Chapter 8

Eight

T here was a storm coming.

Not like a spiritual one or anything. This was more the simple lightning and thunder, clouds, rain, wind type thing.

But it was gonna be a big one, and Cody fully intended to go outside and enjoy every second of it. The house was basically shut tight against the rain. Everyone in the camps on the grounds was either getting ready to rejoice in the wildness of the weather or they were in with the kitties curled up and smoking and eating and staying dry.

Cody wandered out onto the porch, intending to soak in all the electricity that was going to be flaring around the place. He could resist a lot of things, but he did love himself a good storm.

His sight wasn't back, not one hundred percent, and he had to use a cane for long walks and stairs, but, given the amount of damage that had been inflicted on him, he was coming back to form. Now he had to figure out what the deal was with Phillip.

Was it guilt? Was it regret? Was the man there with him out of pity? Did he care?

Then there was the whole "we'll see if we're going to get laid again" part of this whole situation. Because really? Well, it was not the total of their relationship, but it was important. They did sex in an amazing way.

Except that Phillip had yet to touch him that way, treating him like a precious piece of antique glass.

"What are you doing?"

He looked over at Phillip, smiling. "Fixin' to watch the storm. It's calling to me. You gonna come?"

"Of course." Phillip actually sounded excited at the prospect, and Cody thought he got that. This was something they had done together, testing the weather, soaking in the elements.

Phillip was no elemental demon, but there wasn't a demon alive who didn't love thunder and lightning and the smell of brimstone…

It was one of Cody's favorite things about Phillip, in fact.

His favorite part was the smell. Phillip's scent was an addiction and had been from the moment he'd sensed it.

"You look hungry," Phillip purred.

And Cody fluttered his eyelashes playfully. "I've been reliably informed by my chute boss that I am not allowed to feed on you. Apparently, I was naughty." He found a tiny pout. "And I didn't even get to remember it."

"Poor, poor bloodsucker. I know. I'm perfectly fine, though, despite what Thack says. Not that I want you to do quite that much feeding on me again soon."

"I swear to God, you are an ass." He was going to bite Phillip anyway.

"I'm pretty sure we're not allowed to do that yet, love," Phillip whispered against his ear, a smile curling, and he could feel that. He could feel every motion of Phillip's lips.

Even better, he could sense that wickedness. There was something to be said for that particular sort of energy.

"Come on. Come sit with me. You can even take a different chair so that you don't have to worry about me accidentally biting you."

"Now that's just mean."

"That's me," Cody admitted. "I'm the big boss. And I'm a bitch."

They went to sit, Phillip helping him down because he still had a little hitch in his get along, like he'd been thrown one too many times. Still, it was getting better.

"You know they love you. I've never seen anything like it. They were going to beat heaven and earth to get you home. And they're going to keep you now."

Cody nodded. "I'm a lucky son of a bitch."

The clouds were rolling in, and there was lightning dancing inside of them as they moved.

He smiled, wondering if the ghost riders—if Max and his fellow damned—felt the pull of their kin. The song really had a decent grasp on that shit.

He wondered whether they wanted to just get up and ride and go. Cody wouldn't blame them if they did. They were a lonely trio caught in their own personal purgatory.

To be honest, everybody but Denver avoided them, was scared of them. Denny just—his heart was so big that it opened to anyone.

And those that didn't rate his kindness, well, they paid.

"You're thinking awfully hard for someone sitting out to watch a storm, love." Phillip squeezed his hand. Lord, that felt fine, if a little weird. It had been so long since they had these kinds of incidental touches. These little shared glances.

It was like Phillip was courting him again.

"So the dragons. Playing in the wind or hiding with the kitties?"

Cody chuckled. "Storms. No question." He loved this game. "What about Thack?"

Phillip snorted. "Thack is in doing unspeakable things with that angel of his. No question at all, you know that. He's incorrigible. What about the wolf pack?"

"Denny's in with the kitties, and that means Blaine is too, which means the others probably are as well. Blaine has a jealous bone about a mile wide. And Denny absolutely can't resist the chance to snuggle and relax with the kitties. Sometimes, I think that there's feline somewhere deep in that line. They're an amazing, motley bunch, you know?"

Phillip nodded. "So I've seen. They're much more interesting in person than on paper."

"All this time and you've never come out? You've never even snuck in to watch?" Cody couldn't believe that.

Phillip shrugged. "How could I? You would have known I was there. You always know whenever I'm there."

"True that." Still, it was a long time to stay away.

"It was eons." Phillip kissed the top of his head. "And it was stupid. Both of us were stupid."

He could accept that as an answer. Longevity didn't eradicate stupidity.

Cody grinned at the sky, just thinking how many years they'd wasted. Then again, maybe they'd needed the time apart to grow up and fucking appreciate each other.

Or some shit.

"So deep, love."

"Bah. That's the problem. You're deep as a fucking well in West Texas. I've got the depth of a teaspoon. I want things to be right. I want people to be honest. And I want to matter."

Where had that last come from? Bad tongue.

"You matter. You always have. Why do you think I stayed in the fucking Florida swamp instead of sinking back into the demon primordial ooze?"

"Because you wanted me to know what and how bad I fucked up."

"Nope." Phillip leaned back. "Because I knew what I had, and as hard as it is to think about, I couldn't let you go. I had to stay somewhere where you were."

Cody sighed. They were idiots. Both of them. "What can we do about your uncle?"

"Well, we have two choices. We can play offense, or we can play defense." Phillip shook his head and chewed on his bottom lip. "I don't think we have what it takes to play offense with my uncle. I really don't. But I hate the thought of just waiting for him to come after us."

"Well, I'm not giving her up. So. He's gonna have to come up with another plan." Cody wouldn't say Serena's name out loud. He wasn't going to make an association with the artifact, just in case the wind was listening.

But it was true, he wasn't going to let anyone else have her. Selena was an entity, was alive, had a will and a heart. He wasn't ever going to give for her.

"No, I hear you. I'm with you there." Phillip blew out a hard breath, and if he'd been a dragon, he would have shot out pure fire. "There's got to be a strategy here that I'm missing. I guess we could make a Cody-shaped mannequin, fill it with explosives, and hope that he kidnaps it again."

"Fuck off." Cody stopped, stilling the sway of his favorite rocking chair.

The storm was fixing to break open. He could feel it.

It gave him a tingle that started in the base of his spine, the small of his back, and began to grow along with an idea.

A quiet little idea.

A spark of how they could do this.

They could do this.

And it would be fucking fabulous.

Cody put a lid, mentally, over that thought.

Shh.

Shh.

Quiet. Quiet. Easy.

Everything in him stilled, protecting that tiny hope, that little bitty thought, circling it in the cotton of his will.

Then he rolled his head on his neck, and he met Phillip's eyes.

Phillip's slit pupils widened, and then went back to the tiny little black lines in the mass of green as he caught the tight thrust of Cody's thoughts. Of his awful, wonderful idea. "Oh. I do love your wicked little mind."

Cody let one corner of his lip raise up in a grin. He let himself settle into his hips, and let his legs spread. Yeah. "Yeah. I got this."

The skies opened up, and the rain, when it splashed down, was pure ice. The difference in temperature almost causing steam.

Almost.