The Curse (Belador #3)(39)

She’d love to have Quinn or Tzader with her, but Isak had acted territorial around her in the past, so she’d be better off going alone. “Thanks, but I’d have to spend more time explaining you than getting the weapon.”

“As you wish.” Quinn eyed his watch, some elegant piece of Swiss craftsmanship. He’d lost that moment of cheerfulness and turned quiet again. “I don’t want to rush you, but you have only a half hour to reach your apartment.”

She had a five-minute drive, but Quinn could be just as overprotective as Tzader in his own way. Standing, she reached for her money, but Quinn tossed down more than enough for the meal and tip, saying, “I’ve got this one.”

She generally balked at his picking up the tab, which would turn into good-natured bantering by the time they reached the sidewalk. But the air between them had cooled in the last minute, once again riddled with a strange discomfort. Am I acting paranoid around Quinn or is he being overly careful around me?

She still hadn’t asked Quinn about Kizira.

When they walked outside, the air carried the crisp chill of early autumn. Great for wearing full riding gear. Quinn walked with her to where Evalle had parked her bike at the corner. When she stopped a few short feet away, they both seemed to hesitate to say good-bye.

Her chest would never stop aching if she didn’t get this said. “I need to ask you something, Quinn.”

“Sure. What about?”

“It’s about back when the sentient fog was coming through Atlanta, before you left to go heal.”

“Go on.” Quinn had turned away from the streetlight with half of his face lost in a dark shadow. His posture stiffened.

Nobody liked to relive hellish memories, and that probe must have been pretty rough to send Quinn into hiding to repair his mind.

Her throat tightened against the words. She hated questioning her friend, but she couldn’t take another day inside her head with this. “Did you … uh, run into Kizira anywhere during that time?”

“No.”

His decisive answer gave her a rush of relief for a moment, but her empathic sense picked up something out of sync—that Quinn was uncomfortable. Why?

Maybe she hadn’t been specific enough.

Better to get this done all at once, like ripping off a Band-Aid. She scratched her hair, knocking her pony-tail loose in the back. “So there’s no way you would have told Kizira that she could find me with Tristan that day?”

“No.” He stared off into the darkness for a moment, then must have decided they were finished. “You should go before it gets any closer to daylight. I’ll see you later.” He turned and walked away.

She couldn’t fault him for the cold tone or quick retreat. She’d be insulted, too, if their roles had been reversed and he’d questioned her loyalty to him.

What she didn’t understand was the wild whip of anxiety she’d picked up from Quinn as he left. It contradicted his stiff answers.

But he had answered her.

Maybe everything would make more sense once she caught up on sleep. She hadn’t seen her bed in two days. Reaching for her helmet hooked on the mirror of her bike, she paused. Unease skittered over her skin. Someone approached from behind.

Evalle swung around, prepared to face a threat. And it was, but only to her heart. She crossed her arms. “Stalking me is dangerous, Storm.”

Although she sort of liked that he’d come searching for her.

“Not as dangerous as the other things stalking the city tonight. You’d know if you’d been in the city since midnight.”

Had he been looking for her since then? But that didn’t explain his finding her here. “How did you know where I’d be right now?”

“I didn’t. I was in this area for another reason.”

Oh. So he hadn’t come looking for her.

She kept her chin up and squashed her disappointment. She’d already made a fool of herself earlier by getting annoyed about Adrianna. “I did leave the city for a bit. Had some business to take care of. Why are you still out and about?”

“I had some time to burn.”

He should be burning that time at home in bed. His eyes had a dark, hollow look. The urge to fuss over him snuck up on Evalle … and reminded her how Adrianna had spent weeks fussing over him as his nurse. She had to let that go. That discussion had been seven hours ago.

A long seven hours. Amazing how exhaustion took the edge off her hurt, and anyway, the hurt hadn’t been Storm’s fault. He shouldn’t be blamed for her insecurities. “What have you been doing tonight?”

“Talking to Nightstalkers for one thing.”

“About what?”

“The gang battles.”

“Did you find out anything?”

“Few things. That’s why I ended up tracking something to this spot.”

He’d been using his ability to track nonhumans. The same way he’d found her in South America when no one else could. He’d defied Tribunal orders to come after her.

Her tired mind immediately tallied points in his favor for that—points to wipe out any lingering irritation over the whole Adrianna issue. “What were you tracking?”

“I picked up a Svart scent from the cemetery where you fought.”

Why had he done that? “VIPER doesn’t even know you’re back yet and you don’t owe them anything. You should be home resting and not risk being seen.”