Page 75 of Magic Betrayed

After a while, my wandering feet continued north, where more people were gathered around the restaurants and pubs of Midtown. I wasn’t looking for noise, company, or alcohol, so I moved on until I crossed into Heritage Hills, where noise and chaos were banned, houses and lawns were pristine, and the sidewalks all but deserted.

It was here that I’d first met Leith—the siren king of the Wildkin Court. He was sly and enigmatic, with eyes that seemed to see right through me—eyes full of secrets and plots and a self-contained mirth that clearly frustrated Callum.

At the time, Callum had seemed disgusted by what the siren was capable of. Suspicious of his actions and his motives. Leith had appeared highly amused throughout our encounter and I wondered now, in hindsight… Had he known about my siren power all along? And when he first suggested a relationship between me and Callum, had he foreseen what that would bring about?

A few more blocks and I was in the neighborhood of Mesta Park, with its deeper shadows, a couple of barking dogs, and a few other dark figures out for a late night stroll.

I watched them carefully, but none of them even looked my way, let alone offered any threat to my safety.

It was on another lonely, late night walk that I’d caught my first glimpse of who Callum truly was. He’d followed me home and saved me from being beaten up by a gang of teenage bullies after I tried to save the kitten they’d been tormenting. They’d turned on me, and as a result, I’d shifted for the first time. It was the same night I’d betrayed my magic in front of the entire Portal. And the night I realized that Callum-ro-Deverin wasn’t nearly as scary as he pretended.

Oh, he could be scary enough if you were his enemy, or if you threatened anyone or anything he cared about. But when he chose to save that kitten, I knew—there was a soft and gooey center behind all that glaring and growling and bossiness.

I wondered where the kitten was now. Probably at his home in the Shapeshifter Court. I knew without needing to ask that he would never have abandoned her.

Another few blocks, and suddenly I was at Twenty-third Street, wondering whether Kira was asleep. Maybe I should just turn around and go back to my apartment. Or maybe if I kept wandering the streets long enough, the next few hours would pass and it would be time.

“Raine?”

The sound of my name in an unfamiliar male voice startled me into stopping and scanning my surroundings. There were two men on the sidewalk just down the block, but they were deep in conversation with one another. A woman in a long coat and heels stepped into the bar across the street, and two people got into a car at the corner. None of them appeared to have even noticed my existence.

But just ahead, parked along the curb, was a dark pickup truck with one door open and boots visible beneath the door.

“Raine, is that really you?”

I didn’t need my hunch magic to know that something wasn’t right.

My steps slowed, and I checked the traffic, hoping to dart across the street, but the boots stepped away from the truck, moving partially out from behind the door.

The wearer was male, and around my height. He seemed fascinated with something on the sidewalk, so the streetlight didn’t reveal much except brown skin, floppy dark hair, and a slight build.

He took a step towards me, but never moved fully out of cover. Then he said my name again.

“Raine. Don’t you remember me?”

He lifted his face. Looked me full in the eye.

Recognition shot through me like a spear of solid ice, piercing straight to my core and leaving me cold—cold with memories, with regret, and with terror.

“Ethan,” I whispered, and took an involuntary step back.

Something stabbed my leg. I slapped at it, felt something hard and cold, and looked down.

What the heck? I’d been shot with a tiny dart, like some kind of zoo animal they were trying to tranquilize.

Anger surged, and so did my fae magic, but even as it coursed towards my fingertips, it sputtered and died.

No. I would not allow myself to be powerless again. I reached for my elemental power, but could find no source of water and the effort created an instant, blinding headache. My siren magic screamed at me and I opened my mouth to call out for help, but my tongue didn’t seem to work. And when I tried to run, my body turned in two different directions and I simply fell over.

I landed on my knees on the sidewalk. Felt the concrete bite through my jeans. Everything was sideways. There were people coming towards me, but they had too many arms and legs.

I had just enough conscious thought remaining to realize the terrible truth—I was about to disappear, just like Kes and Logan and Ari. And there was nothing I could do to stop it.

SEVENTEEN

I wassoover the sensation of waking up in a strange place with no memory of how I’d gotten there.

So done with opening my eyes in the dark and wondering how many hours of my life I’d missed. What mistakes I’d madethistime. And whether there would be any permanent consequences, for me or anyone I cared about.

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