Page 68 of Ancient Magic

“Skye?”

Micha’s voice shattered her X-rated thoughts and Skye cleared the lump from her throat. Was it warm in the cavern? Or was it just her?

“What if something happens to you?” She blurted out the first question that her fuzzy brain could latch onto.

The gold in his eyes shimmered, easily catching the scent of her desire on the air. Thankfully, he allowed her to pretend that she wasn’t hot and increasingly bothered.

“I hired several local mages and spent a fortune to create the perfect atmosphere for my collections, as well as providing lights throughout my lair. I purchased an additional layer of magic to protect the irreplaceable items.” He waved a hand toward the tall glass cabinets that lined the length of one wall.

It took a minute but at last Skye could make out the shimmering forcefield that surrounded them. She didn’t doubt that the magic would cause a painful response if anyone was stupid enough to touch them.

He turned to point toward the heavy steel vault that took up a portion of the opposite wall. “And the ones that are too dangerous to fall into the wrong hands are triggered to self-destruct if I’m destroyed or if someone tries to steal them.” He paused, his jaw tightening as if he was struck with an unpleasant thought. “Although, I spent a fortune on manpower, not to mention using a large amount of my own powers, to protect a hexed sword that was basically useless. I’m not as confident in my ability to distinguish genuine artifacts from illusions as I used to be.”

She grimaced. She didn’t blame him for his annoyance. Before today, she would have assumed it would be suicidal to attack the Cabal.

A bad time for assumptions, obviously.

Turning toward the other side of the cavern, Skye strolled toward the sturdy shelves that displayed a variety of gem-encrusted weapons and marble busts of various human royalty and military leaders. Micha had no doubt met them all during his long life, but to her they were figures out of history.

She’d reached the middle of the cavern when she came to an abrupt halt. She’d caught an unexpected scent. Lilies? The sweet aroma drifted past her at the same time she felt a brush of electricity prickle over her cheek. An invisible touch that made the hair on her nape rise.

“Do you live here alone?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder.

Micha arched a brow as he sauntered to stand next to her. “I don’t have a lover, if that’s what you’re asking.”

Yes.

She shook her head even as satisfaction flared through her. She truly hadn’t been asking the question, but she wasn’t sad to be reassured he didn’t have a roommate. Especially a roommate who shared his bed.

“I wasn’t,” she insisted, reaching up to touch her cheek. It still tingled. “I just sense...”

“What?”

“A presence.”

The finely chiseled features appeared more intrigued than worried by her revelation.

“This lair appears to be a barren cavern, but it’s at the very heart of the Gyre. The power pulses in the air.”

She cautiously lowered the barriers she’d built over the past twenty years. They not only protected her from the emotions of others, but they muted the magic that flowed through the world. A necessary precaution considering not all powers were benign. She didn’t want to get hit by a blast of evil before she could protect herself.

A second later she gasped. It was one thing to be braced for the power that thundered beneath her feet, but nothing could prepare her for the magic that rolled over her like a tidal wave.

It wasn’t the same as most Gyres. It didn’t have the raw power of Valen’s territory. Or the delicate enchantment of the European Gyres. And it most certainly wasn’t the lingering echo of a dragon lair.

This was...arcane magic. Ancient powers that had formed the world out of dust and starlight.

“Older,” she whispered in awe.

“Older than what?”

“It’s older than magic.”

Micha’s brows lowered, his gaze sweeping across the cavern as if searching for a hidden enemy.

“Is it dangerous?”

Skye considered the question. The brush against her cheek hadn’t been painful, but it hadn’t been comforting, either. More of a desire to be noticed.

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