Page 29 of Magic Forsaken

“You’re right,” the dragon agreed. “I don’t know you. But Idoknow this world you’re living in. You need to trust me when I say that you no longer have the option of hiding or running. If you try, they will only follow you, because you’ve shown yourself to be a threat.”

A laugh burst from my throat, but it was harsh and ugly, and I hated the sound.

“But I don’twantto threaten anyone! I don’t even want this power, and if it were up to me, I would never use it again. For any reason!”

“Nevertheless.” His jaw was set, his gaze implacable. “After last night, you have two choices—learn to control your power and make a place for yourself, or ignore it and become a danger to those around you.”

He was wrong. He had to be wrong.

“Magic always breaks free.” The words were uttered with absolute certainty, and the expression he wore looked almost like regret. “Ask Kira. Ask Draven. They can tell you there’s no hiding from this. You’re going to have to face it.”

“Or maybe,” I accused, “you’re just saying this because you want to use me. Because I’m powerful and easy to blackmail.”

“You are powerful,” he confirmed. “And yes, you are most definitely an easy target for blackmail, and that is part of why I want you to work for me.”

He caught me so off guard that my jaw dropped, betraying my shock. A swell of fury rose in my throat, choking off my words as I stared at him.

This place was not a haven for people like me—it was a trap.

As my rage swelled, I felt a surge of that visceral desire to dig my teeth into his throat. But I would not give in. Would not lose control again, and especially not here.

“You utter bastard,” I whispered, but the dragon merely tilted an eyebrow, appearing entirely unconcerned by my rage.

“This is in your best interest as well as mine, so I’m not sure why you’re so angry.”

It was all I could do not to scream in his smug, self-righteous face. “You’re using my secrets to force me to do your dirty work, and you have no idea why I’m angry?” Fury was pulsing through me so strongly it felt like a second heartbeat. Competing magics rose, tugging me first one way, then another. Begging me to let go. To taste his blood between my teeth. To form a dagger of pure power and slide it between his ribs. To take the water from the air and drown him with it. To whisper and cajole until he told me all of his secrets and then bury him with that knowledge.

Violent, visceral thoughts clamored for my attention until I clapped my hands over my ears and shut my eyes. Tried desperately to center myself in my body. My human body.

“Raine.” The dragon’s deep voice resonated through my chest. “You need to breathe.”

I drew in a single, shuddering breath.

“I would never use your secrets against you.”

He was lying. He’d already tried.

“I didn’t tell Faris about last night.”

Wait, what?

“Then what did you mean?” My voice was hoarse from the strain of holding myself back. “You said… you said you chose me… because I’m easy to blackmail.”

“Yes. I did.”

I forced my eyes to open and found myself face to chest with my inscrutable, auburn-haired nemesis. I felt his anger, but I also felt concern, and as I tilted my head back to meet his eyes, a tiny voice in the back of my mind was screaming at me to stop. Stop arguing with the man who could put an end to all my hopes of a relatively normal life. Stop arguing with the powerful king of the shapeshifters, who could probably break me in half with his bare hands. Unless of course he felt more like shifting into adragon and setting me on fire. Or flying me up to a thousand feet before dropping me. Or… any one of a hundred other unpleasant ways to die.

Maybe that voice was my weird magic hunches trying to talk sense into me. But if so, they seemed to be losing out to my gosh darn cussed human stubbornness.

“Then why?” I demanded. “Why are you offering me a job? And why not tell Faris the truth?”

He was standing so close I could see the dark rings around his amber irises. See the fire in their depths and feel the furnace of his power simmering just beneath the surface.

“I didn’t tell Faris because your secrets are not mine to reveal. And that will not change. Not unless you become a threat to the Symposium or the people under my protection.”

That was… technically very fair. But it wasn’t enough. Not when I didn’t know the rules of this game we were playing.

“Then why the job offer? And what happens if I say no?” I was still fighting for control, so the words came out in a breathless, almost-whisper. “What will it take for you to decide that you’re willing to use my secrets to manipulate me after all?”

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