Page 58 of Magic Forsaken

“Please tell me you didn’t do something to that cup.” Callum eyed me with a hint of suspicion.

“Nope,” I replied, trying to ignore the giddy feeling of relief that bubbled up at the sound of his voice. “But he definitely thinks I did.” I grinned, and the expression was probably a little evil. “He always looks at me like I’m about to blow the place up, so I decided to do something kind in return.”

“You mean you decided to give our security officer an aneurism?” Callum raised an eyebrow and folded his arms. “I take it my staff has failed to keep you sufficiently busy this week.”

I glanced out the window, just as Kevin took a tentative sip from the cup. His face relaxed, and I sighed as I realized my fun was over.

“I promise I’ve been busy. Just not quite as busy as you.” Oops. Hopefully, my tone hadn’t betrayed the fact that I’d actually… missed him. What a weird thought.

“I’m afraid it’s about to get worse,” Callum informed me, beckoning towards the stairs with a jerk of his head. There was now a working elevator in the building, but none of us ever used it as it moved slower than a sloth crossing a road, so I bit back my groans and followed him all the way to the team office on the fifth floor.

We entered together, which proved to be unfortunate timing, as Angelica promptly shoved a stack of papers at me with a chilly stare of disapproval.

“Raine, I already told you the answer is no,” she said severely. “I cannot approve a paycheck advance for anyone who has been employed for less than a year. Particularly after you’ve already benefited so… significantly from the generosity of the shapeshifter court.” She eyed my outfit from head to toe, just to be certain that I understood.

I did. But I was also just a teeny bit annoyed that Callum was present to witness the rejection of my petition.

It wasn’t that I was ungrateful. I didn’t like to admit it, but the new uniform made me feel less defensive. It might look like a plain white button-down shirt under a simple suit jacket and dark, tailored pants, but the material was both durable and soft, and each piece fit me perfectly, showing off muscles I’d earnedthe hard way. I couldn’t begin to imagine what they’d cost, or how they’d been acquired so quickly.

I even understood the reason for the policy. But we’d been living on the same packaged meals for almost two weeks now. The kids needed clean clothes and better food, and I was willing to fight for them.

Yes, they were safe, they were warm, and they weren’t going hungry. But eventually I had to get them out of that hostel. We were going to have our own place, where the kids could play outside. Maybe even a car that wasn’t stolen.

But first…

“Can you at least tell me when I should expect to be paid, and how much?” I didn’t love sounding so mercenary, and especially not in front of Callum, but when you have nothing, those questions matter.

“Pay her in cash for this week.” Callum’s tone left no room for compromise, and I felt myself flush with humiliation. Not because of what he said, but because… I didn’t like asking him for favors. I wanted him to see me as more than a helpless dependent, even if that’s what I was. Even if none of my potential reasons made sense.

“But her salary…”

“I emailed you.”

Angelica’s face froze, and she nodded with icy precision. “Will there be anything else?” she asked coolly.

I turned to face my boss and managed to hold on to my neutral expression as I waited for him to answer. While also surveying him and wondering what was different…

He was still wearing black, but this morning it took the form of a tailored suit, which somehow looked both incredibly perfect and a little bit wrong—like playing dress-up with a tiger. That suit was trying very hard to conceal the claws of the predator underneath and completely failing.

“I’m just here to pick up Raine.”

I tried to respond to that news with a professional and businesslike demeanor, rather than betraying how pathetically grateful I was to be getting out of the office.

“Where are we going?”

I must have failed, because Callum quirked an eyebrow at me in response.

“I’m headed out to greet the early arrivals in person this morning. It’s as good a time as any for them to start feeling nervous about who you are and why I’ve hired you.”

I could sense a looming storm of frustration behind those words. “Still nothing on the shapeshifters?” I’d been studiously avoiding Faris and The Portal, so I hadn’t heard any news on how the investigation was proceeding.

He shook his head. “No one is missing. Nothing has been reported. And no matter how many times we sweep the basement, there’s nothing out of place. No traces of magic, no unfamiliar scents.”

“So whoever was down there was either someone you know, or they were able to cover their tracks completely.”

Which was worrying. How could someone powerful enough to slaughter two shapeshifters simply come and go at will without leaving a trace?

Who else would they be able to get close to? And what were their goals?

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