Storming

By L.D. Valentine

Everything was fine in Adam’s world...

He had his health, his friends, a loving boyfriend, and he could use magic to heal people. Was it his first choice to fight demons? No. But things could be a lot worse. He could be dead or stuck at some Republican benefit with his parents.

...then Xavier was kidnapped.

Now it’s a race against the clock to find his beloved before either Demons or Zora politics does him in.

Adam’s life isn’t perfect, but he will fight to keep it and everyone in it safe, no matter the cost.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Beaten Track Publishing
• Release date: May 5, 2023
• ISBN: 9781786455840

L.D. Valentine

I am a music loving, video playing, anime watching, comic book reading, movie debating, sword collecting ball of nerd who has an unhealthy relationship with tea and YouTube. Oh, and I love writing more than anything. I have always loved creating with words. My imagination was wild, and since I couldn’t draw to save my life, I turned to writing. Fast forward more years and I realize that queer representation is...in need of some help. I always enjoyed reading these amazing adventures in fantasy and sci-fi despite always being slightly depressed that I could never see myself in those characters. So I said, “To hell with waiting,” and decided to make my own. Now, with some effort and just smidge of luck, I will show this new generation that they can be the heroes. They’re meant for more than just being the side character, and I intend to show them that.

Book preview

Chapter 1

The quiet chirping of birds filled the room, waking Adam from his sleep. He groaned before opening his eyes. He hated that alarm, but all the others on his phone were so cacophonous that they scared him awake. Given the options, he chose to be annoyed awake rather than scared. He moved to grab his phone when a warm weight shifted next to him. A grumble and an arm wrapped around him later, the irritable expression of his boyfriend greeted him.

Morning. Adam yawned.

Cut it off, Xavier grumbled back, highly affronted.

I would, but that would require you to let me go.

The arm tightened around him, and Xavier shook his head no. Adam let out a sigh and chuckled. His boyfriend would stare down the face of any demon, Vampire, or Lycan but refused to get out of bed when it was time. Adam wasn’t sure he’d ever meet anyone who was less of a morning person than he was, but then life had a funny way of proving a person wrong.

Adam kissed the top of Xavier’s head before wiggling out of his grasp and grabbing his phone on the other side of the room. After he felled the foul beast that was his alarm, he stretched and started mentally going over his plans for that day. Another yawn snuck out of him, reminding him that he and Xavier had stayed up too late playing video games again.

Adam knew they should be more responsible about getting a good night’s sleep, but competitiveness made their relationship work. He looked forward to beating Xavier again during the morning sparring match. They always pushed each other to be better, even if the winner was smug about it from time to time. Looking back over at his lazy boyfriend still ensconced in the blankets, Adam shook his head. Then, with a firm tug, he pulled the blankets off. Xavier curled up into a ball.

Babe. We’ll be late. Again. Come on. You need a shower and food.

"No," Xavier whined.

Tossing the blanket to the side, Adam dove on his partner and tickled him—not the most honorable of tactics but certainly the most fun. Xavier let out a yelp and tried to wriggle out of reach of Adam’s offending fingers. Adam, however, would not be denied. One of the joys of being as strong as Xavier was that tickle matches never ended quickly.

Babe! Xavier protested, trying to hold Adam’s hands at bay. Tickling is considered torture!

Only if it lasts for longer than twenty seconds! Adam laughed, successfully snaking a hand under Xavier’s knee. You gonna get up?

Yes, yes, yes! Fine!

Adam let him go and immediately earned a grapple for his troubles. The next thing he knew, there was an assault on his feet. While equally strong, Adam spent less time sparring against Ophelia and Nate than Xavier. The hold he was in was almost impossible to break, while laughter tore out of him every few seconds. The only thing left to him was to assail Xavier’s exposed side. And thus, the tickle war began in earnest.

A few minutes later, they lay on opposite sides of the bed, defeated. Adam looked over and saw Xavier smiling that beautiful smile. It was dazzling and terrifying all at once. Despite the events of six months ago, Adam had not yet been able to return that four-letter word to its sender. Xavier never once brought it up—a testimony of his patience—and Adam was confident things wouldn’t be this good if he had. Nights challenging each other at fighting games, mornings of tickle wars, none of that would be present if things changed that fast.

Shaking the thoughts from his head, Adam leaned over and planted a soft kiss on Xavier’s lips. He was quickly overwhelmed by morning breath and recoiled.

Guess I shouldn’t eat nachos before bed, Xavier said, covering his mouth.

It’s a thought. I call dibs on the shower.

Maybe I’ll join you, Xavier replied lasciviously.

We’re already almost late, thanks to you not getting out of bed.

Hey, no one told you to start a tickle war!

No one told you to stay in bed.

They play-bickered through a shower each, and once clothes and boots were secured, primarily due to Xavier abusing his ability to wield true magic, they were off to the cafeteria.

Was it worth it to exhaust yourself over conjuring clothes? Adam asked, noticing how tired Xavier suddenly looked.

Xavier nodded. Mhm. I need the practice, which saves me from going to my room.

Your room is less than a hundred feet away. It would have taken you less than a few minutes to get back.

But then I wouldn’t be able to watch you get dressed. Where’s the fun in that?

Adam shook his head as they rounded a corner. He’d never admit to enjoying the looks he got from his leader, but they made him feel as beautiful as Xavier said he was. Adam even kept his hair in a half ponytail because Xavier liked it. Perhaps he was acting like a middle-schooler with their first crush, but it made him feel good, so he indulged.

I doubt being a perv is worth the cost. You’re going to be tired all day now, Adam replied, trying hard not to preen himself.

"Actually, no. Lately, the energy has been coming back to me sooner. So, hopefully, I’ll get to start on conjuring more advanced stuff.

No creating a kitchen in our rooms, please. The last thing I wanna deal with is Serea being even more uptight.

A sad smile crept across Xavier’s face. She means well.

Doesn’t stop her from being a pain. I don’t know how you work with her as much as you do.

Xavier shrugged. You get used to it. You learn when to tell her to back off and when to deal.

"And that is why you get to be our illustrious leader."

You realize you’re the deputy leader, right?

Adam let out a bark of laughter. "Yeah, but I follow your lead, not hers. Well, most of the time."

Uh-huh.

I’m serious, though. It’s different. Leading is relatively easy. The team trusts my judgment, and we get the job done. It’s Serea and all that political crap I can’t stand.

Well, you’re still gonna have to learn how to deal with it.

No, thanks. Learning how to be a combat medic is hard enough.

Since they defeated Alexander, Szakiya had demanded to take over Adam’s medical instruction. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy her methods, but she was an intense teacher. Things went from zero to one hundred when he entered her office. She pushed him to be at his best and accepted nothing less. His responsibility was to make sure that he kept his team alive. In many ways, she valued his medical education above his combat training, and he saw his healing abilities improve dramatically but always left her lessons highly stressed.

Babe?

Xavier’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and he looked over to see a concerned face staring back at him. Hm? I’m sorry. What’d you say?

I asked how training with Szakiya is going, but it seems I got my answer. Xavier chuckled.

Sorry. Adam sighed. She’s great, but the classes are…a lot.

I know those feels. My knuckles still hurt from Eliade.

I don’t think that’s a fair comparison, babe.

You’re right. Eliade was worse. Much worse.

Adam rolled his eyes as they entered the cafeteria. It was already buzzing with activity as the base’s inhabitants began their morning feast. As expected, Xavier made a beeline for the coffee, much to Adam’s chagrin. Just once, he’d like to be the one to get coffee. Xavier was too heavy-handed with the creamer. Adam went to where the trays were, grabbed two, and secured eggs and bagels; Xavier arrived in time to choose his protein. Taking his coffee from Xavier’s hand, Adam braced for what was sure to be an almost sickeningly sweet beverage and was shocked to discover a mellow yet invigorating reception for his tongue. He looked at Xavier, who was smiling so smugly Adam wanted to smack him.

I listen to your complaining on occasion, Xavier explained.

If this coffee weren’t so good, I’d throw it on you.

There are better ways of getting me wet, babe.

Must you?

Alas, I must.

Adam picked up his tray and went to find a table to avoid looking at Xavier’s confident smirk. He hated how weak in the knees it made him and refused to give Xavier the satisfaction of seeing him swoon. Adam was glad that his boyfriend had been able to find his confidence in their relationship, but he didn’t have to wield it so well.

After a few moments of scanning, a familiar head of dreadlocks caught his attention. Justin waved at him, and Adam made a beeline for the table, where the others had also gathered. A moment later, Xavier took the seat across from him and began to eat. As they consumed their breakfast, everyone talked about their plans. Max even went so far as to call for bets on who would win sparring matches that day.

You know Max, Adam said between bites of his delicious eggs, you have a match today too. Should we place odds on who wins yours?

Nate snorted and puffed out his chest. No need. I practice outside of training.

Max narrowed his eyes before putting on that mischievous smile Adam hated. It usually meant another scheme in which Adam would undoubtedly be involved somehow. "I do practice, and I’ve got a new weapon to prove it."

Everyone in their group looked surprised except Justin, who just drank his coffee with a knowing smile.

What? Max asked defensively. Can’t a guy switch it up a bit?

You sure can, baby, Justin cooed. And you ain’t the only one who’s been switching it up. Almost half the team has.

Adam looked from face to face to see if he could spot the culprits, but everyone was unusually stoic, save Justin and Max. That was fine; there was one he knew he could break. He switched his attention to his left to see Cassie, pointedly not looking in his direction.

Cass… he called quietly.

Nope.

Come on, Cass.

I’m not telling you a damn thing. Justin said it should be a surprise, didn’t you, Justin?

Justin snickered. I also said that Adam would crack your ass like an egg. Can’t hold water to save your life.

Cassie was a sweetheart and hated to disappoint her teammates. It was adorable and made it easy for Adam to exploit with his trademark puppy-dog pout. One should never underestimate a rich kid’s pout.

He’s making the face, isn’t he? Cassie asked no one in particular.

Mhm, Max replied, sneakily stealing a piece of turkey sausage from Xavier’s plate.

You may as well tell him, hon, ’cause you’re about to fold, Ophelia said, stealing a full sausage from Xavier, much to his vocalized outrage.

Oh, for the love of… It’s me! Cassie snapped, glaring at Adam’s pout. And I liked you better when you acted like an emotionless jerk!

Adam laughed, dodging Cassie’s playful slaps.

You just gotta learn to ignore the pout, Xavier said, fending off the sausage thieves. I did.

I have other methods of making you talk, Adam replied luridly, causing Xavier to blush.

Ya nasty. Danny laughed, getting up with his now-empty tray. Okay, I got a few things to check up on. Adam, are we still good for nine?

Yep. See you then.

Soon after Danny’s departure, everyone else finished their breakfast under pain of threats being carried out against their person if they got to work late. After a tender kiss goodbye to Xavier, Adam made his way to his lab. One thing he was grateful to Szakiya for was her allowance for his research. While he wasn’t the world’s most outstanding scientist—that honor went to Nate, respectively—he had noticed a troubling lack of factual medical information about natural-born Witches. This oversight, coupled with Zora’s disturbing information on Heretic Witches, spurred Adam to correct this.

The problem was that he needed to figure out where to begin regarding the documentation or testing. He admittedly had been far too cavalier when he started out. All he could focus on was gathering enough information about himself and the others to distract the leadership. Then, if they were satisfied, he could make his escape. But then that fateful afternoon with Xavier happened. He had no idea what had prompted him to use his powers on the man, but he would never forget the look on Xavier’s face. The hurt and anger were all twisted into a savage visage; just remembering it made Adam’s heart sink. He hadn’t known about Xavier’s past. He didn’t know anything about any of them.

At first, he was defensive. He didn’t care about any of them or how they felt. All that mattered was getting out of the hell hole known as Zora. Then D.C. happened. He’d thought he was ready. People dying was why Zora did what it did, but seeing the bodies of the innocent people slain etched itself into Adam’s soul. While he hated that Xavier had resigned himself to being a demon hunter, there was a truth to his words that he could not deny.

Adam heaved a sigh and shook the negativity off as best he could. Skipping down memory lane wasn’t going to make things better. He went to his computer and logged in. He had recently done an experiment testing the upper limits of both Max and Nate’s strength and found that they had far surpassed the expectations set by Serea. Both could lift large trucks over their heads while he and the others could quickly flip said vehicles over. To him, it was like lifting the side of a couch. Heavy, but nowhere near impossible. While there had been examples of singular individuals showing great strength, he couldn’t remember seeing instances where the whole coven had that kind of strength. After that discovery, he asked Max to do another round of research. Maybe they’d missed something.

A slight knock at his door startled him, and he whipped around to see Szakiya smiling and holding her cup of coffee.

Oops. Didn’t mean to scare you, baby.

Adam shook his head, willing his heart rate to slow down. It’s fine. I just got caught up in something. What’s up?

Wanted to see what Max said.

The silence that followed was palpable. Adam hadn’t told anyone outside the coven about the experiment and had sworn them all to silence. As a result, the investigation had no witnesses as far as he knew. He even had Danny encrypt the emails he and Max had been sending about the topic.

There isn’t an encryption in existence that can keep Serea from reading your emails. Szakiya chuckled.

And you people wonder why I don’t like her, Adam replied, adopting a veneer of apathy. He didn’t thank his mother much, but he’d always be grateful for her lessons on hiding his emotions.

She’s not that bad. She just…

Doesn’t trust us. We aren’t flight risks anymore. For better or worse, we’re committed to this idiotic life. She needs to back off.

You could always tell her that.

That’s why we have Xavier.

Couldn’t hurt to hear it from other members of the coven. She’s gotten used to arguing with him.

Adam clicked his tongue in annoyance as Szakiya pulled up a nearby stool. "I don’t want to argue with her. There’s no point in it. Why do I have to argue with someone about why they should trust me when I’ve proven myself? When we’ve proven ourselves? Why should I have to fight her and the demons?"

The snicker he received in response did nothing to improve his steadily souring mood. Xavier said the same thing.

Wow. It’s almost like we’re making sense.

Szakiya reached over and grabbed his hand affectionately. I know she’s difficult. And a bit of a control freak. But she does mean well. And she has humanity’s best interests at heart.

She can mean well all she wants, but if she’s actively making our lives harder than they need to be, what’s the point?

Well, why did you hide the experiment? Why not share it with her if she’s supposed to trust y’all?

Adam’s veneer cracked just long enough to give her an annoyed glance before returning his attention to his emails.

Let’s start with the fact that this organization still utilizes information we extracted via the torture of Heretic Witches. Couple that with the precarious political position we’re in because no one likes us, and that we’re displaying abilities that recorded Witches of old didn’t have, what answer do you arrive at?

Szakiya’s brow furrowed for a moment before she took a sip of her coffee. I see your point.

"And for the record, I was going to have Xavier send Serea the results of my findings once I was sure there was no historical precedent. There’d be no point in telling her if there were, now would there?"

No. No, there wouldn’t, Szakiya replied, looking slightly cowed.

You should pick up your face before it gets dirty.

Szakiya let out a small bark of laughter.

You hang around Xavier too much, Adam said.

He has his positive traits.

"Anyway. What did Max say?"

Rather than wait for her answer, Adam let a smirk dance and searched for Max’s latest email. As he feared, Elza Friedmarch was the only record of past Witches showing their strength. Sighing, he sent a short message of thanks, then opened a new email and typed Serea’s name in the to section. He paused before typing his message, as he didn’t want to be hostile while simultaneously wanting to do nothing else but be hostile.

She says she doesn’t remember a coven being as physically strong as y’all, Szakiya offered with a knowing grin.

Adam wanted to throw her at a wall.

You could have led with that, he replied through gritted teeth.

I was too busy cleaning the dirt off my face.

If he were honest with himself, Adam would admit that he had that one coming. But, as it stood, he just narrowed his eyes, which earned a wider smile from Szakiya.

It actually makes sense that the coven is so strong, Szakiya said, taking another sip of her coffee.

Oh?

While I’ve never worked with a full coven, the few other Witches we’ve had here never picked up on their training like you.

Really?

You’re alive, aren’t you?

A chill snaked its way up Adam’s spine. The reports detailing his predecessors’ demise weren’t pretty. Most of them had died within their first few missions. Unbidden, his mind went back to that moment with Alexander. He shouldn’t have been so confident in his abilities in that fight—the worst time to get arrogant, he supposed. The fact that he only managed to snatch the moisture out of one arm had surprised him, and in a few seconds, he had gone from being the baddest Witch around to staring death in the eye. If Xavier hadn’t… He took a deep breath and willed the memories away.

We’re lucky. We’ve had a few close calls.

True. But it doesn’t change the fact you’re powerful. And a damn good team. I have faith in your ability to overcome.

A knock at the door had them both turning around to see Danny standing in the doorway. With a glance down at his computer, Adam confirmed that it was nine o’clock.

I’ll see you this afternoon, Adam said to Szakiya, hoping she’d let them be.

Everything okay?

Just something a teammate wants to discuss with their medic, Adam adopted an innocent smile to cover up the irritation.

"Remember that you’re a medic and not a doctor. If you don’t know what’s wrong, you come to me. Hear?"

Yes, yes, yes. Go away now.

Szakiya fixed him with a warning stare before excusing herself and leaving. Danny took her place on the stool and snickered.

What’s so funny? Adam pouted.

You. You always let them get under your skin. She meant well.

For the love of… Adam started and then took a calming breath. Meaning well doesn’t mean squat when the results are still negative. She didn’t need to remind me of my place here. I know I’m not a doctor. That being said, I’m your medic. Of course, you’re gonna come to me about stuff.

Maybe they’re mad because we still hold them at arm’s length?

Adam cocked an eyebrow at Danny. Though he didn’t like Danny’s line of work, he had accepted that he knew everything about the people they worked with, himself included.

Maybe? Adam asked incredulously.

"Okay, they are mad. They expected we’d trust them more."

Well, I can’t speak for everyone else, but I damn sure don’t.

None of us do. Not really. I think the only ones we trust are us, which isn’t necessarily bad. Smaller circles mean fewer chances to get backstabbed.

Danny’s ambivalence made something inside Adam swell with pity.