Demon Storm: Belador book 5 by Dianna Love Read Free Book Online

faster than a chameleon crossing a rainbow, but now it was cinnamon red, and floated with a quiet calm around her face and shoulders as Macha spoke, “I am proud of the way you fought the Medb, and grieve with you for our fallen.”
    Tristan muttered, “Incoming.”
    The sound of large wings flapping in the air preceded six gryphons on approach to land. Warriors stepped back, opening up a clearing for the ten-to-twelve-foot tall creatures with thirty-foot wingspans that settled as smoothly as a flock of geese on a lake. But these were no birds. They each had an eagle’s grand profile from head to shoulders, then a lion’s body that flowed to the long tail. A few of them had golden feathers on their heads.
    Evalle looked around then whispered to Tristan. “Where are your two Rías buddies?”  
    “They didn’t want to come since they aren’t in human form and their beast form isn’t pretty like gryphons,” Tristan said with his usual dry sarcasm. “So they’re hiding nearby ... to scope out the Belador women before they’re allowed to shift back to men.”
    Evalle smiled. She’d met the two Rías when Tristan took her to the Maze of Death, a bunch of tunnels beneath Atlanta that harbored Civil War ghosts. With the exception of having normal human eyes where Evalle’s were bright green, Rías shifted into monsters similar to Evalle’s original beast form–the one she’d had before she evolved into a gryphon–and they were definitely not an attractive sight.
    The gryphons were pretty, magnificent even, and she was one of them. In fact, she was now their leader, the strongest in the pack.
    Or she would be when she came back from finding Storm. Tristan had better do his job as leader while she was gone to the mortal world.
    Turning back to Macha, Evalle noted the indecision that seemed to hang in the air.
    What had the goddess hesitating?
    Macha finally came to some decision and said, “We welcome the gryphons who defended our island and remain to watch over Treoir. Now that we know what an Alterant is, or at least what one becomes, I will finalize the petition to have Alterants recognized as a race with rights. Every Alterant who swears fealty to me and the Beladors will from that point forward belong to my pantheon.”
    Chills raced along Evalle’s skin.
    How long had she waited to hear those words? To be accepted as a true Belador and no longer be persecuted for the unknown part of her blood?
    She turned to Tristan, whose jaw was slack with disbelief, then he snapped his mouth shut.
    She held her breath to see if he would forgive the Beladors for their transgressions against him when he’d been caged like an animal. Or would he snub Macha’s offer? Brina may have been the one who actually locked Tristan away for five years inside that cage in a South American jungle, but Brina took no action without either Macha’s blessing or direction.
    Would any of that matter to Tristan?
    Macha stood perfectly still and Evalle realized the goddess waited for a sign from the gryphons.
    The Belador warriors turned en masse to stare at Tristan, Evalle and the gryphons.
    Technically, Evalle was already a Belador, but she bowed her head and prayed that Tristan would not start mouthing off.
    Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him slowly lower his head, then six gryphons dropped their upper bodies and dipped their heads, wings spread in a breathtaking display of colors and acknowledgment.
    Evalle’s eyes were swimming but she wasn’t about to put on a waterworks display, not even one with happy tears.
    She was a warrior.
    No, she was a Belador warrior, equal to everyone here.
    Macha’s voice rang out. “Your fealty is accepted, gryphons and Rías, and your service in continuing to guard Treoir is appreciated.”
    Standing upright again to face her goddess, Evalle searched for Tzader and Quinn. She found them standing off to the side, both rigid with arms crossed.
    Not a happy face between them.
    They were her two