Read Online Cast in Hellfire: An Urban Fantasy Romance (The Mage Craft Series Book 2) by S.M. Reine - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: S.M. Reine
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spikes that sparked with more magic.
“Oh my gods,” Marion said, eyes widening. “Is that—”
“That would be Dana McIntyre, yes,” Seth said.
One of the vampires was scrambling to his feet, trying to escape before Dana reached him.
She punched his head into the ground.
The other vampire rose, and she mule-kicked one of those chunky heels into his jaw, sending his skull spinning almost a full ninety degrees.
A half-dozen vampires flooded from the lobby she’d evacuated.
“Ooh,” Marion said. Eight against one. The odds weren’t good. “Shouldn’t we help?”
“No, I don’t think so,” Seth said.
He was right. Dana thrust a gauntleted fist toward the newcomers. Pure white fire flooded from her palm, chewing over their desiccated flesh, melting it away.
Only one of the vampires was left.
Dana marched over to him and kneeled on his chest. He thrashed, but she must have been a good two hundred and fifty pounds, most of it muscle; an animated cadaver didn’t stand a chance of escaping her. “Do we have an understanding now?” she asked.
He struggled to suck air through his dried throat. “But—I don’t—you killed them!”
“They might recover with blood. They won’t if I decapitate all of you.” The threat in her tone seemed sort of redundant, considering she was digging her studded combat boots into his sternum.
“Okay, okay! We have an understanding! You’ll have your tithes!”
Dana released him and stood. “Good.”
She finally noticed that she had an audience. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of Seth—and then she spotted Marion behind him.
The glow vanished from her enchanted gemstones instantly.
“Shit,” Dana said. “What the hell are you doing here?”
6
D ana McIntyre lived in a condo in the Allure Tower, up near the top floor. Its windows offered an excellent view of the rest of the Strip: circling tourist helicopters and signs advertising residencies by the likes of Serafina the Siren, succubus strip clubs, and witch burlesque shows.
One entire wall of the condo was used to display weapons and armor. Some were guns. She had a few axes, too. But mostly she had more enchanted stone pieces, like a helmet, and some knee guards, and even a breastplate.
Dana stripped the gauntlets off as she strode into her condo, tossing them onto a leather couch. “Yeah, I took the Canope to Sheol. What’s it to you?”
Marion gaped at the enchanted armor. The magic was complex and unlike anything that Marion had seen before. The gaean spellwork she’d sensed when Dana had been tossing people out of the Trump Tower was only a fragment of it, woven into threads of magic that seemed ethereal and—Marion had to guess—infernal too.
Dana didn’t emanate even the faintest hint of witchy power herself, so Marion had to assume her collection had been gifted or purchased. She clearly knew how to use them, though.
“The hell are you staring at?” Dana asked. Marion’s jaw snapped shut.
Seth slipped into the room. “Who gave you the Canope courier job?”
“I don’t know. It came to me through the darknet. Picked it up from an anonymous drop point and did my job, like I always do.”
“Where was the drop point?”
“Outside Vegas,” Dana said.
Seth and Marion exchanged looks. As far as they knew, Marion hadn’t been anywhere near Vegas recently. “We need to know where you took the Canope so we can get it back,” Seth said.
“I don’t share my clients’ secrets,” Dana said.
Seth surveyed Dana with surprisingly fond eyes. “You don’t remember me, do you? I was acquainted with your dad, Lucas McIntyre.”
Marion felt a jolt of shock. Lucas? When she’d met Seth, he had been going by Lucas as a pseudonym—now an obvious homage to the father of this woman.
“Dad had a lot of acquaintances,” Dana said.
The bedroom door creaked open. A woman peered through. “Dana?”
“Stay in there,” Dana said. “I’m doing business.”
The other woman’s eyes
“Oh my gods,” Marion said, eyes widening. “Is that—”
“That would be Dana McIntyre, yes,” Seth said.
One of the vampires was scrambling to his feet, trying to escape before Dana reached him.
She punched his head into the ground.
The other vampire rose, and she mule-kicked one of those chunky heels into his jaw, sending his skull spinning almost a full ninety degrees.
A half-dozen vampires flooded from the lobby she’d evacuated.
“Ooh,” Marion said. Eight against one. The odds weren’t good. “Shouldn’t we help?”
“No, I don’t think so,” Seth said.
He was right. Dana thrust a gauntleted fist toward the newcomers. Pure white fire flooded from her palm, chewing over their desiccated flesh, melting it away.
Only one of the vampires was left.
Dana marched over to him and kneeled on his chest. He thrashed, but she must have been a good two hundred and fifty pounds, most of it muscle; an animated cadaver didn’t stand a chance of escaping her. “Do we have an understanding now?” she asked.
He struggled to suck air through his dried throat. “But—I don’t—you killed them!”
“They might recover with blood. They won’t if I decapitate all of you.” The threat in her tone seemed sort of redundant, considering she was digging her studded combat boots into his sternum.
“Okay, okay! We have an understanding! You’ll have your tithes!”
Dana released him and stood. “Good.”
She finally noticed that she had an audience. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of Seth—and then she spotted Marion behind him.
The glow vanished from her enchanted gemstones instantly.
“Shit,” Dana said. “What the hell are you doing here?”
6
D ana McIntyre lived in a condo in the Allure Tower, up near the top floor. Its windows offered an excellent view of the rest of the Strip: circling tourist helicopters and signs advertising residencies by the likes of Serafina the Siren, succubus strip clubs, and witch burlesque shows.
One entire wall of the condo was used to display weapons and armor. Some were guns. She had a few axes, too. But mostly she had more enchanted stone pieces, like a helmet, and some knee guards, and even a breastplate.
Dana stripped the gauntlets off as she strode into her condo, tossing them onto a leather couch. “Yeah, I took the Canope to Sheol. What’s it to you?”
Marion gaped at the enchanted armor. The magic was complex and unlike anything that Marion had seen before. The gaean spellwork she’d sensed when Dana had been tossing people out of the Trump Tower was only a fragment of it, woven into threads of magic that seemed ethereal and—Marion had to guess—infernal too.
Dana didn’t emanate even the faintest hint of witchy power herself, so Marion had to assume her collection had been gifted or purchased. She clearly knew how to use them, though.
“The hell are you staring at?” Dana asked. Marion’s jaw snapped shut.
Seth slipped into the room. “Who gave you the Canope courier job?”
“I don’t know. It came to me through the darknet. Picked it up from an anonymous drop point and did my job, like I always do.”
“Where was the drop point?”
“Outside Vegas,” Dana said.
Seth and Marion exchanged looks. As far as they knew, Marion hadn’t been anywhere near Vegas recently. “We need to know where you took the Canope so we can get it back,” Seth said.
“I don’t share my clients’ secrets,” Dana said.
Seth surveyed Dana with surprisingly fond eyes. “You don’t remember me, do you? I was acquainted with your dad, Lucas McIntyre.”
Marion felt a jolt of shock. Lucas? When she’d met Seth, he had been going by Lucas as a pseudonym—now an obvious homage to the father of this woman.
“Dad had a lot of acquaintances,” Dana said.
The bedroom door creaked open. A woman peered through. “Dana?”
“Stay in there,” Dana said. “I’m doing business.”
The other woman’s eyes
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