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The male possessed the ageless perfection of a vampire, but his dark hair was heavily streaked with gray and cut to brush his broad shoulders. His face was square and his features distinguished. To humans he looked like a successful businessman. Perhaps an international banker. And he was both of those things. But a glance into the icy hazel eyes was enough to reveal he wasn’t a mere mortal.
“Gabriel,” Valen murmured. This male was one of ten vampires who made up the North America Vampire Cabal. His territory included Denver through Salt Lake City. And even by vampire standards he was extraordinarily wealthy. “This is unexpected. Is there a problem?”
The male considered the question. “More a curiosity,” he finally said. “What sort of curiosity?”
“One of your mages arrived in Denver today.”
Valen’s vague interest was securely snared.One of your mages…
They weren’t technically, of course. The three women lived inside his territory, but they weren’t within the Gyre. And while he could use his power and influence to make their lives a misery until they agreed to submit to his authority, he’d resisted the temptation. It wasn’t the knowledge that he could sense amysterious power keeping guard on the three women. He was an immortal who feared nothing. Eventually he’d figure out who or what was assisting the women.
No. He’d maintained a hands-off approach because he wanted the mages to come to him willingly.
Long ago he’d chosen brutality to enforce his position of power, but the centuries had refined his skills. Oh, he could use violence when necessary. The demons he ruled had to understand that he had zero tolerance for breaking his laws. But he discovered that his fearsome reputation was usually enough to keep order in his territory. Along with a healthy dread of being forced out of the Gyre. No demon wanted to live in a dead zone, where they were unable to feel the ancient magic that pulsed through their veins.
He desired loyalty, not grudging obedience.
“Did you capture their arrival on video?” he asked, knowing that Gabriel would have his territory fully monitored. Both electronically and with his guards.
“Of course.” The monitor flickered and Gabriel’s face was replaced with a grainy surveillance video. “This is from the Denver airport earlier this afternoon.”
Valen placed his palms flat on his desk as he leaned forward, his gaze locked on the dark-haired woman dressed in a pair of cutoff shorts and a T-shirt with a faded Bon Jovi logo. Peri. All mages were rare and special, but Peri… she was gloriously unique. And she’d fascinated him from the moment she’d arrived at the Witch’s Brew nine years ago.
A strange sensation clenched his muscles as he watched her weave her way through the mass of travelers. It felt like anger. As if he was disturbed by the knowledge she was so far away from him.
He shook his head, refusing to dwell on the intensity of his reaction. Instead, he focused on the tension detectable in theangle of her shoulders and her grim expression. Whatever had taken her to Denver, it wasn’t pleasure.
“Was she alone?” he demanded.
“As far as we could tell.” Gabriel was once again visible. “The sensors didn’t trigger for any other mages.”
“Demons?”
“None that approached her in the terminal.”
She was alone? The anger once again flared through him. An icy blast that created a layer of frost over the top of his desk. A lone mage, no matter how powerful, was at risk. They were too valuable not to be the target of a kidnapping attempt by an enterprising demon.
“Is she still in Denver?”
“No. She is currently waiting for a commuter plane to Casper.”
“Casper?” Valen was genuinely puzzled. “Why would she go there?”
“Check your email. I sent you a file.”
Valen grabbed his phone, which he’d placed on the desk before retiring for the day. Pressing the screen, he swiftly pulled up his private email and clicked on the link that Gabriel had sent him.
“Mass suicide at Wisdom Ranch,” he read out loud. “Humans?”
“A coven.”
“Do you know what happened?”
“No, but I’d bet my favorite Rolex your mage is here because she knows how they died or to discover what happened.”
That wasn’t a bet Valen was willing to take. Although mages and witches weren’t the same—any more than goblins and fairies were the same—a mage was always born to a mother who was a witch. It was very likely that Peri had a personal connection to the coven.
“Why did you call me?” he abruptly asked.
