He admitted that he could take her life.
Just that easily?
She would have torn someone apart if they'd tried to convince her he could.
Her heart was shriveling with every confirmation of losing this war. But right now, she had to get Storm to Treoir without any blood being shed and him still in human form. If that meant taking control of the situation to protect him from others, and himself, she'd bite the bullet and do it.
She caught up with him as he reached out to press the elevator button. She demanded, "Do not do anything unless I give you an order."
He pulled his hand back and his lips parted for a second then slammed shut.
Sounding like his master appeared to be one way to make sure he didn't kill indiscriminately.
At least until she came up with a new option.
The look that passed over his face was filled with the kind of disgust he'd had for Nadina. That was to be expected if Evalle had any hope of pulling off the role, but this stupid master power was the only choice he'd left her. For now.
They still had to meet Sen.
Evalle said, "Put on the sunglasses."
He smirked. "I see what you're trying to do, but it won't work."
That just pissed her off, which would make this so much easier. "Let's get something clear. I've accepted my role as master. You underestimate me if you think I'm not going to use that to protect my Beladors."
Storm studied her a minute then his demon voice said, "Part of my job as your demon is to protect you, regardless of who attacks. That includes protecting you from the sun, which is only twenty minutes from rising. You're positive it's no longer your kryptonite?"
"Yes." She enjoyed his shock and explained, "I had hoped to share my first time here in daylight with you-or I should say my Storm-when we were together again, but since you've made it clear that what we had was nothing significant, I might as well get some sun with my new demon."
That struck a chord. He said, "I didn't say-"
She held up a hand. "Let's not waste any more time on yesterday. You want me to deal with reality, you got it."
His voice turned as cold as his attitude. "About time." He crossed his arms, standing to the side like a hired goon.
The best she could do to hide her feelings was to nod, punch the button and step into the elevator.
She didn't look at Storm, but when she opened her empathic sense to his emotions she picked up a glimmer of something she'd have to call regret. But was that just regret in general or that he would not be sharing something special with her?
Out on the street, predawn light had yet to brighten enough to shut off photocells on street lamps. Atlanta moved with a gentle bustle as the city came alive.
She had just seen a handful of workers heading for a diner on the street she and Storm had just crossed. She turned the corner and caught sight of a demon sneaking down the street to her right. He must have some cloaking spell because the humans who had just passed him paid no attention to his blue-black skin and seven-foot-tall body shaped like a praying mantis. All except his head. That was closer to a human's, with a mouth full of fangs where the mandible would be, a long bulbous nose and two bulging yellow eyes. The front legs had three straight claws on each one.
He was moving away from her destination in Woodruff Park, which was to her left, but she couldn't leave a demon walking around loose.
Well, all except the one under my control.
She whispered, "Did you see it?"
"Yes. I can take care of that one with little fuss."
"We'll go together."
Storm made a disparaging sound in his throat. "You're not getting a handle on this master thing, are you?"
That almost sounded like the old Storm who'd enjoyed poking at her, but every time she lowered her guard around this Storm, she suffered a backlash from the demon. She cocked her eyebrow at him. "You don't get to criticize my choices or refuse my orders, right?"
"Right." He ground out that word.
"In that case, I think I've got it down. Let's go."
She almost chuckled at his growl in response.
It took them a block of walking and avoiding several humans they met before Evalle saw a place where she could confront the demon. She fingered her spelled dagger that hung at her hip, but VIPER needed to find out where these demons had come from before she decapitated any.
"Why bloody your clothes when you have your own personal demon weapon?" Storm asked, keeping stride with her.
"Because first of all, I don't want to just kill him. I need to find out where he came from."
"I can capture him faster in my jaguar form."
"No!"
Storm's sigh said as much as his words. "I'll shift eventually whether you want me to or not. If you prevent me from killing or shifting, the time will come when I can't stop myself from either. If you wait until then, I may not recognize you as my master."
Was there nothing positive he could say to her? He just kept shutting down every idea she came up with and forcing her into a corner where the only way out was through his death. "I'll deal with that if and when it happens."
"There is no if."
Chapter 28
Evalle was so intent on Storm's threat that she didn't realize the demon they were tracking through downtown Atlanta had stopped moving.
Storm put his hand up to stall her forward progress and pointed toward where the demon stood next to a three-level building under construction.
"What's he doing, looking for a place to set up an office near Five Points?" she whispered.
"Stranger things have happened in this town."
True, but that demon seemed to be searching specifically for something. Or someone.
When the creature stepped through a dark opening, Storm dropped his hand from in front of her and took off to catch up with the demon.
Evalle was right beside him when he entered the bottom floor of the building. She gave her eyes a second to adjust, just in time to see the demon's legs moving up scaffolding to the second floor.
Waving Storm behind her to follow, which brought out another growl, Evalle climbed quietly up the scaffold, poking her head through the opening to the next floor to check out the area.
The demon was walking around the support walls that would probably house the elevator. He seemed to still be searching for someone.
Had he expected to find workers up here?
She checked her watch. Sunrise hit about ten minutes to eight this time of year. He was here ahead of the crew showing up.
Climbing the rest of the way until she could step off the scaffolding, she pulled out her dagger. Storm was right behind her, silent as a shadow when he stepped close.
She put up a hand for him to let her go first.
Walking out into the open space, she sniffed at the smell of fresh concrete.
And something else. Her next whiff came loaded with a rotted stench.
And the demon must have sensed her. He turned his scrawny body and angled his head, staring at her as if he tried to determine whether he knew her. The bulging eyes beamed bright yellow.
Evalle asked, "What are you doing in Atlanta?"
"Pay up. My master waits."
"Who is your master?" Storm asked, stepping up next to Evalle.
When the demon continued to stare, Evalle whispered to Storm, "Can you tell what that stinky smell is?"
"It's not one scent. It's a mash of more then ten scents. Someone is trying to mask the true odor."
"Pay. Me. Now." the demon ordered, which sounded weird coming out of something that had no pockets for money.
Evalle said, "What do you think I owe you?"
"Body."
"What's your flavor? Male or female?" she asked.
The demon cocked his head in a perfect confused dog look. "Master calls. Give me body."
"Whose body?"
Opening his mouth to answer, the demon arched and twisted, lifting off the ground. It bega
n spinning in a circle, faster and faster until the blue-black turned into a purple blur.
The human tornado made a pop sound and burst into purple ashes that blew away.
A creak sounded to the right as a new smell hit Evalle that she did recognize.
Evalle and Storm swung around to where two men stood next to the scaffolding. One was short with a buzz cut on the sides of his head, a fuzzy patch of hair on top and wearing a poorly made brown suit. The other one was tall with curly red hair, ruddy skin to match and a bright orange jogging suit.
They stank of burned limes.
Medb warlocks.
Storm's fingers lengthened into claws and his face started to change shape.
"Do not shift!" Evalle ordered.
He swung jaws at her that were already widening for the fangs and snarled.
"No. Stop it."
He slipped back into his human form, shook his shoulders and twisted his neck, muttering, "Your death."
Maybe, but that was her choice.
The warlocks advanced, showing no signs of threat, yet. The taller one said, "You will report to your VIPER that we have rescued yet another agent from a dangerous demon."
Good thing Storm had her sunglasses on or these two self-appointed demon catchers might want to add Storm to their list.
Evalle asked the warlocks, "What are you doing here? The Medb are not allowed in VIPER territory."
"We are now."
She laughed. "I should just believe you?"
The tall one shrugged. "Matters not. We have Sen's permission."Did they expect her to trust their word that Sen would go against a Tribunal ruling, one that had stood for centuries?
Why not ask the resident lie detector?
She turned to Storm who said, "They speak the truth."
Now what?
Storm asked the pair, "Why are you killing demons?"
"We are following orders," the short one said.
"From whom?"
"We do not have to answer that."
Evalle picked up Storm's line of question. "Did someone in the Medb send you?"
"We don't have to answer that."
She looked around. "Must be an echo in this place. Let's try this again." She speared the tall one with her next question. "Did the Medb release demons into Atlanta?"
Their joint hesitation was answer enough.
And with Evalle figuring that out, the rules of engagement changed in a heartbeat.
Whipping his arm across his chest, the tall Medb released a blast of energy.
Evalle and Storm dove away from each other, leaving the spot vacant. She threw up a wall of kinetic energy, driving the tall one back, but had to hold up from harming Storm who had moved as a blur toward the second Medb.
When Storm came back into focus, he and his Medb were wrapped up battling. Sharp spikes had shot out of that Medb's head like a human porcupine before Storm could get a chance to rip his head off. The Medb released a purple smoke that began wrapping Storm in a cocoon.
Had there been a sale on black majik smoke lately?
The Medb Evalle held off with her kinetics struck her energy field with one blast after another of energy that rolled off his hands in fiery bursts.
She was starting to feel the heat come through.
Her Alterant power was stronger than a pure Belador's, but the weakness from the Belador blood had been manifesting itself since she left Treoir.
She tried calling out telepathically. Trey! Can you hear me?
Silence answered her.
Storm hadn't shifted but his claw-tipped hands were slashing away the cocoon and advancing on the Medb he fought at the same time. That little warlock was spewing smoke for all he was worth, which meant the minute he ran out, Storm would have him.
Evalle started backing up, but at some point the concrete floor would run out. She could defeat this warlock as a gryphon, but Tzader had warned her not to shift in the mortal world until the Tribunal had ruled on guidelines for such a thing.
She was going to get torched by a crazy warlock because of red tape.
Evidently this warlock had a limited supply of fireballs, because he tossed one that fizzled before it hit her kinetic wall. Good thing too, because the ball broke through and rolled to a stop near her boot.
She stomped her boots, releasing blades and pulled her dagger up from where she'd dropped it back into its sheath to use her kinetics.
Something crashed on the other side of the empty elevator tower. She hoped that wasn't Storm losing because she'd denied him the ability to shift.
Should I let him?
Not without a guarantee he could come back to his human form.
"You will be a gift to our queen," the tall Medb said, laughing as he raised his arms.
Evalle laughed at him. "You have no queen. Flaevynn is dead."
His yellow eyes glistened, smug with a secret. "She was not the true queen. We are now the power to be reckoned with."
She didn't need Storm to know this warlock was speaking the truth. His words were pure boast and confident at that. Dread climbed up her spine. She needed to capture him to find out what the Medb were up to, because whoever was in charge had cut a deal with someone, but whom?
Sen would only allow them to stay if the Tribunal authorized it. Trey hadn't said a word about anything of the kind. As far as Evalle was concerned, these Medb were here without permission.
Evalle and the warlock she fought circled each other, two fighters watching for any weakness.
A loud growl and scream jerked Evalle's attention for a second, giving her opponent an opening to attack.
The warlock rushed her.
She shoved up a kinetic field that he broke through, arms stretched straight out with sharp fingernails that extended two inches long before he gouged her abdomen, driving her to the ground.
Her stomach was on fire.
She whipped her dagger across his throat.
He yanked a hand away from her to grab at the clean slice where nasty Medb blood gushed from his neck.
A boot kicked him aside.
Storm grabbed her dagger and finished cutting the warlock's head off, then he dropped down beside her and leaned over her with his hands covering the ten holes in her belly. "Why didn't you let me kill him?"
It hurt to breathe. She squeezed out, "Wanted to interrogate ... him."
"For VIPER? Why don't you just jump off a cliff if you're that determined to die?"
"I'm not suicidal."
"Could have fooled me. Why aren't you healing yourself or can't you use your new gryphon power? That would be just like you to go along with whatever orders Macha issued just for you."
"That's not why. The Belador side of my blood is weak with Brina not in the castle. I ... can't call up my beast to heal myself."
He cursed and pressed on the wounds then started murmuring words. After a moment the words took on a life, sounding like a chant. Something old that Evalle had heard before.
It was Navajo.
The pain eased until she could breathe again.
When he quieted and moved his hands, he studied the wounds that had sealed. A muscle jumped in his jaw. "It's not healed. You have to fix it internally. I can't do that."
He could have at one time, but she wouldn't push him beyond what he'd done. She reached up and pulled the glasses away.
"Did you think that little chant would get rid of my red eyes?" he asked.
Yes, but she wasn't going to admit that. "Just curious." She put the glasses back on Storm and pushed up to a sitting position. She grimaced against the needle-sharp pain attacking her stomach and grunted out, "I'm good."
"No, you're not," he argued. "I told you I couldn't heal you internally."
"Got it. No Navajo juju available." She ignored his hand offering to pull her up and gritted her teeth as she reached her feet. Then wobbled sideways.
He muttered a scathing curse and caught her to him.
She leaned in, smelling his scent. D
emon or not, he smelled like Storm.
Her abdomen ached, but there was no way she could heal it until she got to Treoir where her powers would get a boost. But to do that, she risked walking Storm into a potential trap with Sen. If the Tribunal had agreed to allow the Medb to hunt demons, then Evalle had no idea if she could trust Sen meeting Storm.
She took a step back out of his arms. "I have to ask you something."
"No, you don't. You have the power to order me."
Don't yell at him for acting like a demon asswipe. "Then I'm going to order you to choose whether you want to go to Treoir or not."
"Why would you do that?"
"Because you said nothing has ever been your choice. Saving Brina and the Beladors is my choice, but I'm not going to force you to do it. First we'd have to get past Sen who might be playing ball with the Medb. Don't ask me why, but it's possible, which means he might figure out your demon status."
Storm listened, no expression of concern.
Evalle continued, "Then, if he teleports us to Treoir, Macha is an unpredictable force. She would not allow the druids to bring in anyone with dark arts to remove the Noirre threads on Brina's hologram. I can only imagine her reaction if she realizes you're a demon."
"You're the master. I go where you go."
"If that's the case, I'll take you to my underground apartment and leave you there while I go to Treoir."
Storm became very still, working through his answer. "If you show up empty-handed, Macha will hold you responsible."
A very real possibility. Evalle lifted her shoulders. "You're a demon. That shouldn't matter to you."
His lips flattened into a line. "It doesn't. All the word games in the world won't change the fact that I'm dead inside. I'm only assessing a threat to you, because that's what my job is. I would have had to do the same for Nadina."
She snapped, "Don't ever put me in the same category as her."
"I didn't. You did when you took possession of me. But to get back to the point, the answer is yes. I'll go to Treoir with you."
His easy agreement should have thrilled her, not raised warning flags. It wasn't that he'd agreed so readily, but he'd sounded as if he wanted to go.
She hated not knowing this Storm and why he would or would not do something, but she couldn't waste any more minutes figuring it out right now.
"Just as long as you're doing it of your own free will." She grimaced at another wave of pain through her middle. She clutched her stomach with her hand.
That drew his eyes to her abdomen. His mouth twisted with a bitter thought. "You got what you wanted. I choose to do this. If we're going then let's get moving."