Page 108 of Magic Forsaken

“Yes.” I’d started down this path, and I was going to see it through, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t afraid. Didn’t mean I wanted to see his face after I got done explaining the truth. “I know who the saboteur is, and I know what he wants.”

I wished I didn’t. I wished now that I’d never heard of Oklahoma City. Of the Shadow Court. That I’d never met a gorgeous auburn-haired dragon with blazing amber eyes. One who waited patiently for me to gather my thoughts and fight through the pain of what I was about to do.

“His name is Blake.”

Callum still didn’t react. “Someone you know?”

I swallowed. “Yes.”

“Then he must have reached out to you because…” The question hung in the air between us.

I had to force the words out. “He believed there was a chance I might be on his side.”

A pause. “And why would he think that?”

“Because…”

“Raine.” His voice was gentle. “I’m not going to hurt you. Just tell me.”

But he had no idea.

“He thinks that,” I said hoarsely, “because I genuinely considered it when he told me what this Symposium was actually about. And then again, when you explained the laws that all of you created, signed, andrejoicedover—laws that are blind to the very victims you claimed to want to protect.”

Callum looked like I’d punched him. His mouth opened, his eyes went flat and dark. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking,” I said quietly, “about people like me. Like Logan and Ari. People who don’t deserve to be punished…”

But I never got a chance to finish my sentence, because that’s when everything around us suddenly went dark.

It was not like the first time Blake had attacked us in this building, when he’d simply cut the power. This time, every glimmer of light was instantly extinguished, leaving us in an utter darkness that could only have been accomplished through magic.

I couldn’t see Callum. Couldn’t see my own hands. But I knew the general direction of the doors to the banquet hall, and that was where I needed to go.

In any ordinary circumstances, I would have expected to hear screams and cries of panic from inside. The chaos of frightened people attempting to flee from what promised to be a terrifying situation.

But the room beyond the doors had gone deathly silent, and I knew it wasn’t because the room was empty. Even if a few had managed to escape after Angelica’s warning, there hadn’t yet been enough time to evacuate. Which meant either that Blake had managed to neutralize them almost instantly, or… Somewhere in there were fifty outraged magical powerhouses preparing to strike at whoever and whatever was threatening them.

Either way, we had to draw the battle away from them, or we faced a catastrophe of unimaginable proportions.

We had to act, and we couldn’t act if we couldn’t see. Which meant there could be no more postponing the inevitable. No more holding back. No more futile wishing for things that I could never have.

Somehow, I still knew exactly where Callum was, so I moved towards him in the darkness. Towards the sound of his breathing and the fire of his magic. Towards that pull that always told me where to find him. And when I was close enough, I reached deep within and envisioned a key, fitting into the lock on a massive, iron-bound door.

The key turned. The door swung open. And there, where I’d packed it away and tried to bury it forever, was the rest of my magic.

I’d been sixteen when they took me off the street. When they did their first experiments with magic transferral.

Even Elayara had been shocked when it worked.

But not as shocked as Callum when I opened my hand and a pure blue flame sprang to life on my palm, illuminating the darkness and allowing me to see his expression.

He looked like I’d driven a knife into his heart.

I looked into his eyes as the flame grew brighter—a flare of pure fae magic that I should never have been able to wield. “This is why,” I said softly. “Blake believes I will support him, because in many ways, we are the same.”

We were still staring at one another in the light of that flame when the ground rumbled beneath us, knocking us off balance. At the same moment, a blast of air magic came rushing down the stairwell and smashed into us, extinguishing the fire and throwing me off my feet. But I never hit the ground, because Callum caught me. Tugged me against him and whirled aroundso his back was to the wind, then hit the doors to the event space with his shoulder, carrying us both through.

Once inside, we hit the floor and rolled. I heard him grunt as we hit, but I barely felt the impact, because I was still tucked tightly against Callum’s chest, one of his hands cushioning my head.

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