Page 76 of Ancient Magic

She tilted back her head to meet his golden gaze. “Us?”

He threaded his fingers through her damp curls before he angled his head down to touch her lips in an achingly sweet kiss.

“We’re partners, aren’t we?” he asked against her mouth.

She trembled in pleasure, ready, willing, and eager to join this male’s team. “I suppose we’ll find out.”

* * * *

Valen was reviewing the security footage for the thousandth time, futilely hoping he would notice something he’d overlooked, when the door to the office was shoved open. Surging to his feet, he gathered his power like a thundercloud. He’d warned his staff he wasn’t to be interrupted. Not by anyone.

But even as he prepared to strike the intruder, he was forced to leash his temper as Gabriel entered the room. The male’s expression was wary as he glanced around, and he was wearing black silk pants with a charcoal sweater and suede jacket, as if he was preparing to go out.

“All alone?” he asked Valen.

“For the moment.” Valen stepped around the desk, his jaw clenched at the memory of his latest clash with Kane. If the ambassador hadn’t been in the room it most certainly would have ended in bloodshed. “Thank God.”

“Is Peri sleeping?” Gabriel demanded.

“Yes. I finally convinced her to lie down an hour ago. She’s terrified for her friend, but she’s so tired she can’t keep her eyes open. The stress is going to make her ill.”

“Kane?” Gabriel pressed.

The books rattled on the nearby shelves as Valen struggled to keep his temper. “The bastard followed the ambassador down to the guest suites. He’s still complaining that Maya and Peri should be imprisoned until we discover what happened to Micha.”

With a nod, Gabriel moved to stand directly in front of Valen, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Fortunately for us, Maya isn’t locked away.”

“Why do you say that?”

Gabriel hesitated, glancing around as if he was worried they were being watched. And it was possible, Valen acknowledged with a stab of frustration. Until he discovered who’d given the fairy the keycard to get to the guest rooms, he had to assume there was a traitor in the building. One that might have planted hidden cameras.

Motioning the male to remain silent, Valen led him across the room to press his fingers against the bookshelf. It swung inward and they stepped into his private office. Only Peri was allowed in there. It was the one place he could work without interruption. Which meant no servants or random guests would have access to this location to hide a bugging device.

Valen waited for the door to close behind them before he led Gabriel past the glass cases displaying his collection of Ottoman artifacts and Roman daggers on one wall and the high-tech monitors that displayed images of his various clubs, spread from Boston to Washington, DC, on the opposite wall. It wasn’t until he reached the massive desk angled to take in the stunning view of the park through the floor-to-ceiling window that he halted and turned to face his companion.

“What did you discover?”

“Maya sent me some interesting photos.” Gabriel pulled his phone from the pocket of his pants. He touched the screen before he turned it so Valen could see the image he’d pulled up.

A growl rumbled in Valen’s throat as he easily recognized the long-haired demon with a weasel face.

“Hexx. He runs a pawnshop in the Bronx.”

“Maya sent a text that claimed this is the demon who provided the disguise amulets that the kidnappers used.”

“Dammit.” Valen snapped his fangs together. “I suspected he was dealing in the black market, but he’s never stepped over the line far enough for me to interfere. Obviously a mistake.”

Gabriel didn’t try to make him feel better. Instead he turned the phone to pull up another image.

“She also said that she saw this demon.” He turned the phone so Valen could make out the large goblin with a shaved head and bright red aura. “He was at the same spot a couple days ago. He was meeting with a demon named Gunther and his local horde. She didn’t know why, beyond the fact that he’d hired them for some mysterious task.”

Valen studied the image. “He looks familiar, but I can’t place him.”

“Maybe this will help.”

Gabriel brushed his fingers over the screen, pulling up yet another image. This one was obviously from a newspaper article and blurry, as if it had been taken at a long distance through a zoom lens, but it was clear enough to reveal Kane in formal attire as he entered the Kremlin. And two steps behind was a goblin with a shaved head wearing a military uniform.

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