Page 25 of A Trial of Fate

“Raising children helps prepare you for sleepless nights,” he chuckled. “And you were kept busy… coming into contact with a High Fae,” Magnus added with a fatherly tone that told me he knew everything. “Now that must have been exciting. Care to tell me about it?”

“Define exciting,” I said, still buried beneath my pillow. “And don’t forget accidentally almost killing him. Did Gilen leave that part out?”

“No, he did not.” Magnus’s deep voice rumbled with amusement. There was no doubt that his animal was a bear; all you had to do was hear him laugh or yell and the roar was unmistakable. “I was glad he ordered Talon to bring you straight home.”

“I guess.” I rolled my eyes, still hidden under the pillow, but I knew he could read my tone. I was not pleased.

“Very mature,” Magnus grumbled. “And you, being you… followed Gilen’s command without question and remained here all night?”

I reached up and moved the pillow off my face. I was too tired to play interrogator right now. All I wanted to do was sleep. “Yup,” I said, giving him a thumbs-up, then promptly thumped my head back against the feathered bedding, looking up to the ceiling.

“I’m sorry to keep you up. I won’t be much longer, I promise,” he said with an all-too knowing chuckle, “you must be exhausted from your run-in with the High Fae.”

“Exactly.”

“So, my next question is… was this before you were taken home? Or after you snuck into Alistar’s manor?”

My eyes darted to meet his, and the smug grin on his face was something only a father could give. I sat up straight in my bed, scrambling to think of something through my fog of exhaustion. “Umm.”

The gleam in Magnus’s eyes was mixed with amusement but also a twinge of disappointment. He stroked his beard with one hand, his brows furrowing as he mulled over my response.

I often imagined if he and my father would have held similar expressions whenever scolding me about something, and this was no exception. Magnus had a gritty, shaggy roughness that perfectly mimicked his grizzly bear form.

“Skylar.” His deep voice rumbled with authority. I didn’t know if he was demanding answers or just waiting for me to confess what I was thinking.

“Gods. Above.” I narrowed my eyes and crossed my arms in front of my chest. “Neera.”

“Don’t blame her. You know she can’t tell a lie to save her life, and she was asleep downstairs when we came home this morning. Julia and I both knew something was going on.”

I rolled my eyes and scoffed loudly, curling my knees to my chest and hugging my legs. I knew she wouldn’t be able to lie to her mom and dad. She was too pure-hearted and kind to step out of line and do something like that.

“You used a beta command on her, though, right?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

I smiled to myself at the thought of Magnus having to use his animal’s power to force Neera to fess up about what happened.

As shifters, we followed and obeyed the dynamic of power. The alpha was always the strongest among us, with his beta following close behind. When either of them gave a command, power flowed into their words. It was hard to describe, but it was like a compulsion was placed over the shifter, and they couldn’t resist the pull to follow their leader’s order.

Me, on the other hand, I had a special ability to resist Magnus’s and even Alistar’s commands. I played it off as a hindrance, blaming my human half for not “hearing” them, but that was not the case at all. I heard them loud and clear. I just didn’t always have to obey. My animal didn’t want to submit, and I had free will to resist the compulsion.

“Well, even Neera doesn’t know the whole story about what happened after I left. I didn’t wake her up when I returned. So, logically, I assume you are here to get the rest of the story.”

Magnus sighed heavily, his head bending forward as he reached out his other hand to pat my foot. “We both know you will have to tell me willingly. I can’t force it out of you.”

“I could be bribed,” I teased.

Magnus smiled, and it made me relax. I respected my uncle and didn’t want to hide anything from him intentionally. I knew he only had my best interests at heart.

“What would be your price?”

That got my attention. I lifted myself up so I could sit cross-legged on the bed. “Information.”

“Such as?” he asked, arching his dark brows and scrunching his face to the side, having no idea what he was getting himself into with this type of bargain.

“I answer one question, then you do the same.”

He paused to consider the arrangement before answering. “Deal. Now, get dressed and come downstairs. Julia is making a very late breakfast… Well, dinner now? Or late lunch? Regardless, she is again cooking alone without her favorite helper, so hurry up.” Magnus patted my leg, stood up, and marched out of my room, closing the door behind him.

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