Page 1 of Mage Massacres

Prologue

Palmer

5 Years Ago

I had developed a bad habit over the last few days.

I had begun to enjoy the living room, but the shared community space wasn’t quiet enough to read in anymore.

When it had only been the demon and me, I didn’t have that problem. He’d go days without so much as a hello to me. Now? Everyone talked all the godsdamn time.

I heard the fae’s voice as he shuffled into the small hall between the kitchen and garage entrance. He was having too much fun at the wolf’s expense.

He chuckled lightly. “You’ll live.”

“Babysitting him was harder than taking care of kids, Vaughn,” Briggs bitched. “Stick me in a room full of sleepy preschoolers, and I’m good. But I cannot go with Novak again. He needs a fucking leash.”

“I had a lovely time too,” Novak cheerfully stated as he took his shoes off at the front door. “And I have an idea.”

“Fuck,” Briggs swore under his breath. “I’m out. Not it. I’m sick.” He coughed obnoxiously. “It’s, uhm, something contagious.”

“Don’t be such an animal,” the vampire scolded, waving his bandaged hand like he was dismissing the wolf’s behavior. “I think we all share a mate.”

I choked on my coffee, the liquor in it burning my throat more than usual. “Sorry. Come again.”

“You heard me. I think what we have in common is a mate. That’s why we’re able to live in some semblance of harmony even though we’re all opposites.”

“Awesome,” Briggs responded sarcastically. “Being stuck with you for centuries sounds like fantastic news. I love it already. When you find said mate, let us know.”

“That’s the thing.” Novak waggled his brows. “I think we know who she is.”

I studied his eyes carefully, the glowing golden orbs causing anxiety to creep into my chest. “Did you drink while you were getting your tattoo? I thought that was frowned upon?”

“I’m sober. I just had too much time to think about all the reasons why we’ve been forced to live together, and that’s the best option I could come up with. Give me a second, and I’ll explain.”

Briggs and I nodded, bewildered by Novak’s suggestion. I’d seen plenty of wild shit and inexplicable phenomenons in my short lifetime, but this might have taken the top spot on my weird list.

Stone drifted through the living room, dragging his feet as he went. He hadn’t unpacked any of his boxes, but he’d passed his finals.

I’d drunkenly asked the vampire to put his computer skills to the test because I didn’t think he could hack into the school system. He’d done it with ease, and I‘d handed him a hundred dollars after losing the bet.

“How did your finals go?” I inquired, acting like I didn’t already know the answer. “We’ve barely seen you in the last week.”

“Grand,” the demon drawled, appearing less stressed, but still exhausted.

Briggs snorted as he walked out of the kitchen with a beer. “That bad, yeah? You fail them or something?”

Stone rolled his navy eyes. “Failure isn’t an option. But, no. If you must know, I did fine.”

“We should go out to celebrate,” Vaughn suggested, walking up the stairs before anyone had a chance to reply.

“Pass,” the demon shouted to the fae’s retreating back.

“Hot date?” I teased, knowing it would piss him off.

He arched his brow. “I haven’t slept in eight days.”

Novak scoffed. “You’re a demon. You don’t need sleep.”