The Curse Read Online Free PDF Page B

count of humans and find out if any of them realized what was going on over here. We need ambulances for injuries.”
    Devon spoke up. “Hate to tell ya, but three humans did see the Rías shift and attack. Two of ’em passed out from shock. Third one pissed himself. I gave him a tap to put him to sleep. We’ve got those three pulled away from the other humans. Any chance that hot Sterling witch is nearby? She could help us out by altering the memories of a few minds.”
    “Adrianna’s still on leave,” Tzader answered. “Supposed to be back tomorrow.”
    Evalle just realized she hadn’t seen the Sterling witch in the past three weeks either. No loss in my world . Men acted stupid when Adrianna showed up with her designer clothes, angel-face makeup and red pouty lips, especially now that her bobbed blond hair had grown halfway to her waist practically overnight.
    I hope she stays on leave … finds a new profession … gets kidnapped by aliens …
    Devon’s gaze roamed over the bloody field that darkness thankfully shielded from any curious humans. “Guess that leaves us with calling in Sen.”
    Of course they’d have to call in Sen, the one person Evalle could go the rest of her life without ever seeing again. She kicked the dead troll. “Thanks.” Not meaning it one bit. “This day just gets better all the time.”
    Her shove caused the troll’s head to rock from one side to the other and his arm to slide off his chest. An odd burn scar on the inside of his forearm looked intentional, something like a gang insignia.
    Tzader looked down, doing a double take on her lobotomy kill. “What the hell?”
    She arched an eyebrow at Tzader. How did he get away with cursing? Brina hated foul language. Their warrior queen never left her castle except as a hologram, but she had the ability to reach out kinetically to touch someone if she chose and always seemed to know when a curse slipped out of Evalle’s mouth.
    “Bloody hell,” Quinn muttered.
    What was so awful for Mr. Proper to curse, too?
    Then Devon jumped in. “That’s bad.”
    She didn’t see what they were making a big deal out of. Okay, the top third of the thing’s head was missing.
    Looking from Quinn to Tzader, Evalle said, “What? I know he’ll be hard to identify without all of his head, but that couldn’t be avoided. And those tats on his face have to mean something.”
    “They do,” Devon confirmed, sighing. “So does that runic S burned into his arm. Identifying him isn’t the problem.”
    “If you know who he is, what’s the issue?” she asked.
    Tzader ran a hand over his bald head, wiping sweat off. “That’s not just any troll. It’s a Svart troll.”
    Evalle searched her mind for what she knew of them. “Aren’t they some European-based bunch?”
    Quinn answered, “Svarts are a black-ops type of mercenary troll who originated in Switzerland. They are the most deadly trolls on earth and hire out to the highest offers. It would require a significant player to even gain their attention.”
    She’d heard snippets about Svarts, but only trolls with death wishes would tangle with VIPER. Evalle thought out loud, “Who has the kind of jack it would take to send them up against a coalition like VIPER, and why would a Svart troll incur the wrath of the coalition? Atlanta is one of the most powerful VIPER hubs in the world.”
    Quinn gave her a disheartening smile. “Contracts in our world aren’t necessarily about money. Power is far more highly valued than coin. And Svarts don’t accept just any offer. They choose their contracts judiciously, based upon how powerful their benefactor is and how well they expect to benefit from a successful mission.”
    She asked, “What kind of extra benefit? Like a bonus?”
    “No.” Quinn thought for a moment. “Whoever did this is unconcerned about poking around in an area protected by VIPER and the Beladors. I caught up on Belador alerts while on my flight or I wouldn’t have understood