Aftershocks

Chapter One

Two months ago on Earth

Living in Seattle for the past twenty-eight years had definitely not prepared Ellie Markham for what her father had asked her to do. Not having seen the man for over a year—no phone calls, no letters and not even a parting good-bye—should have warned her he was up to no good. But when he suddenly appeared out of the blue a few months ago, she’d been all bright-eyed optimism, sure she could still turn him around.

“I am such an idiot,” she murmured as she prepared another round of Screaming Orgasms for the male college students ogling her over the bar.

Hell on Earth couldn’t have come at a worse time. Just as she’d been six credits from earning her Masters degree and an amazing teaching position at the university, good old Ethim had reappeared. An armful of flowers for Mom, a nice dinner out on the town at Ellie’s favourite restaurant, charm and concern, an emotional epiphany of love and regret that he’d been away for so long…

And here she stood on a Saturday night, poured into tight jeans and a bright blue tank top to combat the heat in this godforsaken bar. She wanted to kick herself for falling into Ethim’s plans so easily. Any other guy she’d be kicking in the teeth, but for good old Dad, she’d practically become a doormat. She wished she had a stronger backbone. But dammit, she still ached to make her father happy, to make him proud. And for that, she had to watch pretty-man Darius—

“Ellie?”

—Storm. She blinked up into dark, murky eyes and a face that would stop any woman in her tracks. Okay, so he had a face made for pleasure and a body made for sin. For some odd reason, he just didn’t do it for her. She wondered again where the hell her libido had gone.

“Darius, what can I do for you?”

He frowned and looked around. “You haven’t seen Gerry’s new hire, have you?”

“New hire?” She nodded to one of the waitresses to pick up a tray of drinks and wiped down the bar in front of her.

“You know, that assessor, Samantha something or other?”

She stared at him, aware of his casual interest that was all too telling. For the past four months, she’d studied and reported back to her father every last detail of Prince Darius Storm’s comings and goings from the bar. He’d been interested in a few women from time to time, but he’d never acted so obviously disinterested. Hmm.

“Oh yeah, Samantha Brooks. Dirty-blonde hair, green eyes, lot of attitude?”

He grinned, and she wondered again why she felt nothing for a man so obviously her type.

Shrugging, she shook her head. “I haven’t seen her yet tonight, but I can let her know you’re looking for her if—”

“No, no, don’t bother.” He glanced over his shoulder at Mike yelling for him. “The women over there are practically climbing over the damned bar.” He looked at her section and grinned. “I see you have a similar problem.” Several nearby men glared at Darius while trying to catch her attention.

She sighed. “Want to trade?”

He noted a close-by greasy male sporting too much chest hair and shook his head. “Hell no. I’ll talk to you later.”

She watched him return to his crew and made a mental note.

Hours later, after a pleasant discussion with Darius’ Samantha, she watched Samantha leave the bar, at Ellie’s request, to venture into the basement for some much-needed house ale. Not a minute later, Darius darted to follow the woman, deliberately remaining a few steps behind. Almost half an hour passed before both parties emerged—Samantha with a dazed and almost hunted look on her face, and Darius with a deeply introspective expression.

Smiling, Ellie decided she’d played as far into this game as she wanted. This was exactly the information her father had been seeking when he’d assigned her this task. And now that she’d witnessed the results he was so eager to hear, she had no intention of carrying her charade any further.

Seattle, Present Day

Three months after she began working at Outpour, Ellie gave Gerry her final notice, less than pleased she’d been forced to continue working at the bar through the spring. It would take forever to get back into the academic groove. Her own fault, really. She was honest enough with herself to admit ‘forced’ meant ‘trying to gain Ethim’s approval’. Much as she distanced herself from that otherworldly part of her makeup, she knew how important the Storm brothers were to her father. Hell, the way he acted, life as she knew it would fall to pieces if she didn’t report every move Cadmus made.

A small hand on her arm shook her thoughts, and she smiled down at her soon-to-be ex-boss.

Gerry looked like he was on the verge of tears as he stood to say his good-byes. My father could take lessons from this man. “We’ll miss you here, Ellie. You were more than just an employee.”

She smiled and hugged him, letting out a startled breath at the tight squeeze he gave her. Nodding warmly, she pocketed her last paycheque and exited the back office into the alley behind the bar.

Since it was still daylight, she had no worries about being molested in the sour unloading zone, though the hand that yanked her back into the shadows startled a small gasp out of her all the same.

“What exactly happened between you and the Earth Lord?”

She let out a breath and tugged her arm from the large hand grabbing her. “Jonas, you scared the piss out of me.”

“Oh, did I?” her cousin asked pleasantly. “Well, ever since Darius married his affai and took off for Tanselm, you’ve been acting peculiar around his brother.”

She hoped the shadows of the alley hid the sudden pallor of her face. Cadmus, one of Darius’ brothers, one of his identical quadruplet brothers, was the one sticking point in her life she couldn’t, for the life of her, wrap her mind around. She had enough trouble dealing with his haunting memories. She sure as hell didn’t need Jonas interfering where he had no business.

“That’s a moot point now, isn’t it, Jonas? Considering Cadmus is in Foreia and far away from me.”

“Not necessarily,” he hedged.

Alarmed, she quickly scanned their immediate surroundings, only to find them empty. “I told you I was finished. I wanted out a long time ago, and now that Ethim has the information he needs, there’s no longer any reason for me to be involved.”

Jonas studied her for a moment, making her wish she had more control over her emotions. “You sound awfully panicked, Ellie.”

She took a deep breath and smiled through her teeth. “I’m not panicked. I simply want nothing more to do with the Djinn and your stupid alliances with Storm Lords and Light Bringers.” She noted the chagrin on his face. “Present company excluded, of course.”

He rolled his eyes. “Of course. Come on, Ellie, be practical. You can’t ignore who you are.”

“And who am I?” she asked in a hard voice. “I’ve lived my entire life here with my mother. My father has made such rare appearances over the years it’s a wonder I recognise him when he jaunts into town.”

Jonas stared knowingly at her face.

“Okay, so we look alike. I have Mom’s blonde hair, you know,” she said peevishly.

“The bottom line is that part of you is Djinn too. What happens in Tanselm concerns you as well.”

She shook her head. She’d been over this with him, with her father, hell, even with Cadmus.

“Fine.” Jonas blew out a breath. “Be as stubborn as you like. But you’re not done with the Earth Lord yet.” He grabbed her arm and they shimmered through space. Ellie didn’t quite know how he did it, but Jonas enveloped them in a wave of black energy, like moving through the murky warmth of a bath in the dark. Pleasant but cloying, and a bit off-putting to find oneself in another place altogether.

In a heartbeat, she stood in the middle of her small apartment in Queen Anne with Jonas, and they weren’t alone.

Cadmus stared at Ellie Markham, aware of the hunger that once more pulsed through his body. He smiled broadly, more than amused at her shock that quickly turned to anger. Her brilliant blue eyes that he couldn’t seem to forget narrowed, like twin beams of sapphire. Her breasts heaved, making his mouth water and his fingers itch to touch. Hell. Two seconds in her presence and already he wanted to taste her, to take her.

“What the hell is he doing here?” she growled at Jonas.

“Things got a little too…interesting in Foreia.”

“He means I pissed off one too many Djinn,” Cadmus explained, pleased at Ellie’s ferocity. Damn but he’d missed her, more than he’d thought he would.

“So why bring him here?”

She still hadn’t asked him a direct question, but he didn’t mind. He’d have his hands full as soon as she realised he meant to stay with her for the foreseeable future. Though screwing with the Djinn had been entertaining, if not smart, Cadmus knew he’d pushed the Darklings too far. Had Jonas not been present to teleport him out of Foreia into this plane, Cadmus had no doubt he’d be lucky to be alive. Yet his pranks and insults only reinforced how devoted the damned Sarqua Djinn were to their Dark Mistress. Like Jonas, the Djinn he’d spent time with were loyal to Lexa, and just as unforgiving.

Jonas sighed. “I can’t take him to his place.” He frowned at Cadmus.

Good. About time the Dark one felt some of the irritation he’d been causing Cadmus for the past few weeks. “The Netharat is swarming around his house. And as much as he’d like to return to Tanselm, Arim won’t let him back until he’s got an affai.”

Cadmus didn’t bother to stifle a grimace at mention of a bride. Jonas knew how much he detested the thought of marriage, and Cadmus had made his views known to Ellie all too well. His amusement vanished. He’d told her about his brothers and their affai under her Dark influence.

Clearly sensing his irritation, she turned her back on him, as if by not looking at him he might disappear. He forced a chuckle, drawing her reluctant gaze. “Nice try, honey. You don’t have to look at me if you don’t want to. But I’ll be right here for the next few…what, Jonas? Weeks, months?”

Ellie stared, horrified, from him to Jonas and back again. When her eyes met his, he thought he detected a hint of fear and wondered at its source. For the short duration he and Ellie had been together, fear had never been one of their shared emotions. Lust, anger, need, those they knew intimately. His gaze wandered down her womanly curves.

“Look,” she said between clenched teeth, her hands fisted aggressively in what gave him a perverse sense of satisfaction. “I did what was asked of me. I told you, I have a life to return to.”

“Me too, Ellie.” Cadmus sank onto her comfortable leather couch and crossed his arms behind his head, propping his feet up on her coffee table. “But thankfully, time passes much more slowly at home. So I could be here another year and it would only be a month or two in Tanselm, right Jonas?”

He couldn’t help the pleasure he felt out of irritating the male Djinn. It was obvious Jonas didn’t like Cadmus staying with Ellie, and Cadmus had to wonder what Jonas really knew of their involvement. Glancing from Jonas to Ellie, he decided to put it to a test.

“It’s funny you’re so upset with me being here, Ellie.” He gave her a sly grin, noting her sudden alarm. “The last time I was here we seemed to really hit it off.” And he couldn’t wait until they hit it off again.

“Not one word or I’ll personally invite ‘Sin Garu to flame your ass while you sleep.” Ellie’s words filtered into his mind, and that deep thrill of connection startled him for a moment.

“Ah, Ellie. If you really knew how terrible that sorcerer is, you’d never threaten me. I don’t think you could live with yourself if you hurt any portion of my perfect ass.”

She glared but didn’t reply. Though not telepathic like his brother Darius, Cadmus had been able to share thoughts with Ellie since the first night they’d slept together. Whether it was a Djinn thing or some wacky skill he was just now coming to possess, courtesy of his scarily powerful mother, he didn’t yet know.

Jonas crossed his arms over his chest and fumed at Cadmus. “What exactly does ‘hit it off’ mean?”

Cadmus looked to Ellie. “I’ll keep quiet if you welcome me properly.”

She gritted her teeth so hard he was surprised she didn’t crack her jaw. Funny how his infamous sense of humour was returning the longer he was in her presence. He knew his brothers had sensed his despair these last weeks. Reunited with Ellie, however, and his bad mood vanished. Needling her was even more fun than irritating Marcus, his arrogant older brother—older by all of two minutes.

“We were friends once,” Ellie explained with a false smile. “I’m sorry for my temper, Cadmus.” She clasped her hands in front of her, to resist from throttling him, he assumed. “It’s been a long day, and I’m going to miss working at Outpour.”

The little liar. He smirked and held back a laugh when her blue eyes fairly sizzled.

“You are?” Jonas didn’t sound convinced. He kept staring from Ellie to Cadmus, as if waiting to see something between them.

“I am. And I really am glad to see you again, Cadmus.” “You stupid, self-righteous Light Bringer.” “You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.” “You’re out of here as soon as I can make it happen.” “And I hope you’ll be comfortable.” “Bastard.”

He scratched his chest and nodded. “I’m glad we can catch up. Jonas, don’t you have some place to be?”

The Djinn scowled, his expression causing him to physically darken. Cadmus was entranced. Despite having seen the Djinn in truth more times than he could count in the past few weeks, a Djinn’s natural state never failed to instil awe. Jonas’ golden skin glowed brighter and brighter, until all that remained was a mass of energy with the outline of a man’s face. Eclipsing much of his brightness lay an aura, a visible and ever-present black flame, over his entire body. The dark fire licked at the shadows in Ellie’s small apartment.

“What the hell are you looking at, Light Bringer?” Jonas snapped and deliberately turned to Ellie. “Keep an eye on him, from a distance. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He glared at Cadmus. “You treat her with the respect she deserves. Behave, Earth Lord.” He grinned with evil intent. “Or I’ll bring my brothers back to play with you again, and this time I won’t save your sorry ass.”

“She’d never allow it.” Cadmus shrugged, as if unconcerned. His disinterest made Jonas’ skin glow brighter under the outline of black flame.

“There’s a lot you don’t know about her. If you play your cards right, you won’t learn her rules the hard way.” Muttering under his breath, Jonas nodded to Ellie and then vanished.

After a few tense moments of silence, Ellie cleared her throat and met Cadmus’ gaze. “Who is ‘she’?”

“I’ve been sworn to silence. Ask your cousin, if that’s who he really is. Talk about a secretive bunch. You Djinn take the cake.” Cadmus looked quite amused with himself, and as much as she wanted to throw him out on his ass and never see him again, that hint of boyish humour began to melt the ice which froze her affections.

Sensing it wouldn’t be wise to allow Cadmus back into her wounded heart, she hardened it against him. “Yeah, we Djinn really take the cake.” She yanked his dirty work boots off her coffee table. “Let’s get something straight, Your Highness.” She leaned over him to poke him in the chest. Pleased when his smile disappeared, she continued, “You’ve got more Darkness inside you than I’ve ever had, so cut the crap. You need a place to crash, and apparently I’m the only game in town. Keep yourself out of my business and you can stay. I’ve got things to do with my life. Things that don’t involve Tanselm and Storm Lords and freakin’ Djinn.”

He stared at her, his brown eyes so deep she could drown in them. She could almost hear him thinking and purposefully strengthened her mental defences.

For years, she’d tried to live a normal life. No magic, no Dark versus Light, and no Dark Lords and their minion Netharat threatening death and dismemberment. But within a short span of time, she’d become involved in a life full of magic, excitement and bitter heartache.

She’d be damned if she’d let Cadmus—a royal Light Bringer—see how much he’d hurt her with his prejudices, his casual sex and his meaningless compliments. What an utter asshole. She didn’t prevent that thought from leaking to him.

He shook his head and sighed. “What did I do now, Ellie?”

“Nothing. Just keep it that way.” Storming from the room, she entered the only bedroom and slammed the door behind her. It was going to be a long night.