might have been a bit unfair to you."
A bit unfair? Storm's jaw throbbed from grinding his teeth so hard. "How does he know about Evalle?"
The drama bitch rolled her eyes. "Because I had to convince him that I could bring you back with me or he would not have allowed me to leave. Without Evalle, there would be no way to motivate you."
She had a point. "Does he know what Evalle is?"
"Yes, and not because I told him," she was quick to clarify. "He already knew Evalle was an Alterant thing and with the Beladors."
Storm didn't waste his breath straightening out Nadina, but Evalle was not an Alterant thing. Being part Belador and part unknown classified her as an Alterant, but in her heart she was Belador all the way. She'd fight to the death to protect the tribe of powerful warriors whose gifts had been passed down through their blood from two thousand years ago. She was the epitome of honor and all woman.
She was not a damned thing.
"What does Hanhau want with Evalle?"
"Nothing. He said turning an Alterant into a demon would be too much trouble and drain his energy to the point he could not trust Evalle to be in Mitnal with her ties to the Beladors. But he would order me to call her to me and send enough demons to kill her if I could not talk you into coming of your own free will."
"If either of you touches her, I would first rip you into too many pieces to identify without a DNA test and then I'd find Hanhau next and show him a demon like he's never seen." Only for Evalle would Storm walk into the equivalent of the bowels of hell. "So I just show up and tell Hanhau I'm his new demon wrangler?"
"No." Nadina made a testy sound. "Hanhau will say nothing to you, but he will question me and I will tell him you have come to train his demons."
Was that rusty hinges on a trap being set that Storm heard squealing in his brain? "Then what's the plan? Because I won't stay."
"If you convince him that you accept his terms and ask for an invitation, he will allow me to open the bolthole from this side. Once we are there, we make him comfortable until he lets down his guard. All we have to do is fin
d a way to sneak out without drawing his attention. I have studied him for weaknesses that can be exploited and-"
"Exploiting a weakness sounds familiar," Storm snapped, jabbing at a wound by reminding himself of how she'd duped his father.
"I find your humor irritating. I am trying to show that I know how we can escape."
"I wasn't being funny. And you'll give your oath?"
"Yes, yes, yes. How many times do I have to say yes?"
"Until I'm convinced this is not a trap."
"I already told you it is, because he sent me here to capture you!" She huffed out a breath. "I have told you the truth about Hanhau expecting you and wanting you to lead his demons. If I had not convinced Hanhau that I could deliver you, he would have captured Evalle first to use as bait. That would have been far easier, but it would not solve my problem. I have never been in this position and will not be again, plus I did not wish to give you up for all of this. But I find some goals must be forsaken in the interest of survival."
Yeah, she'd thought once she captured Storm that he'd give in and turn into her own personal four-legged killing machine? What a selfless bitch to give that up. "What about Hanhau? Won't he come hunt you down when we escape?"
"You do not understand the rules of Mitnal. You must ask to enter, but not to leave. If you enter without asking, you will regret it once Hanhau has his hands on you. But, if you escape Mitnal on your own, Hanhau will not hunt for you, because his power would not be as strong beyond the limits of Mitnal."
"He'd just let someone go?" Storm hadn't caught any hint of a lie in that, but he had a hard time believing a demonic ruler would be so cavalier about an escapee.
Nadina lifted her chin at the challenge to her words. "Hanhau does not want to return a runaway to his world who will create problems with his demons by showing them how to escape. Besides, he knows that once a demon has belonged to him, that demon will not be fit to live among humans. The death and destruction an escaped demon wreaks in the natural world is enough to appease him."
"What about his hold over you and your possessions?"
"All deals with Hanhau end the minute I am free of Mitnal by escaping, because my agreement with him was bonded in Mitnal. If I manage to escape on my own, I break my tie to Hanhau. If that happens, I am free and my possessions once again belong to me as long as I remain in the mortal realm or some place other than Mitnal."