Page 24 of Ancient Magic

Glancing over her shoulder, Howard abruptly released her arm, then without bothering to say sorry or goodbye or hope you don’t die, he was ducking his head and power walking his way to the front door.

Jerk.

It was only as she reluctantly turned to face the two fairies that Skye realized her father wasn’t the only one who was fleeing for the exit. Obviously there had been some sort of signal. One that abruptly cut off the music and slammed shut the front door as the last of the demons scurried into the dark.

The unease intensified to anxiety as she realized she was alone with the strange males. Not that she was helpless. She might not be the most powerful mage, but she had the spells loaded onto her charms, along with a can of pepper spray in her purse. Plus, she had a phone she could use to call Valen if things got crazy.

Always assuming she wasn’t dead before he could rush to the rescue, a voice whispered in the back of her mind.

Grimly refusing to panic, Skye tilted her chin to a defiant angle. “Who are you?”

“Forgive me, I forget we haven’t been formally introduced.” The taller male who was obviously the leader bowed his head, his odd scent of copper cutting through the thick stench of sweat and beer that tainted the bar. “I’m Lynx.”

Skye frowned. “Should I know you?”

“Not personally. But you were a treasured guest of my horde when you were younger.”

Red-hot anger joined the anxiety that vibrated through her. There was only one horde she’d spent time with, although she hadn’t been a guest. She’d been their captive for ten long years.

She glared at Lynx, not bothering to hide her aversion to his presence. “I don’t remember you.”

“You wouldn’t. I didn’t absorb your demons into my horde until a couple of years ago.”

“They weren’t my demons,” she snapped.

Lynx shrugged. “Don’t underestimate your worth to them. Once you left, the demons lost their main source of income and spiraled into poverty. Eventually they decided they needed a change in leadership.”

“And Dexter?” Skye asked, referring to the large goblin who’d been in charge while she was a prisoner.

“He was offered the opportunity to join me or have his head chopped off. He went with the head-chopping-off option.”

Skye sucked in a sharp breath. She shouldn’t be shocked by the fairy’s casual indifference to beheading a competitor. Most demons relished the opportunity to crush an opponent. Whether in the gladiator-style battles that flourished in underground clubs or in business. And really, she should be happy at the knowledge Dexter was dead, right? The creep had made her life a misery. But it wasn’t relief that was creating icy chills that inched down her spine.

She didn’t know anything about Lynx, but she was absolutely certain he was a thousand times more dangerous than Dexter had ever been.

Absently brushing a finger over her charms, Skye mentally judged the distance to the front door and the time it would take to reach it. She needed to get out of there, the sooner the better.

“What do you want from me?” she demanded, keeping the male distracted as she took a step to the side.

“I have an offer.”

“No.” She took another step.

Lynx arched a brow in surprise. He was no doubt used to having women fall all over themselves in an effort to please him.

“You haven’t heard the offer.”

Another step. “I have a job.”

Lynx smiled, oozing charm. “Perhaps I wasn’t clear. My fault. Let me rephrase my words. This is more a demand than a request.”

Skye snorted. Arrogant ass. Did he assume that her lack of magical firepower made her an easy victim? He was about to discover that was a serious mistake.

“You can demand all you want. I’m not interested.”

His smile remained, but his eyes narrowed with annoyance. “Your father’s life depends on your cooperation.”

Ah. He was stupid enough to think that she gave a crap what happened to Howard Claremont.

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