Page 21 of Ancient Magic

She’d not only survived her past, she silently reminded herself, but she’d gained the sort of power that meant she no longer had to fear men like Howard Claremont. Not to mention the fact that she had friends who would destroy him without blinking an eye.

Squaring her shoulders, she stepped out of the apartment and headed for the private elevator. If she could face down Micha—one of the most powerful creatures in the world—then she could confront her father and tell him to crawl back under the rock he’d been hiding under.

Refusing to contemplate whether she was being an idiot for giving in to her father’s demand for a meeting, Skye stepped out of the building and waved down a passing taxi. As much as she wanted to enjoy the night air, Under the Bridge was a notorious demon pub located near the base of the Brooklyn Bridge. It was too far to walk. Plus, it had the reputation of erupting into fights on a nightly basis and selling dragon scale powder to the more adventurous customers. She wanted to get in and out before the place descended into a messy brawl.

Less than an hour later, she was standing in front of the narrow redbrick building surrounded by broken asphalt and weeds. It wasn’t directly beneath the bridge, but during the day it was shrouded in the shadows from a massive pier. And she assumed the demons liked the play on the old nursery tale about the troll under the bridge.

Forcing herself to walk forward, Skye ignored the loud music and coarse shouts that spilled through the open doorway. With any luck she would be in and out of the pub before she was noticed by the locals. Then finally she could head home and tumble into bed.

The image of being snuggled beneath a pile of blankets was beginning to form when a shadow abruptly detached from the side of the building to reveal a male goblin. He was dressed casually in jeans and a flannel shirt with a New York Yankees ball cap. He was tall enough that Skye had to tilt back her head to take in his massive form that towered over her, but the aura that surrounded him was a pale red. His ancestry was diluted with human blood, weakening his powers.

Assuming he was the bouncer who was there to intimidate the customers into taming their most violent tendencies, Skye ignored his lingering gaze as she stepped around him.

Without warning, his arm shot out to block her path. “Sorry, babe, this is a private club.”

“I’m meeting someone.”

“Meet them somewhere else.” He took a slow survey of the expensive cape that swirled around her and the pearl-encrusted shoes. “We don’t serve your kind here.”

She heaved an impatient sigh. He thought she was a human. “I don’t want trouble,” she assured him. “Just move aside.”

The demon narrowed his eyes as he leaned down until their noses were nearly touching. “Are you deaf? You can’t come in.”

“Demons,” she muttered, arching away from the nasty smell of cigarettes that clung to his skin. “Always the hard way.”

“You want it the hard way?” The man reached down to cup the front of his jeans. “I’ll give it to you hard.”

Sexual threats were always the go-to favorite for bullies with more brawn than brains. Skye slowly smiled. It was luck more than foresight that urged her to load a curse onto one of the charms on her bracelet. It wasn’t as nasty as the ones that Peri could brew, but it would cover him in painful hives for the next few hours. Long enough for her to do her business and be safely back at the Witch’s Brew.

Brushing the crow-shaped charm, Skye was on the point of releasing the curse when another male suddenly appeared in the doorway. This one was several inches shorter and fifty pounds lighter, but his aura pulsed with a deep rose color. He was several steps above the bouncer in the demon hierarchy.

“Miles,” he growled, obviously in charge. “Stop.”

“Why?” The demon’s square face flushed with annoyance at being interrupted. “I’m going to teach this bitch a lesson.”

With a shocking speed, the smaller male had Miles slammed against the side of the building, his forearm pressed against the broad chest to keep him pinned in place.

“She’s the mage we were expecting, you idiot.”

“Seriously?” Miles glared over the smaller man’s shoulder at Skye. “She doesn’t look like a mage.”

“I gave you the photo to memorize.”

Skye grimaced. She assumed her father had mentioned he was waiting for someone, but it was creepy to think the demons passed around a picture of her.

“That was hours ago,” Miles whined. “How was I supposed to remember?”

The older demon muttered a few foul words before lowering his arm and stepping back.

“Return to the kitchens and tell Gorman that I made a mistake in promoting you.”

Miles stared at him in disbelief. “But—”

His words were cut short as the leader deliberately turned his back on him to offer Skye a tight smile.

“Follow me.”

Skye waited for the male to enter the pub before trailing behind him at a cautious distance. Was this a trap? It was hard to imagine that anyone would be foolish enough to risk Valen’s wrath by trespassing into his territory and attacking his mate’s best friend. You might as well put a target on your back and wait to be executed.

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