Page 75 of Magic Forsaken

It was a staggering amount, considering how little I’d done so far, and suddenly Angelica’s animosity began to make more sense.

But now that I’d decided to embrace this job—and allow my shapeshifter magic to be revealed—I wouldn’t be as useless. From here on out, I would be earning this money in whatever ways I could.

The trek back with full grocery bags threatened to pull my fingers off, but I made it just in time for dinner, which took on the atmosphere of our first real celebration. Logan heated up an entire box of pizza rolls in the microwave and polished them offwith an expression of bliss, while Ari dined on mac and cheese with a side of applesauce. Kes and I ate turkey sandwiches, and afterwards, we all shared a package of cookies.

It felt like heaven, but even better was when I handed over the money that would allow us to stay in our room for another week.

“Your employer is very generous,” Kes said softly as we watched the kids play outside after dark. “But are you sure this is all… legitimate? That he’s not planning to use you for something illegal rather than dirty his own hands?”

It was a smart question, and we’d earned our suspicions, but for whatever reason, I’d already put my doubts to rest. “I’m as sure as I can be.” I shrugged in the darkness. “And he did almost get me blown up, so I don’t feel too bad about taking his money.”

After a long pause, I risked changing the subject. “I met Prince Rath today.”

Kes went still, like a deer scenting a predator. “Oh?”

She wanted to ask. But part of her was holding back, as if afraid to know what I would say.

“He seems jaded, but I don’t think he’s a terrible person,” I observed carefully. “And my boss seems to like him. If you want me to arrange a meeting…”

“No.” It sounded almost frantic. “I… I’m not ready.”

“Then I won’t say anything,” I assured her. “Don’t worry. Even if he recognized you, he’ll be way too busy with the Symposium to do anything about it.”

She drew up her knees and wrapped her arms around them for warmth, even as Ari’s laughter rang out over the sounds of traffic that surrounded our little outdoor space.

Soon. Soon I would find a way to get them out of here and build them a new life. Think about things like school. Maybe that would never be a reality for refugees like us, but… at least I had hope now. Maybe I could ask Faris or Kira for advice, once theSymposium was over. Maybe I could look into the idea of doing school at home. Maybe…

But that was enough dreaming. First, I had to get through this week and earn the rest of my pay without dying, or slipping up.

Everyone needed to believe I was just a half elemental, half shifter who’d never known my parents. Nothing too out of the ordinary. And after the Symposium, most of them would go home—including Callum—and then it would be far easier to hide the rest of our secrets.

I ignored the quick pang that suggested I wasn’t entirely happy with the idea of Callum leaving. Because that was ridiculous. I needed him to go home. Needed him to forget that we existed. I kept forgetting that someday his shapeshifter nose might tell him the truth about me. He already thought I smelled weird, and if he ever figured out why…

“Rainy, come play tag with me!”

…Playing tag with a six-year-old who could teleport was less likely to end in abject failure and humiliation.

“Coming,” I called out with a rueful smile. “But no cheating!”

Her giggle suggested she intended to cheat outrageously without the smallest shred of remorse.

But I didn’t care. She was happy, and for the first time in months, we weren’t flat broke. Everything else could wait for tomorrow.

Of course,tomorrow dawned with a chip on its shoulder and an evident determination to laugh in the face of my optimism.

It all started when I arrived at work and made my way up to the fifth floor office, but only after strolling past Kevin with themost shifty-eyed expression I could manage. Poor man probablywasgoing to have an aneurysm if I kept this up much longer.

Angelica and Heather were standing in front of an interactive whiteboard when I walked in, drawing circles and scribbling beside them in a state of agitated focus.

“We can’t have three fae at one table,” Heather pointed out in a near whisper. “It’s unbalanced.”

“Well, we also can’t have the goblin delegate seated next to Marilee Springvale,” Angelica returned, distraction making her sound almost human. “They apparently dated for a few months until she caught him making out with a sprite and tried to drown them both in an ornamental fountain.”

Note to self: do not annoy the naiad.

“I thought the seating chart for the banquet was already finished.” Callum strode across the office and offered me a brisk nod before pausing in front of the board, crossing his arms and tilting his head as he tried to read the scribbled names.

I’d only learned about the banquet a few days ago. Apparently, there were traditions that had to be followed, carried over from the days before Idrians became refugees on Earth, when these symposiums were far more regular—and often more violent—events.

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