Rise of the Gryphon (Belador #4)(78)

It would have to do. Lanna waited until enough customers surrounded the table to shield her slipping underneath at one end. She could not waste energy cloaking when she would need it later to leave undetected, or she would put Evalle and Storm in danger.

But what if Evalle needed her help again?

Lanna had not been seen helping Evalle.

She could do it again.





TWENTY-SEVEN





Evalle still ached from her last wounds, which should have healed all the way by now. She paced her holding room, pretending to be burning off anxiety when in truth she was trying to stretch out the tight muscle in her calf that complained with each step.

To avoid talking about her injury, she pointed out, “I haven’t seen Tristan since we got here. Or Kizira.”

“How bad is it?” Storm asked, totally disregarding her words.

“I’m talking about Tristan.”

“No, you’re avoiding telling me how bad your wound is.” He leaned against the table, arms crossed.

Guess she hadn’t hidden her lingering pain as well as she’d thought. “Not bad.”

Storm merely lifted an eyebrow, claiming that to be a lie.

“Not as bad as it could be,” she amended. “Maybe I’ll end up with Bernie, if he survived.” She could offer him relief if she could win the match against a shifted Alterant.

“He’s still alive, but Imogenia hasn’t fared so well.”

“What happened?”

“She used majik to help Bernie and got caught. I heard bits and pieces on the way to meet you. Kol took the Alterant and disfigured Imogenia to make a statement, then booted her.”

Poor Bernie. Kol would probably trade him to the Medb.

Storm scratched his chin, thinking. “Sandspur’s venom must have interfered with your ability to heal completely.”

As long as Storm knew what was going on, Evalle decided to try again. She stood very still and called up her beast power to heal herself. Her muscles rippled with an impending change to her beast. She stopped abruptly before that happened. “I’m trying to heal, but it’s not working. My body wants to shift all the way. I can’t control the power so I can stop at the point of healing like the other times.”

“Maybe when you’re this drained it won’t work unless you do shift all the way.” He held up a hand. “I’m not trying to convince you to shift, just thinking out loud.”

The ominous tap at the door sounded right before the guard stuck his head inside. “One minute.”

When the door closed, she looked at Storm, constantly wondering if any moment would be the last time she saw him.

He pushed off the table and walked to her, wrapping his arms around her. She hugged him back, drawing strength from just holding him. When she lifted her head, he kissed her so tenderly that she felt her eyes well up.

Breaking the kiss, he laid his palm on her face. “I won’t lose you. Do whatever it takes to win, because if you can’t walk out of there under your own power, I’ll destroy this place and everyone in it . . . except Lanna.”

No pressure there. “You heard what happened to Imogenia.”

“I don’t care.”

Her heart warmed at his declaration. If not for the fear that there was enough supernatural power in this place to blow a chunk out of the planet, she’d feel cheered at the idea of someone taking vengeance on her behalf.

He kissed her forehead and released her. “And if Tristan doesn’t come willingly . . .”

“I’ll leave without him.” But Tristan had been captured trying to save her. Why wouldn’t he leave if he had a chance to escape?

The guard opened the door again. Evalle gave Storm one last kiss, then left, not turning around again for fear of being unable to walk away from him.

Don’t let it end this way between us. Not when she’d found a man who understood her better than she understood herself.

His words tumbled through her mind. I won’t lose you.

She should have told him how much he meant to her.

Why hadn’t she? Because I’m a fool.

Next thing she knew, the silver bars of Gate Two were vanishing as Dame Lynn announced, “The final Elite battle match pits Moonlight Warrior entering from Gate One against Boomer entering from Gate Two.”

Evalle stepped forward, hands loose at her sides.

Sweeping a look over to find Storm, her gaze snagged on a face that disappeared in the crowd when she blinked. She would have sworn it was Horace Keefer this time. Was he actually here?

Or was Sandspur’s venom playing with her mind?

Locating Storm next, she looked back to where she thought she’d seen Horace, but he was gone.

Storm had told her about the Langau being caught, but until she received the all clear from Tzader, she couldn’t use telepathy to reach anyone. Otherwise, she’d call out to Horace and ask where he was at the moment.

She had to be mistaken.

Shouting erupted on all sides of her dome, snapping Evalle back around as the bars disappeared and her opponent entered from Gate Two.

She stepped in to find the ground hard-packed again.

At six and a half feet tall, Boomer had a cocky stride and carried a five-foot-long, two-inch-thick metal pole. His shoulders looked as wide as her sofa, and all he wore was a pair of red shorts. That’s all. No doubt that he would shift, but right now he was just showing off his bodybuilder physique.