Page 3 of Magic Unmasked

She clenched her jaw, pushing back against the strange sensation. She was a warrior of the fae realm, and she had an assignment to complete. Nothing, and certainly no shifter, would distract her from it.

Before either could say another word, the sharp crackle of some kind of other world portal echoed through the night.

Both Lilith and Ronan whipped around, their attention snapping to the source of the sound. At the far end of the alley, a shimmering portal appeared, glowing with a soft, golden light. Standing at its edge was Savannah Duvall, the youngest of the Duvall sisters. Her short, spiky, blue hair ruffled in the soft breeze created by the portal. What the hell was she doing here?

“Savannah!” Lilith called out, her voice cutting through the noise, but it was too late.

Savannah’s gaze met Lilith’s for only a split second—fear and defiance in equal measure—before she stepped backward into the portal, vanishing into the ether. The portal closed with a soft hiss, leaving behind nothing but the lingering scent of jasmine and the fading shimmer of her magic.

“Damn it!” Lilith cursed, her fingers tightening around the hilt of her blade as frustration surged through her.

Ronan growled low beside her, his gaze fixed on the spot where the portal had been. "You're after them too, aren’t you?"

Lilith shot him a glare, her temper flaring. “Stay out of this, shifter. This isn’t your fight.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” Ronan said, his voice calm but laced with danger. “Seems like I’m right in the middle of it.”

Lilith’s chest heaved as she struggled to rein in her frustration. She needed to focus. Savannah might be gone, but Phoenix was still close. Lilith could still feel her magic pulsing,faint but unmistakable. She needed to move, now. But as she turned to leave, she felt Ronan’s presence still looming beside her.

“Why are you here, Ronan?” she asked, not looking at him but feeling his gaze burning into her.

“You think the Duvalls are just your problem, fae?” he replied, stepping closer, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “They’ve been stirring up all kinds of trouble in New Orleans; they’ve become too bold, and it’s putting everyone at risk—including me.”

Lilith inhaled sharply, her irritation mixing with that unwanted spark of attraction. She hated that he had a point, hated even more that a part of her was intrigued by his presence.

“Fine,” she muttered, her eyes flicking to him. “But don’t think this means we’re allies.”

Ronan grinned, a dark, predatory gleam in his eyes. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

Without another word, Lilith turned and stalked down the alley, following the remnants of Phoenix’s magic. Ronan watched her for a moment before falling into step behind her, his movements silent and smooth, like the predator he was.

The hunt was on, and neither of them could afford to lose.

But as Lilith’s heart raced and her mind focused on the task at hand, she couldn’t shake the feeling that Ronan Rousseau was about to make things far more complicated than she had ever anticipated.

Chapter

Two

RONAN

Ronan’s nostrils flared as Savannah’s scent filled the air—the sharp smell of the ocean combined with sweet jasmine layered with the tang of magic. It lingered where the portal had closed, just out of reach. His muscles tensed, instinct warring within him. He could feel the beast inside, itching to track Savannah down, to hunt. Yet another instinct simmered just beneath the surface, one he couldn’t ignore—the fae standing beside him.

Lilith Silverwing. The Fae Council’s favorite enforcer. If the council had sent her after the Duvalls, maybe their mates would see to curbing their reckless interference in the mortal world.

Ronan hated the fae. It had started years ago when he was younger and far more trusting. His clan had formed an alliance with a fae court to protect their territory. The fae promised peace and mutual protection, a partnership built on trust—or so Ronan had thought. But when a rogue band of shifters infected with dark magic had come to the bayou, the fae had abandoned his people, leaving them defenseless in the face of a powerful enemy. Every one of his clan but him had been killed. The fae had vanished, leaving Ronan and his people to be slaughtered.

That betrayal wasn't just an isolated incident; it was a reflection of the way the fae forged alliances in such a way as to leave a loophole for them to not uphold their end of a bargain. It was inherent in the tricky way they framed their promises. Semantics were important to the fae. As long as they technically upheld their end, they saw no problem with leaving an ally to face an adversary alone. The incident left Ronan with a deep mistrust of the fae. To him, they were cold, calculating creatures who wielded their magic like a weapon and cared nothing for the lives they destroyed in the process.

He wanted to growl in frustration. This fae wasn’t supposed to be here, wasn’t supposed to matter. And yet, she did. She had disrupted everything. His sabretooth-sharp senses couldn’t shake her presence, and it wasn't just the scent of her fae magic that had his attention. No, something else was gnawing at him, something deep and primal. His beast stirred inside, recognizing her on some level that made no sense.

He couldn’t afford distractions. His instincts screamed at him to confront her, to question what the hell a fae warrior was doing inhiscity, tracking the same fae. But he couldn’t deny the other feeling swirling around in his gut—a flicker of something dangerous, something primal.

A fae? His fated mate was a fucking fae? The idea lodged in his throat like a jagged piece of glass.

Fate was a fickle bitch, and now, in addition, it seemed she had an especially twisted sense of humor.

Ronan’s golden eyes slid toward Lilith, watching the way she scanned the alley, her movements fluid, every muscle coiled in readiness. Her violet eyes flickered with sharp focus, her lips set in a thin line of ruthless dedication to the job. She was beautiful—fierce, untouchable—and dangerous. Everything about her screamed ‘keep out,’ yet something in him wanted to defy it, to claim her in ways that sent a shudder down his spine and madehis cock harden at the thought of what it might be like to have her pinned beneath him.

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