The Curse (Belador #3)(22)

They were back to that. “If I agree to go with you tonight, then in return I want you to talk to Brina about Alterants.”

“Not a chance.”

“Why not?”

“I’m not meeting with Brina or Macha. The minute I come out of hiding, I’ll lose any hope of getting back to my sister or leaving the country with my group.”

“VIPER is everywhere, Tristan. There is no safe place where you won’t be hunted.”

His mouth set in a stubborn line. She was not going to get him to budge on that point. “If I can guarantee that you can walk away, would you consider speaking to the Tribunal?”

A muscle twitched in his cheek. “Can you guarantee that?”

“I have to talk to Tzader first. If he says he can do it, then you’ll be safe. So what do you say?”

“Meet with my guy and I’ll talk to Tzader. If he convinces me I can’t be trapped, then I’ll consider a meeting on neutral ground.”

That was a step closer, but Evalle needed to end up with something tangible tonight. “Okay, but as a minimum I want what you have on Alterants before I leave tonight’s meeting.”

“Agreed.”

Finally. She finished off the calamari and followed him outside. “Give me a minute to stop by my bike.”

He turned around. “No. We’re leaving straight from the club. It’s the only way to be sure you won’t have a weapon.”

“I won’t use my dagger on anyone … if I don’t have to.”

“No weapons. That was the one requirement this guy made from the first minute I met him, and I’ve stuck by it. I’ve been around him for three weeks. He’s not a threat. Even if he was, between the two of us, he’s no match.”

“You want me to just trust you?”

“Says the woman who wants me to walk into Macha’s lair.”

“Never mind. Let’s go.” She still had the blades in her boots.

When Tristan reached a four-door Toyota, a rental car, Evalle noted how the license plate had mud over the numbers. She’d settled into the passenger seat when Tristan tossed a wad of cloth onto her lap and said, “Put that on.”

She picked up the black bag. “You can’t be serious.”

“As a heart attack. I agreed not to let you know where I was taking you and that you wouldn’t bring anyone with you.”

“If that’s the case, why don’t you just teleport me, or can’t you still do that?”

“I can, but my sister, Webster and Aaron are at a different location this guy’s people are guarding. I can’t teleport long distance two times in a row easily, so I’m conserving my power in case I ever need to get to my sister quickly.”

That meant he could teleport away as soon as Evalle met this other guy and leave Evalle stranded. “I’m not comfortable with this, Tristan.”

His sigh stretched into a growl. “Look, I didn’t want to say this until you spoke to my guy, but you really need to talk to him for your own safety.”

“Why?”

“Remember when we were underground in the Maze of Death with Kizira?”

“I tend to remember near-death experiences, so, yes.”

“Did you tell anyone that Kizira said Quinn told her where to find you?”

“No.”

That shocked Tristan. “Not even Quinn?”

“He’s been gone for the past three weeks, too, and just got back tonight. I’d be discussing it with him right now if not for meeting you.”

“What about Tzader?”

“No,” she said louder. “I’m not throwing any suspicion on Quinn based on something that Medb witch said.”

“This guy says Quinn did tell Kizira how to find you.”

“How could he know?” Evalle fisted her fingers, unwilling to believe Quinn had betrayed her but needing the truth.

“He says Quinn is tied to the traitor.”

“What?”

“End of discussion. Put the bag on your head and don’t try to contact anyone telepathically. I’ll be able to hear it.”

Evalle lifted the sack and took a deep breath she let out slowly. Her pulse hit panic pace, but she couldn’t back out this close to finding answers on the traitor.

And on Quinn.





SEVEN




Tzader hated being out of his body.

Felt creepy every time.

Purplish haze blurred his vision when he traveled in hologram. This beat not seeing Brina at all. His physical body couldn’t pass through the warding at Treoir Castle. No immortal, except Brina or Macha, could enter without dying.

Brina’s father had installed that little safety feature to protect his only daughter when he and his sons went to battle the Medb four years ago. None of the male Treoirs had returned alive and that had left Brina the lone survivor, stuck in Treoir Castle.

I shouldn’t be immortal. Tzader loved his father, but the man had done his part to doom him and Brina, too. On the way to battle alongside the Treoir men, Tzader’s father had asked Macha that if he died in battle, to make his only child immortal.

Then his dad had died that night, fighting beside Brina’s.

Tzader’s life would be a tragic comedy if he could find any humor in this screwed-up situation.