Deception by B. C. Burgess Read Free Book Online Page A

the untalented breed.
    “May I help you, sir?” the receptionist asked.
    Agro watched Guthrie disappear around a corner. Then he turned to the desk. “I’m looking for a guest.”
    “Name?” the woman asked, perching her fingers over her keyboard.
    “Layla Callaway.”
    The receptionist furrowed her brow and pursed her lips. “You’re too late. She checked out several days ago.”
    “You know her?”
    “No, but you’re not the first person to ask about her.”
    “Is that so?” Agro hummed. “When did she check out?”
    “Last weekend.”
    “Can you be more specific?”
    “No.”
    Agro took a calming breath and forced a smile. “Will you tell me what room she was in?”
    “Why? She hasn’t been here for days.”
    Lacking a suitable answer, Agro considered reaching across the desk and taking the woman by her spiky hair, just long enough to read her mind. Then Guthrie emerged from the hallway and gave a slight nod.
    “I suppose you’re right,” Agro conceded. “Thank you for your time.”
    “Okay,” she replied, raising a sarcastic eyebrow.
    Agro’s nostrils flared as he turned away, his distaste for the hexless growing.
    He wasted no time exiting the hotel. Then he treaded down the sidewalk and met Guthrie at the corner. “What did you find?”
    Guthrie removed his gloves and dug into a pocket. “Her registration form. She checked in last Thursday, then out Sunday night.”
    Agro took the evidence and memorized the information. Then he crumpled the card and tossed it in a nearby trash can. “So Belinos spoke the truth.”
    Guthrie smirked and raised his left sleeve, offering his snake some air. “That hot little number you used for leverage did the trick. To Seattle then?”
    “I’m afraid so,” Agro grumbled, motioning for Guthrie to walk with him. “But we’re days behind her. She could be anywhere by now.”
    “The male bonded child is ahead of us as well. Perhaps he’s found her.”
    “Perhaps,” Agro agreed, nodding at a parking garage attendant before entering the cement structure. “And that would mean they’re either heading this way, or they’re already here. Unless, of course, he hasn’t found her, in which case they could be moving further away.”
    “That’s quite a predicament, sir.”
    “Yes it is.”
    “Are you sure she’s worth it?”
    Agro halted and turned, pressing knuckles into Guthrie’s tattooed neck as he took him by the collar. “You’re new to your position, so I’m going to forgive that slight, but if you ever question my intentions again, I’ll rip out your throat and feed it to your snake. Layla is no ordinary witch. She is an untapped mine of unimaginable power; power that will be mine at all costs. Do you understand?”
    “Yes, sir,” Guthrie replied, remarkably stoic.
    “Good,” Agro approved, “because I’m tempted to rip out your throat just for the hell of it, so now’s not the time to test me.” Pushing the lieutenant away, Agro vanished his shoes and shirt and donned his cloak. “Conceal yourself. We’re taking our fastest soldiers to Seattle. I want to be there by daybreak so we can rest. Then we’ll continue the hunt tonight.”
    “Yes, sir,” Guthrie replied, slipping on his cloak. Then both wizards melted into the shadows and flew from the garage.

Chapter 5

    Layla blinked her eyes open to Quin’s chest and sighed, trying to recall the circumstances in which she fell asleep. Oh yeah, he’d been healing her.
    “Good morning,” he whispered, running a hand down her hair. “How do you feel?”
    Tingles slid across her scalp, and she magicked her teeth clean before smiling at him. “I just woke up in a starlit meadow with a handsome man’s arms around me. I feel like I’m still dreaming.”
    “I like that,” he approved, leaning in for a kiss. “But it’s two in the afternoon. How does food and coffee sound?”
    “Delicious.”
    “Why don’t you go take your shower while I get you something to wear? Then we'll