Ancient Magic: a New Adult Urban Fantasy (Dragon's Gift: The Huntress Book 1) Read Free Page A

permeated by the scent of smoke that wafted from the shadow demon.
    “Do I send backup?” Nix asked through static.
    “No. I’ve got this.” I didn’t usually need my friends to step in and save my butt on a job, but it gave me the warm fuzzies to know they were willing. “You’re breaking up, Nix. Too much magic from the demon. I’m turning you off now.”
    Strong magic, like the kind the demon was throwing, usually interfered with the comms charm that hung around my neck. Something about the magical signature overpowering the puny charm that fueled my necklace.  
    I usually worked alone, but sometimes—okay, always—a riddle enchantment stumped me. At that point, Nix was there to back me up via a quick call through my comms charm. But now that she’d gotten me through the riddle that had opened the main door to this temple—Why does a dragon cross the road?—I no longer needed her help.  
    “Fine, don’t—” More static broke up Nix’s voice.  
    “If I’m not out in an hour, remember that I hate lilies,” I said. “Worst funeral flower.”
    “But—”
    I touched the silver charm around my throat, and its magic went dormant. Only the sound of the shadow demon’s breathing echoed in the chamber.  
    It was time to get this over with. I was starving, and this was my last gig before the long weekend. My leg screamed as I pushed myself to my feet. Breathe through the pain. It’s just bruising.  
      I drew my obsidian blades from the sheaths strapped to my thighs and stepped out from behind the boulder. Torchlight reflected wickedly off the black volcanic glass. Lefty and Righty, I called them—not nearly regal enough names for their power—but I’d never been good at clever names.
    “Time to go back to hell, fella,” my voice echoed in the stone chamber. “The devil says he’s missin’ ya.”
    The shadow demon laughed, his dark gray skin absorbing the light. Fine, it was a little corny, but I was tired.
    The demon raised his hand to throw another blast of magic at me. I flung Righty at him, dodging the whoosh of magic that he managed to get off before my blade sunk into his arm.  
    Perfect hit. Ten points .
    He roared in pain as heat seared my shoulder through my leather jacket.  
    Oh, so he wanted to play that way? With heat as well as wind? I thought wistfully of blasting him back with a reflection of his own power. His magic manifested as burning smoke. I’d give him a flaming tornado.  
    Except that was the problem. My magic was too powerful for me to control. I just blew shit up if I tried. I didn’t want to draw attention to myself, so I didn’t use my power. But I didn’t hide that I was a Mirror Mage—strong supernaturals could tell I had magic. If I didn’t use it often, my magical signature appeared weak to those strong enough to sense others’ powers.  
    So I’d gotten really good with weapons.
    I pricked the back of my hand with Lefty before immediately throwing the blade at the demon’s heart. My blood ignited a spell that would call its twin back to me.
    As Lefty hurtled toward the demon, Righty pulled itself out of the demon’s arm and flew through the air toward me. As long as I was quick—which I usually was—I always had a dagger at hand.  
    I reached up and snagged Righty as I kept an eye on the dagger that zoomed toward the demon. He used magic to blast it away.
    “That’s all you’ve got?” he roared.
    I dove behind the nearest column, a stone warrior woman in a flowing cloak, both of her hands gripping swords.
    A guardian. Of me, I decided.  
    I swiped my dagger over the small amount of blood welling on the back of my hand so that my other blade returned to me.  
    The demon roared again, his muscles bulging beneath his thin shirt as he drew his arms back to throw twin blasts of magic at me. All supernaturals had different gifts and his seemed to be throwing blazing blasts of smoke that blew things apart like a grenade.
      The smoke blast hit my