Page 2 of I Am the Storm

He nods. “You’ll meet them in time. For now, just remember…” His eyes drift away, landing on the large iron clock on the tower across the town square, then flick back to me. "I will always protect you, no matter what."

Footsteps.

The shuffling of grass.

“There you are,” says Sebastian, emerging from behind the trees, carrying two glasses in one hand and a plate piled with treats in the other. "I heard raised voices," he says. "Was someone bothering you?"

My throat clenches, unsure of how to explain this. I turn back to Adam…but he's gone. Vanished as quickly as he appeared. Even his footprints are gone.

My eyes dart to the forest behind me, but there's no sign of my brother. My gut tells me I'll see him again, though. He still has questions to answer.

I turn back to Sebastian, doing my best to look festive despite the worry I feel. "Dracula was here," I say casually. "He wanted to say goodbye and thank me for my help exonerating him." It's not a lie, but it's not the whole truth, either. "Thanks for grabbing the drinks."

Sebastian smiles, his forest green eyes crinkling around the edges. Every time I see him, he steals my breath. You'd think I'd get used to it, to his earthy sexiness, his aristocratic features, his sculpted muscles and tall, lean body. But the earth Druid turned vampire has an animal magnetism that always catches me off guard. Tonight, he's wearing a black leather jacket and black pants with a white tailored tunic that does nothing to diminish his chiseled body. And his pink tie adds a splash of charm to his badass look.

He hands me a plate piled high with food—brightly-colored pastries, éclairs stuffed with chocolate and cream, and an oddly shaped set of donuts with not one but two holes in the center—and one of the drinks. His is red—blood most likely, probably mixed with liquor. Mine is a pretty blue color and I sniff at it. Blueberries and honey.

I take a sip, following Sebastian to a stone table where Elijah, Liam, and Derek are already sitting. Liam lifts a crimson bottle to his baby, and I raise an eyebrow at it as I take a seat across from him.

"Do I want to know why Alina's milk is red?" I ask, shuddering to think of the reason.

He turns to look at me, raising an eyebrow at my muddy and disheveled state but apparently too polite to ask what happened in front of everyone else. When I refuse to answer his unspoken inquiry, his golden eyes narrow momentarily but then goes back to feeding his daughter. "She's half vampire," he says, a flock of auburn hair falling across his forehead. "She needs milk and blood. It's a special mix the Ifrits put together."

"Yum," I say, picking at my own food but not actually eating any.

Liam frowns, then winks, and my body heats up at the memory of his kisses, his hands on me, his passion teasing my senses. Our gazes are locked onto one another's as he admires the sapphire blue gown that hugs my curves and I notice the way the emerald green of his cloak brings out his eyes.

But then the bottle slips from Alina's mouth and a trickle of milky blood stains her pink dress. Liam breaks eye contact with me to tend to her, and I mentally fan myself to cool off from the memories of his body pressed against mine.

Elijah, who sits next to Liam, sips at his blood cocktail and smiles, his silver-white hair swept back in a tie, his top hat covering most of it. He's very dashing in a fine black coat with purple buttons and silver walking stick. "We should buy her red clothing, to hide the blood stains," the air Druid says. "There is much research to be done on raising a hybrid child. We've never had an infant in the family." As if his own comment inspires him, he pulls a book out of his breast pocket and begins to read. I just chuckle and sip at my drink.

"You've hardly touched your food," Sebastian says, with a nudge to my shoulder. "Not to your liking? I can get you something else?"

His attentiveness is touching, and I smile warmly at him while inwardly I wince. "I'm just not very hungry," I say. Seeing my dead brother has sapped my appetite, I want to add. But I can't. Not yet. I trust the Night brothers. I do. They've become my family. But they're lawyers, sworn to uphold the law. And my brother…my brother is a murderer. Who let another man take the fall for his crimes. He may be justified in his actions, or he might be insane. He could be lying, but that seems the least likely. I can't imagine him evil. Not that. Anything but that. But either way, I can't risk the Nights turning him in while I'm figuring out what to do. I already lost my twin once. I won't lose him again.

Derek, sitting on the other side of me, wraps an arm around my shoulders and leans in to kiss my head. "Don't drink too much without food in you. Matilda has tonics ready for us all after tonight, but they take time to work, and you're not going to enjoy the taste."

The charismatic water Druid stands, adjusting his red scarf as he scans the crowds. "I'm off to mingle. Don't get too crazy," he says good-naturedly.

Elijah stands as well, tucking his book into his jacket. "I will join you, brother. Ifi and Elal look like they could use a few drinking companions."

I glance to where he's pointing and see the Ifrits engaged in some kind of elemental drinking game. Derek grins and they leave together, greeting the two men with laughter and back slaps.

Around us the festivities continue. Lily is dancing in her long green gown with other dryads, their movements flowing like leaves in the wind, their true forms flashing in and out as an elf plays a fiddle and a woman who looks part mermaid with scales lining her skin sings a haunting song in a strange language. It's entrancing.

Liam stands with Alina, catching my gaze as he cradles her in his arms. "I'll see you in a bit?" he asks. I nod and he heads to a nearby fire pit where the two gargoyles, Okura and Akuro are perched, talking softy. Well, softly for gargoyles. When Liam reaches them, Okura—the female gargoyle who recently gave birth—pulls her baby out of the pouch so the two newborns can meet. Maybe they'll grow up to be friends. What a lucky childhood Alina will have.

I don't see Matilda, and I wonder briefly if she went home.

Everywhere there is laughter and great anticipation for the night that is to come. Even Lilith is here, her long dark hair slick and shiny as she raises a glass in toast with Kana, the Kitsune who helped us untangle the mysteries surrounding Mary's letters.

Beyond the town center, towering over the stalls and booths, is the courthouse. Large enough to accommodate dragons and all manner of magical creatures, casting a long shadow across the town with its gothic architecture and grey stonework.

Sebastian and I are the only two left at the table. He is my rock, my foundation in a very strange world, and as he lays a hand on mine, I want to unburden my soul. But instead I pull away, fighting every urge in me to grab onto him and not let go, to hold him close and feel his strength embrace me and erase my fear and worry.

"Everyone looks to be having a wonderful time," I say, hating myself for making small talk with Sebastian of all people.

"That does appear to be the case," he says. "But are you? You seem lost in thought."

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