Alterant Read Free Page B

to prevent.
    No one would go to war for an Alterant.
    But if she could prove VIPER needed an asset with her powers she might earn a reprieve from what she considered a death sentence.
    Evalle conceded Storm’s point. She would not willingly accept being put away for a sin she hadn’t committed. “You’re right. I’d rather die than live out my life in a cage, but your life would be forfeit as well if you try to find me.”
    “My life was forfeited a long time ago. It’s my father’s death that matters.”
    She couldn’t untangle what he meant by that statement, which was clearly Storm’s intention. He wasn’t sharing a thing with her yet that he didn’t have to, and he didn’t give her a chance to question him on it when he threw a new worry at her to juggle.
    Storm said, “If the Tribunal locks you away, you do realize Tzader and Quinn will not stand by quietly either. Do you want them to come after you?”
    “No.” She hadn’t considered that. “They’d have to break their Belador vows to go against a Tribunal ruling. That would be suicidal.” She could never live with either of them paying the ultimate price for her. She’d do the same for them, but Tzader was the Maistir who led the North American Beladors, and Quinn had family, plus he was one of the financial geniuses that managed the holdings of Beladors around the globe.
    They were needed. She was not.
    But Storm was right yet again. Tzader and Quinn were born to protect others and would not leave her locked away.
    They knew she had no one else in her corner.
    Except Storm, it seemed.
    And he must have a major reason for putting such a low value on his life. That didn’t mean she could live with his death on her shoulders either, even if he did have a personal agenda. “I don’t want anyone coming after me.”
    “You don’t have a say with me. If you aren’t back within two hours after you leave, I’m tracking you down.”
    “Time in the Nether Realm runs at a different speed than here. The last time it took me five hours to get back.”
    “Two hours. That’s my deadline. I’m coming for you whether you help me or not.”
    She wished she had time to consider how that warmed her heart, but Storm couldn’t go against the Tribunal and win. “No matter how you paint it, coming after me will end in your death.”
    “That’s my decision to make and I’ve already made it.”
    She couldn’t stand here and argue anymore. If Storm wouldn’t be deterred, she might as well find out what he had in mind. “How would I help you?”
    “By making it easier to track you.”
    She shook her head at his lack of logic. “I don’t see how you can do that. Sen will teleport me from the park to the Tribunal meeting and wherever they send me after that. You said you couldn’t track someone’s energy through teleportation. How do you expect to find me?”
    “I have a way . . . but you have to agree.”
    “Agree to what?”
    “To let me use my majik on you.”
    Use majik on an Alterant? Who knew what might happen? “I can’t do that. If I lose control and shift into my beast form, the Tribunal would have all the evidence they need to bury me.”
    He gave her a steely look that accepted no excuses. “You’re out of time, Eve. You have to get off the fence and make a decision. You don’t trust the Tribunal to give an Alterant a pass and you won’t put Tzader or Quinn at risk. It’s me or them, because they will come for you. And when that happens, I’ll still find you. What’s it going to be?”

THREE

    E valle made a habit of not lying to herself. The downside was disappointment, and the upside?
    There wasn’t one on days like this.
    She had no choice, really. Not if Storm intended to come after her if she didn’t walk away free from the Tribunal meeting. She had to prevent Tzader and Quinn from risking their necks to find her.
    Her arms prickled from a sizzle that raced over her skin.
    Energy radiated off Storm, pulsing with fury.
    She