The Curse (Belador #3)(15)

Just as soon as he got his hands on that witch doctor who’d stolen his soul.

When Evalle lifted her head to look at him, he kissed the mouth he’d dreamed about during his fevered days. Her lips were soft and yielding, then demanding. All woman with a passionate side that kept him on his toes, whether she was kicking someone’s butt or allowing him a rare embrace. He’d never call Evalle a tease. She didn’t know how to play those games. Like right now. She kissed without restraint.

Her emotions sometimes overwhelmed her.

He overwhelmed her.

If she ever got past her fear of intimacy, one he suspected was caused by prior abuse, the sex with her would be phenomenal. He had no doubt.

But for now, he’d take having her in his arms.

Her heart thumped like wild jungle drums against his chest and she clutched his back.

She might not realize how big a step this was for her to come to him so openly, but he did.

When their lips finally parted, he dropped his forehead down on hers. “I’ve been worried about you.”

She pulled back and brought her hands around to grip each side of his open-collared shirt. “Me? Why didn’t you call or e-mail me again?”

“Again?” He covered her fingers with his and she let go of his shirt, yet allowed him to hold her hand. Nice.

“I knew that wasn’t from you,” she muttered, staring at his chest, thinking.

“I’m not following anything you’re saying.” He lifted one of her hands and kissed her knuckles, bringing a flash of surprise to her eyes, which twinkled with undisguised happiness.

She smiled. Such a simple thing, but her smiles were gifts to be cherished. He brushed his fingers over the damp hair that fell loose around her shoulders, but the weather had been dry and cool all day. “Why are you wet?”

Looking down at herself, she said, “What?” She had a thing for vintage clothes and wore a short-sleeved, beige army BDU—battle dress uniform—shirt with jeans and boots. “Oh. We just had another gang battle. This one was in Oakland Cemetery. I had to clean off … stuff.”

“What gang battles?”

“Where have you been, Storm?” She lowered her hand from his and moved back, opening up space between them. Her face suffused with concern and confusion. With the change in subject and reminder that he’d been out of touch for three weeks, she withdrew emotionally.

He tried not to flinch at the abrupt change in her emotions, the loss of her warmth and happiness so near.

He should be glad for the uninhibited welcome he’d received and not expect more, but he wanted her body back against his. “I told you, I’ve been healing. I’ve only been conscious twenty-four hours.”

“Why didn’t you call me?”

“I don’t have a phone yet. That’s why I came to see you in person.” And his guardian spirit had been none too happy about Storm going out while still recovering, but he had to know for sure that the danger that stalked him and now threatened Evalle had not harmed her.

He didn’t know why the witch doctor would target Evalle, only that she did.

Now that the crazy bitch had tracked him to Atlanta, had she discovered that he cared for Evalle and planned to use that against him?

If that were the case, why hadn’t the witch doctor shown her face by now?

Didn’t matter. He planned to find her first.

Evalle asked, “Have you been in a hospital?”

“No.” He’d just as soon not discuss his healing any more than he had to, like explaining who had been tending to his wounds. Going back to Evalle’s earlier comment, he asked, “What did you mean by my e-mailing you again?”

“The e-mail I got from you the night they let me out of VIPER prison.”

“So they did lock you up?”

“Yes.”

Storm had tried to tell her Tristan would screw her over. “Why didn’t you tell Sen where Tristan and his bunch of renegade Alterants went? He could have caught them.”

“Only Tristan and his sister are Alterants,” she corrected. “The other two are Rías. I couldn’t hand them over to win my freedom.”

A growl climbed up Storm’s throat.

Evalle moved her shoulders in a dismissive way. “And do you really think sending Sen after Tristan would have mattered? The last thing Sen would do is something to keep me out of prison. He was thrilled when I had to face the Tribunal empty-handed.”

If Storm had been conscious, he’d have gone crazy trying to find Evalle when she was locked away. Blood would have flowed. “How’d you get out of prison?”

“Macha offered me a deal that she’d petition the Tribunal for Alterants to be a recognized race—”

“That’s great.”

“—if I can deliver evidence to support our origins and bring in Alterants to swear loyalty to Macha, specifically Tristan.”

“You’ve got to be kidding.”

“I wish I was.” Evalle swallowed and winced, which drew his eyes to her neck.

“What the hell happened to your throat?” He lifted his finger to her raw skin. That move drew him close to her again, so close he’d have to be a stone to miss the flutter of excitement that sheared off of her.

His ego enjoyed the momentary stroke.