Page 6 of Magic Forsaken

There were days I wished I wasn’t quite so alone with this responsibility, but that was just self-pity talking. Kes was the biggest reason we’d escaped with our lives, and all she’d asked was that I take her with me. The kids certainly didn’t deserve any of the terrible things they’d already suffered, so how could I let them down now?

“I don’t know when I’ll get paid, but the owner said I can eat there, so that’ll save some money. We can make it on the fruit and ramen downstairs until then.”

Run down as it was, we’d been lucky to get a room at the Hotel Idria. It was actually a hostel that catered exclusively to a diverse magical clientele. Since most Idrians preferred to mingle with their own kind, it was mostly popular with those on the outs with their own courts, which often meant those who were desperate or possibly just a bit on the wrong side of the law. Which was fine with us, as it meant fewer questions about wherewe were from and why we were traveling with two kids who appeared to be fully human.

“We’ll be fine here,” Kes assured me, even though I knew it had to be killing her to stay cooped up in the room all day. Trying to entertain the kids, keep their magic hidden, and not go crazy worrying about who or what might be after us.

“I’m going to look for places we can go with the kids,” I promised her. “They’ll need more than just this room.” There was a tiny green space with picnic tables out back, but we could only use it if no one else was out there.

But first… “Who wants ramen for dinner?”

Ari cheered, disappeared from the top bunk and blinked back into existence right in front of me before throwing her arms around my waist.

“My favorite!”

Somehow, after everything she’d been through, she was still a ball of unrelenting sunshine, and I was going to make sure she had every reason to stay that way.

Unfortunately, our moment of optimism was interrupted by a heavy knock at the door.

Kes turned white. Logan shrank further into himself, and Ari wrapped her arms around my leg and refused to let go.

We were all pretty jumpy after the past six months, but it was probably just the front desk staff letting us know that the water was going to be shut off for an hour, or someone from the room below us complaining about Ari jumping on the bed. Something completely normal. And when I looked through the peephole, the man in the hall did look pretty normal. Human shaped.

“Glamour,” Kes whispered from behind me. She could feel it when she got close enough, and I’d relied on her senses more than once to tell me when the seemingly harmless person at the rest stop might turn out to be a bounty hunter on our trail.

But we couldn’t afford to get kicked out of this tentative haven, so I opened the door with a bright smile and hoped I didn’t look deranged.

“Hi, what can I do for you?”

Ari clung to my leg, looked up at the newcomer, and sneezed. “He tickles my nose,” she informed me. More proof that our visitor was using glamour—Ari seemed to have developed an allergy.

“Raine Kendrick?”

Adrenaline shot through my veins, accelerating my heart rate and narrowing my focus on the man in front of me. I didn’t want to hurt anyone else. I didn’t want to run. But to protect everyone in this little room, I would do whatever I had to.

“Yes?” My voice remained steady, my smile unchanged, but I was ready for whatever our visitor might unleash.

“I’m Nico.” The man was around six feet tall with brown skin and close cut dark hair. Everything about him was wide and solid, like a wall had somehow assumed human form, and yet he managed not to come off as looming or threatening. “I work at The Portal. Faris sent me down here to ask if you could come in to work tonight. Had an unexpected development, and we could use the extra help.”

For a brief moment, I wondered whether this “unexpected development” had auburn hair and amber eyes and looked like he could break people in half with his bare hands.

But I didn’t ask, because I had more important questions. Namely…

“How did you know where I live? I never gave Faris an address.”

Nico just shrugged. “You’re in Oklahoma City. It’s his town.”

As if that ought to explain everything. A tiny shiver of apprehension shot down my spine, but I reminded myself that this was why I was here. Because this place was somehowoutside the jurisdiction of the courts. Because none of them dared interfere too openly.

“Okay,” I agreed. “What time?”

“How soon can you get there?”

“I can walk it in thirty minutes.”

He nodded in approval. “Make it an hour.” He took a backpack off his shoulder and held it out. “Here’s your uniform and a few other things you might need. When you get there, come in through the back and ask for Irene.”

For a moment, his gaze dropped to Ari, and I tensed for his reaction, my breath tangling in my chest. But he only smiled, offered her a tiny wave, and took off down the hall towards the stairs with a heavy, deliberate stride.

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