Page 6 of Of Flames and Crows

CHAPTER4

Mae madeit to the coven headquarters in the Upper East Side in record time. She parked her Vespa in the private spot she’d been allocated in the underground garage, removed her helmet, and headed briskly for the stairs, her mind still racing from what she’d just seen.

She glanced at Brimstone.Have you ever heard of a magic core imploding like that?

Not without the body incurring considerable damage from the outside. It would take someone of a similar caliber to yourself to destroy a magic user’s core so completely that not even a trace of it remains.

Mae frowned.So, Barquiel and the Sorcerer King could do this.

Probably.

His expression soured as they climbed the steps swiftly.

She arched an eyebrow.What?

Ten bucks says Karin is foaming at the mouth about how late we are, the fox grumbled.

Karin Everheart was the High Priestess of the San Francisco coven and a member of the High Council. Though she’d come across as a major pain in the ass when they’d first met in Philadelphia, Mae knew she genuinely cared for her coven and the world of magic.

There were still a few sorcerers and witches around when they emerged into the main foyer. Many greeted Mae and Brimstone warmly as she made for the private elevator that would take them to the coven’s official meeting chamber and Bryony’s office. Some remained tongue-tied, still nervous about addressing her informally. Mae grimaced.

Well, at least no one is kowtowing anymore.

The sorcerer seated behind the reception desk on the top floor was the one who’d escorted them to the coven headquarters after Mae’s awakening.

“Hi, Mae.” Brent Perkins bobbed his head at Brimstone. “Chef made you beef in black bean sauce.”

Brimstone made an approving noise.

Perkins eyed Hellreaver warily. “There are, er, pork chops for you.”

Hellreaver bristled.What about my beef steaks?!

Perkins paled a little at the crimson aura that flared around the weapon.

“Pork chops are fine,” Mae told the sorcerer hastily. Her mouth flattened into a thin line as she looked at Hellreaver. “You should show some gratitude for the free meal.”

These humans have grown too bold.The wave of bloodlust around the weapon thickened.Maybe I should cut them down!

Mae scowled. “Maybe you should dial down the psycho.”

Hellreaver sulked and grew heavy around her neck.

Perkins gulped. “What’d he say?”

“Nothing you need to worry about,” Mae muttered.

She made for the doors of the meeting chamber, overrode the spells protecting them with a wave of her hand, and followed the sound of voices to Bryony’s office.

“That’s why I think we should—” Karin stopped when Mae entered the room. Her eyes shrank to slits where she loomed in one of the windows on the teleconference display on the wall. “You’re late.”

Brimstone huffed.See, what’d I tell you?Foamy.

The familiar brightened when he spotted the serving cart in a corner of the office. Hellreaver detached himself from her neck, transformed into his doubled-bladed form, and made a beeline for it alongside the fox. The sound of heavy scarfing ensued.

Evidently, the weapon didn’t mind the pork chops after all.

Mae dropped into an armchair by the desk. “Traffic was a bitch.”

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