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Spells of Defiance (Atem x Reader x Yugi) Chapter 6

Six: Speakeasies

One //// Two //// Three //// Four //// Five //// Six //// Seven //// [Eight coming soon]

Summary: The Circle of Magicians protects the world from rogue, murderous fey. The police who keep bloodsuckers and flesh-eaters in check. You’ve hunted vampires for years, earning a reputation as one of the best magicians in that field; but what happens when an encounter with a particular vampire makes your already fragile loyalties split?

Supernatural/Demon Hunter AU. Vampire!Atem x Reader x Incubus!Yugi (yes, a polyamorous relationship). Warnings for cursing, vulgar language, violence, and some sexual themes.

A.N. Sorry it took so long to get the next chapter done, I had some personal stuff go down in my life a couple months ago and it took me a long time to get back in a decent mental state. I hope I make up for that with this long chapter. I also hope everyone and their loved ones are doing well during all the crazy stuff that’s happening right now, stay safe, and stay strong <3

“So who exactly is this Peggy guy?”

You almost wanted to snort in laughter at Joey’s nickname, and if it wasn’t for the knot in your stomach, you probably would have. “Pegasus, his name is Pegasus. And to answer your question, he’s a very prominent vampire in Domino. He owns a club that’s exclusive for highbrow fey and he’s been here for a good century or two.”

“And the circle just ignores his existence?” Atem asked.

Though his tone was devoid of anything accusatory (at least towards you) you still felt an uncomfortable tingle at the back of your neck at his words.

“Not exactly,” you finally answered, “They have an...understanding with Pegasus. He’s supposed to give the circle information on his patrons if they’re doing anything wrong, but we all know he doesn’t, unless it’s something really big that’ll earn him favors from the Circle. Everyone also knows he has some shady dealings, and he toes the line of the Circle’s laws a lot. Still, he doesn’t go around blatantly killing humans or causing havoc, so they mostly leave him be. I guess you could say he’s a bit like a mob boss.”

Atem only answered with a sigh and looked away. Again that uncomfortable tingle crawled across your neck. Atem’s mood was still low from what little you had found at Marik’s last hideout. It was obvious that the place had been abandoned days and days ago, but you still felt an almost painful twinge of guilt in your stomach when you saw how much it pained Atem to have him slip away again.

You took the lapse in silence to look up at the sky, examining the clouds collecting overhead. The four of you were walking down the busy streets of downtown, the upscale, higher end of downtown with lots of private boutiques and day spas. The sun was just starting to set now, it was a good time to hit Pegasus’ club, less patrons to cause trouble, but enough that Pegasus would be less willing to cause some himself. Can’t look bad in front of the customers, after all.

“Do magicians come to his club often?” Yugi asked suddenly, and when you turned to look at him, you could see the worry in his lavender eyes.

You managed a small smile at him. “Don’t worry, Yugi, he rarely gets visits from the Circle. In fact, I’m one of the few magicians he’ll talk to...he’s a bit of a primadonna and usually demands to see ‘his favorites’ from the Circle only.”

“And how exactly did you become a favorite?” Joey asked, and you tried not to take the bite in his tone personally.

“When I was young and training under an older magician, my instructor and I got called to his club to arrest some trouble makers tearing the place up. In that particular moment he didn’t much care who from the Circle came to help him, but apparently he liked my…. spunk and started requesting me personally when dealing with the Circle.”

Joey gave a grunt of understanding but was obviously still unconvinced that this was a good idea with the way he averted his eyes to stare blankly ahead. Again the silence between you and the others caused you to get lost in your thoughts for a moment, mostly focusing on how all of this may go down. Atem wasn’t going to like what you were planned to suggest once you got there, but he would just have to learn to take his overprotectiveness and-

You sighed and mentally scolded yourself for the harsh thought. Atem’s protectiveness wasn’t him thinking you were weak, he just wanted to keep you safe. He and Yugi both cared about you. The feeling that rose in your chest at the thought made your fists clench. It wasn’t an uncomfortable feeling, per se, but it wasn’t familiar to you and the fact that it had crept up more and more around the boys made you want to stuff it back down to wherever it had come from.

In fact, you had to do exactly that now, seeing as how the club was in sight. You stopped in your track and waited for the boys to turn to face you with questioning looks before you spoke up.

“Alright, this is the place,” you said, waving at the well-kempt brick building.

It had large windows beside the ornate double oak doors but said windows were covered by thick, red velvet curtains. There was no sign on the building, leaving the passing humans to only stare and wonder what the place was, if they took notice at all.

Though he didn’t want to be too flashy and have humans constantly knocking on his club's door, Pegasus still left his own posh mark on the exterior. The fire escape stairs were painted bright red and had vines twisted around it, growing flowers that would bloom when the sunset; a symbol to indicate just who his particular clientele were. Then, on the roof, he had added on more brick additions to the building, a short tower on each corner, his personal living quarters and studios if you remembered right. The whole place looked like he was trying to make his own English castle in downtown Domino.

You sighed and looked back at the boys, “Listen, I’m going to need to go in and see Pegasus alone.”

“What?” Atem’s tone was flat and, given the setting sun, he actually took off his sunglasses so you could fully see the displeased look in his crimson eyes.

“I know you don’t like the idea, but he’ll get suspicious if I walk in with three random fey. As it is, he’s one of my contacts that the circle knows about, so I’m already having to hide this,” you flashed your palm, the pink scar of your magician’s seal, at them, “from him to avoid suspicion. I’ll get more info out of him if I’m alone.”

You saw Atem bite his tongue, quite literally, and seem to contemplate what to respond with. In the end, he closed his eyes and let out a long breath. “As you wish. But I want the rest of us to stay close so that if anything happens, we can help.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll signal you if I need help,” you assured, relief flooding you as another argument was avoided.

“How will you signal us?” Joey asked, crossing his arms, “An’ just for the record, I’m not a fan of waiting.”

You actually smirked at him before looking back at the brick building for a moment. “If you three stay here you’ll be able to see when I give you the signal,” you actually winked as you turned back to them, “you’ll know it, trust me.” With that, you turned on your heel and started walking towards the door. “I won’t be long, just hold tight.”

“Be careful,” Atem called after you, apparently having to act on at least some of his protector instincts.

You almost managed to look over your shoulder and give him an assuring smile, but seeing the doors to Pegasus’ club made a begrudging air fall back on your shoulders.

Then, still about a dozen feet from said doors, you heard Yugi call out to you. Surprised, considering how quiet he had been since leaving Marik’s old hideout, you turned to him, brows furrowed. He was jogging after you, putting some distance between himself and the other two and he stopped right in front of you.

He looked a bit nervous himself and his tone was low as he said, “I just wanted to check on you before you went in. Ever since you started talking about coming here you’ve just...you’ve had this...anxiety around you. Are you okay?”

That unfamiliar sensation started in your chest again, especially with how sweet Yugi’s eyes were on you. Sometimes you forgot that incubi could sense more than just lustful emotions, that they were full empaths.

“Uh, yeah, I’ll be okay, Yugi,” you answered lamely, then continued since you knew that wouldn’t satisfy him. “It’s just that Pegasus has always kind of creeped me out, that’s all.”

You felt stupid for saying it, out of all the things you had seen (and done) in your years, it shouldn’t be easy to make your skin crawl. Then again, the fact that he kept his dead wife’s body preserved with magic and had it displayed in a glass coffin Snow White style was bound to creep most people out.

Yugi’s eyes narrowed a bit at your omission and you were glad you left out the dead wife detail. “Does he try anything with you when you go to see him? I can make us invisible, like I did at the Sanctuary, so we can go in with you. I’ll make sure that creep doesn’t-”

“Yugi.” He stopped his almost-rant at your firm word, though you couldn’t help but inwardly smile at Yugi wanting to defend your ‘honor’. “I’ll be fine, I promise. And I swear if I need your guy’s help, I’ll ask for it.”

The sweet incubus sighed, then reached out and took your hand, holding it just long enough to give it an affectionate squeeze. “We’ll be right here.”

You almost had the chance to squeeze his hand back before he pulled away, though you had to ignore the urge to ask yourself why you wanted to hold it just a moment longer. With another breath, you turned away and walked the last few feet to Pegasus’ club.

You knocked on the ornately painted doors thrice, slow and steady just like Pegasus had told you to all those years ago when he first requested your presence. The eye-level slat in the door opened to reveal a pair of yellow irises that seemed to glow in the dying daylight. You kept your face blank as you stared back at him and waited. A grunt and an “oh, it’s you” later, and the slat was shut with a snap, the door opening a second after.

“Good to see you again too, Saru,” you mumbled as you stepped inside.

The large henchman shut the door behind you and Pegasus’ haven for posh fey was splayed out before you. The whole place was bedecked in lush reds, thick carpet with simple but old designs, curtains and drapes covering the walls and hanging from the ceiling, blocking out the outside world and its troubles. A set of three steps in front of the door led to the main area where guests sat. Dozens of finely carved tables with matching chairs, leather settees, and armchairs filled the main room, with wide enough paths for people to walk through without feeling crowded.

Then there were the private booths. Vases on pillar-shaped stands as well as fine art lined the walls between each booth notched into the walls. Some had curtains drawn over them for privacy, others sat with them wide open. Only a dozen or so people occupied the venue now, not including the string band playing on the stage to the right. A rather quiet night it seemed.

As you stepped inside you tried to ignore the silhouette of a woman dancing behind one of the curtained-off booths, two patrons watching her from their seats behind the red cloth. More so was it hard to ignore the young man sitting on a vampire’s lap, baring his neck to the older man’s fangs with eyes half-lidded and smile wide, euphoric even.

Some of the other patrons actually took notice of you as you marched across the room to the lavishly painted pocket doors on the other side. A man from one of the booths watched you like a hawk, stirring his amber-colored drink with his finger and not bothering to hide the suspicion in his single eye. A woman with delicate-looking wings smiled at you as you passed, trying to make eye contact with you so she might compel you to join her seat by the fireplace. Other eyes, vampire, cyclops, nymph, and otherwise burned into you from all sides but you ignored them, keeping sights on the silver haired man guarding the double doors that cordoned off Pegasus’ private room.

“I need to speak with his royal highness,” you said, dropping mood evident in your flat tone.

This henchman always wore his thick sunglasses even inside, but you could tell he was glaring down at you behind them. “Master Pegasus is entertaining a guest at the moment,” he snapped, obviously forgetting that Peggy himself had ordered his staff to treat you kindly whenever you stopped by. He must have remembered those instructions now, because he put on a mocking smile, showing his fangs as he waved at the table beside the vampire feasting on the young man, “Please, have a seat and I’ll call you over when he’s free.”

You felt a sneer take over your face as you took a step closer to the man, he was taller than you, but height didn’t mean jack when he had seen what you were capable of. “I don’t think your boss wants me to sit down. Because if I do, I might have time to start asking that vampire if he has a legal contract to suck on that human. Or how about the succubus feasting on the two men in the corner booth?”

The man sniffed, nose wrinkling as if a rotten smell was shoved under his flaring nostrils. “I assure you, all of our patrons practice legal feeding.”

“Hm, that may be, but a magician going around asking questions and ruining their night is still bad for business.”

Looking downright livid now, he opened his mouth to say something biting in reply, but was cut off by a drawling voice coming out from the crack between the doors behind him.

“Oh let her in you fool. You know I love it when my sweet magician girl visits me!”

The overly sweet croon in his tone made your scowl deepen, even as the head suit slid the door open with a grumbled, “Yes sir”.

Pegasus had changed his private room a bit since you last visited him. Instead of the long dining table, he sat at a smaller round one covered in a beautiful white silk cloth. The china dishes, crystal wine glasses, chandelier, and candelabra centerpiece were all the same though.

“It’s so good to see you again, my sweet!” Pegasus all but cheered, a smile turning his lips as he swirled his wine glass full of red thick liquid that smelled of iron. He was wearing one of his favorite red suits trimmed in white lace and his long curtains of silver hair were styled to perfection. “To what do I owe this pleasure? What do you need from dear old Pegasus?” he asked before taking a sip of his drink.

A scan of the empty chairs around the table told you that Peggy’s right-hand man had lied when saying that he was entertaining someone, as the only other souls in the large room were his two bodyguards.

“I came to ask for information,” you said, crossing your arms as you looked down at him.

The vampire chuckled, the sound deep and dangerous as he set his glass down and looked at you through his long lashes. “Now now, my dear, there’s no need to take that impatient tone with me. You know I’m always willing to help you when I can. So long as you pay my entry fee, of course.” With that, Pegasus held out his hand, palm up and looking delicate as it waited.

Your body tensed at the gesture, even though you had been expecting it. Aside from his all-around creep factor, and the fact that you hated owing him favors, this was the main reason you hated crawling to Pegasus.

Trying to resist the urge to sigh, you skirted the table and approached him. You placed your left hand in his, wrist up and veins vulnerable. He pulled you closer as he gripped your wrist and leaned his face into the warm skin.

“No need to be nervous, my sweet,” Pegasus practically purred, “you know I’m always a perfect gentleman.”

The way he ran his nose along the veins made your stomach crawl and heave; you were glad he couldn’t see (or didn’t care about) the sickened look on your face.

“Oh my,” he said with a tisk tisk sound, then flickered his eyes up to yours, not leaning away from your wrist in the slightest. “You’ve been cheating on me, my sweet little magician. I can smell another vampire in your veins.”

The memory of Atem feeding from you made a different heat crawl up your neck, but it mixed with another sick feeling as you envisioned Atem seeing you like this. It was a good thing you had made him and Yugi stay outside, or Pegasus would probably be on the ground by now.

“I’ve never said we were exclusive, Pegasus,” you said, hiding the shamed embarrassment behind quips. Besides, it paid to play along with his sick little games.

He chuckled at that, “Right you are, my dear.” Without another word, he sank his fangs into your wrist.

You tried not to flinch as the curative on his fangs flooded your nerves. Even with the numbing effect they provided, it was still uncomfortable to feel him tearing into your skin. Though he feigned kindness and worry, his fangs had none of the gentle care that Atem’s did, none of the soothing thumb strokes or caution to not dig in too deep, just enough to draw what was needed. Pegasus’ treatment was all mock gentleness; a sickly sweet whisper while sharp nails dug into bruised skin.

He never took much, thank god, but the moment still seemed to crawl by before he was retracting his fangs. He gave a satisfied, dramatic sigh, “My dear, your blood simply gets better and better every time you come to see me, like a finely crafted wine.” He chuckled at his own comparison as he pulled the white handkerchief from his breast pocket.

Though his puncture marks were already closing, blood has still dripped out from the wound and he dapped at your wrist, again with that mocking care. You supposed he thought licking blood from your skin was too uncouth or savage-like because this was his usual routine.

The moment his grip on you slackened at all, you pulled free of his grasp, “Now that I’ve given you your usual payment, I have some questions to ask you,” the attempt to keep any snap or malic free from your tone failed, but Pegasus didn’t seem to mind at all.

“Of course my dear, always happy to help!” He waved at the seat across from him at the round table, “But I must insist that you take a seat, I do hate seeing you stand the whole time.” He snapped his fingers at the guard on his left, “Get our guest a glass of wine!”

Again, knowing it paid to play his game, you skirted the table back to the side of the room nearest the door and took the seat there. Now that the worst part of visiting the vampire lord was over, you made yourself look at ease as you leaned back, arm propped up against the ornately carved chair. A third vampire guard came into the room from the door to the right of Pegasus, carrying a dusty bottle of red wine. He poured it into the crystal glass in front of you, but you paid the alcohol no mind, instead looking the newcomer over. He was young, or at least, young when he was turned, but likely hadn’t been a vampire long judging by the way he held himself. Marik wasn’t the only one who tried to turn the humans he drained in order to get more servants. You had always had your suspicions that such a practice was a reason Pegasus turned on his clients to get in the Circle’s favor. They were all too willing to turn a blind eye to the occasional human going ‘missing’ if it meant having a good informant.

“He’s new,” you commented as the man leaned back but did not leave the room.

Pegasus ignored your observation. “So my dear, what is it that you need from me? I promise I’ll help in any way I can.”

“I heard that the cult leader Marik has given you some trouble recently. Tell me about it.”

The vampire hummed as he took another drink of the thick liquid in his glass. He waited a beat after he was done, closing his eyes and holding his hand to his chin. “Ah yes, that loathsome little nat. His thugs thought it would be funny to terrorize one of my other clubs. Tore the place up rather well too, before my men could deal with them.” He opened his eyes again and held your gaze, “If you’re wondering why I didn’t call the Circle for help, I assure you such thuggish heathens were nothing to worry about.”

“That’s not what I’m wondering,” you clarified, though you were sure an illegal dealing or two at said club was the real reason. “I want you to tell me everything you know about Marik. I’m sure after that you must know something about him...or maybe his right-hand vampire?”

Again Pegasus waited a moment to respond, then, he nodded at the man on his right. “Go fetch Kemo, he might be able to tell her a thing or two about the incident,” he turned his sights back on you, “As for myself, well, I’m sure I don’t know any more than the Circle does about this Marik boy. He’s a roach, but he’s good at evading capture like one too.” He tapped his chin then, and it actively came to mind how much he was drawing this out. Then again, Pegasus always was a showman. “But since you mentioned his right hand, there is something I can tell you. After the incident, Marik sent one of his followers here to tell me that he hadn’t ordered his thugs to attack my establishment and that he had dealt with them thoroughly. I was shocked to say the least, I assumed someone as chaotic as this Marik wouldn’t care about smoothing things over, but perhaps he simply didn’t want to risk me going after his followers in retaliation.”

“What did this follower he send look like?” you asked, trying not to seem too eager.

“Oh he was a strapping young vampire,” Pegasus crooned, “very tall and muscular, with tan skin and dark hair. The most distinguishing factor, however, was the tattoo on his face.” Another long drink taken after the statement almost made you growl impatiently. “If the design being on his face wasn’t odd enough, the fact that it was of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs makes it all the more strange.”

So, Marik’s right-hand man was someone from, or at least interested in, Egypt. Interesting. “Is there anything else you can tell me about him or anything he said to you while he was here?”

Again, Pegasus took his sweet time answering, and as he did, Kemo, as well as two other bodyguards, came into the room. The fact that they, as well as the guard who had poured your drink, were now filling the room did not go unnoticed by you.

“Besides his surprisingly calm demeanor, no, I’m afraid there isn’t,” the vampire gave a bit of a dramatic sigh. “I’m sorry my dear, but surely that distinguishing factor will help you…” his eyes narrowed on you then, shifting from that drama queen act to the dangerous man you knew he was underneath. “I’m sure the Circle will appreciate the information, be sure to give it to them when you return. In the meantime, please, drink. You haven’t touched your wine.”

The familiar burn of adrenaline was starting in your veins now, but all the same, you sighed. You didn’t exactly relish making a mess. “You know I don’t drink while working, Pegasus. And besides that, did you really think I wouldn’t notice your goons closing in?”

He chuckled darkly in response, “I don’t make a habit out of underestimating you, my dear, but I’m afraid it’s too late. Other magicians are already on their way here, you best just wait for them. And please, don’t take this personally. As much as I adore your visits, turning a traitor over to the Circle will earn me quite a large favor with them. It’s just business, after all.”

Again you sighed, staying in our laid back position despite the fact that two more goons stepped into the room. “It’s your funeral, Pegasus,” your eyes drifted to the young vampire, who still held the wine bottle and seemed to be sweating bullets. “You really should have stayed home from work today, kid.”

With that your leg came up swift and hard, launching the table and its contents into the air as you sprang up. Your full wine glass was halfway back down when you grabbed it, smashed the end on your chair, and stabbed the remaining stem into the neck of the first vampire that made to grab you.

Yugi tried to keep his eyes on something that would distract him, like observing the old building before them, but the sound of his boyfriend’s pacing feet was too much to ignore.

“Atem, will you please calm down,” Yugi sighed, turning to face the agitated vampire.

Joey, who was leaning against the brick wall of the closed beauty shop next door, stretched his arms over his head. “Yug is right, stressin’ won’t get you anywhere.”

“She’s been in there too long. What if she’s hurt? Gods know what that man could be doing to her.”

“She wouldn’t have gone in if she didn’t at least trust this Pegasus guy a little,” Yugi countered. “Besides, she told us she would give us a signal if she needed help, she isn’t stupid.”

Atem halted his pacing and clenched his fists. “I know. But that doesn’t mean I’m not worried about her. Besides, how will we even know what-”

His words were cut off by the sound of shattering glass. They spun around, towards the large windows of the building and saw a man crashing through the glass. A wine bottle flew from his hand, clattering and clinking against the concrete as he landed hard. If there was any question on who this man was, it was answered when he sprang to his feet, raw flesh of his face already healing, and started running down the alley, yelling about how the pay wasn’t worth “this”.

“I guess that’s the signal,” Joey shrugged before the four of them descended on the new opening into the club, two well-dressed patrons running out as they did.

The sounds of a fight grew louder and the moment they came to the opening, Yugi almost had to do a double-take. Across the room two doors hung broken on their hinges, revealing an ornate dining room with more shattered glass and an upturned dining table. There in the middle of it all was you fighting off three- no, four (five?) fey clad in suits.

One made to grab you but you dodged and grabbed the back of his jacket, pulling it down to help hinder his arms as you set the fabric on fire. The man cried out as you kicked him, sending his now aflame body into one of his comrades. Without missing a beat you sidestepped another punch with grace, silver flashing in your hand as you came up and slashed the blade of your dagger across the vampire’s neck.

“Eh, you sure she actually needs help?” Joey asked, though he was immediately answered as Atem charged in with a growl of anger.

A vampire that had been hanging back tried to get a jump on your turned back, but Atem grabbed him by the arm and sent him flying across the decadent red room. That’s when Yugi spotted a door to their right burst open and even more minions came charging in. Not just vampires this time, one was a troll of sorts, another some minor race of demon, and a third who must have been a werewolf because he sniffed the air and turned excited eyes on Joey, canine teeth flashing.

In response, his old friend growled and descended on the newcomers, extended claws clashing with the other wolf.

Though you seemed to have confidence in him and Yugi was not above defending himself, he still wasn’t one for much violence. And if he was being honest with himself, Yugi wasn’t sure how much help he could be in the current chaos. The few patrons who hadn’t fled as soon as the window was open now ran past Yugi in varying stages of terror, or at least with a despondent air of ‘nope’. All except one, a nymph by a fireplace who sat reclined in her chair, calmly sipping her drink as if this was simply a mildly entertaining interactive play.

Yugi’s attention was snapped from the nymph as he caught sight of the troll stomping towards the room where you and Atem were fighting back to back. Mind working fast, Yugi’s wings flared and launched him into the air, courtesy of the building’s high ceilings. As he flew towards you he snatched a thick golden rope from the ground, a curtain accent that had been tossed to the floor in the mayhem.

He saw Atem punch another vampire in the gut, quickly grab the back of his jacket, and toss the man to you. Your hand met with the vampire’s face with a burning grasp, instantly rendering the man helpless as he howled in pain and tried to extinguish the flames across his skin.

Not a moment later however, did the troll make himself known by grunting in disapproval and raising his fists- with both you and Atem within his long reach. Atem made to grab you, likely to pull you out of harm's way but Yugi got their first. With the troll’s arms still lifted for a strike, Yugi flew past, lassoing the fancy rope around the attacker’s wrists.

Just as swiftly, Yugi’s wings carried him down and between the troll’s legs (at least his small size was good for one thing). The troll grunted as his arms were pulled back by the lead of rope now trailing between his own legs.

Yugi landed in front of you and Atem, extended the now short end of the rope and said, “Pull!”

The strength of all three of you combined was enough to pull the giant off balance and he came tumbling down with an earth-shaking thud . You took over from there, pulling a small pouch of something from your jacket and tossing it at the troll. With the flash of a spell, the pouch burst into a fine powder that fell onto the struggling heap of a giant, who quickly ceased all movement.

“My my, bravo!” Called a bright, though almost drawling, voice.

Yugi turned and finally noticed someone else that was apparently completely at home in the chaos. A silver-haired man sat in a fine-looking chair by the upturned table, lazily sipping from a crystal wine glass.

He flashed Yugi an interested smile, “And who might this handsome, young incubus be? Sexy demons, vampires, and werewolves, my my you do keep interesting company these days, my dear magician girl.”

“We need to get out of here,” you snapped, ignoring who Yugi assumed was Pegasus. “He’s sent word to the Circle and they’ll be here any minute.”

“They’re trying to block our only exit,” Atem hissed and Yugi turned to see that he was right, the few remaining lackies that Joey wasn’t fighting off were now blocking the large open window.

“Yugi, if I clear your way do you think you can grab Joey and fly out of here?” you asked.

“What about you and Atem?” he almost snapped back in worry.

“I think I can teleport us out, but Pegasus has seals up that make that difficult, otherwise I’d just teleport all four of us out. I think I can manage with just me and Atem though.”

“So, Yugi, Atem, and Joey,” Pegasus crooned from his seat, “Interesting, I’ll have to keep an eye on all four of you then!”

Obviously the boss had no intentions of getting his hands dirty by trying to stop their group, so Yugi took your lead and ignored him, instead nodding to your plan. That was all the confirmation you needed because you turned to the fey blocking the exit with raised hands.

“Get ready.”

A moment later you pulled your arms back, only to thrust them forward with a shout! Yugi felt an invisible force brush past him, but the few bodyguards by the window got more than a passing breeze. Instead, they were all thrown off their feet, some colliding with the wall, one flying through the broken window, and another flung across the room.

Yugi knew he had to move fast so, though it felt wrong to leave you and Atem behind, he put his trust in you and launched back into the air. Joey had already overpowered the goons he descended on and was looking about the room to figure out what to do next when Yugi called out to him. Joey’s eyes darted up to meet his and the moment Yugi extended his hand, the wolf understood.

The incubus grabbed the hand he held out and flew for the window, heart racing when he saw that some of the henchmen were already getting back to their feet. Joey took care of that however and delivered a swift kick to the head of the demon that made to snatch them out of the air.

The moment they cleared the jagged glass, Yugi shot upward towards the dark sky like a bullet. Once high enough Yugi slowed his ascent and hovered in the air with steady wing beats as he looked down at the ground, searching for any sign of you and Atem, or Circle mages closing in.

“Please be okay,” he whispered to himself.

“Come on!” your call drew Atem’s attention even before you grabbed his hand.

Turning, you tried to make a break for the nearest door, so that you might have some distance between yourself and Pegasus’ henchmen, but the ones by the window were already rising to their feet again. The demon looked absolutely livid as blood from a freshly broken nose streamed down his face. He locked eyes on you and Atem just as you turned to run.

“No!”

Arms wrapped around your waist and with a firm strength, you were thrown to the side. Atem held tight to you as you both crashed through french-style sliding doors, bodies hitting the wood as you collided with the ground.

You shook your head to halt the dizzying sensation, as well as the ache echoing through your body at the hard impact. With a quick glance at Pegasus’ dining room, you saw the burning residue of acid eating away at the wall sconce that likely would have been your head had Atem not thrown you out of the way. Huh, first time you had ever met an acid-spitting demon before.

“Gotta move,” you grunted, pain making the words lame as you tried to jump to your feet.

It would have been impossible with Atem still holding onto you had he not moved at the same time. Again you grabbed his arm as they slid from your waist and you bolted down the narrow hallway you had fallen into. Using the same spell that had knocked the cronies off their feet, you blew open the other door at the end of the hallway, and the moment you were on the other side, Atem slammed it back shut.

With a jerk on the arm you were holding, you made Atem face you. “This is going to be uncomfortable,” you warned before grabbing his other hand and closing your eyes.

Pegasus’ seals were weak, but they still made the task of teleporting out of the building quite taxing on your already depleted energy. With careful patience, you pushed through the blockages, feeling for the weak spot in the magic, like a light breaking through rubble. The moment you found it you cast your spell and the both of you were zapped out of Pegasus’ reach.

Now, to be technical, you weren’t exactly sure what it felt like to be shrunken down and stuffed into a tube that was still two sizes too small for your body, but, if you had to take a guess, you would assume the sensation was similar to the turmoil of teleporting. The fact that you had to push past the vampire’s seals only made the uncomfortable journey twice as torturous. A second later you found yourself stumbling across tarry ground, ankles aching from the hard, sudden contact. Unfortunately, Atem had less experience with the sensation than you did and tumbled to the ground, his still firm grip on you taking you down with him.

You lay there for a moment as you caught your breath, but Atem quickly sat up on his elbow and looked you over. “Are you alright?”

“F-fine,” you panted, “told you I’d let you know when things went south.”

He let out a huff of laughter, “Indeed.”

After waiting a beat, he got to his feet and held his hand out to you. You took the offer and let him pull you to your feet as his eyes scanned your new surroundings. You had landed them on the roof of a bookshop/apartment a good block and a half from Pegasus’ club. Close enough to regroup with Yugi and Joey, but far enough that you could hopefully avoid being spotted by any approaching magicians.

Speaking of, before Atem was even done scanning the rooftop, you heard your name called through the air, succeeded by Atem’s name a beat later. You both looked up to see Yugi soaring through the air, Joey dangling from his hands. The moment he was over the roof, Joey let go and stuck his landing, Yugi dropping down right beside him.

“Are you two okay?” the incubus asked, eyes looking over your face. You realized there might be a fresh bruise or two forming there, judging by the concern on his face and the pain that was getting harder to ignore as the rush of the fight fizzled out.

“I’m fine,” you assured, the words sounding more flat than you meant as you looked over at Atem. Of course he was fine, any injury sustained in there, against other vampires, would have healed by now.

“So, you find out anything before Peggy ratted you out to the circle?” Joey asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

You nodded, “Pegasus likes to talk, and he was doing just that while trying to stall me, hoping I wouldn’t notice. He said that he actually met with one of Marik’s followers, who he assumed is close to Marik. Even gave me an accurate description we may be able to use.”

“And you believe he was actually telling the truth?” Atem asked, “He could have made up anything to keep your attention.”

“True, but, I don’t think he was lying. I’ve seen him lie before and he knows I’m trained to sense deception. He would have tipped his hand to me quicker if he risked lying.” You let out a sigh, trying to remind yourself that, though both leads had turned into trials that day, you were at least getting small pieces of the Marik puzzle. “Anyway, we need to get moving, the Circle’s Magicians are likely already here and it won’t take them long to start searching the area for us.”

“Do you want to head back home?” Yugi asked as you all made your way to the fire escape.

You hesitated for a moment. The night was still young, and, given how agitated Atem still seemed, it might be nice to get at least one inch closer in your search. “Actually, if you’re up for it, there’s one more place I want to hit up. But I promise it’s less likely to end in a fight.”

As you started down the grated steps, Atem looked over his shoulder and quirked an eyebrow at you. “A more trusted informant? Or just a less violent one?”

“Neither, really. You remember me saying I have a friend who owns a bar?”

Clubs and bars that catered to all brands of fey were scattered across the city, more commonly than one might think. Much like Pegasus’ haven, they mostly hid in plain sight, relying on word of mouth to gather patrons and a bouncer at the door to keep any unsuspecting humans from wandering in. They also did their best to keep under the radar of the Circle, thanks to common dealings that were less than legal. You supposed in many ways, they could be compared to the speakeasies of the prohibition era.

Thankfully, Mai’s place had no such reputation and she always made sure her patrons took their questionable acts elsewhere. That, paired with the fact that Mai had far more loyalty to you than the Circle, made you pretty confident that her pub was more than safe from unwanted magician company.

“I texted the address to Anzu, she says she’ll be here soon,” Yugi said, stuffing his phone back in his pocket as your small group walked. After telling him that Mai would probably insist on all of you eating there, he had wanted to invite Anzu to join them, not only to update her on what the four of you had found out, but likely just to have a friendly meal together. End the day on a happier note, so to speak.

“I don’t know about you guys, but I could use a burger or two!” Joey yawned as he stretched his arms over his head.

“Don’t worry, Mai’s cook makes some good burgers,” you assured lightly, even as your well-trained eyes kept alert on the darkened streets. “Not as good as Yugi’s but…” you shrugged as you trailed off, but did not miss the way Yugi gave a small, proud smile as he averted his eyes to the ground.

Though the night was young there weren’t many wanderers in this part of the city. It wasn’t a high-end neighborhood in the slightest, but it wasn’t a city slum like where Bonz lived, instead hovering somewhere safely in the middle. The low traffic streets also made putting your nerves at ease simpler. Knowing that you and your companions had escaped capture from the Circle so easily had put you on edge and it was hard to calm that down. Though you had been careful to take every precaution while sneaking away from Pegasus’ domain, it still felt too...simple. Too lucky.

You nearly jumped when you felt a gentle hand on your back and turned to meet Atem’s eyes. They were full of concern as he said, “What’s wrong?”

You looked back for a moment, then averted your gaze. “Nothing. Just on edge.” Thankfully, the turn that would lead to your destination was within reach a beat later. “Mai’s place is just around this corner.”

Atem’s eyes glanced in the direction you were pointing but obviously knew that you were just trying to change the subject as he didn’t seem satisfied with your answer. Still, he let the topic drop, at least for now, as you picked up the pace just a bit and turned the corner.

It was a wide alleyway, almost completely devoid of any trash or litter thanks to Mai’s perfectionism and desire to look like a respectable establishment. The only indicator that there was an establishment there at all, was the modified neon sign hanging above a stairway that dipped into the ground, leading to the basement level. The sign, that almost looked more fitting to psychic's shop, read ‘Harpie’s Fortune’ with a mystic eye placed between the two words.

The boys followed as you jogged down the stairs and you four barely fit at the bottom, having to wait a moment as you knocked on the door. A more pleasant face than the one at Pegasus’s club met you when the door’s window slid open.

“Hey, Honda, I need to speak to Mai,” you informed, almost interrupted by a loud growl coming from Joey’s stomach. “...And I need to get my friends some food.”

You almost laughed with the amendment, but the bouncer actually did as he unlocked the door. “Sure thing!” Honda, a tall muscly gorgon demon, swung the door open and stepped aside, waving the four of you in. “You should take the booth at the back, I’ll let Mai know you’re here.”

“Thanks, Honda. We have another friend coming, cute brunette named Anzu-”

“Oh, yeah, I know her! She’s a regular on ladies night,” the gorgon cut in, “I’ll show her to your table when she gets here,” his assurance was paired with a flash of a smile, one that almost hid his fangs and you actually returned it as you and your friends stepped inside.

When he shut the door behind Joey, Honda started skirting his way around the tables to the back room where Mai’s office was. It wasn’t a lavish, decadent place like the one downtown, but the pub had a laid back, relaxed air. A simple but clean (Mai’s work, once again) bar complete with a line of stools that were almost always packed. Tables filled the center of the room, plain wood and metal but comfortable enough for an after-work drink. Booths with faded red upholstery and more wooden tables lined the walls for maximum occupancy. Top it off with a few TVs hung high, some cityscape pictures on the brick walls and good- though greasy, food and you had yourself a cozy bar for folks who were just looking to relax.

It wasn’t a horribly busy night, only half or so of the seats filled, but it was packed enough for Mai’s liking for sure. Usually you opted to sit at the bar where Mai would easily spot you...and decipher your mood from afar in order to whip up a drink accordingly- but that was beside the point. Tonight however, you took Honda’s advice and wove towards a booth in the corner, one of the longer ones that would accommodate your group as well as give privacy.

An oni demon leaning against the bar called your name in a passing greeting, flexing his arm before laughing to himself. When Joey turned to you with an interested eyebrow raise you scratched the back of your neck. “It’s a reference to the time I beat him in an arm wrestling match. Got the whole bar into a debate on whether or not magic should be allowed to counter his natural strength,” you explained, in a light tone.

“Hope it didn’t end in a bar fight,” Yugi said, clearly amused.

“Nah, he was actually a good sport about it. Believe me, if he wasn’t Mai would have made him regret it.”

You almost went on, recalling the very few other times you had actually been sociable at the bar, but Atem chose that moment to cut in, his eyes scanning the venue with a wary kind of caution.

“There are humans here.”

Indeed, a quick once over of the place revealed, to a keen eye, that there were at least four humans scattered around. One was curled up in the arms of a dryad, the couple lounging in a booth, looking sleepy but perfectly content as they cuddled. Another was playing a hand of poker with a pair of werewolves, a siren, and a vampire, complaining that he was losing hand-over-fist with a teasing and jovial air. Two others were sitting at the bar with three female demons of varying races, dressed as if starting a night out on the town.

“Yup,” you said in answer. “Most clubs like this aren’t safe for humans to visit, but Mai makes sure that humans who know about the fey world are welcomed here and aren’t given any trouble. Makes it a particularly popular spot for...I guess you’d call them, interracial couples?” Your eyes lingered on the couple in the booth, as the dryad leaned in and pressed a soft, chaste kiss on her girlfriend’s forehead.

Atem followed your gaze and for a second you thought he might smile at the tender scene, but a stony look remained firm on his face. “There was a human at Pegasus’s club as well,” he started in a flat tone, slowing his pace as you neared the corner booth. “He was with an older vampire and looked half dazed. Does Mai condone vampires and other monsters entrapping unsuspecting humans?”

The bite in his tone actually stung a little, though it was hard to decipher if it was directed at you or not. “No, she doesn’t. The few times she’s seen a...suspicious couple, she’s always called me to look into it.”

A thought crossed your mind with that. It wouldn’t surprise you if Atem was truly mad over how such partnerships were handled by the circle, considering the one at Peggy’s club likely wouldn’t even receive a slap on the wrist for his questionable partnership with the dazed human. It wasn’t illegal for a vampire or other fey to feed on humans, so long as said human signed a contract with the fey, consenting to anything that might be done to them and so long as it didn’t end in a dead human. Unfortunately, whether the human was in a healthy enough state to sign that contract was usually a sticky gray area. Drug addicts and the mentally unsound were often targeted for toxic or downright abusive pairings.

You were about to say something more on the topic, especially since Yugi was looking uneasy at the darkening mood, but just as you opened your mouth, something grabbed your arm and pulled you back. Some one , you amended, as a familiar voice called your name, and you were pulled into a leather and lace-clad chest.

“You haven’t visited little o’ me in forever,” Mai said, tone cheerful as she continued to embrace you with surprising strength. “And you brought friends!”

“Hi, Mai,” you greeted, tone a little awkward as you reached up and patted her on the back, the other arm hanging by your side uselessly.

After another squeeze she released you, letting you get a healthy amount of air back in your lungs. Mai was as stunning as ever, blonde curls styled to perfection, makeup bold but suited to her daring nature, and corset top matching perfectly with her ripped jeans and lace-up boots. When you turned to introduce the boys to her, you saw that Joey was staring, wide-eyed and mouth slightly agape at your friend.

You flashed him a knowing smirk before moving the moment along, “Mai, this is Joey, Yugi, and Atem.”

“Oooh,” Mai cooed, “Look at you, running with wolves, vampires, and cute little incubi.” She winked over at you when Yugi blushed at the comment, but quickly added, “Welcome to Harpie’s Fortune boys, if my favorite mage says you’re good, then you’re welcome here.” She put a hand on your back then and started guiding you the last few feet to the corner booth, her tone lowering as she addressed you. “But something tells me you aren’t here for a drink or two. You’ve got that look in your eye, girly.”

“You know me too well,” you signed as you started scooting into the seat.

Before she could answer, Mai’s attention snapped back to the middle of the room and she raised her hand in a wave. “Anzu! It’s not often you drop by on a night that isn’t ladies night.”

“Hey, Mai,” the white witch greeted as she neared your table. She had gotten there quick. “I’m actually here with these guys tonight.”

“Oh?” Mai flashed her eyes back to you, “You never told me you knew Anzu.”

“We just met today actucally, through them,” you waved your hand at Yugi and Atem, who had taken the two spaces beside you, leaving Joey and Anzu to sit on the other side.

“Hm, small city then.”

When the five of you had settled down in the booth, Mai waved over her waitress and told your group to order so you could get down to business. After placing your order the waitress scurried off to the kitchen and Mai grabbed a chair from the empty neighboring table, scooting it to the head of your booth and plopping down.

“Now, what can I help you with, hm?” the blond asked.

Everyone else leaned in, considering you hadn’t relayed exactly what Pegasus had told you, and Anzu was a bit behind on everything that had been uncovered that day.

“I may have a lead on Marik,” you started, tone low enough not to carry far. “Rumor is that his followers have been picking up humans off the streets and something we found today says that he drains all of them not only for food but also in an effort to turn them so he can gain followers.

Mai sighed, “Thank explains how he’s kept his body dumps down to a minimum. And the cops around here write their deaths off as overdoses or muggings gone wrong. Still no idea where he picks these poor souls up?”

“Not really, but I think I have a description of one of his closer cronies, one that might be doing a lot of the victim picking. We’re hoping that if we find him, we’ll find Marik. Have you seen or heard of a vampire hanging around, tall, well built, tan skin, and tattoos of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs on his face?”

Mai raised an eyebrow, “That’s a rather distinct man right there, and unfortunately, no, I haven’t seen or heard of anyone fitting that description. But now that I know you’re looking, I’ll keep an eye out, Honda will, too.” She leaned back in her chair, actually looking a bit concerned now. “I’ll ask some of my regulars if they’ve seen any vamps creeping on humans. Usually they mention that stuff to me anyway because they know I’ll pass it on to you, but, you never know.”

You nodded and despite the fact that your lead had come to a halt, you were hopeful. You knew that Mai’s personal history with ‘creepy’ vampires would make her take this threat and her promise seriously. “Thanks, we’d appreciate that.”

Mai nodded, then got up from her seat. “No problem. There’s something else I needed to talk to you about, though.”

She waved her hand as she started towards the bar and, after casting a look to the others at the booth, moved to get up and followed her. Atem and Yugi had to move out of your way and Yugi looked as though he wanted to ask what was up. In contrast, Atem’s eyes narrowed a little and you wondered if he had wanted to say something regarding your leads before Mai left, but you figured that Mai had purposely cut the conversation short with that in mind.

Through the crowds you wove, until Mai slipped behind the bar, leaving you to lean against the support beam nearby. She took a folded up piece of notepaper out from under the old landline phone and returned to you.

“About an hour ago, that creepy ghoul contact of yours called. He said to tell you that he has some info you’d want to hear and to meet him at the old parkway apartment building.” She handed you the paper, with the address and date scrawled across it in Mai’s neat handwriting. “I didn’t want to mention it in front of your friends,” she continued, arms crossed. “Didn’t know how much they were meant to know or...” her voice trailed off then, an odd occurrence for the confident Mai who always had something to say.

You looked up and met her eyes, wondering if she was recalling the last time a creeper vampire picked a human up off the streets. “Thanks, Mai. With any luck, he’ll have something that’ll help us catch Marik. And don’t worry, we will catch him.”

That confident smile was back on Mai’s face in an instant, though you couldn’t tell if it was her typical mask or not. “I’m not worried, there’s a reason you’re the only magician I trust, you know.”

“And as for them,” you threw a look back at the booth where your new friends were still seated, “Anything you want to pass on to me, you can tell them. Especially Yugi and Atem.”

Mai got a very...interested look on her face then. “Ooh, what’s this? My girl saying things like ‘we’ and sharing all her secret contacts with friends. And here I always thought you were a lone wolf type!”

A sudden nervous air filled your chest and you found yourself looking away. “They’re just helping me with the Marik case, that’s all.”

When Mai gave an unconvinced hum you scoffed and turned to walk back to your booth without another word, hearing her chuckle to herself as you went. It didn’t take long to reach the table and scoot back into your spot beside Yugi and Atem, taking in their curious but silent gazes.

“She had a message for me from Bonz, I’ll be meeting him tomorrow night for some information.”

Yugi smiled, hopeful and positive, “That’s good, maybe with what we found out tonight, it’ll be something good!”

“Maybe…” you trailed off, looking at the pressed wood of the table with unfocused eyes as you thought.

After a minute, Atem’s deep voice brought you out of said musings. “You didn’t mention that Mai herself is a human. I’m surprised she would own a place like this.”

You almost smirked at that. Most were shocked, to say the least when they saw a young human girl catering to demons and mythical creatures. “Yup. There’s a reason she’s so serious about making sure humans are safe here, and that none of her customers cause any trouble.”

“Speaking of,” Anzu said with an annoyed huff, and nodded her head back towards the bar.

When you all turned that direction, you saw that a minotaur was jumping up from his barstool and glowering down at one of the wolves who had been playing poker just minutes ago.

“How about I beat in that muzzle of yours, mutt!” the minotaur snarled as the werewolf looked up at him with a bored expression.

“Hey!” Mai’s firm and icy voice cut above the shorter man’s snapping comeback and she leaned against the bar, glaring at the two patrons. “You both know the rules, take it outside, or can it all together!”

“I don’t take orders from scrawny ass humans like you,” the minotaur barely gave Mai a glance as he growled, which only served to anger the blonde even more.

“That’s it, out you go, walking or tossed out, I don’t care which.”

When the beast actually turned his attention fully on Mai, Joey and Atem both jumped up from their seats. “She’s gonna get herself killed!” Joey hissed.

You gave your new friend’s shin a firm kick and Atem an almost disinterested look. “Sit down, Mai can handle herself. She doesn’t need any knights to swoop in and save her. And even if she did, about a dozen others would beat you to it.”

Indeed, more than ten other patrons had gotten to their feet at the sign of a brewing fight, but they, much like Honda by the door, waited, hanging back and only ready to step in if needed. Cultivate the right kind of customers, and you get the right kind of loyalty.

Just as you said, though, Mai was seasoned at dealing with troublemakers three times her size and strength. The moment the minotaur started spewing a threat at her directly, she rolled her eyes and pulled something out from under the bar.

Mai hefted the giant and already loaded crossbow in her hands, aiming it right at the aggressor's throat. “Because I really don’t like cleaning blood off my bar I’ll say it one more time. Out. Now. Or my iron-tipped friend here will give you a new piercing to go with that gaudy nose ring.”

With a new wariness to his gaze, the minotaur eyed the tip of the arrow, cautious considering his kind were quite vulnerable to iron. Then he let out a snarl through his nose and gave the werewolf a hard shove to move out of his way as he turned. “Eh you ain’t worth killing, this place is trash anyway.”

Mai kept her weapon trained on the man’s back as Honda opened the door and waved him out with a mocking gesture. Just like that, the crisis was averted, like usual and everyone settled back down to their drinks and food as if nothing had happened. When Joey and Atem gave each other confused looks you actually let out a laugh, which Anzu and Yugi quickly joined.

Oh yes, Mai could take care of herself indeed.

***

“So, if my understanding is correct, you and your entire staff could not hold her for the twelve minutes it took us to get here?”

“Well there’s no need to be so snarky,” Pegasus sighed, eyeing the tall magician with a mane of long flowing hair to rival his own.

The vampire’s staff (or at least the few who could still walk) had barely started sweeping up the mess you had left behind. Windows and doors busted, tables left charred and upturned, glass everywhere- to put it short, the vampire lord’s club, was a mess.

“You underestimated her, did you?” Mana asked in a singsong tone. Then, when she saw a vampire who was healing from a nasty gash in his throat help a troll untangle himself from a fancy rope, she actually giggled.

Mahad threw her a scolding look and she quickly stifled her laughter, straightening her posture to something more professional. “Is there anything else you can tell us?” Mahad asked the vampire.

“Yes, she was with three young fey, they helped her best my bodyguards.” He cast a look around his demolished dining room. “Though I’m certain she would have managed to escape without them. Your kind trained her well.”

Mahad narrowed his eyes at the smiling tone in the vampire’s last words and found himself wondering if Pegasus really had tried his hardest to detain you. The old vampire had always been a bit...chaotic, and it wouldn’t surprise Mahad if he only half tried to capture you, just to see how the rest played out for his own amusement.

“Yes, they did train her well,” Mahad answered.

“Good thing they trained me even better,” came a new voice brimming with condescension.

The magicians and vampire turned to see two more men approaching through the broken dining room doors. Mahad felt an anxious heat crawl across his skin as the newcomers examined the scene.

“What are you two doing here?” Mana snapped at them.

The cocky one of the two, the one who had spoken, pulled a pack of cigarettes from his jacket pocket and leisurely lit one before answering. “We’re here to take over the hunt, of course.” He took a long drag, then blew the smoke out in a long breath, aiming it straight for Mana’s displeased face. “Council says you two are too...friendly with the target,” a nasty smile crossed his lip then, “so we’re going to hunt her down instead.”

Before Mana or Mahad could reply, Pegasus let out a loud, bellowing laugh. “You two? You’ve got to be kidding me!” As if for dramatic effect, the vampire pressed his hand to his forehead, still laughing, “Oh, she’s going to eat you two boys alive!”

“Shut it, prissy boy!” the cocky magician snapped, sadistic smirk now twisted into a scowl.

“Young man, do you realize how many vampires and demons of all variety I employ, hm?” Pegasus said in a mocking tone.

“Oh, we know,” the second of the two finally spoke, “that’s why they sent us- well, me at least,” he threw a raised eyebrow at his partner before shrugging. Then, his eyes scanned a scorched wall as he let out a low whistle of appreciation. “Knew she wouldn’t have trouble escaping, tore the place up pretty good too.” He gave an admiring sigh, tucking a stray strand of dark hair behind his ear. “Such a badass, I swear I’m in love with that girl.”

“You shut it too, pretty boy,” his partner growled, then turned back to Mahad and Mana. “The Council's put us in charge of this, so just stay the hell outta my way, got it?”

Mana bristled at the demand, fists clenching as she made to step forward- but Mahad extended a hand to stop her. She didn’t miss the way her master’s jaw clenched as he replied to the two men.

“If that is what the Council wishes, then we will not argue,” Mahad said in a tone devoid of any emotion. “Do you wish to hear what we’ve already found?”

The cocky one’s smirk was back as he took another drag of his cigarette. “Don’t bother.” He stepped away then, purposely turning his back on the master and apprentice as he unsheathed his silver dagger and ran his thumb along the flat of the blade. “We’ve got other ways of hunting her down.”

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