Page 43 of Prince of Storms
“Hi,” Mia said sheepishly. “I’m right here.”
“I told you to go to Ty,” I growled.
My tone had the opposite effect. Instead of chastising her, it seemed to make her steel her spine. She crossed her arms. “What was all that about, Tor?”
“That was my sister,” I said but was interrupted before I could continue.
“Yes, I picked up on that much. Some family drama, it seems. No, I meant the whole flash of light. Your sister killing thirteen people. Oh, and the part whereyou’re a fucking prince?!”
Ah. Crap. Apparently, Mia had heard a lot. More than I would have liked.
“Seriously,” she continued, taking a step back as I tried to come closer. “Whoareyou people?”
I halted my initial reaction to her retreat, which was a flash of anger. She was afraid of me now? Afraid? Didn’t she know I wouldn’t hurt a hair on her?
Except she wasn’t afraid of me. She was unsure. She didn’t know, and that made her wary of everything. And I couldn’t blame her for that at all.
“That’s a more complicated question than you might think,” I said, trying to deflect any way I could for the time being.
“Right, sure,” she said, arms still crossed defensively.
“I don’t have time to do this right now,” I told her, more harshly than I ever truly wanted to speak to her. “That was my sister. Her name is Rica. She’s kind of a bitch, and not wanted around here. Unfortunately, it looks like she’s not going to take that advice and leave. Which makes things a bit … tricky.”
Something slithered behind Mia’s eyes. “Is she … going to try to kill you?”
“Again,” I muttered, for a moment reliving my past with Rica. Vorgans were no joke. The shadow monsters from deep in the caverns below Storm Keep had been more myth than reality for centuries. Until Rica had somehow managed to half-tame one and bring it to the surface, unleashing it in the middle of Storm Keep.
Thirteen dragons had died, and I had been wounded and one blow away from death before my father had appeared and shoved a lightning bolt through the thing, skewering its heart.
Not that I intended to tell Mia anything at all about that. Judging by how she’d worded her questions, she hadn’t seen me hit Rica with a lightning bolt. All she’d seen was a flash. And while she now knew I was a prince—or would be, once I found my mate—she had no idea it was a prince of dragons, not humans. I could run with that for a bit.
Thank goodness nobody had mentioned dragons. That secret was still in the bag, and I needed to keep it that way.
“Come on,” I said, gesturing to Mia as I walked inside.
Ty stayed behind. I didn’t have to tell him to act as a lookout until I got Mia settled somewhere safer. He knew what to do and would do it without question.
“Where are you taking me?” Mia asked, eyeing my outstretched hand warily.
“Your quarters,” I said. “It would probably be best if you stayed here for the night.”
“Am I a prisoner?” she asked nervously, her eyes darting around, searching for an exit.
“No,” I said. “But my sister is … unpredictable, at best, as you may have noticed. She should really be in a facility.”
Or dead.
“Am I … am I in danger?” Mia asked. “Is she going to try to hurt me?”
“I don’t think so,” I said. “She didn’t see you. Neither of us did, so you should be safe. But that’s part of why you should stay here today. So shedoesn’tsee you.”
I neglected to mention how Rica likely already knew about Mia. After all, she’d fried her car, then fried my truck while I was talking to Mia the night before. Then she’d hit us with a lightning bolt today while we were driving, causing me to go through the windshield.
The key would be to keep Rica’s focus on me and off Mia.
“Am I going to be allowed to leave this place?” Mia asked nervously.
“Yes, yes, of course,” I said. “Just not today. We’ll get you home tomorrow. You’ll be fine.”
