Chapter 9 Storm Meeting

Kael: POV

I crouched in the shadows of Star Crystal Palace, every muscle tight as a coiled spring. Tonight had everything I needed—no moon, thick clouds, and Lord Darius would be alone in his study. The bastard who'd butchered my entire family five years ago was finally going to pay.

That night still haunted me—flames everywhere, my people screaming as royal guards cut them down. I'd found the order later, stamped with Darius's seal. "Eliminate the Storm Dragon threat." But my family had ever been a threat to anyone. We were scholars, protectors.

"Easy, Kael," Stormbringer's voice rumbled in my head. "Your rage is making you sloppy. We need proof, not just revenge."

"I've got all the proof I need," I muttered, watching sparks jump between my fingers. The storm in my chest was getting restless, hungry.

I'd been watching the guard patterns for weeks, but tonight something was different. More patrols, everyone on edge. Something had them spooked.

"We should call this off," Stormbringer said.

"We should be more careful," I shot back.

I slipped past the first guards using wind-shadow—a trick only Storm Dragons knew. My target was Darius's study, where I might find more evidence of his lies about my family being dangerous.

Then something hit me like a lightning bolt to the chest.

Not pain, but a pull—like my soul was being yanked toward something. Stormbringer went crazy inside me, almost making me stumble.

"West tower," he insisted. "Now."

"What? Hell no. The study's east. I'm not screwing up the plan."

"This is bigger than your plan," Stormbringer pushed harder than he ever had. "Storm follows starlight."

"I'm not ditching five years of planning for some weird feeling," I hissed, flattening against a wall as guards walked by.

But the pull got stronger, impossible to ignore. Lightning crackled across my palms—my element responding to something.

"Damn it. Five minutes," I gave in, switching direction. I climbed the tower wall, stone rough under my hands. The closer I got to the top windows, the more it felt like my chest was on fire. Lightning danced across my skin while Stormbringer thrashed around inside me.

Through the window, I saw her—the princess I'd saved from those void freaks a few days back. But seeing her locked up in this magically sealed room, everything clicked. She wasn't just some princess. She was Princess Lyra. Lord Darius's daughter.

The daughter of my family's killer.

I almost fell off the damn wall. The girl I'd rescued was the child of the man who'd ordered my family's massacre. I should hate her guts, but instead, all I wanted was to protect her.

"She's got starlight in her," Stormbringer whispered. "Another dragon soul—pure as starfire. She's calling to us."

"This is insane," I growled. "She's his kid."

"So? Your heart's not racing from hate."

He was right, and I hated him for it. I should despise her just for being Darius's blood, but something about her made my chest tight in a completely different way.

I studied the seals on her tower—water barriers, energy chains, alarm wards. Complex stuff. Darius really wanted her locked up tight. Maybe she knew something about his crimes.

Even I didn't buy that lie.

I tapped on the glass.

She spun around, eyes going wide when she recognized Storm-wing. The trust in her face made my stomach twist. She had no clue I'd come here to kill her father.

Breaking the window seal took finesse. Once I was inside, being near her was like standing in the eye of a hurricane—electric, dangerous, alive.

"I'm getting you out," I said. "These seals need both our elements."

She looked surprised but nodded. "Show me."

I guided her hands, explaining how to blend her water with my storm energy. When our skin touched, electricity shot through me so hard I almost shifted right there. Her scent, her warmth, the way her hands shook slightly against mine—it was driving me crazy.

We worked through the seals one by one, her water flowing with my storm like they were made for each other. When I had to lift her for the floor seal, having her body pressed against mine sent another shock through my system.

Footsteps in the hallway. I grabbed her and pulled her behind the curtains, yanking her close against me. Her heart was pounding so hard I could feel it through my chest, beating just as fast as mine. Her breath was warm on my neck, and damn it, I had to fight not to turn and look at her.

The guard passed by like an idiot.

"Almost there," I whispered, working on the last seal. Then everything went to hell—my storm energy hit a hidden alarm ward I'd missed. Clever bastard, Darius.

Bells started screaming. Guards yelling, boots pounding.

"Shit," I muttered. "Change of plans. We need another way out."

"There's a servant passage," she said, "but we'd have to go through the main hall."

I couldn't help grinning coldly. The main hall—where Darius would be running the show. The man I'd come to kill was now standing between us and freedom.

We moved fast through dark corridors, my hand wrapped around hers. Every time we touched, that strange warmth shot through me. Three guards appeared at a corner. I dropped them with quick storm-strikes—knocked out, not dead, though every instinct screamed for blood.

"You're good at this," she said, not even scared.

"Had to be," I said.

When we got trapped in a hallway, she spotted a water rune hidden in the wall that I'd missed completely. Activating it opened a secret passage I didn't know existed.

Hiding in a storage closet from passing guards, I became painfully aware of how close she was. In the dark, I could hear her breathing, smell her scent, feel her arm brush mine. What would she think if she knew who I really was? What I'd planned for her father?

The main passage was blocked, so we had to cross the central courtyard. Lyra offered to use her royal blood to activate a water channel, but it wouldn't be enough. I'd have to use my Storm Dragon abilities—show more of myself than was smart.

"Hold on," I told her, partially shifting to bring out my storm wings. Her arms went around my waist, complete trust that cut me like a blade.

We flew across the courtyard in seconds, landing in shadow. That's when I saw them—Lord Darius and Lord Cassius with elite guards blocking every exit. We crouched behind a column, watching.

Seeing Lord Darius barking orders, hate burned through me like acid. This was the man who'd signed my family's death warrant. And here I was, saving his daughter instead of putting a blade through his heart.

"We need a distraction," I whispered, outlining a plan that mixed my storm with her water. She didn't just get it—she made it better, suggesting water mist patterns that would amplify the effect.

Before we moved, I touched her cheek. "I'll keep you safe," I promised, meaning every word despite everything.

Our elements merged perfectly, creating a vortex that left the guards stumbling around blind. We broke through their line, some razor-sharp ice spear from Lord Darius nearly taking my head off before Lyra's water shield knocked it aside.

We made it to the forest, stopping by a hidden stream to catch our breath. I checked her for injuries—just a small cut on her arm that I bandaged while she asked if I was hurt.

"I'm fine," I said, though my head was spinning. Tonight's mission was completely shot, but strangely, I didn't give a damn.

"Your father seemed pretty determined to drag you back," I said carefully, watching her face.

She sighed. "He's trying to force me to marry Valen of Emberscale. Says he'll strip my title if I don't..."

This didn't sound like the cold-blooded killer I'd imagined. Maybe there was more to this story than I knew.

As I got ready to leave, she called out, "Thank you for saving me again. Maybe we could be friends? Meeting you feels... important somehow."

The honesty in her voice hit me like a punch. I felt the same connection, but she was still my enemy's daughter. I gave her some non-answer, only promising she could call for help if she needed it.

"I need to find Arden," she said. "He's my Soulbound."

At that name, pain stabbed through my chest like a knife. Stormbringer roared inside me, furious. What the hell was wrong with me?

I nodded and vanished into the night, more confused than I'd been in five years of exile.