Page 15 of Curses & Keys (Curses & Gods #1)

“Because of you,” he says simply. “One night, a stone figurine was stolen from the Vatican. We’d been working on the piece for weeks, trying one spell after another to remove the curse on it, but nothing worked.

Disturbed about the theft, we worried about the intent behind the person who had stolen it, but two days later, it reappeared…

without the curse. This happened several times.

Intrigued, we started tracking the thefts.

Sometimes the items were returned, sometimes they weren’t, but if they were, the curse or spell would be broken. ”

I remember the small clay figure, and the pieces that followed.

He rubs his chin. “We wanted to know who you were, but except for the thefts, all roads led to dead ends. Before we knew it, you became an obsession. When we left the church, we continued to track every incident, but we were always a step or two behind. Meeting you was a pipe dream. We thought it would never happen, but then Westgate died, and the collection gave us an incredible opportunity. Once I confirmed it was you, I planned on asking you to visit our society after the auction, but then I messed everything up.”

Reeling from his story, I don’t know what to do or say. I love the fact that there are others out there doing the same job, but completely revealing myself to sixty supernaturals who can tell the council of my existence is not an option.

His mouth compresses in anger. “The key was in a box along with a blue panel. It was part of Westgate’s collection.

The two items intrigued me. Based on my research, they were found in Greece in 300 BCE, in the Temple of Hephaestus, along with several other relics.

To my relief, neither piece was magical, but given their provenance and age, their value was immense.

” He looks at me as if he expects me to understand, and I do. This is about money.

“Our group’s resources have been depleted over the years.

I thought selling the items could solve our problems,” he admits with a heavy sigh.

“The panel sold, but something happened during the sale that made me realize the group who broke into the museum and the one who bought the panel were the same. I panicked. Didn’t know what to do.

When another buyer appeared, I jumped at the chance to get rid of the key too.

But that was before I knew it was you. For some reason, this key has stirred up a lot of trouble, and I don’t want you in the middle of whatever this is. You’re too valuable.”

Why do the humans want it so badly? “Let me see the key.”

When he holds out his hand, the key appears, and he reluctantly hands it over. “There’s something mesmerizing about it. Not magical. I don’t know what it is, but it’s hard for me to put it down.”

The key lies flat in the palm of my gloved hand, looking exactly like the image on the chat board post. “I’m not getting anything from it,” I admit to him.

Although that could be due to the glove, but I won’t remove it here.

“No magic.” I turn to him. “I don’t usually buy non-magical items, but I’m curious as to why they want it so badly.

And why they’re willing to set me up for its theft. ”

Understanding and relief fill his face as he holds out his hand to take it back.

I shake my head. “The key in exchange for the money and your silence. You tell no one about me. Don’t worry. I’ll figure out a place to hide it from the humans.” Whatever this is, he’s clearly in over his head.

For a second, he hesitates but then takes a step back. “I don’t suppose you’ll consider visiting me and our little secret society? It would mean the world to us.”

I say nothing in return, silently tucking the key into a small pocket on the inside of my suit, and pulling out my phone to release the money to him.

He chuckles at my silence, but the laughter fades quickly. He puts a finger up to his mouth. With a flick of his wrist, he sends several orbs flying from the room.

I look down at my now-buzzing phone. Two alerts. Nobody on the roof, but there are two large groups entering the building. One at the front and one at the back. I type in a code to release the funds.

“They must have been watching you. Go. The funds are in your possession.”

He shakes his head. “Come with me. There’s so much I have to share with you.”

“It’s better if we split up,” I tell him. When he refuses to budge, I blow out a frustrated breath and grab his arm. “Let’s go. We can argue about it later. They’re closing in on us. Head to the middle stairway. The roof is our best escape option.” I shove him in that direction and pull my weapons.

Two men come around the corner, and I immediately shoot both of them in the head.

Silencers muffle the sound of the hits. I turn to follow Letz and see a ball of electricity headed straight toward me.

At the last second, it swings around me, and as I turn, it hits a third man. He goes down, body jerking with magic.

I raise an eyebrow. “Nice shot.”

Letz turns and rushes toward the stairway.

I follow. Floor by floor, we fight our way up.

I holster one gun in order to fling potions.

Four men dissolve into a puddle of skin and goo.

Letz uses his magic to string up two more like puppets and dance them over a balcony. More men fill the stairs below us.

“Faster,” I yell.

He nods and starts flinging magic right and left.

I toss potions with one hand and shoot anything that moves with the other.

Letz bursts through the door at the top, and I follow, but instead of the safety I expected, we land in the middle of a war zone.

Men in camouflage are fighting men in black fatigues.

Bullets and magic are flying everywhere.

Slamming the door shut, I point to the knob. “Can you remove it?”

He waves a hand toward the knob, and it melts into the door. “What now?”

A bullet whizzes by my ear. “Take cover!” I point to the metal shed behind him. Wind whips my hair, and I look up to see a dragon flying by. There are several other beasts flying in the air beside him.

Letz conjures a shield and wraps it around us. Bullets and magic bounce off it, giving us a temporary respite. “What now?”

“We need to find a way out of here,” I tell him. “I don’t know either of these groups, and I don’t like being in the middle of them.”

“I can open up a portal,” he offers.

A chill races down my spine. I’m not ready to extend that much trust. “No. You go. I’ll meet you at the museum tomorrow morning.” When he shakes his head, I sigh. “I promise I’ll be there.”

He thinks about it for a second, then reluctantly agrees. “Fine. I’ll help you escape, then leave.”

I glance around to find the weapons I stashed, but there are too many soldiers around them. I point to the black nylon coiled on the ground. “If you can get me to the edge of the roof where that rope is, I’ll get to safety.”

With his nod, we slowly stand and move toward the side of the building, weaving in and out of the men and creatures around us, Letz’ shield taking the brunt of the hits.

Two men appear behind us, wearing face masks that obscure their features.

“Friends of yours?” I shout, turning around to cover our back. I raise the gun in my hand.

Letz shakes his head. “Not mine.” With enemies at our back, he starts moving faster. He suddenly jerks to a halt.

The two guys behind us start shouting, but with all the noise, I can’t hear what they’re saying.

They start to run forward but stop when I raise the gun higher.

Turning my head, I glance over my shoulder.

Standing in front of Letz is one of the biggest and ugliest guys I’ve ever seen.

Muscles stacked on muscles and a face hardened by life.

Lips curl in a sneer as he raises his weapon toward Letz.

Protected by Letz’ shield, the gun doesn’t concern me, but the glowing knife held in his other hand is another story. I’ve never seen anything like it, and I have all the latest gadgets.

Letz holds his palms up, releasing a stream of magic.

The man stumbles back a couple of feet but remains standing.

Changing tactics, Letz conjures a huge fireball, then motions for me to go around him.

I slide past, my gaze darting between this new threat and the two men behind us as I grab the rope and throw it over the side of the roof.

Before I can move to protect Letz, the giant thrusts the magical knife straight through his shield and into his chest.

Someone roars. I scream and immediately swing my gun in his direction and put three bullets in his brain and body. A microsecond later, Letz’ ball of fire incinerates him.

“Letz!” I drop to my knees beside the mage, my hands scrambling for the healing potion on my belt.

Pain lines his face. “Stop. The spell on the knife… It’s too late,” he informs me, blood trickling out of his mouth. “Come closer.”

I open my mouth to protest, but I know death when I see it. With a slow nod, I take his hand in mine and put my ear close to his mouth. He whispers many things, then slides a small key into my hand. “Go there. See it all first. Then decide. Promise me.”

Tears slip from the corners of my eyes, but I refuse to let go of him. “I promise.” It’s the least I can do for him.

Someone drops down beside me and places a glowing palm on Letz’ chest. “Damn it, Letz.”

I freeze. I’d know that voice anywhere. Jamison. From the corner of my eye, I see the black fatigues covering his body. That must be the standard uniform for the council’s army. Sweat rolls down the back of my neck, but even with the suit covering my face, I don’t dare turn my head toward him.

A whistle pierces the air, and Jamison jerks his head up. “The whole building is going to blow. We need to get out of here!” Grabbing my arm, he stands and signals to the rest of his men across the roof, and they disappear.

I look down and see Letz staring sightlessly into the night sky.

A loud rumble fills the air, traveling from the outer edges of the building to the center, and the concrete beneath my feet shakes violently.

Taking advantage of the moment, I jerk my arm from Jamison’s grip and leap over the lip of the roof to grab the rope.

A bullet strikes my shoulder just as I grab it, causing me to slam into the building.

Pain radiates across my body. The rope slips through one hand, causing me to fall several feet, but I snatch it with my other hand and slow my descent.

Right before I reach the bottom, I look up and see two huge fireballs flying toward me, but they swerve at the last minute. Unnerved, I follow their path and watch as they hit the two men on the ground below me. For the second time today, a mage protected me.

My feet land hard in the packed dirt, now full of ash, blood, and guts, and I tilt my head back. Jamison steps through a portal just as the roof explodes behind him. Damn it, Jamison, that was close. I take off running toward the water and dive in.