Chapter Two
Riley watched Lorenzo step away from her, his face dark and scowling.
She figured a woman had to be perverse to find a man’s hard voice and scowl a turn on. Her fingers tightened, the leather reins biting into her hand. But for some reason, Lorenzo Aeolus Venti’s handsome, brooding face worked for her. Boy, did it work for her.
“Lead the way, Signor Orso.”
He spun, his dark hair brushing the collar of his denim shirt. He skewered her with a glacial look. “Follow me.”
Riley motioned to the groom who’d followed her off the ferry in the truck and horse trailer to head to the stables. Then she focused on Lorenzo’s broad profile.
He had a big, hard body and a powerful, athletic stride. The top two buttons of his denim shirt lay open, offering a view of touchable bronze skin. Buff-colored jodhpurs hugged long, muscled legs and an ass that made her want to weep. His jodhpurs were tucked into knee-high black boots. Give him a whip and he’d ignite a woman’s darkest fantasies.
She blew out a breath. He ignited her fantasies, that was for sure. She’d spent way too many nights dreaming of watching Lorenzo strip off his clothes for her. Of having his big, naked body under her hands.
Every time she and Lorenzo had brushed up against each other at races, parties, and business meetings, she’d wanted to touch him. For two years, she’d tried to charm him. He never reacted, but she knew she affected him. She knew that the ice around him was cracking.
She saw him glance off into the distance, toward the neighboring islands, and his mouth tightened. She frowned. She’d made it her work to understand every nuance of Lorenzo’s cool, scowly face and dark eyes. Something was bothering him.
Moments later, they reached a group of long stone stables. An elegant villa—with black iron railings against butter-colored walls—stood in the background. Dark-haired grooms walked between buildings or worked with horses in the white-fenced yards. As she’d expected of a Venti-owned operation, everything was neat, tidy, and so clean it shined. Just like her own stables in Virginia.
Lorenzo led her into a building. “You can stable Astraeus here until it’s time for the mating.”
Riley waited for her eyes to adjust to the gloom. Twin rows of stalls, each built of solid wood and painted a brilliant white, lined the walls. The familiar scents of hay, feed, and horse filled her senses.
“I’m sure Astraeus will be very happy here.” The stallion snorted and pawed the ground. Absently, Riley stroked a hand down the big animal’s side.
Lorenzo stared at her for a moment. “I’m going to check on Eos. Find me when you’re finished.”
She watched him walk away, her gaze drawn once again to his tight ass. Her hand clenched in Astraeus’ mane. God, the man had a body that would tempt the coolest soul, and hers was far from cool.
Blowing out a breath, Riley opened the empty stall and led the horse inside. The Keeper of the Winds turned her into a big puddle of lust. But she knew it was more than that. Sure, she liked his long, muscled body, but it was also the brooding dedication, the cool intelligence in his eyes, and the way he treated his horses like the most important things in the world.
There was heat under the ice. She knew it.
She knew about his power, and the Warriors of the Wind. Luca had told her the stories of the monstrous god Typhon creating violent winds, and the King of the Gods, Jupiter, gifting control of the winds to man to save the world from destruction.
Four brothers were each given one of the powerful cardinal winds, and a final brother was assigned to be the Keeper of Winds. Of winds so evil they had to be locked away.
Riley had power herself, was descended from a goddess, so she wasn’t shocked. And once, she’d known another woman who’d been dedicated to her powers.
Shadows shifted in her mind, and angry heat spread in her belly. But when the stallion butted his head against Riley’s shoulder, she forced herself to relax.
“You’re right, Astraeus. It’s best to focus on the present, not the past.”
The present was Lorenzo Venti. She’d subtly pumped Luca for information on his brother. The eldest Venti hadn’t been all that forthcoming, so apart from knowing Lorenzo held the power to command the wind, and kept some evil winds locked away on Isola del Vento, and had a surly personality that appeared to be catnip for her, he was a mystery.
A mystery she planned to solve and claim all for herself.
***
Riley found Lorenzo in a stall occupied by a sweet-faced mare. The thoroughbred was lovely, with a coat caught somewhere between white and gray. Silver like the dawn.
“So this is Eos?”
Lorenzo ran his hand down the mare’s neck. “Yes.” His tough face softened, the smallest smile on his lips. “Isn’t she beautiful?”
Riley’s attention snagged on the man not the horse. She wasn’t sure she’d ever seen him smile. It turned brooding into outright handsome. She cleared her throat. “Gorgeous.”
She reached out and stroked the mare’s nose. She turned her face into Riley’s hand, no doubt sensing Riley’s power. Without conscious thought, she connected with the animal. I mean you no harm, pretty girl. She was a content one, happy with her easy life on Isola del Vento. The mare nudged her like a flirting lady. She held great affection for her troubled master.
She frowned. Troubled? Eos shifted, and her hand landed on top of Lorenzo’s.
His skin felt cool, like smooth marble.
Pain tore through Riley, like a sword slashing her open. Her knees threatened to buckle and her fingers clamped on his. Unable to control her power, it centered on Lorenzo. In the back of her head, she heard the distant chant of her Celtic ancestors.
Godammit, no. Her breathing turned shallow, rapid. Unlike the other times she’d touched him, this time she sensed pain close to the surface, triggering her power. She fought the energy overrunning her, but it came anyway. She found a void inside him—a dark, hurting emptiness.
“Riley?” Lorenzo’s voice sounded like it was coming from a great distance. “What’s wrong?”
She moved past the hole and saw something move in the darkness. Her vision blurred and through the black mist Riley saw flashes of jumbled images. A dark-haired boy screaming as his father was sucked up into the air. The howl of a vicious wind tearing at the boy’s clothes and skin as he tried to fight. Dark eyes brimming with tears as he lay curled beside his father’s crumpled body.
The flames of her power licked at her insides. She groaned. Eos gave a nervous whinny and Lorenzo snatched his hand away.
Through her blurred vision, she saw a frown marring his face. He reached out, his hand hovering for a second, before he touched his cool fingers to her forehead.
“Riley?”
Those long fingers brushed her hair back and the coolness of them soothed. It helped her control her power. She breathed deep and pulled in the dark, spicy scent of him.
Damn. She hadn’t used her powers on a human in a long time. And the times she had, it had never been this strong and clear.
She’d known something simmered under Lorenzo’s shell. She just hadn’t guessed a person could function with so much pain inside them.
“Riley?” His tone was as close to gentle as she’d ever heard. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing.” Goddess, this was all she needed. Her neck throbbed and a pounding ache sprang to life behind her left eye. “It’s been a long day.”
His lips firmed and his hand dropped away. “I need to talk with my grooms. Head up to the villa and the cook will fix you a meal.”
“Yeah, thanks.” Food was the last thing she felt like.
As soon as he’d disappeared, she leaned over and tried to slow her breathing.
She closed her eyes. Some days it sucked to be descended from the Celtic Goddess of the Sacred Flame. The Goddess was known for her fire, wisdom, smithing, and healing. While Riley didn’t mind the ability to connect with animals, and the power to control fire, she could do without the preview into people’s suffering.
Straightening, she pulled in another lungful of air and let the familiar smell of hay soothe her. Had it felt like this for her mother?
Maggie Donovan’s reward for healing the emotional wounds of every person around her was a violent death. Riley’s gut churned, hot and livid. She’d promised herself over her mother’s grave that she’d never be a slave to the power that had led to her ma’s death.
God, if only Riley had been strong enough to save her.
She shoved the old emotions away. Lorenzo Venti was the strongest, most composed man she knew. Whatever he kept hidden was his business. What Riley wanted was the stubborn man’s big hands on her. She wanted them to enjoy each other, not break each other apart.
A low howl echoed through the stable.
The mare stamped her hoof and pulled her head back into her stall. Other horses whinnied nervously.
Riley sent out waves of reassurance to the animals and studied the shadows. She didn’t see anyone.
Just the wind spooking you, Donovan. She turned to leave.
A light breeze blew into the stable and eddied around her, kicking up dust and hay. Whispers reached her ears, dark murmurs carried on the wind.
Fuck. She straightened. Lorenzo was worried and it didn’t take much for her to guess it had to do with his prisoners.
At the end of the stables, she stepped through a doorway.
Four stalls filled the tight space. They were completely enclosed, all the way to the roof, with only small slits for air.
Strange. The rest of the stable stalls were open and welcoming. She stepped up to the first one.
Something big smacked against the wall and Riley braced herself. The fierce breathing of a big animal filled the air.
Crack. She recognized the sound of hoof against wood. The horse in this stall was mad as a banshee.
“Hey.” She inched closer. The need to soothe built inside her, and she opened her mind and reached for the animal.
Anger stormed her. Red covered her vision and pain streaked down her arms and legs. An enraged whinny rang in her ears.
Riley took a step back. What the hell was in that stall?
She glanced at the next one. There was no sound, but through the slit in the wood, she saw a big black eye staring back at her.
Summoning the Flame, she held her palm up, and watched flames flicker to life on it. She felt a stir of the dark, dangerous heat that lived in her blood. If she had to defend herself and the other horses in this stable, she would.
“What the hell are you doing in here?”
Lorenzo’s voice shot into the room like a bullet. She extinguished the fire and spun. He stood in the doorway, hands on his hips and his mouth an angry line.
“I heard whispers,” she said. “Thought I’d better check it out.”
He strode forward and stood between her and the closest stall. He crossed his arms over his chest. “Never come in here again.”
She tilted her head. “Why?”
“You know why,” he said with a growl. “I know Luca’s told you what we are. What I do. I’m sure he mentioned the Tempest Winds.”
The horses in all four stalls cried out and smashed against the reinforced walls.
Horror cascaded through Riley. “They’re trapped in the bodies of horses?”
Lorenzo gave a sharp nod.
“How?”
“The wind god Aelous and the previous Keeper imprisoned them. They used a wild storm to trap the winds’ essence in the horses.” His eyes were shadowed. “The Tempest Winds are the keepers of dark vices. Anger, lust, pride and greed. Stay away from them.”
As Riley watched, the color of his eyes deepened, changed to an unearthly black. Then his bronze skin glowed, like he was lit with an inner light, and his shaggy hair moved around his face like it was caught in a breeze.
He was breathtaking.
“Calma.” A cool, fresh breeze flowed into the room. It circled Lorenzo, her, then rushed at the stalls.
The four occupants stamped and reared. The horse in the nearest stall gave the wall one last kick. Then they went silent.
His arms dropped to his sides. The glow of his skin dimmed, but his hair still looked like it was ruffled by the wind. “Don’t come in here again.”
His tone was like ice, his eyes blank and his face emotionless.
“The wind takes away your emotions,” she said.
“Yes. That’s how I like it. I prefer control and I need it to restrain the Tempest Winds.”
“The winds are getting stronger.”
He gave a single nod. “The primal power of Stromboli is fueling them.”
Riley hissed out a breath. The news was filled with speculation of when the volcano would erupt. “And when it blows?”
“I’ll deal with it.” Cool words.
She took a step toward him. “I can help.”
“I don’t need your help and I don’t want you here. You’re a distraction.”
“I can help,” she said again.
“No, you can’t.” He made a scoffing sound. “I don’t know what power you hold, but the Riley Donovan I know is a woman who smiles, jokes, charms. She isn’t someone who can help me fight.”
She felt like he’d landed a punch to her gut. For a second, she was a little girl again, being held back as she watched her mother die. Unable to fight, unable to help.
“So that’s what you really think of me?” Damn, it hurt. A lot.
His dark eyes flashed and his lips pressed into a flat line. He pressed a hand to her shoulder and nudged her toward the door. At the contact, Riley’s vision dimmed.
She saw the young dark-haired boy, bruised and bleeding, weeping like his heart was smashed into a thousand tiny pieces.
Heat rose inside her and her power wanted to heal. Needed to heal. The urge wrapped around her throat. No. Her belly spasmed like she’d been kicked by an angry horse. This time she was prepared, and managed to shut the connection off.
“I think it’s best we do the mating this afternoon.” Lorenzo didn’t turn to look at her. “As soon as we can.”
Emotions rolled through Riley like a churning storm. Dammit, she didn’t need this. To be dragged back into her own messy past and get involved in something Lorenzo clearly didn’t want to share.
“Maybe you’re right, Signor Venti.” She turned and strode out of the stables.