Page 40 of Ancient Magic

“In the past,” she insisted. “I spent ten years paying off my father’s debt; then I walked away. Eventually I moved in with Maya and Peri at the Witch’s Brew.”

“They just let you go?” he asked in disbelief, well aware that the demons would have made a fortune off a genuine seer.

She tilted her chin to a defiant angle. “They could keep me captive, but they couldn’t force me to share my visions.”

Micha studied the stubborn expression, slowly allowing himself to believe she was speaking the truth. It would be next to impossible for a demon to force a seer to reveal the images in her mind. Especially when she was also a mage who could punish anyone stupid enough to try to force her.

He was guessing that she possessed a rigid sense of integrity that had forced her to complete the deal her father had made with the demons, but when the contract was fulfilled, she’d felt free to leave.

“But the demons returned last night?” he demanded, turning the conversation to the reason Skye had invaded his private rooms with the suicidal fairies.

“Sort of. I went to the pub to tell Howard I didn’t want anything to do with him, but of course it was a trap.” Her features scrunched as if she’d bitten a lemon. Or maybe it was the memory of her father. “The demons were there, but they weren’t the same ones who’d held me hostage. The leader, Lynx, said he’d taken over the horde a couple years ago. Somehow he’d heard about my previous connection and was under the mistaken belief I would care when he threatened to hurt my father.” She snorted in disgust. “I informed them I couldn’t care less what happened to Howard Claremont and tried to leave. That’s when you showed up.”

That explained why she’d jumped out of the window. “You should have warned me then that I was in danger.”

“I didn’t know what they were planning,” she protested. “I had no intention of helping them, so there wasn’t any need to ask questions.”

He glanced around the back of the van. “Obviously they managed to change your mind.”

“Only because they kidnapped Clarissa and threatened to slit her throat.”

“Clarissa.” Micha tested the name. It didn’t stir a memory. “Mage or demon?”

“Neither.” Skye’s features hardened with anger. “She’s an innocent human who owns a magic shop and tells fortunes to make a few extra dollars. Her only mistake was being friends with me.”

Her voice broke, revealing how much she cared about Clarissa. And the guilt she felt for placing her friend in danger.

“That’s why you agreed to kidnap me?”

She vehemently shook her head, the golden curls bouncing. “No. I agreed to help them get past the security guards in the lobby of Valen’s building. I never dreamed they would be foolish enough to threaten a member of the Cabal.”

Micha found himself struggling to keep track of her story. So far he knew that Skye had been bartered off by her father, held hostage by demons, blackmailed by a new horde, and forced to sneak them into Valen’s lair. She surely realized the fairies hadn’t been there to welcome the vampires to New York?

“What did you think they were going to do?”

“Honestly, I assumed they’d been hired by a vampire to attack Peri.”

“Why?” The story continued to take unexpected turns. “If a vampire wanted Peri dead, they wouldn’t have to hire demons to take care of her.”

“If they killed her, then they’d have to deal with Valen, and I assume face some uncomfortable questions from the Cabal. You were the one who said that forcing her to use her wild magic would compromise Valen’s position,” she reminded him, her tone indicating she thought he was being excessively dense. “Even if it didn’t flare completely out of control, they could claim that she posed a danger to the vampires sleeping in the basement. There would be no retribution from Valen, and the Cabal could get rid of a threat to their dominance with the pretense they were only protecting themselves.”

Okay. She had a point. He had suspected the attack at the demon bar last night might be connected to Peri and her volatile magic. Still, her explanation only created more questions.

“You were willing to put your friend in danger?”

She clicked her tongue, as if offended by his words. “I’m not completely helpless. I’d prepared my spells before I went to meet Lynx. Once we reached the penthouse, I intended to disable them before they could hurt Peri.” Her defiance abruptly faltered, replaced with uncertainty. “But then we went downstairs instead of up and my spells were suddenly worthless.”

Micha didn’t answer. Instead he focused his attention on their surroundings as the van veered off the highway and rattled over a dirt path that challenged the expensive suspension system that he’d spent a fortune to have installed. There was a sense of emptiness that stretched for miles, revealing the remoteness of their location. And a fresh scent of fir trees. They were in the mountains, he abruptly concluded. And isolated from the nearest civilization.

The van briefly stopped, as if waiting for a gate to open, then it rolled forward at a cautious pace. They drove in what felt like a wide circle before it was put in reverse and they backed up until the bumper banged into something metal that made a clanging noise. Micha frowned. There was a heavy sense of weight hanging over them, indicating they’d entered a cave that was dug deep underground. A prison? That’s what it felt like.

“Exit the van.” The voice floated through the intercom system and Micha tilted back his head to stare directly into the camera overhead. The bastard had the nerve to laugh. “Do I have to say pretty please?”

Accepting he had no choice if he was going to get his answers, Micha shoved open the back doors, unsurprised to discover that the van was parked in front of a large cell made out of silver bars.

With a motion too fast to track, Micha had his fingers wrapped around Skye’s upper arm and was pulling her out of the van.

“You’re coming with me,” he growled.

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