"That's insane. I'm so sorry they killed your father," I whisper. “They gave you a death sentence because of your powers.”
"He wasn't a good father to us, so don't worry," Killian replies.
"What do you mean by that?" I ask him.
"My father didn't want anyone to be a new god of justice, and he never meant to get my mum pregnant. She died in childbirth, he was horrified he had twins. As a result, we were brought up in foster homes, not told we were gods until the day my father was killed," he explains to me. “As kids, we saw magical things no one else did and never had anyone to explain it to us. It wasn’t easy.”
"Sounds like the higher gods are still lording it up," Storm coldly remarks, and my head shoots to see him leaning against the door, biting into an apple. "Also, I overheard your conversation. There is one part of the prison that gets natural light, and you can see the sunrise. It's full of apple, lemon and orange trees. I will show you it later if you want."
"Thanks," Killian replies, nodding his head once. "I made breakfast if you want some." Seems like someone is making friends. Why does it make me happy? I shouldn’t care; I don’t really know these guys.
"Maybe later, but thanks. I'm stealing little Karma for the morning," Storm replies.
"For the love of gods, stop calling me little," I snap before eating the rest of my toast in annoyance.
"But you are so little," Storm replies with a smirk at my annoyance. “Don’t worry, I think it’s cute.”
"Let's just go before you say anything else that makes me want to throw something at you," I mutter, standing up and taking my plate to the sink. "Thanks, Killian. Maybe we can talk more later?"
"We need to leave," Storm interrupts before Killian can reply to me, and Killian only grins over at Storm before looking down at me.
"Any time, my angel," he replies. Oh, these gods with killer smiles, sharp jawlines and dangerously sexy eyes are definitely going to be trouble.
Chapter 22
"What have you got planned for us then, big guy?" I ask Storm after I close the front door, stepping out into the garden. I run my eyes over the herbs, flowers and various plants that are being grown out here, admiring how healthy they all look. It sure takes some dedication to keep a garden like this alive. Storm looks back at me for a moment, giving me a second to take in his white shirt, black trousers and holder for his axe which is still strapped to his back like he expects trouble at any moment. Storm's black hair is a complicated looking braid, with a long yellow string woven in before it's tied at the bottom, near his lower back.
"Big guy is a nickname I like, little Karma," he tells me. Dammit, I didn’t mean to call him any nickname at all.
"Maybe I should call you little guy then," I retort.
"Nothing about me is little, darling," he teases, and I roll my eyes, swiftly walking past him to the gate which I pull open. He is such a typical guy, and even though I know better, my cheeks still burn a slight red. Thankfully he swiftly changes the subject. "I wanted to show you around, introduce you to some of my people and just have a chat."
"Alright then," I reply, following him across the bridge that I'm getting a little used to. I'm still not a fan of heights, but jumping off that bridge sure did help with my fears a bit. I briefly glance down, seeing all the bridges with people walking across them, and instantly, I feel a little dizzy and shoot my head up, focusing on Storm's hair instead. We get off the bridge and walk across the ledge and down the steps.
"The level below our home is the general housing area. I will show you that another day, but there isn't much to see other than homes in caves,” he tells me as we pass another ledge and carry on down the stairs.
"Are these stairs the only way up?" I ask.
"No, there are five more stairways on the other side, but this is the only one that goes to our level," he explains to me.
"How many people live here?" I ask as we get to another ledge, and Storm steps out into it. He pauses, placing his hand on his chin as he thinks about an answer I presume.
"We did a count about five years ago. It was four hundred and ten, if I remember right," he tells me. "Though many people have children here, people die, and sometimes we get newcomers like you. It could be more or less than that count now." I walk to his side, stopping as I look over the huge bridge in front us, observing the busy group of people that are walking around on the other side between wooden stalls where there are other people handing out food and random goods, by the looks of it. I love the vines of flowers that crawl up the walls, but it makes me pause for a second.
"Wait, how do the flowers and your plants grow without light? I'm also curious how those balls of light exist in the house and know when it's bedtime and turn off? And who makes that big light I saw yesterday that is now just a tiny ball in the sky?" I ask Storm, who only chuckles.
"Wait here," he tells me as I frown at him in confusion. Storm walks into the middle of the bridge, and every person on the other side stops to watch. Storm closes his eyes as he raises his hands in the air. In a matter of moments, bright light beams out of his hands into the air, shooting up into the top of the prison. The beams of light start swirling around each other until they make a swirling ball of light that is very much like the sun. You can even feel the heat from it. At this moment, I see why they admire him so much. Worship him almost. He truly is something else. When I look back at Storm, he is watching me as he literally lights the world up. Something about him makes me never want to look away. After a few more moments, he stops the beams of light and lowers his hands. The crowd cheers his name as he walks across the bridge to me.
"That's how I keep this place alive, little Karma," he says, making me remember that he is still an arrogant asshole. “Though my name is only one of my powers, I control weather.”
"Impressive," I reply to him, as I'm not going to lie. That is all he is getting though. I step around him and walk across the bridge, hearing his footsteps close behind me. The crowd has gone back to their usual jobs, but the moment they see Storm, they all bow their heads. After making it across, I stop on the pathway.
"Storm, baby!" I hear a woman shout, and I look to the left as a woman runs through the crowd, in a tight dress that even Mads would say is trashy, though her long blonde hair is stunning, falling around her in waves, and she has these big, blue, doll eyes. Like I'm not even here, she steps around me, and I turn to see her throw herself at Storm, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. And he damn well hugs her back, smiling at her when he lets go a few moments later.
"Vivian, you seem happy this morning," Storm happily says.
"I am! I saved those dying apple trees in the yard. It took a lot of work and magic, but they will live now. I've also planted some new orange trees this morning," she says in a bubbly sweet manner.
"You're a plant goddess," I blurt out, and she turns, very slowly looking at me from head to toe before clearly deciding I'm not her friend, as she tenses up and crosses her arms. No wonder Storm likes her, plant goddesses don't like to wear clothes, their skin is soft, and they smell amazing. My mum had a plant goddess come and help her briefly when the flowers were dying in her garden. I remember watching from the window as she used her powers, and it was so beautiful to see how she connected with the flowers…even though she was naked, as mum couldn't convince her to wear clothes. My brothers thought she was the best thing since sliced bread.
"Vivian, this is Karma. Karma, Vivian," Storm introduces us, and I step closer, offering a hand out which Vivian looks at in disgust before shaking it.
"How did you know what I am?" Vivian asks, swiftly pulling her hand back and placing it on Storm's arm. I don't need her to say a word to make it clear she thinks Storm is hers, though he doesn't move closer to her or show any interest back. Not that it matters to me if Storm is single or not.
"I've met a plant goddess before," I explain, and she nods with a scowl before looking up at Storm with a much nicer expression.
"Why don't you come over to mine tonight? It must be so difficult with a packed house," she practically purrs. I sniffle a chuckle at her suggestive comment and pull my eyes away as I don't need to hear Storm agree to go over.
"I like a busy house actually, Vivian. So no, I can't come over. Now, I promised Karma a tour, so I have to go," Storm replies, to my surprise. "See you around." I glance back as Storm comes to my side, only to see Vivian’s look of pure anger directed at me. I guess I will have to watch out for poisonous vines growing around my neck tonight. We walk further into the street that is sort of like a market, but I notice no one pays with money. Everyone is exchanging something for something else, or just giving things away.
"So, you and Vivian?" I find myself asking and wanting to shoot myself when I realise how it sounds. Storm seems oblivious though as he answers.
"She is my ex. We dated for a year or so, but after the lust wore off, there was nothing left between us. It wouldn't have ended well either way," he darkly states. "Enough about me though. This is the market, the main part of the prison, and you can get anything you need here. The people trade things they brought in with them or made. If you have nothing to trade, you can trade jobs instead, like cleaning, manual work or even babysitting." I leave all talk of Vivian in the past, because it really isn't anything to do with me. Nope, totally not thrilled that they’re through; doesn’t matter to me.
"I hate that people are born here when they did nothing wrong. Surely the higher gods should let them out into the world, they did nothing wrong," I point out.
