Page 3 of Hell's Storm

“Asura?”

“Without me?” I ask, moving around him and out the door.

“Asura, get back here. You are unstable and naked!” He let out a sigh while speaking. Sucking on his teeth, he moves to one of the cabinets and pulls out a patient gown. I glance down, seeing that I am indeed stark naked. My eyes meet his, which stay focused on mine.

I snatch it from his hands and quickly throw it on. The old me would have waited naked to see if he would break and look at my body, but now wasn’t the time. I march out of the room and lean against the nurse’s station in the hall.

The nurse stares at me, visibly shaking. I must get used to demons shaking before me - because of who I am now, and I probably look like a crazed girl.

“Have you seen many old, wrinkly, important men around?” I ask.

Her hand shakes as she points down the hall.

“I’ll take you,” Khazon says, moving in the direction of her hand. I follow but don’t question his motives.Maybe he doesn’t want to be burned alive by my rage. Perhaps he’s just as curious as I am.

Once we get to a conference room, Khazon raises his fist to knock politely on the door.Fuck knocking.I grab the door handle and push the door open. The talking of the council reduces to soft speaking around the huge table.

“Asura,” Thatcher—Death and Khazon’s father—says. “You should be resting. We—”

“Are you having a meeting without me?”

He sits there stunned. “It’s too soon for you to even think about meeting with us.”

“I saw them.”

“Who?” Hades asks, standing.

“The people who murdered my family,” I snap as if he should be able to read my mind and figure out who I was talking about.

“Asura… we aren’t even on that topic. The Soul Reapers will handle the investigation.”

My shoulders sag.They don’t care that they have died? My father was their friend for years. Even Hades, the oldest, says my father was the best ruler of Hell they have ever had. And they didn’t care to get revenge?

“So, whatareyou talking about?” Khazon asks.

“You,” Thatcher says, looking straight at me. “You are welcome to—”

“Join? No. I’d rather figure out who killed my father, unlike everyone in thisfuckingbuilding!” My voice fills with rage the further the sentence goes on. The feeling engulfs me and makes me grow hotter.

“You must learn how to control the flame. You have—”

“I don’t want it!” I snap. “I don’t fucking want it!” I need to explode, scream, and let all the anger and heat out of me.I need to go. I need to leave.

“Asura, calm down!” Hades snaps, along with the other men.

Why is everyone mad at me?I glance over and see the door with black soot on it. I had been burning it with my anger.Is this how it’s going to always be? Family dying? People dying? Uncontrollable rage?

I let out a growl, rushing away.I want to get out of here; I can’t think or breathe. Everything is so overwhelming.

Ignoring the various shouts for me to stop, I push out the front door. How are they going to stop the Queen of Hell? They could never stop me. My cocky self runs right into the chest of someone outside, stopping me.

“Woah there, Princess Flaming Hot. Where are you going?” a familiar, cocky voice says.

I look to see Ryker standing before me in his tactical Soul Reaper gear. He’s in a sleeveless black tank top with arm sleeves running from his fingers to mid-bicep and showing the ridges of his muscles. He’s in cargo pants with combat boots. Today, his powder pink hair is down, hanging to his shoulders and hiding the pointed ears I know he has. His hands are around me as if the flame isn’t burning blisters into his hands. “I-I just need to get out of here. I’m hot and overwhelmed. I-I’m—”

“Are you okay, baby?” He whispers.

“I need to kill someone or scream or scream while killing someone. Can you take me out of here?” Tears fill my eyes. I’m not sure what I need, but I know I need to disappear for a moment and to make time stop. Everything was going by too fast.

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