No one would give the house built on the bluffs that overlooked the Mississippi River a second glance.
It was the same as any other farmhouse in the Midwest. A simple, two-story structure, with a wraparound porch and sharply angled roof. At one time it’d been painted white, although it was peeling in several places and there was mold creeping up the foundation.
Nearly hidden behind the large oak and dogwood trees, it looked abandoned from the distant road and the overgrown path deterred any stray trespassers.
Even the locals had learned to avoid the area, disturbed by the odd silence and strange sense of being watched by unseen eyes.
The location of the house was no accident. Beneath the bluffs along the river was a spiderweb of caves that had been the source of local legends for years.
Some claimed they had been Jesse James’s hideout. Or connected to the Underground Railroad. Others said they’d been used by smugglers.
And the always favorite rumor that they were a body dump for the Chicago mob.
The truth was far more dangerous.
The caves had been home to demons since long before the humans had ever arrived.
Standing in one of the deepest caves the small man was lost among the shadows.
Not that he would have stood out even in brightest sunlight.
He was one of those people who were easily overlooked.
Short, with sporadic tufts of gray hair on an almost bald head, he had pale skin that was nearly translucent and a pudgy belly that was hidden beneath a loose brown robe. His eyes were a watery blue, although they were usually covered by a thick pair of reading glasses.
He was insipid. Forgettable.
And if it weren’t for his ability to retain vast amounts of knowledge he would never have been invited to become one of the rare Oracles that sat on the Commission.
He was a walking, talking library.
He was also a warning on the dangers of judging a book by its cover.
Speaking a spell of protection that would alert him if anyone approached the isolated cavern, Brandel allowed his spirit to slip from his corporal body, and entered the shimmering portal.
He shivered, despite his lack of a physical form.
The silvery fog that lay between dimensions had always unnerved him.
Perhaps because he understood illusions.
The fog might feel tangible, but the truth was that there was a gaping void lurking just out of sight.
He made a sound of impatience as a large Adonis with a halo of golden curls and bronzed naked body appeared.
Raith was addicted to his current body, refusing to leave it behind even when it meant expending a vast amount of his energy.
Vain moron.
“I told you never to contact me when the Commission is in session,” he said telepathically, easily able to communicate his annoyance without speaking out loud.
Raith shrugged one broad shoulder. “There is a disturbance.”
Brandel made a sound of impatience. “The danger to the vampires has been contained. There is no threat to our arrangement,” he said, referring to the spirit that had so nearly created complete chaos.
“I do not speak of the vampires.”
“Then what?”
The perfect features hardened. “A whisper of ancient magic.”
Brandel felt a stirring of fear. “Our . . . guest?”
“He remains locked in stasis. But—”
“What?”
“He seeks to connect with someone in your world.”
“Damn.” Brandel could be arrogant, but he never forgot that their prisoner was a powerful demon who could destroy them if he ever broke free. “The last time he did this he succeeded in luring a witch into his prison.”
The wide, guileless eyes that were perfect for the Adonis face briefly flickered to reveal the black eyes slit with red that were Raith’s true form.
“Yes, a peculiar waste of his efforts. The witch was powerful, but her dark magic would never have been capable of destroying the barriers that hold him captive.” Raith gave a shake of his head, still puzzled by the creature’s peculiar behavior. “And he had to have sensed my spell would wipe her mind of their brief encounter as soon as she returned to her own world.”
“The bastard no doubt wanted a quickie. He always was an obnoxious, self-indulgent ass.”
Raith smiled with mocking amusement. “Still annoyed that he managed to seduce your mate?”
Brandel hissed, his unsubstantial form shivering in fury. Like most of his kind he’d sought his mate among the fey. And he’d found her in a beautiful, red-haired imp who’d made his soul sing. The fact that Glenda had never truly bonded with him had never bothered him.
Not until she’d run off with another.
“I had the last laugh,” he reminded his companion, recalling with vicious satisfaction how he’d forced his unfaithful wife to watch her lover being entombed in his eternal prison before he’d ripped her heart from her chest.
“So far,” Raith warned. “As you said, he has always been arrogant, but he is also a cunning, lethal adversary who could ruin both of us if he manages to escape.”
Brandel didn’t need the reminder.
The dangerous game he played was constantly on his mind.
Not only the fear of their prisoner escaping, but the constant dread that the Oracles would discover the truth of his presence on the Commission.
Death would be a welcome escape from what the powerful demons would do to him.
“Have you strengthened the shields that hide your guest?”
“Yes, and I’ve placed a tracer spell on the magic.”
“You seem to have it in hand. What do you want from me?”
Raith frowned. “Obviously I need you to follow my spell and investigate the source of the magic.”
“I can’t.”
There was a low vibration in the air. A resonance that threatened to scramble him on a molecular level.
“You wish to terminate our highly profitable partnership?”
“No, of course not,” he hastily soothed the older demon.
“Then you will do as I command.”
“Be reasonable.” Brandel floated backward, putting some distance between him and Raith. The vibrations hadn’t done any real damage, but they’d hurt like hell. “Leaving at this time will attract the sort of attention we can’t afford.”
Raith’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”
“Siljar.”
“She is an Oracle, is she not?”
Brandel’s anger stirred the fog. Damn but he hated the interfering, busybody of a demon.
“Not only an Oracle, but the Queen Bitch herself.”