Page 37 of Goddess of Storms

I hand them to her and grab a Coke, “I’m ready now.”

Harper links her arm with mine as we head towards the sweet old lady smiling as we approach her.

“Will that be all? What are you two doing way out here?” she inquires.

“Just out for a drive, the weather is nice out today,” I reply.

She gives me the total. Harper and I say our goodbyes and join the fellows in my car.

We are about an hour from the park. I have been thinking that this is going too smoothly, someone had to notice our quick grab of Nile. If the cult were as good as Harper worried, they'd have my tags and car description to all their members.

Stopping at the intersection just before we were to get back on the interstate, I look both ways. The roads are empty as my car rolls forward.

The next thing I know is pain, there is a sickening crunch of metal and screams mingled together. What the fuck just happened? I gripped the steering wheel so tight that it warped in my hands.

My head and side hurt, then I hear the most frightening sound in the world to me. Harper.

Pinned in my seat, my eyes searched for her. Harper had taken up residence in the passenger seat when we left the store. With care, I turn to see her just in time to see her being dragged away by two men in suits.

"Harper, I will find you!" I yell as I struggle to get out of my seat, but there is no luck, helplessly I watch as she disappears from my view.

"Nile, Phoenix, are you two fucknuts okay?" I pause before I call them again.

A tiny groan escapes one of their lips. Phoenix was behind me and the impact was on our side.

"Nile, call 9-1-1. Those cult fucks hit us and took Harper. I'm fucking pinned in this car. I watched them take her." There is a little break in my voice with that last sentence. I fucking hate being helpless.

Nile doesn't reply to me, but I hear the sound of the numbers as he hits them in. From the backseat, I hear, "Yes, someone hit my friends car, he is stuck and bleeding and our other friend is unconscious. We need help now."

"No, I don't know our location. Do your fucking job and track my phone." Then he hangs up.

Those are the last words I hear before I black out.

Harper

Our plan to get the cult off my back was coming together until a car came out of nowhere and rams into the side of Stone's car. It jars me and my head hits the side window, but thank the gods I’m wearing my seat belt.

Once my head clears, I start checking on the guys. Stone is bleeding but breathing. Nile is out of my line of sight, but Phoenix is draped over the middle seat with blood gushing from his head.

I reach out for Stone when the door beside me is wrenched open. Two strong arms pull me from the car. Just before I could call on my powers, they drop something around my neck. I was too busy trying to fight them to glance down, but my powers only felt like a hum under my skin, whatever they did, I would have to fight this fight as a mortal. My powers were somehow bound.

They drag me towards a car farther down the road, I scream and fight for all I'm worth. Just before they shove me into the car, I hear Stone's vow.

"Why can't you asshats just let me be? I don't want anything to do with you all or your cult!" I spit.

"You are ours," is the only reply I get from the suit driving.

"Yours?" I laugh. "I belong to no one. You two are really tough, huh? How is it that you bound me? Release me, If you don't, I promise you won't like being on the other end of my wrath. I will be free and you will get what you deserve."

They don't reply to my threats, the silence in the air could be cut with a knife.

"Why me?" I let the question linger in the air before repeating it again.

Suit two answers this time, "You are our Goddess."

Nile

Where did that car come from? I watched as Stone checked both ways before continuing on. They had to be hiding in wait. Those fuckers hit the car just to steal Harper. I can't wait to plunge my trident into a few of their chests just for the fun of it. They took her from me once, I'll be damned if they will do it again. I know that Stone and I don't get along, but on this, we will both agree. While we are waiting for the police to arrive, Stone and Phoenix are both bleeding. I pull off my shirt and wrap it around Phoenix's bleeding head, hoping that it will stop some of the bleeding. What the fuck is taking them so long?

---