Blood Trinity (Belador #1)(89)

Tzader moved toward her, but Storm said, “I got her.”

He stepped in front of Evalle and placed his hands on each side of her face. “Focus on me. You will not change. Breathe slowly.”

His words mingled with Adrianna’s chanting until the sound was one constant mantra that stood as a wall against the monster stomping inside her, waiting to break free.

Energy ripped through her, jarring her teeth when she shook. She lost contact with everything. Colors showered behind her eyes. Purple. Red. Orange. Green.

Had she shifted and insanity taken over?

The colors subsided until white blanketed her mind. Warm fingers touched her skin, sending gentle waves of white to wash away the heat and pain.

When she regained consciousness, Evalle was clutching someone’s shirt. His arms were around her, supporting her weight against weak knees. She inhaled, trying to calm the trembling in her body.

Storm had her. She knew his scent. Warm, natural, earthy.

She opened her eyes and looked up at him.

He dropped his chin. “Okay now?”

“Did I change?”

His lack of quick answer and swallow told her she’d done something. “Why don’t you sit down?”

She let him lower her to the swing. Her leg didn’t throb anymore. Adrianna stood to the side, hands clasped in front of her. Tzader and Quinn exchanged worried expressions that made Evalle think they’d also spoken telepathically. But not to her.

“What happened?” Evalle had learned at an early age that avoiding the truth only delayed the consequences.

Rowan spoke up. “Adrianna drew the Noirre venom out of you.”

Evalle didn’t want to owe anyone for anything, especially a Sterling witch, but she had to give the woman her due for what she’d done. “Thank you.”

Adrianna merely gave a little dip of her head.

“What else?” Evalle asked, directing her question to Tzader.

He heaved a long sigh and looked around at the team when he answered her. “The venom caused you to change into battle form. Nothing else.”

Why had he hesitated? If anyone told a different story, Evalle would be out of time with the Tribunal and Tzader would have to stand trial right behind her for trying to suppress evidence against an Alterant.

Evalle’s pulse thumped a rapid beat. She took in each expression on the porch, every calm and understanding demeanor matching the compassion she felt coming toward her in waves, until she faced Adrianna, who merely lifted a single taunting eyebrow.

Adrianna was the one person who would not sugarcoat the truth.





TWENTY-EIGHT




Evalle would not ask anyone to support her, but she didn’t want Tzader to go under the bus for defending her.

Storm spoke up. “That’s what I saw—Evalle in battle form.”

She swung around, lost for what to say. Storm had just backed Tzader’s claim that she hadn’t shifted into her Alterant beast state.

Storm gave her a look that asked, Surprised? then passed a challenging glance at the rest of the team.

Quinn shrugged. “It was never in question.”

Evalle smiled at him, letting Quinn know that she knew how he’d vote regardless.

“Looked like battle form to me,” Trey concurred.

Lucien shifted his attention to the Sterling witch. “We’re all in agreement, right, Adrianna?”

For the second time tonight, Evalle’s fate rested with the same witch whose cherry red lips curled in a smile of mock innocence. “I’m not familiar with battle form.”

There was a collective tensing.

Adrianna moved a dainty shoulder in a sexy shrug. “I only saw a reaction to the Noirre majik venom and Evalle is now healed. I see no threat. So let it be said, so let it be known.”

Adrianna’s smirk would normally have set Evalle off, but she couldn’t take exception when the woman had just healed her leg and given her safe passage out of this situation.

One thing Evalle had heard about a Sterling witch was that once she said, “So let it be said, so let it be known,” Adrianna could not recant or deny her words.

Honor among black majik witches? But this one had shown a side of consideration Evalle hadn’t expected.

“Thank you,” Evalle told her again and this time with true sincerity. Not enjoying being the center of attention, she changed the topic. “Let’s talk about the Ngak Stone.”

Trey spoke up. “I had a call from Sen. He said Shiva told him the stone had been located and would bind with its new master by Wednesday morning when sunlight strikes the spot where she found it. But Shiva still didn’t say who the woman was.”

Evalle stood and moved over to lean against the banister so that she wasn’t lower than everyone on the porch. Her jeans flopped where Adrianna had torn the material, but other than feeling bruised, her leg was much better. “I don’t know exactly where the stone is at this moment, but I think it’s still in this area. I found the woman who has it. She was in the park with the stone, and that Kujoo Vyan showed up.”

Quinn asked, “Who was the woman?”

Evalle heaved a tired sigh. “I don’t know and doubt anyone else here will know her, because she’s … human.”

“What?” The single word rang out around the veranda.