Read Online Motor City Mage by Cindy Spencer Pape - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Cindy Spencer Pape
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more or less an office and waiting room. And Vin expected they could take all of them? Des hoped the demon knew something Des didn’t. A wooden wall had been erected, sectioning off the rear portion of the space, an oversized door marking the center of it.
“Need to introduce the new guy to the boss,” Vin said over his shoulder as he pushed past what were clearly his underlings.
One of the thugs grunted something, and Vin grunted back but didn’t stop moving. Lana had slipped behind Des and followed in his footsteps. Thankfully, none of the demons seemed to notice. Vin knocked on the door and called something in his native language.
Another voice replied, and then Vin opened the door, roughly shoving Des in ahead of him.
Brewer wasn’t here. Good. Des didn’t think he’d been able to alter his appearance enough to fool another Wyndewin , especially one who knew him so well. Lana slipped in the room behind them and Vin shut and locked the door as Des turned to face the Gravaki who sat behind a desk in the right-hand corner, facing the door. Two others flanked the glowing spot in the corner opposite the desk, which had to be the portal.
As soon as the door was locked, Vin pulled out a gun. “Go through the portal, Malen.”
The two guards stepped toward him and he shot them both in rapid succession.
Des snapped his cuffs and reached for his own weapon as Malen, huge in his Gravaki form, lunged over the desk. Before Des could fire a shot, the enormous demon was on him, shoving him aside.
Lana growled and snapped as the demon grabbed hold of her.
“Die, wolf bitch,” he bellowed when Lana’s teeth ripped a chunk out of his arm. Des dove at the demon before he could get both hands on Lana’s spine and snap it. In response, Mandrake threw Lana into Des with all of his strength, slamming them both into the wall.
Except the wall wasn’t there. There was a sensation of darkness, of falling, of the universe swirling around him.
Des had been through portals before—the one between Aidan’s home and Underhill. He recognized the feeling.
They slammed into hard-packed dirt. Des looked up into a bright pink sky, still holding Lana’s furry body against his chest.
She chuffed softly as Mandrake stepped from between two stone pillars, not far from Des’s feet. They looked up at eight feet of pissed-off demon.
“You said it, chán-láng . We’re screwed.”
Chapter Four
The fight didn’t last long.
Oh, she and Des made a decent showing for themselves, Lana thought, but when six of the demons swarmed them, it was pretty much over. Lana had a couple of nasty claw gouges in her side and a sprained back paw, but she didn’t think any of her injuries were serious. Des though—she was worried about him.
They’d been tossed into a rough stone cell with two other prisoners, one Gravaki, though instead of red-and-black like the two she’d seen before, this one’s mostly black scales were patterned in green. He wore a pair of jeans and nothing else. The other prisoner was—something else. She couldn’t identify the scent. The drooling purple thing wore something like a toga. It growled and sniffed at Des’s unconscious body when they were tossed in the cell, so Lana stayed in wolf form, standing legs-splayed over Des, and growled back. She couldn’t see any open wounds on him—all the blood she scented was her own, so there wouldn’t have been much she could do, even with opposable thumbs. Keeping these assholes off him, that she could manage.
“All right. Nice doggie. We get it.” The Gravaki in the corner yanked his buddy back onto the bench on the far side of the cell. His English had something of a western twang to it. “No one’s going to hurt your precious human.”
The purple thing snorted, drool flying as it did, and muttered something in an incomprehensible language of grunts and whistles.
“He says he just wanted to see what it was,” the Gravaki translated. “He’s never seen a human
“Need to introduce the new guy to the boss,” Vin said over his shoulder as he pushed past what were clearly his underlings.
One of the thugs grunted something, and Vin grunted back but didn’t stop moving. Lana had slipped behind Des and followed in his footsteps. Thankfully, none of the demons seemed to notice. Vin knocked on the door and called something in his native language.
Another voice replied, and then Vin opened the door, roughly shoving Des in ahead of him.
Brewer wasn’t here. Good. Des didn’t think he’d been able to alter his appearance enough to fool another Wyndewin , especially one who knew him so well. Lana slipped in the room behind them and Vin shut and locked the door as Des turned to face the Gravaki who sat behind a desk in the right-hand corner, facing the door. Two others flanked the glowing spot in the corner opposite the desk, which had to be the portal.
As soon as the door was locked, Vin pulled out a gun. “Go through the portal, Malen.”
The two guards stepped toward him and he shot them both in rapid succession.
Des snapped his cuffs and reached for his own weapon as Malen, huge in his Gravaki form, lunged over the desk. Before Des could fire a shot, the enormous demon was on him, shoving him aside.
Lana growled and snapped as the demon grabbed hold of her.
“Die, wolf bitch,” he bellowed when Lana’s teeth ripped a chunk out of his arm. Des dove at the demon before he could get both hands on Lana’s spine and snap it. In response, Mandrake threw Lana into Des with all of his strength, slamming them both into the wall.
Except the wall wasn’t there. There was a sensation of darkness, of falling, of the universe swirling around him.
Des had been through portals before—the one between Aidan’s home and Underhill. He recognized the feeling.
They slammed into hard-packed dirt. Des looked up into a bright pink sky, still holding Lana’s furry body against his chest.
She chuffed softly as Mandrake stepped from between two stone pillars, not far from Des’s feet. They looked up at eight feet of pissed-off demon.
“You said it, chán-láng . We’re screwed.”
Chapter Four
The fight didn’t last long.
Oh, she and Des made a decent showing for themselves, Lana thought, but when six of the demons swarmed them, it was pretty much over. Lana had a couple of nasty claw gouges in her side and a sprained back paw, but she didn’t think any of her injuries were serious. Des though—she was worried about him.
They’d been tossed into a rough stone cell with two other prisoners, one Gravaki, though instead of red-and-black like the two she’d seen before, this one’s mostly black scales were patterned in green. He wore a pair of jeans and nothing else. The other prisoner was—something else. She couldn’t identify the scent. The drooling purple thing wore something like a toga. It growled and sniffed at Des’s unconscious body when they were tossed in the cell, so Lana stayed in wolf form, standing legs-splayed over Des, and growled back. She couldn’t see any open wounds on him—all the blood she scented was her own, so there wouldn’t have been much she could do, even with opposable thumbs. Keeping these assholes off him, that she could manage.
“All right. Nice doggie. We get it.” The Gravaki in the corner yanked his buddy back onto the bench on the far side of the cell. His English had something of a western twang to it. “No one’s going to hurt your precious human.”
The purple thing snorted, drool flying as it did, and muttered something in an incomprehensible language of grunts and whistles.
“He says he just wanted to see what it was,” the Gravaki translated. “He’s never seen a human
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