Gathering Storm (31 page)

When both Ralengclan were
through the door, the first guy held up his hand and cocked his
head like he was listening. He motioned toward the freezer. They
both looked around and advanced on the freezer with stealth. From
their vantage point, the kids could see boots and that was about
it, but they could see where the boots were going. Shay looked at
Link and smiled. Link looked like a cat with feathers on his
chin.

It would be impossible to
say if the boys moved soundlessly, but with Spaz playing Disco
Deejay, the aliens never heard them before the freezer door closed
and sealed them in.

There was another
interruption in the music as Spaz whooped. “Link and Shay save the
day. Two on ice! Sticks are nice! Calling Mother, lay them
straight. That’s right. Seven.
Eight
.”

The song picked up
with,
And take your baby by the
hair…

Elora showed teeth to the
camera and held up her sign. “Say I’m outside. In
forest.”

The intercom answered
immediately. “No go, Mother. NO GO! Hazard route. Chill in place.
Calling Sirs Storm and Fenniplus, Mother is pinned at dragon’s
lair.”

Angel looked at Fennimore.
“Dragon’s lair?”

“I think that’s what the kids call the
Operations Office. Farnsworth can be fearsome.”

Angel nodded like he knew
who Farnsworth was. And like he knew where the Operations Office
was. “And Mother?”

A little frown formed in
the center of Fennimore’s brow as he shrugged. “Could be code for
Elora? Maybe? She teaches the kids. Might be an inside
joke.”

The sounds of “Dance Hall
Days” ended. Angel blew out a relieved breath and said, “Thank all
the gods and their offspring.”

Spaz’s cheerful voice came
over the intercom. “It’s the Spazmodoc, The Voice of the Fray,
bringing you news of the shit storm from the bowels of J.U. Doing
eighties on eight at eight minutes after the hour. Stay tuned right
here to channel
eight
.”

That announcement was
immediately followed by the BeeGees “Stayin’ Alive.”

Angel turned to Fennimore.
“Am I the only one who wants to murder that kid?”

“No, brother. I’m guessing
by now you’re at the end of a long line. Us
and
them.”

Angel nodded. “So let’s go
get Mother.”

Fennimore snickered. “Call
her that to her face and see what happens. I dare you.”

Angel grinned then started
toward the library door. He reached for the handle to open it then
stopped. His eyes scanned the corners till he found a camera. On
the off chance that idiot kid could see them, he got in front of
the camera and made motions toward the door.

Within a second, the music
stopped. “Temporary clearing outside Squintsville. Partly cloudy in
other parts of the state. Clouds returning, moving slowly, south to
north. Heavy rain close to Mother.”

Angel nodded at the camera
and the music started again.

Whether you're a brother
or whether you're a mother, you're stayin’ alive, stayin’
alive.

The knights opened the
library door and stepped out into the west wing hall, Level 1. The
way was open until they reached the bend where they drew fire from
aliens under cover somewhere on the other side of the
Hub.

The music stopped. “If
you’re looking for Elora Laiken she’s headed to the great out of
doors. She was last seen entering the central court forest through
the south exit. Dudes in black who are not supposed to be here.
Again, this message is for dudes in black who are not supposed to
be here. Elora has left the building. I say Elora has left the
building. Annnnnnnd…”

It's all right. It’s ok.
I'll live to see another day.

The gunshots ceased while
Ralengclan looked at each other trying to decide what to do. The
commander hadn’t been seen for nearly two hours. Neither had anyone
spotted the second in command. Without someone in authority to take
responsibility, there was confusion about how to proceed. As is
usually the case when people can’t decide what to do, the
Ralengclan did nothing, which meant that a brief period of silence
ensued.

Elora looked at her
bodyguards. “They’re trying to sort out the best course of action,
but they’ll feel compelled to check it out. They have to. I’m
betting at least two of them are going to head for the Hub exit to
the Courtpark next to the Solarium. If I can get to the lounge
first, I’ll have cover and a view to that exit. I can pick them off
from there.” She started to rise from a squat, but she was
lightheaded from blood loss. She swayed and had to grab onto a
countertop to stay upright.

“You stay. We’ll go.” Kris was giving Elora
a look that was so intense it almost reminded her of Storm.

“No. I’m good.”

Kris lifted both eyebrows.
“You’re good? You know that arm that you need to hold your Cuefire
up with? It’s streaming blood everywhere. You don’t have full use
of that arm, you’re getting weak, and you can only see out of one
eye. You’re not good. You’re a mess.”

He didn’t know the half of
it. All that, combined with the fact that the Equalizer gas made
her feel like every step was a drag through water, meant she was
both hurt and exhausted.

“Maybe, but I’m still your
commanding officer, Falcon. I go. You stay.”

He crossed his arms in
front of his chest. “Wakey. Sit on her.”

“No need,” Wakey said.
“She’s too weak to stop us. And we both need to go.” He turned to
Elora. “No disrespect, ma’am, but he’s right. You need to stay
put.”

The Hub erupted in rapid
round gunfire. Elora guessed somebody was laying down cover for a
couple of Ralengclan to get to the Solarium exit.

“Wakey. Don’t go out
there. It’s too late. We already missed the chance.”

He smiled. “Don’t worry so much.”

When the BeeGees stopped,
Spaz’s voice came right on. “Welcome back to the sounds of invasion
with The Voice of the Fray coming at you with New Kids on the Block
and “Hangin’ Tough.”

Elora was braced with her
weight on bent knees and her back against Farnsworth’s supply
cabinets. As the boys ducked out, she slowly slid down to the
floor, unable to do much else, and Monq’s words came back to her.
“
You wouldn’t retain superior strength and
speed, but others from your home world wouldn’t have any advantage
over those who come to your aid. There will always be people here
to guard you. Capable people.”

Elora wasn’t very good at
holding back tears when she experienced high emotion, which was
often, and she usually didn’t try. When the first drop started down
her cheek, she swiped at it in disgust then winced because of the
touch to her swollen face. Her cheek was sticking out further than
it was supposed to be.

She was scared for those
kids who had so much blinding bright potential. They might have
been ‘capable’, but they shouldn’t be forced to prove it at their
age. She couldn’t even face the possibility that they might die
before they had a chance to live. Especially not for
her.

Don't worry 'bout nothing, 'cause it won't
take long… put you in a trance with a funky song.

She let her head fall back
and hit the cabinet she was leaning against, which resulted in
another jolt and another wince. “Fuck me.” There was nothing in the
universe worse than feeling helpless. She sat for a moment
pondering that and then amended.
There’s
nothing in the universe worse than feeling helpless unless it’s
being forced to listen to this song.

The President cleared the Oval Office before
he picked up the phone when he heard who was calling.

“This is the President.”

“Mr. President. It’s about
Jefferson Unit. I know there’s a standing order of autonomy where
that building is concerned, but it sounds like there’s a battle
taking place in there. Reports of explosions and live fire, ongoing
for over two hours. What should we do?”

“Colonel. Under no
circumstances will you allow the perimeter of that building to be
contaminated. If something must be said to assuage the curiosity of
your staff, tell them that Jefferson is conducting secret research
tests with live arms and that no one is to interfere in any way.
Are we clear?”

“We are, sir. Sorry to bother you
needlessly.”

CHAPTER 23

When Storm came to rest in
his own kitchen, he looked around and his breath hitched. His
throat swelled with so much emotion that speech was impossible. He
didn’t try to talk, just went to work concentrating on separating
himself and Rosie from the duct tape. By the time that job was
finished he was breathing normally and had command of his
voice.

He reached up and ran a hand over his
daughter’s head. “Rosie, I want us both to take some time so I can
get to know you.”

“And teach me how to ride a bike.”

“What?”

“I don’t know how to ride
a bike. I’ve been waiting for you to come home.”

He stared for a minute
then had to look down and blink a few times to process that. “I’d
like that a lot. Whenever you say. I’m buying you the best cruiser
we can find. But right now, I wonder if you could give me a little
time alone with your mom?”

She grinned and he thought
joy was a very good look for her, but it rapidly dissolved to a
look that was much more serious. “It’s so good to have you here. I
can’t wait to see mom smile again. She’s sleeping. She was up all
night looking for you. Again.

“I’ll be back tomorrow.”
And she vanished.

Rosie was smiling as she
grabbed a pass to her first errand stop. Her mind was full of the
happy ending she’d been afraid her parents were never going to get.
She thought that, if ever there was cause for celebration, this
would be the time. And, in her euphoria, she forgot to mention her
dad’s doppelganger, who’d been living at the vineyard for
weeks.

After he was left alone in
the house, Storm turned down the hallway toward the master bedroom.
The shutters were closed, but he could see the shape of Litha’s
form under the covers, sleeping on her side of the bed which meant
his side was vacant and waiting for him like the most delicious
invitation.

Quietly, he slipped out of
all his clothes and let them drop on the floor in a pile. The
anticipation of pulling her warm, soft body into him and feeling
her go pliant against him was almost more than he could stand. He
pulled the covers back and crawled under. It smelled like her,
rainstorms and magick. In other words, it was heavenly.

He snuggled against her back and whispered
into her hair right next to her ear. “Litha. Baby.”

Litha woke slowly, aware
that something was off. She must have been dreaming about Storm
because she almost thought she heard his voice and could smell his
musk, not to mention feeling the beautiful hardness of his body
pressed close to hers. When Storm’s hand trailed down her side, her
lungs involuntarily gasped in a deep breath. She came instantly and
fully awake, whether she wanted to be or not.

That’s when she realized
that the warm body in bed with her was not a figment of her
imagination or a subconscious recreation. She rolled toward the
unwanted visitor with a growl and left a full handprint burn on his
chest before she jerked away and scrambled out of bed.

Storm yelled. “Ow. Litha,
what the…? Ow. You burned me!”

Storm jumped out of bed,
gaping at his wife who stood on her side with her arms wrapped
around her, seething and looking at him like she was thinking about
turning him into a column of smoke.

“What did you expect? Get
the hell out of my room. Put some frigging clothes on and get out
of my room. How dare you touch me!”

“Some homecoming.” He looked bewildered. “I
need ice.”

As he started for the
kitchen, Litha’s eyes wandered over his body and, even in the
dimmed light, she could see there was nothing but smooth skin. No
ink. The only mark on his flawless hide was the handprint she’d
just left there like a red brand of fury.

“Storm?”

She seemed to be asking the question like
she wasn’t sure, which was beyond strange.

“Waking Woden, Litha. Who else?”

He wondered why Rosie hadn’t warned him that
Litha had jumped the track while he was gone. Her face looked as
shocked as if he was a ghost. Then, when she ran at him, he stepped
out of the way, not wanting to be burned again.

“Oh, no you don’t. Once was enough.” He
caught her, turned her around with her back to him and captured
both wrists in front of her. “You want to tell me what’s going
on?”

She was sobbing and
squirming, trying to break free. “Let me go. I need to hold
you.”

“
Now
you want to hold me?”

“Please. I didn’t know it was you.”

“You didn’t know it was
me,” he repeated dryly.

“Let me go so I can do
something about the burn.”

“If I let you go, are you going to set me on
fire?”

“I’m not going to set you
on fire. I am going to make you
so
glad you’re home.”