Storm Gods - G. Bailey Page 0,54

when I find Mads in the backyard early in the evening, working on her powers, it’s a nice distraction. “Where’s Pey?” I ask, leaning against the fence.

She furrows her brow, and I watch as blue sparks begin to manifest around her fingers. The ease with which she wielded her powers back on the island is gone, but with concentration, the lightning grows intense. A bolt leaps across the yard, making her eyes go wide. “Sorry,” she mutters, turning to me. “Pey went out with your dad—getting supplies, I think.” Scuffing her foot against the dirt, she mutters, “Wish I could do something more useful than almost burn down your yard.”

“Hey, you’re doing great,” I tell her. “Do you know how long it took me to use my powers?”

Mads snorts. “Well, I appreciate the support, at any rate. I can’t believe we’re leaving tomorrow. It all feels like it’s happening so fast.”

“I know,” I agree quietly, looking at the ground. There’s so much that I want to talk about, so many unspoken fears and insecurities, but it isn’t fair to dump those on Mads. She never signed up for any of this. Taking a shaky breath, I add, “I’m sorry that you got dragged into all this, Mads.”

She shrugs her shoulders, giving me a game smile. “It beats working in retail.”

That gets a laugh out of me, and I’m still giggling when the back door opens and Killian steps out. “I needed some air,” he explains, coming to a stop between us. “I’ve been climbing the walls in here.” Moments later, Seth and Storm follow him out. “Looks like we all have,” Killian observes.

“I hope we’re not interrupting anything,” Seth says, putting his hands in his pockets.

“Nothing other than me trying to learn how to use these damn powers,” Mads replies. “I swear, I’m not exactly goddess material.”

“I think we’re all a little restless,” Storm observes. “It’s always like this, the night before a battle.”

An idea occurs to me then, and I look up at the others. “Do you guys want to get away from here for a bit?” I ask. “We don’t have to use magic. We could just take a walk.”

The justice twins exchange a look, and Killian grins. “You just read my mind, Karma.”

Seth nods, and Storm shrugs his broad shoulders. “How can I say no?” the weather god asks.

I turn to Mads, who has the slightest smirk on her face. Her eyes drift from me to the guys, and then she says, “I think I’ll stay here, actually. I have to keep practising. You guys, though…” She shoots me an exaggerated wink, making me roll my eyes.

“Okay, okay,” I laugh. “Point taken.” Turning back to the guys, I say, “There are some cliffs not far from here; it’s a really nice spot. You can see the entire valley.”

“Say no more,” Killian jokes. “I’m sold.”

Feeling a surge of childlike excitement, I follow the guys back inside, leaving Mads to her practise. I think she knows on some level that I need time alone with them, especially with everything that’s at stake. Now is the time to appreciate the people I love.

Crossing over the threshold, we pass through the anti-magic barrier, and although it’s nerve-wracking being outside, there aren’t many people out and about at this hour. The justice twins walk on either side of me, with Storm behind, and although none of us says anything, I can tell that we’re all thinking the same thing: what’s going to happen tomorrow? And, of course, there’s the equally ambiguous follow-up question: if we survive this, what’s going to happen to us? Being in love with multiple guys at once never seemed like a possibility to me. I suppose it’s because I’ve never met men like these before. What few guys in my life who weren’t one-night stands have all turned out to be dicks in some way or another. I know that the practise isn’t unheard of amongst gods, although the dynamics are different between gods and humans. Part of me is still battling guilt, wondering if I’m being selfish for refusing to choose the way that I am. But the truth is that love has never been simple, and the idea of not having these people in my life is enough to make my blood run cold. I’ve got it bad, and there’s no way around it.

I glance over my shoulder at Storm, who seems lost in his own thoughts. He said that he would work to accept my