The Curse (Belador #3)(86)

She answered, Please keep everyone back and give me a chance to talk to him.

If one finger twitches a trigger, they’ll all die.

I understand. Then she called over to Isak, “I only asked for help finding the trolls. What are you doing here?”

After a tense couple of seconds, Isak swung his weapon across his chest in an at-ease gesture before walking across the narrow side street. His men still held their weapons at ready. When he stopped in front of her, he cut brutal eyes at Storm, who sent back an equally vicious look.

Then Isak took in the blood on her shirt. His face shifted with cold anger icing his blue eyes. “Who did that?”

“Trolls, but I’m fine, and we’ve got to get inside that building before they hurt anyone else. I appreciate the help in finding the Svarts, but why are you here?”

“You know what I do. You really surprised to see me?”

She ignored his question since he hadn’t really answered hers. “We can handle this.”

Isak’s gaze swept over the men and women standing behind Evalle and Storm. “Everyone here nonhumans like … you?” he asked Evalle.

Storm answered, “All of us.”

She wanted to kick Storm, who Isak now eyed with even more menace. She said, “Thought we had a truce. Please leave so we can do what we came to do, Isak, or people will die.”

“People or nonhumans?”

“They’re people to me.”

He drew two slow breaths, then said, “I’ll stay out here as your backup.”

He made it perfectly clear who he intended to protect.

Storm threw off a whip of dark energy that made it clear what he thought of Isak’s declaration.

But Isak hadn’t touched her, so Storm had to keep his word. Turning to Tzader and the team, Evalle said, “Okay, everyone. Isak Nyght loaned us the weapon Quinn’s carrying that kills trolls. He and his team will stay out here and back us up.”

Storm smiled.

She lifted a testy eyebrow in caution and his smile only broadened.

Tzader said, “How will they know who they can and can’t shoot?”

Isak called back, “You got any more of your kind showing up here?”

“No.”

“We’ve scanned all of you. Any other nonhuman who interferes will be neutralized.”

Quinn came into Evalle’s mind. Do you trust him?

What could she say to that? Sometimes you had to go with your gut feeling. Isak hadn’t shot at them when he could have without a word first. She told Quinn, I have to trust Isak at this point.

Isak asked Evalle, “Sure you can handle these trolls?”

“With this many agents, yes.” She hoped.

She’d asked herself that same question over and over after having almost died at the hands of Svarts on two occasions so far. The Beladors couldn’t risk linking around this many Svarts, but this VIPER team had plenty of power besides Beladors. As long as they stuck together, they should be fine.

Isak unclipped his demon blaster from the elastic dummy cord clipped to his chest and handed it to her. He put his finger on a lever just ahead of the trigger. “Not that you need it, but push this up for less force—to stun something—and down to kill.”

“What about you?”

“I’m always armed.”

Before she or Isak could converse further, Tzader spoke out loud to the team. “Just got word from our man on the inside that the other Svarts the trolls were waiting on have arrived. We’ve got to go in now.”

Before turning to join the team, Evalle told Isak, “Thank you.”

He nodded at her and gave Storm one last threatening look that the arrogant Skinwalker countered with a taunting smile Evalle could only describe as possessive.

And she’d thought men were more trouble when they were just trying to kill her.

She kicked into Belador speed to reach the front of the team with Tzader and Quinn. She shouldn’t have been surprised to see Storm match her step for step. One day he’d have to tell her everything he could do.

Just before Tzader entered the building, his power as Maistir rushed into Evalle’s mind, meaning he spoke to all of his warriors. Vince just learned that the Svarts have a group of humans locked in the end of the building near Glen Iris Drive. He and the other nonhumans are at the opposite end. We have to split up and be careful around the humans.

Evalle’s stomach flipped. That cut their power in half.

But no way would anyone on this team go along with bringing Isak and his men inside.





TWENTY-NINE




Even if her cousin and his snake people could find her in this building the size of a small city, Svarts might kill him. Lanna had really thought she could overpower the trolls, but these Svarts were nothing like anything she’d met before.

She tapped her fingers on the concrete and wrinkled her nose at the musty smell of age clinging to the basement. Angling her head over at Kellman, who sat next to her and the pole they were both chained to, she whispered, “Jurba has not left with girlfriend. Why?”

“Don’t know. Maybe he’s cutting another deal.”

“I do not think so. Jurba is shaking and female troll looks afraid.” When Kell had nothing to say about that, Lanna pointed out something else. “The Svarts did not talk so much until that one with gold band around arm showed up. They call him ‘Lieutenant.’ I think he is boss they were waiting on.” To start feeding.