Free Wicked Edge by Nina Bangs Page A

isn’t thinking, doesn’t know or care what he’s doing. Death running free will destroy the whole island, maybe more.” She took a deep breath. “Please. Disappear until he calms down.”
    Passion sensed that Sparkle didn’t get scared often, a testament to the seriousness of the situation. And she’d bet the other woman didn’t beg often either.
    “What happens, happens.” Ganymede didn’t look at her.
    Passion saw no regret in his eyes for the woman who seemed to mean a lot to him, saw no emotion at all, just a cold focus on Edge.
    Sparkle backed away from Ganymede, her body stiff. She blinked rapidly. “It’s always about you and your damn pride.”
    Passion thought that watching Sparkle fight back tears raised the terror factor a thousandfold.
    And then it began.
    Cold darkness seemed to flow from Edge’s fingertips, roiling blackness that coiled and crept along the floor bringing with it an overpowering sense of heaviness. It bubbled as though something living breathed just below its surface, and Passion thought she wouldn’t be able to hold herself upright, wouldn’t be able to resist the power drawing her down, down, into the grave.
    Ganymede wasn’t wasting any time either. Wind whipped into the room from the shattered window and door. It circled him, lifting his hair, even as flames leaped up around him. Passion blinked to make sure she wasn’t seeing things, but yes, the ends of his hair were glowing flame.
    She was rooted to the spot. Not a good place to be now. Even if everyone else made the decision to stay and watch the disaster unfold, she should be outta here. She was the only human, the most vulnerable of them. Still she stayed. There was no logical reason, but there was a darn good illogical one. She remembered the virgin on the landing. If Ganymede killed Edge, maybe she could…
Give it up. By the time one of them is dead, this store and possibly all of Galveston will be in pieces and drifting out into the Gulf.
Still, she stayed.
    Passion was vaguely aware of the wind outside. It had risen to gale force, and she could hear waves crashing onto the shore. The floor shook, and a display of chocolate creams fell to the floor.
    Edge crouched and Ganymede did the same. Passion pressed her hands against her temples, trying to relieve the immense pressure from the buildup of power. Any minute her head would explode.
    And right at the very moment the two cosmic troublemakers would have leaped at each other, Hope ran between them.
    Passion made a grab for her as she raced past, but missed. Ohmigod, they’d kill Hope. Passion started to run after her.
    “Wait, wait, wait!” Hope held up her hands, as though that would stop the apocalypse about to rain down on them. “Let’s talk this out.”
    Then something weird happened. Hope started speaking. Passion could hear her, but the words didn’t make any sense. They seemed to flow together, creating a rhythm that somehow soothed Passion, made her feel almost relaxed and…happy. She wondered how that could be, because something bad was about to happen, and it should worry her.
    But Passion couldn’t seem to remember what the bad thing was. She started to smile. She even decided to hum a tune she’d heard…somewhere.
    It might have been seconds, minutes, or even hours, but suddenly Passion blinked and looked around.
    Dacian sat on the floor carefully placing the spilled chocolate creams back in their box. He was smiling. Sparkle leaned against the wall examining her nails. She seemed happy with them. Ganymede wasn’t smiling, but he’d shed the flames and just stared at Edge.
    Edge lay curled up on the floor, his eyes tightly shut and his breaths coming in gasps.
    Hope had stopped talking and had started to back toward the door. “I don’t know what happened.” Her voice shook. “I’m going up to my room.” With no further explanation, she ran from the store.
    Passion didn’t care what had happened. Hope had somehow stopped Edge and