Once Bitten (Shadow Guild: The Rebel 1)

I’d wanted to do terrible things.

The wall in front of me began to dissolve, and I turned to it, grateful for the interruption. I could feel her gaze on me as the wall disappeared entirely.

A pale man stood there, tall and broad-shouldered and wearing the long black cloak of the Sorcerers’ Guild. I felt a streak of annoyance as Carrow’s attention shifted to Remington. I didn’t want her to look at him. I wanted her gaze on me, always.

“Devil.” Remington nodded his head, his eyes going to Carrow. He frowned. “And a guest?”

“Indeed.”

“This is unusual.”

“Don’t think too deeply about it.” I had no intention of introducing Carrow. She was mine, though she didn’t know it yet, and Remington was powerful and dangerous. I didn’t want him to get too interested in her.

“I’m Carrow Burton,” she said.

I stifled an annoyed noise. I should have anticipated that Carrow would do whatever the hell she wanted. I hadn’t known her long, but I did know that.

“Remington, Sorcerers’ Guild.”

“I can see that.” Her gaze moved over the building. “Nice place you have here.”

Remington’s brows rose. Nice place.

I nearly chuckled again. That was two times she’d nearly made me laugh, two times in hundreds of years. It made my throat feel strange, and I resisted rubbing it.

“Come.” Remington turned and led us into a darkened stairwell, a magical and secret set of stairs that he’d created.

We strode up the dark, narrow steps, six stories that rose up and up, until we arrived at the roof. Remington opened the hatch at the top of the tower, and we followed him out and into the open air.

It always felt closer to the moon up here, something that I enjoyed. One of the few things I enjoyed these days. A faint breeze blew across the top of the tower, bringing the scent of rain with it. The city sprawled beneath us, ancient streets twisting alongside each other, golden streetlamps glowing.

Remington turned to us. “What can I do for you, Devil?”

I held out my hand to Carrow. “Your mobile, please.”

She pulled it out of her pocket and fiddled with it for a moment. When she handed it to me, the image of the body was on the screen. The burn mark was clear—two stars overlapping each other. I showed it to Remington. “We want to track whoever made this mark.”

He studied it a moment, a frown stretching across his face. “A necromancer?”

“We believe so.”

He grimaced. “Best find him soon, then.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

“Give me a moment, and I’ll get what I need.” Remington strode back to the stairs.

“He won’t be long.” I handed Carrow her mobile back.

“He’ll do the spell up here?”

“It seems so.”

She looked like some kind of ancient goddess with the wind blowing her hair back from her face and intensity gleaming in her eyes. “Why didn’t you answer my question down on the wall?”

Bloody hell. She wasn’t going to let that one go. “Are you happy in the human world?”

She frowned. “You’re changing the subject.”