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Valen shook his head, but he didn’t bother to argue as he entered the main room and crossed directly toward the stairs at the back. The truth was that they were both stubborn. And fiercely independent. And obnoxiously accustomed to doing exactly what they wanted, when they wanted.
It was the sort of relationship that erupted and went down in flames.
But that didn’t prevent him from knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that Peri was destined to stand at his side.
In silence they climbed the wooden steps, reaching the second floor, which proved to be a large office and more empty storage rooms. There was nothing left beyond the furniture and built-in shelves. Not even a stray scrap of paper.
Moving back to the stairs, they climbed to the third floor and entered an open loft with a narrow living room on one side and a kitchenette on the other. It was cramped and stark, but there were several original features, including cornice moldings, a chandelier that hung from an ornate medallion in the center of the ceiling and a wide fireplace that separated the living space from the bedroom. The building itself was no doubt worth a fortune. Which meant the owner would be in contact with someone to sell the place if they didn’t intend to return.
Considering whether Renee could dig up the information he needed, Valen strolled forward. He was vaguely aware of the thickness of the atmosphere, as if they were walking through water, but he assumed it was the heavy humidity that clouded the air.
It wasn’t until he’d circled the wide fireplace that he abruptly cursed his distraction. There was a dull pop, then the sensation of magic feathering over his skin. As if he was stepping through an unseen barrier. Suddenly the air wasn’t thick or heavy, it was ripe with the stench of decaying spores. As if they’d opened a sarcophagus that held an ancient mummy.
“Shit,” he muttered.
Peri muttered her own string of curses. “There was a muting spell in the building,” she ground out. “That’s why I couldn’t sense the magic. I should have suspected something like that.”
Valen moved to the side, trying to prevent Peri from catching a glimpse of the shrunken male corpse lying with rigid precision on the mattress. He was wearing a suit that hung on his bony body and his too-thin face was distorted with a soundless scream.
Of course, he was wasting his time. Peri pushed past him to stare at the corpse with a stunned expression.
“Richard Pascal, I presume,” she choked out.
“Whoever it is, they’ve been dead for several days,” he said.
“Drained,” she shuddered. “Like the others.”
“Not exactly.” Valen’s hands squeezed into fists. “He obviously wasn’t a witch.”
“Could he have been a demon?” she asked.
Valen started to take a step forward to inspect the body. The blood had dried in the man’s veins. He would need to get closer to determine his species. Before he could move, however, Peri’s hand shot out to grab his arm in a bruising grip. “No, Valen,” she rasped.
He instantly turned to face her. “What do you sense?”
“We triggered something.” Her eyes widened with fear. “It’s a snare. We need to get out of here.”
Valen sent her a shocked glance. A snare spell would trap them in the building until the magic faded. It could last hours—or days—depending on the power level of the mage who created the trap. Grasping Peri’s hand, Valen raced toward the door. He could already feel the electric buzz in the air. It wasn’t mechanical. It was the warning of an impending explosion.
The spell hit as they left the loft and reached the top of the stairs. The concussion of magic blasted through the building, shaking it to its very foundation.
Valen winced as the painful wave sheered past him. The force of the power was shocking. He’d never felt anything that intense. Next to him, Peri released a sharp scream, grasping her head in her hands as if she was in unbearable agony.
Valen reached out, managing to scoop her in his arms as her eyes rolled into the back of her head and her knees collapsed. The spell had knocked her unconscious.
Holding her tight against his chest, Valen vaulted over the banister to drop to the main floor. He had to get out of there before—
His urgent thoughts were fractured as another blast reverberated through the building. Valen stumbled, abruptly turning away from the windows as the sound of splintering wood echoed through the emptiness. Waiting until the lethal shards had dropped to the ground, Valen turned to discover the shutters had been demolished.
There was also a shimmer in the air that revealed the snare had closed around them.
With a deliberate motion, Valen bent down to lower Peri to the floor. Then, with blinding speed, he ran forward to slam into the invisible wall. He bounced back, a loud crack warning that he’d busted a rib. Grimly, he ignored the pain and plowed forward once again.
It wasn’t that he didn’t understand the definition of insanity. He knew that repeating the same action in the hopes of a different outcome was a waste of time. Obviously, he couldn’tphysically force his way through the magic, but the snare was slowly tightening, driving them toward the towering windows that were no longer covered.
As soon as the sun crested the horizon he was going to be fried.
Chapter 21
