17. Arim Guardian of Storm

I stared at the outside of the Outpour, the club that employed my nephews, like an enemy I had no choice but to vanquish.

Despite Aerolus' words, I had a feeling dealing with Cadmus might be out of my depth. The Dark magic seething within my nephew worried me too much to sit back and wait for the princely schemer to reappear at my whim.

A sudden elbow to my side caught my attention, and I glared at the hulking bruiser intent on shoving his way through the crowded line.

"I'm on the list," the man slurred, his breath like a vat of soured ale.

With a disdainful frown, I relegated the xiantope to a non-threat and turned my attention back to the throng of overeager people dying to get into Outpour.

For once, the club's namesake didn't forecast the weather. The chill in the spring air felt refreshing despite my longing for the warmth of Tanselm. For all its quirks, this mundane plane amused me more than any other world I'd visited in years.

Passing my gaze over the crowd, I didn't expect to see Cadmus — or Lexa.

Thoughts of the woman who'd betrayed me made my heart race and my palms sweat. I knew a bitter amusement, that just the thought of the traitorous female could reduce me to a nervous lad.

Steeling my reaction, I took a deep breath and headed away from the crowd to the alley behind the nightclub. Once I ensured I was alone, I used an omniscience spell to rapidly scan the inside of the club. Spying an unoccupied corner draped in shadows, I teleported inside.

Now in, I gathered my bearings and looked around. The omniscience spell had come in handy, but it took too much energy in this world, so I couldn't hold it for long.

I stepped out of the shadows and weaved in and out of the crowd, my height giving me a clear advantage to scope the gathering. Had Cadmus not mentioned Lexa's possible presence, I would have used a locator spell. But I wanted to be discreet.

Of course, my physical presence would be noticed. But by toning down my aura, I should seem more a human look-alike than the great Arim — Sorcerer of Tanselm.

If Lexa arrived, I planned on taking her by surprise, and not the other way around.

I spotted a familiar woman serving drinks at one of the bars. Men surrounded her, vying for her attention.

Ellie. The woman who'd captured Cadmus' attention. She didn't appear to be Djinn, as she didn't possess the Djinn's spark, that outer flame of darkness that crackled when it met the Light. But she was certainly the loveliest woman I'd seen in the club.

A man would be hard-pressed not to immediately desire her, and knowing my nephew, I realized she was just his type: tall, slender, with an athletic frame that carried full, rounded breasts. She had skin a shade darker than Alandra but lighter than Samantha. Ellie seemed like a woman who liked the sun, which was another detail that made her less a Djinn and more human-like.

She'd pulled back her long, blond hair into a ponytail, framing sculpted cheeks and a strong chin that hinted at stubbornness. Her full lips parted in a smile as she looked at her co-worker. Strobing lights flashed over her face, and I noted her eyes to be a bright blue.

My nephew was obsessed with the woman, no doubt. But was she the Djinn Cadmus had encountered? Had she masked her evil under such a pleasant guise?

For all that Aerolus seemed sure the Djinn influence over Cadmus wouldn't harm him, I had my doubts. Ellie might be innocent, and she might not. But until I dealt with her, I wouldn't know for sure.

I started forward with the express intent of taking the woman for questioning when a sudden stillness settled over the club.

People around me slowed. The beer at the taps came out like heavy syrup until it stopped flowing altogether. Another time distortion. From the Aellei, the Djinn, or creatures of Dark?

Regardless, I had no intention of letting my only lead to Cadmus slip away. As I combated the effects of the time warp, I noted slithering creatures coming from the dark to mix with the frozen club patrons.

Great. Wraiths, just what the situation didn't need. I had to do my best to kill them without harming innocent humans. What else could go wrong?

And there, a few Aellei popped up behind the wraiths and pointed at me.

It didn't take me long to dispose of the wraiths, who seemed much weaker than previous creatures with which I'd dealt. The Aellei had been more difficult. Now all but two of them lay dead on the floor.

Which wasn't to say I hadn't taken a few licks during the altercation.

I leaned down to glare into Zartic's face. The troublesome Aellei hadn't learned from our last encounter. "Back for death, hmm?"

My ribs hurt, and I had to wipe the blood from a cut above my eye. The slight burning in my side reminded me the measures I'd been taking to withstand a wraith's blue flame needed work.

Mostly, I felt tired. And irritated. Ellie had disappeared while I'd been battling to protect the crowd and myself. So much for her being a normal human.

"My lord, please," Zartic begged, his face smeared with blood. He stood propped against a wall, one leg at an odd angle from his knee. His gaze darted beyond us, and he blanched. "So many dead, and for what?"

"Yes, for what?" I wanted an answer. Why the show of force? Why come after me in such a public forum? Or had they been after someone else? Ellie, perhaps?

"For me," a woman answered with a hard growl before shoving me from this world to the space between.