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Chapter 29
Two weeks later
Peri polished off the blueberry scone and licked the sticky goodness from her fingers. She was confident she could travel the world and never find a better scone than the ones that were made at the Witch’s Brew. Sipping her hot tea, she met Maya’s impatient gaze.
She’d spent time with both Maya and Skye at Valen’s penthouse, but this was her first trip to the Witch’s Brew, and the first time they could comfortably discuss what had happened to her after she’d taken off for Wyoming.
“You’re sure the miasma is gone?” Maya demanded, leaning against the edge of her desk. Skye was in her usual position of tending to the tea tray on the side table while Peri was settled comfortably in the leather chair.
They’d chosen to meet in the privacy of the office to avoid the crowd that was gathering out front. People were leaving work and stopping by to pick up delicious treats for dinner or browsing through the bookstore. Maya had brought in extra help to deal with the customers.
Peri nodded firmly. Her time in the cabin was still fuzzy, but she had a vivid memory of the nasty stench of sulfur as the red mist had disappeared, as if it was being sucked through an unseen opening.
“It’s back in hell where it belongs.”
Maya’s lips thinned. “And Tia?”
“She’s hiding in her castle,” Peri assured her friend. She’d traveled through the area last week with Valen, spending thenight at Gabriel’s lair. The vampire had promised to keep a close watch on the overly ambitious mage. “At least for now.”
Maya nodded, but there was something in her expression that assured Peri that the older mage hadn’t forgotten what Tia had done to her, and that there would eventually be some form of retribution.
For now, she studied Peri with a searching gaze. “And you’re okay?”
Peri wrinkled her nose. “I’m getting asked that question a lot.”
“It’s not every day a mage taps into an ancient magic that has been out of our reach for countless centuries,” Maya pointed out.
“I’m fine.” Peri hesitated as she caught Maya’s steady gaze, at last heaving a sigh. She never could lie to this woman. “Okay. I’m scared,” she admitted. “Even now I can feel the magic. It’s like lava bubbling inside me, just waiting to explode. I’m terrified I might hurt someone.”
“You need to practice controlling it,” Maya warned.
Peri nodded, a wry smile curving her lips. She’d spent the first week after returning to New York doing her best to suppress the magic. As if she could somehow stuff it back into the mystical place it’d come from. When that didn’t work, she’d accepted that she was going to have to learn to live with it.
“Valen arranged for me to spend time in the playroom. I can practice without worrying that it might spiral out of control,” she assured her friend. “I’m already gaining some ability to manipulate it.”
“Good.” Maya tilted her head to the side, her silky black hair sliding over her shoulder. “And Valen is treating you well?”
“He’s…” Peri found it impossible to express her feelings for the vampire.
He was still arrogant and bossy, just as she always imagined he would be, but he was also generous and loving and attentiveto her every need. She didn’t doubt she was the most spoiled woman in the history of the world.
“What?” Maya asked.
“Everything.”
Skye clapped her hands together, her face wreathed in smiles. “I knew it.”
Peri sent her friend a startled glance. “A vision?”
Skye touched her chest, directly over her heart. “A feeling.”
Maya’s expression was more difficult to read. “I suppose you’ll be staying with him?” she demanded.
“Yes. But I hope to keep my job here,” Peri admitted. “If you’ll have me.”
Something that might have been relief rippled over Maya’s face. “You will always be welcome at the Witch’s Brew. You’re family.”
“Good.” Peri glanced around the stark office. It didn’t look like much, but Peri loved every inch of this building. It’d been where she’d learned to feel safe and laugh and trust and look toward a future. Her happiest memories had happened here. “I adore Valen, but the Witch’s Brew has been my home for a long time.”
