“I want the bond broken. Now,” Storm demands, and the very weather around us gets worse. The rain falls harder, the skies get darker, and it is becoming more difficult to breathe from the pressure. I look to Seth, who is watching everything and everyone so closely. The higher gods haven’t even acknowledged their existence yet, but I doubt they see them as a threat. After all, they executed the justice twins’ father without a second thought or a struggle at all.
“How about a game?” Eenta suggests, clapping her hands. “I do love a game to keep us all entertained.”
“You are not bonded to her. I think I should play a game of killing you and your sister, Gestune. Then Xur, because he needs to watch you two die first,” Storm replies like he has it all planned out, and lightning flashes across the sky as he speaks. The rain is now settling into my dress and every bit of my skin it can find, making me shiver. It’s seriously cold. My arm aches as much as my throat does, but I have to stay strong. Even when I’m in pain and scared, being here with Storm and the twins makes things a little better. Killian’s or Seth’s hand moves to rest on the middle of my back like they could sense I need comfort, that this has been all too much for me, for anyone, to cope with. I’m not even sure what is real and what isn’t.
“One move to harm my sisters, and I will stab myself. Repeatedly. Now, I will heal, but Karma has only half of the strength I have. She would die from that,” he replies. “And there is nothing on this earth that could hold me down or stop my friends from helping me kill myself. If I go down, or my sisters do, I’m taking Karma with me.”
“What game?” I interrupt, placing my hand on Storm’s hand holding the axe and lowering it. I don’t fancy being stabbed a few times right in this moment, and threatening them isn’t working. I’ve always heard rumours about how the higher gods like games and challenges. Every year, they invite people onto the island for a challenge, which no one ever comes back from.
“I’m suggesting five games to celebrate there now being five higher gods on earth! If you win them all, then Xur will break the bond,” Eenta says, placing her hand on her brother’s arm after he glares down at her. They share some understanding, because when he looks to me, he is smiling.
“I promise, if you win, I will break the bond,” Xur claims.
“No, don—” Seth tries to stop me, but before Killian and Storm can protest with him, I speak.
“Then let’s play,” I say, interrupting Seth before he could finish that sentence. I doubt we are going to get another chance to break the bond, and fighting our way out isn’t going to work. The guys look at me like I’ve betrayed them somehow, but I just know there isn’t another way. I don’t want to be bonded to that lunatic anymore.
“Perfect. While the games commence, you are welcome here at our home, and we would prefer it that way. Your family and your friend are already here, Karma. They do love the castle and the island,” Xur says, and I tighten my fists. If they have hurt one hair on their heads, I will lose it. My hands flicker green, and I have to take a deep breath to make it stop.
“Where are they?” I tightly ask through gritted teeth.
“In the guest quarters, and I have treated them like they are my own family, which in a distant way they are. I’m sure Storm remembers where the guest quarters are,” Xur says, but I won’t believe him until I see them for myself, especially given how he’s treated his own family. “It has been updated for a more modern appearance now.”
“I do remember, considering I helped my parents build the castle,” Storm tightly replies.
“Brilliant. We have many things to prepare. Do excuse us,” Xur happily replies, bowing his head to us with a big smile I just want to knock off his feckin’ mouth. What an utter gobshite.
“This isn’t over between us, Xur. Death will find you by my hand,” Storm vows. Xur locks eyes with Storm before walking away with the sisters.
“What now?” Killian asks into the silence that is between us all. I wipe some tears off my face and straighten my back as I look between my gods.
“I need to talk to my mum. I need to know the truth.” I might need to know it, but I sure as heck don’t want to know. The truth usually isn’t all pretty and nice. My mum must have hidden the truth for a long time for a reason, and now I just need to know it.
I want to know who I am.
3
Storm watches Xur and his two sisters disappear into the distance, looking like he’s on the verge of going after him. If it weren’t for the blood bond, I have no doubt that he would, but I’m relieved that he doesn’t make a move. He’s a powerful god, no doubt on par with his family, but that doesn’t change the odds; even if my fate weren’t linked to Xur’s, it would be three against one, and I don’t want to see him get hurt.
You really are going soft, Karma, pipes up a cheeky voice in the back of my mind, but I shake it off; no one can blame me for wanting to keep the guy safe, can they? Especially when he has a body like that...
“Okay, let’s go,” Storm says, his voice pulling me out of my thoughts. He turns and holds a hand out to me, and I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to see his smug face and crooked smile. I don’t give him any attitude, instead wordlessly sliding my hand into his before glancing over at the justice twins. In spite of their uncharacteristically rugged appearance, they still have that distinct haughtiness about them, that air that made them so frustratingly attractive in the first place. But beneath their uppity expressions is a look of genuine concern, and it’s almost - almost - enough to make my heart melt. I’m still processing the fact that they came for me; these guys had to have known they were risking their lives and their jobs by interfering with the plans of the higher gods, and yet they did it without a second thought.
Nobody has ever fought for me like that before.
I flinch as Storm turns my hand over to examine the cut on my wrist. My quick healing abilities are helping it along, and it already looks less deep than it did when Xur first dug his nails into me, but it still hurts like a son of a bitch, and my arm is covered in a crust of dried blood. I hiss in a pained breath at Storm’s touch, and he looks up at me, meeting my eyes. “Sorry,” I mutter through gritted teeth. “The fucker got me good. If I had known it was a blood bond he was doing…” I trail off as Storm smooths a hand gently over my wrist, his touch light and deft, and even though he doesn’t have healing magic the feeling of his hands on me alone is enough to soothe me a little. He’s touching me like…
Like a lover, I think, and feel my face start to heat up in spite of myself.
In the blink of an eye, Killian rips the bottom of his shirt off, drawing my attention mercifully away from Storm and his galaxy eyes. The justice god makes his way over to us, standing beside me as he folds the strip of fabric into a makeshift bandage. He wraps the cut gently before tying it tightly enough to keep any more blood from leaking out.
I smile thankfully at him, my face betraying genuine emotion. He meets my eyes with his own, like pools of liquid gold, and it’s enough to make my stomach turn over in my stomach. My lips suddenly feel like they are burning from the memory of his kiss, a kiss I so want to repeat again and again. And perhaps find out what it’s like to do more than kiss Killian. I’m struck by the fleeting image of his hands on my body, looking up into his gorgeous eyes as he pushes me onto a bed, and that only makes me blush harder; why is it that everywhere I turn these days, I find myself going red in the face like a virgin schoolgirl? I feel the same way about Storm every time I look at him, even though the rational part of me knows romance should be the last thing on my mind right now.