Page 73 of Magic Forsaken

“About the rumors.”

“Wait, are youagreeingwith him?” It simply didn’t compute. How could people be gossiping about a romantic connection between a homeless criminal with no past and the shapeshifter king? Had theyseenhim?

“I mean that the rumors will eventually exist, if they don’t already. Even if Leith has to start them himself.”

I thought back to the sly grin on the siren’s face and decided that this checked out. “But why? Why would he do that?”

“To remind me that I can’t have everything my own way,” Callum acknowledged, letting his head fall back against the seat. “The wildkin court has far smaller numbers, and therefore less power. He was reminding me that he doesn’t need magic to blunt my teeth.”

“So…” I folded my arms and grimaced as I thought through the implications. “If I keep working for you, everyone will claim you’re using your position to bestow favors. The only people other than Talia who’ve seen me use magic are related to you, either by blood or marriage. So if Talia doesn’t admit to what happened, they’ll assume that I’m actually useless, and you just wanted me close to you. And that you used your authority to bypass the rest of the shapeshifter court in order to hire me.” Even saying the words made my face heat uncomfortably.

Callum groaned and rubbed a hand over his face. “That’s the short version, yes,” he said dryly.

“And you’re new enough that you have enemies,” I went on, following the painful but undeniable trail of logic. “The other sovereigns are more than willing to test you. So a scandal like this will only undermine your credibility and ensure that it’s much harder to come to an agreement between the four courts.”

His silence was answer enough.

“What can we do? Other than the obvious, that is.”

He turned to look at me, his eyes glimmering faintly from their depths. “And what exactly do you think is the obvious answer here?”

“I quit,” I said promptly. “Go back to working for Faris and you go on with the Symposium as planned.” The thought gave me a bit of a pang, but I squashed it ruthlessly.

“You can’t quit,” he said, in a tone of finality. “Unless you truly want to, of course. But if you quit, that sends a message to Leith that he can bully me with rumors. Use information to gain what he wants. It will give him an advantage in any disagreements we may have, which will make the other courts too nervous to negotiate in good faith.”

Ugh. Politics. They were bad enough when none of the participants could breathe fire, read your mind, or just plain eat you.

“Fine, if I can’t quit, then what do you propose?”

Terrible word choice, really.

Callum stared out the windshield for what felt like an eternity.

“Under ordinary circumstances, I don’t really care what they say about my personal life,” he said at length. “I don’t need to justify my choices, and I will remind them of who and what I am if it becomes necessary.”

I could only imagine what that kind of reminder would look like. Pity the fool who tried to bully a dragon.

“But for the next few days, I do have to be mindful of appearances to a point.” He turned to meet my gaze reluctantly. “Also, Leith was right that this decision concerns your safety. It might end up making you more of a target, so I will not act without your consent, but if we reveal your shapeshifter heritage, there can be no scandal, no matter how they gossip. Yes, there are those who will disapprove because you are not a dragon. But if you’re known to be a member of my court, both gossip and tradition will be satisfied.”

I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. His face wore the mask of the shapeshifter king and revealed not even a hint of emotion.

My own emotions, however… Those were in full panic.

“How do I become a member of your court?” I asked through frozen lips.

“You already are, Raine,” he explained patiently, as if I should know this. As if it were obvious. “This would simply be a matter of acknowledging it publicly. Admitting you have a shifter parent. A shapeshifter is a part of the court by virtue of their magic, unless they choose to disavow it.”

He wanted to tell everyone what I was. Reveal that I had dual magics, which would mean more scrutiny. More ways to trip up. More potential for mistakes that could spell the end of my freedom—the end of our hope for a normal life.

But also… if I could walk this tightrope, it would provide future protection for myself and the kids. Callum had promised that this Symposium would mean no more experiments. No more exploitation of the weak. If ever a monster like Elayara arose again, the other courts would rise together to stop her.

Was the risk worth it?

Or was I racing headlong towards my own destruction?

“Promise me,” I blurted out.

Callum did not flinch. “What do you want?”

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