“What did we order?” Gatlin asks softly, moving into position behind him and raising his gun.
“I’ll have to check,” the guy smoothly replies, his hand reaching toward the leather folio on the cart.
“Stop,” I order him, my gaze finding Gatlin. “The service is impeccable here. They would never forget the details of a simple food order.”
The man whips his hand out from under the portfolio and flings a dark ball of magic toward us, then turns toward the elevator to flee, but it’s too late. Gatlin drops him with one shot to his head.
Jamison stretches his arms wide, then claps them together hard, capturing the magic in a bubble of some sort. Hawthorne opens a portal beside him, and Jamison flings it into the dark void. It closes a second later.
That’s certainly efficient. “Where did you send it?”
“The council has a room that nullifies magic,” Jamison admits with a frown. “There’s only one problem… It tracks all deposits, which means they’ll be able to track it down to us here. Soon.”
Gatlin stares down at the body on the floor with a furious expression on his face. “Burn it.” He orders as he walks away and begins handing out weapons.
Hawthorne casually motions to the body, and it bursts into a green-blue flame. Magical fire is the only way to make sure a supernatural truly dies.
All five of us move into motion, gathering whatever we need to take with us. I pause and shoot off a text to Mercer to inform her of the breech and ask her for a clean-up crew. Once done, I exchange my heels for boots and layer on a few extra clothes, including a coat. Then, I load up on weapons.
“Ready?” Jamison asks, eyes darting from one to the other and landing on me. He holds out his hand, and I find myself reaching for it. A portal appears in front of him, making my hand tighten on his.
Gatlin strides through first, of course. Alert and ready to take on the world before we arrive. Mathias follows him, then it’s our turn. As we step in, I glance back and meet Hawthorne’s determined green eyes. Most of the time, they’re bright and full of knowledge, but anger has made them dark and turbulent. I shiver. Glad I’m not on his bad side.
The portal takesus directly to High Street, and we make our way over to the former church. Now a library, the doors are locked tightly against intruders.
Gatlin takes up position between us and the street while Jamison holds his hand out toward the lock on the door. He immediately jerks his hand away and shakes it.
“There’s a spell on it,” he grits out. “Stings like a bloody wanker.”
I dip my hand into my pocket and pull out the key from the safe deposit box. “Maybe this will work?”
He steps back, and I move in front of him. The key inserts smoothly, and within seconds, we’re in the library.
“Nice of Letz to leave us a key to the front door,” I murmur as we walk down the center aisle. Streetlamps from outside send light streaming through the tall windows on each side, illuminating rows of bookshelves. Lining the right and left sides of the room, they lead to the previous altar and three large stained-glass windows. The place still looks and feels like a church, with its quiet air and musty smell.
Mathias moves in front of us. “This way.”
He moves quickly and quietly to the end of the room, where there’s an exit door. Heading through the door, he takes the stairs down into a much darker area than above.
I stumble in the darkness, and he stops and takes my hand in his. There’s strength in his cool fingers, and it reminds me of how strong he is. Vampires have unnatural speed and strength. And come to think of it, spectacular eyesight. So, why does he wear glasses? I make a mental note to ask him later.
I reach back with my other hand and grab Jamison’s, creating a train for him to follow. Two flights later, we’re in the crypt. The air is frigid and thick with darkness. I can’t see anything. If it weren’t for Mathias, I wouldn’t know where to step.
“See anyone?” Jamison softly asks.
“All clear,” Mathias replies in his normal low tone.
A ball of light appears above our heads. Jamison sends it around the room to peek into all the dark corners to ensure we’re alone. Once it finishes, he positions it in front of us. “Where to next?”
Mathias points to the far end. “The only thing in here is the altar at the far end. I’ll check it out.” His hand slips from mine, and he blurs away. Moments later, he’s back. “Besides a few objects on it, nothing seems to be out of the ordinary. I didn’t see a door or any alcoves along the way either.”
Gatlin sniffs the air. “I smell magic. Lots of it. From different races too.”
Hawthorne steps up beside us. “What kind of objects?”
“A large, beaded cross, a bust, a stone box, and a mortar with a pestle,” Mathias replies, his eyes darting around the space. “I’ll check out the walls and see if I can find a secret room or something.”
Hawthorne and I share a look, then head straight to the altar. Jamison trails slightly behind us with magic swirling, ready to defend.
