Page 42 of Magic Forsaken

And that’s when I heard the sounds of outrage echoing in through the open doors. Apparently, in my enthusiasm, I’d forgotten to consider who might be standing on the sidewalk outside.

“Oops,” I murmured, and was rewarded with the twitch of Callum’s lips as three newcomers marched in through the doorway, soaked from the knees down.

It was the same man and two women I’d seen with Callum when he first pulled up to The Portal. All of them wore similar, nondescript dark suits, and two were sporting furious expressions that almost immediately settled on me as the most likely source of their discomfiture.

And even though I could have sworn Callum was amused by my mistake, his tone and demeanor changed the moment his staff came through the door. Ice settled over his gaze and his posture shifted noticeably as they approached, taking him from “disheveled and almost approachable” to “battle-tested sovereign on the path of vengeance.”

“Thank you for coming,” he said stiffly. “As you can see, the matter has been dealt with.”

He must have summoned them at some point after he left me on the roof.

“We apologize.” The tallest of the three bent her head in a very clear act of contrition. “We should have been closer in case of emergency.” I heard censure in her tone that time.

“You were acting on my orders, Angelica,” Callum returned coolly. “And you were exactly where I asked you to be, so there is no need to apologize.”

“You wereattacked,” the woman replied, sounding outraged. “How can you say there was no need for us?”

Callum’s gaze hardened. “I chose to make myself appear vulnerable so that my enemies might decide to take a shot at me. And it worked.”

Kira suddenly let out a laugh that sounded positively evil. An excellent reminder that she, too, was a dragon and probably just as devious as her brother.

“I wondered why you picked a spot in the most visible part of the city and then took months working on renovations. You werehopingfor this.”

Was he telling the truth? Was this a calculated performance—the product of a convoluted agenda and a devious mind? Or was he hoping to conceal the true extent of his vulnerability from three people he wasn’t sure whether he could trust?

On our first meeting, he had mentioned leaks and security issues. Were these three under suspicion, or was he truly bold enough to make himself a target under the conviction that he could defeat whatever his enemies threw at him? And if it were the latter…

Where did I come in?

“But if it will make you feel more comfortable,” he said blandly to Angelica, “I’ve already hired someone who can help us protect the integrity of the Symposium moving forward.”

“Youwhat?” Kira pulled back, her stare narrowing with suspicion and incredulity in equal measures.

“I believe you’ve met Raine Kendrick.” Callum gestured to me and shot me a look that sent a very clear message—no backing out now.“She arrived in town shortly before we did, to assess the situation and provide support. Her assistance proved invaluable tonight, and I am looking forward to exploring potential applications of her skills over the next two weeks.”

I mentally added “devious bastard” to my list of descriptors for Callum-ro-Deverin. Hopefully, I could remember all these lies he was spinning to make our story sound more believable.

“Exactly what did you hire Raine to do for you?” Kira was watching me oddly, and I could see the curiosity churning behind her eyes. Wondering what had changed between last night and today. How her brother’s suspicion had turned so suddenly to trust.

I couldn’t help but share her curiosity. His explanation, while plausible, didn’t strike me as sufficient.

“She’ll be serving as my bodyguard throughout the public events of the Symposium,” Callum informed her, without the slightest hint of a smile. “And assisting my staff with administrative tasks during the interim.”

Kira choked. Beside her, Draven hid a smirk. But on the faces of Callum’s underlings, I could see much more complicated calculations as he moved forward with introductions.

Angelica—the tall, elegant woman who’d chosen an expensive pantsuit to complement her permanent sneer—was his executive assistant. Alongside her perfect hair and makeup, she seemed to have a perfectly organized system that was now endangered by my decidedly disorganized presence. Apparently,the king of the shifters wasn’t supposed to hire anyone without running it by her first, and her displeasure took the form of a fiery stare and refusal to address me directly.

Magnus was short and neat, with perfectly cut dark hair and bland dark eyes. He was Callum’s secretary, and appeared to have no opinions whatsoever other than his evident disdain for me. His primary function seemed to be recording everything on a tablet while occasionally informing Callum of events he risked missing, people he risked offending, and appointments that simplycouldnot be rescheduled.

The woman standing just behind Angelica’s left shoulder—Heather—seemed to be some sort of assistant to the assistants. Her brown hair was tucked in a tight bun, her eyes rested perpetually on the floor, and she appeared almost eager to make it unnecessary for the others to run their own errands… or finish their own thoughts.

All three had the amber eyes of shifters, though they addressed Callum with a sort of deference that suggested they probably weren’t dragons. Considering what I’d heard about shifter court politics, it made sense that they would be people Callum didn’t know, who had no loyalty to him personally. No one wanted to risk him gaining too much power in his own court.

None of them knew what to make of me, but none were willing to challenge Callum directly, so they settled for sounding slightly offended that he would hire someone without asking their opinion.

Any one of these three might be the mole we were looking for. Any one of them might decide that I posed a threat, to either their jobs or their agendas. And whether I chose to use my magic to defend myself or not, a full-blooded shifter could easily catch me off guard.

“Do you think,” Angelica was saying in a chilly tone, “your new bodyguard might consider acquiring a wardrobe that is more fitting for her position in your entourage?”

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