Chapter 1
Spring was springing. Or at least there was a faint promise of spring in the air, luring the winter-weary citizens of Linden, New Jersey, out of their homes.
Who cared if the wind whipping through the narrow streets was more frigid than refreshing?
Or that darkness was already gathering as they headed out of their offices after a long day of work?
Or even that it was a random Tuesday in mid-April.
Tonight they eagerly celebrated happy hour at the local bars and jammed the sidewalks as they wandered in and out of the various shops.
Including the Witch’s Brew.
The brightly lit coffee shop with a white tiled floor and lavender walls wasn’t the largest in town, and it wasn’t part of a chain, but it was always packed with customers who crowded into the narrow space and battled to claim one of the small tables set near the large front window.
Most were eager to munch on the variety of muffins and scones and brownies, not to mention enjoy the freshly brewed coffee.
But there were a few who wandered into the attached bookstore in search of a good novel to enjoy during a quiet evening alone.
The private office at the back of the shop, however, was strictly off limits.
The only customers allowed through the door were by appointment.
And only for those select few clients who could afford Maya Rosen’s outrageous fees.
As one of the most powerful mages in the world, Maya could name her price.
And she did.
Plus, she only offered her considerable skills to demons. They were split into two categories. The goblins who had long ago been giants, ogres, and trolls. And the fey creatures who had been fairies, sprites, and imps.
She never worked for vampires. Ever. And, of course, the local humans didn’t have a clue that she was anything other than a successful businesswoman who was always generous with the neighborhood charities.
Just as they didn’t know that they were living on the outskirts of a pool of ancient magic called a Gyre that fueled the demons who infested New York City.
Or that the territory was ruled by Valen, a powerful member of the Vampire Cabal.
Ignorance could definitely be bliss, Maya wryly acknowledged as she calmly watched a male demon storm around the barren office like a caged lion, waving his arms as he vented his seething fury.
At first glance, the intruder appeared to be a regular guy in a tailored gray suit with his dark hair smoothed from his square face.
Maya, however, could see the dark crimson aura that throbbed around his large body.
It revealed that he was a goblin, but also that his blood hadn’t been diluted over the centuries.
She could also smell the sour stench of his fear that he was trying to hide beneath his loud bluster.
Understandable. She had, after all, created a truth potion that had caused him to blurt out the fact that he’d been routinely overbilling vendors and pocketing the money during a meeting with his manager. Plus he’d shared his nasty habit of forcing himself on his young female employees.
Now he was out of his job as an accountant at the glitzy nightclub in New York City, and soon he’d be facing Valen’s wrath for his sexual harassment. Something no demon wanted.
“Who was it?” he ground out as he stomped past her desk, his face an interesting shade of purple.
Maya pretended to be confused by his question. “Excuse me?”
“Who paid the contract to have my coffee spiked with a truth potion?”
Maya shrugged, not surprised he’d managed to figure out she was responsible for the potion in his coffee.
But that’s all he’d ever know. There was no way in hell she would reveal that the contract had been negotiated by his last victim.
The pretty fairy had sold everything she owned, plus taken a loan from the bank, to ensure that the goblin was exposed and punished for his crimes.
The payment would be returned to the fairy through some covert means. Maya had too much respect for the female to refuse the stack of cash she’d proudly handed over. Just as she hadn’t told the younger woman that she intended to add a secret layer to the potion. A layer that hadn’t kicked in yet.
A week from now the demon was going to develop a mysterious rash with oozing pus and a disgusting odor. It wouldn’t kill him, but it was going to make him miserable for several days.
“My clients are guaranteed confidentiality,” she informed the seething demon. “Unless they specifically request I share their name.”
“I don’t give a flying fuck about your—”
“Enough,” Maya snapped. She’d allowed the idiot to indulge his rabid temper—which was more than he deserved—but she was done. Beyond done. Opening the top drawer of her desk, she pulled out a small glass vial. “This meeting is over.”
“What do you mean, over?” His face darkened from purple to puce as the male moved to slam his palms on her desk, spittle hanging at the corner of his mouth.
“I’ll tell you when it’s over, bitch.” The threat was unmistakable, but Maya didn’t flinch.
Instead she calmly pulled the stopper out of the top of the vial.
The demon stiffened, the fury fogging his brain penetrated by the acrid odor that abruptly stained the air. “What’s that?”
“A very powerful potion.”
The male scowled. “Are you threatening me?”
“I’m giving you an opportunity,” Maya corrected in a soft voice.
“An opportunity for what?”
“You can walk out of here, and never return. Or I can toss the contents of this vial on you and various parts of your body are going to start shriveling.” She paused, studying the liquid that was beginning to bubble inside the glass container.
“Perhaps even fall off,” she conceded with a small shrug.
“I haven’t used this recipe before so it’s hard to say how bad things might get for you. ”
The male stumbled backward, his jaw bulging as he clenched his teeth in frustration. He was a cliché bully who used bluster and intimidation to manipulate others. The fact that he couldn’t terrorize her was pissing him off as much as the knowledge that he’d lost everything.
“You wouldn’t do it,” he snarled. “Those potions are illegal.”
They were. And the foaming liquid in the vial was nothing more than a harmless cleansing potion, but he didn’t know that. Maya slowly rose to her feet, stretching out her arm as if preparing to launch a spell.
“So is stealing. And lying. And being a pervert,” she reminded him in overly sweet tones. “Should I go on?”
The male smacked into the wall with a heavy thud. “I hope you rot in hell, you...you witch,” he rasped, his insult ruined as he hastily turned to wrench open the door and flee like a coward.
With a roll of her eyes, Maya tossed the contents of the vial onto the floor, allowing the potion to spread through the office and purify the air.
The demons couldn’t touch their ancient powers when they were outside the magic of the Gyre, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t buy hexes and leave them behind.
Better safe than sorry. That was her motto.
Then, moving toward the open door, Maya paused to wipe her hands down her yellow cashmere sweater that she’d matched with a pair of ivory slacks.
The meeting had gone pretty much as expected, but this was her least favorite part of her mage-for-hire business.
Next, she combed her fingers through her shoulder-length black hair that framed her face.
There was no gray to be seen in the silken strands, just as there were no lines on her oval face.
As a mage, she stopped aging around thirty, but there was no mistaking the hard-earned wisdom in her bright green eyes.
The only visible mar to her polished beauty was the silvery spiderweb of scars that ran from her ear along the line of her jaw. The remnants of the magic that had nearly destroyed her.
Once she was confident that her composure was firmly in place, she walked through the empty bookstore and into the coffee shop that was serving the last of the customers.
It was after six o’clock and the shop was officially closed, but even on a Tuesday it was closer to seven before the staff could shut off the lights and call it a day.