Ryder on the Storm: Emerald Seer I (11 page)

Everybody nodded silently and moved to action. The three Immortals walked out the side exit moments after the waiter. Already he had Storm up against the wall of the building, a hunting knife to her throat.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, kid.” Lucian made a show of cracking his knuckles and simultaneously flexing his size. The kid stood half a foot taller than Storm but looked scrawny to Ryder. Storm turned to face them; her eyes fell on Ryder and flared briefly. She mouthed ‘no’ to them.

The kid hesitated. This had never happened to him so he could not register how to react. Ryder’s skin crawled, all of the fury rolling into his fists. Lucian and Kell clearly felt the heat and backed away accordingly. Ryder advanced on his prey, certain his visage frightened the freakish boy. The kid’s eyes flew wide as he questioned the intention to harm Storm. The knife clattered to the ground. Storm closed her eyes and tried to slip from the kid’s grasp but he held her tight, his left hand in a death grip on her shoulder and pinning her to the wall with his pelvis and knee. This kid most certainly wished for death. In that moment Ryder could read him like a book, his fear unlocked a door into the mind and Ryder saw how many times he’d victimized women. The fury ran over, he could not control it.

“Storm, push him off and slip away. You can do it.” Ryder’s voice came out steadier than he felt. He registered her nod before acting. Things happened quickly after that, Storm brought her free leg up and connected with the waiter’s groin. The kid released her and grasped at his genitals allowing her to slip away and out of Ryder’s line of vision. The waiter keeled over, tears pouring from his eyes as he clutched at the injury.

“You should have listened to my colleague, freak. She is far out of your league, you have no business looking at her let alone touching her. It may be different if you had not done this before, or if you had not chosen my woman. You have made a series of bad choices, freak.” Ryder bent down beside the waiter and leaned in close, “Every choice has consequences. What do you suppose yours should be?”

“What are you doing?” Ryder spun around, the intruding voice one he did not recognize. He looked beyond Lucian and Kell to see the seraphs fuming at the alley entrance. They each sported handguns and badges. Their plan became clear but it did not ease Ryder’s hunger for vengeance. The freak would have harmed Storm if he’d not intervened. So much could have happened in the time between the waiter entering the alley and the seraphs arriving – too much. He seethed. The power inside him simmering. Ryder tried to remind himself that she was safe. Storm stood close to Lucian and Kell had taken a step in front of her.

“I saved her from this thing. Where were you two? You were sent to protect her yet you left her alone with this thing?” Ryder kicked the kid in the gut to drive his point home.

“We have been looking for this guy for months. We have more than a dozen murders to pin on him. We can put him away legally and give peace to the families of his mortal victims. What is your plan?” The seraphs lowered their guns and casually walked forward. Storm stood there between Kell and Lucian, looking from one man to the next, clearly trying to figure a way to diffuse the situation. He wanted to wrap her up in his arms and kiss her. Hell, Ryder wanted to whisk her away and undress her to check over every inch of her and – the freak moved to stand up virtually annihilating the fantasy building in Ryder’s mind. Ryder’s brought his foot up and smashed it down on the freak’s leg. The sound of shattering bone echoed through the alley.

“I would stay down if I were you, freak. We would not want any more broken limbs, would we?” Ryder looked down at the kid who started blubbering but had the good sense to avoid screaming.

“Immortal, you are out of your element here. We had her covered and –“

“Would you all stop acting like Neanderthals? I can absolutely take care of myself and I had the situation under control. Seriously, you all need to breathe for a moment and recognize that this lady can handle herself.” Everybody turned to look at Storm. She looked beautiful, her eyes flaring in fury and resentment. Ryder had thought her innocence beguiling, but this other side of her sent him over the edge. Lucian looked over and moved toward him.

“Brother, reign it in. Seriously, you can’t do this here.”

Ryder blinked and breathed deeply. He looked to Storm. She shrugged and turned toward the seraphs. “I don’t think this man is going to be rehabilitated. Dan, Shane, I think we let these guys handle him from here. Why don’t you two take me home and we can continue with our evening as planned. You don’t have to know what happens, it won’t be on your conscience if he, oh, I don’t know, disappears.” She turned to face Ryder, her eyes boring into him. He suppressed a shudder of pleasure.

“You, Immortal. I am not your woman and if I ever hear those words out of your mouth again I will see to it that they are your last.” She stepped closer to him. The electricity between them became palpable, even she noticed it, and they both took a step backward. “As I suggested, you three, take care of this thing. I don’t want him to hurt another woman – ever.” She turned on her heel, shoulders back and chin jutted out, and walked away. The seraphs followed her, perplexed expressions on their near identical faces.

Ryder turned to the waiter. “Freak, my friends and I are about to have some fun with you. You enjoy hurting women, right? Well, my friend here, he likes to hurt freaks like you.”

Lucian stood beside him. “Brother, you have created a serious shit storm here. What do you intend to do with this thing.” He kicked the kid too. The fire flickered in Lucian’s eyes.

“I thought maybe we could feed your flame with him. You know, appease the beast for a bit?”

“Ry, you know how I feel about freaks who abuse women, but I think the seraphs had the right of this one. If you breathe through this for a moment and let your feelings for the girl dissipate some, you will realize I am right.”

“Ry, I agree. You are incensed over this girl. What is going on here?” Kell chimed in and Ryder realized he’d never win this one. He would regret this.

“Stop the seraphs. Let them take him. On the condition that I take the girl home so she is still guarded.”

Ryder did not miss the silent exchange between Lucian and Kell. It did not matter, Storm was all that mattered. Kell took off toward the parking lot. Lucian kicked the kid in the gut once more, apparently for good measure, and clapped Ryder on the shoulder.
“Brother, you have it bad. Maybe I should guard her instead.”

Ryder glared at his friend. Lucian withdrew, “Sorry, brother, apparently a bad suggestion. You have to get a grip or you will scare her. We don’t know how much she knows about our kind, let alone your particular intricacies. Come on, Ryder. I have never seen you like this, not even with Jasmine.” Lucian’s voice fell off as he said her name. Ryder’s last wife. He’d mourned her for decades, now he barely remembered her face. Storm had replaced her; all he could see now was the Emerald.

“I do not know what it is Lucian. I see the girl and I just want to protect her.”

“I’d bet my immortality that is not all you want to do to her.” Lucian wagged his eyebrows, an obvious attempt to diffuse the situation. It did not seem to be working. Ryder still felt riled up. He wondered for a brief moment if Lucian felt this way when his inner flame flared.

Kell came around the corner at just that moment. Ryder felt nothing but gratitude for the interruption.

“They have agreed. You are to take the girl back to her home and wait with her until they return. They were not pleased with the arrangement but agreed that she needs protection.” Kell half smiled, “A word of warning though, the girl is not pleased, and it seems she does not believe she needs protection, least of all yours.”

“I think you have your work cut out for you, brother.” Lucian smiled, “I will get Angeline home. Don’t worry, we won’t wait up.” He disappeared through the side entrance. Kell stood there staring at him. Ryder knew he wanted to ask about everything.

“Let it go Kell. Just for a while. Please keep it to yourself, everything that happened today. You can tell Pollux but don’t let it go further, alright?” Ryder met his pupils gaze.

“I get it, Ry. We are with you. Always.” Kell placed a fist on his chest and bowed before heading back into the restaurant. Ryder knew he meant it. The seraphs rounded the corner.

“Good luck with her, Immortal. She is feisty and then some. I am Shane, this is my brother Dan.” They exchanged handshakes before acknowledging the waiter. “Don’t worry seraph. We will handle this. He will not harm her. We are curious as to why you do not want to harm her, though. You clearly know what she is.”

Ryder looked Shane in the eye and spoke his truth, “I did not harm Trin Sullivan. I have no intention of harming her niece either. My reasons are my own for now. I will not allow anything to happen to her. I swear it.”

The seraphs exchanged looks and shrugged, Shane spoke for the pair once more, “You have it bad, dude. She is a tough one, our Storm. Don’t say we didn’t warn you. She is in the black Hummer; since you knew Trin you should recognize it.”

Storm

Dammit. She actually regretted hitting them. Now Storm wished she’d hit them harder and more than once. How could they betray her like this? She planted her hands on the steering wheel and exhaled in the irritated fashion she’d recently developed. For a fleeting moment, an image of Trin doing the same exact thing, popped in her head. A calm washed over her and it registered that Dan and Shane were oblivious to the confrontation she’d had with the Immortal earlier in the day. They had no clue that her body reacted so intensely to him. It really couldn’t be their fault. Dammit. Still, she didn’t need a baby-sitter. That they should have known. Ha. She could be angry with them.

The driver’s side door swung open. Storm whipped her head around, face held in a mask of fury and irritation in hopes of disguising the excited flutter she felt inside. There he stood, hairs falling loose from the leather throng, the most beautiful man she’d ever seen. His face betrayed his confusion for a moment and then he regained that smug expression she’d seen in the alley.

“I have been instructed to accompany you home as protection.” That smooth, velvety voice with the tinge of steel, dammit, he even knows he is suave.

“Just because you are guarding me like a child does not mean you get to drive my car. I can absolutely take care of myself.” Storm fought to keep her hands on the wheel; she wanted to fold her arms across her chest to drive the point home but thought better of it. She wouldn’t put it past him to just remove her from the car or transplant her in the passenger seat. “If you are coming, you’d better get in. The trunk works for me.”

He shook his head and shut the door. In seconds, the Immortal climbed in to the passenger side and buckled in. “What have I done to offend you?” His voice seemed sad somehow. Dammit, now she felt guilt. This feeling thing really sucked.

Storm chose to ignore him. She started the Hummer and pulled away, grateful that Shane had fought for the pull through spot. Her maneuverability skills in the Beetle would not likely translate to the Hummer and it would have been a great embarrassment in front of Him. She flipped on the radio and turned it up. Before she registered the song, her companion began laughing.

Storm reached over and turned the music down again, “What is so funny?”

“Oh, now you want to talk. Quid pro quo, Miss Sullivan, you answer my question first.” That smug expression again. Gods he could be the most beautiful man ever created. His eyes twinkled mischievously. Storm looked back to the road, pushing the butterflies in her stomach aside, wading through the frustration over the encounter in the alley, and worded her response carefully.

“I could have handled him myself. I am not without talent. Not only did you interrupt what should have been an easy bust, you beat the freak down and referred to me as your woman. Does any part of that sound endearing to you? Hmmm?” She stole a sidelong glance at him as he rearranged his hair, replacing the loose strands in the leather throng.

“Point taken, Miss Sullivan. Please, tell me what did you plan to do to him?”

Anger flared again, he was mocking her. She decided to play it differently, throw him off his suave game. “No, it is your turn. Why did you start laughing at me?” He didn’t respond. She turned to look, ready to berate him some more when she realized he’d turned the music back up and pointed at the radio. She tilted her head and listened. “Riders on the Storm” by the Doors. “Har. Har. You know Aerosmith too? They did a little song called Dream On.”

“Touché, Miss Sullivan. I simply found it ironic and entertaining.” Ryder paused, started to speak, and then apparently thought better of it. The rest of the ride to Willow Wood passed in tension-packed silence. Storm nearly suffocated in her desire, the fluttering in her gut multiplied and spread to every bit of her body. Her skin thrummed with excitement. Perhaps this part of feeling could become pleasant if she could somehow learn to control it.

She pulled into the garage, turned off the engine, and slipped out of the Hummer. Certainly Ryder would be interested in the cars, what man wouldn’t? She pointed out the various models as they walked by, Ryder nodded appreciatively but she felt his eyes on her the entire time. It should have been unsettling instead of exhilarating. Dammit. This could get bad. Dan said it would take at least two hours to book the freaky waiter and she knew the precinct was at least a forty-five minute drive from her house. She could get into a lot of trouble in that time.