Page 9

CHAPTER NINE

I hurry past the circular white bar in the middle of the rooftop toward the sunken couches on the far side.

The staircase led me up through the colorful neon cloud that covered the ceiling and out into the open air at the top of the warehouse.

Multiple sunken couches line the edges of the rooftop, and a lone woman sits in the one to the far right. Her dark hair falls softly across the top of it, her features composed into an air of calm as she stares out over the sparkling city below us.

She looks about forty, despite the stories that she’s hundreds of years old.

The power radiating out from her tells me she must be Mother Kadris. It bites like I expected it would, making my arms tingle and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

I have no doubt she’s the witch I seek.

She could easily respond to my presence with violence, so I take each step slowly, reaching for the nearest spell attached to my dress. It’s another protection spell like the one I used in the library in case things get nasty.

I’m not sure how far to trust the stories I’ve heard about The Proprietor’s protection of this place, and I don’t want a bunch of dead supernaturals on my hands.

Even so, suddenly, all of the spells I’ve attached to myself seem pitiful.

If I have to fight this woman, I’d better hope my instinctive magic is up to the task.

Mother Kadris sweeps her hair behind her ear as I approach. With a scant sideways glance at me, she returns her focus to the glass on the table in front of her, a smile gracing her lips. “Well met, Tansy Gray. Blessings on your power.”

I’m surprised that she addresses me by my chosen name, let alone uses the traditional witch’s greeting.

The couch is set into the floor, requiring me to step down and slide into it.

I cautiously settle into the seat opposite her before I give her a reserved nod and respond with the same respect she showed me. “Mother Kadris. Blessings on your power.”

She takes a sip of what looks like plain water. I hide my surprise. I picked her for preferring something much stronger.

She meets my gaze. It’s difficult to tell what color her eyes are in the glowing neon light. Every time the light changes, her eyes change color with it.

“I’m sorry I destroyed your ladybug,” she says. “I needed to make sure everything was in place before you reached me.”

Huh. And here I was thinking my spell was simply defective.

I press my lips together and cut to the chase. “You stole the revival spell from the angels. I want to know what it will take for you to give it to me.”

She leans toward me, her gaze passing to the faint glow that grows around my silhouette. She won’t miss my instinctive magic blossoming from my fear and determination.

She ignores my request. “Your magic is as strong as the rumors say. Why do you repress it?”

“I don’t…” My brow furrows. “I don’t control when it surfaces.”

Her lips part with surprise. “Is that what you believe? Interesting.”

The furrow in my brow deepens while she taps a finger against the back of her other hand and considers me for a moment.

“Very well,” she says. “I will give you the revival spell if you do something for me. Something… that is very important to me.”

Oh, this feels too easy. She agreed too quickly.

I brace myself for what her request could be. But then the set of her lips becomes serious, and her confident smile fades. The faintest hint of desperation creases her forehead, and I’m suddenly struck by the possibility that she might need me as much as I need her.

I tip my chin, testing the waters. “What could be so important that you can’t accomplish it yourself?”

Her gaze flicks to the right, and for a moment, it looks like she’s searching for something.

She quickly returns her attention to me, clears her throat, and wraps her arms around herself as if she’s cold.

“There are three rubies worn by a man at this Ball. A very powerful man who, like you, does not know the full extent of the power he controls. I need those rubies.” She takes a deep breath.

“I need them badly enough to give you the spell I’ve kept safe until now. ”

I scoff, “Kept safe? You stole it.”

“From angels who would have succumbed to temptation, dear. Some angels would break any rule to ascend to heaven again. On the night I stole it, the angel Iriel planned to use the spell to revive her lost place in heaven.” She leans forward again, her gaze piercing me.

“The revival spell must rest only in the hands of those who would use it for the benefit of others… not for themselves.”

A shiver makes me rub my arms. “You think I’m that person.”

“You might be. Bring me the rubies, and we will see.” She glances to the right again, but this time, she smiles. “Ah. There he is.”

I follow her gaze to the same man I saw earlier, the one who reminds me of Alexei.

He approaches the circular bar, taking powerful steps that emphasize the muscles beneath his dark pants and short-sleeved T-shirt. He’s casually dressed—maybe he didn’t believe the Ball was real and was taken by surprise when he was transported here.

His hair isn’t all that long, but strands of it splash across his forehead, its dark tips covering his eyes and obscuring his face so it’s impossible to identify him. His hair is the biggest clue that he isn’t Alexei. The Master Assassin’s hair is always shaved close to his head.

Leaning casually into a widening gap at the bar, the newcomer draws the attention of the male bartender with long dark hair cropped short on the sides.

I pegged this new bartender as some sort of shifter like Barasa, and my guess is confirmed when I catch flashes of his aura between pulsing beats of music.

The tall man on the other hand… I can’t place him at all.

I fight a smile as his mere presence creates a space at the bar. A few glances from the other patrons, and they leave him alone. Even the women, several of whom give his broad chest and muscled biceps an appreciative glance, give him a wide berth.

Alexei has that impact too, but he is never arrogant. It’s a sign of true power that he always remains polite and in control of his actions. I guess that comes from knowing that when he chooses to act… the consequences can mean death.

“Who is he?” I swivel back to Mother Kadris—only to find her gone.

Damn . I shouldn’t have taken my eyes off her. No doubt I’ll only find her again when she wants me to.

She didn’t explain why she needs the three rubies, but then… I didn’t tell her why I need the revival spell, either.

We’re both carrying secrets.

I snatch up the drink she left sitting on the table and gulp water to moisten my suddenly dry mouth. Approaching dangerous men is not my forte. I never learned to flirt, only to freeze people out. Distrust was always my friend. Well, that’s what I told myself.

I clamber out of the sunken couch, discovering that they’re much easier to slide into than to get out of. I grab one of the spells attached to my hip, the words burning in my mind moments before my fingertip glides across the leaf.

“Levitate and leverage lightly,” I whisper to myself.

Magic lifts me up, and I glide to the edge of the couch and onto the floor. Tipping my head back, I take gulps of air like a confidence pill.

With bold steps, I stride across the distance between me and the man at the bar, angling around a warlock who casts a smoky neon illusion of a fierce dragon that sails over the heads of the patrons in the sunken couches I’m leaving behind.

My gauzy dress floats around my legs as I reach the bar and carefully lean into the empty space beside the man who is Kadris’s target. The other patrons have crowded in a little since his arrival, but there are still several clear feet on either side of him.

The tantalizing scent of sandalwood fills my senses.

Pasting a confident smile on my face, I turn to him. “I thought you could use some company.” I gesture at the space around him. “Since you scared everyone away and all.”

I sense his sharp inhale before he turns to face me fully, his hair falling away from his face as he tilts toward me.

“I have that effect on people.” His eyes meet mine. Stormy gray eyes and a growing smile greet me. “But you were never afraid of me.”

My heart stutters inside my chest.

Alexei …

It’s him.

It’s… really him.