He lifted an eyebrow in amusement. “Any chance we can spend a night at your house?”
“When the devil sits on icicles.” She handed him the ten dollars and let him stamp the inside of her wrist.
When he opened the door, the music charged forward, slapping her body and ears. Not a packed house, but enough gyrating bodies and clusters of groups moving through the three levels that she’d have to poke around to find her target.
Unless Kardos had left.
Rushing through the crowd, Evalle covered the downstairs in a matter of minutes and was just taking the first step to go up to the second level when the music ended. She glanced across the room just in time to catch a bright flash of familiar blond hair moving through the room.
Kardos snaked his way off the dance floor and into the hovering crowd that swallowed him.
Or had he seen her and taken off?
She spun around and plowed through warm bodies smelling of silky cologne and sweat to reach the other side of the room just as Kardos zipped through the rear exit. How had he gotten past the bouncer at the back door, who was carrying on a conversation with a patron?
Deek killed unobservant bouncers. Crap. Kardos was definitely using majik.
Flaming moron.
“Hey!” The bouncer stopped her. Now he decided to be alert? “No one leaves through the back door and that means you, baby. The bathroom’s upstairs. The front door is on the opposite end.”
Oh, to be able to blast the arrogant snot until he bled. But that would no doubt tip off Deek that a Belador was here.
Grinding her teeth in frustration, she all but left a vapor trail as she rushed through the club, trying to get outside to catch Kardos.
She ran to her bike and shoved her helmet on.
By the time she circled around the street along the back of the club, Kardos was hauling ass, but still in sight.
That was the good news.
The bad news was that he had a young woman with him.
The really bad news?
That girl was Bettina D’Alimonte, Deek’s nineteen-year-old sister he treated like a goddess.
As in an untouchable virginal goddess. And Deek demanded that any man who came within a mile of her must sacrifice his penis or his life.
Damn, that boy was working hard to die young.
Deek wouldn’t care that Kardos was a year younger than Bettina, only that Kardos was a witch who came with a full set of male running gear.
Evalle raced forward and sped twenty feet past the teenage pair strolling along as if Kardos’s death wasn’t imminent. She slammed onto the sidewalk, cutting them off. She flipped up her face shield, which should have made anyone walking toward her on a semi-lit street take notice, since her eyes glowed in the darkness.
A sick lump clenched her stomach when they kept coming as if they didn’t see her.
How could one person be so stupid? All she wanted was a five-minute conversation with him. Not a new migraine. She had to separate those two and return Bettina to the nightclub before the girl was reported missing and Deek started a manhunt. Or more to the point, a testicle hunt.
Evalle glared at Kardos. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Bettina answered in a lifeless voice that said someone else had control of her. “Walk out the back door to the first street. Turn left.”
Oh crap.
Who had them locked in a trance? More to the point, what had them in a trance?
When the teens reached Evalle, she held up her hand. “Stop.”
They walked right past her, still heading down the street that extended into a dark void where the streetlights didn’t reach.
After kicking down the side stand, she ran forward to grab them. A wave of power blew past the teens, stirring their hair. They stopped walking.
That energy came at Evalle.
She put up a shield an instant before it blasted her. Her shield allowed the energy to flow over her without effect.
But it gave her a blast of something she could use. The majik smelled old, centuries old, and dry as a desert.
Kardos and Bettina stood still, facing the dark end of the street.
Evalle lifted her hands and shoved back at the majik, pushing it toward the source.
Sparks exploded around the teens.
Okay, that hadn’t worked.
She was lucky it hadn’t hurt one of them. “You can’t have these two.” She moved around to position herself in front of the teens. Wary of what was coming for them, Evalle braced herself.
The air stirred like a sinister cloud, announcing that something badass wasn’t happy.
Out of the darkness came a man with the slow, casual lope of a predator heading for his prey. His leather duster fanned out behind him. Since there was no air current to move it, it was a sign of his power radiating around him. Black hair fell past his shoulders, with two thin braids hanging along each side of his face. His eyes radiated bright yellow in the darkness, their double pupils making a spot in each one that was obvious even from this distance. Gorgeous and masculine all the way, he didn’t stop until he reached the streetlight.
The hairs on the back of her neck rose as fury sped through her veins.
Vyan.
The Kujoo who’d pulled the Beladors into an unsanctioned battle two years ago and almost unleashed an army that would have destroyed everyone and everything. Never had the Beladors confronted an enemy so strong, but it was because Vyan had possessed the Ngak Stone then.
A sick feeling of dread permeated her bones. If he was here now, it was so that he could reclaim the stone and finish what he’d started.
His gaze radiated his hatred and repugnance for her.
That was okay. She didn’t like him much either.
“You interfere with me once again, half-breed,” Vyan said as if Evalle merely stood in his path and wasn’t a true threat.
She tsked at him and returned the disdain full force. “Poor Vyan, ever posturing. Trey kicked your ass once, and I can do it this time.” That threat had a nice ring to it even if she was bluffing her boots off. Had it not been for her linking with Tzader, Quinn and Trey, Vyan could have annihilated her along with everyone else while he’d held the Ngak Stone.
Hopefully, he’d forgotten that part.
She looked over to Kardos and Bettina, who were still in his thrall. “I have to say that you are brave to risk your freedom for them.” Shiva had allowed him his freedom on one condition—he had to behave in the human world.
He laughed evilly. “The terms were that I not attack the Beladors.” He glanced over to the teenagers. “Lucky me, neither of them are in your ranks.”
True, but she was admitting to nothing, and he wasn’t touching these two kids. Cocking her head at the pair, Evalle asked, “What do you want with them?”
“I merely played Cupid. The boy said he wanted the girl. Voila. Isn’t love grand?”
Evalle sucked her breath in sharply. “You in a diaper … just can’t see it.” She sharpened her gaze on him. “You with an arrow aimed at someone’s heart … that I believe. And I know you’re lying. Kardos would never trust a stranger with something so personal. He’s a street survivor, not an idiot.” Well, actually not true, since he’d have to be mentally deranged to have a crush on Deek’s sister. “Release them, Vyan. I have no patience tonight, and I will cut your throat rather than deal with you.”
A strange glint darkened his eyes, like he was silently laughing or mocking her. “I have no quarrel with the Beladors. Guess I better set them free. When they wake up, you might want to tell them the tale of Hansel and Gretel.” He turned and disappeared into the black abyss he’d emerged from so fast that it took her several heartbeats to realize he was gone.
What was that action?
She stood there, completely stunned. That had been way too easy, and nothing with Vyan ever was.
She thought about his parting words. Had he just told her to warn the teens about a witch who lured children in
to a trap to eat them? Was he giving her a warning that a witch was behind this? It seemed inconceivable, and yet …
“Evalle?” Kardos’s tone held a note of fear in it. “What are you doing here?”
Turning around, she focused on Bettina’s shocked expression, which changed to confusion when the girl looked at her hand clasped in Kardos’s.
He realized they were holding hands at the same time. His cheeks flaming bright red, he quickly let go and stepped away.
Evalle let out a relieved breath that he did in fact have a modicum of survival instinct. “We have to get Bettina back quick, before—”
The sound of running feet rushed toward them.
Or was that the sound of hooves?
She felt ill at the doom that was headed their way.
“What are you doing with my sister?” a male voice bellowed.
Ah, crap. But at least Deek hadn’t changed into a centaur, which was the ultimate harbinger of his lethal intent. However, he and his brigade would reach them any second.
Bettina’s olive skin turned pasty white. “What am I doing here?”
Kardos’s cheeks turned even redder. “You asked me to take a walk with you.”
“I did not.”
I am so glad I don’t have kids. Evalle wanted to shake them both.
Instead, she turned around and braced herself to defend them from the death squad that was about to demand the heart out of the one person she needed desperately to interrogate.
TWELVE
Evalle held up her hand and hoped Deek didn’t take that as a sign of war. Hard to tell with a centaur, and too late she remembered the sign of an open palm was an insult to Greeks.
Was Deek an Italian or a Greek centaur? The name suggested Italian, but most were Greek.
Oy! She closed her palm.
Centaurs didn’t have a sense of humor.
Deek stopped in front of her, his seven men spread out to the side and behind him. He was beautiful, but like a cobra, deadly with one bite. “What’s my sister doing out here?”
“It’s not my fault,” Bettina called out from where she and Kardos stood behind Evalle.
“Shut. Up.” Evalle ignored Bettina’s gasp. The girl was spoiled beyond heiress level and had probably never heard those words in her life. But right now, Evalle had much more important things facing her than some brat’s feelings. Like a centaur ready to rearrange her body parts.
She forced a smile for Deek. “It’s not what you think—”
Deek cut her off. “Bullshit. I ran the security cameras to find Bettina.” He jerked his chin toward Kardos. “That underage punk walked right into my club without paying or getting stamped. Which means he entered by majik. My territory. My rules. He’s going with me. Now.”
Kardos had moved forward and stood on Evalle’s left. Bettina had done the same, ending up on Evalle’s right, which was telling. Did she believe she was safer with Evalle, or was she staying on this side as a show of support for Kardos in some way?
Or was she just being an obstinate teen?
Evalle figured now might be a good time to redirect Deek’s anger. “You got bigger problems than a teenage witch whose powers are too immature to be a danger.”
Kardos ground out a sound meant to counter her insult.
She gave him a quelling look and returned her attention to Deek. “Someone else lured him into your club and used majik to get them past your guards.”
Deek scoffed. “Who would dare such?”
She’d known he was going to ask that, but she couldn’t tell Deek about Vyan while VIPER was trying to quietly flush out the location of the Ngak Stone. It would serve Vyan right to turn Deek loose on the Kujoo. She bet Deek could find him, but having an enraged centaur in the middle of things could hamper covert operations—kind of like tossing a live grenade into a group of paranoid schizophrenics.
And no one wanted that rock to end up in Deek’s possession.
She turned her hands palms up. “I’m trying to figure out who he is myself.”
“What’d he look like?” Deek directed that question at Bettina, who took a step back.
Bettina shook her head. “I don’t know. I was in the club one minute, then Kardos asked me to take a walk—”
“I knew it!” Veins popped up like cords beneath the skin on Deek’s thick neck.
Kardos took a step back. “I didn’t mean to ask her out.”
When Bettina hissed at him, clearly not happy with the way he’d said that, Kardos looked over at her. “Oh, baby, I didn’t mean it that way, just meant I had no idea that guy was screwing with me. Of course, I want to ask you out. I just had more sense to—”
“I’m going to kill him.” Deek bolted for Kardos.
Evalle cut him off and forced him back. Stopping a freight train would have been easier. She wouldn’t be surprised if her shoulder was bruised from it.
“Look, Deek, I can appreciate the feeling, since I’ve wanted to strangle him myself a few times, but he isn’t the danger here. Someone else is. Someone with a lot of juice that neither of us wants to confront without prep. And right now, I’m on the hunt for him. Until we find this guy, let us pass in peace. You take Bettina back with you, but make sure you keep an eye on her in case our mutual friend infiltrates her mind again and has her leaving with someone a lot more dangerous than a teen witch who can barely use his powers.”
Deek immediately postured, puffing out his chest and crossing his arms. “She’s always well guarded.”
Things were going Evalle’s way until Kardos snorted at that comment.
Deek went for his throat and she again had to ram her body into the mountain of steel—an action that left her winded.
Kardos, you idiot. If you want to die, there are much less painful ways to go about it. As well as ways that wouldn’t leave her bruised.
If Kardos kept this up, she’d reconsider handing him over to the centaur.
She forced Deek back a step, sure he was refraining from using majik only because a human might see them. But if this had been in the basement of the Iron Casket, there would have been no discussion. “Look, Deek, I’ll be in touch if I have anything new to share with you on the guy who breached your security.”
Deek let his gaze swipe across the three of them and finally gave a nod of assent. “Time to go, Bettina.”
The girl released a stream of air so quickly that she must have been holding her breath. She lifted her chin like an offended queen and headed toward the Iron Casket. Guards opened a path for her, then surrounded her, moving en masse with Deek at the rear.
Impressive.
Scary, but impressive.
“Sheez, that was close,” Kardos said in a spurt of relief.
Evalle rounded on him. “No shit, Sherlock. What did you think you were doing messing with the centaur’s sister? Since the moment she came on the scene a month ago, he’s let it be known to all creatures that to even look at her is suicide.”
“Well, I didn’t think he meant forever. Besides, that old guy doesn’t scare me.”
She rolled her eyes at his youthful arrogance. “When a being as powerful as Deek says, ‘Death to anyone who touches my sister,’ you can take it to the bank and make a deposit on it. Two-thousand-year-old centaurs aren’t known as bluffers. He’s forgotten more painful ways to kill someone like you than you and I will ever know.”
“Bluffers? What kind of word is that?”
Evalle ground her teeth as rage shot through her. Was that really the only part of her caveat that the imbecile had heard?
No wonder I don’t want kids.
“Did you miss the part where I said he was not kidding and you are the next bonehead on his menu?”
That seemed to permeate his stubborness. “Then maybe we should get out of here.”
No duh.
At least he was now making sense but unfortunately it wasn’t that easy. “First, I need you to explain a couple of things.” She took a look around, making sure they
were alone. “I heard you met the Birrn demon here at the club. Is that true?”
“Yeah, it was crazy. Me and Kell were looking for some silver …” His face clouded with guilt. “I mean hunting for new revenue stream when a Nightstalker told us there was a guy at the IC who was willing to pay runners to pawn his goods.”
Evalle frowned at him. How could he have contacted a Nightstalker for information? Grady had talked to them once when they’d irritated him by almost getting killed trying to steal a hubcap on a moving vehicle, but the others ignored the boys. “You aren’t powerful enough to shake hands with a Nightstalker.”
“I didn’t. Kell was playing chess in Woodruff Park when I saw one shimmering, so I went over to talk to him ’cause it was just freaky weird. Never saw this one before.”
It still didn’t make any sense. “Are you sure it was a Nightstalker you saw?” She’d never known one to give up anything without a handshake, and it wasn’t like them to just hang out and shimmer. Fireflies they weren’t.
“I thought it was off, but he seemed sincere and then disappeared as soon as he told me about the deal at the IC.”
Yeah, it smacked of a setup. What the hell had he been thinking? “I’m surprised Kell got involved.” He usually knew better.
“He thought it sounded suspicious, so he went as backup.” Kardos got serious. “I told him to hide and not let anyone know he was with me, but when the Birrn grabbed me, Kell tried to help. Idiot.”
Relief blanketed her at the confirmation that the boys had been set up and had not pulled her into a trap. “Did the Birrn tell you anything?”
“Not really.” Kardos locked gazes with her. “Just that he had to find you.”
What was this? Open season on Alterants?
Or just open season on her?
She was the only one walking around free that she knew about. “You’re sure he wanted me specifically?”
“Yeah. He said he knew we were friends of yours. Kell still wasn’t going to call, but the Birrn threatened to eat me if he didn’t.” He shifted his feet. “Even then, Kell hesitated for a minute. Kind of sucks for the twin brother, right? Anyway, then Kell thought between the three of us we could get away even if he did call you. That was before the demon tossed us up to the light pole, where you found us. Sorry about walking you into a trap.”
Blood Trinity Page 14