Blood Trinity (Belador #1)(92)

“Is this where I get to phone a friend?” She made a subtle move with her feet into a fighting position.

Must not have been that subtle, because the leader’s gaze dipped to her feet, then rose back to her face, unconcerned.

She couldn’t use her powers against a human, and he was the size of Texas. She thought about calling Tzader, but he couldn’t get here fast enough if she did. And she wasn’t sure what these weapons would do to Tzader and Quinn.

Her gaze stopped on one weapon to read the word engraved on the side. NYGHT.

Isak was kidnapping her.





TWENTY-NINE




“Shh, Brutus,” Laurette whispered when she tiptoed down her hallway to take a look in on the sleeping man in the living room. The night-light she’d left on gave the room a pink glow, pushing the early morning dark away from his angular face.

Holding the stone in her hand, she could read the mantel clock that had belonged to her granddad. Not quite three in the morning yet.

Vyan was still there and more dangerous looking than earlier with his beard now starting to grow in. The pink cast was strangely beautiful on his Mediterranean-dark skin, which she wouldn’t have been able to see if not for this magical rock she clutched in her fingers. The Sunday she’d found it seemed a long time ago, but today was only Tuesday.

Two days of having her vision back.

But now she had this man who actually knew about the rock.

And he’d stepped in front of her to protect her from that lightning-bolt-throwing guy. Why would he risk his life for her like that?

Being the brave dog he was, Brutus padded his way over to the inert man, circling him to sniff at his shoulder.

She squatted down and waved her hand to call Brutus back to her, but he had selective eyesight and ignored her. When she hissed at him to come back, the man’s eyes opened and he turned his head to face her.

Dear Lord. He had two pupils in each eye.

Breathing became impossible.

She should have stayed in her room with the chair jammed under the knob.

“Hello.” His dry voice had a funny accent. She’d noticed something Middle Eastern–sounding in the park, but now she also picked up warm and friendly.

She tried out her voice. “Hello.”

Brutus had lain down next to the man’s side and was currently getting his back rubbed.

The man continued to stare at her until she felt pressed to say something. “Who are you?”

“I am Vyan of the Kujoo.”

Watching him for any signs of aggression, she asked, “How’d you end up here?”

His eyes smiled, as if he’d been asked an easy question she should have been able to answer. “You brought me here.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“The stone you hold brought me here with you then.”

That could have been the case. She’d been standing in Piedmont Park with this guy lying across Brutus’s leash, which she’d been holding when she’d said she wanted to come home. Everything had blurred. She’d felt as though something had been sucking her down a wind tunnel, then all motion had stopped and she was sitting here with Brutus and this guy.

With an injured Vyan. She brushed her tongue over her parched lips. “Who was the guy that hurt you?”

“His name is Tristan.”

“Why were you fighting him?”

“He wants the rock you have and will harm you to get it.”

The thumping in her chest should be loud enough to wake the neighbors. She’d been searching the creek in the park to see if she could find any more glowing rocks when she’d encountered Vyan, Tristan and a strange woman, none of whom seemed to be friends. “Why does he want this rock?”

“You know the answer to that.”

Okay, she did realize that anyone would want a magical rock, but she wasn’t giving it up and losing her vision. She was happy to have someone she could talk to about this rock. “What does he plan to use the rock for?”

“For evil reasons that you may not believe.”

She made a rude sound from deep in her throat. “If this had been two days ago, I might agree, but I’m holding a rock that gives me perfect vision and transported me home. This was after you pulled a sword on that Tristan guy, who had the power to throw lightning bolts at you. And a woman stepped in to stop him with some invisible power that made a force field of some sort. And your eyes aren’t exactly normal. What makes you think I won’t believe anything you have to tell me?”

He laughed, and the room filled with the pleasure of his happiness. “You are correct. I had not considered your experience with the Ngak Stone.”

“Nak stone?”

“Yes, the Ngak Stone.” He studied her eyes. “So you are blind?”

She flushed with self-conscious embarrassment. “Not yet, but I’m losing my eyesight.”

“You must find another way to regain your sight. This stone is dangerous to keep. I will protect you as long as I can, but that time is limited and I will soon be outnumbered.”

How many more people like Vyan were floating around Atlanta? She should have realized finding a magic stone would come with fine print. Standing up, she made a decision. “I guess you’re not going to rape and murder me if you haven’t yet.” She almost laughed at the horrified look on his face until his expression changed to anger.