“Kit?” I whisper, completely confused why I’m looking at Kit’s butt floating in a black energy which is getting bigger, stretching. Suddenly a dresser flies out of the black energy, and my clothes from inside the prison are thrown all across the dirt in front of us. I look between the higher gods, who look just as confused, and back to the black energy which I’m guessing is some sort of portal. Not like any portal I’ve seen before though. Nor did I have a clue Kit could do magic like this. I assumed he was just a greedy little fecker.
“Did you miss me, little one?” Storm’s grumble makes me shiver as he steps out of the black energy, and his eyes lock onto mine. My heart feels nothing but relief and happiness as I see him, and until now, I didn’t realise how much I like having Storm near me. I feel incomplete without him. I grin at him as I run my eyes over his long hair, which is down, falling around his face, and his purple eyes look much darker than when we last saw each other. He still looks like he has the galaxy in his eyes, though this time I feel like he wants revenge now, and it has made his world a little darker. His very presence makes me shiver, let alone his voice. The higher gods make me nervous and afraid because their energy is wrong. It’s horrid. Storm…well, his energy makes me want to bow my head and serve him forever. Not that he should ever know that. He already has a big head.
“Very much,” is all I can find to say with a cracked voice, and it’s not enough to explain how happy I am to see him. We both don’t need to say anything. The way we left things was complicated to say the least. I know he is mourning Neritous or, at least, the child version of him that he loved. Despite everything, I don’t think it will matter to him now. I can see that. When you just want to be around someone, it’s crazy the things you simply forget for love. Not that I love him. I don’t think anyway. A few moments later, Killian steps out of the black energy, with Seth close behind him, and my heart beats that much harder.
“You’re alive,” I whisper, knowing they can’t hear me as I take a step closer to them. They look tired, wearing white shirts and joggers that ride low on their hips because they don’t fit well. Neither of them has shaved in a while, making them almost look like a wild pair of hot twin guys. Not that you find those in the wild, because I’m damn sure women would be out hunting all day if you did. The blond twins never have looked at me like they are right now. I meet Killian’s gold eyes first, and the usual light I find in them isn’t all there. He looks just as lost as Storm. When I turn to see Seth, I watch how his hands are tightened into fists and how tense his whole body is as he looks into my eyes. Seth’s eyes have always been dark, lost and cold…but this time, I see a little bit of light in them. It’s not much, and it doesn’t one bit help me understand Seth any more than I do—or don’t. That guy is an enigma to me, one I’m attracted to and want to find out more about. I’m not admitting that out loud though. It’s good to at least think about all the things I’ve been avoiding before, well, whatever is going to happen. I really hope Storm is here to help me escape and stop his family. I don’t know if he could kill them though. I know somewhere deep down he loves them.
“Karma, are you okay?” Killian asks, his eyes drifting to my arm that I’m holding and the blood dripping down it. Before I answer, I see Seth hand Storm his axe out of the corner of my eye.
“I thought you guys were dead, and it nearly broke me,” I explain, my voice cracking. “You guys gave me a friggin’ heart attack.”
“We're not yet,” Seth coldly replies, and I look to him, nodding a few times.
“Come here. We aren’t going anywhere without you, Karma,” Killian firmly tells me as he holds a hand out for me to take. The moment I try to step towards them, two hands slam onto my shoulders, stopping me as they dig their nails into my bare skin. The twin sisters stand on either side of me, making it clear I can’t go anywhere, as Xur moves to stand slightly in front of us all.
“Let her go. Now.” Storm’s statement is cold, emotionless and downright scary as it makes me shiver. I can’t see him, but I can guess he doesn’t look one bit impressed at seeing his family again. “You only get one warning.” The sky instantly starts to get dark as it feels like the air gets tenser, making it hard to breath. It’s like that feeling you get right before a storm, except this time Storm really is here and far more deadly than anyone else in the world.
“Make me,” Xur replies like it is some big joke, which is a little bit of a surprise because, if anyone, he should fear Storm. I mean, he locked him away because he was scared he would kill him and his sisters. In a blur, Storm is in front of Xur and tightly grabbing him by the throat. He lifts him high in the air as the sky goes even darker than it was a second ago. Rain pours down on us a moment later, and lightning flashes across the sky. I cry out as it feels like my throat is being closed and crushed. I fall to my knees, the world going blurry as I gasp and claw at my throat to stop it. I gasp for air, a cry leaving my lips as nothing else comes out. I’m dying, and I don’t even know why or how. There is nothing there. As the real panic begins to settle in, I hear Storm’s voice.
“What have you done?” Storm roars, and the feeling soon stops. Moments later, Storm picks me up, holding me to his chest with his axe pressed to my back. His other hand goes to my cheek, his thumb wiping a tear away as he examines me. I try to speak, but my voice is cracked and doesn’t sound right. My throat burns from the pain that is still there, even as it is fading.
“I’ve made sure my niece is safe for good. We have a blood bond, an unbreakable one that means if you hurt me, you hurt your precious ‘little one’. You wouldn’t want to do that, now would you?” Xur comments with a raspy voice, but he is still laughing. He linked us, so whatever happens to him, it happens to me too. That means he can’t be killed unless I’m dead too. The thought just makes me want to panic. I turn my head to meet Xur’s eyes, and see the smile there on his stupid lips. How the heck am I meant to get revenge without killing myself in the process now?
“You feckin’ eegit! This is why you are bat shit crazy!” I say, though my voice is strained and raspy, but it still gets my point across.
“I will find a way to break it,” Storm promises me, looking furious. The justice twins come to each side of us as Storm lets me go but takes my hand to keep me close. Storm points the axe at Xur and the girls.
“I will have my revenge for everything. Nothing has changed,” Storm growls loudly, and Xur for a second shows some fear. Eenta just smiles like we are discussing having a family barbeque and not murdering each other. I don’t even bother looking her sister’s way, knowing she likely is enjoying this.
“Everything has changed, though,” Xur smugly replies, and his eyes go to me as he makes that point. I’ve made Storm weak, and now he isn’t a threat to them. That’s what he is saying without actually saying it. Storm has wanted nothing more than to escape that prison, and the second he does, I’ve stopped him from actually being able to do anything. Not without losing me, which he thankfully doesn’t want to do. I look up at him, how strong he appears to be, and I know I need to be strong too.