Page 96 of Mage Massacres

I slapped my hand over his mouth, barking into his mind, “Are you dense? Don’t say it out loud. We don’t know if this place is safe.”

He nodded, and I pulled York into my mind so Stone could answer him.

“I made a duplicate, as far as the outside is concerned. One is in Nashville. One is tucked away. We talked about this a long time ago, and I swore to you that nothing would happen to it. When you ask for it, I will give it back to you.”

The secrets between the demon and the druid were more profound than I thought, but for once, I didn’t want to pry. Whatever burden was in that box was none of my business.

York sighed, his shoulders relaxing as he hung his head. “Thank you.”

“It’s nothing.” Stone clapped the druid’s back, shrugging his gratitude off. “So, how are we getting through this wall?”

“There’s another spell,” Vaughn spoke from the other side of the room, tilting his head left and right as he examined the bricks from a distance. “I don’t know what kind of magic it is, but it’s not the same as what we ran into earlier.”

Briggs snorted. “Just ask Barbie to blow it open. Who needs a door when you can make your own?”

“What if it’s supporting the building above us?” Vaughn stressed.

“What if there is no building above us, and when we get to the other side, we accidentally walk in on some old folks watching TV? I can play the what-if game all day, Fae,” the wolf countered.

“That’s dark magic,” Sloane announced from the entrance of the passageway. “It’s layered with blood magic. That’s what you’re seeing.”

Stone studied the wall, running his fingers over the grout lines between the bricks. His brow was creased when he turned around. “It could be the warped angelic magic. Now that I know what I’m looking for, I can tell that it’s not wholly demonic.”

“So let’s go with Briggs’ suggestion.” Trouble shrugged. “I’ll just blow a small hole in—”

“Nope,” Palmer cut in. “Vaughn has a point. We don’t know anything about the structure of the building or who’s above us or on the other side. Let’s try to cancel the magic out first.”

“Okay,” she drawled, pouting.

The demon ambled up, hugging her to his side. “Come on, Kitten. It’ll be quick, and then we can end this hellacious day with a fire.”

She rolled her eyes. He only grinned in return.

Using the tip of her talon, she sliced her left palm open and placed her hand flat against the wall. Concentration made her jaw tighten as blood trickled between the bricks without actually touching them.

A pattern formed on the wall, and she mimicked it with her right hand, magic crackling at her fingertips. The bricks crumbled away, leaving no trace that they were ever tangible.

A sliver of light cast shadows across the dirt, touching the opposite wall of what appeared to be a storage closet. I was sure that I could stretch my arms out and cover the width of the narrow space.

To the naked eye, the size of the room would be unknown at first glance. The darkness ate away at the corners, giving it an ominous vibe.

It was fucking creepy.

A deep voice carried from all angles, encompassing the area and wrapping around us. It sent goosebumps racing down my arms.

“What do you want?”

Palmer went rigid, his complexion drained of color as his eyes shone with terror. He shook his head, taking a step back.

“Raguel.”

The mage’s mind was swallowed up by the name, all rational thought leaving him as he snatched Trouble’s hand to keep her from moving forward.

I’d never seen him so frightened, and that set us all on edge. Sloane smiled reassuringly at him, positioning herself to block his view. Vaughn and I stood on either side of her, listening to scuffing sounds as they drew closer.

“Stop hiding,” Trouble said, her rasping command ringing loudly.

The man gasped, muttering under his breath, “Amelia?”