Blood Trinity (Belador #1)(88)

His sarcastic dig jacked up her hackles again. She turned on him, but Tzader caught her by the arm. “Let’s get up on the porch, killer, and see what we can do with that leg.”

She hated handing control over to anyone.

“Don’t make me use my majik,” Storm warned her. “You’ve stretched the outer boundaries of my control by making me watch you limp in pain for a mile. Get up there or I will carry you.” He walked ahead of her up to the porch.

Her mouth fell open. Was Storm really that worried about her being injured?

“My, my, that’s interesting.” Quinn’s voice switched to mild curiosity. He looped his arm around her waist. “Lean on me, sweetheart.”

When she reached the top landing, Quinn swung her to the left side of the porch and settled her on a wooden swing wide enough for three people.

Rowan came to squat down by Evalle’s injured leg. “Been a long time since I’ve seen you. Sorry it isn’t under better circumstances.”

“Me, too. How’s Sasha?”

“Sleeping. Ready to have the baby. Trey doesn’t want her around any of this.”

The last time Evalle had been around Rowan was before Trey had married her sister. Of the two witch sisters, Rowan was the more powerful of the two, but they were white witches. “Can you get the Noirre majik out of my leg, Rowan?”

“I don’t know. We’re not supposed to go near any form of black majik, but that might not apply to drawing it out of a wound. Let me try to touch it first.” Rowan waited until Tzader gently lifted Evalle’s leg, then turned her hand palm up beneath the gash in Evalle’s jeans. She moved her hand up until her fingers were a half-inch away, then jerked her hand back with a hiss. “The Noirre is burning my skin.”

Trey had been watching. “What about you, Lucien? Can you draw out the venom like you pulled the insanity out of Rowan that time she was possessed?”

Rowan had been possessed by an evil spirit two years ago when Trey had battled Vyan.

Lucien said, “No, I can’t. That possession had originated with the Kujoo magician. I can’t overturn something spelled by a witch.”

Evalle didn’t miss the intimate look that passed between Rowan and Lucien for a fleeting second. Word was he did not like witches, white, black or any other kind. But he liked something about Rowan.

Storm gave Lucien an assessing once-over. “How do you know it’s spelled by a witch?”

Lucien’s face barely changed when his lips turned up with an arrogant smile. “I just do.”

Surprise lit several faces on the porch, Evalle’s being one. She’d heard that Lucien had faced off with Rowan once when she’d been possessed and had gone airborne to attack. He’d stopped her by just putting his hand against her chest, then he’d drawn the dark energy out of her long enough for her to regain control.

Rowan lifted disappointed eyes to Evalle. “I’m sorry. But if I can’t help you, maybe …” She looked across her shoulder, past the men on either side of her, toward the far end of the porch.

“Let me take a look.” Adrianna stepped out of a black shadow where she’d been standing in a corner. Apart from the team.

Evalle spoke to Tzader mind-to-mind. I don’t want her touching me.

I don’t either, but we’re out of choices unless you have an idea.

I haven’t had a reaction yet. We could wait.

But what if you do have a reaction and start changing? I couldn’t stop Trey or anyone else from contacting Sen at that point.

Fear over being touched by a Sterling witch caused Evalle to drop her vigilance against the change that still clawed the inside of her body. Her arms rippled with energy.

Rowan hadn’t noticed when she’d stood up and backed out of the way, but Adrianna paused, eyeing the skin that moved along Evalle’s arms beneath the ragged sleeves. The witch’s gaze lifted to meet Evalle’s, waiting for her to decide what she wanted to do.

Evalle licked her dry lips and came to a decision. “Fine. Take a look.”

A shapely eyebrow swooped up on Adrianna’s smooth forehead, but she didn’t respond to the biting voice. “Stand up.”

Tzader helped Evalle to her feet.

“Move over here,” Adrianna said, directing Evalle away from the swing to the center of the porch, where everyone backed up to make a circle around her. “Face away from me.”

Taking a moment to accept what she couldn’t change, Evalle inched around on her leg, which felt twice its size even though she knew it hadn’t actually swollen.

Adrianna dropped down behind her.

The back of Evalle’s jeans ripped open. She didn’t think Adrianna had touched the material or used a sharp object to rip the material. Only majik.

Adrianna’s fingers spread across the back of Evalle’s calf, and she started chanting, “Queen of dark and queen of hell, hearken to this witch’s spell …”

The burning sensation tripled. Evalle’s breaths were coming in fast pants. Her lungs were closing up.

Dots swam through her gaze.

When she looked for help in the crowd, everyone’s eyes were on Adrianna but Storm’s.

He vibrated with the effort it took him to stand in place.

Pain burst through Evalle’s body. Her arms ruptured with cartilage exploding and changing into beast form. She couldn’t stop it.