Page 5 of Magic Betrayed

If they did, it would be the last dumb decision they ever made.

“Got it. Then I’ll be heading out, unless…”

From somewhere downstairs, I heard a crash. Then a concussive thud that shook the entire building, followed by silence.

Sounded like someone had just made their last dumb decision.

TWO

I tookthe stairs two at a time and burst into the main room of the club, but not because I thought they needed me to defend it. There was enough friendly firepower in The Portal to destroy most of Oklahoma City, and Faris had sufficient faith in his staff that he hadn’t even bothered to follow me downstairs. But I did have one weird little magical quirk that might come in handy at a time like this, even if I didn’t know quite how I felt about it.

I’d always called it my hunch magic, though I now knew it was actually power stolen from a siren. On occasion, it would deign to be helpful during potentially violent confrontations, letting me know how best to defuse or redirect anger, or even how to persuade someone to leave without starting a fight. And anytime I could stop a fight meant less chance of damages to the bar—also less chance of anyone getting hurt.

When I burst in this time, however, it appeared the fight was already over. One of the round tables lay on its side, surrounded by spilled liquid and shattered glass. A pair of goblins lay on the floor in front of the bar, one whimpering and the other unconscious, as if they’d been bodily picked up and thrown into it.

And halfway across the room, his arms folded across his chest…

My eyes widened, and my heart began to pound as memories came rushing back. Of all the people I hadn’t expected to find here…

“Hello, Kendrick.” The voice was deep and velvety-smooth, with a hint of a British accent. And unlike the last time I’d seen him, the owner wasn’t wearing glamour.

“Shane.” That was Kira’s voice, but it was oddly unsteady. As if she’d seen a ghost. Or possibly an enemy?

But Draven, Rath, and Ryker had not moved to defend her, so I doubted they perceived him as a threat, no matter how much he might look like one.

Shane Isaacson was half-fae, half-goblin, and appeared to be in his mid-thirties. He was also undeniably attractive, with a muscular six-and-a-half-foot frame, dark brown skin, and glittering dark eyes. His long hair fell past his shoulders in beaded braids, half of which were knotted at the back of his head to reveal elegantly pointed ears. Compressed lips and a stoic expression concealed wickedly sharp fangs, which I knew were fully capable of ripping a few throats out.

Not that I thought he would. Shane was no idiot, unlike the goblins currently groaning on the floor. And as far as I was concerned, he was one of the good ones.

A very long time ago, we’d met in the depths of the fae queen’s prison. And earlier last year, he’d helped us after we escaped. Given us the knowledge we needed to survive, and even sent us here—to Faris and the Shadow Court.

“It’s good to see you.” I stepped towards him, feeling the tension around us remain steady instead of falling as it normally would after a confrontation.

What exactly was I walking into? And why had he not acknowledged Kira’s greeting?

“Are you here for these two, or did they pick a fight?”

A silent snarl revealed his fangs, and a hint of his frustration. “Both. Must be my lucky day.” A glimmer of golden light flickered in his dark eyes. “How have you been?”

“Good.” I tried to let him hear that it wasn’t just the polite answer. “We’re all doing well, thanks to you.”

He nodded minutely in acknowledgment. “Pardon me for a moment.” Without a single glance at Kira, Draven or any of the other spectators, he strode towards the groaning goblin on the floor just in front of the bar, picked him up by the collar, and hauled him up far enough to look him in the eye.

“I suggest you find yourself a climate more suitable for your disgusting lack of morals or restraint,” he said softly. “And if youeverattempt to collect on that bounty again, it will be the last day you draw breath.”

He didn’t wait for a response, simply dropped the hapless bounty hunter back to the floor, wiped his hands on his pants, and turned to look at me. “May I have a moment of your time, Miss Kendrick?”

I blinked at him, then looked at the clock behind the bar. Five minutes to go until my shift started. Kira was still staring at Shane, so I turned my gaze to Seamus, the deceptively casual-looking wolf shifter who ran the bar.

His eyes glowed amber with warning, but he nodded. “Card room is free. Don’t take too long.”

So he trusted Shane enough to give us room for a chat, but not enough to let his guard down entirely. Noted.

I led the way to the small room off the left end of the bar and shut the door behind us. Through the door, I could hear the hum of conversation resuming, and the sound of something heavy being dragged across the floor. If they were lucky, the goblins would wake up in Faris’s basement tomorrow morning. If they weren’t? To be honest, I had no idea what happened to offenders who were out of second chances.

“I heard about Blake.” Shane clearly wasn’t much of one for small talk. “Pity he got away.”

Blake had been another of our fellow prisoners—a human who had escaped sometime after I did. Unlike me, he’d failed to absorb any powers of his own, but had instead learned to use objects filled with stolen Idrian magic. After his escape, instead of rebuilding his former life, he’d used those same magical artifacts in his quest to build power and sow chaos between humans and Idrians. His attempts to derail the Symposium had nearly started a war, and the Idrian courts were still squabbling over the best way to deal with the aftermath.

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