Page 74 of Magic Forsaken

“Promise me that my people will be safe. That until the Symposium ends, no matter what happens, they will be protected.No matter what happens.”

He looked at me steadily. A rock in uncertain waters. Utterly confident in his place, his power, and his position.

Unlike me. All I had was a dogged unwillingness to lose, and yet somehow, fate had dropped us both here and tied us together.

He trusted me, even though he shouldn’t.

And I… I trusted him, too, even though I shouldn’t.

“I’ve spent my whole life trying to control every possible variable,” Callum admitted at last. “I don’t think I’ve told you this, but my sister disappeared when she was just a baby. Ever since then, I’ve done everything I could to prove that if I only tried hard enough, I could keep my family safe.”

His head fell back, then he turned to face me. “But I was wrong. The world is full of things I cannot control, including my family.” A smile tugged at his lips. “That doesn’t mean I don’t try. I’m hardheaded, impossible, and sometimes downright illogical when it comes to the people I care about. So while I cannot promise they will be safe, I promise that I will try. That I will do everything in my power to ensure that they come to no harm because of the Symposium or your connection to me.”

I considered his words, while my instinctive sense of panic warned me that this was a mistake.

But I’d already decided. I was going to see this through.

“All right. You can tell everyone that I’m a shapeshifter.”

SIXTEEN

I should have knownit wouldn’t end there. Should have guessed that it wouldn’t be that simple.

Given the day we’d already had, Callum decided to take me home early, but not before stopping by the office for a brief errand. I stayed in the car, and when he returned, he handed me an envelope.

“First week’s pay, as promised,” he told me.

The envelope was fatter than I’d anticipated. “We didn’t agree on a salary.”

“I know. So I took Angelica’s base salary and added hazard pay.”

My eyes about popped out of my head. I had no idea what an executive assistant like her would make in a week, but it was way more than I could have made waiting tables and mopping floors.

“Thank you.” I said it as sincerely as I knew how. “I know it’s against the rules, and I appreciate it.”

“You certainly earned the hazard pay today.” Callum started to drive away, but I stopped him with a hand on his arm.

“Actually, I’d like to walk home.”

He side-eyed me a little. “Are you sure?”

“I think me pulling up to the hostel twice in one day with the shapeshifter king as my chauffeur might be a bit much for the locals.”

He winced visibly, and I almost felt bad, but not enough to change my mind. I needed the walk. Needed to plan the best use of my first paycheck.

“All right.” He stopped the car, and I hopped out.

I turned back before shutting the door and found him watching me with a peculiar expression.

“Be safe?”

“Yeah. Uh. You too.”

On that sublimely awkward note, I shut the door and walked off before I could say anything even more embarrassing.

I didn’t go straight home, though. After a bit of a hike, I found a small grocery store on Classen Boulevard and spent part of my cash on necessities like soap, toothpaste, deodorant, and a small selection of non-perishable groceries. On impulse, I added in a few extras for dinner, reasoning that we could all use a break from oatmeal and ramen.

While waiting in the line, I surreptitiously counted the money in the envelope and nearly passed out. I’d been paid five grand for asingle week.

---