Alterant (Belador #2)(6)

They were needed. She was not.

But Storm was right yet again. Tzader and Quinn were born to protect others and would not leave her locked away.

They knew she had no one else in her corner.

Except Storm, it seemed.

And he must have a major reason for putting such a low value on his life. That didn’t mean she could live with his death on her shoulders either, even if he did have a personal agenda. “I don’t want anyone coming after me.”

“You don’t have a say with me. If you aren’t back within two hours after you leave, I’m tracking you down.”

“Time in the Nether Realm runs at a different speed than here. The last time it took me five hours to get back.”

“Two hours. That’s my deadline. I’m coming for you whether you help me or not.”

She wished she had time to consider how that warmed her heart, but Storm couldn’t go against the Tribunal and win. “No matter how you paint it, coming after me will end in your death.”

“That’s my decision to make and I’ve already made it.”

She couldn’t stand here and argue anymore. If Storm wouldn’t be deterred, she might as well find out what he had in mind. “How would I help you?”

“By making it easier to track you.”

She shook her head at his lack of logic. “I don’t see how you can do that. Sen will teleport me from the park to the Tribunal meeting and wherever they send me after that. You said you couldn’t track someone’s energy through teleportation. How do you expect to find me?”

“I have a way . . . but you have to agree.”

“Agree to what?”

“To let me use my majik on you.”

Use majik on an Alterant? Who knew what might happen? “I can’t do that. If I lose control and shift into my beast form, the Tribunal would have all the evidence they need to bury me.”

He gave her a steely look that accepted no excuses. “You’re out of time, Eve. You have to get off the fence and make a decision. You don’t trust the Tribunal to give an Alterant a pass and you won’t put Tzader or Quinn at risk. It’s me or them, because they will come for you. And when that happens, I’ll still find you. What’s it going to be?”





THREE




Evalle made a habit of not lying to herself. The downside was disappointment, and the upside?

There wasn’t one on days like this.

She had no choice, really. Not if Storm intended to come after her if she didn’t walk away free from the Tribunal meeting. She had to prevent Tzader and Quinn from risking their necks to find her.

Her arms prickled from a sizzle that raced over her skin.

Energy radiated off Storm, pulsing with fury.

She lifted her eyebrows at him. “I didn’t say no yet. What’s got you cranked?”

A humorless laugh escaped his lips. “You.” He shook his head and looked at her as if she missed the whole point. “The only reason you’re considering my proposal is to save your two Belador watchdogs. Your safety and life are important, too.”

She could kill a demon in three moves, but she had no skill for handling a man who said things that gently squeezed her heart. She’d only known Storm a few days, but in that short time he’d come through for her more than once. Enough that she owed him some form of trust, but she’d learned at an early age the dangers of trusting too easily. Her abused heart might want to open the gates for him, but her mind protected that fickle organ behind a fortress of suspicion.

Rather than address his last comment, she said, “Let’s say I agree to do this. How does your majik work?”

“Can’t share that.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

He didn’t answer, which was an answer in itself. Storm had his own trust issues, with that woman behind his father’s death most likely at the center. Evalle doubted he’d share any more about that than he’d tell her how his majik worked.

Still, without getting all the facts she couldn’t allow him to turn her into some kind of spirit transponder. “If you do manage to find me and we both escape alive, what exactly will I have to do to help you find this woman?”

“Like I said, I’ll tell you more after the Tribunal meeting.”

“You want me to agree to something without knowing all the details?”

He crossed his arms. “Tick tock. What’s your choice?”

She didn’t have one and he knew it.

Rolling her shoulders back to vanish any look of a caught animal, she finally gave in. “I’ll take your deal, but I have the option of changing my mind before you do anything to free me if I lose my fight with the Tribunal.”

He struck a thoughtful pose, then nodded. “I’ll go with that.”

Eyeing her watch quickly—forty-six minutes, still okay—she glanced around once more, then gave him an impatient lift of her chin. Please tell me I’m not going to shift and kill him. “Let’s get twitching or chanting or whatever you do.”

“I need you close for this to work.”

“How close?” Call her jumpy, but this whole majik thing had destroyed any comfort zone.

He sighed at some silent thought. “Close enough to put my hands on your shoulders. I’m not going to hurt you.”