Rogue Belador

by Sherrilyn Kenyon

  He'd probably have to repeat himself later once Mattie became coherent again. This had turned out far better than he'd originally planned when he'd captured her to trade with the Medb.

  Her granddaughter did possess an exceptional amount of energy, but Lanna was superb. Comparing this young woman to Lanna was like holding up a candle to outshine the sun.

  Chapter 23

  Evalle headed to the garage of their building while Storm ran upstairs to check in one last time on Oskar and Feenix, and to inform all three teens to stay in their apartments until someone came for them.

  They had food, Internet, and television.

  Where she would've simply asked them to stay in, Storm politely made it clear that leaving the building was not an option.

  Quinn had excused himself and stepped away to make a call, leaving Evalle with Adrianna, who asked, "What are you going to do if no one ever holds a vote on the gryphon race petition?"

  "Your guess is as good as mine," Evalle quipped. "Macha isn't helping. I can't keep telling the other gryphons that it's going to be soon, when soon has come and gone. In fact, once we get the dragon out of TAmr Medb, I'm thinking about helping Tristan teleport the gryphons out. They were offered the chance to leave, but it was a double-edged blade. Leaving back then meant it would be reported to VIPER, which is a hotline to Queen Maeve these days."

  "Doesn't sound good."

  "No. The situation has to be bad for me, Tzader, and Quinn to break into Queen Maeve's domain to steal her throne without Macha's consent and support. Just because we see it as honorable doesn't mean she will, especially if a war breaks out from this. Once I do that, I might as well go free the other gryphons. No point in going halfway. The penalty for crossing Macha is the same."

  "What will Macha do?"

  "I'm past the point of speculating, and making this up as I go, but Storm has made it clear that we have options. I may have to consider those options."

  Adrianna whispered, "What do you really think Macha is going to do when she finds out you've crossed her? If you bring back Brina's memories, do you think she'll let you just walk away?"

  "No. But she needs Treoir and she needs the Beladors to follow her. The way I understand it, gods and goddesses grow in power the more followers they have who believe in them. In her right mind, Brina will stand behind Tzader, and Macha cannot harm Brina because Brina is the power behind the Beladors. If she destroys the Beladors, she says goodbye to her support group. We have the largest force of warriors in the world, which means she currently has the largest base of support. Tzader would risk all for Brina, but he'd never put the entire Belador clan at risk for personal gain. The thing is that Tzader's goal will also end up supporting Macha's power base because, apparently, the dragon demands that Brina be saved. That dragon seems to know a lot about Macha and Queen Maeve. I can't fence-sit. I'm going to believe in Tzader."

  Adrianna ran a hand over her hair and down her ponytail. "With the dreams I've been having, either this dragon is going to lead all of you to victory, which keeps my world safe, too, or we're all going to be fighting one hell of a threat. I could feel his power in my dreams. It shook me. Even with my possessing Witchlock, the idea of his turning that on me was terrifying."

  "If war did break out in the supernatural world, where do you think Sen would stand?"

  Adrianna lifted a shoulder. "No clue. VIPER isn't going to be able to control the situation, and you know as well as I do that the deities are going to cover their own asses. At that point, all humans would be at risk."

  That sent Evalle's next thought to Isak. He'd be in the middle of it all. The Nyght armory designed weapons specifically to take down preternaturals.

  Quinn finished his call and headed for his car, parked in the last position in a garage fit for ten vehicles.

  Plus one GSXR motorcycle.

  Evalle had a hint of tease in her voice when she asked Adrianna, "Speaking of favorite humans, how's Isak?"

  "I know that tone of voice. Don't play matchmaker. You're out of your league with that. Let's just say I haven't unleashed a spell on him, but he's stepping dangerously close to finding out what I can do."

  "What happened?"

  "I ignored him for a week and he sent a black ops team to put me in a van and bring me to him."

  Evalle started chuckling.

  Adrianna didn't look impressed by Isak's dating techniques. Yep, Evalle had been there, done that, gotten an Italian dinner out of the deal. "How'd it go?"

  Adrianna managed a sly smile. "I turned the wheels on his van into stone. He's probably still chiseling those off."

  Why couldn't I have done something like that? "I would have liked to see that."

  "It was funny, but I wish he had to do the chiseling instead of his men."

  Quinn called to Adrianna, who nodded and started his way.

  Evalle fell into step with her. "Wait until you meet Kit."

  "Not happening. Isak and I do not mesh."

  From where Evalle stood, those two seemed perfect. Adrianna had the kind of experience--and the witch juice--a woman needed for dealing with a hardheaded alpha. While Isak did respect the word no, he was stubborn once he set his sights on a target.

  Right now, he had his romantic crosshairs set on one deadly little witch.

  Evalle waved them off and headed for the office to activate the garage door from a remote control panel Storm had put there so she wouldn't catch an accidental shaft of sunlight through the big overhead door while using the controls in the garage.

  Storm met her at the base of the stairs. "Everyone is set. I have the boys' computer linked to the flat screen with controllers, and signed them into an account for downloading games. I gave Lanna a laptop and showed her how to work her flat screen. In a little while, she's going to bring Feenix to her room to keep him entertained. There's food in both apartments. Oskar is snoozing, and I told Feenix you had a surprise for him when we get back."

  "Hold it." Evalle held up her hands. "Unless you've been holding back on what you can poof into existence with that witch juice you say is a drop in the ocean, exactly how is it that the boys are all set up out of thin air?"

  He took his time answering. The other side of Storm's being a walking lie detector was that he suffered pain if he outright lied. He had double-talk down to an art when he needed it, but that wouldn't fly right now and he knew it.

  She crossed her arms, waiting.

  He grumbled something. "I knew you weren't going to be happy with the boys on the street and figured you'd try to set them up in your old place. Quinn told me in passing that as soon as you were finished with your old apartment and we got moved in here, he's remodeling your entire building, including your downstairs place."

  Huh. Evalle hadn't known that, but she wasn't surprised that Quinn wanted to update the old building.

  Storm continued. "It was only a matter of time before the twins ended up here. Planning for it saved all of us headaches and simplified it for the boys. I didn't know Lanna would be here, but she's welcome for as long as she wants to stay."

  "Quinn will take care of her rent."

  "He's already offered, and the answer is no. Where else can we get an occasional babysitter for Feenix who'd love him as much as Lanna does? That's priceless. I have all the apartments stocked with basics in the cabinets and refrigerators. Those three will be happy with pizzas and cold drinks."

  Storm hadn't discussed any of that with her in advance, but she was honest enough with herself to admit that she would have argued about his going to the trouble and expense. Instead, she gave him what he deserved.

  "Thank you, but I don't want you to take on everyone else's burdens."

  "I'm not. Having your friends be okay makes you okay, and that makes me okay. Anything that matters to you is not a burden."

  Every day she got a little better about accepting the life she hoped to live with him. "Should we do something else with Oskar if Lanna is going in there?"

  "No. S
he won't go near him, and he can't escape where I have him."

  Placing her hand against his cheek, she said, "Thank you for doing all that. I'm going to have to make it up to you later." She winked at him.

  He grinned. "I am so holding you to a private thank-you session."

  "We have to go get Tristan." She headed for the garage and Storm's truck, which was warded against the sun for daytime use.

  She could feel how the mention of Tristan had instantly soured Storm's good mood.

  He asked, "Why don't you just call Tristan telepathically?"

  "He doesn't have to listen to me, and I don't want to risk him taking off. It's always better to deal with him in person and--"

  Evalle! Tristan's voice shouted in her head.

  She held up a finger, and pointed at her head to let Storm know she was engaged in telepathy. Tristan, what's up?

  You said to let you know when I was teleporting back. I'm ready to go.

  Shoot! Don't do that, Tristan.

  Why not? Suspicion came through his telepathic voice.

  I've got an offer you can't refuse. She hadn't expected the silence that followed to stretch so long. Tristan?

  Does this have anything to do with the Beladors?

  She hedged. Sort of.

  Be specific.

  Tzader, Quinn, Storm and I need your help.

  The only thing that comes to mind is teleporting, and I'm not blowing my ride back to Treoir on you four. If I'm not back this evening, Macha will come looking, and her next target will be my sister.

  It won't take that long. Silence again. Tristan? Tristan! She looked at Storm. "He may have teleported away."

  Chapter 24

  VIPER Headquarters, North Georgia Mountains

  Quinn forced himself to stride through the bowels of VIPER headquarters with a confident carriage, stifling the turmoil inside him at facing Veronika once again. He still shuddered at how the vicious witch had exploited his grief over Kizira.

  No one had ever controlled him, not with his powerful mindlock ability.

  But she had.

  In one fleeting, vulnerable moment, Veronika had almost gained control of thousands of Belador warriors under Quinn's command. The disastrous possibilities sent chills up his spine. Drawing a deep breath, he shoved away his concern.

  This was not the place to ever show weakness.

  Adrianna's heels clicked against the stone floor close behind him, reminding him this meeting had nothing to do with him.

  Veronika and Adrianna had faced off over Witchlock.

  Veronika had lost that battle.

  She waited on a Tribunal sentencing and stood to spend the rest of her life in lockup beneath the North Georgia mountain that housed VIPER headquarters.

  On occasion, the justice system put in place by their coalition actually functioned properly.

  It would be nice if he could go to a Tribunal and ask for help locating his daughter, but that would be expecting too much of the self-centered gods and goddesses.

  He no longer trusted Macha enough to ask for her help with anything, especially this. When she'd found out about his past liaison with Kizira, Macha had taken it personally. He would no more trust the goddess with his daughter's welfare than he would with Brina and Tzader's.

  He slowed for Adrianna to catch up with him. When she did, he said, "I want to ask you about something, and no is a perfectly acceptable answer. I do not wish to impose on you, but I'm looking for someone to help me with an issue."

  A foot shorter than he was, she looked up without slowing down. "Evalle mentioned your issue to me recently in private, and said she'd gotten your okay for the conversation."

  Thank goodness for that, since Quinn didn't want to mention Phoedra's name in here.

  "Good. That simplifies things. If you could touch something or ... someone ... connected to a missing person, would you be able to locate the person in question? I'm concerned about your being harmed by residual majik."

  "I don't think that would happen, in particular with the object in question, but as to the more extreme measure, let's just say ..." She paused and lowered her voice. "I'm not a necromancer, and I'm too unfamiliar with Witchlock to know how that power will react to someone with ... extreme levels of residual majik."

  She meant because Kizira had been a Medb priestess.

  "You must understand all the risks if I try this," Adrianna added. "If anything I deem deadly rises up, I would be forced to destroy the host to prevent that power from lashing out at everyone around."

  "I understand what you're telling me." Quinn got that Adrianna would have to blast away the corpse, and the dark energy with it, if something arose from Kizira's body when Adrianna touched it. He'd have to think on that.

  When he heard her steps tapping faster than his, he slowed his long-legged stride even further.

  She commented, "I've never been in this part of VIPER headquarters."

  "That's because this is reserved for the deadliest criminals. VIPER prefers few visitors in this area even though it's heavily protected against escape."

  Her gaze swept from side to side. "The energy running through here is ... unusual. Do you feel it?"

  "Yes, but I doubt that I sense it as strongly as you do. I'm guessing the visual evidence is for those who may not pick up the power flowing across these walls." Quinn had been down here only once before. He glanced at the luminescent color that rippled across the rock surfaces forming the corridor, twelve feet tall by ten feet wide. No, now that he thought about it, across wasn't the right description.

  The color didn't appear reflected but rather a part of the wall, a living energy similar to bioluminescence emitted by organisms such as fireflies.

  This undulating glow, however, was not of the natural world.

  Adrianna commented, "I assume this is some kind of security put in place by Sen, correct?"

  "Yes." Quinn explained, "As I understand it, only one guard is required in this area. He or she has but to touch the wall for a second and shout of a prison break, which Sen will then hear. At that point, Sen activates the energy along these walls to prevent an escape."

  "Prevent? Or disintegrate the escapee?"

  "Good question. I'd put my money on disintegrate."

  Sen allowed no majik or power except his to be used inside headquarters.

  It took a full minute to traverse the tunnel. At the end, a floor-to-ceiling gate formed of silver crossbars prevented access past this point without authorization.

  The minute the Belador guard realized Quinn approached, he straightened his stance and drew his shoulders back. That pulled his collared shirt tight over the bulky upper body. Warm brown eyes peeked respectfully from the guard's pale face, and freckles dotted his nose, softening his lethal look. But that appearance would deceive only those unfamiliar with him.

  "I didn't know you were down here, Lionel," Quinn said, greeting the twenty-eight-year-old warrior. Turning to include Adrianna, Quinn said, "Adrianna, this is Lionel Macaffey, one of our Belador warriors who normally runs surveillance along the Chattahoochee River." In explanation, Quinn added, "VIPER sets up a rotation so that most of the field operatives spend one, perhaps two days at most, down here each year."

  Adrianna asked, "Why not assign one group to guard this area? Wouldn't that be more efficient and allow them to become familiar with protocol?"

  Lionel answered, "That's actually the reason we each take a turn. If no one is here more than once or twice a year, there's less chance a guard will become vulnerable to an inmate's influence."

  "Ah. That makes sense."

  It had been a while since Quinn had spoken with Lionel. The Belador's voice was a little deeper than Quinn remembered, and the fuzzy carrottop he'd last seen on this man was now buzz cut to a manageable quarter-inch length. Ready to get this dog and pony show moving, Quinn said, "We're on a tight timeline. I'm taking Adrianna to speak with Veronika. Did Sen inform you?"

  "Yes, Maistir. He alerted me just
ten minutes ago."

  That would have been right after Quinn had convinced Sen that his people had picked up a tip that Medb were going to be targeted. As the Belador Maistir, it was imperative that Quinn be allowed to take whatever action necessary to prevent that from happening, or the Beladors being blamed.

  When Sen had balked, Quinn added that he would be willing to discuss this with the Tribunal if Sen lacked the authority to grant them audience with Veronika.

  Sen had given him a cold stare and said, "I don't want to hear a word from anyone if that witch spins your heads around. Literally."

  Lionel faced the gate and spoke three strange words with long vowel phonemes, which sounded almost Asian. Another mysterious component of Sen's background.

  The gate opened into the cellblock.

  Quinn asked, "Do you know what those three words mean in English, Lionel?"

  "No. Sen made me repeat them until I had the enunciation perfect. I've never heard it before. The code changes daily, and I'm betting none of us knows that language. Just another of Sen's secrets."

  "True."

  Lionel told Quinn how to find his way to Veronika's cell, adding, "Both sides of all the walkways will appear solid until you reach her. The corridor wall to her cell will vanish as you approach and reappear as soon as you walk away. A ward prevents her from exiting, but allows conversation. I'll remain here unless you need me for anything."

  "We'll be fine on our own." Stepping aside, Quinn waved a hand. "After you, Adrianna."

  Once they were inside, the gate closed behind Quinn. He prepared himself to meet the witch who had shifted herself into Kizira's image the last time they'd met. But she would not get to him this time.

  If not for Adrianna being on the VIPER team, and now a friend of Evalle's, plus Tzader needing his help, Quinn wouldn't consider spending a minute in any witch's company ever again.

  He took the lead again as they navigated the endless corridors lit by a stingy strip of light glowing along the ceiling above them.

  At one point, Adrianna flinched and stopped, looking to her left.

  What had she sensed? "Adrianna?"

  She shook it off and said, "Sorry. It's just that I'm constantly experiencing different things since taking on Witchlock."

  "Did you feel something even through that stone barrier?"