Evalle hung close to the black McLaren driven by a witch who could hold her own against professionals on a Grand Prix track. Chilly wind that had buffeted her hard on the ride back into Atlanta backed off as she leaned into the curve to exit the eastbound interstate. That dropped them into the south side of downtown.
She had to admit her legs were feeling warmer now that the wind had dried her jeans.
No matter how many distractions riding provided, she couldn’t stop thinking about Storm.
He had to be safe.
She wanted that full bonding more than ever now.
He had the emerald on her chest to keep him assured that she was safe, but she had nothing to reassure her. Although she knew in her heart that she’d feel it if he ... died, she’d feel better with more information.
Plus, his spirit guide, who had helped Evalle locate Storm once in the past when he’d been trapped in a demonic realm, would know if anything happened to him.
She’d definitely let Evalle know.
Nodding to herself as she followed Adrianna, Evalle murmured, “See? No reason for this gut-wrenching worry.”
Adrianna drove efficiently, slowing for traffic lights and speeding ahead as soon as they changed to green.
The usual late-night human activity moved in pairs and singles along the streets, but not so many groups. She caught the occasional flicker of nonhuman energy in dark spots.
That would be the harmless Nightstalkers, the ghoul informants of the preternatural underworld.
The closer she and Adrianna got to their final destination, the fewer people she passed. It might be a holiday weekend, but this city should be busier during prime rowdy hours before midnight.
She lifted her gaze to the tops of buildings, looking for any sign of smoke. The throaty sound of her Gixxer’s muffler drowned out many human noises, but she should be able to hear sirens.
Had the problem been contained?
It figured that she’d worried for nothing.
Maybe Sen had shown up to lend a hand.
Heh. Maybe the VIPER liaison would apologize for being an asswipe the entire time she’d known him.
Neither one of those was happening.
If Sen happened to be on site, things had gone really bad and he would be his usual roaring-pain-in-the-ass self over having to clean up someone else’s mess.
At the next corner, Adrianna took a right onto Peachtree Street—the famous road running through the middle of downtown, not one of the many other thoroughfares with a similar name.
Evalle leaned to take the turn smoothly, staying a half block behind Adrianna when she wanted to race around and get to the scene faster. But the witch had her phone on speaker and might be getting updates.
At one time, Evalle wouldn’t be as willing to wait, but they’d come a long way and she now trusted the Sterling witch with her life.
Approaching an intersection near Kenny’s Alley, the traffic light flipped from red to green.
She never caught this light green.
When riding a motorcycle, never complain about a green light.
Up ahead, Adrianna put her foot on the accelerator and zoomed forward.
Ready to get to Storm, Evalle caught a lower gear and rolled on as Adrianna’s car reached the intersection.
Blocked from view by a building on the left, a car shot out from that side as if it was being chased, and plowed into the rear of Adrianna’s car.
Stunned, Evalle watched for two seconds as Adrianna’s car spun wildly and crashed into a building headfirst.
That bastard!
Evalle rolled hard on the accelerator. The front of her bike lifted up for twenty feet, then dropped down as Evalle rode beneath the still-green stoplight to reach Adrianna.
A white blur on her right snatched her attention in time to see a huge white van speeding forward.
The van hit her broadside.
Instead of skidding across the pavement, she and her bike went airborne.
The handlebars slipped out of her grasp. She had the thought to tuck her body to roll upon landing ...
One arm wouldn’t work.
Her body slammed into the side of a brick building. The sound of metal bouncing over the pavement, then crashing into the building followed. She heard bones pop and break. Pain slammed her. The helmet saved her skull, but her head spun with vicious vertigo. Her eyes rolled up in her head.
Blurred sounds reached her.
She tried to grab her head to slow the spinning, but couldn’t pull that off. Where were her fingers? She couldn’t feel them.
Her body had gone from pain to numb. Shouldn’t it hurt? She fought to keep from blacking out.
Someone unsnapped her helmet and yanked it off. Her head hit the hard ground.
Ow, dammit.
He shouted, “Hurry up... seconds ... get the damn thing.”
What did they want?
Maybe he was shouting for an ambulance.
Her thoughts came and went.
Hands grabbed under her arms from the back and lifted her halfway up. Pain showed up now in a brutal wave.
She hurt everywhere and moaned, “No, don’t ... ”
Her shirt ripped open.
What the ...
Evalle tried to open her eyes. Warm liquid pooled in them. Blood? Maybe the helmet hadn’t survived the crash.
A deep voice snarled, “What the fuck?”
“Get. It. Off. Now! We’re out of time.”
Claws dug into her chest around the emerald stone and ripped it free.
She screamed, out of her mind with pain like nothing she’d ever suffered. Someone shoved a rag in her mouth, cutting off her scream, but the howling went on in her head. She reached for her chest with the only arm that worked and it got yanked back.
Next, a sack was jerked over her head.
Agony tore through her, forcing all thought from her mind except making it stop.
An invisible force levitated her body into an upright position until she stood on her feet. She made a muffled cry of pain. Both legs had to be broken. Her body was raised a tiny bit more so that her feet didn’t touch the ground, but her arms were locked against her sides by the same invisible force.
Tears ran down her face every time she took a breath. Her chest had been ripped apart and she could feel blood soaking whatever was left of her shirt.
Anger boiled with her misery. Her mind fought to clear. She was a powerful Alterant. She tried to call up her beast to heal her.
Nothing. No sign of her power.
She reached out telepathically to Trey. It’s Evalle. I’m being captured. I’m ...
The words blasted back inside her head.
Who was doing this? What did they want?
Were they kidnapping Adrianna, too?
Not that she wanted her friend captured, but the possibility gave Evalle hope. Once she healed, she and Adrianna would put the mother of all smackdowns on this bunch.
Her mind wanted to black out, anything to get away from this raging pain. She had to stay awake even if she couldn’t see.
Then she inhaled the stinking scent of limes. The worst smell of Noirre majik smoked around her, as a slimy, crawling feeling slid over her entire body. She struggled, trying to push out kinetics wildly from her fingers.
“Make her stop that,” someone ordered.
A fist hit her in the wound in her chest.
She stopped breathing.