Chapter 50: The Calm Before the Storm

Storm re-emerged from his room and wrapped his arms around Kitara’s waist, crushing her against a chest of solid muscle. He pressed a gentle kiss to the crook of her shoulder.

“When you reached out to me this morning…I was terrified,” he murmured. “I thought Baylen came to kill you.”

“I would have killed him first,” she growled, which made him chuckle half-heartedly.

She turned into him, and Storm took her face in his hands, pressing his lips to hers in a fervent, almost desperate kiss, like he was trying to reassure himself she was alive. “You’ll have to forgive me,” he murmured against her mouth. “But I need you close to me right now.”

“Shouldn’t we—” she began, but his growl cut her off.

“Later,” he murmured. “We’ll address the rest later. For now, all I want is you.”

Then his mouth was on hers again with an insistence that made warmth flare inside her. Storm led her toward his room. Closing the door behind him with one hand, he pulled her against his chest, bringing his mouth down hard on hers again.

His hands skimmed up her sides, taking her cropped tee with it. As he pulled the shirt over her head, she divested him of his undershirt. He cupped one of her breasts in one hand, making her shiver as electric wildfire skittered across her skin. Then his hand moved lower, lower still, until he found the center of her heat and she arched against him. He stroked soft, gentle circles against her and she moaned, the sound swallowed by his kiss.

Storm went to his knees in front of her and her breath caught as he pressed a kiss just above her navel. Her fingers threaded through his hair as he undid the button of her black jeans. Their remaining clothing followed the way of the rest.

He lifted her into his arms, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Taking his face in her hands, she kissed him with a desperation fueled by the threshold of near-release.

«Baby, I want to feel you. All of you.» The thought tumbled through her mind.

With growl of desire, Storm pushed her up against the nearest wall and thrust inside her. He groaned as he drove deep into her, immersing himself in her warmth. Sparking ripples of heat echoed through her as he propelled her toward release, finishing what his fingers started. She came with a low cry of pleasure and buried her head in his shoulder as she shuddered around him. He braced one hand against the wall as she gasped in time with his rhythm.

As Kitara floated back down to earth, Storm took the opportunity to relocate them to the bed, laying her down beneath him.

«You are everything—everything I needed,» he told her, eyes full of silver fire. «I didn’t even know I was looking for you. I didn’t know I needed you.»

Breathtaking emotion arced through Kitara’s chest so fiercely it almost pained her.

Affection and warmth echoed in his mind. Storm’s position as he leaned over her allowed her to reach out to guide him inside her again. He let out an exhalation of contentment as she enveloped him.

The pace changed now—not a frantic, desperate need to be intertwined, but slower, more deliberate as they moved together, relishing in the feeling of each other. Storm kissed her shoulder, then her throat, then found her mouth again as he rocked against her. He filled Kitara completely, like they were two halves of one whole: the warmth of his skin on hers, her breath against his neck, the taste of his tongue in her mouth.

Another wave of electric warmth crested in her belly as he moved between her legs. Sparking ripples of heat echoed through her as he propelled her toward release. She came with a low cry of pleasure and buried her head in his shoulder as she shuddered around him. He braced one hand against the bed as she gasped in time with his rhythm.

The sensation was enough to undo him, too. With a groan, he achieved his own release, bowing over her while his breaths came in ragged gasps against her neck.

A feeling like possessiveness rippled through her mind. «You’re mine,» she said fiercely.

«Always,» he responded without hesitation. «As long as you’ll have me.»

Kitara woke late the next morning curled against Storm’s back. She shifted and, sensing her movement, he rolled over. “Morning,” he murmured.

The throaty sound of sleep in his voice made her cheeks redden. “Morning.” She squinted at him. “It’s not fair you look like that when you’re not even fully awake.”

Storm flashed her a rakish smile. “Don’t undersell yourself; I’ve struggled to keep my hands to myself since I woke up.” He reached up to caress her jaw.

She snorted but leaned over him to kiss him. “Your self-control is truly remarkable.”

“Figured you’d appreciate it,” he replied like she had been serious, smile widening. “You feeling okay?”

Heat permeated her cheeks. “Better than.”

“You’re doing wonders for my ego,” he said with a smile, kissing her on the forehead.

“Like it needs any help,” Kitara teased.

“Hey, I have bad days too.”

“Really? I hadn’t noticed.”

With a playful growl, Storm rolled her under him, making her laugh. “You’re lucky I’ve sworn to spend the rest of my life proving to you I’m not a complete bastard.”

She smiled up at him. “You’re not. You just act without thinking sometimes.”

He sighed. “I should know better; I’m supposed to be a top tactician.”

“Emotions have a funny way of throwing a wrench into things.”

He brushed a kiss over her lips. “I don’t deserve you.”

“Hey.” Kitara took his face in her hands. “I’ve done things I’m not proud of too.”

“Did they endanger the lives of the people you care most about?” he asked, arching an eyebrow.

“Once or twice,” she replied mildly. “You think I didn’t panic for months after I nearly ripped Phoenix apart? I could have hurt Dev. Her seeing what I did…she’s smart. She could have figured out what I was. I trusted Baylen, and that put her in danger…” She shook her head. “One bad decision doesn’t make you a bad person.”

Storm’s eyes smoldered with emotion and heat. “My bad decision nearly got you killed.”

“Do you think I should have been executed for nearly killing Phoenix?”

“What? No—”

“Do you think Robert deserved to be Felled?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Did Saoirse deserve to die for sharing the wrong intel?”

“Of course not.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Did you confront me because you knew Ostragarn had a hit out on me?”

“No!”

She shrugged. “One bad decision. Someone would have put it together eventually. You just…expedited the process. You want to know why I think your mother came to try and help my family?”

The change in subject startled him. “Why?”

“Guilt. The Fallen, eradicating the Ninthëvels, the near-destruction of her people…things she was directly involved in.”

“But she didn’t cause those things…”

“And you didn’t make Ostragarn put a price on my head either,” Kitara replied firmly. “I’m not trying to be nice or generous, Storm. I’ve just learned that one mistake shouldn’t define the rest of your life.”

He sighed heavily, then offered her a rueful smile. “You’re not going to let me feel bad about this, are you.”

She grinned back. “Only on days you’re being truly insufferable.”

He laughed and kissed her again. “I’ll do my best to make those days few and far between.”

Kitara’s gaze softened. “You feel so deeply, Storm. It’s been apparent from the moment I met you. That’s not always a bad thing.”

“I never wanted to end up jaded and cold, like my father.”

“So you overcorrected a little.” Kitara shrugged. “You’re fiercely loyal to and protective of the people you care about. Your friends, your family…”

“You.”

“Me.” She smiled again. “I’m never going to fault you for that. You just thought I was on the wrong side of it for a minute.”

“Not anymore,” he murmured, leaning down to press his lips to the hollow of her throat.

“Not anymore,” she breathed back. “I’m on your side, Storm. Always.”

They succumbed to each other again, bodies joining, souls intertwining, until they couldn’t differentiate where one ended and the other began.

«Stars help me, but I can’t get enough of you,» he said as they came back down together, then kissed her forehead.

«Careful saying stuff like that,» she said with a laugh. «Or I won’t let you get up.»

He chuckled. «Immortal I may be, but I do have some limits.»

Her eyes sparkled with amusement. «Guess you’d better move, then.»

With a sigh, Storm withdrew from her and stepped into the adjoining bathroom.

Kitara relaxed in a satisfied daze, closing her eyes.

When did I fall in love with Storm Avensäel?

As if the errant thought summoned him, he leaned back through the doorway, his brow furrowed. “What?”

She opened her eyes and met his gaze. “What do you mean, what?”

“You said…you said you fell in love with me.”

Kitara sat straight up. “I—that’s…”

She hadn’t been actively relaying anything—she was sure of it.

Storm watched her expression carefully. “You weren’t? Aren’t?”

She nodded. “Not that I—don’t want to, I just…didn’t intentionally…” She trailed off. When was the last time she’d made the conscientious decision to mindspeak with him?

With a start, she realized it had been days.

Oh, stars.

She’d become so accustomed to speaking with him privately, to sharing her mind with him…she hadn’t realized she had stopped needing to consciously reach for him.

“I’m sorry, I—” Kitara stared at her hands, completely at a loss for words.

An amused grin spread across Storm’s face. “You thought…what? I didn’t feel the same way?”

Her gaze flicked up to his, and his smile gentled. “I said it before, Kit. I’m ruined for anyone but you. What did you think that meant?”

She swallowed thickly, a lump forming in her throat. “I don’t know. I guess—” She shrugged helplessly.

Storm pushed off the doorway of the bathroom and made his way to her side. He cupped her face with one hand. “Let me tell you what it means,” he said softly. “It means I love you, Kitara Ninthëvel. More than you can know. More than I can even fathom. I think I’ve loved you even when I thought I hated you.”

The sound of her real name on his lips brought tears to her eyes.

She hadn’t expected this. She hadn’t expected the feeling he engendered. She hadn’t expected to feel complete when for so long she was content on her own.

No, it wasn’t even completion. It was extension. Somehow, he had become an extension of her, and she of him, and while she was at peace with being alone, his addition in her life had become something so essential, his absence bordered on painful. She could not disappear into an invisible, shadowed existence after this. Not when he made her feel seen.

“I love you too,” she whispered. “Stars, Storm, how did this happen?”

He laughed. “Which part?”

“Any of it.”

“Well, when two people with similar interests spend lots of time together…”

She socked him in the shoulder. “Shut up,” she murmured, cheeks blazing. “This…bond. This connection. I’ve never heard of anything like it, have you?”

Storm shook his head slowly. “No,” he admitted. “And…your aura doesn’t stand out as much to me anymore, either.”

Kitara stilled, instinctively searching. It was as if the overwhelming power of his aura had taken up residence in her mind. His physical presence felt only as impactful as Baylen’s now: enough to be noteworthy, but nothing like the overpowering awareness she’d come to recognize.

“What does that mean?”

Storm hesitated, regarding her thoughtfully. “I think it means our lives are more intertwined than we originally thought.”

Warmth blossomed within her—a sense of belonging, of rightness.

Storm put a hand to her jaw and leaned in to kiss her. “What was it you said?” he murmured. “Somehow…it’s always been you.”

She let out a soft, shaky laugh. “Intertwined lives, you said. Well, it’s certainly…something.”

Storm smiled and brushed a kiss to her forehead. “Something more.”

A ringing noise echoed overhead. They looked up as the sound became a whining scream. An explosion rocked the base and threw them to the floor.