Free Let the Storm Break by Shannon Messenger Page B

hair rustling in the warm breeze. She stares at me with shy, clear blue eyes, and her peachy cheeks flush pink.
I can guess who she is before Os introduces her.
Solana.
The one they all want me to marry.
    CHAPTER 14
    AUDRA

I
    need a plan.
The second Aston finished his warning, he snuffed out all the winds and dragged me back to the cave.
    I should’ve seen it coming.
Should’ve fought harder.
Should’ve . . .
There’s an endless list of things I should’ve done. It’s too late for
    any of them.
“And how’s my new roomie doing?” Aston asks, reappearing in
the cave’s entrance.
He used sickly green drafts to tie me to a sharp-edged boulder
and told me to get all my crying out of my system while he went to
patrol his perimeter. But I haven’t shed a single tear.
If I learned one thing from growing up with my mother, it’s how
to survive with a selfish, psychotic killer. I just have to stay calm and
keep him distracted until I figure out a way to escape.
“Still sulking, I see,” he says when I don’t respond. “It’s really not
a good look for you. Almost as unpleasant as this.”
He slips out of his cloak and I have to look away. The midday
sunlight makes his wounds even more disturbing.
He laughs. “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it. I certainly have.” He waves his hands around, making the gaps in his arms whistle
before he utters a string of unintelligible commands and the cave fills
with salty ocean breezes.
“I figured you could use some fresh air,” he tells me as he plops
down across from me, “But don’t do anything foolish. Then I’ll have
to hurt you—and contrary to what you may be thinking, I’m really
not interested in torturing you. I never developed a stomach for that
sort of thing. Especially with pretty girls.”
“I’m not going to try anything,” I tell him, ignoring his flirtatious smile.
Not yet.
Not until I’m sure I’ll succeed.
Cool drafts whisk around me, filling the air with soft songs
that promise a calmer time ahead. But I’m more relieved to feel the
scorching pull of my bond again.
Vane’s still safe—and still far away.
I’m not sure how much longer that will last.
Between the message I sent him and the way Aston keeps cutting off my trace from the sky, it’s only a matter of time before Vane realizes I’m in trouble. And he would be no match against Aston if
he came after me.
Sharp hisses bring me back to the present, and my heart aches as
three of the drafts turn dull gray and coil around Aston’s waist. “It’s the only way to keep myself together,” he explains as the
winds vanish into the holes in his skin. “Another way Raiden tried
to secure my loyalty. He wanted to be sure I could never escape, even
if I wanted to.”
“But you did , escape,” I remind him.
“Only from his fortress. Never from his influence.”
He traces his fingers along the twenty-nine holes in his shoulder, making me wonder again what Raiden did before number thirty. I ask a more important question instead. “How did you get
away?”
A smug smile twists his lips. “Raiden’s greatest weakness is that
he has no weakness.”
“What does that mean?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. His fortress has more security than
anyone could ever need and none all at the same time. Once I figured
that out, getting away was easy.”
I try to make sense of his riddle, but it’s far too vague to tell me
anything useful.
“Why are you so interested?” he asks, narrowing his eyes. “Planning a friendly visit to Raiden?”
“I’m not planning anything. But there’s always the possibility
that he could find me.”
“Not if you’re with me. I know how to keep Raiden away— something you can thank me for when you’re done mooning over your lost beau. I must say, I’m rather surprised I felt no trace of him coming to rescue you. I figured he’d be racing here as fast as the winds can carry him, and I was looking forward to thwarting his
daring rescue. Are you two having a