The Curse Read Online Free

of connection.
    She told herself that something had taken Tzader’s attention, not his life. Darting between tall marble statues and elegant grave markers, she navigated through pitch dark easily with her natural night vision, which made the world look like daylight rendered in shades of blue-gray, even with sunglasses.
    As she watched for any threat, she noticed the lack of normal spirit activity in the burial grounds. Not even an orb. That was just weird.
    Her fingers curled, ready for a fight, but she couldn’t use her powers, or her dagger that carried a death spell.
    Not on humans.
    Gunshots cracked the silence, sharp pops, then the boom, boom, boom of a higher-caliber weapon.
    The acrid smell of blood clung to the wind.
    Evalle slowed as she neared the battle. Racing in blind would risk distracting another Belador. Especially if any of them had linked their powers, which multiplied their strength. When linked, Beladors were a near-undefeatable force.
    But kill one Belador while they were linked and they all died.
    As some of the most powerful warriors among preternatural creatures, Beladors had sworn to defend humans who didn’t even know they existed.
    Evalle called to Tzader, I’m here and opening up to link .
    His voice shouted telepathically to all Beladors in the cemetery. Link now with Evalle to share her night vision .
    Eleven hits of power bombarded her from every direction.
    She staggered against the initial linking, then found her footing and stepped into the open space where Beladors fought hand-to-hand with humans. Looked like a hundred in battle.
    At least now the Beladors would have the advantage of seeing in the dark.
    A twentyish male with facial tattoos of the Ice Blood Posse rocketed out of nowhere, slashing a wicked knife in a quick horizontal arc at her throat.
    She bent backward as the blade tip passed below her chin.
    The lack of contact threw her attacker off-balance.
    Evalle spun forward, planting a foot for support, and kicked the ganger against an oak tree as big around as a fifty-gallon barrel.
    His body slammed against the trunk, but he shook his head.
    Not dead.
    She’d promised Tzader she’d show restraint after putting a gang leader in traction yesterday … and that had been without tapping her Belador powers. That murdering bastard deserved death for killing a young girl he’d raped and beaten.
    Too bad his punishment fell to the legal system or she’d have saved the taxpayers some money.
    Shots were fired from her left.
    With the cover of darkness, she risked shoving a field of energy up to stop the bullets as she turned toward the shooter. Fortunately, he was too far away to see the bullets bounce off the invisible wall of power. She couldn’t use her kinetics to harm a human, but she could protect herself and others, especially if she didn’t expose her unusual abilities.
    She sent a mild wave of energy across the field, knocking the shooter backward off his feet. His weapon fell loose, then … flew up to rest in the nearest tree.
    Imagine that.
    Two wrestling bodies bumped into her.
    She wheeled around, expecting to crack a couple more heads, when one of the men started changing. His head stretched in two hideous directions and his mouth widened, accommodating fangs.
    This just turned way worse than a gang war.
    She called out to Tzader, We got a Rías shifting in the open area.
    Tzader called back, Rías? Not an Alterant?
    Yep. No glowing green eyes. His are natural looking.
    Get him away from the humans.
    Then another voice came into her mind. Evalle, Tristan here.
    Tristan called her now ?
    Before she could answer him, Tzader ordered, Get the beast to chase you. Don’t engage him until I tell you .
    Evalle? Tristan said louder in her head.
    Power surged through her mind when Tzader started shouting orders telepathically to all the Beladors.
    Evalle shook her fist at Tristan’s sucky timing, but she had to wait for Tzader to finish before she could shield her mind to