Rise of the Gryphon (Belador #4)(18)
“Let’s get out of here. I need to figure out some things.” Like how she was going to convince anyone to help Tristan now.
VIPER, Macha and the Beladors would expect her to hunt Tristan and any other Alterant aligned with the Medb. Evalle had to get inside the beast championship—without Storm involved—and convince Tristan to leave with her.
She might as well bet on world peace as long as she was going for long shots.
FIVE
Hiking a mile up one side of a mountain then back down the other side at three in the morning in the face of a chilly breeze should have taken the edge off of Storm’s frustration.
But, no, he still wanted to rip something to pieces.
Evalle’s emotions had been flying around from anger to worry to irritation to anxiety to fury to something that felt very much like desire.
That last one might bring on the “Hallelujah Chorus” if not for his concern over her unusual roller-coaster emotions.
Evalle looked over at him, gaze dropping to the belt he now wore again. “You never told me what that stone from your belt buckle was worth.”
Not going to either. “It’s replaceable.” But she wasn’t, and that bone put her at risk. He groused, “That armband is coming off tonight.”
“No, it’s not,” Evalle argued. “You heard Imogenia. I can only give it to someone who wants it.”
“I’ll take it.”
“You don’t want this thing. You couldn’t shift into your jaguar form with this locked on your arm.”
“You can’t shift either,” he pointed out.
“I’m not supposed to unless I want to face a Tribunal hearing or get torched by Macha, so there’s no harm in it being on my arm.” She stalked along beside him. “It’s fine, Storm. I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not. You lost contact with me and your surroundings back there. I could feel the aggression rolling off of you.” He had his own aggression he’d like to release and nowhere to point it. “You’re wearing an armband with an artifact that can control spirits. We have no idea if that bone can do anything to the host owner.”
Evalle grumbled back, her voice as weary as her movements. “I’m tired and irritated, that’s all. I just found out that Tristan’s in a worse jam than I thought, and I’m not sure how to help him now.”
“That worthless Alterant is going to get you killed.” If that happened, Tristan would need the entire Medb Coven at his side when Storm went after him. “I know what you’re thinking.”
“Oh, really? You’re telepathic now?”
She hadn’t been this antagonistic since they first met, but he ignored the bite in her voice that a few hours of sleep might help. “You’re planning on going into that beast championship, which is the last place you should be. The Medb are actively looking for Alterants, and you already know they’re after you and don’t need to see your neon green eyes to recognize you on sight.” He shook his head.
“My choice.”
He would not snap at her. She didn’t mean to sound so cold and distant. It was the Volonte bone and exhaustion. “What if Tristan signed on voluntarily with the dark side?”
“I have to give him the benefit of the doubt, a chance to walk away.”
“And what if he hands you over to them?”
She walked along silently for another minute, then said, “He won’t do that.”
Her sense of loyalty was both admirable and damned irritating, because she gave it to someone who didn’t deserve the sacrifice she would make. “If you’re determined to go into the games, I’ll be your fighter.”
“No. You’re not risking your life again for this. It’s not your problem.”
Storm stopped.
When she did, too, and turned to him, he cupped her chin and cheek with his hand. “That’s my choice. You need a way to get inside the ABC and unload that armband. If you’re going in, then I’m going with you.”
“I have an idea of what to do.”
“Take that armband to VIPER?”
Wind whistled through the trees and swirled loose hairs around Evalle’s face. She swiped them out of her eyes. “Not exactly. I can’t just walk into VIPER and say I happened upon a Beast Club fighting ring and forgot to call it in, then entered my own fighter in the battles. Oh, and I ended up with a stolen Volonte bone to boot.”
“So what is your plan?”
“First I have to tell Macha what I’ve learned.”
Storm groaned. “Those conversations always end up with you bloody, owing her more, or both.”
Her voice was calm as she explained, “Not this time. I’ve found where Alterants will be congregating. Macha wants the Alterants found and Tristan to tell us what he knows about Alterant origins. I’ll point out to her that I had to go into the Beast Club tonight to see Imogenia because of my obligation to her. She’s got pull with VIPER. If she informs them about the Beast Club, they won’t question how she knows.”
Good point, if he trusted that goddess. Not a bit. “What about the armband?”
“She can tell VIPER she’s sending it into headquarters on my arm, which would be true, and that someone needs to take the armband to keep the Volonte safe. That should get this thing off my arm immediately, since Sen wouldn’t trust me with a magical paper clip.”