Page 2 of Ancient Magic

It was Sunday and the coffee shop was closed, meaning Peri would be spending the day with her mate, Valen, the Cabal leader of the East Coast, in his lair near Central Park. A short taxi ride away.

“Yeah, but she’s the muscle of our crew,” Skye muttered.

Maya arched a brow. “What am I?”

“The brains.”

“Debatable.” Maya halted in front of a rusty side door propped open a few inches by a broken brick. She turned her head to send Skye a wry smile. “You, however, are most certainly the heart.”

Skye leaned forward to peer through the narrow crack. “Very nice, but right now I’d prefer some muscle.”

Maya paused, as if communicating with the voice in her head. Then she grimaced.

“We can’t wait. It has to be now.”

“Okay, then.” Skye grabbed the handle and pulled the door wide enough for them to enter. “Are you ready?”

“No,” Maya muttered even as she squeezed through the opening.

Skye quickly followed, glancing around the narrow hallway. Directly ahead of them an arched opening led to the main auditorium that was lined with rows of seats. To the left the hallway disappeared into the shadowed wings of the stage, and to the right a wide staircase curved up to the mezzanine.

Skye moved to peer into the auditorium, only to be halted as Maya grabbed her arm in a tight grip.

“We’re not alone.”

Skye instantly froze. One of Maya’s many talents was the ability to sense the presence of demons.

“How many?” Skye whispered.

“Five. Three goblins and two fairies.”

In ancient times the demons openly roamed the world. But as the magic had faded, they’d been forced to hide among the humans, usually gathering in the Gyres, where they could still access their diluted powers even if it did mean bending the knee to a vampire.

“Where?” Skye asked.

Before Maya could answer they heard the crunch of footsteps just outside the door. With a startled glance, they scurried forward, jogging up the staircase to disappear in the gloom.

Once on the mezzanine, Maya took the lead, bending over as she headed toward the low wall at the front of the overhang. Skye crab walked behind her, pressing her side against the wall before she cautiously peeked over the edge.

Below her the auditorium fanned upward in a half-circle facing toward the wide stage. The chairs remained intact, but the wallpaper was peeling and the ornate cornices and molding had long ago lost their gilding. Overhead there was a large chandelier that someone had tried to yank out, cracking the plaster and leaving it at a drunken angle, but it didn’t look as if it was going to collapse on her head in the next few minutes.

The only good news since Maya had announced they were traveling to the city.

She turned her attention to the demons seated in the front rows, as if waiting for a show to start. The three goblins looked remarkably alike. All were broad and bald and bulging with muscles. All were wearing jeans with gray hoodies. And of course, all of them were surrounded by a red glow that marked them as demons. At least to those who possessed the magic to see the aura. The two fairies, on the other hand, were slender with long reddish hair and delicate features. They wore the same hoodies as if it was a group thing, but the glow around them was green instead of red.

Even from a distance Skye could tell that none of them had particularly strong auras, revealing their blood had been diluted with humans’ over the centuries and that they were low on the demon social scale. It didn’t mean, however, they weren’t dangerous.

As if to emphasize the point, the group of demons turned toward the stage as a large form suddenly appeared from the wings. He was a goblin with the usual muscular body, and like the others, he’d shaved his head and was casually attired. But his aura was twice as bright as the others, warning Skye that he came from a family with considerable power.

“You’re late,” one of the goblins from below groused.

“Fuck off, Gunther,” the man on stage retorted. “I’m here now.”

Skye blinked. Someone was grouchy.

One of the goblins, presumably Gunther, rose to his feet, his hands on his hips. “Then let’s get this over with. Why are we here?”

The man on stage, who was the obvious leader, glared down at him. “Did you do a sweep of the building?”

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