Page 4 of Curses & Keys (Curses & Gods #1)

“De Vere is here,” he drawls in his gruff voice, referring to my father.

“Security is the tightest I’ve ever seen.

Not only do we have several teams from the council, but everyone’s brought their own bodyguards to the party as well.

I’m ordering our people to cover the councilmembers and the collection. The rest can fend for themselves.”

“Any sign of Hawthorne?” I ask, bringing up the blueprints of the museum on my phone.

Letz just told Mathias the rest of the collection was being held in storage room B3.

He couldn’t recall the locket, but Mathias is welcome to search for it.

After a quick scan, I locate the large room in the back corner of the B wing.

“Negative,” Gatlin replies. “He’s in the greenhouse.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose. Nolan’s collection didn’t just include inanimate objects, but various plants too.

Some of which do not belong in this world.

Hawthorne’s assignment was to identify anything potentially dangerous.

If he’s still in there, it’s either worse than we expected or he’s down a rabbit hole.

“Check on Hawthorne. Mathias will be leaving the floor for a bit,” I inform Gatlin, just as the vampire appears next to me.

Using two fingers, I zoom in on the room to show him its location.

“I sent you a map to the storage room. Go. We’ve got this covered.

If you don’t find it, we’ll help you look after the event ends. ”

Relief fills his dark eyes, and he clasps my shoulder in response. “Thank you.”

After Mathias leaves, I sweep the floor and instantly zero in on my father.

Although he’s almost eight hundred years old, he appears to be a human in his mid-forties.

Handsome, charming, and one of the elite.

This evening he’s escorting the elegant Lady Catherine Carrington, a favorite of his.

Moderately powerful mage, she knows when to be silent and supportive and let him shine.

I pass over her to the individuals standing with them.

I recognize Letz, but the other man is a stranger.

He steps back to let my father greet the other guest, and I tense when a vision in gold steps forward.

Phaedra. She must have known the whole time she was sitting at the bar that we would both be at this event. She extends her hand, but after a brief shake, she pulls it back to her side. A line appears between my father’s brow, but my lips turn up in satisfaction. She’s definitely not a fan.

With a graceful dip of her head, she excuses herself from the group. I leave my perch and walk down the circular stairway to the first floor. Focused on following her, I don’t see my father move to intercept me until it’s too late.

“Jamison,” he calls out, his tone full of autocratic authority.

Gnashing my teeth, I turn to face him. “Father.”

Eyes narrow in anger, but the tone of his voice never changes. “I expected you to come greet me the moment I arrived, but no matter. Come. Meet the experts in charge of authenticating the collection.”

Pasting a pleasant smile on my face, I put one hand in my pocket and stroll over to the group. “Letz—excuse me… Dr. Samuels.”

With my other hand outstretched, I shake his hand.

Although he appears to be in his late sixties, Letz is one of the oldest mages alive.

A verifiable genius, he’s served as the council’s expert sentry for years, keeping magical artifacts out of the hands of humans.

He’s also been a mentor and friend, treating me better than my own father over the years.

I have nothing but the greatest respect for him.

Letz eyes me with a smile on his lips. “Good to see you.” He turns to the man next to him. “Jamison heads our council’s security forces, but I’ve known him since he was a boy. Smart as a whip.”

The other man turns to me, and I’m surprised by the smell of smoke and tobacco.

Demon. “The younger generations know so much more than us. I guess that’s the benefit of technology and the ease of finding massive amounts of information with just the tap of a finger.

I know my sons are smarter than me.” He chuckles.

“Dr. Doran Kline. Nice to meet you, Jamison.”

I flash a smile and shake his hand. “It’s nice to meet you. We absolutely have it easier.” My hand waves at the walls around us. “What do you think of the collection?”

A dark expression comes over his face. “Too powerful for one person. Although I know many who will try to bid on the entire collection, including several of my brethren.”

The smell of jasmine and vanilla drifts closer, and I turn to face the woman coming up behind me. Not wanting my father to know we’ve met, I introduce myself, hoping she’ll take the hint. “Jamison de Vere.”

A mischievous look enters her bright blue eyes, but after flicking a glance at the rest of the group, she holds out her hand. “Dr. Phaedra Galanis.” Her hand clasps mine, and she leans forward to place a kiss on each cheek. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jamison.”

“Dr. Galanis,” my father stiffly interjects, a note of anger in his voice likely because she didn’t greet him the same way.

Stifling a laugh, I tuck her hand in my arm. “Dr. Galanis. You must be the other expert Dr. Samuels called in for this collection. Ancient languages and civilizations. Correct?”

She leans in closer. “Yes, that’s right. Although, I have to confess, my love for Ancient Greece knows no bounds.” Her eyes twinkle when she looks into mine, reminding me of the ease with which she identified my coin.

“Would you care for a drink?” I ask her huskily. Her dress wraps itself around my leg, responding to my magic, but I don’t dare call attention to it. With a subtle twirl of my finger, I unravel the fabric before anyone can see it.

My father’s hand comes down on my arm. “Aren’t you on duty?” He turns toward Phaedra, his eyes full of interest. “I’d be happy to get you a drink.”

Phaedra’s lips curl into a smile as she raises an elegant hand.

A nearby waiter immediately comes over and hands her a glass of champagne, which she presents to us.

“There are plenty of men to cater to my needs. Please. Enjoy yourselves. It was nice meeting all of you.” She slips away into the crowded room, disappearing in a blink.

My father grunts with displeasure, and I watch Catherine run a soothing hand down his arm. She really is perfect for him. I glance at her and almost take a step back. Her eyes are completely blank. No emotion, almost like she’s been spelled.

Disturbed, I turn to my father, but he’s already moving on to the next important person in the room. Taking advantage of his distraction, I head upstairs to view the crowd, and perhaps watch the beautiful enigma who calls herself Dr. Phaedra Galanis.