“Two of them?” Darius groaned. “Great.”
“Three, actually.” Arim muttered under his breath, and his clothing suddenly went to rights, his bruises and bloodied skin fading into the picture of perfect health. He seemed as if steadying himself for something unpleasant. “There are three major Dark Lords involved in the takeover of our world. Sin Garu. His brother, Balen. And his sister, Lexa.”
“A real family affair.” I snorted. “You Light Bringers really know how to enrage everyone you meet. You’ve got Djinn, Aellei, Dark Lords, and wraiths on your collective asses.”
“Tell us something we don’t know.” Darius’ eyes glowed as he rumbled, “Like how involved you are in all this.”
“Well, fire-breather, I can tell you that in addition to the Dark Lords, you’re fighting a handful of Aellei and Djinn set on reclaiming Tanselm. Most Aellei are ignorant of the queen’s plots. If they knew what I do — make that when they know — there’ll be an insurrection in Aelle.”
“So you say.” Marcus stared at me with a strange curiosity, his gaze shifting from Aerolus’ protective stance to me.
“So I know.” I stood with my arms crossed and glared at Aerolus’ brothers. Shadows, but as much as I admired them for their closeness, they could be an irritating lot.
I turned to Arim, the one person aside from Aerolus I definitely needed to convince. “I know my people. And I know the Djinn who’s helping Cadmus. I’ve been watching Aerolus — ah, you all — for a year in this plane. In that time, a small faction of Djinn have been aiding your cause. Yes, aiding. One Djinn took Sin Garu to the Between, possibly at the cost of his own life.
“And Ellie Markham, the woman Cadmus can’t keep his hands off, has been shielding and empowering him ever since Darius left.” Though I had a feeling Ellie didn’t know how much I was also helping Cadmus.
“Ellie Markham? Outpour Ellie?” Darius sounded dumbfounded. “But she’s so normal.”
“What, Djinn can’t be normal?” Aggravated at his bias, I shook my finger at him. “You Light Bringers are so narrow-minded! Just because a being lives in Shadow or the Dark, you immediately associate them with evil. Well, that’s just wrong.
“My kind live in Shadow, in both Light and Dark, and we aren’t all evil. Ellie and the Djinn are Dark, not immoral. Yet because they can’t live in the Light, you condemn them in the same breath you use to denounce the Dark Lords. Without Dark, there can be no Light. Did you ever think of that?”
Anger made me want to break something. Namely, a few Storm Lord skulls. Without thinking about it, I stirred the air in the room.
“Alandra.” Arim glowered.
“What?”
“You might want to rethink your attack.”
Chapter 22
Alandra
“Attack?” I didn’t understand until I glanced behind him at the swirling mass of magazines and throw pillows decking the living room.
I blushed and glanced at Aerolus.
He tried to bite back a smile, but I saw it as he took back control. The air settled everything gently back to its place.
“Nice, Alandra.” The idiot sounded proud.
“Shut up.” I blushed.
He grinned. “I think you made your point.”
“How the hell…?” Darius stared.
“You’re kidding me.” Marcus gaped at me, then looked at Arim, who nodded. “And you complained about Tessa. At least she’s human.”
“Excuse me?” I had a tough time thinking past the magic of wind surging through my body.
Aerolus shook his head.
Arim chuckled, which startled the rest of us. “You know, Aerolus, I seem to recall you saying something about not making the same mistakes as your brothers. That you were smarter. Yet you still have not claimed your affai.”
“Is this really the time to be bringing that up?” Did I need to hear about Mrs. Wind Mage just now? I was still spitting mad over their obvious prejudice against my kind. It was like a huge slap in the face that Aerolus and I would never be a real couple.
