Page 98 of Magic Betrayed

“She said she had a bracelet that suppresses magic,” I reminded him, casting a quick glance at Ethan to see whether the idea distressed or disturbed him. He was looking at me, but without any particular expression that might reveal how he felt. “I thought maybe it would help. We would still have to search for a more long-term solution, but as long as he’s staying with us…”

With us… He was one of us now. And I had no idea how it would work. No idea how we would keep him safe. But I was starting to have hope that we would figure something out. Starting to believe that our little family was somehow going to be okay.

Allof us. Because Ethan was family now, and thanks to Faris, I finally understood what that meant.

A family wasn’t just about blood relations. Nor was it about balance, or equal give and take. And there was no limit to how many people a family could include. That word simply meant that we chose to care for each other. Stood up for each other. Protected each other. Pushed each other. Sometimes argued with each other. But at the end of the day, we had each other’s backs, no matter what.

And no matter who tried to tear us apart. In the coming months, we would no doubt find ourselves facing Blake and his allies, with their dreams of power and war and their stockpiles of stolen magic. And they might even believe these gave them the advantage.

But Blake had no idea what was coming for him. His alliances were built on lies and false promises, and I could not wait to tear them down. Could not wait for the moment when we—this family we had found—would finally put an end to Elayara’s twisted ambitions… for good.

TWENTY-TWO

Even after Taliaand her people left The Portal, it took several more hours to wrap everything up.

Faris sent Isaac to Guthrie to collect Seamus, and they eventually called to report that the area was now swarming with fire trucks and police. Local authorities were scrambling in an attempt to determine what exactly had happened, but thankfully the only evidence left was the van and the bounty hunters, none of whom had survived Ethan’s deadly tornado. Restitution was now up to Talia, and I trusted that she would be generous in her efforts to ensure the humans’ good will.

The medic finally arrived, promised that Logan would be fine once he’d slept off the effect of the sedative, and shot me a look of utter disgust once I admitted to walking around on a broken ankle. He gave me a painkiller and a stern recommendation to shift and then sleep for at least twelve hours, then turned to Kes, who ended up having bruises and a concussion.

Kira offered to keep Ari for another day or two while Kes recovered, and Faris insisted that he and Morghaine would be happy to keep Logan until things settled down. Considering the way Logan hero-worshipped my boss, I doubted he was likely to protest.

When I voiced my worry that Kes would be left alone in our apartment while I slept off my injuries, Shane quietly interrupted to offer his own house as an alternative. And before I could politely decline, Kes shocked me by accepting—though she looked almost as surprised by her answer as I was.

I knew he would never hurt her, and she needed someone nearby while she was recovering from her concussion. Also, it was likely a good idea for all of us to stay away from our apartment for now—at least until we dealt with the issue of the bounty on Kes. So I was happy to know she would be safe, but her level of comfort around Shane continued to perplex me and probably would until we had a chance to talk about it.

Ethan, too, should be safe enough for the immediate future. Kira returned with her bracelet and managed to alter the closure until it fit around his slightly larger wrist. She could make no promises whether it would work for an elemental, but we had time, as Kes informed us his magic would not return for at least another twelve hours.

So that meant I was finally free, but also alone. And for some reason, alone was the last thing I wanted to be.

“Come home with me?”

Callum’s quiet request sent a rush of heat to my cheeks, and I turned to look at him hesitantly.

“It’s quiet, and you’d be safe there,” he promised. “Safe to shift and heal, and then sleep off the effects.”

Something about his expression struck me as oddly intense, so I couldn’t help asking. “Is this about the… the mate bond?” I somehow managed to stumble onlyslightlyover the words.

He paused for a moment before admitting the truth. “Partially.”

My raised eyebrows encouraged him to explain.

“I don’t like thinking about you being unprotected.” He shot me a wry look. “I promise it’s not going to turn me intomoreof a control freak, and I’m not going to force you to do anything you’re not comfortable with. Not ever. But… I wanted to at least make the offer. Especially since we still have…”

“A lot to talk about?” I finished.

He nodded.

Could I really just… go home with him? What would everyone think? And did I actually care enough about the answer to let it change my decision?

Kira already knew there was something between us, which meant Faris did too, and Kes had suspected since the very beginning.

Besides, we really did need to talk.

“Okay,” I agreed, and felt an almost immediate surge of relief.

I wasn’t ready to go back to my apartment yet. Wasn’t ready to pretend that life was back to normal. I needed a space—even if just for a day—in which I didn’t have to have everything together. A place to be just Raine, and not the person who always had to have the answers.

Ever since our escape from the fae prison, I’d been the one to figure out where we would sleep, what we would eat, how we were going to stay safe, even how toparent. And some days it felt like too much—like it just might break me.

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