A Name Like Justice Read online

  “It will heal, but now you can’t escape your family,” Xur says, looking like he just won something as he licks his lips. I look at my arm, which is still bleeding a little, but the cut isn’t that deep, and I can ignore it for now.

  “You are feckin’ crazy! Storm told me you were, but he was seriously right about you lot!” I snap, and Xur smiles at me, but it’s not he who speaks next.

  “My name is Eenta Cyncus, and I am glad to meet you. Storm knew us when we were but children, and we made many mistakes. I do hope you can decide to judge us for who we are now and not then. Storm wasn’t always an angel, and yet it seems you like him very much now,” the sweet sounding twin speaks, the one with pure white hair, and she literally looks like an angel except for the creepy eyes that give her away. I don’t trust anyone who talks that sweetly.

  “How do you know who I like?” I retort. “You don’t know me at all.”

  “Storm never has shown emotion like how he did when I took you. It was interesting, to say the least, and I tell my sisters every little secret. If you join us, it would be the same for us,” Xur states with a smile, “though perhaps it is because Storm knew you are immortal like him, and there is a true chance of you having a future together.”

  “Storm didn’t know about me,” I exclaim. I know that because he would have told me the truth. Hell, I don’t even believe it yet. I won’t until my mum says it. If she tells me it’s true, then I will have to face it.

  “Are you sure?” Eenta enquires, her voice is so overly sweet and gentle that I want to look around for the child that spoke and not the woman who actually said it. It’s weird. “Isn’t it strange that he got so close to the first woman he could actually be with? Except for us, of course.” I instantly bristle at her suggestion, and I know it’s jealousy. Storm wouldn’t be interested in those two for so many reasons. It still makes me want to stab the bitch because she even suggested it.

  “He sees you three as his brother and sisters, even though you aren’t actually blood related at all. In fact, you don’t act like family one bit,” I sneer and then humourlessly laugh. “Family doesn’t lock each other up and throw away the key!”

  “As I said before, we made small mistakes. You will come to see us as family soon. I’m positive of it,” Eenta says with a big smile, like locking Storm and everyone who ever did anything to piss them off is a minor mistake. At least she doesn’t have sharp creepy teeth like her sister who hasn’t spoken at all. If she is anything like her brother and sister, I’m gathering we wouldn’t get along.

  “I highly feckin’ doubt it,” I reply, stepping back once more and knowing I’m going to have to figure something out soon. They aren’t going to be this chatty forever. Before I can decide if I’m going to run or not, the oddest thing happens. A few feet away from me, a black energy appears in the middle of the air just before I see the back and butt of Kit floating in the middle of it. I’m relieved to see Kit…but not like this.

  “Kit?” I whisper, completely confused why I’m looking at Kit’s butt floating in a black energy which is getting bigger, stretching. Suddenly a dresser flies out of the black energy, and my clothes from inside the prison are thrown all across the dirt in front of us. I look between the higher gods, who look just as confused, and back to the black energy which I’m guessing is some sort of portal. Not like any portal I’ve seen before though. Nor did I have a clue Kit could do magic like this. I assumed he was just a greedy little fecker.

  “Did you miss me, little one?” Storm’s grumble makes me shiver as he steps out of the black energy, and his eyes lock onto mine. My heart feels nothing but relief and happiness as I see him, and until now, I didn’t realise how much I like having Storm near me. I feel incomplete without him. I grin at him as I run my eyes over his long hair, which is down, falling around his face, and his purple eyes look much darker than when we last saw each other. He still looks like he has the galaxy in his eyes, though this time I feel like he wants revenge now, and it has made his world a little darker. His very presence makes me shiver, let alone his voice. The higher gods make me nervous and afraid because their energy is wrong. It’s horrid. Storm…well, his energy makes me want to bow my head and serve him forever. Not that he should ever know that. He already has a big head.

  “Very much,” is all I can find to say with a cracked voice, and it’s not enough to explain how happy I am to see him. We both don’t need to say anything. The way we left things was complicated to say the least. I know he is mourning Neritous or, at least, the child version of him that he loved. Despite everything, I don’t think it will matter to him now. I can see that. When you just want to be around someone, it’s crazy the things you simply forget for love. Not that I love him. I don’t think anyway. A few moments later, Killian steps out of the black energy, with Seth close behind him, and my heart beats that much harder.

  “You’re alive,” I whisper, knowing they can’t hear me as I take a step closer to them. They look tired, wearing white shirts and joggers that ride low on their hips because they don’t fit well. Neither of them has shaved in a while, making them almost look like a wild pair of hot twin guys. Not that you find those in the wild, because I’m damn sure women would be out hunting all day if you did. The blond twins never have looked at me like they are right now. I meet Killian’s gold eyes first, and the usual light I find in them isn’t all there. He looks just as lost as Storm. When I turn to see Seth, I watch how his hands are tightened into fists and how tense his whole body is as he looks into my eyes. Seth’s eyes have always been dark, lost and cold…but this time, I see a little bit of light in them. It’s not much, and it doesn’t one bit help me understand Seth any more than I do—or don’t. That guy is an enigma to me, one I’m attracted to and want to find out more about. I’m not admitting that out loud though. It’s good to at least think about all the things I’ve been avoiding before, well, whatever is going to happen. I really hope Storm is here to help me escape and stop his family. I don’t know if he could kill them though. I know somewhere deep down he loves them.

  “Karma, are you okay?” Killian asks, his eyes drifting to my arm that I’m holding and the blood dripping down it. Before I answer, I see Seth hand Storm his axe out of the corner of my eye.

  “I thought you guys were dead, and it nearly broke me,” I explain, my voice cracking. “You guys gave me a friggin’ heart attack.”

  “We're not yet,” Seth coldly replies, and I look to him, nodding a few times.

  “Come here. We aren’t going anywhere without you, Karma,” Killian firmly tells me as he holds a hand out for me to take. The moment I try to step towards them, two hands slam onto my shoulders, stopping me as they dig their nails into my bare skin. The twin sisters stand on either side of me, making it clear I can’t go anywhere, as Xur moves to stand slightly in front of us all.

  “Let her go. Now.” Storm’s statement is cold, emotionless and downright scary as it makes me shiver. I can’t see him, but I can guess he doesn’t look one bit impressed at seeing his family again. “You only get one warning.” The sky instantly starts to get dark as it feels like the air gets tenser, making it hard to breath. It’s like that feeling you get right before a storm, except this time Storm really is here and far more deadly than anyone else in the world.

  “Make me,” Xur replies like it is some big joke, which is a little bit of a surprise because, if anyone, he should fear Storm. I mean, he locked him away because he was scared he would kill him and his sisters. In a blur, Storm is in front of Xur and tightly grabbing him by the throat. He lifts him high in the air as the sky goes even darker than it was a second ago. Rain pours down on us a moment later, and lightning flashes across the sky. I cry out as it feels like my throat is being closed and crushed. I fall to my knees, the world going blurry as I gasp and claw at my throat to stop it. I gasp for air, a cry leaving my lips as nothing else comes out. I’m dying, and I don’t even know why or how. There is nothing there. As the real panic begins to settle in, I hear Storm’s voice.

  “What have you done?” Storm roars, and the feeling soon stops. Moments later, Storm picks me up, holding me to his chest with his axe pressed to my back. His other hand goes to my cheek, his thumb wiping a tear away as he examines me. I try to speak, but my voice is cracked and doesn’t sound right. My throat burns from the pain that is still there, even as it is fading.

  “I’ve made sure my niece is safe for good. We have a blood bond, an unbreakable one that means if you hurt me, you hurt your precious ‘little one’. You wouldn’t want to do that, now would you?” Xur comments with a raspy voice, but he is still laughing. He linked us, so whatever happens to him, it happens to me too. That means he can’t be killed unless I’m dead too. The thought just makes me want to panic. I turn my head to meet Xur’s eyes, and see the smile there on his stupid lips. How the heck am I meant to get revenge without killing myself in the process now?

  “You feckin’ eegit! This is why you are bat shit crazy!” I say, though my voice is strained and raspy, but it still gets my point across.

  “I will find a way to break it,” Storm promises me, looking furious. The justice twins come to each side of us as Storm lets me go but takes my hand to keep me close. Storm points the axe at Xur and the girls.

  “I will have my revenge for everything. Nothing has changed,” Storm growls loudly, and Xur for a second shows some fear. Eenta just smiles like we are discussing having a family barbeque and not murdering each other. I don’t even bother looking her sister’s way, knowing she likely is enjoying this.

  “Everything has changed, though,” Xur smugly replies, and his eyes go to me as he makes that point. I’ve made Storm weak, and now he isn’t a threat to them. That’s what he is saying without actually saying it. Storm has wanted nothing more than to escape that prison, and the second he does, I’ve stopped him from actually being able to do anything. Not without losing me, which he thankfully doesn’t want to do. I look up at him, how strong he appears to be, and I know I need to be strong too.

  “I want the bond broken. Now,” Storm demands, and the very weather around us gets worse. The rain falls harder, the skies get darker, and it is becoming more difficult to breathe from the pressure. I look to Seth, who is watching everything and everyone so closely. The higher gods haven’t even acknowledged their existence yet, but I doubt they see them as a threat. After all, they executed the justice twins’ father without a second thought or a struggle at all.

  “How about a game?” Eenta suggests, clapping her hands. “I do love a game to keep us all entertained.”

  “You are not bonded to her. I think I should play a game of killing you and your sister, Gestune. Then Xur, because he needs to watch you two die first,” Storm replies like he has it all planned out, and lightning flashes across the sky as he speaks. The rain is now settling into my dress and every bit of my skin it can find, making me shiver. It’s seriously cold. My arm aches as much as my throat does, but I have to stay strong. Even when I’m in pain and scared, being here with Storm and the twins makes things a little better. Killian’s or Seth’s hand moves to rest on the middle of my back like they could sense I need comfort, that this has been all too much for me, for anyone, to cope with. I’m not even sure what is real and what isn’t.

  “One move to harm my sisters, and I will stab myself. Repeatedly. Now, I will heal, but Karma has only half of the strength I have. She would die from that,” he replies. “And there is nothing on this earth that could hold me down or stop my friends from helping me kill myself. If I go down, or my sisters do, I’m taking Karma with me.”

  “What game?” I interrupt, placing my hand on Storm’s hand holding the axe and lowering it. I don’t fancy being stabbed a few times right in this moment, and threatening them isn’t working. I’ve always heard rumours about how the higher gods like games and challenges. Every year, they invite people onto the island for a challenge, which no one ever comes back from.

  “I’m suggesting five games to celebrate there now being five higher gods on earth! If you win them all, then Xur will break the bond,” Eenta says, placing her hand on her brother’s arm after he glares down at her. They share some understanding, because when he looks to me, he is smiling.

  “I promise, if you win, I will break the bond,” Xur claims.

  “No, don—” Seth tries to stop me, but before Killian and Storm can protest with him, I speak.

  “Then let’s play,” I say, interrupting Seth before he could finish that sentence. I doubt we are going to get another chance to break the bond, and fighting our way out isn’t going to work. The guys look at me like I’ve betrayed them somehow, but I just know there isn’t another way. I don’t want to be bonded to that lunatic anymore.

  “Perfect. While the games commence, you are welcome here at our home, and we would prefer it that way. Your family and your friend are already here, Karma. They do love the castle and the island,” Xur says, and I tighten my fists. If they have hurt one hair on their heads, I will lose it. My hands flicker green, and I have to take a deep breath to make it stop.

  “Where are they?” I tightly ask through gritted teeth.

  “In the guest quarters, and I have treated them like they are my own family, which in a distant way they are. I’m sure Storm remembers where the guest quarters are,” Xur says, but I won’t believe him until I see them for myself, especially given how he’s treated his own family. “It has been updated for a more modern appearance now.”

  “I do remember, considering I helped my parents build the castle,” Storm tightly replies.

  “Brilliant. We have many things to prepare. Do excuse us,” Xur happily replies, bowing his head to us with a big smile I just want to knock off his feckin’ mouth. What an utter gobshite.

  “This isn’t over between us, Xur. Death will find you by my hand,” Storm vows. Xur locks eyes with Storm before walking away with the sisters.

  “What now?” Killian asks into the silence that is between us all. I wipe some tears off my face and straighten my back as I look between my gods.

  “I need to talk to my mum. I need to know the truth.” I might need to know it, but I sure as heck don’t want to know. The truth usually isn’t all pretty and nice. My mum must have hidden the truth for a long time for a reason, and now I just need to know it.

  I want to know who I am.

  Chapter Three

  “Okay, let’s go,” Storm says, holding a hand out for me. I slide my hand into his and look at the justice twins as Storm turns my hand over to exam the cut on my wrist. In the blink of an eye, Killian rips the bottom of his shirt and comes over to stand next to us. He wraps the cut before tying it, and I smile thankfully at him. My lips feel like they are burning from the memory of that kiss, a kiss I so want to repeat again and again. And perhaps find out what it’s like to more than kiss Killian. Though I feel the same way about Storm, and my eyes betray me by flickering to Seth as well. I’ve never been this confused in my entire life.

  “Thank you for coming for me. All of you,” I say, because it needed to be said. “I know you could have gone anywhere and not stayed here to defend me.”

  “We should go and check in with people. Find out what has been going on,” Seth says to Killian, stepping to his side, though his eyes linger on the wrapped up cut and my hand in Storm's as I lower it.

  “You will both come back to me, right?” I quietly ask. I don’t like second guessing myself, but they somehow have this effect on me.

  “They will,” Storm coldly answers before either of them can say anything. I still remember how Killian kissed me and how mad Storm was. Now he wants to keep them around. Feckin’ hell, I don’t understand guys. I need a manual or something.

  “We always will come back to you, Karma,” Seth gently tells me, and to my surprise, my cheeks feel red as a flush of emotion fills me. Seth actually just said something nice and very surprising.

  “Good to know, goldipops,” I say with a small smile, and to my surprise, Seth smiles back at me. A real smile that is very strange on his face because you don’t see them often. I think I like it. Hell, even Storm and Killian are furrowing their brows as they look between us. Seth makes a gold portal appear before he steps into it, and Killian looks at me once more before following him through it, and it disappears. The clouds of rain have long left, leaving us cold and wet outside in the warm air. I look around at the dresser on the floor, where Kit is sitting on top of it.

  “How did you escape the prison?” I ask Storm as I lead him over to the dresser. I pick up Kit, who for once does not bite me like I fully expect him to. He just points at his chest, and I’m pretty sure he is grinning, though he looks very tired, and his eyes are almost closed as he looks at me.

  “What do you know about goblins, Karma?” Storm asks me.

  “Only that everyone thinks they are bad luck, and actually they aren’t all that bad,” I answer. Kit climbs up my arm and climbs onto my shoulder before hiding himself in my hair. He has never done that before, and I stay so still until I realise he isn’t going to bite my ear or something. Maybe the little bugger missed me.

  “Goblins are powerful creatures, even as children like yours is, and they take a long time to age. Back in the time when I was a child, there were many of them who freely wandered the earth, making friends with gods. They would bind themselves to powerful gods or goddesses and protect them however they could, but only one. A goblin can only bind itself to one goddess, and it will never betray them. Goblins can never be separated from their goddess by any magic as they are stronger than anything on earth,” he explains to me. I’m pretty sure my mouth is gaping open at this new information. “Breaking past the prison magic was nothing more than a walk in the park for Kit. I hate that I couldn’t get all my people out, but I can do more for them out here than trapped in there.”