Blood Trinity (Belador #1)(3)
Tzader frowned. “You work for VIPER?”
VIPER—Vigilante International Protectors Elite Regiment—was a multinational coalition of all types of unusual beings and powerful entities created to protect the world from supernatural predators. Beladors made up the majority of VIPER’s force, and if that really was Tzader Burke across from her, he’d know the only free Alterant worked with VIPER. Might as well cop to it. “I’m in the southwestern region.”
Quinn cleared his throat. “I’m with VIPER as well and was on my way to investigate a Birrn demon sighting in Salt Lake City when I heard the call. What about you two?”
“Meeting an informant in Wendover,” Tzader replied, mentioning the small gaming town at the Utah-Nevada border. “What were you doing in this area tonight, Alterant?”
Following a lead I have no intention of sharing with you … dickhead.
When she didn’t answer, Tzader chuckled in a humorless way that brushed a ripple of unease across her skin. “Listen, sweetheart. We might have another couple hours, or we might only have a couple minutes. The Medb don’t ransom. They trap, plunder minds, use bodies in hideous ways and toss the carcasses into a fire pit. I could reach Brina even this far below ground, but I can’t get through the spell coating these walls. So there’s not going to be a Belador cavalry charging in to save us. You either join up and help us find a way to escape, or prepare for the worst death you can imagine.”
As if she didn’t know the stakes….
And hadn’t already lived through a fate worse than death. They had no idea who and what they were dealing with.
“I quite agree, love,” Quinn added. “I can understand your resistance to trusting anyone after being caught in this trap. I, too, want that traitorous Belador’s head as a hood ornament on my Bentley, but none of us will have any chance to discover his identity if we don’t survive, and that endangers all our people.”
Evalle would give him that, but hanging here manacled to a rock wall by majik didn’t exactly instill a sense of camaraderie in her. More like, it brought back memories that made her seethe.
She held the key to possibly overpowering the Medb—a physical ability to shift into a more powerful form that might afford the three of them the combined energy to fight their way out of here. But using that ability would expose the secret she’d shielded for five years and give the Tribunal, the ruling body of VIPER, all the reason they’d need to lock her up.
Adult Alterants did not get a second chance for any infraction. The four male Alterants with unnaturally pale green eyes like Evalle’s had shifted into hideous beasts over the past six years and killed humans—and Beladors—before being imprisoned.
When she’d turned eighteen and an old druid had appeared and informed Evalle of her destiny to be a Belador warrior, Evalle had explained how the dark sunglasses she wore constantly protected her ultrasensitive eyes. By the time the Beladors had realized her eyes were the pale green of an Alterant, she hadn’t shifted or posed a danger. For that reason alone, the Belador warrior queen Brina had asked the Tribunal to allow her warriors to train Evalle with the understanding by all parties of what would happen if Evalle shifted.
They would cage the beast if it ever made its presence known.
These two Beladors in the cave with her had taken a vow to uphold the Belador Code of protecting humanity—which also meant reporting any Alterant who shifted.
Evalle had almost changed into a beast once.
Almost.
Even now, she didn’t know if she could do it and maintain control. Which meant she could shift and the Medb could still kill her.
So her only real option for escape depended on trusting these two men enough to link so the three of them could use their cumulative natural abilities to defeat the Medb.
If not …
Casket time.
Her choices narrowed by the heartbeat, and Quinn had a valid point. She couldn’t find the one who had betrayed her and make him pay if she died in this underground prison.
“I’m Evalle. My reason for being in this area tonight is personal.” She shot her attention to the one who would clearly lead a charge against the Medb. “Got a plan, Master T?”
“Working on it. They must have used water from Loch Ryve to coat the walls and hold the spell. That’s the only substance I’ve ever known of that can drain Belador powers. I don’t know how long we’ve been down here, but it’s probably been working on us for awhile—”
“Not my powers,” she corrected, enjoying a moment of satisfaction over another unexpected difference between her and the pure bloods. “I’m at full strength.”
Tzader paused for a moment, then nodded. “Good. That’s one plus for us, but we’re losing power, right, Quinn?”
“Correct. I’m probably at half strength, which is why we must strike soon while we’re still capable of battling.”
Evalle looked across at both men. “Either of you have an idea how many we have to fight to get out?”
“Best I could tell, there were five Medb warlocks and the one traitorous Belador.” Tzader’s deep voice hardened on the last word. He was either just as pissed off as her or a very convincing liar. “Didn’t get a good look at the fifth Medb, but he wasn’t big and wore a priest’s robe. This is a war party of hunters. If they were taking us to someone higher, we’d be gone. They plan to torture information out of us or maybe use us to bait another trap. I want blood from that traitor, too, but I won’t let the Medb hurt another Belador regardless of what that bastard did.”