Alex wasn’t fazed. “Yeah, but you justhadto have me.”
Talon’s face softened, and he kissed Alex’s forehead. At one time, Storm would’ve rolled his eyes—like Shadrach was doing—but now, it just made him miss Nathan. It would be hours before he was able to pry himself away from HQ and sneak over to the Rink.
Talon looked at Storm. “Fine, we’ll meet your human here tonight and go piss Lilith off a little more. What’s the worst that could happen?”
Malachi snorted out a laugh.
He’d been on the fence about the humans at one time, but he was more grateful for them than ever now. They would make sure the others didn’t turn their backs on him and Nathan, and loath as he was to admit it, Storm would probably need their help to keep him safe.
Chapter15
Nathan
That morning,lounging in bed with Storm and making plans for the day, it hadn’t seemed like a big deal to agree to meet at the Rink. But now, pulling into the craggy parking lot, Nathan paused to appreciate the gravity of what he was doing. People who chose this side didn’t stay with the guild. Alex was banished. They tried to kill Luke. They wanted to hold Ira prisoner indefinitely until he managed to escape.
What would Nathan’s outcome be? Here he was, disobeying a direct order from Commander Sloan himself, allying with the so-called traitors and their demons for the greater good. Sloan wouldn’t see it that way, though. He would only see it as a betrayal. Was Nathan drawing a line in the sand with his actions?
He blew out a breath. Yes, he knew he was. For better or worse, he couldn’t go back to the time in his life before he’d met Storm. He couldn’t turn his back on the connection they shared. There was a lot they still didn’t know about each other, but one thing was clear: when this happened, their fates were sealed. Just like Alex and Talon, Luke and Malachi, Ira and Wolf. They met their demon, and they were never the same.
It was unlikely—downright improbable—that he and Storm should meet and fall for each other like they did. Storm seemed to have chosen him the moment he laid eyes on him. It was strange, and if he were a doubting man, he’d think there was some truth to Sloan’s conspiracies. How could so many of them have fallen organically for demons? From the outside, it would be easy to assume something nefarious was going on. But in truth, being with Storm felt like a missing piece had been returned to him, a piece he’d never even realized was missing. His life had gone from bearable to wonderful.
Which meant he had a choice to make. Could he go back to bearable? Did he even want to? The very notion had his stomach twisting with anxious nausea. Now that he knew what life was like with Storm, he didn’t want to give him up. But could he give up everything else to be with him?
He wasn’t ready to give up the guild yet. He wasn’t ready to admit the truce had failed. If he could establish some kind of ceasefire between them,thenmaybe it would be okay to leave the guild. Sloan had given him a week to keep working with them, and after that, one way or another, Nathan would have to choose. The guild or Storm. The life he knew, or the life he could have. It was like being forced to choose between his soul and his heart.
The Rink’s glass door swung open, and Storm appeared before him, haloed in the glowing lights from within. Mesmerized by the sight of him, the smile that brightened his face and the way the lights highlighted his hair with gold, Nathan shut off the engine and slid from the car.
“Hi,” he said, feeling almost bashful. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so excited to seeanyone.
Storm grinned, dragging him in and wrapping his arms around him. “Hi. Miss me?”
Miss him? An embarrassing amount, really. Nathan fought his widening smile. “A little.”
Storm leaned in, brushing their lips together. “Just a little?”
“I can’t admit how much. That’d give you too much power over me.”
“Power over you,” Storm repeated, his gaze heavy-lidded like Nathan’s nearness was intoxicating. “Sunshine, I already have power over you.”
That was true. Nathan didn’t really understand it, but Storm could make him do almost anything. It would be frightening if he didn’t trust Storm with absolutely everything.
They’d known each other for a few days. How quickly things had changed.
“Does that go both ways?” Nathan asked, tipping his head back and kissing Storm more firmly. “Do I have power over you, too?”
Storm chuckled, the deep sound rolling down Nathan’s spine to pool in his gut. “I’m walking into Lilith’s place with you tonight, aren’t I? You tell me.” His teeth nipped Nathan’s bottom lip. Then, he groaned, rolling his eyes. “In a minute!”
Nathan tilted his head in confusion.
“The guys want me to bring you in,” Storm explained. “They were very concerned when I told them about the attack.”
Oh, right. They all knew he’d killed someone. His shoulders started to hunch, but Storm squeezed him tightly.
“No, none of that. You have nothing to feel guilty about.”
Nathan sighed. “I can’t help it, Storm.”
“Then I’ll just keep reminding you until you start to believe me.”
