Page 56 of Magic Forsaken

And fool that I was, I couldn’t just let him be honest without offering him honesty in return.

“You didn’t break your promise to me,” I admitted stiffly. I didn’t want to say it out loud, but he deserved the truth. “You only said you wouldn’t let anyone else hurt me. But I wanted it to mean more than that. I wanted to believe that you wouldn’t hurt me either. That you trusted me to have your back and would protect mine in return.”

I’d wanted so badly to believe that what Morghaine told me was true—that he protected those who mattered to him, and thatIwas one of the things he’d chosen to protect.

“I was a fool to think that it was that simple. For someone in your position, trust is never simple. You did what you had to do for the sake of your people, and I can accept that.”

Relief blossomed on his face. I saw when his tension eased. His burden lightened.

“But I do need to know where we stand, Callum. Because from your perspective, it made no sense to trust me back there. Still makes no sense that you’re willing to put your faith in me or my abilities. So I need to hear it straight from you.”

“You want to know why I chose you?” Callum asked, and I nodded.

“And don’t say it’s your empath brother. I know he’s the reason you decided to let me off the hook that first night, but there are enough loopholes in his statement to drive a truck through.”

Callum looked me dead in the eye. “You’re right,” he acknowledged. “I knew it wasn’t enough. But then I saw the way you stood up to Talia. Picked a fight with those teens for the sake of a half-dead kitten. I saw myself in you, and I wanted to trust you, so I made an impulsive decision.”

He shook his head, almost in disbelief. “It’s not like me. I’m logical to a fault. I live by rules and responsibilities. But something made me want to believe in you. When I realized your skills could be a tremendous asset, I saw an opportunity and took it. And even though I’m aware there were flaws in my reasoning—places where I allowed sentiment to interfere with logic—I still believe that I was right. ”

It was everything I wanted to hear, and it still hurt me like a knife to the heart. Because this trust… it was going to destroy him one day. He just didn’t know it yet.

“Raine, Iwasn’twrong about you. I know you didn’t kill them.”

I shrugged with exaggerated casualness. “So what? Logic dictates that you still shouldn’t trust me at your back.”

And he shouldn’t. He absolutely, definitely shouldn’t, but I could never tell him why.

“Maybe not.” He copied my shrug, and a slight smile appeared on his lips. “But as anyone can tell you, I am bullheaded, impossible to reason with, and often a total pain in the ass.”

“Is that a direct quote?”

I surprised a laugh out of him, and his face softened.

“Probably. Ask Kira. She’ll be very willing to provide you with character references to prove it.”

My heart tried to melt right there in my chest. Stubborn, bossy Callum was handsome enough, but when boss mode turned off? The effect was devastating, and my defenses were weak.

“Look,” he continued, “I know our start hasn’t been ideal, but I still want you to work for me. Whether I should or not. Whether it’s logical or not. Please… I hope you’ll consider not quitting your job.”

The truth was, I didn’t want to quit. But if I were going to stay…

“Callum, I don’t trust easily. And even though you never actually broke your promise, I still felt betrayed when you didn’t defend me. How am I supposed to move forward knowing that you won’t stand up for me if we get into a fight with one of the other courts?”

He took a step towards me. Then another. Slow and measured, as if giving me time to run away. And when he stood only an arm’s length away, he held my gaze, amber eyes bright.

“First of all, once we’ve made your position public and official, you’ll be granted some degree of protection as one of my employees. No one gets to attack you without consequences.”

Okay, that was promising, and it checked out with what Faris had told me about why I should work for Callum in the first place.

“But aside from that… Would you believe a second promise if I made it?”

He shouldn’t be making any more promises to someone like me. And there was literally no good reason for me to believe him if he did. But apparently, we were both idiots.

“Yes.”

Our eyes locked. I felt the power swirling between us and held my breath as it snapped into place, like bonds of iron linking us together.

“I promise, Raine Kendrick, that I will never deliberately cause harm to you or to those that you love.”

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