Page 48 of The Darkest Night

The scoundrel!The weapon sounded deeply offended.

“Jeez,” Miles mumbled, his tone wavering between disgust and admiration. “Your weapon is sick.”

Mae sighed. She suddenly knew what it felt like to have kids.

“How does beef sound?”

Hellreaver hesitated.You mean, those weak domesticated bovines that graze on grass?

Brimstone pitched in.

They taste nice. Especially with fermented bean paste.

“That will be an order of prime steak and a beef in black bean sauce,” Mae told the head sorcerer briskly before either of them could change their minds.

Brimstone nudged her leg.

“Make that several portions of beef in black bean sauce.” She looked down at the fox. “You want rice or noodles with that?”

Brimstone appeared horrified at her suggestion.

Mae rolled her eyes. “Hold the rice and noodles.”

The sorcerer hastily dispatched a couple of his associates to fulfill the unexpected order before ushering them across the hall. Several famous company names stood out to Mae when they passed a signboard. She arched a questioning eyebrow at Violet.

“Yeah, the New York coven is one of the wealthiest covens in the world,” Violet confessed.

“We’re talking Richie Rich,” Miles added.

Chapter 24

Their guards guidedthem to a private elevator at the rear of the foyer. They were whisked to the higher floors of the building in seconds and came out in a lobby lined with dark paneling. The rich, wine-red carpet swallowed the sounds of their footsteps as they advanced across the semi-circular space.

The magic Mae had sensed since she’d walked across the threshold of the high-rise intensified, a wave that pressed solidly against her skin. She sensed no ill intent from it. If anything, it bore a faint resemblance to her own power, as if it were a diluted version of it.

The sorcerer sitting behind the reception desk rose and bowed. “Welcome, my queen.”

Everyone looked at Mae.

“Thank you.” She arched an eyebrow, her tone uncertain. “Hmm. At ease?”

Violet’s lips twitched. The sorcerer relaxed and straightened before turning to escort them down the hallway behind the reception. Thick, wooden doors swarming with glowing runes appeared at the end. Mae appraised them with a faint frown.

Though she couldn’t read what they said, she seemed to know their meaning and potency inherently, as if her very DNA was coded with magic. The witches guarding the entrance bowed respectfully to her before retracting the spells.

Mae swallowed a sigh.

I’m gonna have to do something about this kowtowing business.

Brimstone spoke to her.They do it out of respect for you.

“Yeah, well, it gets old fast,” she murmured under her breath.

Nikolai gave her a curious glance.

I bet his eyes smolder when he’s turned on.

Mae flinched, shocked at the illicit thought that had just danced through her mind.

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