Chapter 1 #2
Whether he’d been in his disguise as Joe or the Benefactor or the Watcher, he’d been a pain in the ass.
“Come on,” Peri teased. “You have to miss him at least a little.”
“Like I miss an infected toenail.”
“That’s very...graphic.”
Maya shrugged. “He had his uses, but there is enough testosterone in my life. He’s welcomed to pester someone else.”
“I wonder where he is,” Peri mused. Then without warning her magic tingled in the air. “Someone’s coming,” she whispered.
Maya thought she heard the soft sound of footsteps, but didn’t have Peri’s talent for sensing who or what was approaching.
“Human? Demon? Mage?”
“I don’t know.”
“Damn, I wish Skye was here.”
Peri looked confused. “We’re two of the most powerful mages in the world. We could take down a vampire if necessary. Why are you worried?”
“Skye has something we don’t.”
“What’s that?”
“The patience to deal with a child.”
“Yeah. Good point,” Peri agreed. “She’s a lot nicer than we are.”
Maya didn’t know if it was Skye’s brutal upbringing at the hands of demons or the dark visions that haunted her, but whatever the cause, Skye possessed the most gentle, empathetic soul she’d ever known.
Maya’s thoughts were shattered as the steel door leading down to the basement was slowly pushed open. She exchanged a glance with Peri. Earlier they’d both cast layers of magic that would keep out a horde of demons, not to mention set off a dozen different alarms.
There’d been nothing to indicate the Witch’s Brew had been breached. Not a peep.
Maya and Peri remained hidden in the shadows as footsteps crept down the stairs and a silhouette passed by, heading directly for the safe that was built into a concrete wall.
Maya touched Peri’s arm, keeping her from springing the trap.
She wanted to see exactly how the girl was entering the vaults.
Was it magic? An incantation? Did she have inside help?
And just as importantly, how did she know the safe was hidden behind the shelf of books?
Maya barely dared to breathe as the intruder lifted a hand and waved it in a circle, as if she were conducting an orchestra. In response, the shelves swept aside and the door to the vault swung open.
There was no tingle of magic. No blast of power. Nothing.
Next to Maya, she could feel Peri tense in surprise. Was the younger mage finally realizing that they weren’t dealing with a sticky-fingered brat?
A minute passed, then another. This was no smash and grab.
The intruder was taking her sweet time. After what felt like an eternity the shadow reappeared and, chanting in a soft voice, Maya released the spell she’d cast onto the floor.
At the same time, Peri dropped her own spell from the ceiling, wrapping it around the shadow.
“What the...” The intruder briefly struggled against the invisible bands wrapped around her, then as if realizing that each movement made them tighter, she made a sound of disgust.
“A snare?” The girl’s voice floated through the darkness. “Really? Super original.”
Maya reached to flip on the light switch.
The soft glow flooded the formal sitting room decorated in dramatic shades of black and silver with low glass coffee tables and metal works of art that shimmered with a cold beauty.
It was what most people expected when they visited the lair of a vampire and a powerful mage.
The private areas of the lair were far cozier, with deep couches and lots of soft, fuzzy pillows.
It turned out, she liked to snuggle with her vampire.
Honestly, no one was more surprised than she was.
Maya stepped away from the stairs, sweeping her gaze over the short, slender form that was no longer hidden by shadows.
Up close the girl looked even younger than Maya had expected.
Her round face was sprinkled with freckles and surrounded by a halo of brown curls that matched her wide eyes.
In defiance of the sweltering heat, she was wearing an oversized winter coat with large silver buttons and baggy sweatpants with sneakers.
There was no aura around her that would mark her as a demon.
Red for goblin or green for fey creatures.
And the girl certainly wasn’t a vampire.
There were less than a hundred leeches in the entire world and they were exclusively male. Just like all mages were females.
Maya’s attention turned to the swirling mist that formed over the girl’s coat pocket as well as the black bag she clutched in a tight grip. The snare was designed to reveal magical objects as well as any spells or curses attached to her captive.
“She’s carrying some magical artifacts.”
Peri nodded, moving forward to grab the black bag before reaching into the coat pocket.
“What are you doing? Leave me alone.” The girl slapped at Peri’s hand. “Stranger danger! Stranger danger!” she screamed in a piercing voice.
“Hush.” With a wave of her hand, Maya placed a weave of air over the thief’s lips.
The girl glared at her, but her eyes widened as she caught sight of the silvery scars that ran the length of Maya’s jaw.
It was possible she was simply bothered by the disfigurement, but Maya suspected that girl had belatedly recognized her.
The rumors of Maya’s battle with a demented vampire had become the stuff of legends over the past forty years.
In the demon world there were few creatures who weren’t a little afraid of the mage with a scarred face.
“These are yours,” Peri said as she strolled back to Maya and handed her the bag.
Maya peered inside. It felt oddly heavy. A lead lining? Interesting. She tilted the bag to the side, studying the three crystals that held minor curses and a vial of truth serum.
“Out of all the magical objects in the safe, this is what you decided to steal?” Maya demanded in confusion.
“This was in her pocket.” Peri handed Maya a small round stone with a hole drilled in the center of it.
“What is it?”
“There’s some sort of magic, but I don’t recognize it.”
Maya smoothed her thumb over the stone. It looked like something you could pick up anywhere, but there was a tingle of power that warned it wasn’t just another rock.
“There’s magic in it,” she murmured, gathering a small tendril of power. “But the only way to figure it out is to trigger the spell.”
“Don’t!” the girl snapped, easily breaking through the web Maya had placed over her lips. “You’re going to ruin it.”
Maya cut off her magic, like turning off a faucet. There was an edge of urgency in the girl’s voice.
“What is it?” Maya demanded.
“My private property is what it is.” The girl stuck out her hand. “Give it back.”
“Fine, I’ll figure it out myself.” Maya held up the stone, as if preparing to probe it with her magic.
“No!” the girl said in frustration. “It’s an opener.”
“An opener?” Maya scowled. “What does that mean?”
“I don’t know how to explain it. It’s...like a garage door opener.”
“What does it open?”
“Everything.”
Maya continued to study the stone. She’d never heard of a rock that doubled as a garage door opener.
There were demon relics that allowed them to pass through magical barriers, and a rare few that also opened locks, but they had been banned by the Cabal for centuries.
And the one she’d confiscated from a goblin ten years ago had been a seven-foot crystal figurine that glowed with a crimson power. They weren’t exactly user friendly.
Was it possible that the demons had managed to create a new artifact that was smaller and less conspicuous? A daunting thought.
“How does it work?” she demanded.
“Magic, I guess,” the girl said. “I just know when I’m holding it, the stone lets me go into places most people can’t get into.”
“Like locked vaults?”
The girl continued to hold out her hand, snapping her fingers at Maya. “Can I have it back?”
“No. Where did you get it?” Maya demanded.
“I found it. Don’t ask where. I don’t remember.”
Maya narrowed her eyes. Normally she admired a young girl with confidence. She didn’t even mind a little cockiness. How else would women ever change the world? But there was spicy attitude and you’re-wearing-on-my-freaking-nerves attitude.
“Do you think this is a game?”
The girl gave an angry toss of her curls. “I think two old ladies lured an innocent child into a trap and now you’re holding her against her will. It’s called trafficking. Google it if you don’t believe me.”
Peri leaned against the side of the staircase, her lips twitching as if she were enjoying the show.
“Told you,” she murmured softly.
Maya sent her fellow mage a chiding glance. With friends like that, who needed enemies? With a click of her tongue, she returned her attention to the thief.
“We are not old.”
“Okay, boomer.”
Maya paused, forcing herself to count to ten before she did something stupid. Maybe she was getting old.
“Where did you get this?” She nodded toward the stone lying in the center of her palm.
“I told you, I found it.”
“Where?” Maya tightened the bonds of the snare. Not enough to cause pain, but a physical warning that she was in charge of the situation. “And don’t tell me you don’t remember.”
“Fine.” The girl sniffed. “It was in some junk I found when I was walking through the Everglades.”
The mention of the Everglades prompted a memory of the complaint that Maya had received last summer from a witch who demanded that Maya do more to track down and punish thieves.
It was an early warning that something was wrong.
Unfortunately, Maya had been too busy dealing with the demons from her past to check into the complaints.
After that, she’d been caught up in her new school for young mages and joining her life with Ravyr, not always an easy task.
Now she regretted letting the child continue her stealing spree. Obviously she’d managed to get her hands on objects that were far more powerful than Maya had assumed. Some of them might be dangerous in the wrong hands.