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Coming to a reluctant halt, Skye sent Maya an impatient frown. “We need to hurry if Peri is in danger.”
“I want you to stay here and take care of business.” She glanced around the coffee shop, which was thankfully empty of customers at the moment. Early afternoon was always a slow time.
“No way.” Skye shook her head, her curls bouncing around her flushed face. “Don’t you watch horror shows?”
“What do horror shows have to do with anything?”
“Seriously?” Skye rolled her eyes. “Peri went off alone and now she’s in danger. If you go after her alone something terrible will happen to you. The buddy system is the only way to stay safe.”
Maya stubbornly shook her head. “I need you here.”
“I…” Skye’s eyes widened, her body tensing as she glanced toward the windows of the shop. “Maya, do you feel that?”
She did. It felt like threads of fire were being woven through the air. It was magic, but it wasn’t coming from Skye or her. On impulse she crossed to the door, yanking on the handle. It refused to budge.
“Shit,” she growled.
Skye crossed to stand next to her. “What’s going on?”
Maya barely heard the words. Skye’s face blurred as if Maya was suddenly seeing the world through glasses that were out of focus. Maya blinked, trying to clear her vision. It didn’t help. In fact, her friend disappeared as a wave of darkness streaked with blood washed over her.
Peri’s blood.
“Maya! Maya, can you hear me?”
Maya blinked again and the darkness faded to reveal Skye’s pale face and midnight dark eyes.
“The Benefactor,” Maya breathed. “Neither of us is going.”
“Bullshit.”
Skye turned away, clearly intending to head toward the stairs. Maya once again grabbed her arm.
“We can’t. Not without putting Peri in more danger.”
Skye kept her back to Maya, but a sudden shiver raced through her body and a soft cry was wrenched from her lips. Maya didn’t have to ask what was happening. Her friend was lost in a vision.
Wrapping Skye in her arms, she waited as the younger mage trembled, a tear tracing down her cheek.
“Yes,” she at last rasped in a harsh voice. “You’re right. We have to stay.” Pulling out of Maya’s arms, Skye walked toward the stairs, her shoulders slumped and her head bent with weariness. “I’m going to lay down for a bit.”
“Okay.”
Maya waited until Skye’s footsteps faded up the stairs before turning to lay her hand against the door handle. It opened easily.
A violent, irrational fury erupted inside Maya. Unlike many mages, she no longer had to bend the knee to the Cabal. Or trade her soul to gain the power to protect those she loved. But her independence came at a price.
The Benefactor. A hidden power that hovered in the background of her life. His requests were usually simple, if odd. This was the first time she’d deeply resented his interference.
To be forced to stay in Jersey twiddling her thumbs while Peri was in danger…
Frustrated power exploded through her, smacking into the front window with shocking force. There was a high-pitched hum as the glass vibrated from the impact, then the window shattered into a thousand pieces. Maya watched the shimmering shards crash onto the tiled floor.
“Impressive.” Without warning, a man wearing a velour tracksuit with a fishing hat appeared in the open window frame. He bent forward to peer down at the pieces of glass sparkling in the late afternoon sunlight like a fractured rainbow.
“Temper tantrum over?” he asked.
Maya struggled to control her anger. “Not necessarily,” she warned between gritted teeth.
