The Curse

by Sherrilyn Kenyon

  Three trolls still engaged agents in the middle of chairs and other furniture that were piled haphazardly. Evalle pushed into the center of the carnage.

  A clawed hand reached out from a battle and grabbed her, digging into her sore shoulder when he shoved Evalle to her knees. She clenched against the new pain and fought to turn the weapon on him.

  Storm snarled, tackling the Svart and yanking his attention away from Evalle. She jumped up and took aim, but couldn't kill the Svart while he was entangled with Storm.

  "Eeevallle!"

  That was Kellman's voice.

  Quinn rushed away from the fighting and called to Evalle, One of them grabbed Lanna. Don't kill her when you shoot.

  Evalle flipped the lever on the weapon to the lower strength and spun in the direction of Kellman's voice. The teenager stood with a finger pointed at the Svart holding a young woman. Lanna. Kellman and Kardos chanted something that had the Svart slapping his face with his free hand. The Svart must not want to eat Lanna or he'd have done so, but the girl was turning blue from lack of air.

  Evalle took the shot, hoping the level of stun wouldn't harm Lanna.

  The troll jerked and lit up as if he'd been electrocuted by enough power to run Times Square. But he did drop the girl.

  Lanna fell to the floor in a limp pile.

  Kellman reached Lanna first, then Quinn and Kardos knelt beside her. Quinn called to Evalle, She's alive.

  With them secure for the moment, Evalle turned to find Storm. He had bloody slashes across his chest and arms from claws where he still fought the Svart. The troll and Storm crashed through a pile of chairs, falling to the floor.

  She yelled at Storm, "Get ready."

  He didn't have time to ask for what when she lifted a hand and slammed a kinetic hit at the Svart. That caused the troll to jerk his head around to her and lift up in preparation to attack.

  Flipping the lever back to deep-fry, she yelled at Storm, "Move. Now!"

  The troll leaped at her, but hallelujah, Storm rolled to his left.

  She blasted the troll in midair, spewing green ooze all over the place. Smelled like raw sewage in summer heat.

  Storm jumped to his feet and headed toward the other two Svarts still battling.

  Evalle said, "Hold up."

  Storm turned back. "Why?"

  "Don't jump in unless they can't break away so I can get a kill shot."

  Tzader fought a Svart alongside Reece "Casper" Jordan, another VIPER agent who was not Belador. She told Tzader telepathically, I need you to slam the troll with your kinetics to break away, then you and Casper hit the floor when I say go.

  Tzader said, I told Casper. We'll go on the count of three.

  When Evalle yelled, "One, two, three," Tzader hit the Svart with a kinetic shot that barely knocked the troll back a step. Tzader and Casper dove for the floor, completely vulnerable. Evalle blasted the Svart, then finished off the last one the same way.

  Tzader moved toward her. He walked with a limp, but he'd heal quickly. Evalle asked, "What about the humans?"

  "All safe. There was just one Svart watching them, and Trey got him with the other weapon."

  Casper swaggered up to her, wiping troll goo off his face. That cowboy only knew one way to walk. "Some fine shootin' there, Evalle. That cleaned house."

  Not completely. Evalle had only stunned the one who'd grabbed Lanna. She was about to mention that when Adrianna came strolling up, not a drop of stinking troll goo anywhere on her tight-fitting, black jumpsuit. How did she manage to always look so put together, even at a smackdown?

  Adrianna told Tzader, "Trey's with the humans. I put them to sleep with a spell, but it won't last long. There's more here than I can clean up. I can give them a memory that they dreamed this like I did the gangers today, but that's not going to work this time because they've got injuries that need treating. They'll end up at the hospital, all with the same 'dream.'" She held up her fingers and made quote marks in the air when she said the word dream. "They need their memories wiped, and transport to medical care, and I can't do that."

  Was it petty of her to be thrilled about hearing something Adrianna couldn't do? Probably. Too bad. Evalle smiled.

  Tzader said, "Got to call in Sen."

  So much for enjoying the moment.

  Sen would have to do more than just clean up the mess and wipe minds. He'd have to put this building back in shape, right down to repairing any structural damage, so the humans would never know what happened here.

  Tzader sent Casper to assess agent injuries while he contacted Sen.

  Evalle walked over to the teenagers just as a flush of power whipped through the air. She ignored Sen's arrival and searched for the boys. She let out a sigh of relief when she spotted them sitting next to the girl with interesting hair. Blond at the roots, but the curls ended in black tips. Lanna had a stunned look on her attractive face. "So you're Lanna."

  Lanna lifted her face to Evalle. "Yes. You are Evalle."

  Kellman took his eyes off Lanna long enough to smile up at Evalle. "Good to see you."

  "Glad you and Kardos are safe." Evalle would have said more but Kardos pulled Lanna's hair back off her face and Kellman glared at his brother.

  Kellman? Now, that was amusing.

  Lucky for both of them that overprotective Quinn hadn't noticed either action.

  The Svart Evalle had stunned let out a groan.

  Storm walked up next to her and stood over the troll. "He's not dead?"

  Evalle shook her head. "He had Lanna in his hands, so I had to drop the power on the weapon to stun." She lifted the weapon. "But I can fix that if he doesn't behave."

  "Wait." Quinn snapped to his feet and looked down at the troll, who had a gold armband with odd carvings.

  Lanna said, "They call that one Lieutenant. He is leader."

  Quinn said, "I couldn't get into the mind of the other ones, but ..."

  Everyone fell silent as Quinn stared at the troll and it started trembling. The Svart must have mental shields up even when unconscious.

  When Tzader walked up to them, Evalle held up a finger and pointed at Quinn. Tzader nodded and spoke to her telepathically. Sen's here and he's going to be here for a while to clean up, plus I told him other trolls are expected to come back here to feed. Once Quinn is finished, Sen will take this Svart to VIPER lockdown.

  She hadn't thought past this battle, but Tzader was right. I'm sure Isak will let us keep the weapon Trey has for a little longer. Trey should be able to pick off Svarts as they show up. I'll stick around to back him up, but I need to get these two boys out of here. I don't want them out on the streets until I know it's relatively safe again.

  Tzader turned around, facing the way they came in. Ah, hell.

  Evalle turned to find Isak striding across the room.

  Sen could have torched Isak with his glare and probably would have if Isak had not been human.

  Isak ignored Sen, clueless about the power Sen wielded.

  When Sen's glare shifted to Evalle, Tzader sighed and said to her, I'll back you up when we go in to explain Isak and the weapons.

  Isak eyed the room as he stepped over troll body parts scattered around. When he reached Evalle, he paused. "Nice job."

  She couldn't help but smile at him. "Thanks for the weapon."

  Storm stepped up next to her with his arms crossed and a scowl planted on his face.

  She ignored him and tried to return the weapon to Isak.

  Isak said, "Keep it for now." His attention went to the three teenagers. "Are they--"

  "Yes." That's when she realized she had an answer to her problem. "I need you to do me a favor, Isak."

  He didn't say a word, but the grin he gave Storm might start a new battle. "Sure, darlin'. Whatever you want."

  Oh, this was too easy. "Would you take those twins to your warehouse until I can come pick them up? I'll bring your weapons back when I do."

  When Isak looked at her in horror, Storm broke out a gr
in.

  Crap. She went for the kill. "Please."

  "I'll take them to Kit." Then Isak added, "We'll be expecting you for that dinner you agreed to."

  Storm's dark eyes slashed at Evalle, full of questions.

  She didn't have time to answer any of them.

  As if that weren't complicated enough, she caught Sen's gaze, which had latched onto Storm. Evalle caught Storm's attention and nodded toward Sen.

  Storm ignored the evil glare. "I'll talk to VIPER tomorrow. Sen can stew until then."

  She didn't think it would be that simple, but they could talk about that later. "Sorry Sen found out about you being here before you were ready."

  "Not a problem. I wouldn't have stayed out of the picture much longer."

  By now more Beladors were arriving and crowding the area. Tzader ordered everyone away from Quinn, who had dropped to his knees beside the Svart, concentrating. When he didn't appear to be in distress, Evalle moved the boys and Lanna away.

  After a brief argument, Evalle convinced the twins to go with Isak and promised to come get them as soon as she could. Lanna kissed both Kardos and Kellman on their cheeks before they left with Isak, then eased over closer to Quinn but didn't bother him.

  With Isak gone, Sen returned to working through issues with Tzader.

  "Bloody hell!" Quinn shouted.

  Evalle swung around to Quinn "Are you hurt?"

  "No. We've been played. This was all a diversion."

  Tzader said, "What do you mean?"

  "There's a team of Svarts being teleported to Treoir. They're going after the castle--and Brina--and they have another demon Svart. Worse than the one that attacked Evalle."

  Tzader rarely looked shocked. "That's not possible. How could they know where to ..." Then something clearly transpired between him and Quinn that Evalle would love to have heard.

  She saw the looks on both their faces. For the first time since she'd known these two men, they were at odds with one another.

  Tzader shouted for Sen, who had been standing way across the room, but appeared instantly next to Tzader.

  Sen growled, "What?"

  "I'm taking all the Beladors I can with me to Treoir and need you to teleport us now."

  "Why?"

  Tzader swung a vicious look at Sen that warned him not to waste time. "Our warrior queen is in mortal danger."

  Evalle had never seen Sen show understanding for anyone, especially her, but his whole demeanor changed to compliant. Did Sen know how much Brina meant to Tzader beyond being their warrior queen? Would he even care?

  Evalle rolled her eyes at the ridiculous thought.

  Sen said, "The fastest way to send you is as a group. Line up your Beladors so that they touch each other in some way, even if they just grab each other's clothing. When you're ready, open your mind to Treoir. I'll be the only person besides you who will know the path to your destination."

  Tzader's voice boomed in Evalle's mind as he sent a telepathic message to all the Beladors, dictating which ones would travel with him and who would stay to aid Sen. He wanted everyone ready to go in sixty seconds.

  Trey handed Casper his weapon and joined Tzader's group.

  Quinn snagged Lanna and pulled her aside. "I'm glad you're safe, but I want you out of here."

  "No, I must stay with you," Lanna said in a panicked voice that surprised Evalle. "I helped. You would not have known where Svarts held everyone if I had not been here. Do not leave me."

  Quinn leaned down, putting his hand on her shoulder and patience into his voice. "We'll talk about all this when I get back. You'll be fine until then. I have a car arriving in five minutes to pick you up outside. Go directly to the suite and stay there this time. Understand?"

  Lanna said, "Yes," but her eyes said she felt abandoned.

  Evalle's empathic ability kicked in at that point, and she felt ... not abandonment, but ... fear. Hard-core terror. The Svarts were dead, so what scared the girl? But Evalle could do nothing at that point. She certainly owed the girl her gratitude for the boys' being alive, but Evalle would have to address that when she returned from Treoir.

  "Is everyone ready?" Sen asked Tzader, who was snapping orders to get into position.

  "Yes. Locate the Svarts on Treoir. Put us between the trolls and Brina, but closer to the trolls if possible."

  Evalle hooked the strap of the weapon over her head so that it hung across her chest. Fingers crossed in hopes she wouldn't humiliate herself by throwing up, she stepped up to the packed circle of fifty Beladors.

  Something touched her boot.

  She looked down, but nothing was there.

  As Tzader said, "Ready," two arms snaked around Evalle's waist and pulled her back against a rock-hard chest. She snapped, "Just grab my shirt, for crying out loud."

  She tensed but had no time to swing around and shove the guy away as everything swirled into a blur of teleporting.

  Warm air rushed along her neck when a deep voice said, "Don't worry, I've got you."

  "Storm? You can't come with us."

  "I'm not letting you face another demon Svart alone."

  She relaxed in his arms, exhilarating in a selfish moment of feeling happy since she couldn't change what was already in motion. He kissed her neck and warmed her in his arms, but every good thing in her life usually came with a cost.

  No one should be traveling to Treoir except Beladors.

  She prepared herself for Tzader's reaction when he realized she'd brought an outsider into the sacred home of Belador power.

  Tzader's words to Sen hit her. Put us between the trolls and Brina. What if the trolls had already entered the castle? Sending Tzader through the warding would kill him.

  THIRTY-ONE

  When the teleporting ended, Evalle opened her eyes quickly and finally took a breath. Not inside Treoir Castle. Tzader hadn't been killed.

  She gawked at the glittering castle, which rose from a mist surrounding the curtain wall like a floating moat. She marveled at the grayish-pink twilight, neither sunlight nor the darkness she'd left in Atlanta. Lush green land sprawled for a half mile in any direction from the castle, flowing to forests with giant trees that reminded her of the redwoods in California. Sen had dropped them in knee-high, silky grass growing at the edge of a forest directly across a wide stretch of land from the castle entrance.

  How far away were the purple-and-blue mountains in the distance beyond the castle? Hundreds of miles?

  When Storm pulled his arms away, Evalle took a step back and almost fell over Lanna, who had a hand on her boot. Evalle hissed, "What're you doing here?"

  Lanna looked up with wide eyes. "Please do not tell Cousin. I could not stay back there without him."

  Quinn walked up and snarled through clenched teeth. "Lanna?"

  Evalle couldn't recall Quinn ever losing his temper so easily and didn't know what Lanna's problem was, but she took pity on Lanna when Quinn's face contorted with barely controlled rage. Hoping to ease the tension, Evalle said, "We'll find a place for Lanna to wait, Quinn. She'll be okay."

  "No, she won't," he snapped at Evalle. "She's going to get our people killed if she doesn't get herself killed first."

  Lanna dropped her head. "I am sorry."

  The hurt in Lanna's voice pulled on Evalle's heartstrings. Lanna had powers, but she was deathly afraid of being left behind for some reason.

  Tzader walked up, took one look at Storm and another at Lanna. "What the hell, Evalle?"

  "I didn't do all this."

  Before Tzader said another word, a light began swirling in the middle of the Beladors, pushing them out in a circle. Everyone quieted.

  When the light vanished, a cluster of Belador swords materialized, stabbed into the ground, ready to be drawn.

  Tzader immediately turned his attention to the battle, telling everyone, "Your warrior queen has sent us swords that are more powerful here than in any other place. Take up your sword and prepare to face the enemy." Tzader told Quinn, "Sen
d Lanna to stay in the castle with Brina until we return to Atlanta."

  "Done."

  When Lanna started to protest, Evalle put her hand on the girl's shoulder. "That's the safest place for you to be, because we won't let the Svarts anywhere near the castle."

  Tzader told Evalle, "You take her there."

  "Me? Why do I have to take her?"

  "Are you questioning me?" Tzader asked in full Maistir mode and out of patience.

  Good grief. What had she been thinking to speak so freely with Tzader in this situation? "Absolutely not, Maistir. My apologies."

  He nodded. "Brina will give you a sword when you get there. Protect the entrance to the castle."

  Evalle had a chance to fight with the tribe on Treoir and she'd been relegated to babysitter and front-door guard. The Beladors would stop the trolls before reaching that point, leaving her out of the battle, but the last thing she wanted was to give Tzader any more reason to be disappointed in her.

  She handed off her Nyght weapon to Trey.

  Tzader finished issuing orders and turned to Storm. "You can't shift here without Brina's explicit permission, and I don't have time to take you to her to discuss your presence on Treoir, but there's a sword for you, too."

  Storm asked Tzader, "What happens if I shift without permission?"

  "You'll burst into flames."

  Storm lifted a sword, then turned back as if he intended to stay by Evalle's side.

  She shook her head, silently pleading with him not to make things any worse for her by refusing to follow Tzader's orders. Storm held her gaze a moment, then left with the team he'd been assigned to, disappearing into the woods.

  Ready to follow Tzader's orders to a T, Evalle asked Lanna, "How fast can you move?"

  "Fast."

  She took the girl's hand and ran toward the castle with her Belador speed. No one had to hold back powers here, but Evalle slowed to a human pace when she noticed the girl used majik to hover above the ground every few steps to keep up.

  Halfway to the castle, howling screeches erupted behind her in the forest. Her tribe had found the Svarts. But how many? Sounded like a lot more than eight in those woods.

  When Evalle reached the castle steps, she released Lanna's hand and stopped to peer up at the towering structure that was both fairy tale and dark fantasy. Blue, purple and black stones made up the outside with a Belador Triquetra carved into every blue stone. Two massive wood-and-iron doors fifteen feet tall and just as wide, together, opened into the castle.