Page 15

Chapter 15

Nathan

That morning, lounging in bed with Storm and making plans for the day, it hadn’t seemed like a big deal to agree to meet at the Rink. But now, pulling into the craggy parking lot, Nathan paused to appreciate the gravity of what he was doing. People who chose this side didn’t stay with the guild. Alex was banished. They tried to kill Luke. They wanted to hold Ira prisoner indefinitely until he managed to escape.

What would Nathan’s outcome be? Here he was, disobeying a direct order from Commander Sloan himself, allying with the so-called traitors and their demons for the greater good. Sloan wouldn’t see it that way, though. He would only see it as a betrayal. Was Nathan drawing a line in the sand with his actions?

He blew out a breath. Yes, he knew he was. For better or worse, he couldn’t go back to the time in his life before he’d met Storm. He couldn’t turn his back on the connection they shared. There was a lot they still didn’t know about each other, but one thing was clear: when this happened, their fates were sealed. Just like Alex and Talon, Luke and Malachi, Ira and Wolf. They met their demon, and they were never the same.

It was unlikely—downright improbable—that he and Storm should meet and fall for each other like they did. Storm seemed to have chosen him the moment he laid eyes on him. It was strange, and if he were a doubting man, he’d think there was some truth to Sloan’s conspiracies. How could so many of them have fallen organically for demons? From the outside, it would be easy to assume something nefarious was going on. But in truth, being with Storm felt like a missing piece had been returned to him, a piece he’d never even realized was missing. His life had gone from bearable to wonderful.

Which meant he had a choice to make. Could he go back to bearable? Did he even want to? The very notion had his stomach twisting with anxious nausea. Now that he knew what life was like with Storm, he didn’t want to give him up. But could he give up everything else to be with him?

He wasn’t ready to give up the guild yet. He wasn’t ready to admit the truce had failed. If he could establish some kind of ceasefire between them, then maybe it would be okay to leave the guild. Sloan had given him a week to keep working with them, and after that, one way or another, Nathan would have to choose. The guild or Storm. The life he knew, or the life he could have. It was like being forced to choose between his soul and his heart.

The Rink’s glass door swung open, and Storm appeared before him, haloed in the glowing lights from within. Mesmerized by the sight of him, the smile that brightened his face and the way the lights highlighted his hair with gold, Nathan shut off the engine and slid from the car.

“Hi,” he said, feeling almost bashful. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so excited to see anyone .

Storm grinned, dragging him in and wrapping his arms around him. “Hi. Miss me?”

Miss him? An embarrassing amount, really. Nathan fought his widening smile. “A little.”

Storm leaned in, brushing their lips together. “Just a little?”

“I can’t admit how much. That’d give you too much power over me.”

“Power over you,” Storm repeated, his gaze heavy-lidded like Nathan’s nearness was intoxicating. “Sunshine, I already have power over you.”

That was true. Nathan didn’t really understand it, but Storm could make him do almost anything. It would be frightening if he didn’t trust Storm with absolutely everything.

They’d known each other for a few days. How quickly things had changed.

“Does that go both ways?” Nathan asked, tipping his head back and kissing Storm more firmly. “Do I have power over you, too?”

Storm chuckled, the deep sound rolling down Nathan’s spine to pool in his gut. “I’m walking into Lilith’s place with you tonight, aren’t I? You tell me.” His teeth nipped Nathan’s bottom lip. Then, he groaned, rolling his eyes. “In a minute!”

Nathan tilted his head in confusion.

“The guys want me to bring you in,” Storm explained. “They were very concerned when I told them about the attack.”

Oh, right. They all knew he’d killed someone. His shoulders started to hunch, but Storm squeezed him tightly.

“No, none of that. You have nothing to feel guilty about.”

Nathan sighed. “I can’t help it, Storm.”

“Then I’ll just keep reminding you until you start to believe me.”

Nathan shuddered as the weight left his shoulders. The guilt wasn’t gone—wouldn’t be gone for a very long time, he was sure—but here, in Storm’s arms, he didn’t have to be strong. He could relax the tension that twisted him tightly in the day to day. Storm would never judge him for anything, and having someone give him that kind of support left him feeling shaken, the way a wound ached after a thorn was removed. It was still painful, but it was a good kind of pain. The freeing kind.

For just a moment, he tucked his nose in the warm curve of Storm’s neck, just letting himself be held. Storm’s big hands splayed wide across his back.

“Okay,” he finally said, straightening. “We can go in now.”

Storm offered him a smile. “Okay, sunshine.”

Nathan let himself be led to the door, his fingers tangled with Storm’s, who seemed to have no intention of letting him go.

Inside, everyone was scattered around the open space. The disco ball twinkled merrily above Angela and Zachary’s heads. Their wooden practice swords clacked together, and it looked more like they were playing than training. Ira was pouring himself a cup of coffee at the snack bar. Wolf, Talon, and Alex stood near the air hockey table, while Luke and Malachi stood at the half-wall, smiling at the kids’ antics.

“Can’t I convince you to stay behind?” Talon said to Alex as they approached.

Alex smiled patiently at him. “No.”

Talon’s breath gusted from his lungs, ending with a low growl that sounded more like a jungle cat than a man. “It’s dangerous.”

“Exactly. I like Nate. I don’t want Lilith to eviscerate him.”

Nathan’s brows rose. Was that a concern? He glanced at Storm, who shook his head.

“I wouldn’t let that happen,” Talon said.

“You barely tolerate Nathan,” Alex said.

Talon’s mouth opened in offense. “Are you saying you don’t trust me?”

Alex’s mouth twitched. “I trust you with my life, Tal. I’m just not sure I trust you with his life.”

“Ouch,” Nathan said. “And hello. What a nice conversation to walk in on.”

Alex greeted him first, fairly skipping over and shaking Nathan’s hand. “Hey, man. Storm told us about what happened last night.” His gaze fell to the gauze on Nathan’s forearm. He’d used less today, but there was no hiding it with his short-sleeved shirt. The material was stark against his suntanned skin. “Glad to see you’re okay.”

Over Alex’s shoulder, Talon watched them, unmoving.

Nathan focused on Alex, offering him a weak smile. “Thanks. It was… a rough night. I feel terrible about what happened to that boy.”

Luke joined them then, clapping Nathan on the shoulder. “It sounds like you did all you could for him, and in the end you made sure he wouldn’t suffer any longer and protected your squad. You did what any of us would’ve done.”

Nathan’s expression twisted. He didn’t want to cry in front of old shield-brothers and their demon partners. Desperately, he scanned the room for Storm, who’d moved away to let the humans talk together. His red gaze was steady, like a hand waiting to catch him, and when Nathan’s eyes found his, he mimed taking a slow, deep breath.

Talon glanced between them, ever observant, but there was no judgment on his face.

Ira drew Nathan’s attention next, stepping directly in front of him. The serenity he exuded did almost as much to calm him as Storm’s attention.

“You did the right thing,” Ira said confidently. “The mercy you showed him won’t be punished. Rest easy.”

Nathan blew out a breath. “Thank you, Ira.”

Alex returned to Talon’s side, and Talon argued, “And hey, I tolerate him. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t allow him to be here. Besides, you would all eviscerate me if I let anything happen to him. So he’ll be perfectly safe.”

“Yes, because I’m going,” Alex said, reeling Talon in for a quick kiss. “I’m a paladin, remember? Well. Former paladin. I’m a fighter. I can handle Lilith and her halflings.”

“I never doubted that,” Talon said plaintively. “I just prefer keeping you somewhere safe.”

‘I can’t live in a bubble, Storm,’ Nathan had said just that morning. The urge to protect was universal for demons, he supposed. How strange.

Wolf checked his phone. “Xyra put me in touch with a friend of hers, Magda. She’s one of the new bartenders at In Extremis, and she says Lilith just arrived. You guys are good to go whenever you’re ready. You sure you don’t need the rest of us to tag along?”

Talon shook his head. “No, showing up as a huge group would just make us seem more threatening. We’re there to ask questions, not bully anyone.”

“Aw, really?” Malachi pouted as he and Luke joined them around the table. “Not even a little bit? For me?”

Talon chortled. “Don’t tempt me. We can’t get answers and piss Lilith off at the same time, as entertaining as it might be.”

“We don’t want to make things harder for ourselves by giving her more reason to hate us, either,” Ira pointed out.

“Ah, fine,” Malachi said, slinging an arm around Luke’s broad shoulders. “It’s not like I’d be there to see it anyway.”

“We should get moving, I guess,” Nathan said. “The sooner we find out about these pills, the better.”

“Yes, may as well,” Talon agreed. “I’d like to get this over with. I have better things to do with my night.” He leered at Alex in a way that left little to the imagination.

“Let’s take my truck,” Storm suggested as they turned toward the door. “I don’t fancy trying to squeeze into the back of your little sports car, Talon.”

“I didn’t bring it, anyway,” Talon said. “Harder to track us if I teleport us everywhere.”

Nathan hummed. “Have you guys all taken the chance to move, by the way?”

“We did,” Talon said, filing out of the Rink behind Nathan and holding the door for Alex. “I own a couple of properties, so it was easy to move to another. One of them is actually an apartment complex. The others are staying there for now, too, just to be on the safe side. And I may or may not be looking into real estate overseas, if shit should hit the fan. Ira’s been tight-lipped whenever I ask him about the future, but he didn’t tell me not to buy a hidden-away mansion somewhere in Europe or the Baltics, so…” He shrugged.

Nathan eyed Storm as they climbed into the truck, Talon and Alex taking the backseat. “What about you? Did the paladins ever follow you home?” He’d never been to Storm’s apartment. Was it safe?

Storm nodded. “They followed any of us they’d seen interact with Alex and Talon. I moved at the same time as the others. Remind me to show you my place sometime.” He cast Nathan a smile. “It’s got a nice view.”

Nathan struggled to hide how much the idea pleased him. He did want to know where Storm lived. Wanted to know everything about him. “I’d like that.”

The drive passed in a companionable blur. Nathan hadn’t been out on a mission with Alex since before his banishment, almost a year ago now. The Alex he saw now was vastly different from the one he remembered patrolling with back then, though. Gone was the simmering anger that had lurked below the surface. This Alex was relaxed, and his smiles appeared readily. It was like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and Nathan wondered if it was vengeance or love that had done more for him. He suspected the latter, because he felt the same buoyancy when he was in Storm’s presence. Like the whole world was a little brighter.

He couldn’t blame Alex for willingly going with Talon, now that he knew what Alex must have felt at the time.

They stopped in a fenced-off parking lot across the street from the club. Nathan studied the outside of the warehouse with interest. He’d never been inside In Extremis before, and he had to admit, he’d always been curious. The windows of the converted warehouse were painted black, and a lone halfling stood guard at the door. That used to be Storm’s job, and his gaze slid to Storm’s profile curiously. Did he miss it?

“No weapons,” Talon said, glancing between Alex and Nathan.

Alex nodded in agreement, and Nathan shook his head, raising his hands. “I didn’t even bring any.” He’d left them in the trunk of his car. If he’d needed anything, he’d assumed they would have mentioned it before leaving the Rink.

“Good. Demons get squirrelly when they see holy weapons. Bad enough you’re walking in there with that ring on,” Talon said, unbuckling his seatbelt and reaching for the door.

Nathan looked down at the signet ring on his finger. The ruby looked black in the darkness, stark against the white pearl of the cross that was inlaid in the middle. “Should I remove it? I’m here on guild business.”

“No, it’s fine,” Storm said. “People will be wary, but they’re already going to be wary of us . Seeing your ring won’t make that much of a difference.”

They crossed the street as a group, Alex and Nathan side by side with Talon and Storm at their backs.

The bouncer stepped in front of the door, crimson eyes bouncing from face to face. He was almost as tall as Storm, but not quite as broad.

“Tripp,” Talon greeted.

The halfling nodded in greeting, blowing a lock of dark brown hair back from his face. “What’s your business here? I’ve been told not to let you in.”

“We just want to ask some questions. We’re not here to cause any problems,” Talon said.

“You asking questions might cause problems.” Tripp arched a bushy brow. He nodded at Nathan. “This one’s a paladin.”

“I’m unarmed,” Nathan said.

Tripp looked away, smirking. “You won’t want to come in tonight anyway.”

“Why’s that?” Storm asked.

“There’s a new admission policy. All humans have to take one of these.” He withdrew a plastic baggy from his jacket pocket, bulging with little black capsules.

Nathan’s head spun.

“What the hell?” Alex blurted.

“Lilith is forcing people to take these as a price of admission?” Talon said incredulously. “They’re killing people!”

Tripp looked confused. “What? No, they aren’t. One dose doesn’t kill anyone.”

“What about multiple doses?” Nathan asked urgently. “People who come back to the club multiple nights in a row. Have any of them stopped showing up?”

Tripp tilted his head thoughtfully. “I don’t know. I don’t pay that much attention.”

Nathan’s palms were sweaty. It was easy enough to find a local article written about the dead boy on his phone. Sloan’s police friends had suppressed most of the information about it, but the tragic death of a college-age kid was still noteworthy. He zoomed in on the kid’s photo and held it up for Tripp to see.

“Have you seen this guy here before?”

Tripp studied it for a moment, then pursed his lips, bobbing his head back and forth. “Yeah, maybe. Looks a little familiar.”

Alex looked stricken. “I thought halflings didn’t kill people.”

Tripp drew himself up. “We don’t. I told you, these pills aren’t hurting anyone. It just increases the fun. That’s what Lilith told me. She said it’d make people drink more.”

“But you don’t know exactly what it does,” Nathan said. “That’s all she told you?”

“Yeah.” He shrugged. “Above my pay grade, I figured.”

Storm rolled his eyes.

“Neither of you is taking one of those,” Talon told the humans.

“Then no entrance,” Tripp declared.

Nathan hesitated, eyeing the bag of pills. They really needed to talk to Lilith. She was responsible for this, and he wanted to know why.

“Nate,” Alex said, pulling him from his thoughts. “What do you think?”

“It’s too dangerous,” Storm said.

“If it’s true that one dose doesn’t kill,” Nathan said slowly, ignoring the sick twist of his gut, “maybe we can do this. We take it, go in, get our answers, and stick our fingers down our throats as soon as we get out.”

“What if it takes too long?” Talon asked. “What if Lilith is uncooperative? What if a fight breaks out?”

“Hey,” Tripp said, “there’s no fighting allowed inside?—”

“Shut the fuck up, halfling, and mind your business,” Talon snapped. To the humans, he said, “It’s too big a risk.”

“Not if it takes multiple doses,” Nathan said. He could barely believe he was even arguing in favor of this. But if it meant getting answers, he owed it to the dead to do this.

Alex looked uncertain, but he said decisively, “We’re taking Tripp’s word for it that these pills take multiple doses to kill?”

“Hey,” Tripp protested. “I’m telling you. We have some regulars here tonight who have had at least five in the last week, and they’re just fine.”

Nathan blew out a breath and stuck his hand out. “Just give me one.”

“Sunshine,” Storm murmured, curling a hand around the back of his neck.

He fully intended to make himself throw up the minute they were out of the club. Tripp dropped one of the capsules in his waiting palm, then gave one to Alex. Their eyes met, and Nathan saw his own trepidation reflected back at him in Alex’s blue eyes.

“Cheers,” Nathan said, tossing the pill back and working it to the back of his throat. He’d never swallowed a pill without water before, and it took him a minute to force it down. Anxious heat flashed down his spine as it went, and he hoped he didn’t just sign his own death warrant.

They both opened their mouths to prove to Tripp that they’d swallowed them. He nodded in approval, pocketed the bag, and opened the door for them.

“ Nice . Enjoy. Try not to cause any problems with those questions of yours.”

Talon growled as he passed, and Nathan followed them into the dark maw of the club.

The disorienting haze and muted, multicolored lights of the club made it feel like stepping into another realm. A crush of bodies moved sinuously out on the dance floor, haloed by tables and chairs. The bar was across the room, the lights behind the bar seeming like spotlights compared to the cloaking darkness of the rest of the club. Booths lined two walls, and there were bodies on every surface. Chairs, tables, booth seats. Kissing, grinding, thrusting. People wearing leather harnesses, people wearing silky black ropes, people bound with shiny silver chains.

He didn’t know where to look, his eyes roaming from one scene to the next.

Storm’s body crowded against his back. “You good, sunshine?”

Yes, he was good. His eyes fell across a man near the back of the room, pinned against the wall by a halfling whose mouth was latched onto his neck. The man was shirtless, wearing an elaborate leather harness that secured his wrists behind his back. His head was thrown back against the wall in bliss, his spine arching as the halfling massaged his groin through his khakis.

How good would it feel to give Storm control like that ? To be bound and completely at his mercy? A bolt of white-hot lust speared through him, and he quickly tore his eyes away from the two men.

Storm’s big hand took him by the jaw, turning his head and capturing his mouth with his own. “Tell me those thoughts later, sunshine, okay? I’d love to hear whatever you were just thinking.”

Nathan was going to melt straight into the floor. If he told him—and he would, by God, if Storm told him to—then Storm would do it. Nathan knew he would. He was already half-hard at the very idea.

“Uh-huh,” he agreed weakly.

“Let’s go talk to the bartenders first,” Talon suggested. He had an arm draped around Alex, who was fairly clinging to him.

Nathan understood, because he slipped under Storm’s arm as they wove through the crowd. Storm’s body was solid and warm, fingers curving around Nathan’s shoulder with possessive intent. It felt good to be held by him. Cradled by him.

He turned his head, inhaling Storm’s heady scent. Leather and tobacco, clean soap and musk. He wanted to lick him, and before he could think better of it, he leaned in to do exactly that, his nose skimming the underside of Storm’s jaw and following it up with the tip of his tongue.

“Sunshine,” Storm groaned. “Not that I’m not interested, but I thought we were here for a purpose.”

“We are,” Nathan said distractedly. God, his whole body felt like it was on fire. He was restless, burning with the need to move, and he wanted to move like everyone else here. Wanted to rut and taste until he couldn’t stand upright anymore.

Sounds seemed sharper. The music overhead was loud, but it took on a new pitch, like Nathan could hear details in the music he’d missed before.

“Oh fuck , little bird.” Talon’s aggrieved voice cleared some of the sticky haze from Nathan’s mind. His voice should’ve been masked by the music, but Nathan heard him clearly. He turned his head to see Talon backing Alex up against the bar, pulling Alex’s hand up from where it had slipped into the back of his dark-wash jeans. Before he could say more, Alex tilted his head back and captured his mouth. Whatever Talon was going to say was lost as he let Alex plunder his mouth.

That looked fun.

Nathan guided Storm’s head down, urging his mouth open and pressing his tongue inside. Storm’s groan rumbled through every point where their bodies touched. He wrapped strong arms around Nathan’s waist, crushing their bodies together, and backed Nathan up until he was right beside Alex against the bar.

With effort, Storm pried his mouth away, panting, and looked at Talon. “Something’s wrong.”

Alex’s face was hidden in the curve of Talon’s neck, and Talon nodded with a rapturous look on his face. “Uh-huh.”

Nathan barely registered their words. Everything around him felt fantastic . Even the cool surface of the bar behind him felt amazing, and he reached back, laying his palm flat and closing his eyes.

Dimly, he realized this wasn’t normal. He always reacted to Storm, but not like this. He’d never thought touching a bar top was a sensual experience.

“Oh God, it’s the pills,” Nathan groaned, pulling Storm closer and trying desperately not to start working himself on his thigh. He’d be embarrassed about this later, he was sure.

“The pills? What are they doing?” Storm asked. “How are you feeling, exactly?”

“I feel amazing,” Nathan groaned. “Everything feels fantastic. The music sounds sharper. Everything I touch feels good. I feel like I could take on the world.”

Talon looked at something beyond Nathan’s head and snapped his fingers. “Magda! Hey, Magda! Come here.”

A dark-skinned woman with short curls strode over, cleaning a glass. “What’s up, Talon? Haven’t seen you around for a while.”

“What exactly do those black pills do?” He sank his fingers into Alex’s hair and pried his slick mouth away from his throat. Nathan watched the hickey heal right before his eyes.

Magda smirked, looking from Alex to Nathan. “It makes them feel like us .”

Talon cocked his head, and Nathan looked up at Storm. “Is that true? Do you feel like this all the time?”

Storm looked nonplussed. “I don’t know.”

“Yep,” Magda supplied. “It makes their senses sharper, makes them feel stronger, makes everything feel ten times better. Pain will barely register while they’re high, so don’t let them do anything stupid.”

“I don’t think we’re this horny all the time, are we?” Storm asked, taking Nathan’s chin and tilting his head back to peer into his eyes. Nathan smiled at him, nipping one of his fingers.

Magda snorted. “Why do you think we’re here all the time? Hell yeah, we’re that horny. That’s why this club is so damn successful.”

“That’s a good point,” Storm groused. “Well, what do we do? They’re too distracted to talk to Lilith.”

Talon sighed. “We’ll do the talking. We can’t leave them alone. I don’t think they can be trusted down here right now, so we’ll just have to bring them with us.”

Alex pulled away from him abruptly and adopted a scowl. “Hey, I’m not hot for just anybody, y’know. I’d punch out anybody who tried to mess with Nate or me.”

“Exactly,” Talon said. “You think you can ‘take on the whole world,’ as Magda said. You’re turned on, surrounded by other people who are turned on, and the minute somebody laid a hand on you, you’d start a fight with the whole damn club.”

Alex beamed. “I would.”

Nathan laughed at his unrepentant face. “I’d help.”

Storm chuckled. “Got to love the honesty.”

Talon groaned, peeling himself away from Alex like it caused him physical pain and taking his hand. “Come on. The sooner we get some answers about these pills, the sooner I can take you home and fuck you like you want.”

Alex moaned dramatically, and Nathan laughed again, letting Storm drag him after them.

“Fucking sounds nice,” Nathan said, and Storm’s head fell back in despair.

“Just you wait until I can get you alone, sunshine.”

“Is throwing up the pill out of the question?” Talon asked as they left the crowd, going to a black door around the side of the bar that Nathan never would’ve noticed on his own.

“Probably,” Storm said, “since it’s already affecting them. Do you think it’ll be okay?”

“I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”

They ascended up a set of black stairs. The hallway at the top was also black, and red lights in the ceiling gave everything a crimson glow. Nathan ran his fingers along the glossy wall, humming at the cool sensation.

Talon didn’t knock on what had to be Lilith’s office door. He strode right in, towing Alex after him—and stopped just inside the door.

“Put those away,” he said.

Storm and Nathan rounded the doorframe and stopped behind Talon, giving Nathan a view of Lilith’s blacked-out office. She sat behind her desk, tapping red nails on the polished black surface with an air of impatience at Talon’s untimely interruption. Behind her, on either side, two halflings had handguns pointed at them.

“You think you can just barge in here whenever you want?” Lilith asked poisonously.

“We’re just here to talk,” Talon said. “Tell your goons to put those away.”

“Or what?” Lilith asked. “You don’t call the shots here, leviathan.”

“I can cross this room and snap your neck.”

“If you do that, they’ll shoot your human.”

Talon stiffened, then relaxed. “Then we’re at an impasse, because we’re not leaving until we’ve talked. So either we can talk, or you and Alex can die. What’ll it be?”

Alex squeaked out something indignant.

It had to be a bluff. There was no way Talon would actually let anything happen to Alex… would he?

Lilith narrowed her eyes. For a tense moment, no one moved. Then, with a sigh, she waved a hand, and the halfling goons lowered their guns.

“Fine,” she said. “Let’s talk.”