The Curse (Belador #3)(110)

The VIPER pilot landed less than a quarter mile from the house and just outside the regal wrought iron fence surrounding what had to be ten acres of lush landscaping that gave way to miles of pecan orchard. Someone with deep pockets had purchased this isolated residence.

Evalle jumped down into the wash from the props that were slowing and ducked her head along with the others as they moved away from the helicopter. Holding hair off her face, she took a deep breath of fresh air and commented, “Doesn’t look like the home of a mad scientist, does it?”

Trey had exited the chopper with his smart phone in hand. “Might not be. You’re not going to like this, Z.”

Tzader stepped closer. “What’s wrong?”

“This property is listed under the name of Wenton, Beaker and Associates, Sar Bendelen’s personal legal counsel.” Trey lifted his gaze from his smart phone.

Tzader sounded tired when he said, “So this could be one of Bendelen’s properties.”

Evalle kept up with the news as much as she could with her erratic schedule, but she couldn’t place this name. “Who’s he?”

Leave it to Quinn to know a person insulated by a legal fortress. “Highly respected trauma reconstruction specialist who has donated a billion dollars over the years to programs for burned children. He’s a recluse. Rumored to be the only surviving member of a fire that destroyed his family, but little is known about him personally. Only that he inherited a fortune as a child and grew up in Poland.”

Shaking his head, Trey offered, “That thing might have flown to this place the first time on its way to the cows. We may have just sent a predator to this guy’s house.”

Besides the fact that Evalle didn’t like doctors, donating money to good causes did not mean this man hadn’t created a flying monster. “Maybe this doctor’s been experimenting with genetics.”

“Genetics?” Casper echoed. “That thing we just followed here wasn’t made purely from genetics. Someone with preternatural ability created it.”

Tzader cut off all conversation. “Regardless, we have to go in fast in case Trey’s right and that doctor’s in danger.”

After determining there were no dogs or security cameras—which in itself looked suspicious to Evalle—Casper changed into a shadow. She didn’t know how he altered his molecules, but watching him shift into vapor-like mist was a thing to behold.

She’d like to ask him how that felt when they weren’t busy hunting something deadly.

Casper slid between the vertical black fence rails then shifted back to solid form.

She used her kinetics to scale the ten-foot-tall fence and dropped silently next to Casper, as did the other three.

When they reached the house, Tzader sent Trey and Quinn to scout all the sides and told Casper to go up the mountain of steps to the veranda and find out how to get inside without triggering alarms. By the time Trey and Quinn returned to report nothing unusual about the house and no sign of anyone inside, Casper had shadowed his way under the door and merely turned the deadbolt to open the front door for the team.

No alarm. Even more suspicious.

Evalle strode in with the men, not surprised to see antique tables and flowers in the foyer that reminded her of homes from the movie Gone With the Wind.

And still she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was not right.

Tzader had them fan out and search the house. Every room was more beautiful than the next, adorned with deep maroon-and-gold brocade drapes on tall windows and furnished with elegant eighteenth century heirlooms. Evalle felt guilty walking across the thick rugs in boots that had been through a cow pasture.

What had the hairs on her neck on end, and was sending warning signals to her brain? Was her empathic side getting more sensitive or was there an unfriendly spirit in this old mansion?

She’d just reached the large parlor with twelve-foot ceilings where the team hovered around Casper. He’d found a computer and was tapping on the keys when she stepped through the doorway and the room started changing.

Sheets of metal slid from hidden spaces in the walls, snapping into position to create an interior metal shield around the room.

“What the hell?” Casper stopped typing.

Tzader ordered, “Battle positions.”

All five moved into a circle, shoulder to shoulder, facing out, hands on their weapons.

Since Trey was the strongest telepathic of this team, Evalle spoke to him mind-to-mind. Can you call in backup?

No. I just tried reaching out telepathically and I got smacked in the head. Something is blocking me, and I doubt it’s the metal.

That sucked big time. But it appeared they could at least speak to each other inside here, for whatever good that would do.

One of the metal panels opened to expose the center of the house … and the creature that had led them here.

Or was it?

No, this one was bigger and had a misshapen head, but the same yellow human-looking eyes, arms and legs. Thick hair covered this one from the neck down and it had no wings, but it did have claws on its feet. Each hand had three stubby fingers on the top with three opposing ones below, where a human thumb would be, and two-inch spikes on each finger, forming a mouth-like shape full of claw “teeth.”

When it charged forward, Casper yelled, “We’re killing these, right, Tzader?”

“Right.”