Storm walked into the storeroom of the cafe, heaving in and out in anger, banging the door on its hinges not minding she might be penalized for that. Who the hell did that bitch think she was? Storm gritted her teeth, remembering the spoiled brat of a lady, not much older than her, who had kept changing her orders because Storm had refused to give her Louise’s number. The girl wasn't the first. There had been many like that, ogling Louise who didn’t help matters by winking at them at intervals. Storm had given up on the last woman, when the latter had intentionally poured her food on the floor, and had blamed it on Storm. The head server had asked Storm to sit this one out, and that she seemed stressed. That would seem caring to the outside watcher, but Storm knew that her pay was about to be deducted. She hit the door with her foot, clenching her teeth when pain racketed past her feet and nerves to her brain. Louise was beginning to be more bad than good. She concluded. But it
The training had really sharpened her ears. Storm thought, hearing the heavy lackadaisical steps that was heading their way. She could also tell that it was the manager. He was the only one she knew who walked like that. “Why aren’t we heading out yet?” Jutul must have found it weird that she stood at attention with her school bag slung on her shoulder, and her entire attention on the door. “Is anybody coming? Are you waiting for Louise? Please don’t tell me we are giving him a ride again.” Storm scoffed. Give Louise a ride again? She would rather fly. The dude had almost talked out the ears of she and Jutul, and worse, he had farted when he had been laughing over a crude joke that hadn’t been a joke at all to her, and to Jutul. He had also used magic, or whatever it was on Jutul. Jutul hadn’t been aware. But she had been. She didn’t think that Louise had been aware too that she had known. Storm didn’t even know too how she had known. She had just known when it had happened. But
Storm hurriedly shoveled food into her mouth, barely chewing before swallowing. Kim watched her with a mixture of amusement and concern. "Slow down, Storm," Kim urged, shaking her head. "You're going to choke."Storm barely acknowledged Liam’s mate, only shaking her head in response. She had training with Avery—her rival for Kaden's affection—and she was already ten minutes late. Avery was notoriously strict, and Storm knew she would likely face some harsh punishment for her tardiness. The thought of doing push-ups for an hour made her stomach churn, but she had no time to waste. It was not like she had been late before, but Jutul, just after he had dropped her at Liam’s house, had told her to hurry up with every strength she had.She had wanted to know why, and he had mentioned about Avery’s punishment for late coming. Not that he has ever being a recipient of that harshness, but he knew people who had been. Storm had found it hard to believe, but she had still hurried up with ever
Storm was dreaming, but it felt more like a memory than anything else. She found herself observing two girls talking, two girls who couldn't have been more than twelve years old. They chatted about mundane things, their voices a soft murmur in the distance. One of the girls seemed familiar, and when the girl turned toward Storm, it struck her like a bolt of lightning: this was her, her younger self.The other girl looked at her with sparkling eyes and a wide smile, but Storm didn't recognize her, didn’t know until later that this particular girl really didn't see her. The environment was foreign too, with fresh air and beautiful vegetation that she didn’t remember from her childhood. The greenery was lush, vibrant, and seemed almost magical in its perfection. The place was serene, exuding a sense of peace and tranquility that made Storm’s heart ache with longing. She had no memory of growing up in such a place, but there she was, her younger self, laughing and carefree.What was go
Storm was dreaming again, and once more, it felt more like a memory than anything else. This time, she saw her younger self, but the little girl had grown older. Standing beside her was another girl. They looked to be budding teenagers, probably fifteen.But Storm recognized the other girl immediately. She had seen the latter in one of her previous dreams, the one where the girl, then a grown woman, had been put on a sand built table. Now, they were chatting, lost in their conversation. Was this Elina?As before, they didn’t notice Storm's presence. She watched them intently, trying to piece together the fragments of her past she had no clue of. "I heard from mother that you are still searching for Elizabeth. Why hadn’t you told me? I would have joined you in the search? However, do you think she is still alive?”Storm’s younger self shrugged her shoulders. “I’m not sure. But I can’t give up on my friend. The last time I checked, I had found a trail, but it had suddenly disappeared
Storm woke up to the sound of a soft, familiar voice. She blinked, trying to clear the fog from her mind. As her vision adjusted, she realized that Kaden was sitting beside her, a look of deep concern etched across his handsome features."Storm, you're awake," His voice was tinged with relief.She tried to sit up, but her body protested. The lingering exhaustion from her intense training session and the vivid dream weighed her down. Despite her fatigue, she managed a weak smile. "Kaden, what happened?""You passed out during training," he explained, his eyes scanning her face for any sign of discomfort. "Avery called me, and I rushed over as fast as I could. You gave us all quite a scare."Storm felt a pang of guilt at the worry she had caused him, but another, stronger emotion quickly overshadowed it. Frustration. Why hadn't he told her about their bond? About everything that had been hidden from her?"I need to get up," she said, her tone firm. "I can't stay here.""Storm, you need
Storm woke up to the gentle sensation of Kaden kissing her forehead. She blinked, adjusting to the soft morning light filtering through the curtains. A new day already? How long had she slept?Kaden's deep, reassuring voice broke the morning silence.“Good morning, Storm. How are you feeling now? Do you still have headaches?”Storm shook her head. “I’m fine.” She sat up on the bed, enjoying the feeling of Kaden’s hands on her skin. She burrowed into his arms the more.“Any more dreams?” Kaden asked, welcoming her into his arms. He drew circles on her waist which was bare of clothing, as her blouse had ridden up.Storm shook her head.Why did he smell so good this morning? She sniffed his polo, not quitting when Kaden chuckled. The voice that reverberated around his chest was soothing to her ears.Her mate.Why had it taken so long for her to find this out? If she had known, she would have probably gotten rid of this ache in between her legs a long time ago, probably when she had met
Whilst the last class of the day dwindled to an end, with the lecturer giving a good old story about his earlier days in med school, Storm’s mind ruminated on the several changes that had taken place in the clan and in her life since the past two weeks. The past two weeks have been uneventful really, and void of tension to an extent. Peaceful if she would dare to say. If she didn’t know better, if she hadn't had those dreams where her significant other had told her things to come, she might have called these days the best days of her life. The dreams hadn’t repeated itself, neither had the other dreams, nor the nightmares. The calm before the storm. She thought, reclining deeper into her chair. But then she couldn’t deny the good things. The relationship between her and Kaden had improved exponentially. As a matter of fact, since that last time when he had taken her to his place after her stay at the hospital, she hadn’t left. She had moved her things to his place to the chagrin of
Storm could feel her heart pounding hard, but it was more out of excitement than fear. She should be afraid, the bird was a true raptor, but it was magnificent. It had black eyes! Round, shiny, very intelligent black eyes. She stared at it for two full minutes. That wasn't normal, she was certain. Very slowly, so she wouldn't startle the creature, she backed across the room to the desk where she kept her phone. Still looking at the bird, she googled the images of the bird, biting her lips intermittently as she waited.Strangely, the bird was observing her just as intently, an intelligence in its gaze as it watched the phone beep occasionally. When the page opened, Storm glanced at the image of the harpy eagle. The eyes were round and shining with intelligence, but they were not black. The eyes in the picture were a bright amber with a black pupil. She let out her breath slowly. Something was wrong with her bird.‘You aren't blind, though, are you?’ She sent the words, not even kno
After Storm was done eating, she thanked Kaden, and let him have the plates when he stretched his hands to collect them. To hold herself from jumping on him, and demanding that he put her out of her sexual misery, she stood up from the bed and sauntered to the window to look at the forest, and clear her immoral thoughts. He had joined her to eat, and for each time his mouth had closed over a morsel of food, she had jerked subtly, as if the mouth was closing over her twin orbs. In a large oak tree, plenty feet away from her, a bird flapped its mighty wings, drawing her attention. A smile swept past her lips when she became aware that she could sight its distinctive features. She was not the same Storm of a month ago. She was different now, considering the amount of trainings she had submitted too.The bird had a round facial disk with a very pronounced ruff. It wasn't an owl but it was large. Very large. The unusual bird could easily weigh at least twenty pounds. She stared at it
Storm walked into Kaden's treehouse and was immediately struck by how it seemed larger than usual. The wooden walls, which should be plain and simple, were adorned with colorful murals and hand-painted designs. One wall even showcased a sprawling mural of a sunset over a peaceful lake, with vivid oranges and pinks blending into each other. And another wall had a charming depiction of a forest, complete with playful animals like squirrels and birds, all brought to life with bright, cheerful colors.The room was filled with natural light that filtered through the large windows, which had been decorated with flowing curtains in soft, earthy tones. The curtains swayed gently in the breeze, adding a sense of movement to the scene. The wooden floor was covered with cozy rugs that added warmth and comfort to the space.A large, comfy bean bag was positioned in one corner, surrounded by soft pillows. Next to it was a small bookshelf brimming with colorful books, their spines lined up neatly
Storm’s mind kept conjuring up provocative images, as she and Kaden walked hand in hand around the clan. The kiss they had shared in her room still tingled on her lips, still kept heat in her blood, still made her hunger for more. She inhaled sharply when Kaden turned and stared at her, his eyes brimming with the emotions that she was sure was playing out in her own mind. For a second, she feared that he might have peeked into her dirty mind, but then she remembered that they were not bonded yet, not in that sense. It brought her swift relief which came with a coating of abashed-ness seen in the coloring of her cheeks and necks, something that wasn’t lost on Kaden who was battling to hold on to his honor. He cussed at himself for closing her lips with his earlier, knowing what could happen from there. But she had been speaking, and her luscious mouth had been like water in a desert land; he had been parched so much that he couldn’t have been able to help himself. And now, the stirr
All through the week, Storm only concentrated on the books Kaden had given her, or rather on the first book she had collected from the pile. Jutul had done the same, concentrating on the second book he had picked. Both had only taken breaks when they wanted to eat or when they wanted to train with Casper for an hour. To assuage Kaden’s caveman jealousy, all the reading had been in the dining downstairs, and yet they weren’t close enough to whatever the books were on about. They weren’t close to the end either, and the transcribers were doing a poor job, despite Jiraq’s input sometimes. It was then that Storm had learnt that Jiraq wasn’t done with the book either. ‘What are you doing with one of the hardest books in the pile?” had been his first question when she had solicited for his help. He had gone ahead to pick up a smaller book, written in English, for her and Jutul to start with, but she had declined—she had grown attached to the old book. And she had vowed to bring it to a fi
Storm groaned tiredly; under the full weight of the knowledge she had been absorbing for the past four hours. Kaden had been true to his word, and with the help of Jiraq, had bundled more than thirty books which smelt of oldness into her room this morning, just before she dressed for school. “For those written in old language, Jiraq was kind enough to let you have his transcriber, so that you can better understand it. You can check them out after classes today.” Kaden had said, when he had stepped into her room with a fellow whom she knew went by the name, Micheal, Liam’s younger brother. She had found out right after Liam’s recuperation weeks ago, about the wicked action on the young fellow who didn’t look a year older than her. The first book on the pile had gotten her attention after the duo had left the room, and picking it up, she had decided to peek at a page, then return to her preparation for school. But a page had turned to two pages, and then five pages, until school was
Storm was chatting with Lucy and Justin, in their phone group , around a time when she should be sleeping, when she heard her name being droned in her ears. “S-t-o-r-m” She furrowed her eyebrows, and looked around the room she shared with Kaden sometimes. There was no one. The voice sounded familiar, and until she felt the eeriness in the room, she didn’t know who it was. The vampire.She got up from the empty bed, and sauntered toward the door, needing to get to Kaden as soon as possible, but the door wouldn’t budge. She stamped her foot on the floor out of frustration, as fear suddenly took root in her mind and body. Where was he when she needed him? Why hadn’t he spent the night with her? She wondered, never minding that she had been one to ask they sleep on separate beds tonight, after he had returned from his meeting with his people, after she had returned from seeing her friends off with Lent. The voice called for her name again, and she shuddered before she could help it, h
There was a stark naked silence in the room after Jutul’s declaration. So stark was it, that Storm felt her ears ringing with deep silence, deep silence and an unclothed unbelief. They were lying? If she didn’t know of Jutul’s gifts, she would have berated him for speaking against her friends. But she knew. She knew he was telling the truth—there wasn’t a need to lie. And she still was finding it hard to believe. Lucy and Justin had planned a lie, and had come to convince them of it? All for what? To gain information on what was going on in the clan? Was their school even on break? Then, the silence was broken by Kaden’s voice which had descended to a certain chillness that informed Storm that her mate was angry, very angry, at being made a fool of. “Lent, place a call to the school’s authorities, and find out if the school is really on break…” Lucy’s dark laughter interrupted his statement, and brought Storm’s attention to her. “So y’all would rather believe Storm’s newest friend
Of course they wouldn’t. Storm thought, looking at Lucy squarely for the first time since she had entered the room. Her friend was still bubbling in age-old anger, and was still carrying a grudge against her.And since, Storm knew she couldn’t do much about it—because what Lucy was demanding was unattainable—she let the latter think that she wasn’t bothered by it. It would help with them leaving earlier. Having seen what exactly was at play here, what evil forces were at play here, she wasn’t about to risk the lives of her friends. She wasn’t about to have their blood on her head, because she wanted them to be included in every facet of her life. It was better they thought she was against them; it was better they believed that she didn’t value their friendship.“So, why are you here, Lucy?” She schooled her face to a cold aloofness, unfazed when Justin let out a cuss word, whilst darting a glance between Lucy and her. There was a minute silence, where Lucy scanned Storm’s features;