“I am the big fish.”

  “Not as long as your boss is alive, and I’ll only deal with him.”

  His jaw tightened, but he nodded and walked away.

  “You’re going to need to explain what all this is about,” I said.

  “I don’t know much about this place, but it’s obvious that if they’ve got something like a Potion of Ataxia, then they’ve got plenty of other treasures, too. Definitely hidden somewhere, and likely accessible only by the boss. That means that we need to see him.”

  “And you’re drawing him out. But why do they believe you when you say you have something valuable to sell? You’ve shown no proof.”

  “Let’s just say I’ve made a name for myself. It’s not a good one, but it gets things done.”

  “Do you really have something to sell them?” I wouldn’t put it past her to be running her own con while on a job with me. In fact, it was one more thing to respect about her.

  “I’ve got something they might want, if it comes down to it. But no, I’m not telling you what it is. Anyway, I doubt I’ll have to keep up the ruse that long. We just need to get up to the second floor. That’s got to be where they keep the goods.” She nodded to a stairwell guarded by a half a dozen demons, and I had to agree with her.

  “You don’t want to just sneak up?”

  She shrugged “We could try that, but I bet there’s such valuable stuff up there that they’ve got guards, even more than we’re seeing on the stairs. Getting invited would be a lot easier.”

  “She’s right.” A man appeared at our side. He was nearly as tall as I was, with broad shoulders and a bruiser’s face.

  I raised a brow at the interloper. Had he been eavesdropping? There’d been no one close enough to overhear our whispered conversation—or so I’d thought.

  15

  Mac

  * * *

  I turned to look at the newcomer, surprised to see Jaxson Laurent. He was the new local alpha, and a powerful werewolf. He was dressed in a black leather jacket and jeans, and was looking straight at me with his penetrating dark eyes. I didn't know him well, but he’d helped my friend Eve a while back.

  “Eavesdropping?” I asked.

  “I couldn’t help it.” He gave a smile that was as charming as it was predatory. Of course he’d have freakishly good hearing. He was probably the strongest wolf in town. I gestured to Drakon. “Drakon, this is Jaxson Laurent. Jaxson, this is—”

  “The first vampire. I thought I recognized you.” Jaxson stuck out his hand.

  Drakon shook it and nodded. “Are you going to be a problem for us?”

  “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

  “Then perhaps you could help us,” I said. “I imagine you know the ins and outs of this place.”

  “Enough to know that you’d better be careful if you’re going upstairs.” He shrugged. “Though I agree your plan is a good one. Shit will still hit the fan, but having the boss take you up would definitely give you your best chance at getting what you came for.”

  “Excellent.” A new face appeared in the crowd near the door, catching my eye.

  Our opponent from the society entered, slipping through the crowd with wary eyes and a calm demeanor. He was in his mid-forties, not bad looking for someone whose closest resemblance was to an evil warlock. Slender and dressed in a dark suit, he even had a midnight goatee.

  Maurice, I recalled, though I couldn’t remember his last name.

  Next to me, Drakon stiffened. I knew exactly what he wanted—to question the guy. And now that I’d felt what was hidden beneath the society’s house, I wanted to question him, too.

  He would definitely know something. I’d seen him speaking to Ludovic several times over the past two days. They clearly knew each other, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Ludovic had put him up for admission to the society.

  I caught Jaxson’s gaze and nodded toward Maurice. “I need to question that guy. But when I’m done, do you think you could distract him for a while?”

  “How long?”

  “Long enough for us to get a head start up the stairs with the boss.”

  He nodded. “He’s after the same thing?”

  “Yep. But can’t tell you why.”

  Jaxson gave me a considering look. “What will it get me?”

  “A favor.”

  He frowned, clearly not impressed.

  I tilted my head toward Drakon. “From him.”

  Jaxson’s brows rose. “Really?”

  Drakon nodded. “Really.”

  “All right, then. That’s currency I can use. But if he gets too rowdy, I’ll step back. I’m not here to make enemies of demons. Magic Side is unstable as it is. But I think I can hold him back a while.”

  “Exactly.” I grinned widely. “So we’ve got a deal. Come over to us when the boss comes down.”

  Jaxson nodded and leaned against the bar, gesturing subtly for the bartender. As he ordered a whiskey, I met Drakon’s gaze. “Ready to go question this bastard?”

  “Is your magic up to it?”

  Annoyance surged through me. Sure, it was weak, but that was my business. I shot him my best eat-shit look. “I’ll manage.”

  And if I couldn’t, I had one more vial of truth serum.

  Together, we slipped through the crowd toward our prey. He clearly had a different game plan than I did, as he hadn’t even bothered to approach the bar. Instead, he was slipping around the edges of the room, searching for a way to get to the good stuff. I had to give him credit, though—he was impressively sneaky. Something about him just made the eye slip away, bored. He could probably walk into a jeweler’s and steal the biggest diamond right out from under the manager’s eye.

  Except he wasn’t that good.

  He was so obsessed with finding the back of the bar that he didn’t notice us approach. We had him pinned in a dark corner in no time. Drakon made quick work of boxing him in against the wall, towering over the smaller man.

  Our target paled, and I could see the Adam’s apple bob in his throat as his wide eyes took in Drakon. He didn't even notice me slip up beside him.

  When I pressed a hand to his shoulder, he flinched. Wide eyes met mine as he asked, “What are you doing?”

  “Just a few questions.”

  A mental block immediately appeared in the man’s mind, and I frowned. Some of these society bastards were strong.

  Drakon pressed his fingertips to the man’s temple. “Tragically, I can’t compel you since you’re protected by the society’s spell, but I can soften you up for her.”

  I winced as I watched the man’s eyes widen with fear and his jaw clench. Whatever Drakon was making him feel—or think—must be awful.

  But it did work. The mental barrier that I’d felt dropped.

  Still, as I tried to get a feel for the guy’s intentions, something kept distracting me. There was a faint surge of magic from Drakon—almost like a power source. It was a hell of a lot like what had happened when I’d first met him and grabbed his wrists to drag him behind the bar.

  Strange.

  Hesitantly, I pressed my other hand to Drakon’s arm. Magic surged into me, and I gasped. He looked at me, brow furrowed, but I averted my gaze toward our target. I had no idea how I had this power, but I needed to use it.

  “What’s she doing?” Nerves shivered in Maurice’s voice, and I felt his magic swell.

  I wasn’t sure exactly what species he was—probably a warlock or a sorcerer—but he was dangerous, of course. Everyone at the society was.

  “Not here.” Threat vibrated low in Drakon’s voice. “If you use your magic against us, it will just start a fight. And we’ll win.”

  I let Drakon calm Maurice as I tried to read his thoughts. And yet, my seer power still didn’t work well. Even with Drakon’s extra magic, I couldn’t get the information I needed from him. All I saw were blasts of images, none of them related to what we sought.

  But there was something else in his mind. It was almost like a malleable force—putty I could control with my own will.

  Holy fates, this felt weird.

  Maurice flinched, almost as if he could sense me inside his mind.

  “Do you feel that?” I asked.

  He shuddered. “Get out.”

  Shock flashed through me, and I felt my eyes widen as I met Drakon’s gaze. He stared at me, confused, but there was the faintest paleness to his face.

  I had no idea what exactly was going on with my magic, but this was my one shot. We didn’t have long until the boss came to find me, and I didn’t know if I’d ever have this kind of power again.

  “Maurice, do you know what the secret chamber in the basement of the society is for?”

  “No.”

  I could feel his will resisting mine as clearly as I could hear the lie in his voice. Acting on instinct, I drew power from Drakon and used it to strengthen my grip on Maurice’s mind.

  “You’ll tell me what you know.” I imbued my voice with strength as I tried to force him to comply. I couldn’t have properly described the sensation for a million pounds, but it felt almost like I could squeeze his mind until he did what I wanted him to.

  And holy fates, it was terrifying.

  Was this compulsion, like Drakon had?

  No, because it wasn’t blocked by the society’s spell. It was something else.

  Every muscle in Maurice’s body tensed as he fought my will, but I pushed more of Drakon’s magic into him as though I were a mere conduit. Finally, he broke. “It’s for his collections. For everything beautiful or powerful or strange.”

  “What does he do with it?”

  “Nothing.” Maurice’s jaw clenched as he tried to hold the words back, but I forced them out. “He doesn’t need to do anything with it. The power of those things keeps him strong. They keep the organization hidden and protected. No matter what kind of evil they do, they are protected.”

  “So he’s using the magical energy of the hidden objects—and people—to fuel a spell that protects him?” Drakon demanded.

  Maurice snapped his jaw shut and glared. He didn’t have to answer Drakon, so he didn’t.

  I forced more magic into him, using my power to squeeze his mind until he broke again. “Yes. Exactly. I don’t know what the spell is, but those objects are the source of its power. Some have been there for centuries.”

  It was a terrible method. All one had to do was break in to destroy the objects, and that would destroy Ludovic and the society. I’d blow the place to bits. “How does one get in?”

  “You can’t. Only Ludovic can, and only through a ceremony where a death is used to open the gate.”

  “We’ve had several deaths,” Drakon said.

  I squeezed Maurice’s mind, and he said. “When the competition is over, the souls of the dead will be used to open the gate. It’s a ceremony that all will attend.”

  So this was our chance to get in. We just had to make it to that ceremony, and we’d be able to get what Drakon was after. Who Drakon was after.

  “I think your time is up.” Jaxson’s voice sounded at my side, and I turned. He tilted his head toward the side of the room. “Boss is headed this way.”

  I looked up at Drakon, knowing that he wanted to kill Maurice. But we really couldn’t afford the commotion that would cause, and Jaxson could keep Maurice occupied.

  “Later,” I said. “Let’s go.”

  Maurice grimaced and pushed against Drakon’s hold. Drakon gave the man a disgusted look and nodded to Jaxson. “He’s yours now.”

  “All I can promise is a head start,” Jaxson said.

  “Fair enough. Thank you.” Drakon strode away from Maurice, and I followed.

  We took a seat at one of the small tables and watched the boss. He stopped by the bar first, and from the way he settled onto a stool, I could tell it was going to be a minute.

  “Bastard is making us wait,” I muttered. “Stupid power play.”

  “It won’t work.” Though his voice had the usual subtle menace that I’d heard in dangerous situation, his eyes were shadowed with something unidentifiable as he met my gaze. “What was that back there?” he asked. “You drew magic from me.”

  Shit. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Of course you do.”

  “Couldn’t we just not mention it?”

  “No.”

  “Fine. Then I don’t know what the hell it was, and that’s the extent of it.” I also didn’t want to discuss it with him until I knew more about what was up with me. New magic appearing out of the blue wasn’t normal.

  He gave me a long, considering look. “I believe you. But don’t do it again.”

  I tugged on my ponytail, unable to help myself.

  “That’s a nervous tic, isn’t it?”

  I scowled at him. “I still have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Of course you do.”

  “Whatever.” I looked toward the bar, hoping that the boss would be done with his little mind game.

  Nope. No luck.

  Unable to help myself, I glanced back at Drakon. He was staring off into space, that shadowed look still in his eyes. I tilted my head, studying him. “You’re pensive,” I said. “And it’s not about my magic, like I thought.”

  He shot me a long look. “You notice too much for someone with terrible taste in alcohol and a penchant for explosives.”

  I shrugged. “It’s about the person you’re trying to save, right?”

  He said nothing.

  “Come on, it’s so obvious, there’s no point denying it.”

  “Yes, it’s about them.”

  “You’re worried.”

  Again, he said nothing. Talking to him was like trying to get blood from a stone. So I stared right back. We had time to kill until the boss decided to grace us with his presence, and I wanted to get some info out of Drakon. “It would help me if I knew more about this, you know,” I said. “I could do a better job.”

  “Fine.” He leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. “My friend is powerful, but not so powerful that he’d be an asset to some kind of sick collection.”

  “Friend? You have those?”

  “No, actually.” His eyes cooled. “I don’t. But I owe him, and I pay my debts.”

  “You must owe him a lot if you’re going to all this trouble.”

  “Enough.” He looked away, his face still shadowed.

  He did care for this person, and he didn’t care for many people. He just didn’t want me to know.

  It made him more human.

  “This doesn’t add up,” I said. “Why they took your friend, I mean.”

  “I’ve suspected that they’re using him to draw me here, but I can’t figure out why. Tonight was confirmation of that.”

  Shit. That was creepy.

  “Why do they want you?”

  “No idea. I’m powerful and wealthy, and I’ve made a lot of enemies. I suspect Ludovic is behind this, but I don’t remember him from my past. It’s driving me mad.”

  A definite mystery. There was no more time to speculate on it, however, because a demon with pale gray skin and a medium build appeared at our table. He sat, his magic wafting over me. It smelled of burnt skin and tasted like rotten meat. I’d never eaten rotten meat, but I’d have bet my left tit that’s what it was. Behind him, four hulking blue demons stood with their arms crossed. They were the same species as the bouncers outside, and I wondered if the boss had a traditional mercenary arrangement with them or if they were working for him for another reason.

  “Finally gracing me with your presence?” I asked.

  A smarmy smile spread across his face as he looked between me and Drakon. “I heard you have something to sell.”

  “I do.”

  “From Eve?”

  “Not telling here.”

  “The Witches Guild?” Excitement sparked in his eyes.

  “Still not telling.” I shrugged. “But maybe.”

  He was so excited that he was almost drooling. Pathetic. It was well known at the most popular supernatural bars that I had excellent connections in Guild City, but even this was over the top.

  He was making this too easy, and that made me nervous. I shot a look at Drakon, and from the look in his eyes, he seemed to agree.

  16

  Mac

  * * *

  “I’ll only make a deal somewhere private.” I looked from the boss toward the ceiling. ”Upstairs, perhaps?”

  He frowned. “Don’t normally let outsiders up there.”

  “Well, I’m sure you can make an exception for something as valuable as what I’ve got.” I patted my jacket pocket like I’d hidden a treasure inside. Hell, there probably was something in there, but it was more likely to be along the lines of an old gum wrapper and an expired stink bomb I’d planned to let off at the Witches’ Guild.

  The boss’s eyes shifted left and right as he considered.

  “Come on, I don’t have all day. You know, I can head over to Magic’s Bend any time I want to sell this.”

  “Fine, fine.” He stood, pushing his chair back. “Come with me.”

  I shot Drakon a grin and followed the boss through the crowd, heading toward the back of the bar. As I started up the stairs past the demon guards, I looked back at Maurice and Jaxson. The shifter had the warlock still backed up against the wall, but I could see the dark shadows gathering on Maurice’s face. Any minute now, he’d let loose with some magic. He hadn’t been able to take the two of us, but Jaxson was just one person, and eventually, Maurice would try his luck.

  Fortunately, we were already on the top floor of the bar. It was dark, a simple corridor dotted on either side with doors. The boss led us into the first room, which appeared to be a sparsely decorated office. He took the seat behind the desk and gestured to the two chairs in front. We sat, and I peeked behind me as I heard the door shut. Four demons stayed inside with us, their beefy arms crossed over their chests. They were obviously meant to be intimidating, but I didn’t bother telling the boss that just four wasn’t going to cut it.

 

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