That had to be it.
Still, she couldn't face pimento cheese right now, which was strange since she normally loved those sandwiches. She'd explain to Phoedra and eat some soup with crackers.
Had to be the carpet and teleporting, right?
She couldn't be truly sick with the demon energy still inside her, but evidently that didn't prevent supernatural travel and sharp chemical odors from souring her stomach.
The only other option for her would be pregnancy, which wasn't possible. Quinn had used condoms all three times and she'd been way outside the window of fertility. She'd kept an eye on her cycle for ten years, even during the most recent months--okay, years--she'd spent entirely alone.
"Re-eese!"
"I'm on the way," she called back. She rubbed her stomach and chuckled at the big bad demon killer being taken down by carpet.
Chapter 36
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Cathbad held his temper when he wanted to destroy the queen's throne room, along with her in it. "I warned you not to put Ossian at risk."
Queen Maeve had the wit about her to foster an apologetic expression he didn't believe for one second. She began, "I didn't intend for him to be harmed. I had hoped to bring us Veronika's power. It would have made us invincible."
"Do you really think Veronika would have come to you? You are too old to be that naive." No, she wasn't naive, but the reincarnation had corrupted her mind. "That witch wanted to rule alone. I knew it and so did everyone else with any significant power."
"I admit I may have misjudged her."
"Misjudged? That's how you excuse sendin' Ossian to have his majik churned to the point he had to be in constant pain? I saw him. He was hurtin' and he had been a loyal follower. He was an amazin' weapon and our best intelligence gatherer. First you force us to break ties with the coalition, then you destroy my polymorph. I poured everythin' I could into him and he turned out perfect. Then you manipulated him, because you couldn't compel him."
"Let's not quarrel over this," she said, waving off the significance of what she'd done. "We'll make another one. I'll help you."
Quinn had been right.
Maeve was far worse than merely irrational and losing occasional control. She'd reached a special level of crazy.
"I need some time to myself," Cathbad announced.
She whipped around in a blur of silk and sparkles. "What are you saying?"
"I just need to get away and deal with my anger. I'm grievin' the loss of Ossian. I know you don't understand that, but he meant a lot to me."
She released a sound of quiet disgust. "Go then. I have plenty to keep me busy."
"If you mean all the Belador children you put bounties on, that's stopped and they have all been returned to their families."
"Have you lost your mind? I gave up a load of Noirre gaining those assets. What were you thinking to squander them?"
"I was thinkin' to save your life, because they were gatherin' an army of deities to invade TAmr Medb and drag you back to make an example of you," he shouted, cracking the floor in all directions from where he stood. "The dragon was furious about your touchin' Belador children. The Tribunal went mad when Veronika escaped and they found out you were behind her breakout."
"They can't prove anything," she argued.
"That's not a concern to them. You see, they found out you were tryin' to team up with Veronika. You threatened the very existence of TAmr Medb and all the witches and warlocks down in the human world who've been followin' your reckless orders. If you start somethin' while I'm gone, good luck to you. I'm not steppin' in to fix it again."
With that, Cathbad teleported away, whirling through space as he seethed over how much he wanted to make her pay for Ossian.
When the teleporting ended, he stood in shin-deep snow, but he now wore thick fur boots, rugged pants and a wool shirt, with a fur cape. He would not be out in this for long, though.
Turning around, he took a moment to enjoy the vista of snow-capped mountains as far as he could see.
He'd missed this.
Two thousand years was too long.
Wind and rain had altered some spots, but the mountain range had changed little since the day he'd walked away. He opened his mind to the tranquility he loved about this place and slowly let his pain slide away. After he'd allowed enough time to put his mind at peace over the loss of Ossian, he turned and waded through fresh snow to a large boulder. With a flip of his hand, the boulder made a grinding sound as it moved away from the mouth of the cave.
Inside, he tossed flames to torches that quickly caught and illuminated his way deep inside. He could have teleported in, but he hadn't enjoyed a quiet walk in many years. The tunnel descended slowly, curving back and forth, then into a long arc, gradually straightening until it opened into a massive room.
An ice palace.
Sparkling crystals hung from the ceiling like ice daggers prepared to attack anyone below. A throne of ice and sapphires perched on a raised chunk of ice ten feet square and one foot thick. Ornate trunks, filled with gold in every form from jewelry to coins to serving pieces and furnishings, had been piled three stories high against the far wall.
Exactly the way he'd left it.
The middle of the cavern was a wide-open space a hundred feet across and a hundred feet high with a pool of water seventy feet across and three times as deep.
Pulling a very old rune stone shaped as a square with rounded edges from his pocket, he turned the carved side to face the center of the cave and began bringing the elements together.
"As sun rises and falls, I ask of you the eyes to see."
Light glowed through the chamber.
"As the force of time changes all, I ask of you the power to be."
Thunder rolled through the mountain.
"As the breath of life touches all, I ask of you to set one free."
Air swirled and rushed around the fur cloaking him. The room's temperature dropped another twenty degrees below freezing.
Ice began to form on top of the pool.
He stood firm, waiting for the elements to answer him with a yes or a no.
The ground beneath him shifted and shuddered once.
Again.
He would stand here for days if the elements required such of him, but his senses told him he would not have to wait that long for a decision.
A whirring sound started below ground. The water began spinning slowly. The layer of ice cracked and buckled as the swirl picked up speed and spun until the center dipped as it was sucked into the vortex.
If he'd misjudged his power or the elements ...
Out of the pool, a force exploded upward, sending a wall of water shooting out in all directions.
Cathbad held his hand up, creating an invisible shield to avoid being drowned or washed away.
A roar of fire blasted giant icicles from the ceiling, which went flying everywhere.
Had he not been prepared, he'd have been impaled by one of them.
Swooping down in a ferocious dive, then landing gracefully at the last second to tower above him, a magnificent dragon covered in luminescent white and pale-blue scales glared at Cathbad.
He removed his protective shield. "Hello, my sweet. I promised I'd return."
The End.
Watch for TREOIR DRAGON HOARD (book 10) in 2018.
While you're waiting on the next Belador adventure, take a look at Dianna's new League of Gallize Shifters series.
GRAY WOLF MATE is book one in this exciting new paranormal series. Shifters came out seven years back and, since then, the world has never been the same for many.
Tess Janver and Cole Cavanaugh fell deeply in love in college ... then he disappeared without a word. She feared the worst, or thought she had. After six years, he returns as a beefed up version of his former self. That's not the only thing different. As someone working in a preternatural criminal investigation unit and the daughter of a senator determined to rid the world of dangerous shifters, T
ess is caught between performing her duty to humans, protecting the only family she has left and risking her heart to a man who once destroyed it.
Cole had no choice in becoming a Gallize shifter and now he's facing the end of his days from a fatal mating curse he can't stop. He never planned on Tess finding out he shared his body with a wolf, but she's in danger from a rogue wolf pack. He's not leaving until she's safe ... and he has a chance to redeem himself in her eyes before his time is up.
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Reviews on Belador books:
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"...non-stop tense action, filled with twists, betrayals, danger, and a beautiful sensual romance. As always with Dianna Love, I was on the edge of my seat, unable to pull myself away."
~~Barb, The Reading Cafe
"...shocking developments and a whopper of an ending... and I may have exclaimed aloud more than once...Bottom line: I really kind of loved it."
~~Jen, top 500 Reviewer
"DEMON STORM leaves you breathless on countless occasions."
~~Amelia Richard, SingleTitles
"...Its been a very long time since I've felt this passionate about getting the next installment in a series. Even J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter books."
~~Bryonna Nobles, Demons, Dreams and Dragon Wings
The Belador series is an ongoing story line, so you may want to read the books in order. Available in ebook/print/audio.
Book 1: Blood Trinity
Book 2: Alterant
Book 3: The Curse
Book 4: Rise Of The Gryphon
Book 5: Demon Storm
Book 6: Witchlock
Book 7: Rogue Belador
Book 8: Dragon King Of Treoir
Book 9: Belador Cosaint
Book 10: Treoir Dragon Hoard (2018)
Tristan's Escape (novella) --------
Here's a new series from Dianna:
League of Gallize Shifters
Gray Wolf Mate
Mating A Grizzly (winter 2017)
BLOOD TRINITY - Belador Book 1
Atlanta has become the battlefield between human and demon.
As an outcast among her own people, Evalle Kincaid has walked the line between human and beast her whole life as a half-blood Belador. An Alterant. Her true origins unknown, she searches to learn more about her past before it kills her, but when a demon claims a young woman in a terrifying attack and there's no one else to blame, Evalle comes under suspicion.
The one person who can help her is Storm, the sexy new agent brought in to catch her in a lie, just one of his gifts besides being a Skinwalker. On a deadly quest for her own survival, Evalle is forced to work with the mysterious stranger who has the power to unravel her world. Through the sordid underbelly of an alternate Atlanta where nothing is as it seems to the front lines of the city where former allies now hunt her, Evalle must prove her innocence or pay the ultimate price. But saving herself is the least of her problems if she doesn't stop the coming apocalypse. The clock is ticking and Atlanta is about to ignite.
"BLOOD TRINITY is an ingenious urban fantasy ... will enthrall you during every compellingly entertaining scene."
--Amelia Richards, Single Titles
"...a well written book that will take you out of your everyday life and transport you to an exciting new world ..."
--Heated Steve
ALTERANT: Belador Book 2
Evalle must hunt her own kind...or die with them.
In this explosive new world of betrayals and shaky alliances, as the only Alterant not incarcerated, Evalle faces an impossible task -- recapture three dangerous, escaped creatures before they slaughter more humans...or her.
When words uttered in the heat of combat are twisted against her, Evalle is blamed for the prison break of three dangerous Alterants and forced to recapture the escapees. Deals with gods and goddesses are tricky at best, and now the lives of all Beladors, and the safety of innocent humans, rides on Evalle's success. Her Skinwalker partner, Storm, is determined to plant all four of his black jaguar paws in the middle of her world, but Evalle has no time for a love life. Not when a Tribunal sends her to the last place she wants to show her face.
The only person she can ask for help is the one man who wants to see her dead.
"There are SO many things in this series that I want to learn more about; there's no way I could list them all."
--Romance Junkies Reviews
THE CURSE: Belador book 3
Troll powered gang wars explode in cemeteries and no one in Atlanta is safe.
Demonic Svart Trolls have invaded Atlanta and Evalle suddenly has little hope of fulfilling a promise with the freedom of an entire race hanging in the balance, even if she had more than two days. She takes a leap of faith, seeking help from Isak, the Black Ops specialist who recently put Evalle in his cross hairs and has a personal vendetta against Alterants who killed his best friend.
Bloody troll-led gang wars force Evalle into unwittingly exposing a secret that endangers all she holds dear, and complicates her already tumultuous love life with the mysterious Skinwalker, Storm. But it's when the entire Medb coven comes after her that Evalle is forced to make a game-changing decision with no time left on the clock.
"Evalle, continues to be one of my favorite female warriors in paranormal/urban fantasy... I loved The Curse... This was a great story from start to finish, super fun, lots of action, couples to root for, and a fantastic heroine." --The Reading Cafe
RISE OF THE GRYPHON: Belador Book 4
If dying is the cost of protecting those you love... bring it.
Evalle has a chance to find out her true origin, and give all Alterants a place in the world. To do so, she'll have to take down the Belador traitor and bring home a captured friend, which means infiltrating the dangerous Medb coven. To do that, she'll have to turn her back on her vows and enter a vicious game to the death. What she does discover about Alterants is not good, especially for the Beladors.
Her best friends, Tzader and Quinn, face unthinkable choices, as relationships with the women they love grow twisted. With time ticking down on a decision that will compel allies to become deadly enemies, Evalle turns to Storm and takes a major step in their relationship, but the witchdoctor he's been hunting now stalks Evalle. Now Evalle is forced to embrace her destiny . . . but at what price?
"Longtime fans of the Belador series will have much to celebrate in the fearless Evalle Kincaid's fourth outing...with such heart and investment, each scene has an intensity that will quicken the pulse and capture the imagination..." --RT Book Reviews
DEMON STORM: Belador book 5
We all have demons... some are more real than others.
With Treoir Island in shambles after a Medb attack that left the survival of the missing Belador warrior queen in question and Belador powers compromised, there is one hope for her return and their future - Evalle Kincaid, whose recent transformation has turned her into an even more formidable warrior. First she has to locate Storm, the Skinwalker she's bonded with who she believes can find the Belador queen, but S
torm stalks the witch doctor who's threatening Evalle's life. When he finally corners the witch doctor, she throws Storm a curve that may cost him everything, including Evalle. The hunter becomes the hunted, and Evalle must face her greatest nightmare to save Storm and the Beladors or watch the future of mankind fall to deadly preternatural predators.
DEMON STORM includes a BONUS SHORT STORY--DEADLY FIXATION--from the Belador world.
"There is so much action in this book I feel like I've burned calories just reading it." --D Antonio
"...nonstop adventures overflowing with danger and heartfelt emotions. DEMON STORM leaves you breathless on countless occasions."
--Amelia Richard, Single Titles
WITCHLOCK: Belador Book 6
Witchlock vanished in the 13th century ... or did it?
If Atlanta falls, Witchlock will sweep the country in a bloodbath.
After finally earning her place among the Beladors, Evalle is navigating the ups and downs of her new life with Storm when she's sucked into a power play between her Belador tribe and the Medb coven. Both groups claim possession of the Alterant gryphons, especially Evalle, the gryphon leader. But an influx of demons and dark witches into Atlanta threatens to unleash war between covens, pitting allies against each other as a legendary majik known as Witchlock invades the city and attacks powerful beings. Evalle has one hope for stopping the invasion, but the cost may be her sanity and having to choose which friend to save.
"Evalle and friends are back in another high energy, pulse pounding adventure...Fans of Rachel Caine's Weather Warden series will enjoy this series. I surely do."
--In My Humble Opinion Blogspot
ROGUE BELADOR: Belador Book 7
Immortals fear little ... except a secret in the wrong hands.
While searching for a way to save Brina of Treoir's failing memories, Tzader Burke discovers someone who can help her if he is willing to sneak into the heart of his enemy's stronghold--TAmr Medb. He'll do anything to protect the woman he loves from becoming a mindless empty shell, but his decision could be the catalyst for an apocalyptic war. The deeper he digs for the truth, the more lies he uncovers that shake the very foundation of being a Belador and the future of his clan.