Demon Storm: Belador book 5 (6 page)

As for Quinn, Evalle had no idea how to console someone for the kind of loss he’d suffered. There would be no consoling
her
if Storm had died in her arms. She couldn’t even think about that without her heart having spasms.

Macha was going on about how they would stand strong in the face of the damage the Medb had done to their tribe. They would return Brina to the castle and, moving forward, that changes would be made to insure her safety and protect the Belador power base.

Got it, Macha. Can you move this along a little faster?

Macha paused and her gaze tracked to Evalle.

Oh, hell. She couldn’t have heard that thought, could she?

Irritating Macha
again
before teleporting was a good way to end up flung back to Atlanta like a ragdoll thrown through a wood chipper, and Evalle didn’t need encouragement to toss her cookies even on a smooth ride.

She teleported about as well as Macha accepted criticism.

Not a pretty scene.

“Now we face an even greater battle,” Macha went on, talking about what came next. “Many of you suffer intermittent or non-existent powers as do other Beladors across the world. Preternatural criminals are attacking Beladors, which means the word about our power base being weak is traveling quickly.”

There had never been a plan for ending up with only an empty-eyed hologram of Brina inside the castle. It had happened when a Belador traitor had tossed deadly Noirre majik dust on Brina.

Macha wrapped it up by saying, “Maistir Tzader Burke of North America will decide who stays here and who returns to the mortal world.”

Maybe Evalle could hitch a teleportation ride back with a group without having to draw Macha’s attention to her specifically.

When Macha disappeared and the crowd began to disperse, Evalle turned to Tristan. She was ready to go, but had to make sure she didn’t come back to fallout from him irritating Macha.

The gryphons flocked on the lawn, a herd of giants whose bodies would glisten beneath the sun back home. Evalle wouldn’t mind some sunshine, but none shone in the sky above Treoir.

In Atlanta, she’d lived in the dark, because the sun would burn the flesh from her body. But that had changed when she morphed all the way into a gryphon.

Please tell me this is a permanent change and I will never be relegated to living in the dark again.

Evalle decided to take a positive tack and compliment Tristan on his good behavior to set the right tone for discussing what he had to do. She smiled to sell it. “Thank you for accepting Macha’s offer. She might not deserve forgiveness, but the Beladors deserve to have all of us in the tribe. And now Alterants evolved into gryphons and any other Alterants still out there can have a life.”

“I’m not stupid, Evalle. The Medb know we betrayed them during the battle and VIPER won’t allow us to survive without a pantheon. It was a win-win. For now.”

She did not like the sound of those last two words. So much for being subtle. “Don’t screw this up, Tristan. You have your sister and your two friends to keep safe.”

“I’m not doing anything, so don’t get your panties in a wad. When can we leave Treoir?” 

“I don’t know yet.”

“I’m not staying here, or in gryphon form, forever. Flying’s a gas until you do it over and over and over again. I’m ready for some down time and so are the rest of them.”

She couldn’t argue with that. “Let me find out from Tzader who is going to be point person here and get them set up to work with you until I get back with Storm.”

“You get R and R time while we’re stuck playing air patrol. What’s fair in that?”

Just when she was feeling friendly toward Tristan he had to push her pissivity button. “If you’re going to be a dickhead, I’ll let
you
negotiate your terms for remaining here, but keep in mind the mortal world is now a battleground for anyone supernatural, especially anyone with Belador blood. Staying here is a pretty sweet deal, but I’m sure I can convince Macha to send you back where you can’t shift at will without VIPER yanking you in to face a Tribunal trial for exposing paranormal activity to humans.”

She snapped her fingers. “Oh, and you’ll have a target on your back from the Medb in addition to any other preternatural predators.”

Tristan cocked his head, looking at her as if he found something fascinating. “I had no idea that Storm found crazy women a turn on.”

Evalle tossed her hands up in the air and walked away to the sound of Tristan calling her back. She flipped him off and his words ground into a deep chuckle. Jerk.

When she found Tzader and Quinn, they faced each other, talking in low voices. Harsh sounds rumbled. Quinn’s jaw was rigid and his lips pulled tight and flat when he said, “Find someone else. Not my problem.”

Tzader growled back, “What? You’re just going to go off and hide again? Great. Just when we need leadership you disappear. I don’t have that luxury.”

“Leadership? You’re the damned leader, not me.”

“I’m
ordering
you to go back and fill in as Maistir,” Tzader said, shoving a blast of fury at Quinn.

“You can only order me if I remain in the tribe.” 

Tzader snarled, “You’d turn your back when the tribe needs you most?”

“Me?” Quinn laughed, but the sound was dark and grim. “I’m not the Maistir who intends to sit here and wait for someone who’s probably not even alive any more.”

Evalle sucked in a breath. Quinn had never been cruel.

“Brina
is
alive,” Tzader said, as if anyone trying to convince him otherwise would be a deadly mistake. The sentient blades hanging on each side of his hips hissed and snarled, ready to attack. “And you will do your duty or you’ll
wish
you had.”

And Tzader had never threatened any member of the tribe, especially one of his two best friends. He wouldn’t unleash those blades on Quinn, right?

E
valle’s hair stood on end.

She’d never heard Quinn and Tzader go at each other this way, sounding as if one of them was close to grabbing the other’s throat. They were facing each other and leaned in, looking like two bulls ready to charge.

She stepped up with her hands between them. “Hey, you two. What’s going on?”

“Shut up,” Quinn snapped without looking her way.

“Don’t fucking talk to her that way,” Tzader warned, shocking Evalle with the unexpected curse.

“Thank you, Tzader,” she said, glad that one of them had control of his emotions.

Then Tzader snarled just as lividly when he ordered her, “Get out of here, Evalle.”

Nope. No control on his part either. She pushed closer. “No. You two stop this ... whatever is going on between you, and calm down.”

They both swung feral glares at her.

She had to be in a time warp. What happened to Tzader and Quinn, and who were these two asswipes?

Crossing her arms, she glared right back and let them have it. “I will kick both of your butts if you give me any more lip. What the devil is going on?”

Tzader looked away and muttered, “Dealing with a dickhead.”

Quinn shot back, “And here I thought that was the definition of an inconsiderate prick.”  But Quinn stretched his neck then told Evalle, “Sorry I snapped at you.”

“Apology accepted.” 

“But I am not qualified to lead anyone. Plus, is it too damned much to ask for time to mourn
my
loss? Or should I say
losses
since Lanna’s gone, too, only with no hologram to indicate she was ever here?” Quinn swung a heated look back at Tzader.

So that’s where Quinn had been when she’d lost track of him and Tzader earlier. They’d been looking at the Brina hologram that showed nothing of Lanna, the young woman who had been wrapped against Brina. Only the threads of Noirre majik covered a hollow shape where they’d stood before they’d both vanished.

Quinn had lost the woman he’d loved and his teenage cousin in one ugly act from a Belador traitor.

Still, something was severely off with Quinn and Tzader.

Evalle opened up her recently discovered empathic senses that were getting better with practice. Quinn was literally bleeding pain over losing Kizira, the Medb priestess he’d secretly loved who had died in his arms during the battle. Tzader was a roaring hot mess of anger and worry with Brina missing and no idea what her fate was at this moment.

Even so, this made no sense.

Tzader and Quinn had always been
her
two rocks to depend on. She could handle having one of them emotionally crippled right now, but not both.

Neither could the Beladors. But both men had lost women they loved. If there was any decency in the world, Evalle would at least be able to bring Lanna and Brina back.

She spoke gently to Quinn. “I do believe we’ll get Lanna back and I know that there is no such thing as a right amount of time to mourn what you’ve lost.”  She paused to glance at Tzader, who had the decency to look embarrassed over his harsh words. Then she continued, “But if Trey manages the warriors back home for a day, could you fill in after that for a little while so that Tzader can handle interaction between Macha and the gryphons?”

When nothing came out of Quinn’s mouth, Evalle added, “If you could, it would allow me time to find Storm and bring him here to help us bring back Brina and Lanna.”

Quinn stared at her with hollow eyes rimmed in a misery she’d never seen on his face before, but he nodded, “I can do that.”

“Thank you.” Then Evalle turned to Tzader, and if the pain in his gaze had a sound it would be an animal howling. Not knowing where Brina was had to be torture. “Tzader, will you be okay here while I go back to Atlanta to find Storm?”

He swallowed and the hard movement of his throat looked painful, but he nodded. “We’ll be fine.”

Quinn wouldn’t look at Tzader when he said, “I’ll need to be teleported
with
Kizira’s body.”

Oh, boy. Wait until Macha was asked to do that.

Evalle jumped in. “I’ll go with him. Maybe you can send a group of us at one time, Tzader.”

“I’ll handle it.”  Tzader strode off, shoulders hunched against the world, looking as alone as he must feel. Watching the grief of the two men she loved as brothers was squeezing her heart. Her chest should be bleeding from how much it hurt.

Evalle put her hand on Quinn’s arm. “I’m so sorry about Kizira.”

“You don’t have to keep apologizing. Her death wasn’t your fault. At least you tried to free her from the Medb.”

“She tried to help me too. She was instrumental in helping me get our people out when it came time to escape TÅμr Medb. I will do anything I can to help you through this, Quinn. I wish I had words to ease your loss, but I know nothing can make this better. I miss her too.”  That drew his attention sharply to Evalle’s face. She nodded. “I never thought I could even like a Medb priestess, much less care for her, but I got to know the real Kizira and see glimpses of the woman you fell in love with.”

A tear ran down the side of his face.

Evalle pushed words past the vise squeezing her chest. “It hurts me to see you like this and know that you ended up losing her after she told me she only wanted peace and to be with you. Do you want me to stay with you for a few days?”  That would delay helping Tzader, but Evalle had bought him time to wait here for Brina’s return, which she knew was the only reason he refused to leave.

She could do no less for Quinn.

Quinn shook his head. “No, but I’ll go to Atlanta for only one week. No more.”

One week might not be enough time. “I don’t know how long it’s going to take to track down Storm, then I have to bring him here for any hope of finding Brina.”

“I’m sorry, Evalle, but I’m pushing the limits just to stay in Atlanta for a day, much less a week. I ... can’t control my anger, or my mind. I almost dove into Tzader’s head a moment ago to lash back at him.”

Her mouth fell open. “You would never–”

“Evidently I would, and I’m not proud of that. It may be our powers corrupting that’s causing it. I’m battling right now to keep from striking out at anyone and everyone. I don’t want you near me after today.”  He walked away toward nothing, just ambling.

How could she leave two of the most powerful Beladors who were closer than brothers, or had been, to get through this without someone watching over both of them?

She needed to keep them safe from each other.

What would Quinn do once she left him in Atlanta in what was reported just an hour ago to be a hotbed of preternatural aggression right now?

The best way she could help was by tracking down Storm as soon as she could, which would soothe Tzader and free him up to run North America.

Once that happened, Evalle could then focus on Quinn.

Wouldn’t it be nice if Storm was waiting for her at his house?

Tzader’s voice came into her mind, sounding like a bad connection.
Come ... castle now ... Brina
.

Evalle took off at a run and put her body into overdrive to cross two hundred yards and reach the castle in seconds. She flew up the steps and through the entrance that two Belador guards held open for her.

No one was in the lobby.

She raced toward the sunroom where Brina had been before she vanished.

Please let there be a real person standing in place of that empty hologram.

Evalle sucked in air, winded as she neared the sunroom. She’d always packed more power than the average warrior due to her mixed blood, but even she had noticed a slight change in her power level with Brina gone.

What about the other gryphons? Tristan in particular.

Was the corrupted Belador power the only reason Tristan hadn’t been able to teleport out of Treoir?

“
Do not touch her!”
Macha shouted and the entire castle shuddered.

Evalle slid to a stop at the door to the sunroom then walked in cautiously. Tzader, Macha and an old druid blocked Evalle’s view of all but the head of Brina’s translucent image.

Nope. Brina had not returned yet.

Tzader stared at the floor ... or was he looking at the bottom of the hologram?