Page 1

Chapter One

AYO

“Wish me luck!” I hit shutdown on my computer and pick up the folder I’ve prepared.

A chorus of “good luck” sounds around our small office as Sally gets up to give me a hug. “You’re going to smash it.”

“Absolutely.” I let go of her and do my best ‘I’m not nervous’ smile.

It’s possible I haven’t shut up about my meeting since I arranged it. I’m determined to end today with a promotion, and my fabulous colleagues are one hundred percent supportive.

My Scottish friend, Irving, hasn’t looked up, too busy frowning at his computer, so I lightly punch his shoulder on my way past.

He looks up, blinks at me, then points at his screen. “Do you know what this is for?”

I quickly check the time on my phone. I’m mega early, so I suppress my sigh and take a look. Irving really can be oblivious sometimes.

The invoice on the screen is for rent on a property in vampire territory.

My eyebrows shoot up, because that is definitely not what I was expecting to see.

With the antagonistic species divisions in the city of Birchester, renting property from another species is virtually unheard of.

Our coven owns a large amount of land and property on the east side of the city, so why would we rent a building from the vamps?

“No, sorry mate, no clue. Raise it in case someone is trying to pull a fast one though. I’m headed out.”

Irving’s green eyes widen. “It’s Friday afternoon.”

I grin and bounce a little. “Yep.”

The witch stands and smothers me in a hug. Irving is my physical opposite: a large, bearded white guy with a mop of brown hair—nothing like my mahogany skin, short afro, and vertically challenged stature.

Irving does give amazing hugs, although this one lasts a little longer than anyone else’s did. “Good luck. Message me, aye? Let me know how it goes?”

I meet his smile with an easy grin. I so got this. “Definitely. See ya.”

I head out of the office, which is actually an old stable building that was converted years ago, and head across the sun-drenched cobbles to the eighteenth century English manor house.

I don’t know if it’s the blazing heat of the summer afternoon making me sweat or simply nerves, but I slip my hand inside the collar of my shirt and run my fingers over the moonstone in the centre of the pendant that serves as my focus.

A warm pulse of my sorcerer magic reassures me everything is as it should be. I’m going to ace this.

I bypass the side entrance I usually take since I’m not heading to my apartment, and instead enter through the grand double doors at the front of the building.

I don’t often go in this way anymore because the task force work in this section, but if I wait for my coven leader in his office there’s a chance he’ll forget like last time.

Or someone will need him for something, like the time before.

Nope, this time Nyoka won’t escape.

The wards around the manor greet me as an old friend. The checkerboard floor and wood panelling of the entrance hall provide a cool respite as I clutch my folder tighter and head for the formal dining room that was turned into a conference room back when my mum was coven leader.

One of the advantages of working as an admin for the coven? Having access to everyone’s calendar. I know they’re finishing up a meeting in the next ten minutes, so this is the right place to wait.

Someone must have cast a silencing ward, because I can’t hear anything from behind the closed door. Hmm. I should probably give them privacy.

But what if Nyoka isn’t actually in there? It seems pointless to wait around when I could simply check really quick and track him down if he’s elsewhere.

Decision made, I send a trickle of my magic out, locating the ward around the room.

I make sure to stand next to the door rather than in front of it so if someone comes out I won’t be seen immediately.

I massage the ward, tickling it and convincing it I’m a friend, that I’m helping make sure no one else can listen in.

The ward welcomes me, letting me hear as clearly as if I were in the room myself.

“We have to do something , Nyoka! Two murders, and right as the BSG is renewing our contract?”

I recognise the voice of the deputy leader of the task force, Will. I didn’t realise the British Supernatural Government was about to renew their contract. The two murders though, those I did know about. It’s what prompted me to nag Nyoka into meeting with me today.

“We’re doing plenty.” I recognise Nyoka’s annoyed tone. It’s one he’s used with me a lot over the years. “We’re investigating both deaths and protecting the families. As for the contract, we have nothing to worry about.”

“Not even Soldati Security?”

There’s a feminine scoff. “Please. That bunch of outsiders? No supe in the city will hire them. They don’t stand a chance of beating us to the contract.”

I wrinkle my nose at Lola’s snooty tone. Why Nyoka married her, I’ll never know. She’s the coven lawyer and crazy smart, but she’s the meanest person I’ve ever met.

The meeting starts wrapping up, someone summarising the actions they’ve agreed to take on the murder investigation before papers shuffle and chairs scrape. I carefully withdraw my magic, making sure whoever cast the ward will never know it was tampered with.

The door opens and people stride out, some greeting me, others sending me tight smiles. I’m not taking it personally; the task force have a lot on their plate.

Lola comes out and sneers when she sees me. “He’s busy, Ayo. Whatever you need, forget it.”

She’s wearing a tight pencil skirt and killer heels just like always, and her sleek black hair is pulled back in a fierce bun.

I’ve never seen her anything less than completely put together, despite us living in the same house.

Although, when the house is the size of this place and we live in separate wings, I guess it’s not really that odd.

I straighten my spine and look up at her. “That’s up to my cousin, not you.”

Nyoka is talking to Will as he comes out of the room and spots me. He glances at Lola before giving me a tight smile. “It’s fine, Lola. Come on, Ayo. We can talk in my office.”

I resist giving Lola a smug grin of victory. Just.

Nyoka is my only remaining family, and while most of the time he’s too busy being coven leader for that to matter, occasionally family duty wins out. Thankfully, this is one of those times.

My pleasure at winning fades as we reach his office. It’s the one part of the manor that’s a struggle for me to be in. It’s not Nyoka’s fault it reminds me of Mum, though. It’s always been the coven leader’s office and always will be.

It would be easier if he’d bothered to redecorate a bit, though. The same tapestries depicting heroic stories from our family history hang on the walls, faded with age, and the same solid oak furniture is spread about the room, worn down from repeated use over the centuries.

I close the door behind me as Nyoka takes off his favourite black and green velvet robe and drapes it carefully over the back of the chair behind the desk.

He’s possibly the only person I don’t feel short next to, and although a lot of our features are similar, from our wide noses and full lips to our chocolate brown eyes, his hair is liberally sprinkled with grey.

As Nyoka loosens his tie and undoes his top button, I can still see the place at the base of one of the desk legs where I carved my name when I was five.

I remember trying to hide it from Mum, not realising I was making it more obvious. As soon as she realised what I’d done, she laughed and kissed me on the forehead. She said now I’d be close to her when she was working, even when I was at school.

I look away and take a couple of deep breaths to steady myself.

Wherever I look in this room are reminders of her, so I try to focus on the things my cousin has added: The piles of books littering the floor that should really be back in the extensive manor library.

The huge bunch of keys he drops into the top left hand desk drawer with a clatter.

The pristine computer and keyboard because my cousin loves all technology.

The various rings and pendants in the cabinet on one side of the room, because his affinity is metal so he’s always swapping out his jewellery for different purposes.

Nyoka makes himself comfortable behind his desk and gestures to one of the tan leather guest chairs. “Take a seat. Now, what can I do for you? Wait.” He holds up a finger, rummaging through one of the lower drawers. “Before we get started. Lola put it in here somewhere… Ah, here it is.”

I take the envelope he hands me, perching gingerly on the chair he indicated. Sometimes my dad would sit and read me stories in this chair when Mum was working late and I wanted her to be there for my bedtime story. Other times we were in the library, just me and my dad.

I shake off the memories and hand Nyoka the folder I’m carrying. Whatever is in the envelope, I won’t be derailed by it, or by where I am.

“I’ve been an admin for almost five years,” I begin.

Nyoka’s lips quirk up. “I’m aware.”

Seeing as how my cousin is the one who set me up with the apprenticeship when I turned sixteen, one that turned into a full-time position two years later, he would be.

“With turning twenty-one soon, it’s time I did more with my magic to serve the coven.”

It’s beyond time, honestly. See, there are three levels of magic-user. Witch—the most common and with the least amount of power; mage, which Nyoka and most of the task force are; then sorcerer at the top of the power tree.

Which is me. I’m the only sorcerer in the whole of Birchester, so it seems a waste for me to be doing admin work when I could do so much more to help everyone.

Nyoka’s eyebrows rise. “Are you after my job, Ayo?”

My eyes widen and my heart starts racing. “Oh my goddess, no. Why would you think that?”

“The strongest leads. It’s been our tradition for centuries.”