“Fairy magic,” Naomi said and blasted the vampire with blue-silver Fairy Dust.
The particles twinkled like stars and sparkled like diamonds. It was so bright that Sera had to look away. A gentle, seductive warmth washed over her, inviting her to give up her secrets—and she wasn’t even the recipient of the spell. She knew that feeling. The fairies at the Magic Games had used something like that on her. Naomi might have only been half-fairy, but her magic was much more powerful than she thought. The vampire had stopped struggling.
“Where did you take the boy?” Naomi asked, her voice melodic.
A sappy smile crept up the vampire’s lips, and she stared at Naomi with utter devotion. Apparently, demon vampires weren’t immune to fairy magic. “Haunted Loop. The Castle.”
Haunted Loop was a section of the Presidio that was home to San Francisco’s ghost population. The Castle, which sat at the north end of Haunted Loop, was one of the former military batteries that the city’s supernaturals had renovated when they’d taken over the area. The building was elegant, large, and pretty much impregnable. Awesome.
“I recognize her,” Kai said, glaring at the vampire. “Claudine Evercast. The Magic Council is after her. She’s wanted for kidnapping, murder, torture, piracy, and spreading anarchy.”
In other words, disrupting the peace between supernaturals and humans, whether by drinking from unwilling humans or otherwise attacking them. Of all the crimes Kai had listed, it was the one that the Magic Council would take the most seriously. A war between humans and supernaturals would tear the world apart. Millions would die, and no one won in that scenario. Anyone with half a brain knew that. So as much as Sera disagreed with just about everything else the Magic Council did, she couldn’t argue with their determination to uphold the peace—even if they could be pretty draconian about it.
“You can have her,” Naomi told Kai. “I’m done with her.”
As if on cue, Dal, Callum, and Tony—the men Sera had lovingly dubbed Kai’s commandos—stepped through the shattered window, their boots trailing glass across the cherrywood floors.
“Hey, boss. We heard there was trouble,” Tony said, grabbing a hold of Claudine.
“Yes.” The fairy enchantment must have been wearing off because when the vampire met Kai’s dark glare, she shuddered.
“Sera.” Dal grinned at her. “I should have known you’d be at the center of this mayhem.”
“And Naomi’s here too. Wow, it’s like a party.”
“A trouble party,” Tony said. “That’s what we should call you. The Trouble Trio.”
“I thought that was you guys,” Sera shot back.
They grinned at her.
Sera shrugged. “What can I say, guys? We dare to kick ass.”
“Hey, asskicker, you’ve got blood on your shirt,” Callum told her.
Sera sighed. Not again. She looked down at her top, but there wasn’t a drop of blood in sight. Miraculously. She glowered at him. Dal snorted and gave Callum one of those congratulatory backslaps men were so fond of.
While those two checked the sleeping vampires—and Tony stood there looking big and tough holding Claudine—Sera turned to Naomi.
“Are you going after the child now?” she asked.
“Yes. I can’t waste another minute.”
“Why did they kidnap him?”
Naomi shook her head. “I don’t know. But I have to save him. He’s only seven years old. And…” Her magic hummed with determination. “He’s a fairy-mage hybrid.”
Just like Naomi. That meant this was personal for her. Which meant it was personal for Sera too.
“I’m going with you.”
Naomi clasped her arm. “Thanks.”
“It looks like our date is over,” Sera told Kai.
His gaze swept across the restaurant of overturned tables, broken dishes, and dead vampires. A cool evening wind blew through what remained of the window, biting at Sera’s bare arms. Every mage in the room was staring at the six of them in complete horror. Maybe the sons and daughters of San Francisco’s finest magic dynasties had vampire limbs in their soufflés and oysters.
“It would appear so,” Kai said, staring back at the mages until they looked away.
Well, most of them looked away. An elderly mage in a snow-white fur shawl turned her haughty scowl on Sera. With the air of a queen, she rose from her seat and strode across the room, her steps saturated with enough self-importance to drown the purple poodle inside her purse. Bethany Harrower. The purple poodle lady. Great. Just when Sera had thought this day couldn’t get any worse.
“Mr. Drachenburg,” her voice trilled. “You made this mess.” Jingling with pearls, her hand swept out to indicate the sorry state of the restaurant. “You will clean it up.”
“My people will handle it,” he replied, indicating the commandos.
She was obviously unimpressed by the three muscular men towering over her. “No. You will handle it. Personally.”
He gave her a flat stare. “I’m busy.”
“Chasing after vampires?” The high-pitched screech of a laugh that erupted from her mouth would have made a harpy green with envy. “Leave that to these…” Her eyes darted to Sera and Naomi. “…these mercenaries.” She said the last word like it was seven shades of garbage. As though it was their fault that the city was full of monsters. “Mr. Drachenburg, as the ranking member of the Magic Council here, it is your duty to deal with disruptions of the peace. You will bring in those criminals.” She flicked her bejeweled hand at the napping vampires, then glared down at the pile of dead ones. “And you will dispose of the others. Above all, you will see to it that the restaurant is returned to its pristine state. I have a dinner party scheduled here for next week, and it would be terribly inconvenient to have to reschedule.”
The particles twinkled like stars and sparkled like diamonds. It was so bright that Sera had to look away. A gentle, seductive warmth washed over her, inviting her to give up her secrets—and she wasn’t even the recipient of the spell. She knew that feeling. The fairies at the Magic Games had used something like that on her. Naomi might have only been half-fairy, but her magic was much more powerful than she thought. The vampire had stopped struggling.
“Where did you take the boy?” Naomi asked, her voice melodic.
A sappy smile crept up the vampire’s lips, and she stared at Naomi with utter devotion. Apparently, demon vampires weren’t immune to fairy magic. “Haunted Loop. The Castle.”
Haunted Loop was a section of the Presidio that was home to San Francisco’s ghost population. The Castle, which sat at the north end of Haunted Loop, was one of the former military batteries that the city’s supernaturals had renovated when they’d taken over the area. The building was elegant, large, and pretty much impregnable. Awesome.
“I recognize her,” Kai said, glaring at the vampire. “Claudine Evercast. The Magic Council is after her. She’s wanted for kidnapping, murder, torture, piracy, and spreading anarchy.”
In other words, disrupting the peace between supernaturals and humans, whether by drinking from unwilling humans or otherwise attacking them. Of all the crimes Kai had listed, it was the one that the Magic Council would take the most seriously. A war between humans and supernaturals would tear the world apart. Millions would die, and no one won in that scenario. Anyone with half a brain knew that. So as much as Sera disagreed with just about everything else the Magic Council did, she couldn’t argue with their determination to uphold the peace—even if they could be pretty draconian about it.
“You can have her,” Naomi told Kai. “I’m done with her.”
As if on cue, Dal, Callum, and Tony—the men Sera had lovingly dubbed Kai’s commandos—stepped through the shattered window, their boots trailing glass across the cherrywood floors.
“Hey, boss. We heard there was trouble,” Tony said, grabbing a hold of Claudine.
“Yes.” The fairy enchantment must have been wearing off because when the vampire met Kai’s dark glare, she shuddered.
“Sera.” Dal grinned at her. “I should have known you’d be at the center of this mayhem.”
“And Naomi’s here too. Wow, it’s like a party.”
“A trouble party,” Tony said. “That’s what we should call you. The Trouble Trio.”
“I thought that was you guys,” Sera shot back.
They grinned at her.
Sera shrugged. “What can I say, guys? We dare to kick ass.”
“Hey, asskicker, you’ve got blood on your shirt,” Callum told her.
Sera sighed. Not again. She looked down at her top, but there wasn’t a drop of blood in sight. Miraculously. She glowered at him. Dal snorted and gave Callum one of those congratulatory backslaps men were so fond of.
While those two checked the sleeping vampires—and Tony stood there looking big and tough holding Claudine—Sera turned to Naomi.
“Are you going after the child now?” she asked.
“Yes. I can’t waste another minute.”
“Why did they kidnap him?”
Naomi shook her head. “I don’t know. But I have to save him. He’s only seven years old. And…” Her magic hummed with determination. “He’s a fairy-mage hybrid.”
Just like Naomi. That meant this was personal for her. Which meant it was personal for Sera too.
“I’m going with you.”
Naomi clasped her arm. “Thanks.”
“It looks like our date is over,” Sera told Kai.
His gaze swept across the restaurant of overturned tables, broken dishes, and dead vampires. A cool evening wind blew through what remained of the window, biting at Sera’s bare arms. Every mage in the room was staring at the six of them in complete horror. Maybe the sons and daughters of San Francisco’s finest magic dynasties had vampire limbs in their soufflés and oysters.
“It would appear so,” Kai said, staring back at the mages until they looked away.
Well, most of them looked away. An elderly mage in a snow-white fur shawl turned her haughty scowl on Sera. With the air of a queen, she rose from her seat and strode across the room, her steps saturated with enough self-importance to drown the purple poodle inside her purse. Bethany Harrower. The purple poodle lady. Great. Just when Sera had thought this day couldn’t get any worse.
“Mr. Drachenburg,” her voice trilled. “You made this mess.” Jingling with pearls, her hand swept out to indicate the sorry state of the restaurant. “You will clean it up.”
“My people will handle it,” he replied, indicating the commandos.
She was obviously unimpressed by the three muscular men towering over her. “No. You will handle it. Personally.”
He gave her a flat stare. “I’m busy.”
“Chasing after vampires?” The high-pitched screech of a laugh that erupted from her mouth would have made a harpy green with envy. “Leave that to these…” Her eyes darted to Sera and Naomi. “…these mercenaries.” She said the last word like it was seven shades of garbage. As though it was their fault that the city was full of monsters. “Mr. Drachenburg, as the ranking member of the Magic Council here, it is your duty to deal with disruptions of the peace. You will bring in those criminals.” She flicked her bejeweled hand at the napping vampires, then glared down at the pile of dead ones. “And you will dispose of the others. Above all, you will see to it that the restaurant is returned to its pristine state. I have a dinner party scheduled here for next week, and it would be terribly inconvenient to have to reschedule.”
