Rage of Storms Page 2

  “It’s called the void. It’s like purgatory,” Stacey Layden said as she walked in with Brooks. His monstrous frame dwarfed the petite brunette. She’d left her usual professor uniform of black robes at home and instead wore a long dark dress that could double as a nightgown, the material light and silky. Her hair was pulled back in the usual tight bun. She didn’t take a seat and instead stood by the double doors. Hulk, as I so fondly referred to the heavily inked Brooks, stayed by her side. Stace, I understood why she’d come. Brooks, I didn’t.

  “He was in hell?” I sat forward.

  “He was in limbo,” she corrected, her lisp barely noticeable. “Your body is here, but your mind is in a catatonic state. I’ve only heard of a few people who’ve ever been able to break free of the trance. The longer you remain in the void, the harder it is to break back out. That must be how you were able to come back. You were there only a few hours.”

  “It felt like a lifetime.” He lowered his head once again.

  My heart ached for him. He’d gone through so much already—his granddad being dark and trying to force Bryan down the same path. Witnessing his own father’s death when the man had refused to allow the granddad to see Bryan anymore. Having to conjure up the dark fog his granddad had used to disorient Nelems to steal their kids and bring them to a summit to torture them for his own entertainment. The man had been a monster, making Bryan’s life a nightmare.

  And now he was reliving that nightmare.

  I stood, giving both Leo and Clay a loving squeeze on each of their shoulders, before joining Bryan and Rob. Rob rose and offered the chair to me even though there were plenty others open. I understood why. It wasn’t the chair he relinquished. It was his position next to Bryan. Right now, my earth elemental needed me more than he needed his BFF.

  I took the seat and reached for Bryan’s hand. He curled his fingers around mine and held on tight. It was then I noticed him shaking. I squeezed harder and pushed my control to him. He accepted it with a grateful nod. The shaking diminished but didn’t stop.

  “How did you come back from that?” Brooks asked, his judgmental tone full of prickly attitude. Now I understood why he’d come. He was here in case rumors of Bryan being dark were true. I’d be the first one to take down that hulk of a man if he so much as hinted at dragging Bryan off to dark elemental prison.

  “I helped him.”

  Stace and Brooks parted and swung around, revealing the woman I’d feared I’d never see again. Uh…again.

  “Mom!” I jumped up and ran to her, hugging her tight. I’d never stop hugging her every time I saw her now. I had a lot of time to make up. We’d go back to hating being touched later. “You came back.”

  “I told you I’d meet you here.”

  She also told me she’d never leave me, but let’s not open up that wound. “Is everything okay? What did the Council want?”

  “To know where I’ve been. Why I left. Who I was with. Blah, blah, blah.”

  Those were the exact questions I had as well. “And you said?”

  She waved off my question. “A conversation best kept for later. Where’s the healer? Has he checked you out yet? Are you okay?”

  “He’s on his way.”

  She acknowledged my answer with a nod before squeezing my arm and approaching Bryan, kneeling in front of him. “How are you? Are the shakes subsiding?”

  He nodded slowly. She took his hands in hers and closed her eyes as her lips began to move in some sort of chant. Was she casting a spell?

  “What are you doing?” Stace stepped forward.

  My mom didn’t answer, but instead continued her chant until Bryan sat up straight, drawing in a deep breath. She gave his hands one last squeeze before straightening and turning to address Stace. “I did a simple calming spell.”

  “That sounded more like a memory spell.” Stace took another step. “I don’t approve of any type of spells being cast at this school without my consent.”

  “My apologies. I didn’t realize I needed anyone’s permission to offer my help.”

  “And it helped him,” I jumped in, motioning at Bryan, who even cracked a smile, showing off his dimple. “He was a mess a minute ago. Now look at him.” My mom was a goddamn hero, and I didn’t appreciate the professor questioning that.

  Stace wisely backed down with a slow nod. “For future reference, then.”

  “Of course.” My mom mirrored the gesture.

  The tension between these two thickened the air. I didn’t understand what was happening, only that my mom had eased Bryan’s torment and Stace didn’t approve.

  “And now for something completely different.” Clay spoke in a terrible British accent and jumped out of the chair. “Anyone want to see a magic trick?”

  “I think we’ve seen enough magic for now.” Stace didn’t remove her focus from my mom.

  “For now,” my mom agreed.

  2

  Awkward.

  That was the only word that came to mind to explain the exchange between the two women staring each other down in the waiting room of the infirmary on academy grounds. After far too long of a silence where we all avoided each other’s gazes, Syd Franklin, the bespectacled healer who ran the infirmary, pushed through the double doors. His disheveled hair had gotten a little grayer at the temples since the last time I’d seen him. The half-tucked-in shirt, suit vest that didn’t match the slacks as it usually did, and untied shoes gave away the fact he’d rushed to get here without putting much thought into anything but seeing his girlfriend’s son again.

  Rose Gunderson hurried in on his heels in one of her classy sundresses she made look adorable even at three in the morning. She had her brown hair pulled back in a messy sports bun to keep it off her pretty face. She marched right up to Bryan and didn’t slow until she had her six-plus-foot barrel-chested son on his feet and standing at attention. “Don’t you ever, ever do something that stupid again. Do you hear me? Do you? Answer me, Bryan Anthony.”

  Bryan Anthony? I tucked that one away for later.

  “Mom—”

  “Do you have any idea how freaked out I am right now?”

  “Mom—”

  “Don’t you dare interrupt me, young man.” She tapped her finger on his chest. “You don’t…” She inhaled sharply. “You c-can’t…” She choked on a sob and covered her mouth with her hand.

  “I’m sorry, Mom. I love you.” Bryan pulled her into his arms, and I swear, the entire room sighed at the tender moment. “I’m sorry I scared you. I scared me too.”

  Rose cried on her son’s shoulder and hugged him tight. The rest of us averted our attention to give them a little privacy. I stole a glance at my mom, standing off to the side, her focus on her phone instead of her only daughter—her only child—who’d nearly died battling two dark, demented elementals. Instead of her showering me with love and attention, she scrolled through her phone. Fucking awesome. I ignored the pinch of regret mixed with a dash of envy over the way Bryan’s mom totally and completely broke down with relief over seeing him. Mine, well, didn’t.

  I snagged Leo’s attention and nodded for him to join me with my mom. I might as well take advantage of the distraction and introduce my boyfriends. As uncomfortable as that sounded, putting off the introductions would be far more uncomfortable.

  “Mom,” I said once Leo stood next to me. I took his hand. “This is Leo Jackson. He’s my boyfriend.”

  Her warm gaze traveled Leo’s trim frame, clearly assessing him. She tilted her head and continued to study him. When she took his hand, he let her. She dropped her attention to their hands before bouncing it back up to regard him with a bright expression. “You have magic in you.”

  That was her first impression? What about his piercing blue eyes? His amazingly fit body? The fact he had a huge knot on his head, courtesy of the dark elementals who’d attacked us? Or grime all over his everything, again courtesy of the same dark elementals? She didn’t seem to notice anything obvious, only the fact my w
ater elemental had magic in him. I didn’t know how I felt about that.

  “He’s also an amazing surfer,” I pointed out, annoyed. I’d watched him a few times. He’d create waves in a secluded area away from the prying eyes of a Nelem, call the water to bring the perfect roll, and ride the surface without a board. He had such amazing control, it impressed the hell out of me. If I weren’t so scared of drowning, I’d have him teach me to surf. He made it look easy.

  “All I’m saying is only the strongest elementals have magic on top of their powers.” She lifted her eyebrows, shutting me down. Clearly, her mom looks hadn’t diminished either. She returned her attention to him. “It’s very nice to meet you, Leo.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Um… Ms. Um… Uh…” He colored furiously.

  “Call me Sammie. Everyone does.”

  Since when? My dad had made the mistake of calling her Sammie once in a tease. They hadn’t talked the rest of the day. Now she preferred it? And since when did she have so much knowledge about magic?

  There was so much about my mom I didn’t know.

  “That’s an awkward situation right there.” Clay waltzed over, scratching his beard as he glanced back at Bryan and his mom. “Glad my mom isn’t here. She’d lecture me on my appearance and then tell me to stand up straight.” He eyed my mom and offered his hand. “Clay Williams. I’m Mont—I mean, I’m Katy’s boyfriend.”

  “You’re her boyfriend?” She accepted his hand and eyed him right back.

  Rob joined us. “Are we being introduced to the mom?”

  “Let me guess,” my mom—Sammie—stated. “You’re her boyfriend.”

  He shrugged and regarded each one of my guys. “Well, yeah. We all are. We’re kind of a package deal.”

  “Is that so?”

  I really didn’t want to have this conversation right now. Although my mom didn’t say anything, I sensed her judging me. Judging us all for our choice not to choose at all. We were happy together as one unit. Why was that so hard for people to understand? For people to accept?

  “How about we talk about something else?” Like the fact you’ve been missing for oh…what? Almost six years?

  “I’m thinking of getting a tattoo.” Clay rolled up his sleeve and slapped his forearm. “Maybe right here. A ward to keep the dark magic out.”

  “You don’t have magic in you.” My mom continued to study him, uncertainty evident in her tight expression. “I doubt you’ll need a ward to keep the dark magic out.”

  Way to win over my boyfriend, Mom.

  He ran his fingers along his beard, something he did when he contemplated one of life’s great mysteries. With his giant brain and ridiculously high IQ, he’d already solved quite a few. “I’d rather be safe than take any chances, especially in my line of work.”

  “And that is?”

  “I’m a hunter with the Council’s patrol.”

  “No, you’re not.” Brooks invited himself into our conversation. “You were just at the right place at the right time to go on that hunt. He’s the only hunter here.” He nodded to Rob.

  My mom focused on Rob, taking her time studying him with scrutiny. He didn’t look away and waited for her to finish. She finally pulled her focus from him and rested it back on Leo. Only then did her expression soften. “How long have you been dating my daughter?”

  “Uh, the same amount of time we’ve all been dating her?” It came out as a question. He rubbed the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable. Tell me about it.

  “Katy?” Syd called out. “Would you mind joining me and Professor Layden in my office?”

  Crap. Even outside of school and at an unholy hour, I still got called to the principal’s office. I looked at my mom, at how she smiled warmly at Leo but didn’t so much as acknowledge Clay’s or Rob’s presence. Maybe she had something against fire elementals. “Uh…”

  “We’ll be fine.” She looped her arm with Leo’s. “Won’t we?”

  Clay and Rob exchanged confused glances. Join the club. I didn’t understand her reaction to them.

  “Katy? Please.” Stace held a door open. “It’s this way.”

  Reluctantly, I crossed the room and followed Syd into what I assumed to be his office. It was small, sparsely lit, with a large desk scattered with papers, a single chair behind it, and two more chairs on the opposite side.

  “Have a seat.” Syd removed his rimless glasses and cleaned them with his shirt. He did that a lot when he was uncomfortable or stalling for time. I didn’t know which fit this situation and didn’t like either option.

  “I’ll stand, thanks.” I stayed close by the door in case I needed to rescue Leo from my mom. “Am I in trouble or something?”

  “On the contrary. I’d like to ask you to be my intern.”

  I jerked my attention to Stace. I was her intern. Could I have two internships? I kind of liked being the TA for her in 3C.

  “You’ll still be my TA,” she explained. “This will be in addition to your duties in 3C.”

  “What about me training to be the prophecy?” Please, pleeeeez tell me that hell ended when Spencer ran off into the sunset with Alec.

  “It’s over. You once again defeated the dark side.”

  Hardly. I didn’t die, and they’d escaped before I could kill them. None of that equated to defeating the dark side. “You’re saying I fulfilled the prophecy? Again?”

  Two times in less than a year. Go me.

  “With you defeating Alec last year, and then both him and Spencer just last night, the Council feels confident the dark elementals will go back into hiding. No more prophecy.”

  Until the next dumbass dark elemental tried to kill me. I knew better than to believe the prophecy would never again be invoked. But, for now, I’d take the win. “Great, so now what?”

  “With the increase in magically enhanced elementals, we need you as a healer.”

  “What’s the big deal about being magically enhanced? They’re not hurting anyone.”

  “Like you didn’t hurt anyone when you gave in to the dark element forced into you and nearly killed the quad squad?” Stace gave me a pointed glance, one that had me hanging my head in acknowledgment and guilt. “Spencer magically enhanced you, and look what happened. The element isn’t meant to be inside you. Magically enhancing an elemental’s powers is dangerous. It makes the element unstable as it searches for any means to escape. The fact dark elementals have been inflating the number of new elementals by magically enhancing them through dark magic is very troubling. They can’t guarantee every ME will be on their side.”

  She had a point. If even fifty percent went dark, that still left fifty percent fighting for good. The odds weren’t in their favor on this one. “Why would they create all these MEs if they can’t control them?”

  “That’s what’s so troubling. We don’t know what their end game is, but we can’t take any chances. The Council believes the MEs could be ticking timebombs strategically placed here at the academy to be detonated simultaneously. A coordinated attack like that could be catastrophic. Until we know for sure, we can’t have them out in the open. We have to protect the students.”

  “They are students,” I countered and shook my head. This seemed so wrong. “What are you asking me to do about it?”

  “Help me control them,” Syd cut in. “There are a lot of unstable elementals out there. It’s going to take more than me calling light to heal them. I need your help.”

  And I needed to have my head examined as I contemplated the idea of becoming a healer, rushing from scene to scene like some elemental EMT.

  “So…wait.” I brought up my hand and pushed from the wall. “You want me to be your TA. You also want me to intern with you as a healer. What about school?”

  Stace answered. “I’ve agreed to reduce the number of your classes to 3C, Primary, and Arts & Crafts. You’ll have your own room in the house of your choice. Whichever house you choose will also be the primary you’ll attend.”

 
No. Freakin’. Way. I didn’t have to room with Bitch Barbie anymore? I didn’t have to live in a dorm with a house color so bright it could be seen from space? I drew in a breath to give my answer when my mom’s voice caught my attention. I couldn’t hear what she said, only that Rob raised his voice in response. That didn’t surprise me. My hottie of a hotheaded fire elemental always lost his temper.

  “Would you excuse me?” I slipped out of the room.

  And right into chaos.

  Rob hovered a fireball above his palm. Clay had his hands up, blocking him from firing it. Not at my mom.

  At Leo.

  “You’re about to lose all that hair, bro.” Rob increased the intensity of the flames.

  Leo stood his ground, a rarity when it came to going toe to toe with our group leader. “All I’m saying is there is no more quad squad. You don’t even go to Clearwater anymore. Maybe it’s time to pass the torch.”

  “I’ll pass the torch.” He pulled back his hand to release the fireball.

  I stole his call, pulling the flames to me and snuffing them out. He first looked to his hand, then to me, frowning as if I’d just taken his favorite toy. “What the… Why’d you do that?”

  “Because you’re acting like a child throwing a tantrum. Leo’s got a point.” I walked up. “You were the leader of the quad squad. No leader, no squad.”

  “You can be the leader.”

  “Yeah,” Clay jumped in. “You’ve already got us wrapped around your finger.” He waggled his eyebrows.

  Unbelievably bad timing, dude. I avoided my mom’s gaze but felt it burning into the back of my head nonetheless.

  “I’ll be a little busy for extractions.” I couldn’t believe I was about to turn down the one internship I’d wanted more than anything else before the school year had started. Was that really only a week ago? “In addition to TAing for Stace, I’m going to intern for Syd. I’m going to be a healer.”

  “How are you going to find the time with all your classes?” Bryan asked as he joined the conversation.