The shower door was wrenched open.
Evalle flipped around, her back against the tile and water coming from all directions, splattering Storm’s beautiful teak-colored skin.
On Storm’s human body.
Hallelujah!
But the celebration music shriveled in her mind when she looked up to see red demon eyes. Words clogged in her throat.
His hands hung tense at the sides of his naked body. Claws extended from his fingers then retracted.
O-kay. She swallowed and said, “You changed to your human form. That’s a ... good sign.”
“You will not go to Isak.”
Foolish or not, her heart did a backflip at the threat in his voice. She’d normally get in his face to tell him that he had no say over her actions, but now was the time to keep everything as calm as possible.
She nodded. “If you say so.”
“Ever,” he demanded.
“Ever.”
He spun away to step out of the shower.
What the hell? How was she supposed to move forward from this? “Storm, talk to me.”
He paused. Muscles rippled across his beautiful back and his biceps flexed once. “Now is not a good time.”
Bullshit. “Later is going to be much worse. If you’re mad at me, then say so. But I’ve been terrified that you’d never make it back to human form. You walk in here, demand your way and walk out. If you’re done with me ...” She fought to get the words out. “Done with us. Then say so, but–” What could she say? “Please don’t do this.”
Now that he’d shifted, Evalle should be thinking about going to Treoir, but she couldn’t bring herself to say the Beladors needed him right now.
Storm had always done everything for her. He needed her right now, whether he realized it or not. She would take care of him first, then the rest.
He still didn’t turn around when he ordered, “Stay away from me.”
His words cut so deep she should be spewing blood. Pain and fear were a bad combination for her. It brought out her own aggression and anger, much easier emotions for her to deal with. “That’s pretty fucking clear, Storm. Fine. Go. I can accept you being a demon, but you can’t even talk to me. Coward.”
A blur of motion was the only warning she got before Storm had her pinned with her back against the tile and her arms shoved over her head.
He leaned into her. A feral sound rumbled deep in his throat.
Those red eyes were an inch from her face, warning her.
His strength had been undeniable before, but now she could feel the explosive power he had barely tethered. She might be able to stop him from killing her, but only if she could bring herself to use deadly force.
With him growling, she hoped whatever she said or did would not push him back into shifting, but they couldn’t go on like this. She lifted her chin. “You don’t scare me.”
The growl picked up volume.
What was he thinking? Feeling?
She wanted to stroke his head and kiss him, to show him that together they could do whatever it took to save him from being a demon forever. She repeated the only words she knew. “Come back to me, Storm. I refuse to quit on you.”
“You just won’t listen, will you?” Each word came out hard and biting. “I. Am. Not. Storm. Not the one you remember. I’ve gone all the way to demon.”
She shook her head with stubborn determination. “You might have been forced into becoming a demon, but your Navajo blood still flows through your body, strong and just as demanding as the Ashaninka blood. Use what you inherited to fight back.”
“If my Navajo blood was true, my eyes would still be yellow as a jaguar and brown as a man.”
He had a point, but he was talking and that had to be positive, right?
She lifted her stubborn chin at him. “Red, yellow, brown. Eyes do not dictate who you are.”
“Not if you have a soul.”
I should have seen that coming. She’d flinched at the bull’s eye shot and might as well deal with it now. “I wish there had been another way, but Nadina was going to kill you.”
“You should have let her.”
Hearing the disappointment in his voice was almost as heartbreaking as his order to stay away from him. Evalle would nurse her broken heart later. “Well, I didn’t allow you to die and if that was the wrong decision I can live with it.”
“You think so?” he asked, a sarcasm she’d never heard directed at her.
“I know so.”
“In that case, you’re now the proud owner of a demon.” He backed off and turned once more to leave.
Evalle took a step and put her hands on his shoulders. She leaned against his back, inhaling his scent.
His body shook hard once. His voice was tight and raw. “Stay away from me. Don’t you get that I have no control?”
Did that mean he wanted to touch her, but was afraid of what he’d do? The fact that he’d warned her had to mean there was a glimmer of the Storm that she knew still inside.
She turned her face to kiss the wet skin on his back.
He sucked in a breath and growled. “Evalle!”
Hearing her name was like flipping a switch in her brain, one that pushed her to go forward without looking back. If sex was the only way she could reach him right now, she’d hand him the keys to her body.
It wasn’t as though making love to Storm was a hardship.
She nipped at his shoulder then licked it.
A challenge.
Storm swung around and tension hung suspended between them for a second then he shoved his hands into her hair and yanked her to him, kissing her as he walked her back into the shower. There was no question he wanted her. Not with his desire thumping against her stomach. He ravaged her mouth, taking her lips prisoner with no sign of mercy in sight.
He’d never been this out of control with her, but she trusted Storm.
Trusted the man inside that body who had loved her with gentleness when she’d needed to be handled carefully. But that same man was the reason she didn’t back away in fear right now and offered herself freely to him. Because of what he’d shown her over months of taking his time with her, his aggression now didn’t terrify her.
To be honest, she was just as turned on as he was.
She knew the difference between an aggressive lover and an abusive attack, had learned the painful side of that lesson as a teen.
No man would ever harm her that way again.
She could kill a human and, if she couldn’t kill a nonhuman, she could maim one enough to make him regret ever touching her.
With the confidence she owed to Storm, she let him have free rein.
He kissed her as if he waged war on her body, determined to conquer it. She’d willingly let her walls fall. She reached around and curled her fingers into his back, holding him to her and letting him know she was not afraid.
His lips moved to her neck, biting and kissing his way to her breasts. She ached, waiting on him to touch her everywhere. His mouth closed over her nipple and he stroked his tongue over the tip.
This was definitely not the Storm she remembered.
This one was off the leash and hungry.
He sucked her breast then bit her. Not hard enough to hurt, though, and he licked the same spot next.
She trembled at the feel of him. The kissing and nipping sent shock waves straight down. His mouth was everywhere and still her body begged for more, rubbing against him until his growling deepened. She scored his back with her nails. That drew a feral sound in reaction, but this time it was one that called to her.
When she reached down between them and wrapped her fingers around his length, he released her breast and slapped the walls at each side of her head, groaning a painful sound. He panted harder with every stroke she made.
His fingers fisted and he ground his teeth.
She didn’t let up.
When he spoke, his voice was hoarse, angry and shaking. “Get away from me. Now. While you can.”
She paused and whispered, “No.”
Dropping his chin, he locked those scary eyes on her face, but she could swear a flicker of concern flashed through them.
“Order me to leave,” he practically begged her in that rough demon voice.
She lifted up to kiss him then whispered, “You’re mine. I will always want you. Always.”
Muscles flexed in his neck. His chest moved with harsh breaths. Was this it? Would he lose touch with reality and shift into the demon jaguar again?
If he did, he would kill her. She knew it.
Releasing her hair, he stepped back out of her grasp, raised his hands to grab his head and roared. Chest muscles tight, he went on and on.
Evalle held her breath.
When he dropped his head down, his hands landed on her shoulders. His fingers clenched, but not hard enough to harm her. He faced her again, his red eyes wild. He took one shuddering breath after another then finally warned, “Last. Chance. To. Say. No.”
“No.”
His eyes gave him away.
He looked hurt.
She smiled. “No, I don’t want a last chance. I want you ... inside me.”
In the second it took him to process that, his eyes lit with a need that was honest and hungry. He dove at her, kissing her again, pushing her up against the wet wall. Water cascaded over both of them. He bent down, kissing her chest and reached an arm under each leg, lifting her as he stood up. She cupped his face. “I love you.”
“Don’t look at me.” Had that been an order or a plea?
Leaning forward, she felt him nudge her opening. She stopped nose to nose. “I would look at you until the end of time, but if that’s what you want, then you’ll have to kiss me to get it.”
His mouth covered hers in a savage kiss. He lowered her down until they touched and held her there. Her legs quivered, waiting for him to move. To feel him inside her again.
She broke the kiss but kept her eyes averted from his, playing by his rules as he waited for her to speak. “Don’t make me beg.”
He let out a noise of anguish. If he was searching her face for a tiny bit of indecision, he was not going to find it.
She reached down to grasp him, steel covered in velvet. He flinched, his biceps full and hard as he finally lowered her onto him.
With the first feel of him pushing into her, she arched and grabbed his shoulders. Then he was moving, sliding deep inside her, and she was ready for him.
He murmured words that sounded Spanish and sexy.
She clawed at his arms. Her fingers clutched him tighter with every stroke driving deeper in and out. Heat spiraled and surged in her womb, demanding release until she ached and urged him on to end this waiting.
Storm’s jaw clenched.
He was holding back with ruthless control. A demon wouldn’t do that.
She said, “Touch me.”
His eyes flew open and it was strange to feel Storm everywhere around her and in her as she stared into glowing red orbs that didn’t belong in his face.
He never slowed from pumping into her.
She met him stroke for stroke, picking up his rhythm.
Hot energy built inside her again, but this was nothing like the time before. He held her and moved faster, growling with each deep plunge inside her. Then he held her with one arm and used his other hand to touch her. The world ripped apart, or maybe she did. Everything fragmented into a million pieces.
All the worry and pain of the last few days shattered and spun away in heart-soothing relief.
Light flashed around both of them when he roared her name with his climax.
Water sluiced down over her body and between them. She hugged him closer to her, but he just kept her pressed up against the wall. Not touching her the way he had the last time they’d made love to reassure her that all was fine.
That he cared for her.
All of a sudden, the heat that had boiled through the shower dissipated and a chill settled into her bones. She kissed his neck and ran her hands over his back, encouraging him to do the same.
Still, he didn’t show any sign of the affection he’d always been generous with, the constant touching that had destroyed her emotional fortress.
She held him tighter, refusing to let go and face the possibility that this was all that was left of them.
Sex. Incredible sex, but there had been so much more before.
Her eyes welled up and she squeezed them tight, fighting against the hurt.
Lifting her head, she forced herself to smile. She would not show him the pain slashing her heart to bits.
She’d expected indifference or cold dismissal, but not the fury in his face.
He snapped, “I told you to stay away from me.”
“I told you I wouldn’t.”
He lifted her off of him, and set her aside, but she noted that he took care how he handled her. Or she was just so determined to find any sliver of decency in him that she imagined it.
Turning to the water jet, he started washing himself with an economy of motions.
Her Storm would have wanted to wash her and take his time doing it.
Her Storm. Was he in there?
When he finished washing and stepped toward the door, Evalle said, “I meant what I said. I won’t give up on you.”
Without turning around, he asked, “You want to know what happened to me? I want to know what happened to you. Why would you let an animal attack you like that?”
“You’re not an animal.”
“I’m not a human either.”
He grabbed a towel on his way out of the bathroom.
Evalle finished showering and drying off. She put on a pair of warm-ups and a pullover she found in the bedroom. When she reached the living room, she found Storm pacing back and forth.
Just as a jaguar in a cage would do.
But he was in human form, wearing jeans and T-shirt from his bedroom. She’d seen those clothes before.
He lifted his nose the same way his jaguar would and turned to her, crossing his arms. “What now, master?”
Just keep cutting me to the bone, Storm. “I’m not your master.”
“You killed my owner. You own me.”
“I get that you’re angry about me losing your soul, but I don’t get this attitude.”
“You really don’t get it.”
“No, I don’t.”
He took a minute as if gathering his thoughts. “I have only one purpose in life and it’s to kill. If I don’t stay shifted into my jaguar, I have to find a prey to satisfy the bloodlust. If you don’t order a kill, then my jaguar will decide when and who to kill.”
“That may be a problem.” At some point, she had to discuss going to Treoir to save Brina.
“I’d say so since you’re liable to be the closest prey.” He was shouting.
“No, I mean that I need your help on Treoir.”
She’d clearly shocked him. His lips parted then he closed them, looking away before he came back to her and said, “You intend to take me to Treoir with these?” He pointed at his eyes.
“Yes.”
“You really do have a death wish. Macha will probably torture you before she kills you.”
Evalle asked in a soft voice, “Would you care if she killed me, Storm?”
His jaws locked for a moment. “No. I’m a demon. I don’t suffer emotions.”
She wished she had his ability to read a lie, but that had to be the truth because the same gift would punish him if he lied, right? Of course, that lie detector ability had been one of his Navajo gifts, which were clearly dormant at the moment. Maybe he believed so deeply that he was a demon he accepted the role.
“Well, I would care if you died,” Evalle countered. “I’ll deal with Macha.”
His steady gaze stayed fixed on her for a long moment then he seemed to shake it off. “I’m yours to do with as you please, master.”
She would not let him bait her. “In that case, you and I are going to Treoir where I need you to help find Brina.”
“She get lost?” he smarted back.
That’s right, Storm had no idea what all had happened. “After I was teleported away from here by Kizira right after we’d made love–” Evalle paused to let that sink in. It must have had some effect because he looked away. She continued, “I ended up in TÅμr Medb again where the Alterants were sent with an army of witches and warlocks to battle against the Beladors on Treoir.”
She left out the part about becoming a gryphon, but Storm had seen her shift in Mitnal. Did he remember that or had he even been cognizant to realize what she’d become?
Regardless, she would share about her new form and the ability to walk in sunshine with her Storm, not this one.
“You fought with the Medb?”
Had admitting she’d fought with the Belador enemies yanked his chain?
“I had to. I was compelled, but things worked out and the Beladors won the battle.” That sounded way more simple than the blood bath she’d gone through and the casualties they’d suffered.
Storm jerked back around, staring at her in disbelief. His jaw moved, but he said nothing.
Come on, Storm. Show me that you know how difficult that was for me. When he said nothing, she added, “Actually, Kizira and I came up with a plan that would free her from the Medb and allow us to save Treoir.”
“No way.”
“Way. Unfortunately, Kizira was mortally injured and the Medb queen, Flaevynn, had compelled her to not heal herself.” Evalle still hurt when she recalled the pain in Quinn’s voice when he’d cursed Flaevynn for sending her own child into a bloodbath with no protection. She wished Kizira had shared that secret with Evalle when Kizira told her of Flaevynn’s intention to be the first one to become immortal, but Evalle wasn’t sure what she could have done to protect Kizira when they’d been on different parts of the island at the time.
Storm watched her quietly, so Evalle cleared her throat and continued. “Flaevynn wanted to be the first one to swim in the water beneath Treoir that gives immortality, or so I’ve heard. The witches and warlocks were driven out of Treoir, but we have no idea what happened to Flaevynn or Cathbad, who couldn’t leave the tower. Supposedly, as the battle ended, Flaevynn was to reach her six-hundred-sixty-sixth birthday, when she would die if she was not turned into an immortal. And Cathbad was to die right behind her.”
“So what happened to Brina?”
“Oh, that’s right.” Evalle ran a hand through her damp hair, noting how Storm’s eyes followed her hand, but she didn’t let on that she’d noticed as she conveyed the rest.
“Brina was in Treoir Castle with Lanna in a room with an old Belador named Horace who was supposed to be protecting them. When we reached that room, we found Horace throwing Noirre dust on Brina and Lanna, who were hugged up against each other. Tzader drove a sword into Horace. At that same moment, Lanna disappeared as if she’d teleported and Brina did, too, but a hologram of Brina’s body remained.”
Storm still said nothing, but Evalle could tell he was thinking. She added, “The hologram has started corrupting, small pieces just twinkling away. Trey called me telepathically before I showered and told me Tzader sent word that the hologram is disintegrating faster. We’re running out of time to find her.”
“I doubt she can return if the hologram completely vanishes,” he said more to himself than her.
She made a mental note about how that had sounded like the smooth voice of her Storm, but she kept her face neutral. “That’s what we’re worried about. I’m hoping you can help us.”
“Do what?”
And now he was back to the rough demon voice.
She tamped down her disappointment and said, “I don’t know, but you have unusual abilities that are far superior to any other tracker’s. You’ve found me when no one else could.”
“Bet you regret that now,” he muttered, walking across the room toward her.
“No, I don’t.” She stood her ground.
He leaned down toward her and said with finality, “You will.”
“No, I won’t.”
“You’re in denial. Admit that this is what it is and stop kidding yourself.”
“I’m not in denial and I know this is not all there is for us.”
“Why?”
She wanted to say, “Because I’m your mate,” but she couldn’t face what Demon Storm would say. “Because as you explained, I’m in control. We do what I say.”
Hostility flared off him, but he didn’t make a threatening move. Would he just shift and attack her without thought?
Stop thinking that way.
Storm moved away from her, opening a distance that felt a mile wide. “You’re the master.”
That quip had her grinding her back teeth, but she let up on her jaws to say, “If that’s the way it is, then let’s get moving. Sen will have to teleport us. You are not to attack him.”
Would Macha allow Evalle a chance to explain or take one look at Storm and go all goddess on them?