Page 31 of Magic Forsaken

Huh. I stuck my nose in the rising steam and breathed it in once more, and that’s when I realized that it wasnotthe tea I’d been smelling the first time.

It was Callum.

Oops.

“So what is it you think I can do for you?” And it had better be a real job, not some pity position meant to keep me out of the way.

The dragon set his own tea on the coffee table—on a coaster, as if dragons worried about normal things like water spots on the woodwork—then leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. He regarded me steadily for a few moments, which gave me an excellent view of how good he looked in that white t-shirt before he finally admitted the truth.

“I’m hoping you can help me keep the courts in line.”

I’d just taken a sip of my admittedly delicious tea and narrowly avoided spitting it out all over his gorgeous dark wood coffee table.

“Excuse me?” A fit of coughing shook me as I tried to dislodge the hot liquid from my windpipe.

The dragon just sat back and watched until it seemed likely that I wasn’t going to choke to death.

“I’m good,” I wheezed eventually. “Go ahead.”

He quirked an eyebrow at me skeptically, but continued talking. “I know it probably sounds like I’ve lost my mind. Not that long ago, I wouldn’t have believed me either.”

Not quite the vote of confidence I’d been hoping for. “How exactly do you expect me to moderate anyone else’s behavior when I can barely manage mine?”

“Think about it.” He was watching me intently, almost earnestly. “You have no ties to any of the courts. You have enough power to command respect, but you have no known loyalties. That makes you precisely the kind of asset I’ve been looking for.”

Asset. Another way of saying I was a tool for him to use.

“Why not Draven?” The half-fae was literally an assassin.

“Draven is powerful enough,” Callum acknowledged, “but he has too many ties to the fae, and to my family.”

Okay, it all made a weird sort of sense. But still…

“The ideal candidate also has to be willing to work with me, and either above actual suspicion or have too much to lose by betraying me.”

I had to admit, the dragon wasn’t stupid. He might still turn out to be a rat bastard, but not a stupid one.

“Why do the courts need a mediator?”

“We aren’t naturally very good at cooperating,” Callum informed me dryly, leaning back in his seat and crossing an ankle over the opposite knee. “Mostly we bicker, and we like it that way. Maintains the balance of power. But right now, it’s worse than ever. No one knows who to trust and everyone is frightened by what Elayara tried to do.”

Hah. They might know about her stealing magic and using it to create artifacts, but they had no idea what Elayara hadactuallytried to do. And if they ever found out? I shuddered.

“It is absolutely vital that we come to an agreement on how to handle the aftermath,” Callum continued. “But with tensions as high as they are, any slip up, and we’ll be at each other’s throats.”

Just as I’d thought. Oklahoma City was about to become a powder keg of warring magic and competing egos.

“You also mentioned leaks and security issues.”

He nodded. “It’s evident that someone or someones have been working against us from the very beginning. Attempting to sabotage the Symposium and drive an even larger wedge between the courts.”

I genuinely wasn’t sure what he thought I could do in this circumstance. “And I’m supposed to help you with this, how?”

A sort of grim resignation settled over his features. “I’m proposing to hire you… as my bodyguard.”

EIGHT

I blinkedat him a few times and promptly burst out laughing. For a moment there, I’d actually thought he was being serious.

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