Page 4 of Magic Betrayed

I froze with my hand still on the door handle.

“Shut the door.”

Drat. The last time he’d called me into his office for a private chat, my life had been turned upside down. Stuffed full of dragons and shaken up for good measure. I still hadn’t recovered fully, so I definitely wasn’t ready for that to happen again. But I also didn’t want him to know how nervous I was, so I kept my tone casual as the door clicked shut.

“Everything okay with Logan?”

My thirteen-year-old elemental ward had been taking magic lessons from Faris several times a week, and though he hadn’t mentioned any issues, Logan didn’t talk much in general. He was also nearly as stubborn as Faris, and I could easily imagine the two of them butting heads.

“He’s good,” Faris assured me. “Learns fast. Motivated. Strong, too. I don’t think he’ll have any problem protecting himself once we’ve caught up on his training.”

Which was a huge relief. My biggest fear for Logan and Ari was their safety. Too many would hate them for circumstances beyond their control, and I wanted to know they would be able to defend themselves if needed.

“Thank you again for helping him,” I said. “It might seem like a small thing, but I don’t know how much longer he could have held on.”

Faris’s green eyes must have seen a little more than I intended to reveal. “You don’t owe me anything, Raine. Especially not for Logan. No child deserves to endure what he has, and I would have helped him no matter what.”

I knew that now. But it didn’t stop me from feeling uncomfortably like I was in debt. I had nothing to offer these people who had given me so much, and I didn’t care for the imbalance.

“This is about the wedding.”

Oh. “I promised I would help. Are you worried about the out-of-town guests?”

As the daughter of the former dragon queen, Kira was a well-known—and possibly somewhat notorious—figure among Idrians. Considering that she would be marrying the son of the fae king, there would be a lot of important guests in attendance, and many of them would have still-fresh memories of my confession at the Symposium.

“Not exactly.” Faris leaned back in his chair. “They know better than to mess with my people. And sentiment about your situation is somewhat mixed. I don’t think there’s any consensus yet about how to handle it.”

I wasn’t sure if I should find that encouraging or terrifying.

“I just wanted to ask you whether you think you’re ready.” His gaze held mine steadily. “I’ll understand if you’d prefer to stay out of sight.”

Faris was offering me an out.

“I have to face it eventually,” I told him, trying my best to keep my expression neutral and my tone positive.

But we both knew I wasn’t talking about any nebulous “it.”

I was talking abouthim.

Callum would definitely be at his sister’s wedding, and I was going to have to face him. Face the man I’d blindsided with the ugly truth about my past. I’d saved his Symposium, yes, but only by creating a mess and then running away, leaving him to deal with it.

Without any conscious permission on my part, my mind replayed those final moments. Even after I’d confessed, he’d apologized for hurting me. For withholding the truth about his motivations. The last time he’d said my name… I could still hear it. At the time, I’d thought he sounded afraid for me, but weeks of silence had made me second guess that over and over again.

“Let me know if you change your mind.” Faris interrupted my over-thinking in his usual gruff tone. “I can make sure you stay behind the scenes. Less likely to run into anyone you know.”

It was kind, but I was through running from my past.

“Thanks,” I said, and meant it. My boss was a good man, and I was truly thankful we’d somehow become part of his “people.”

“Oh, and in case Seamus forgot to tell you, we’re closing early tonight.”

My eyebrows shot up a fraction. “Nope, he didn’t tell me.” The Portal was rarely closed, and I was currently scheduled to work until three in the morning.

“The glamour on the front door is fading, so I’m having an expert come in to renew it overnight. We’ll be shutting down around eleven.”

That would mean fewer work hours, but more sleep, so I wasn’t about to complain. “Understood. Anything else?”

“Just be on the lookout for a pair of out-of-town goblins. Last night they got drunk and one of them let it slip that they’re after a mark. I’m not certain they aren’t stupid enough to try for a bounty in my bar.”

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