Page 3 of Magic Betrayed

“You’re on your own,” I muttered to Kira with a grin. “I think I’ll go wait in the kitchen for my shift to start.”

“Running away so soon?” a cheerful voice inquired from behind my left shoulder. “Where’s your sense of adventure?”

I looked up and back, and for a moment, my heart almost stopped at the sight of brilliant amber eyes and tousled auburn hair.

Dragon.

But it wasn’thim. Wasn’t the one dragon I wanted most to see. Wasn’t the dragon who haunted my memories and caused me to question every decision I’d made since coming to Oklahoma City.

I still didn’t know how badly Callum-ro-Deverin hated me. Or whether he ever thought about me at all. I only knew that I had neither seen nor heard from the shapeshifter king since I walked away from the ruins of the Symposium. He’d apparently decided to end all contact, and honestly, it was probably for the best.

“Surely you can’t have decided to ignore me already,” Kira’s middle brother murmured out of the corner of his mouth. “You barely even know me. I haven’t had a chance yet to prove how annoying I can be.”

Ryker, at least, seemed prepared to be friendly, even though he had to have learned by now about the source of my magic. Had to have heard the truth I’d confessed during the final battle at the Symposium.

That I wasn’t an Idrian at all. I’d been born human—granted magic only by the cruelty of the former fae queen’s experiments.

And yet, from the grin lurking on Ryker’s face, the rumors of my humanity didn’t seem to bother him in the slightest. Did that mean Callum didn’t hate me either? Or was I reading too much into it?

A tiny surge of hope made me want to grin back at the smirking shapeshifter beside me, but thankfully, I knew better than to encourage this particular dragon.

“Someone call the exterminator,” I responded, swatting at the air with an exaggerated frown. “This building seems to be infested with large, flying pests.”

Ryker only grinned wider before offering me a deliberate wink, and my heart ached in response. His voice was similar to Callum’s, and his smile too, but with a roguish edge that made it impossible to mistake him for his older brother.

“Good to see you, Raine. How’s life been treating you?”

I shrugged. “Can’t complain.” Or at least, Ishouldn’t. “I stay busy.”

The twinkle in Ryker’s amber eyes faded as he gazed at me thoughtfully. “Anyone tested Faris’s ultimatum yet?”

I shot him a sharp glance. I honestly hadn’t expected him to ask that bluntly, but I probably should have. There was more to the playful, irreverent red dragon than he typically let on.

“Not that I know of.” Though I wasn’t about to lower my guard.

According to the new regulations laid down at the Symposium three months ago, I was technically in violation of several laws against the use and possession of stolen Idrian magic. And not only me—Ari and Logan were now criminals, too. But as the leader of the Shadow Court, Faris had declared that we were under his protection and not subject to the laws of the other courts.

Not everyone agreed with his willingness to overlook our past—including some residents of the Shadow Court—but most of them were too afraid to test his power. Faris was the only reason the four of us were now free to live life on our own terms, and I considered myself permanently in debt to him.

Which was why I’d agreed not only to stay on staff at The Portal, but to help with the special brand of torture that was likely to be Kira’s wedding.

Not that I hated weddings. Or disliked Kira. She was the closest thing I had to a friend after Kes, and I even had a cautious respect for her fiancé, Draven.

But, as evidenced by Ryker’s unexpected appearance, Kira’s wedding meant dragons. Eventually, it would mean seeing Callum again, and I didn’t know if I was ready. If I would ever be ready.

The floor outside creaked slightly in warning, and only a quick sidestep saved me from being smacked by the door as two new people walked in and took a seat on the couch against the wall—Draven, Kira’s dark-haired, gray-eyed fiancé, and his half brother, Rath. The two surviving sons of Dathair, High King of the Fae.

Rath’s eyes immediately found mine, and he nodded in a deceptively casual greeting. Acknowledging our connection, despite the fact that we’d barely spoken directly.

In addition to his childhood history with Kes, our ties had deepened during the desperate battle that had concluded the Symposium. I’d wondered ever since how he’d managed to escape the poison that had incapacitated all but one of the other delegates. I’d also wondered what he’d been doing in Oklahoma City nearly two weeks before the Symposium began, but my plan to lie low and avoid attention did not include questioning the Crown Prince of the Fae about his travel habits.

Nor could I encourage any friendship between us without feeling like I was betraying Kes. For whatever reason, she still viewed their shared history as a painful thing best forgotten, so keeping my distance seemed the best way to respect her choices. Though I did continue to keep a careful eye on the fae heir whenever he ended up lurking in my vicinity.

“Moreof you?” Faris rumbled. “Did you change the meeting place without telling me, or is this a conspiracy to keep me from working today?”

Kira laughed and rounded the desk to offer a hug that looked only slightly penitent. “Okay, okay, we’ll get out of your hair. Everyone downstairs for a drink!”

They all moved towards the door, but just as I was about to follow Ryker into the hallway, Faris said, “Hold up a second, Raine.”

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