Rise of the Gryphon (Belador #4)(52)

Wouldn’t do it.

Now that she thought about it, that might have been the reason Sen had been so happy. He’d figured out a way to force her into conflict with the Beladors and VIPER.

She’d write that on her worry list for later.

Speaking of worry, she still had to get Lanna settled, check on Grady, who she hoped was not infected, and ask if the old ghoul had any intel on the beast championship.

Storm shrugged over Sen’s ultimatum. “I’ll deal with Sen Monday.”

Evalle didn’t want to leave, but she had to convince Storm that all was fine, then get moving. “Thanks for helping them track those Langaus, especially now that I have my hands full with Lanna.”

He tossed a glance over his shoulder at the truck before his gaze returned to her with a challenge. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

What kind of question was that?

One she couldn’t answer truthfully without giving away her plan. When all else failed, fake it.

Evalle dropped the don’t-screw-with-me face into place that she used when kicking demon butt and snapped, “What do you mean, is there something I’m not telling you?”

Please tell me Storm bought that.

Storm took a step back and raised both hands in a sign of surrender. “Easy. That came out wrong.”

Sold. She kept her jaw clenched to avoid grimacing over tricking him and just nodded her okay.

“You’re not trying to leave town without me, right?”

He was not part of her plan to enter the beast championship, but what could she say and not get caught in a lie?

“You want the truth, Storm? I don’t want you to go.”

When he looked surprised at her blatant admission, she drove on, hoping to sell this, too. “Bernie might have been a pushover for an Alterant, but others won’t be. I know you’re capable of killing pretty much anything you fight. The problem is that Alterants are an unknown entity. We come with a mixed bag of tricks and powers.”

“I have my own mixed bag of powers.”

Thickheaded man. She wanted to beat some sense into him. “I know. I saw you rip the head off a demonic troll, but you knew what you were up against. At the Achilles Beast Championship, you would face Alterants with no learning curve in your favor, because I doubt any two of them will be exactly the same. One bad injury and you’ll be at the mercy of the next fighter. An Alterant has tremendous recovery ability in beast state.” She put her hands up to each side of his face. “Please don’t make me watch you get bloodied.”

A growl started deep inside Storm, rumbling up through his chest. His shoulders tensed with unleashed frustration. “I won’t be the one getting bloody.” He huffed out a sigh that blew fine hairs around her face. “Stop thinking I’m going to die.”

“So now you’re immortal?” What was it about men, especially alphas, that made them believe they were indestructible?

“Of course not, but you know I’m the best choice and I’ll survive.”

That burrowed under her skin and started irritating her with a burning need to have the last word. She crossed her arms and should probably leave this alone, but the harder he pushed her on this, the more she was determined to win. “If you’re not immortal, then technically you can’t say you won’t die, or you’d be lying. Right?”

He crossed his arms, too, and leaned down, shoving his dark gaze at her to make his point. “You don’t have an argument. Bottom line? You aren’t going inside that place without me.”

“Since when did you get it in your head that you’re calling all the shots?”

“Since you came back with that damned bone on your arm and no backup from VIPER.”

“That’s my problem, not yours,” she shouted, shoving up in his face. She needed this stupid bone for any hope of getting into the the beast battles as an observer and not revealing her Alterant status. Did he really think she’d give it up? “Bottom line? I’m not taking it off.”

“The hell you aren’t,” he blasted right back at her. He raised his hands in a sign of frustration and muttered, “You’re making me insane.”

She opened her mouth to give him another dose of her anger and he grabbed her shoulders, crushing his mouth to hers. A demanding kiss, so unlike Storm. One filled with both hunger and caring. After a moment, he moved his hands to cup her face, holding her in place, easing the kiss until he took her on a ride through heaven with his mouth.

Slowly, her anger simmered down, muscles relaxing under the onslaught of new nerves bursting to life. When his fingers smoothed over her face and down her arms, she dropped her forehead on his shoulder, content to just be for a moment in her life.

She let out an earthy sigh.

He growled near her ear, gripping her shoulders again. He eased her away from him, cursing softly. “We can’t . . . do this.”

“Why?” She blinked, trying to focus. “You’re blurry.”

Taking a couple of ragged breaths, he told her, “It’s the damn bone influencing you. I don’t want to increase the spell I wove around you, so work on calming your thoughts.”

She did, and once her breathing evened out, she could see him clearly, right down to the vexation on his face. “Sorry about blasting you just now.”