Inside, soft mood music played from tall speakers, meshing well with the lobby’s warm browns and golds. The ambience was lavish, and the dressed up mages standing about nibbling on appetizers and sipping wine even more so. Sera had walked right into the middle of a gathering of the magical elite.

Thankfully, she was too insignificant for anyone to pay her any mind. She slipped through the crowd gathered in front of the door, muting her steps as best she could. The last thing she wanted was for them to wonder what a nobody mage with a big sword was doing crashing their exclusive gala. What was she even doing here? As soon as she’d seen all those tuxedos and evening gowns, she should have turned and left. This gathering—or whatever it was—was even less her scene than Trove. At least at Trove, they’d been playing the same trashy music she listened to.

Sera tapped the elevator button, ducking inside as soon as the doors opened. Kai was somewhere up there. She’d felt that much. But which floor? She looked up. Kai’s magic whispered to her from the 86th floor, humming against her lips. She closed her eyes and let the heat wash over her. It wasn’t as potent as being next to him, but it was enough to throttle her pulse into overdrive. And the closer the elevator got to the 86th floor, the stronger the feeling got.

Sera folded her hands behind her and pushed her treacherous magic back inside of her. More and more, she was beginning to think she should never have gone looking for Kai.

The elevator doors opened. As soon as she stepped out, another aura tugged at her, tingling her nose. It was a mage—and a first tier mage at that—and there was something familiar about it. Like she’d felt it before. But where? And when? Her matches today had fried her brain, making it basically useless at conjuring up any thoughts beyond the basest instincts. Eat, fight…

Sex.

Sera stopped. Wait, what? She shook that loose wire in her head.

That’s no loose wire. That’s me, genius, the voice in her head snickered.

It hadn’t spoken to her for a while—long enough, in fact, that she’d begun to think she’d just imagined it. Well, except that Alex had told her to listen to it. What did her sister even mean? Only crazy people listened to the voices in their head.

The voice had gone quiet again. Sera continued following the two magic trails toward the Observation Deck. As she closed in on the source of the magic, she could hear two men speaking.

“She defeated all her opponents today,” one of them said. His words were crisp and precise, but there was a hint of reproval in them.

“She’s good.” The second speaker was Kai.

Sera peeked around the corner. Past the stairs, in the middle of the tight room, he stood with none other than Blackbrooke, the Game Architect.

“She did it without magic.”

“She’s good,” Kai repeated.

“Kai, surely I do not have to remind you that the point of the Magic Games is to test the boundaries of a mage’s magic, not to let them show off how well they can fight without magic.” A suspicious wrinkle formed between his eyes. “What is she hiding?”

“You’ve grown paranoid in your old age, Duncan. Not everyone is hiding something.”

“I’ve always been paranoid. It’s served me well over the years,” he replied. “And, yes, everyone is, in fact, hiding something. I’ve cracked hundreds of minds in my tenure as Game Architect.”

“You were cracking minds long before that.”

“Yes, well, we all have our own special talents. Mine is extracting secrets. And I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that Serafina Dering has a big one.”

Kai said nothing.

“She’s twenty-four years old. She should have gone through the Magic Games years ago,” Blackbrooke continued. “I’ve looked into her records. She’s been tested by magic detectors before. They always came back negative for magic.”

“Interesting.”

“Interesting? You think this is funny, Kai?”

Kai shrugged. “Your reaction sure is.”

Blackbrooke’s face went as red as a hellfire demon. “It takes a very powerful mage to fool a magic detector. I can count the number of mages in the world who have done it on one hand. You are one of them.”

“I did it just to prove I could, not because I had any nefarious purpose. What can I say? I was young and bored.”

“Did you teach her how to fool the detectors?”

“I have known Sera for all of one month.”

“Is that a denial?”

Kai’s sigh rocked his whole chest. “Yes, it’s a denial. What’s the matter with you? Did you take a shot of that fizzy blue liquor they’re serving below?”

“No…ok, yes. It has a delightful flavor, like magic dancing the samba with my tastebuds.” His eyes drifted up, a content smile settling on his lips. It lasted only a moment before he cleared his throat. “But that’s beside the point. I didn’t have enough for it to muddle my mind.”

“You could have fooled me.”

“This newfound sarcasm doesn’t suit you, Kai,” Blackbrooke said sternly. “It’s an unfortunate habit you’ve picked up since you started gallivanting around with that mercenary.”

“Do you have a point to all this, Duncan? Or are we just up here to enjoy the view?” Kai checked his watch.

Blackbrooke frowned at him. “Don’t tell me you have something more important to do than ensure the security and sanctity of the Magic Council.”