Page 37 of Ancient Magic

Chapter 8

Micha managed to catch Skye as she abruptly collapsed, her eyes rolling back in her head as she presumably fainted.

It wasn’t often that he found himself blindsided by events, but he felt as if he was in a nightmare. What the hell was happening? One minute he’d been resting in bed and the next he’d heard the click of his lock. Instinct had him flowing to disappear in the shadows by the armoire, prepared to attack the intruder. He’d known there were others with the tall fairy who halted in the middle of the room, but he sensed this male was the leader.

He’d surged forward, more annoyed than worried as the second fairy blocked his initial blow. The tall fairy was strong, but he was no match for a vampire. Still, he needed to finish the threat as quickly as possible. Who knew if his fellow vampires were being attacked at the same time?

Foolishly focused on what he considered his most dangerous opponent, he barely noticed the human dashing toward him, not until he belatedly caught the scent of laurel leaves and Skye was clutching his arm.

Too shocked to knock her away, he glared down at her, waiting for her to explain what she was doing there. Instead, her lips parted in a silent scream and her eyes glowed as if they were being lit with an inner fire.

Was she being hurt? Had the fairies done something to her? Or was it a vision?

He was still trying to figure out what was happening when she collapsed and he instinctively scooped her limp body into his arms.

At the same time, the fairy leaped forward to snap a thin silver hoop around his neck. Before Micha could react, the demon was scurrying backward, holding up a small metal device with a button in the center.

“You know what this is?” the male demanded.

Micha did. The silver collars had been created centuries ago in an effort to control vampires. They hadn’t been particularly successful. Vampires were allergic to silver, and having the metal against his bare skin was creating painful blisters, but it didn’t lessen his power or threaten his life. Recently, however, the demons had added a new layer to the collars by installing small explosives that could be activated by the device the fairy was holding. Some were small enough to do damage without killing, but others were specifically designed to blow the head off a vampire.

Micha simply stared at the intruder. He’d had fifteen hundred years in his current resurrection. He’d discovered that silence was far more powerful than any response he could make.

The fairy stiffened, clearly expecting a violent reaction. Then, slowly stepping back, he motioned toward the male standing next to the bed, wiping away the blood that dribbled from his busted nose.

“Yugan, get the seer.”

With a caution that revealed he wasn’t eager for another blow from Micha, the servant inched forward, only to halt as a low growl rumbled in Micha’s throat. It wasn’t a conscious warning. Just as his arms tightening around Skye’s soft body wasn’t a deliberate choice. It’d simply happened. As if some instinct inside him had taken command.

The taller male clicked his tongue, no doubt sensing Micha would happily destroy them if they tried to wrench the woman from his arms.

“Never mind.” He glanced at a watch strapped around his wrist. “Gemma should be in place. We need to go.”

Waving the device that controlled the collar around Micha’s neck in a warning motion, the male turned to head out of the room, obviously expecting Micha to follow him. Micha ground his fangs. He was fairly confident he could move fast enough to disarm the fairy before he could push the button, but he wasn’t willing to take the risk.

Not yet.

Instead, he calmly carried Skye out of the room, leaving the shorter fairy to follow behind him. If he didn’t allow himself to be taken, how would he discover why he was being kidnapped? And just as importantly, who was behind the outrageous attack. He didn’t believe a couple of fairies had the audacity to enter Valen’s lair and steal a member of the Cabal. Not without some serious assistance.

Besides, what was the point of escaping if there was going to be another attempt to kidnap him? Whoever arranged the abduction was clearly determined. And the next time, they might be prepared with a weapon that could do serious damage.

All perfectly legit reasons to play along with the demons, and a convenient way to ignore his fierce need to determine how deeply Skye Claremont was connected to the fairies and her precise role in the scheme.

Moving down the hallway, Micha tilted back his head, deliberately glancing at the security camera hidden in the light fixture. Would it be enough to alert Valen to the fact that he was going as a willing prisoner? He hoped so. The last thing he wanted was the male overreacting. Especially when he was beginning to suspect that this was connected to the plot to undermine Valen’s authority and wrench this Gyre from his control.

Surprisingly, they turned away from the elevators to move down a narrow corridor before halting in front of a steel door at the end. There was a sign at the top that declared it an EMERGENCY EXIT, and pulling out a keycard from his pocket, the leader swiped it over the electronic reader. There was a loud click before the door swung open.

Micha frowned. It was midday. Not a great time for vampires to be out and about. In fact, he was going to have to insist on staying in Valen’s lair if the fairy was leading him out of the building. Even if it meant killing them.

No doubt sensing the sudden chill in the air, the tall fairy glanced over his shoulder. “Don’t worry. I went to the trouble of providing you with your own vehicle. I assumed you would feel more comfortable in it.”

Micha glanced past him to peer through the open door at the underground garage. As promised, the black van that had been driven to New York by one of his staff was parked near the door. He’d used his private jet to travel from New Orleans, but like all vampires, he always had more than one means of a quick escape ready to go.

Or at least, it was supposed to be ready to go in case of an emergency.

“My servant?” he demanded in cold tones.

“He’s unharmed.” The fairy shrugged. “Although he’s still sleeping off a night spent with a lovely demon he met at a fight club last night.”

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