Page 82 of Magic Forsaken

That provoked a smile from my grim dragon boss. Ex-boss? Had he actually fired me for real?

“I would offer to make you tea,” he said, “but I’m out. Kira brought Hugh over last night to meet Ember, and they drank it all.”

Hugh… Oh, right. That was Kira’s gargoyle friend. “Who is Ember?”

A slight flush appeared on his cheeks. “The kitten,” he admitted.

He’dnamed it. That meant he was keeping it.

Visions assailed me of the huge, cranky dragon shifter cradling the tiny orange kitten, and my heart promptly tried to melt. I reminded it sternly that dragons were still off limits, no matter how many kittens they adopted.

Thankfully, before my heart could get too rebellious, a dark Range Rover pulled up at the curb and Faris jumped out wearing an expression like he was about to go to war. He stalked past Kevin, blasted through the door and bore down on our little group like a spring thunderstorm.

“So that’s what I’ve been feeling for the past two weeks,” he grumbled, brows furrowed over glimmering green eyes as he glanced between me and Kes. “Wish you’d have told me there was an adolescent earth elemental running around my city. Been driving me crazy trying to figure out who the rogue is.”

I faced him stubbornly as my anxiety began to rise along with my anger. It didn’t matter what was between us in the past—I was determined to keep everything under wraps as long as he would help us.

“I’m sorry.” I took a deep breath to steady myself. “I didn’t know it would matter. But if you can help me find him…” I would do or say whatever I had to.

“No,I’msorry.”

My eyes flew wide.

Faris looked like he was glaring as he confronted me, beard bristling and arms crossed over his chest. “I shouldn’t have accused you without cause,” he rumbled. “I was angry, and I lashed out. Can you forgive me?”

I must have literally staggered with the force of my shock, because Callum grabbed my arm. Here was a second person in a position of power choosing to apologize when they were wrong.

Had I entered an alternate universe?

“I… yes. Of course. Forgiven.”

Faris nodded once, as if to say that would be the end of it. “Now tell me more about your missing kid.”

“Logan,” I told him, almost frantically. “He’s… maybe thirteen? About my height. Skinny, long arms and legs, medium brown hair that he won’t brush. He’s had a hard time controlling his magic, but I don’t know how to help him.”

“No way you would,” Faris grunted in reply. “But don’t worry. We’ll sort him out. Any idea where he might go?”

“He wouldn’t normally have left without asking or telling anyone,” I replied automatically, feeling a bit of panic as I realized how many of our secrets were being spilled for everyone to see. But his safety mattered more. “He’s almost scary responsible for his age, and he knows he has to stay inside to be safe.”

Faris shot me a glance that suggested he would be revisiting that statement later.

“You think someone took him?”

It was my worst fear. But I couldn’t imagine someone managing to kidnap him without him fighting back, and Kes would have felt that.

Unless…

“He might have tried to follow Ari,” I said hesitantly. “But she’s…”

“A sprite,” Callum finished the sentence for me. “He wouldn’t have known where to go.”

Faris raised an eyebrow at me and Kes. “You two have one sprite kid and one teenage elemental? How do you even sleep at night?” He shook his head. “Don’t worry, we’ll find him.”

Turning on his heel, he marched outside, and the rest of us followed in a line. But he didn’t go far—only to the nearest tree,where he crouched down and laid both hands flat on the dirt near the roots.

His eyes closed. His forehead knitted with concentration, but he made no sound for a minute, then two. At about the three-minute mark, his eyes popped open, and he grunted. Tilted his head up at me and let out a small chuckle.

“Your boy’s a smart one,” he said. “He’s waiting for you at The Portal.”

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