Storm Born Chapter Eleven

Some wholeness was screaming in the desert, and I didnt realize it was me until Tim raced oer and grabbed my shoulders.Jesus Eugenie, whats wrong?I broke from him, dropped to my knees, and threw up into a convenient shrub. That soon gave way to endless dry heaves, my bodys distress too watertight to stop. When I fin all toldy finished it seemed the cares of hours only if was probably only a few minutes I ran my hands everyplace my face. It felt like I had shoved my head through a window, cutting my skin to shreds. Yet, when I pulled my hands back, there was no caudex.Apparently convinced I was done bringing up anything in my stomach, Tim carefully handed me a bottle of water. I wiped my mtabooh with the back of my hand and then drank greedily. When I started to hand the bottle back, he agitate his head. Keep it. What happened?Transition shock, came Volusians flat voice. You came through the demesnes too hard and too fast, mistress.You should be dead, added Nandi. Or at leas t segmented.Segmented? asked Tim.I nodded and drank over again. If youre not strong enough to make it work, only your spirit will exit back here. The body stays in the Otherworld.He stared. Will that consume you?Worse.Whats worse than remainder? asked a new voice. Or not so new.Wil. Id forgotten about Wil.I leapt to my feet and spun toward him, gun drawn. Some part of me wondered if I even had bullets left. Id changed the cartridge in one case in the Otherworld barely couldnt recall how m both times Id fired at Aesons men.Tims mouth dropped open. Eugenie, put that awayYou dont k right off what hes done. Hes a fucking backstabber.Wil, sitting on the blanket hed gone into trance on, froze, too afraid to move. plainly not too afraid to speak.I had to. It was the only way to get Jasmine.Yeah, it worked pretty well, huh?He sounded near tears. Id gone a year without any chance of getting her. Then that sprite cut me the deal. Said if I got you to go over, theyd give me Jasmine back. Im sorry.I didnt move the gun. I was your only chance to get her back. If you hadnt led us into that trap, wed be back here with her now.He groaned, burying his face in his hands. I didnt know. I didnt know. I just wanted her so badly. He looked back up at me. What happened? Why did she run away? Was she scared?Maybe. Or it could be thatwhats that called? Where people help their kidnappers? Stockholm syndrome?What, like Patty Hearst? No. Jasmine wouldnt do that.I wasnt so sure. She was young and impressionable, and Aeson struck me as a very physical figure.Hes too pathetic to kill, observed Finn after studying Wil for a moment.No harm in doing it anyway, said Volusian. Kill him and enslave his soul.Wils eyes widened farther.Eugenie Tim stared at me like I was insane. You arent seriously considering that.Probably not. Sighing, I lowered the gun. Get out of here, Wil. I dont ever want to see you again.He scrambled to his feet, face falling. But Jasmine You lost your chance. You ble w it. Get in your car before I do something stupid.Wil hesitated, his face pleading and upset. Then wordlessly he headed toward the trail that led out to a makeshift parking area. I watched him leave, bitter anger boiling up within me. In the distance, thunder rumbled.Eugenie began Tim hesitantly. A slight wind rippled his hair.I dont want to talk about it. Take me home.We gathered up his things and walked in the direction Wil had gone.Meet me back at my house, I told the minions. They vanished.Tim had enough feel to leave me alone on the car ride back. I leaned my head against the window, liking the feel of the cool glass against my fevered cheek. So many things had happened tonight, I had no idea what to fixate on first. Jasmine? Wils betrayal? Aesons stupid accusation? Kiyo?Yes. Kiyo was probably the safest, which was saying something. My heart had leapt at visual perception him again. It was stupid, considering the way hed used me, but my emotions didnt appear to realize that yet. Why? Why did he pose this pull on me when I barely knew him? I didnt believe in love at first sight.And what about the fox thing? I knew of no gentry who could do that, but I did know shape-shifters filled the Otherworld. Id fought some before but never a fox. Seemed like a weird choice. Perhaps that explained wherefore he hadnt felt gentry. He was something else, not gentry but still Otherworldly. not much of an improvement.I left Tim as soon as we got home, seeking out the solitude of my room. Well, as much solitude as I could get with the three spirits waiting for me. I threw myself onto the bed, leaning into the corner where the bed sat against the wall. Exhaustion ran through me, and I did and said nothing, staring into the darkness. Thunder rumbled again but seemed fainter now, like the storm had changed its mind. The spirits simply waited and watched me.Tell me what just happened.Um, which part? asked Finn after a minute.Any of it. Tell me what Kiyo is. The fox.Oh. Fin n seemed relieved to have a question he could answer. Hes a kitsune. Japanese fox spirit.Roland taught me hundreds of magical creatures. Never heard of a kitsune.You dont find them around here much, explained Finn. And theyre not really dangerous.He looked dangerous enough to me.They carry animal traits into human form, said Volusian. Strength. Speed. A certain sense of aggression.I thought about sex with Kiyo. Yeah. That had been pretty aggressive. I closed my eyes.Why would he mark me and then follow me?I do not know.It figured.Anything else I should know about him? About them?Theyre usually female. work force are rare. Perhaps his human blood affected that, said Nandi in her emotionless voice.Half-human? Oh. His mother was the kitsune, I mused, recalling him talking about his parents.Yeah, agreed Finn. The women are sibylline to be pretty hot. Like sirens. Real seductive. Men cant stay away from them.Like a drug, added Volusian.I opened my eyes. Could he do that too?Possibly. of a sudden my obsession seemed less weird than twisted. Had he used some sort of sexual power to lure me in? Was that why I couldnt stop opinion about him?I guess half-human isnt so bad, I muttered, speaking out loud without meaning to. I hadnt bedded a full-fledged Otherworldly creature. non bad at all, agreed Finn happily. Hes just like you.Stop it, I snapped. That whole thingwhat Aeson saidits stupid. I dont want to talk about it.And like so much, you ignore what you dont want to hear. Being Storm Kings daughter is no small thing. Volusians red eyes held my gaze.Your bluntness is so endearing. My stomach turned, but it was now or never. All right. Ill bite. Why does Aeson think that?None of them had an answer right away. The impression I got from them was surprise more than ignorance.Because you are, mistress, said Nandi at last.No, Im not. Im human.Volusian crossed his arm over his chest. You are half-human, mistress. And as I said, your prejudice blinds you from the truth.One gentrys accusation isnt the truth. Where are the facts?Facts? Very well. Here are facts. Who is your father?Roland.You know what I mean, mistress. Who is your blood father?I dont know. It doesnt matter. My mom always said he was a bastard not worth knowing.Volusian stared at me expectantly.That doesnt prove anything.What about your powers? You are apace surpassing every other human shaman. You are equal in strength in both worlds. Do you think its coincidence that the most ruling shaman in remembered history grew up in Roland Markhams household? He brought you there, taking you from Storm King.From where? Are you saying I was born in the Otherworld?Volusian given up his head. Storm King abducted your mother and made her his mistress. She bore his child. You.You seemly awfully sure about this.I saw your mother when she lived in the Otherworld. I have seen her in this world. Shes the same woman.Youre lying.By the power that binds us, you know I am not.He was right. He couldnt lie t o me not so openly, at least. I knew that, and acknowledging that compel me to put my own world into a new perspective. It might explain why my mother hated the Otherworld so much. Why she and Roland had been adamant about ingraining that hate in me, making sure I could never have any empathy with the gentry or anything else from that world.I swallowed and realized I was on the edge of tears. God. That would probably blow the show of strength I always tried to hold around these guys. We needed to get through this interview. So, are you saying thats why Roland eventually killed him? To protect me?Among other things. Storm Kings invasion was imminent. He had come to claim you. Roland Markham killed him, both saving you and halting Storm Kings plans.So Dorian was revealing the wait a minute. He knew That bastard. He sat there and fed me that stuff about Storm King, knowing who I wasEveryone knows who you are, mistress, said Nandi.Its pretty recent, though, added Finn, comprehend the look on my face. Came out only a couple of weeks ago. The same time everyone learned your real name.How? I glared at Volusian. He had known who I was this whole time. Did you tell them?No.Then why didnt you tell me before this? Why didnt any of you tell me when this came out?They stared.Because you did not ask us, replied Nandi.Yes, agreed Volusian. Had you asked us, Am I Storm Kings daughter? we would have gladly Oh, shut up. I rubbed my eyes. I wanted to sleep. I wanted to sleep forever and forget all this. But I had miles to go before I slept, just like in the Robert Frost poem. If everyone thought Storm King was so great, then why are they all coming after me? Shouldnt I be some form of hero? Instead they want to kill me.Most arent trying to kill you, unfortunately. Theyre trying to bed you, mistress.Why?Probably because of the prophecy, said Nandi.Prophecy, I said dryly. Wonderful. Now theres a prophecy.Mistress, she said hastily, had you asked us if there was a prophecy Yeah, yeah. I know. Whats this one say? That Im a good lay?Finn hesitated. Wellit says Storm Kings vision will be carried out through his daughters first son. That the human world will be reconquered.Youre kidding. Oh, God, I wanted to sleep.When they found out you didnt have kids yet, everyone well, every guy wanted to get in on the action. Being the one to father Storm Kings heir would be a pretty big deal.Likewise, added Volusian, the prophecy says Storm Kings daughter will clear the way for her son. Being your move would carry great prestige.Hey, Im not clearing the way for any invasion. Not that I believe in prophecies. Not that I believe in any of this In fact, that prophecy proves how stupid this all is. I wouldnt turn against my own kind.I swear Volusian smiled. Yes, but which people truly are your own kind? Your loyalties are now divided.My anger flared. No. Even if this is true and I am the daughter of the biggest gentry badass ever, I know where my loyalties are. Im human. I act human. I have no gentry powers.As you say, mistress.Get out of here. All of you. None of this is true. Ill talk to my parents and clear this up.Volusian bowed. A wise idea, mistress.I said the oral communication to send them away and then lay on my bed. The storm had quieted outside, but one of my own raged inside me. I wanted to shut down my feelings. I wanted to forget all of this, because it wasnt true. It couldnt be. I wanted to take one of the prescription sleeping pills, but I didnt need Rolands warnings to know how stupid that would be. If every gentry was suddenly hot to get me pregnant, I couldnt let my guard down.I shouldnt have been able to sleep. Not after fighting gentry and seeing a girl run back to them. Not after learning my one-night stand was a kitsune. Not after discovering that I could very well be something I hated. Something that made me question everything Id ever believed in.No, I shouldnt have been able to sleep at all, but my body knew better as tiredness flowed over me. My body knew Id been up all night, that Id fought and been injured. And most important, it knew my fight wasnt over. Not by a long shot.