Page 55 of Magic Forsaken

She hesitated. “Raine, I’m…”

“Thank you for explaining.” I pushed myself away from the wall and headed for the door, heart pounding as I contemplated what else Declan might have sensed.

Clearly, he hadn’t uncovered anything that made him think I was untrustworthy, or he would have told his family. And just as clearly, he wasn’t infallible. But I didn’t understand enough about empaths to know whether he could guess at the secrets I was protecting.

I was done. Done for the day. Done with secrets, done with suspicious dragon shifters, done with the smell of blood, and very, very done with the fear of being exposed.

So I walked away while I still could. Back up the stairs into the hallway and out the door in a bit of a daze. A cold, October wind cut through my thin jacket, and disappointment was a sharp ache in my chest. I didn’t know where I stood. Didn’t know if I still had a job. I just knew I couldn’t stay in that room with the stench of death and anger and suspicion.

“Raine, wait.”

He’d come after me. But I didn’t stop.

“Please.”

“Why?” I turned around and folded my arms tightly across my chest, partly for warmth, partly to conceal the fact that my hands were shaking. “Tell me why I should wait. Explain why I should waste a single minute listening to you.”

Callum stood alone in the alleyway, a crease of worry between his brows. For once, I sensed no threat, only an earnest… something.

“I’m sorry.”

And that made three times he’d said those words. Was he really sorry, or was he using the phrase as a get-out-of-jail-free card?

“You may not believe me, but I never actually suspected you.”

“Oh please.” I bit out the words. “Don’t lie to me, Your Majesty. Nothing in that room made sense, and I was the only obvious suspect that could have connected all the facts. You think I don’t know that?”

He remained silent and still as the wind ruffled his hair. I saw no sign that he could feel the cold that knifed through my clothes and made my teeth chatter.

“Faris wasn’t wrong to suspect me,” I stated flatly. “I almost expected it. But you… I thought…” I couldn’t even finish the sentence. Not without feeling like crying, and I refused to cry in front of Callum-ro-Deverin.

“You think I didn’t want to defend you?” The words were quiet, but fierce, and in response, my anger finally broke free.

“You’re the king of the freaking shapeshifters! You’re not afraid of Faris, so if you wanted to defend me, why didn’t you?”

“Becauseof my title, Raine. That’s why.” He sounded weary, pained, almost despairing.

I shot him a disbelieving glare. “That doesn’t make sense.”

His sigh was long and frustrated. “The only reason Idrians aren’t at war with one another constantly is that we’ve agreed to respect each other’s boundaries. The courts don’t interfere in each other’s business. Faris is an anomaly, but we’ve all concluded that he’s a necessary one, so I can’t throw my weight around on his territory. Not when he’s claimed responsibility. I agreed to cooperate in the investigation, but it was his court, his place of business that was violated. He had the right to question you without my interference.”

“Defending me isn’t the same as interfering,” I told him, fighting to keep my voice level. “What if Draven hadn’t shown up? What if Faris hadn’t believed him and decided I was guilty? Would you still have stood back and refused tointerfere?”

I might have felt better if he’d gotten angry, but he stood there like a rock and let me yell at him.

“And when were you going to tell me that your brother is an empath? That he invaded the privacy of my mind and my feelings without permission?”

That accusation drew a swift denial. “Declan would never invade your privacy on purpose. He’s an empath, not a telepath. He only picks up on strong emotions from those around him, and he tries very hard to shield himself whenever possible. And he only shares what he senses when it’s a matter of safety. He did not betray any of your secrets, Raine.”

I wanted to believe him. I’d actually liked Declan. But even if Callum was telling the truth, it didn’t solve the larger problem between us.

“And no.” He took a step closer to me, amber gaze fixed on mine. “I would not have simply stood back and refused to interfere. But the truth is, I don’t know exactly what I would have done. You’re my employee, yes, but you aren’t publicly known to be a part of my court. There would have been certainlimits to my ability to defend you without committing myself and my people to a deadly fight with someone I care about.”

As much as I hated what he was saying, I also understood. Faris was practically family, so if the two of them hurt each other, a lot of relationships would be broken. And Callum had more responsibilities than just me. He had thousands of people to protect, and he took that duty seriously.

In truth, I actually respected him more for refusing to feed me unfounded optimism just to make me feel better. Callum-ro-Deverin might be stubborn, bullheaded, and infuriating, but he would never lie to my face.

“But even so, Raine, I know it probably feels as if I broke my promise to you, and for that, I am sorry.”

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