Page 120 of Mage Massacres

I nodded along with her story as I mentioned, “The last receptionist’s name was Sherice. She’d been here for decades.”

“I know,” Sloane replied. “But this woman is the secretary. She thinks the woman who trained her is who she replaced.”

“We’re in a bit of a rush,” my mate interrupted, smiling gently. “Send Allison our condolences, please.”

We turned to head toward the elevators when the secretary called out, “I’m sorry, but you can’t go up until the council meeting is over.”

I cut my eyes to Sloane, seeing confusion cross her features. I felt the same way. We were both known for different reasons within the guild, and neither of us was ever stopped from entering before.

She spun slowly on her heel, facing the woman. “Forgive us. We should have introduced ourselves. This is Palmer Lynch, and I’m Sloane King.”

The secretary’s expression grew cloudy, darkening as her gaze darted to the camera in the lobby. “I know who you are, Ms. King. I was instructed not to let anyone upstairs until they were done… Deliberating.”

My brows knitted together. “This meeting is supposed to be about third-quarter budgets.”

“I understand,” Sloane affirmed, half a smile playing at the corners of her blood-red lips. “We’ll take our leave and come back after lunch.”

“That would be the best time. Thank you for your patience.” The woman inclined her head politely as she picked up her mug and murmured, “I seem to be out of tea.”

I rubbed my right wrist as I waited for my mate to fill me in. She’d heard something in the secretary’s mind to make her sound so outwardly pliant. Inside, her emotions began to circulate slowly, an angry tornado ready to drop from the sky at any moment.

Once the secretary was out of sight, Sloane dragged me to the elevators. She pressed the up arrow, tilting her head when it didn’t light to signal movement.

With her hand wrapped in mine, the frigid winds of the Void swept over me, depositing us on the top floor. I studied the corridor as she jabbed at the elevator button again.

“Why did you bring us here? The meeting is on the floor below.”

“Don’t you think it’s odd that the elevators aren’t working?”

“A bit,” I admitted. “I’m more intrigued by who repaired the damage to the wall, though.”

She reached for the stairwell door, rolling her eyes as I opened it for her.

“If I questioned Franklin’s methods every time he fixed something, I’d be a basket case. His contacts are unfathomable, and I’ve learned to let it go. I don’t comprehend most of the shit he does, but I trust him implicitly.”

“Where has he been?”

“I have no idea. He comes and goes, but he never fails to get his job done, so again… I don’t question his methods.”

The ancient vampire was a conundrum, the mystery surrounding him more perplexing the longer I knew him. Eventually, I wanted to figure him out, but he wasn’t important right now.

When we reached the sixth floor, I pushed on the door. All the emergency exits were required not to have any form of lock on them, though this one didn’t budge or give in any way.

“It’s jammed?” I wondered aloud.

“First the elevators, now the door?” Sloane glared at the metal hindrance. “I don’t believe in coincidences.”

“They weren’t expecting us, so something else is going on.”

We stepped into the Void, but bounced right back to the stairwell.

“I’m growing sick of this bullshit,” my mate growled.

She shrugged out of her jacket, dropping it on the floor as hellfire blossomed in her palm. The temperature around us rose, and her handheld inferno melted the frame of the emergency exit.

“Catch it,” she urgently whispered.

I slung my arms out, but the door fell the opposite way. I twisted my wrist, drawing the air from the corridor to snag the metal before it hit the ground. The surrounding air cushioned the sound as I leaned it gently against the wall.