"I was the first born of all my siblings, and somewhat grew up alone as my parents couldn’t have any more children. My mother, a very powerful goddess of life, adopted my twin sisters and blessed them with incredible powers like my own. I was ten. My adopted twin brothers were born three years later by the same human mother who gave up my sisters. My parents gave them powers and made them immortal like us. One big happy family…what a joke that ended up being. I helped my parents bring them up, told them it didn’t matter that we weren’t related by blood; they were my family. My father, a god of earth, died when I was eighteen. It was a price of giving my adopted siblings all that power and immortality. My mother passed away from sadness not much later.
“I ended up alone, bringing up two sets of twins with insane powers that were hard to control, immortality that they wasted. This was around four hundred years ago, if you want to know my age. We were not the only ones with powers, but no one could challenge us, so we naturally became the leaders. Therefore, the title ‘higher gods’ was founded," he pauses, clearing his throat and holding a hand out for the bottle. After a long drink, he carries on with his story as I’m stuck in shock and silence. "We ruled peacefully for a long time, happy with our lives...well, so I thought. I found out my adopted brothers and sisters had a secret place, a building where they experimented and tortured both gods and humans. I believe the powers my parents gave them made them cruel and insane. They became monsters. I destroyed the place, letting the people free, and called my siblings in to explain to them how wrong it was what they were doing. I planned to help them, teach them right from wrong somehow. Our parents created peace, and that is what we needed to carry on, or we risk the entire world. I thought that they understood, that they listened to me, but I was wrong. So fucking wrong.
“They found unbreakable chains, the only thing in the world that can hold a higher god down, and tied me up after a long fight I almost won. I let them win because I couldn’t kill them. I should have killed them, I know that now, but back then, I saw them as my only family left. They threw me in here with all the creatures, gods and humans they had messed with and said I betrayed them. They built the prison with their powers to keep me in, and the only thing they left me with was that painting as a reminder. This place is their grave of secrets, starting with me."
"What crazy assholes," I blurt out. "You brought them up when you didn’t have to, and they betrayed you. Not the other way around."
"They don't see it that way. I've heard nothing other than their cruelty over the years in here, and I know there isn't much left of the siblings I grew up with," he despondently tells me. "And a sick, crazy part of me still wishes my siblings weren't completely lost."
I freeze, my whole body filling with cold fear as I suddenly realise I killed one of Storm's brothers, the brothers he clearly loved at some point and wishes were good somehow. Looking up at the painting, I see the higher god I killed almost instantly and know now why he looked familiar. That’s why Storm’s last name was familiar to me: it was the same as the Karma job on my hand.
"It's okay, you know? My fucked up past isn't something to get upset over," Storm says, moving his hand to my shoulder and gently stroking my back. When I look back at him, I want to tell him everything and hope he can forgive me. It was an accident...but he might not see it that way. A deep part of me isn’t ready to lose my friendship or whatever this is between Storm and me. I also don’t want to tell him something so terrible when he is trapped in here forever. He clearly has suffered enough. I keep my selfish lips shut, even when I know it’s going to destroy me not to tell him.
"You're immortal," I decide to say instead, because I need far more of this drink and a bucket of courage to tell him the truth right now.
"Yeah...it comes with more problems than it is worth at times," he replies.
"You really shouldn't ask me on a date," I blurt out. “I mean, the justice twins are immortal, so you should date them really.”
"They aren’t my type or gender, darling. I know this is complicated between us, but hell, for once, I want to do something reckless and crazy just because I want to," he says, reaching up and tucking a little bit of my hair behind my ear. "And trust me, I want to spend time with you, my little Karma."
"You're going to break my heart; I know it and so do you," I gently mutter, knowing it's true, and hell, so does he. I'm going to end up like Vivian at this rate.
"Maybe, maybe not," he replies, before pulling away and standing up off the sofa, clearly done with this conversation. "Night, Karma."
"Night, Storm," I reply, drinking some more of the bottle he left with me, before putting it on the floor. I curl up on the sofa, looking up at the painting which I now know haunts more than just me.
Chapter Twenty-Seven Seth
Eating my final slice of toast, I look up as Karma laughs at something Killian said to her, and I somewhat envy how he can make her laugh so easily. I stare around to see Coxen and Jade talking quietly together, touching arms every so often when they think people aren't looking. Storm buggered off this morning, and I hate how trapped we are in here unless he can take us with him. I think I could deal with the fact we are stuck in this prison until someone comes for us, but fuck, I can't deal with Storm insisting we stay in the house unless he is with us. I pull at the rim of my top, clearing my throat as Karma looks over at me.
"So, what do you have planned for today, goldipops?" she asks, smiling in a way that lights up her beautiful face, and it becomes hard to focus on much else. Karma hasn't a clue how stunning she is, how different and unique. She is like a cold glass of water on a hot summer's day. Her green eyes wait for my answer, as her firm lips part ever so slightly. It takes a damn lot of effort not to show her how I feel and keep her a good distance away. Guys like me only fuck up pretty women like her. Killian is smirking at me as I sit back, crossing my arms. Killian gets up, saying goodbye to everyone as he follows Coxen and Jade out of the room, leaving me alone with her.
"Pace the house, wait for my fucking babysitter to escort me out. You know, the usual," I sourly reply.
"Storm only wants you to stay alive. Even a gobshite such as yourself can see that," she replies, pushing the chair out. I stand with her as she steps up to me, being brave and reckless just like she always is. Why the hell it turns me on, I will fucking never know. Pushing a finger into my chest, she glares at me like I'm the devil itself. "If you want to die, then leave."
"Are you upset that I called your boyfriend a babysitter, or is it that you don't want me to leave?" I ask, curling my hand around hers, moving her finger down and away from my chest. I can hear her breathing intensify as I tug her closer to me, pressing all her soft body against mine, the smell of her hair filling my senses. She smells like freshly cut flowers and slightly of peanut butter. I didn't know these things could be remotely attractive until I met her.
"I'm not upset, Storm isn't my anything, and of course I don't want you dead. As you said, someone will come for you, and you kinda need to be alive to help me escape," she points out.
"So, you are just using me, Karma?" I ask, tutting as her cheeks burn as red as her hair. "How very heartless of you."
"When are you going to stop being an arsehole to everyone? Are you really always angry with the world?" she asks me, tilting her head to the side ever so slightly. For some reason, I can't stop noticing every little thing about her, even when I want nothing more than to be away from her. I like her; hell, I'm not that much of an idiot not to realise that by now. I like how kind she is when I can see she doesn't want to be. I like how she keeps a creature that no one else would, and it's clearly never crossed her mind that the goblin could be to blame for all her bad luck. I like how she never once lied to us about accidentally killing the higher god, and she doesn't hate me or Killian for not believing her. Karma is downright fucking addictive with how special she is...and what's worse is that she doesn't even know she is doing it.
"The world doesn't care if I'm angry or not. It just takes what it wants...so does my answer matter?" I reply to her, reminding myself not to fall for her.
"I don't know why, but it does to me," Karma replies, and I pull my eyebrows together in confusion. I've been nothing but an arsehole to her, so why the heck would she care about me? The reason suddenly slams into me like a barge pole.
"Killian told you about my human life, and my wife I lost to cancer, didn't he?" I ask, and her guilty expression is answer enough before she can even speak. "You don't have to feel sorry for me, Karma. I don't need it from you." I let go of her hand and walk to the door. Her hand grabs my arm, stopping me by the hallway, and I have no choice but to look back down at her.
"I do feel sorry for you, I'm not going to lie about that, but I don't care about you because you have a messed up past. You need a friend, I think, and I'm offering that. Just don't be a dick all the time," she tells me. Though the way she looks at me, it just reminds me why I need to stay away from her.
"You're confusing, Karma," I sigh.
"I think you said that to me on our first date," she says with a big smile, letting go of my arm and walking around me. I rest against the hallway pillar as she walks up the stairs, disappearing from view. No matter how much I push her away, she comes back like nothing happened. I doubt even telling her to run away would do much at this point. The front door opens and Storm walks in, holding a green dress over his arm. As much as I hate having a babysitter, Storm isn't a total dickhead. He is a good fighter and actually gives me a decent challenge when Killian cannot be asked to fight for long. We could be considered friends, if he didn't look like he wants to kill me every time I'm near Karma. I'm pretty sure he would gouge my eyeballs out if it wouldn't make Karma upset.
"Are you coming to the party tomorrow night?" Storm asks me. "And have you seen Karma around?"
"I'm coming only because Killian thinks it might be fun to get out," I say, crossing my arms.
"Good. The people need to see that you two are alright guys, not assholes like your father was and what they think you are like," he tells me. I tighten my fists in anger because of the simple fact he knew my father, yet I never got a fucking chance. It's not Storm's fault, but my father isn't around to get mad at.
"Karma is upstairs," I tell him.
"Thank you," he replies, walking past me and stopping with one foot on the first step. "You know she is mine, right? I don't share at all."
"Have you told her that?" I say, smiling widely which only serves to piss him off. He narrows his eyes at me, clearly seeing that as a challenge before stomping up the stairs. I don't know who he is kidding. Karma does whatever the hell she wants, it's part of her unique charm. Well, charm is one word that comes to mind anyway.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
"You ungrateful little—" I shout at Kit as he jumps off the bed, stealing my last cupcake that Jade made me, after I gave him one of his own. Someone knocks two times on the door, interrupting my attempts to grab the cupcake out from under my bed. I huff, sitting up and brushing my hair out of my eyes as I have a seat on my bed. "Come in!" I expect to see Jade walking through the door, but instead, it's Storm. My lips pull up as he shuts the door and holds up a long, floor length dark green dress with black lace embroidered into the hem and down the middle.
"It's for you. Admittedly, I had help from Jade with what to get as I've never chosen a dress for anyone before," he explains to me, looking nervous. Storm, a higher god with unimaginable power and strength is nervous I won't like the dress he got me. Holy gods, I didn't know Storm had this sweet side to him. I slide off the bed, walking up to Storm and jumping a little to wrap my arms around his neck. His arms tighten around me, holding me close as he almost lifts me up a little. I pull my head back to see him softly smiling down at me.
