Page 86 of Ancient Magic

Gunther spread his hands, his expression baffled. “One or even two of them might go off the radar for a few nights. But they’re usually holed up with some bitch or sleeping off a bender. The whole crew doesn’t fall off the face of the earth.”

“Someone’s getting rid of the witnesses,” Gabriel said, pointing out an obvious explanation for the missing demons.

“Kane,” Valen growled.

Gabriel nodded. “He either got spooked and is cleaning up his mess, or he’s confident his plot has succeeded and is preparing to challenge you for the Gyre.”

The words sent a blast of fear through Valen. He still didn’t know why Kane would kill his most loyal servant or what he’d done to Micha, but the thought that he was clearing the way to take over the Gyre was enough to have him rushing toward the door.

“I have to get back to Peri.” Reaching out, he grabbed Gunther by the arm as he passed by. “Let’s go.”

Gunther tried to dig in his heels as he was roughly dragged down the hall.

“Actually, I need to get back to my bitch.” He yelped as Valen tightened his grip until the demon’s arm threatened to break. Abruptly he stopped trying to get free and instead scurried to keep up with Valen’s long strides. “Yeah, sure. No problem.”

In silence they made their way back to Gabriel’s waiting vehicle. Then, squashing the nervous Gunther between him and Gabriel in the back seat, Valen motioned for the driver to return them to the lair.

The cresting dawn pressed heavily against Valen, warning him how close he’d come to losing track of time. Something that hadn’t happened since...never. An indication of just how distracted he was by Kane’s lethal games.

Thankfully, Gabriel’s vehicle was custom designed and the tinted windows kept out the rosy glow spreading over the horizon. And of course, the towering buildings kept the sidewalks shadowed as they reached his lair and they climbed out and hurried through the glass doors.

It was still early enough that Valen expected the lobby to be empty. The offices didn’t open for another hour, and beyond the on-duty guards, there was no reason for anyone to be there. Instead, he walked in to discover a crowd gathered in the center of the floor.

On one side were three of his guards half circled around a familiar woman, and on the other side were four of Kane’s servants, visibly bristling as their red auras pulsed with the threat of violence.

“Peri,” he rasped, the earth shaking and the massive glass windows threatening to shatter as he took in the sight of the largest demon grabbing his mate’s arm.

“Valen!” She tried to step forward, only to be halted as the demon tightened his grip.

Valen’s fury continued to vibrate through the lobby despite the fact Peri was clearly more annoyed than terrified. Typical of his mate. She had no concept of fear.

“Release her,” he commanded.

The demons turned to face him, his own staff appearing relieved to avoid an unpleasant confrontation with no clear idea of whether they were allowed to kick the asses of the visiting demons. Even Kane’s men appeared uneasy. As if equally unsure what the rules of engagement were.

Jerking out of the distracted demon’s grasp, Peri rushed toward him, throwing herself against his body and wrapping her arms around his waist.

“Thank God. I was so worried. I woke up and I couldn’t find you and those...” She turned her head to glare back at the guards, who paled as she released a spell that created tiny flames spinning through the air. “Those jerks refused to let me leave the building.”

The demons stumbled back and Valen hid his smile as the nearest demon lifted his hand to bat away the swirling flames, sweat dripping down his square face.

“We were told to keep her in the building,” the male protested, continuing to fight the flames until Peri grudgingly extinguished her spell. “Even the ambassador said no one was to leave.”

Valen glanced toward the tallest of his guards. Mercado had been with him since he’d first taken control of this Gyre and was one of his most trusted servants.

“Take them to the dungeons,” Valen ordered, shoving the silent Gunther forward. “Including this one.”

A smile of anticipation curved Mercado’s lips even as Kane’s demons exchanged horrified glances.

“What the hell?” the seeming leader of Kane’s crew sputtered. “You can’t do that. My master told us—”

Mercado stepped forward and smashed his fist into the back of the male’s head. The male grunted before flopping to the floor like a bag of wet cement. “Thank you,” Valen muttered.

Mercado’s smile widened, revealing that Valen hadn’t been the only one infuriated by the arrogance of Kane’s servants who’d strutted around the place like they already owned it.

“My pleasure,” he assured Valen.

Not bothering to wait for his staff to gather the prisoners and haul them down to the cells built far beneath the building, Valen headed toward the elevators.

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