Page 78 of Magic Forsaken

If that was his worst… his best might ruin me forever.

“The truth is, I want you with me for this. I want you there because I trust you to have my back, even if I don’t know why. I want you there because you don’t treat me like I’m nothing more than a path to power. You aren’t afraid of my strength and you don’t cower when I’m frustrated. You have your own thoughts and your own desires, and you act on them. But you also hold yourself to a standard. You protect the weak. You keep your promises. And you don’t back down from a challenge, even when you should for the sake of your own safety.”

He’d seen me. No matter how hard I tried to hide, he’d seen me, and I couldn’t decide whether to laugh or cry. Out of all the people in the world… He was the one person I should have run from, and the one person who made me feel safe.

He wasn’t saying he had feelings for me. I knew that. But he genuinely trusted me, and that was both a beautiful gift and the purest agony.

It could never last. The Symposium would end, and he would go back to wherever he’d come from. But for just these next few days…

He already knew about my family. Already knew I had dual magic. Surely I could manage to keep the rest of my secrets just a little bit longer. Long enough to embrace this fleeting moment of pretend closeness with a man I could no longer bring myself to think of as my enemy.

“What about your brother?” It was a last-ditch effort to protect my heart. Useless, really, but at least I could tell myself I’d tried.

Callum only looked puzzled. “What about him?”

“Why not take him to the banquet instead of me?”

He shook his head. “Nice try, but no. It was part of the agreement when I took this job. My family members aren’t allowed to interfere in court business. We were pushing the boundaries of propriety just having him be my driver.”

I shut my eyes. “Okay,” I whispered.

“What was that?”

I heard one footstep, then another. Felt the warmth of someone looming over me.

“I said okay. I’ll do it.”

A pause. “Thank you.” His voice was quiet and warm, so I dared to open my eyes.

Oh help. He was so close. And as I watched, his hand lifted, flexed, reached out…

“Rainy?”

I whirled, heart in my throat.

Ari stood in the open doorway.

Her smile was bright and filled with glee, as if she knew she’d done something wrong but refused to regret it.

And she wasn’t alone.

Her tiny hand was wrapped around the fingers of a tall woman in a dark suit…

Angelica’s hair was once again tucked neatly in her chignon, and she was looking at me with narrowed eyes that suggested she’d caught me doing something nefarious. My gaze shot to her grip on Ari, and I was relieved to note that it was careful. Almost gentle.

“This child just appeared out of nowhere in our office and asked for you, Miss Kendrick,” she said coolly. “Is she yours?”

SEVENTEEN

For a moment,I could only stare in horror as my worlds collided.

How had Ari teleported right into the fifth floor office? And why, oh why, did she have to collide with Angelica, who already hated me?

“I’m sosorry,” I said hastily, darting towards them with no thought other than getting Ari away from Angelica before she noticed anything odd.

Well, odder than the fact that she could teleport.

“She’s mine,” I added, then thought better of it and clarified. “I mean, notmine, but… yes.”

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