I had heard the underworld was a place of light, a home where souls could spend their eternity in the peace everlasting they deserved after the corporeal world had left its imprints. On the flesh, on the spirit.
It was a place of repose, a place where the burden of life existed no longer—only the memories etched into your heart.
Yet for all my knowledge, I had never imagined it would be quite this beautiful.
That it would feel this right.
Chapter 25
My first clue that something wasn’t as it should be was when the blinding light changed into darkness—a darkness that then gradually brightened, like the first rays of sun piercing the heavy, black curtains of night.
The second, however, was far more telling.
Liva’s face, hovering just inches over mine.
“Oh, thank the gods,” she whispered, her gray-blue eyes searching mine as if she were trying to determine if anybody was home.
I was.
I truly was. Because I recognized the scents and sensations that were wrapped around me, far more solid and real than any dream could be. Alin’s lair. I was in his lair, his bed.
And I was alive.
I tried to push myself up, but Liva quickly placed a hand on my shoulder, using a not-so-moderate amount of demonic strength to pin me back down against the mattress.
“You aren’t going anywhere just yet. Fuck, Lana, you scared the shit out of me. Out of everyone.”
Even without seeing the paleness of her face, the lines that spread out from the corners of her eyes, I knew how upset she was simply by the erratic pulsing of her power. She kept it locked within the confines of her body, but due to our shared blood, I felt every ounce of it as clearly as if she’d let it all out.
“Alexander shot me,” I whispered, fragments of what had happened falling into place like pieces of a puzzle.
“No, honey. You jumped in front of his bullet.” Her soft voice seethed with silent fury and love at the same time as she uttered that last word. “The bastard was aiming for Alin.”
My chest tightened at the name. “Is he all right?”
Lana smiled, and the laden weight inside me lost some of its substance. “Furious, but fine.” She hesitated. “I made him wait outside while I worked on lifting your energy levels. His endless pacing was making me dizzy, and I wasn’t entirely sure he wouldn’t topple down himself after the outburst of power he exhibited.”
“I—I remember him burning Alexander. And the zombies,” I whispered, then narrowed my eyes at her. “You didn’t stay back, did you?”
“With the beacon of energy you two were emitting?” A half smile touched her lips, but faded far too quickly. “I just wish I hadn’t waited so long.”
A dull ache was throbbing in my temples—a sure sign that Liva hadn’t been exaggerating when she said I needed rest. But my mind refused to shut down. I needed to know.
“What happened?”
“I came just as the battle ended.” She blinked away the silver tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. “You were bleeding out in Alin’s hands. I thought you were going to die, but he—” She let out a shuddering breath. “I’ve never seen anything like it. He healed you, Lana. His magic was a burning, white light, the purest of power. He dug up the bullet, knitted back the damaged tissue… It was—”
“Alin healed me?”
For a moment there, I couldn’t breathe. My world narrowed down to a single fact.
Alin healed me.
He did it.
A laugh bubbled from my lips. A laugh that sent tears rolling down my skin, and small hiccups of joy zinging through the sound. Liva locked her fingers with mine, holding me so tightly I thought she was going to break bones.
“I’m glad to have you back.” She stood and wiped away a tear. “I’ll get Alin. But no sex until you’re better.”
I couldn’t help it; I laughed again, more tears following in its wake. “Speaking from experience?”
Her grin was bright and free of strain, making me cry even harder. “You bet.”
One moment, I was alone in the room, the next, Alin was kneeling by the bed, close but not touching. His emerald eyes were haunted yet full of relief, and I didn’t doubt for a second mine were any different.
“Liv told me what you did,” I whispered.
He swallowed, the sharp line of his jaw tensing slightly. Then his fingers wrapped around my hand, and he closed his lips over mine. Without words, he told me everything. The pain. The fear. The need to keep me by his side.
And I did the same.
I didn’t know how long we stayed like that, our lips and power locked into an embrace designed to withstand every test time could throw our way. Even death.
And when he did pull away, resting his forehead against mine, I felt his entire body shudder as the reality of what we had done—what we had survived—settled in.
“I’ll never leave you, Alin,” I whispered. “But I would always give up my life to save yours. I hope you know that.”
He let out a breath, the warm touch brushing against my skin, then lifted his head to meet my gaze. “Then it’s a good thing I’m taking you to quieter places.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I’m handing the organization to Ilya. No black market. No crime. Just you and me.”
“And your court.”
“And that, yes.” Mirth touched his lips. “But those assholes we can blow away long before they even start to stir any shit.”
I laughed and cupped his cheek. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
He nodded as he leaned into the touch, the spill of his hair brushing against my skin. “Liva offered us a place in the Court of Earth—temporarily or permanently, it’s up to us.” He traced a finger across my lips, then swept up my cheeks, before the warmth of his skin trailed down the side of my neck. “I want us to have a calm life, Lana. I want our kids to have a calm life, free of blood and violence… If you decide to have them, of course.”
“Are you kidding me? A little horde of blue and russet-haired demons to drive you crazy?” I grinned. “I can hardly wait.”
He looked at me, emerald eyes aflame with desire. With love.
With the awareness that we were two halves of a whole who had found their way to one another.
I tugged on his arm. Gently. Invitingly.
His muscles bunched as he resisted, but not for long. My smile grew as he climbed onto the bed, his powerful body towering over mine, and I didn’t care—I didn’t care what my sister said.
Demon’s orders or not, I needed to entwine my energy with his, needed to merge our souls through our bodies, to reclaim what we had almost lost. And to celebrate what we had gained.
Alin’s eyes never left mine as he shifted his weight on one side, then traced his right hand from my neck, past my collarbone, all the way to my heart.
To the healthy rhythm beating there because of him.
For him.
Wherever we would go.
Thank you so much for reading Blackstorm! If you enjoyed the book, please consider leaving a review. Your opinion means a lot to other readers who are still deciding if they want to take a chance on Lana and Alin.
If you crave more paranormal romance, there are two more books in the Nightwraith series, filled to the brim with suspense and heated romance:
WINDSTORM (Liva & Cian)
NIGHTSTORM (Lena & Caz)
Alternatively, if you’re looking for some action-packed urban fantasy with a little steam added to the mix, check out SHADOW MOON (Lotte Freundenberger #1) or SHADOW WORLD (Shade Assassin #1) to delve deeper into the demonic realm.
About the Author
Gaja J. Kos is a USA Today bestselling author with a mission to breathe fragments of Slavic lore onto many, many pages of fiction.
She is also a bisexual witch who grew up watching Xena, Charmed, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. No one is really too surprised about the direction her adult live en
ded up taking.
She enjoys steamy books and steamier music, has an endless love for starry nights, and is a shameless summer babe with a soul-deep palm obsession.
Gaja resides in Celje, Slovenia, with her husband, two Chinese Crested dogs, and many, many plants.
For more information visit:
gajajkos.com
Also by Gaja J. Kos
SCIENCE FICTION
SCAR FORCE: DELTA FACTION
Cyberpunk action serial with a slow-burn enemies to lovers romance
Trinary
Parallax
Aphelion
Vortex
Equinox
Nova
KOLOVRAT UNIVERSE
PRESENT
BLACK WEREWOLVES SERIES
Urban fantasy
Novels:
The Dark Ones
The 24hourlies
The Shift
The Ascension
Novellas:
Never Forgotten
Chased
Black Werewolves: Books 1–4
NIGHTWRAITH SERIES
Paranormal romance
Windstorm
Blackstorm
Nightstorm
Nightwraith: The Complete Series
SUCC
Open relationship standalone paranormal romance
FUTURE
PARADISE OF SHADOWS AND DEVOTION
Standalone paranormal romance
LOTTE FREUNDENBERGER SERIES
Urban fantasy romance
Shadow Moon
Darkening Moon
Transient Moon
Phantom Moon
Burning Moon
Urban fantasy romance
Shadow World
Shadow Lies
Shadow Heart
Shadow Reign
ICRA FILES: BERLIN
Urban fantasy romance
Rock This Wolf
Down With Vamps
Long Gone Witch
HEAT OF THE NIGHT
Standalone paranormal romance
DAWN OF KOLOVRAT
Urban fantasy standalone novellas
Destiny Reclaimed - FREE
FANTASY
SHADOWFIRE TRILOGY
YA/NA fantasy romance
Evenfall
Emergence
THE IRON HEAD TRILOGY
YA epic fantasy
The Fox
The Heart
The Bird
FORGED IN FLAMES
Anti-hero epic fantasy
ROMANCE
SILVER FOX CLUB
Steamy May December standalone novellas
Cotton Candy