Page 2 of The Party

Which meant it was finally time to meet the allies who would fight by her side in the war that would decide mankind’s fate at the End of Days.

Though Mae had already learned of their identities and powers from Violet and Miles Nolan, today’s meeting would hopefully answer all her and Nikolai’s burning questions, especially about the woman who had sent the Nolan cousins and Serena Blake to Chicago to help them in their fight against the Sorcerer King.

A pair of majestic, wrought iron gates appeared beneath the trees crowding the perimeter wall of the estate they were approaching. A gargoyle was perched atop each of the stone pillars bracing them.

Nikolai rolled to a stop in front of the entrance.

“That’s strange. I thought Serena said there was some kind of access panel to call the house.”

Brimstone and Alastair hopped out after them as they alighted from the SUV. They looked around.

Mae’s gaze landed on something half hidden under a bush. She narrowed her eyes.

“I think I found the access panel.”

The mangled remains of a metal post lay forlornly in the grass. The marks on it looked fresh.

Brimstone padded over and sniffed it curiously.

Something fluttered down and landed beside him.

It was a chewed up piece of electrical wiring.

They looked up.

Nikolai startled. “What the?—?!”

Another piece of wiring fell from the jaws of the closest gargoyle.

Brimstone’s hackles rose.

My witch, the demon fox growled. Those are no ordinary gargoyles.

Hellreaver transformed and hovered protectively in front of Mae.

The gargoyles flinched.

Stone creaked. Gargoyle Number One leaned sideways a fraction of an inch.

“Aren’t they the ones Lennie told us to watch out for?” he hissed in a guttural sotto voce.

Gargoyle Number Two dropped the remains of the mangled cable in his mouth and took on a worried air.

“You mean, the wicked weapon inhabited by the souls of a thousand fiendish demons?—”

Hellreaver froze before vibrating smugly.

“—the formidable demon fox with the nine tails?—”

Brimstone stopped growling and puffed out his chest.

“—the powerful, brooding, doe-eyed sorcerer?—”

“Doe—doe-eyed?!” Nikolai choked.

“You do have doe-like eyes,” Mae admitted grudgingly.

“—and the crazy witch lady who rules over them all?”

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