Page 22 of Magic Claimed
Tairen’s arms folded across her chest. “Kira.”
“What are you doing here? I told you the wedding is off.”
The former dragon queen stiffened with annoyance. “And that means I’m not supposed to want to see you?”
Kira winced. “I didn’t mean that. I just…” She frowned. “Okay, but why are youhere, here? Instead of the bookstore? And what in the name of all Idria happened?”
She scanned the room, and I saw her eyebrows climb halfway to her hairline when she spotted the blood on the floor from thefirstaltercation of the night. Her gaze shifted from her mother to me. “Did you two…”
“We were perfectly civilized,” Skye protested innocently. “Just a social call.”
“Uh-huh.” The look that passed between the cousins suggested that the two women might actually be more friends than just relatives. “Well, itisgood to see you. But back to this mess… Raine, did someone try to kidnap you again?”
“Not this time,” I assured her. “I think he was… flirting?” I shrugged. “I broke his nose.”
Kira grinned. “And that’s why I love you so much.”
“Where’s Ari?” The sleepover wasn’t supposed to end until the following morning, so I would have expected Kira to still be at the bookstore.
But she grimaced. “Actually, that’s why I’m here. We were playing hide and seek, and Ari just… disappeared. There aren’t that many good hiding places in the store, so I think she must have teleported out somewhere. I texted Kes to let her know, and Hugh helped me search again. Then I tried to call Faris, and he didn’t answer, so I decided to come down here and check The Portal before I freaked everyone out.”
The sick ache of anxiety lodged behind my sternum, even as a jolt of adrenaline bounced from my heart to my fingertips and back. More than likely, Ari had just teleported home and was hiding somewhere in the apartment. If you didn’t set very strict rules for hide and seek, Ari would seize the opportunity to use her powers against you.
However, I also wasn’t willing to count on her having disappeared of her own accord—not with Blake out there plotting against us and the memory of her kidnapping still fresh.
I looked up at Tairen, who was watching me curiously, head tilted slightly to the side.
“I’m sorry,” I said swiftly. “I’ll get in touch with Callum later, but for now, I have to go. My kid is missing.”
I suppressed a pained wince as I turned away. Not only had I dropped the mate bond on Callum’s family without warning, now they also knew I came with the extra complication of kids. But I didn’t have time to worry about their reaction. “I’ll tell Faris, and then we can start the search.”
I’d already headed for the kitchen door when Tairen stopped me with a question.
“You have a sprite child?”
I drew in a deep breath and spun to face her. “Let’s get this over with. Yes, I have a child. In fact, I have two of them—Ari and Logan. Like me, they were born human, but now they’re a sprite and an earth elemental. They’re my family, along with my sister, Kes, who is half fae.” I loaded my voice with steel and lifted my chin. “My family might not share blood, but our ties were founded in a desperate fight for survival. So make no mistake—I will protect them with my life, just as you protectyour children. And if you choose to belittle or look down on them for not being shifters, I will take it personally, and I will fight you. Dragon or no dragon. Do we understand each other?”
The dragon matriarch studied me sternly for a moment from her superior height before inclining her head in a nod so regal that it was all I could do not to bow in response.
“Indeed, I believe we do,” she said slowly. “We will have more to talk about, Raine Kendrick. But for today, you should go and find your child.”
Okay. That was probably as good as I was going to get. I needed to go find Faris and let him know…
The man in question burst out of the kitchen, phone in hand. “Morghaine says she’s not at our place. Have you heard from Kes yet?”
Kira shook her head. “One of us should go down there and make sure she’s okay, while everyone else splits up to search.” She was biting her lip and looked to be just barely holding back tears.
I laid a hand on her arm. “You know this isn’t your fault, right?”
She couldn’t even look at me. “I promised I would take care of her. Now she’s lost. How is it not my fault?”
“She’s six and she can teleport out of any place at any time,” I reminded her sternly. “How could you possibly have kept her somewhere she didn’t want to be?”
It was a good reminder to me as well. Panicking and rushing around would do us no favors. Ari could be anywhere in the city, and her location could change on a whim. We needed to stay calm and be strategic, or we might never find her.
“First—we make contact with Kes. Make sure she’s safe. Then we keep one person in every place Ari is familiar with. She tends to return to places she knows when she’s upset, so unless…”
Unless someone had taken her.
