Demon Storm: Belador book 5 Read Free

became liquid. A wide maw opened up in the earth and sucked in demon liquid as if pulling it through a straw. Storm whispered a last order and the chain slinked over the edge, falling into the bottomless void.
    The ground closed up and weeds crawled back through the surface, leaving the spot as if it had never been disturbed.
    Was that the best Nadina had to throw at Storm?
    If so, then she’d severely underestimated his power. Had she watched her little demon show, expecting Storm to give in to his dark blood and shift?
    Not today, bitch.
    If the point of this exercise had been to force his jaguar out of hiding, that demon had barely challenged him.
    But now there was no reason to continue playing hide and seek with her.
    Storm crossed his arms and spoke in a quiet tone. “We can play these games all night or you can face me, Nadina. You wanted me to come to you. Here I am.” 
    The windows on the building opened on their own and Nadina’s voice drifted out to him. “You have surprised me with your abilities, but you will need more than majik tricks to protect Evalle. You will have to accept your destiny to become one with the black jaguar.” 
    Or I could just kill you and forfeit my soul.
    If it was only Storm’s soul at risk and he’d never met Evalle, he’d make the sacrifice without hesitation, but then his father’s spirit would wander endlessly between two worlds.
    And Storm had promised to return to Evalle.
    Climbing through that window meant potentially breaking that promise. But walking away meant far worse–leaving Evalle at risk. It was time to end this here and now.
    With no choice left, Storm dropped to his haunches and prepared to leap.

Chapter 2
    S torm barely touched the metal frame on his way through the window of the two-story brick building. He landed inside on the concrete floor as lightly in human form as he would’ve as a jaguar. He allowed his senses to take stock of the dark surroundings, but his natural night vision took over.
    His nose picked up traces of a tinny smell where oil had been heated when metal ground against metal, the sweat of men laboring and pesticides sprayed along the edges.
    A machine shop of some sort.
    Nadina had cloaked her scent when she’d hidden inside Storm’s house, but she couldn’t manage it while on the run. Her nauseating licorice smell hung on the still air, turning sharp and bitter with emotion. His empathic senses caught something unexpected.
    Not fear, but ... anxiety.
    He still had to be extra careful not to rush into a trap.
    He’d underestimated her once when he’d been too young to know better.
    That had cost him dearly. Even now, after years of preparing to face her again, she’d surprised him by slipping inside his home undetected and had enjoyed informing him that Evalle had been snatched from beneath his nose by the Medb.
    That damned Medb priestess, Kizira, had teleported Evalle away from his bedroom six hours ago without him realizing it. He’d been in the kitchen making coffee. Evalle was still missing while Storm raced around hunting Nadina’s worthless hide.
    Had Evalle escaped the Medb? Was she at Treoir, a Belador island hidden in another realm? Was she alive?  
    Of course she was alive.
    His heart continued to beat, didn’t it? He’d know if anything had happened to his mate.
    Still, worry over Evalle ate at him, pushed him to turn his back on Nadina and search for the woman he loved. But logic raised its head. Storm had used his majik to embed an emerald chakra stone into Evalle’s chest that would alert him if she returned to this world. He hadn’t felt a pull from the stone since Evalle had disappeared from his house. Between the emerald and his mate bond with Evalle, he had to believe that she was still in another realm, but alive.
    If Storm lost Nadina at this point, she might get to Evalle before he did, and Nadina would take pleasure in hurting Evalle.
    That narrowed his decision back to the one choice in front of