STORM LORDS: Aftershocks

ELLIE

The next few days passed slowly for me. At ends now that I’d finished my job at Outpour, I had to create things to do that would keep me out of my apartment until late at night when I’d stumble into bed.

I’d spent Sunday hiking up in Snoqualmie, Monday hanging around my mother and visiting with friends, catching up on what I’d missed the past six months at the university. Yesterday, I’d walked until my legs felt like they’d fall off, window-shopping downtown and through Pike’s Place market.

I’d visited my mother again, seen a movie, bought and read a book…

Staying busy was hell. I wanted to relax, to use this downtime to recuperate from my nightmarish stint as a bartender. The money had been great, but the hours had started to suck me back into a place I didn’t want to go.

Because of my heritage as a Djinn, I thrived at night. I could tolerate the sun well enough, but my body and soul flourished after sunset. Yet another black mark against Cadmus. Taking the job at Outpour had thrown my entire chemistry out of whack. I’d spent the last three nights staring at the ceiling, still not used to sleeping in the early a.m.

Those stupid Storm Lords. They should have stayed in Tanselm, in a parallel world humans had no idea existed. Were it not for their unwelcome presence in this place, in my world, I would even now be sleeping peacefully, resting up for my job teaching English 101 at the university. A job currently taken by Jane Rascombe, that miserable suck-up.

As if losing the teaching position to Jane wasn’t bad enough, my nights had been restless with erotic memories and fantasies of the Earth Lord who’d broken my heart.

I couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep — all because of him. Sighing at the expectation of another long, uneventful day, I stared at the ancient ceiling light, aware that one bulb needed replacing. Right on that thought trailed the question of what I’d do today to avoid Cadmus.

My door crashed open, and I gasped, my heart racing.

“That’s it.” Cadmus, wearing a pair of low-slung denims and nothing else, stalked into my room and stopped at the foot of my bed. His eyes were a dark brown, mirroring his irritation. On Cadmus, annoyance looked way too tempting. He breathed in deeply and drew my gaze to his sculpted chest.

Had any man ever looked so fine? He could have posed for any fitness magazine, or better yet, for designer underwear, showcasing those tight, smooth abs and rock-hard thighs.

A sucker for a muscular body, I was having a hard time hanging onto my anger as I stared at him.

“It’s been three days. I’m so bored I’m going out of my mind.” He held up a hand to stop my reply. “Not your problem, I know. But until I’m back at home, I’m making it your problem.” Breathing hard, Cadmus let his gaze trail down my face to linger on the hollow of my throat, where my pulse wouldn’t stop racing.

“I’m open to suggestions,” he murmured, drawing nearer. “Maybe we could work off some of my energy together.”

I scrambled to a sitting position, not wanting to be prone with Cadmus anywhere close by.