Page 77 of Ancient Magic

“Igor Triton. Kane’s top lieutenant,” Valen hissed, belatedly realizing he’d seen the male during his occasional visits to the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg over three hundred years ago. “When did she send the photos?”

“Fifteen minutes ago.”

“Where?”

Gabriel slid the phone back into his pocket. “Green House Theater in Upper Manhattan. I have the address.”

Valen headed toward the door. “We need to get to that theater.”

Valen moved in a blur of motion before Gabriel abruptly blocked his path. “You should stay here. I’ll go.”

“No.” Valen clenched his fists. He hated to leave Peri alone, but right now it was vital to discover who was behind the kidnapping and where they’d taken Micha and Skye. The sooner the better. “Kane threatened my mate. I’ll do the questioning.”

Gabriel wisely stepped aside as Valen plowed forward, heading out of the office and across the outer salon to the elevator. His assistant, Renee, appeared before she hastily ducked out of sight as she easily sensed his emotions that rolled through the penthouse like a tide of doom.

Fury. Frustration. And grim determination to bring a brutal end to the threat against his mate.

They reached the lobby, but before Valen could decide the quickest way to get to the theater, Gabriel pushed open the glass door and nodded toward the black SUV parked next to the curb.

“This is mine.”

In silence they climbed into the waiting vehicle and settled into the plush leather seats. The driver waited for Gabriel’s tap on the back of the seat before he pulled away from the building and began weaving his way through the nearly empty streets. They managed to reach the theater at a speed that would have been impossible if it wasn’t so late. Or so early, depending on whether you were a night or a day creature.

Valen was definitely in the night creature category and his senses were already warning him that he had to be safely tucked in his lair in less than two hours.

The knowledge added an extra edge to his impatience, but Valen forced himself to point toward an alley a couple of blocks from the theater. He wasn’t going to do Peri any good if he rushed into a trap. Or worse, spooked the enemy into flight.

“Stop here,” he commanded, his voice harsh. “I don’t want to give him the opportunity to escape.”

Gabriel nodded as the driver glanced into the rearview mirror. A second later they were stopped in the alley and climbing out of the SUV to silently glide through the shadows.

“He might already be gone,” Gabriel warned as they cautiously circled the aging theater, making sure there were no hidden demons waiting to ambush them.

“If he was here I can track him,” Valen assured his companion. He wasn’t being arrogant. Locating and following both demons and vampires was one of his specialized talents. “As long as he doesn’t have magical help disappearing,” he conceded.

If the demon was dabbling in black-market items, there was always the possibility he possessed a spell to cover his trail. The thought shattered his fierce determination to use his brain, not his unbeating heart, to confront the enemy. Heading to the side of the building, he kicked the rusty door off its hinges and stepped inside.

Valen moved through the darkness, searching for any hint of demons. “I caught the scent of Hexx on the front sidewalk, but he never entered the building,” he finally concluded.

“Wait. I smell demon,” Gabriel warned, moving across the wide foyer to push open the doors to the auditorium.

Valen was instantly hit with a potent stench. “Demon blood,” he growled, aware of Gabriel pulling a dagger from a hidden sheath beneath his jacket even as his gaze moved to the body dangling by its feet from the chandelier overhead. The wide torso had been gutted, spilling blood and guts over the rotting seats. The grisly sight was magnified by the realization that the demon was missing his head.

Already knowing what he was about to see, Valen braced himself as he glanced toward the stage. He’d spent a lot of years surrounded by feral barbarian warriors and ruthless Roman legions. The depths of depravity during times of war were bottomless. It didn’t matter if it was humans or demons or vampires.

Evil was just beneath the surface.

As he expected, he discovered the head of the demon planted in the center of the stage, face grinning at him with a ghoulish horror.

“Shit,” he muttered as he recognized Kane’s faithful servant.

Igor Triton.

Gabriel stepped next to him, the dagger still clutched in his hand. “We’re too late.”

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