AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yes.” Valen had called the demons who’d escorted them from the airport as soon as he realized their danger. “They haven’t been able to break through the magic that surrounds the building.”
“Tell them to get ready.” Peri rose to her feet, squaring her shoulders. “I’m going to punch a hole in the spell.”
Valen straightened and pulled his phone from his pocket. He didn’t question her ability to provide them with an escape. This was a woman who didn’t depend on anyone to ride to the rescue.She met danger without flinching. It was only one of many reasons he found her so fascinating.
Contacting the waiting servants, he kept his gaze locked on Peri as she closed her eyes and touched the jade bracelet that encircled her wrist. The sweet scent of lilies filled the air, along with an earthy hint of cumin and raw undertones of power. It all combined to create a heady perfume. He’d spent time with mages, of course. He’d even had a few as servants. But not one of them could create this level of magic. The hum in the air was like standing in the midst of a raging thunderstorm.
Forcing himself to concentrate on the approaching sunlight, Valen pressed the phone to his ear.
“Where are you creating the opening?” he asked Peri.
“The front door.” She kept her eyes squeezed closed, her voice harsh with the strain of calling on so much power at one time.
Valen passed along the information to the waiting demons. “Give them a couple minutes to get into position,” he murmured. “Do you need anything from me?”
She slowly spread her arms, her hair floating as the air filled with her magic and the glow of the jade bracelet.
“You might want to stand behind me,” she suggested. “When two spells meet the reaction can be unpredictable.”
Valen stood firmly at her side. If anything happened he wanted to be close enough to protect her.
His phone buzzed as shadows moved outside the front door. “They’re ready.”
Peri didn’t open her eyes. Instead, she slowly lifted her hands over her head, and Valen felt the pressure in the room change. As if she was sucking the magic toward her, like a black hole. The floor planks shuddered beneath their feet and the chandelier swayed overhead. Valen spread his legs as the power battered against him, threatening to drive him to his knees. Next to him,Peri trembled with the effort, a layer of sweat coating her face as her breath came in shallow pants.
Valen remained inhumanly still, knowing that any distraction could create a backlash of magic that would destroy Peri. Maybe both of them.
A full minute ticked past, the sun touching the tips of his shoes before she spoke ancient words that echoed through the room like a melody. There was, however, nothing melodic about the tidal wave of magic that exploded from her.
Valen hissed, feeling as if he was being flayed as the spell blasted past him to slam against the snare. There was a high-pitched squeal as the two magics clashed, like cars slamming together. Or freight trains, he silently amended as the collision yanked the chandelier from the ceiling and sent it flying across the room. It shattered against the invisible magic that held them captive, sending glass shards shooting through the air. Valen used a pulse of power to keep them from injuring Peri as she opened her eyes to focus on the locked door. She spoke another word, releasing a second burst of magic. There was another clash of magic, but this time it was smaller, and focused on a spot directly in front of them.
There was a pulse in the air, as if a live wire was writhing just inches away. Valen grimaced. He sensed that it would be a very bad thing if that pulsing electricity touched them. The sun inched closer, and Valen clenched his fangs as he felt the heat scorch through him. He had mere seconds left…
The thought was still forming when there was an earsplitting shriek as Peri’s magic punched through the snare and slammed into the door with enough force to blow it off its hinges.
The demons waiting outside didn’t hesitate as they rushed through the opening and headed directly for Valen. He had a brief glimpse of the red auras flickering around the large, sturdy males before they tossed a heavy blanket over his head. Soothingdarkness covered him from head to toe as he was hustled out of the building and into the nearby car.
He waited until he was safely tucked in the back of the limo with Peri settled next to him before he pulled off the blanket. The driver weaved through traffic, leaving behind angry honks and a few shouts as if they’d nearly hit a pedestrian. Valen ignored the sounds, as well as the heat that continued to sear through him from his close brush with the sun. His attention was locked on the woman who lay limply against the leather seat, her eyes closed and her face pale. She was obviously exhausted, but he couldn’t sense any physical injury.
Remaining silent as they raced through the narrow streets, Valen battled back the thought of how close he’d come to death. Not a true death. He would have been resurrected in a new body, but his memory would have been forever destroyed.
Along with the knowledge that Peri Sanguis was in this world.
And that was more terrifying than being consumed by the sun.
His hands fisted, his gaze skimmed restlessly over Peri’s weary face. He’d desired her from the moment he’d caught sight of her. Then he’d learned to admire her as he’d watched her mature from a budding mage into a woman who could terrify most demons. Now…
Now she was burrowed so far into his soul he wasn’t sure how he could survive if she wasn’t near.
Valen was still trying to process that sudden realization when the limo pulled into a low garage attached to an unassuming brick building. Thick darkness surrounded them as the door slid shut, blocking any hint of daylight. He heard the demons exiting the front of the car and moving to open his door.
On instant alert, Valen leaned to the side, peering beyond the bulky form of the demon to inspect the narrow space. He trusted Micha, but the vampire was safely tucked away in his mansion on the outskirts of the city. The servants who kept this safehousemight have any number of reasons to want Valen dead. And this was the perfect location to make him disappear.
Once he was certain there were no hidden enemies, he pushed himself out of the limo and turned to help Peri as she crawled out and instantly lost her balance. He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her tight against him as he glanced toward the nearest demon. The male was several inches shorter than Valen, but twice as wide with bulging muscles beneath his uniform and a shaved head that revealed several tattoos inked on his scalp.
“We need a computer. And privacy,” he commanded, resisting the urge to send Peri directly to bed to rest.
They’d managed to escape the trap that had been set, but it had been too close for comfort. He was done chasing after the miasma. Or whatever the hell it was that Peri’s mother had set loose in the world. He was going to end the threat. And the only way to do that was to create a trap of their own. And for that he needed information.
