Blood Trinity (Belador #1)(22)

Ever.

Don’t start now.

True to his alpha DNA, Isak took charge. “Here’s the plan. In sixty secs, my people will draw the police’s attention. I wave you out, you go right. Once you’re clear, I go.”

She normally bristled under any authority, but she’d let him have his way since she had to make the most of every minute between now and daylight. “Works for me.”

He started past her, then paused and swung around. His fingers wrapped around her upper arm in a firm, but nonthreatening, way.

Her muscles clenched with the need to lash out, but hitting someone who was trying to help her wasn’t a normal response. She might even hurt him if she didn’t keep her power in check.

His fingers slid off her arm, erasing her irrational sense of threat. “Thirty minutes. The Varsity … or else.”

Or else what?

She would’ve asked, but time was ticking and she needed to get out of here.

Turning away, he went to the door and held an electronic device up to the security panel. He waited for the lights to turn off before he opened the door an inch and peered out.

She stared at his back, glued to the spot. Her skin still felt embossed where he’d touched her. No man had ever left her breathless before. Not even the ripped warrior gods at VIPER who were as daunting as a fully loaded tank …

And Isak was only human.

Then again … She swept a look down his shapely backside.

Most women would call that a god.

And in all honesty, he did make her wish she could break through the scars of her past and feel normal—like any other woman around an attractive man.

But that had been cruelly ripped from her, and she didn’t know if she’d ever be able to overcome it.

Sometimes dead wasn’t dead enough …

Isak gave her the high sign. It was time. She took a deep breath and moved forward.

Racing past him, she gave a quick glance at the cops on her left who’d gathered around the electric gate with their backs to her. She took off fast in the opposite direction.

She didn’t stop until she was out of sight. Stepping into a dark alcove, she peered over her shoulder in time to see Isak walk across the street with a deceptively nonchalant pace and dissolve into the shadows like he owned them.

Who was that guy?

She shook her head. Now was not the time to contemplate him, his hotness or his bizarre quirks.

She took a convoluted trek back to her bike since Atlanta’s finest stood between her and the most direct route. The detour cost her ten of her thirty minutes.

That was all right though.

The Varsity was an easy eleven-minute ride. She could have made it in eight, provided a state trooper wasn’t running radar.

But why take the chance for only three minutes?

Just as she reached for her helmet, her cell phone vibrated with a text message. She fished her phone out of her jacket pocket and read the message:

Red-V-2.

That was code for “your butt needs to be at VIPER HQ in two hours, not one minute late.”

The only excuse Sen would accept for running late was death. And even then he’d want blood.

He’d probably write her up for it, too. After all, death was no excuse for dereliction of duty.

But there was one slight problem with his order. VIPER’s HQ was two hours north of Atlanta. If she left immediately, she’d barely make it in time.

Of course … she’d also be riding in full daylight.

Isak would be at the Varsity to talk about his Birrn hunting, and he didn’t strike her as the kind of guy who’d handle being stood up real well.

So that left only one question. Which one of them could she least afford to severely piss off?





FOUR




“Where’s the Alterant?”

Tzader didn’t care for the way Sen always referred to Evalle as “the Alterant,” as if she was a tumor on his ass and not one of their most valuable assets. He gave the man his best eat-shit-and-die glare.

It didn’t faze VIPER’s head ballbuster one bit.

So Tzader tried a little more tact to soothe Sen’s trauma. “She’ll be here.”

“By 0700? The others are already in the war room. We don’t have time to wait on a mongrel.”

Tzader had to ride herd on his tongue, which really wanted to put Sen in his place. Tzader didn’t like him on his best day.

And this definitely wasn’t one of those.

It seriously griped him that Sen couldn’t give Evalle her due. She was twice the agent of many of them, yet Sen continued to pick at her like some inept newbie fresh on their force.

However, punching the arrogant prick in his face wouldn’t accomplish much, so Tzader changed the topic away from Evalle. “Why are we here, anyway?” If VIPER had caught wind of the Cresyl attack, Tzader was sure he’d have been contacted by Brina herself. And Sen would have teleported Evalle up here immediately. If for no other reason than Sen knew she hated teleporting.

Worthless pig.

Sen gave him a snide once-over. “If you want to hear about the mission this morning, stay. Otherwise have Trey brief you and Quinn later. I refuse to waste breath going over details twice.” He checked his watch. “The Alterant has sixteen minutes to arrive.”

“You sure old Mickey there isn’t fast?” Tzader shouldn’t have bothered. Sarcasm was usually lost on imbeciles.