Page 77 of Bitten Shifter

“You have lost weight?—”

“I know.”

He glowers, and I hold his gaze.

“God, you will be the death of me,” he says, louder now. “No, Lark. No. It’s not safe and you are not trained. I swear I will punish them for you.”

“You are going to do this without me?” I demand.

“Yes.”

“Oh? So you have found them?”

Don’t grin, Lark. Don’t grin.

He scowls, a flash of frustration in his eyes. He has not.

“It’s been a week. The trail must have gone awfully cold,” I continue, adding my final blow. “If I can’t help, I’m not telling you where they are.” I meet his glare with one of my own.

“Just give me the info. I will go myself. Riker, the team?—”

“So,” Riker drawls, leaning against the door, “you’re going to do your ‘magic’ thing?” He flicks a hand in my direction and wiggles his fingers.

I freeze. “Magic?” I echo, my heart hammering.

“Yes, magic,” Riker repeats, his smirk widening. “I noticed you glossed over how you got that GPS data during the debrief. You didn’t fool me.”

“Riker,” Merrick growls. We both ignore him.

My stomach drops. “What makes you think it’s magic?” I try for indignation, but my voice betrays me with a slight squeak. “Maybe I’m just a super-talented hacker.”

Riker shrugs, his grin turning sly. “A hacker? You, Little Miss Goody Two Shoes? Or maybe you are someone who blends tech and magic together.” He leans in slightly. “Lark, drop the act. You’re a technomancer.”

I wince, then school my face into a glare, fists clenching. “Now what? You going to tell everyone?”

“Calm down,” Riker says. “Your secret’s safe with us—and with the Ministry of Magic.”

“The Ministry of Magic?” My chest tightens. “What about them?”

Merrick pulls a sealed envelope from a hidden drawer. The paper almost crackles with contained magic.

“Iwasgoing to broach this subject with you delicately,” he scowls at Riker. “You must have had a good reason to keep your magic secret. While you were unconscious, they sent a summons,” he says quietly, his eyes fixed on my face.

“A summons?” That doesnotsound good.

My hands tremble as I stare at the envelope.

Chapter Thirty-Two

“It’s all right,”Merrick says, his tone gentle. “You are safe, and we have checked the document. There’s no nefarious magic. They just want to talk—to you, to us.”

I wiggle in my chair, trying to put some distance between myself and the glowing envelope. The fear rising inside me must be obvious, because Merrick moves faster than I can react, sweeping me up as though I weigh nothing. He sits, pulling me into his lap.

“What the heck?” My surprise momentarily pushes the fear away.

Riker bursts out laughing at my expression. “Priceless.”

“Merrick,” I protest.

---