Page 44 of Ancient Magic

She remained silent as the two male vampires swept past her, neither bothering to acknowledge her presence. Many of his brothers were snobs. To them, demons, as well as humans, were lesser beings. Why bother to be polite?

“Make sure we’re not interrupted,” he said to his assistant, nodding for her to leave.

He wished he could send Peri out of the office as well, but he was wise enough to know he would be wasting his time. Not only would Peri refuse to leave, but it might look as if they had something to hide. That was the last thing he wanted.

Motioning the intruders forward, he waited for them to stand on either side of him before he pointed toward the laptop.

“I have the video ready to start when Micha entered his guest rooms.”

Grinding his teeth, he waited for Azra’s nod before he leaned forward to press a button on the keyboard. He’d been the leader of this powerful Gyre for a very long time. He was the one who gave orders. End. Of. Story.

A choking silence filled the room as the video flicked into motion. He’d chosen the footage from the street in front of the building. If no one entered, then they would know whoever had made Micha disappear was already inside.

The silence stretched as they watched the dawn spread over the street and Valen’s cleaning crew arrive. They were followed by the various demons who had offices in the building and oversaw his vast commercial empire. It was all business as usual.

It wasn’t until the lunch hour had passed that Peri abruptly sucked in a shocked breath. She was standing a few feet away from the desk, as if hoping to avoid the tension spilling from the males, but still at an angle to see the video.

“Stop,” she muttered. “That’s Skye.”

Valen tapped the button to freeze the image. She was right. He leaned forward to study the delicate, golden-haired woman who’d just climbed out of a car that was double-parked next to the front doors.

“Do you recognize the men with her?”

“Can you zoom in?” Peri asked, reluctantly inching forward to peer at the screen.

At the same time, Kane stabbed a beefy finger at the man standing next to Skye.

“He has on a Witch’s Brew uniform,” he growled, turning his head to glower at Peri. “They’re your people.”

No one could blame Peri if she’d melted into a puddle of fear. Valen had seen members of the Cabal cower when Kane towered over them. Of course she didn’t. Instead she squared her shoulders and met the icy glare with one of her own.

“The Witch’s Brew has never had uniforms,” she said in tones that skirted the edge of antagonistic. “And if we did, they wouldn’t be those ugly things. Besides, Maya would never hire men...” Her words trailed away as she returned her attention to the image on the screen. “No, wait,” she breathed. “Not men.”

A growl rumbled in Kane’s throat, but Azra held up a warning hand, his gaze locked on Peri.

“Have you noticed something?” the ambassador demanded.

“They’re not men, they’re demons.” She leaned forward, pressing the tip of her finger against the taller of the two males. “Look. That’s a disguise amulet.”

Valen pressed the key to enlarge the image, focusing on the small medallion visible at the base of the stranger’s throat. His enhanced vision allowed him to make out the rune scratched onto the surface, although it was meaningless to him. Only a mage could have ignited the illegal magic.

Skye?

He exchanged a worried gaze with Peri before switching to the security footage. There was a flicker on the screen before the lobby came into focus. Valen silently took note of the guards dotted around the vast space. He would interview them later. For now, his attention was locked on the two demons who flanked Skye as they entered the building. The senior guard moved forward, exchanging a few words with the young mage, his suspicious gaze lingering on her companions, but with a small nod he led them to the elevators and the doors slid shut, blocking the trio from view.

Valen pulled up the next video of Skye forced out of the elevator by the shorter male, her eyes wide with fear as she was hauled to the back of the building where Micha’s room was located.

“They have keycards,” Kane burst out, his anger creating tiny quakes that rattled the expensive Waterford crystal vase on his desk. “So much for your promise no one could enter.”

Valen was genuinely baffled. Not just because the intruders had managed to get their hands on one of the four keycards that he’d removed from his security vault, but they knew precisely where they were going.

If they’d just wanted to grab a vampire, Kane would have been the closest. So why Micha?

The question was whirling through his brain when there was movement on the video and the two males stepped out. The tall one was holding a small device in his hand, and the shorter one was limping, as if he’d been injured. Micha was walking with them, wearing a pair of shorts that he’d no doubt been sleeping in when the intruders had entered the room. And shockingly, he was carrying an unconscious Skye.

What the hell had happened in there?

Peri made a sound of distress, clearly worried about Skye, who didn’t have any visible wounds but was hanging limply in Micha’s grasp.

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