Page 46 of Rites of Passage

Alastair flapped his wings in alarm. Brimstone woke up where he’d been sleeping in the footwell and growled. Magic lit the inside of the vehicle as Nikolai, Mae, and Abraham brought forth their powers.

“Relax!” Violet said hastily. She eyed the concrete walls rising around them. “There’s no need to panic. We’re just headed underground.”

Nikolai’s earpiece buzzed.

“What the hell’s going on?!” barked the witch driving the other SUV.

A quick glance in the mirror showed it was similarly alight with globes of magic.

Nikolai hesitated before snuffing out his power. “It’s okay. Apparently, this is the way they do things around here.”

Mae and Abraham followed suit reluctantly.

“What, make us shit our pants?” the witch mumbled.

“Some kinda warning would have been nice,” Abraham grumbled at Miles.

“We didn’t know the place would be so heavily guarded,” the sorcerer protested.

“So, you guys haven’t been here before?” Mae asked suspiciously.

“No.” Violet sighed. “It’s just—well, the Immortals have this strange fascination with bunkers. You’ll see.”

Daylight faded. The elevator platform carrying their vehicles dropped into pitch blackness. Another growl rumbled out of Brimstone. Mae gently hushed him.

Nikolai had to agree with the fox. He didn’t like the feeling of being caged in either.

The SUV juddered when the platform finally came to a stop. There was a moment’s stillness. The wall before them rumbled and slid open.

They were faced with the mouth of a wide tunnel lit by strips of lights.

Nikolai startled when a crisp voice boomed around them.

“Please restart your engine and proceed to the checkpoint.”

“This is starting to feel like a spy movie,” Abraham murmured.

Nikolai pressed the ignition. Blacktop hissed under the tires as they rolled out onto the underground road. They kept to the fifteen mile-per-hour speed limit signs and soon reached a steel barricade manned by armed soldiers.

Violet brightened at the sight of the two women standing behind the rows of metal posts and barbed wire blocking the tunnel.

“Oh.” Surprise widened Miles’s eyes. “I thought it was just going to be Madeleine.”

Nikolai pulled into the parking bay one of the soldiers directed them to. The second SUV slid into the spot beside him. They disembarked under the soldiers’ watchful gazes and were checked over for weapons before being escorted to a security booth. Their fingerprints and faces were scanned and their I.D. badges were issued. They were allowed beyond the barricade a moment later.

Violet’s steps quickened as she strode toward a pretty brunette with slate-colored eyes.“Madeleine.”

They hugged warmly.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you this soon.” The stranger scratched Trixie’s head. “Hi, Miles.”

“Hey, Madeleine.” Millie dropped from the sorcerer’s shoulders and went over to say hello. The sorcerer turned to the beautiful young woman with short, dark hair and cool, silver eyes beside the brunette. “How about a hug?”

“No, thanks,” the woman drawled as she and Violet embraced. “The last time we did that, you tried to cop a feel.”

Violet cut her eyes to her cousin. “You’re such a douche bag. Also, Mila is taken.”

“Yeah, well, that guy is so laid back it’s easy to forget she has a boyfriend,” Miles said without any sign of remorse. “How’s life with the ditzy seraph?”

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