Page 64 of When Storms Collide

Zion dropped his pack to the earth, settling himself against a tree as he watched the sky above with careful eyes. His gaze flickered to Kenna momentarily, and they engaged in a silent conversation. Kenna nodded, shifting into her raven form and taking to the skies above us.

She called out once, then disappeared into the cloud cover.

“Now what?” Tess asked, coming to my side and dropping her own pack.

Zion clasped his hands between his bent knees as Annelise joined him.

“Now… we wait.”

A hand against my mouth had my eyes snapping open, a scream on the tip of my tongue was snuffed out by the thick, leather glove covering my lips. My eyes flew wide in alarm, my head shaking back and forth.

Nikolai bent before me, his hand clasped tightly over my mouth, his knee against the cold, hard ground as he crouched. He brought a slender finger to his lips.

“Shhhh, Firecracker. We don’t want to wake the others.”

I tried to snap my head to the side—to see the rest of the camp—but Nikolai held me firm.

Where were the others? Weren’t Puck and Saanvi on the first watch? Had he killed them?

We had gone to bed that night knowing the Noctani were close. We could feel a cold chill in the air, creeping into our bones. The forest was devoid of all sound, a sign that there was dark magic among the woods. No birds chirped in the trees—no deer grazed the forest floor. It was utterly deserted.

Nothing living wanted to venture this close to the soulless creatures Donika had created. I had settled into my bedroll, anxious for dawn to come, never expecting Nikolai would find us so quickly. It hadn’t even been one full nightfall before he had made his move.

“If you promise not to scream, I’ll remove my hand.” The pressure on my mouth eased as Nikolai leaned back, his eyes narrowed at me.

“What did you do to them?” I asked, sitting up in my bedroll and closing the distance between us.

Nikolai didn’t move back. He studied me with those black, endless eyes. His gaze traveled from my brow, down my nose to my mouth. His gaze stopped, a smile lifting the corner of his own lips.

“I never imagined I’d see you again this soon. Couldn’t stay away, could you, Firecracker?” he asked.

He reached his hand out, tucking a piece of stray curls behind my ear. When I flinched, his smile turned down.

“What’s wrong?” His brows furrowed in confusion.

What’s wrong?

It was my turn for my eyes to narrow, incredulous. My gaze traveled sideways to see there were full bedrolls beside me, soft snores filling the surrounding air.

“What did you do to them?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

I wasn’t worried about waking the others. Ineededto wake the others. I simply needed to give the appearance that I didn’t, lulling Nik into a false sense of security while I reached for my blade. Stormslayer was tucked beneath my makeshiftpillow, the antidote was in my pack, which Tess was currently using as a head rest. Her breathing was soft, undisturbed. He hadn’t hurt those in camp who had been sleeping, at least.

Nik cocked his head to the side.

“Puck and Saanvi,” I explained slowly.

His tourmaline eyes sparked with something akin to recognition before he stepped back, his hand moving to his sword and sliding it free of its scabbard. I was on my feet in a heartbeat, Stormslayer sliding easily from beneath the pillow, held tightly in my grip.

Puck and Saanvi hadlethim in.

Alone.

They had baited him into camp, hoping he would come to steal me away, and now he was cornered. Footsteps stirred the brush as Puck and Saanvi jumped into the clearing, wielding their weapons in the space between us.

Tess stirred, and I kneeled at her side, shaking her not-so-gently. I needed the antidote, and I needed itnow.

A wicked smile spread across Nik’s lips, his fangs protruding from his mouth a sharp reminder of who he truly was in this moment. His sword moved to Tess’s neck, and I stilled.

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