“‘Hangry’ is a dangerous mix of hungry and angry,” I explain to him as we start walking. “Possibly even more dangerous than just plain old angry. You never know when it might strike, if you’re not careful.”
“‘Hangry’,” Storm repeats thoughtfully, turning the word over in his mouth. A small smile emerges on his face, and he nods appreciatively. “I like that.”
“Good, because there’s plenty more where that came from,” I joke. “We’ll have you talking like a normal person before you know it.”
Storm laughs, and then goes quiet, taking a long, pensive breath. “It’s moments like these when I remember how much I’ve missed,” Storm says thoughtfully, before turning and letting his eyes settle on me. “But the wait was worth it, I think. For you.”
I feel a blush creep into my cheeks, my insides going mushy under his intense gaze. I haven’t forgotten what he said to me earlier, about his feelings for me. The fact that I’m going to be alone with him for the first time in his apartment isn’t lost on me, and there’s a stirring of butterflies in my stomach at the prospect. I’m not usually one to get all flustered around hot guys, but Storm is different. They all are.
We make our way into the main building, rounding a corner and turning down into the long corridor that branches off the main hallway. I can feel Storm wrap an arm around my waist, and I find myself leaning in to him as we navigate the palace. The pain in my side is all but gone at this point, but I’m not doing it for support, anymore - I’m just basking in the feeling of being near him.
It’s quiet in the castle - if dinner has already happened, then the higher gods must have made it a private affair; aside from a few passing guards, there’s not much activity. It’s as if everyone is waiting, holding our collective breath as we anticipate the next challenge.
Suddenly feeling like I need to say something - anything - to break the heavy silence, I turn to Storm and say, “Thank you for tracking Emerald down. For everything you did today.”
“You’re welcome,” Storm replies, his eyes still to the front.
“I’m serious,” I tell him as we continue to walk. “I think we did a good thing for her. I can’t imagine what she must have gone through.”
“Don’t speak too soon,” Storm warns me. “Her daughter is still missing.”
“I know,” I reply grimly. “My sister. And we’re going to help get her back.”
“Does it feel strange to you?” Storm asks, looking at me. “Finding out you have a sister, I mean.”
I think for a long moment before I respond. “A little,” I reply finally, “but no stranger than finding out the people who raised me weren’t my biological parents, I guess.”
He laughs at that. “That’s a fair point.”
“Still…” I shake my head solemnly. “The more we find out about the things Neritous has done, the more I’m glad I killed him.” I stop in my tracks suddenly, looking at Storm as a new fear rears its ugly head. “Is that wrong of me?” I ask him in a small voice that sounds so unlike my own. “To be happy that he’s dead, even though he’s…” I swallow hard. “Even though he’s my father?”
Storm doesn’t have to think long. “No,” he tells me without missing a beat. “In fact, in a sense, it fits that you were the one to kill him.”
“You think so?”
He nods sombrely. “I don’t think it was karma that you brought to him that day, little one. I think it was justice.”
Slowly, I nod, straightening up. “And I’m far from being done.”
Storm chuckles a little. “This is why I love you, Karma.”
I smile at him, comforted, and we resume our walk in silence. Eventually we arrive at the end of a hallway in the west wing of the palace, stopping at the end in front of a pair of white wooden doors. Storm lets me go so he can pull a key out of his pocket and unlock the door, stepping aside so I can enter his quarters.
I walk into his chambers, not really sure what I should be expecting, and I’m surprised to see that this is clearly one of the older suites in the castle. I shuffle forward slowly, my eyes wide as I admire the place: the walls are made of pale stone, not plaster, and sconces hold enchanted lights that bathe the room in a soft golden glow. In the middle of the room is an enormous bed fit for royalty, and it dawns on me that perhaps my family’s apartments were given modern furniture in order to make us more comfortable… or more amenable. I press my lips together in a thin line at the thought.
One of the walls dips into a little alcove, and in it is a tiny kitchen, similar to the one in our apartment. On the wall behind the bed, there are four big, paneled glass windows. They show stunning views over the beaches and forest in the distance - memories of Storm’s mother and the trees she planted on the island. There is a reading alcove in the far corner that doesn’t appear to have been used in some time, along with a bookshelf full of ancient tomes. I don’t see much in here that’s personal, and my heart breaks a little - Storm hasn’t been home in so long, he might as well have never existed here at all, as far as the higher gods are concerned. It’s like they deliberately purged all evidence of him from the place in the aftermath of his imprisonment, and he’s only now beginning to to get his life back.
I can’t help but stare as I make my way around the room, absently lifting Kit off my shoulder and placing him on the counter. The tiny goblin quickly runs and climbs up to the top of the fridge.
“I’m going to quickly make him something,” Storm says to me as he passes me, and I look up at him as I nod.
I can feel the tension characteristic of our relationship building up, crackling between us like electricity. We usually ignore it, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s there, burning and pressing me to go to him, touch him, comfort him.
I’m on the verge of reaching out when Kit starts banging the top of the fridge, breaking up the moment, and I breathe in deeply as Storm moves to rummage in the fridge. I look out the window for a moment at the view before moving towards the bed, sitting down on the plush mattress and picking up the only thing on the side table, a gold box. I open it up, seeing dozens of tiny black hairbands inside, alongside a silver comb.
“What’s this?” I ask, holding the box up.
Storm takes a moment to set some food on the counter for Kit, who immediately leaps down from the refrigerator and digs in, oblivious to anything going on around him. He then walks over and takes a seat next to me on the bed. “Braiding each other’s hair was a sign of affection back when I was young,” he replies. “I’ve never braided anyone’s hair since the higher gods were children - and my parents’, before they died.” There’s a moment of silence, and then he makes eye contact with me. “Can I braid your hair?” he asks suddenly.
I blink, surprised, and raise a self-conscious hand to my wild red locks. This clearly means a lot to him, and I’m honored that he would consider doing something that holds so much significance.
“I’d love that,” I say, smiling at him and raking my hands through the tangles. He takes the box from me as I turn around, kicking my shoes off and crossing my legs on the blue sheets.
I feel Storm gently run the comb through my hair, his movements gentle, practised, and precise. He’s patient as he works the knots out, not snagging or hurting me at all until my long red tresses are falling smoothly down my back. Putting the comb away, he gets to work braiding it with an expertise that can only come from years of practise. It’s so relaxing that I almost drift off to sleep until I feel him place his hands on my shoulders. I reach back, feeling the detailed braids all in my hair, the dozens of them he has done to link together. I look back at him, and lift my hand to his cheek.
“Thank you, Storm,” I softly say, and he kisses me instead of saying a word back. I fully turn around as he pulls me closer to him and lays me back on the bed as he deepens the kiss. I tug his shirt up, and he pulls it off before coming back to kiss me. My shirt is soon pulled off next, and then Storm is unclipping my bra as his lips devour my jaw and move down to my neck. I wriggle against his large knee between my legs as he gets my bra off, and I slide my arms out. Storm takes a second to look down at me, and I admire him right back. The way his muscular body is so toned, each ripple is defined all the way down the fine line of hair I can see going into his trousers.
“I can take them off, make this more even if you want?” Storm asks, though it’s his way of asking if I want this to go further. As I look into Storm’s eyes, I know there isn’t anything in this world I want more right now.
“I love you, Storm,” are the only words I can think to say. And it’s enough to make his eyes glow as he looks at me like I’m the most important person in the world. Storm tugs his trousers off, and I pull my own down to speed things up. I’m tired of waiting for what I want in my life. I want Storm because I love him more than I thought it was possible to love someone else. He covers my body with his own as he kisses me, and he feels perfect on top of me.
His lips move down my jaw to my chest, and he spends a few seconds teasing my hard nipples with his tongue before descending lower. Storm grabs my thighs with his hands, pushing them apart and diving between my legs like he has wanted to do this a million times. His tongue swirls around my clit as I slide my hands into his hair, moaning loudly from the intense pleasure. I crash into an orgasm quickly.
“Storm, I want you inside me, please. I need to feel you,” I moan as I come down from the wave, knowing exactly what I want. Storm climbs up my body, lining up at my entrance, and he leans down. He kisses me ever so softly, gently, and it means so much that he does.
“I love you, Karma. It’s forever for us,” he softly tells me seconds before he easily slides fully inside me. I gasp from the pleasure, from how feckin’ incredible he feels inside me.
“You’re so perfectly tight,” he groans as he pulls out and slowly slides back in. He does this several times as he devours my lips, his body rubbing against mine. Every thrust moves his body against my hard nipples, his cock perfectly stretching me as I moan. I never want this to stop. Storm rolls us over so I’m on top, and I roll my hips, feeling and loving how I can see every reaction.
