Page 43 of Magic Claimed
Weirdly, I understood both of their points.
“Is there anything you can tell us without feeling like you’ve betrayed your oaths?” I asked coolly, running my fingers through my hair and wincing when they snagged on a knot.
“It was not an accident that your summons came when it did,” she admitted in a low voice. “But I did not become aware of it until after the deal was made. They know I’m loyal to Callum, so they don’t talk in front of me. But better than half the court is afraid that you pose a danger, not only to our people, but to all Idrians, and they want you dealt with.”
Dealt with.
“Is that just a pretty way of sayingdead?” I inquired bluntly.
“If necessary.” She didn’t try to sugarcoat it, and I appreciated that. “The court is split on that question. Most of them want to meet you first. But I believe…” She let out a long breath and closed her eyes. “It scares them that Callum defends you. And they hate change. Are suspicious of anything new. Callum is very, very good at moving them slowly towards a new way of thinking, but he doesn’t listen to reason where you’re concerned and it’s begun to destabilize all of his efforts to build a better form of government for our people.”
I needed to know. “Do you hate me for refusing to walk away?”
She looked right at me, her eyes sharp, cool, and predatory. “I want to.” Harsh, but honest. “But I’m a gryphon before I amanything else. We honor and cherish mate bonds, and while I may have attempted to convince you to walk away before it was complete, I would never consent to any attempt to break up a fully bonded pair.”
I swallowed hard, feeling a sizable lump in my throat. “And you believe we’re fully bonded?”
Her chin fell. “I don’t know for certain. But if you are, you should know…”
“No,” Ryker interrupted. “You’re not going to sit here and try to prepare her for what happens if…”
The gryphon’s attention suddenly snapped to Ryker, and I would have sworn she was about to attack him with her bare hands. “So you would allow her to be blindsided by that pain? Of losing her mate without warning? With no one to tell her that it feels like being buried alive? That she’ll have to fight for life, for breath, for purpose, for even a shred of desire to go on each day?”
She was glaring, breathing hard, and I think Ryker and I realized the truth at the same moment.
“Anj…”
“Don’t you dare.” Her eyes flashed with anger, along with something else far more painful. “If you have even a scrap of intelligence or decency, you willneverspeak of this again.”
Ryker, thankfully, seemed willing to let it go. At least for now.
And I… I didn’t know her well enough to offer either comfort or platitudes.
At some point in the past, Angelica must have lost her mate. I was suddenly forced to reassess everything I thought I knewabout her. Everything she’d said and done. Even the way she’d looked at Ari…
“I don’t want to plan for his death,” I said instead, my voice a little more wobbly than I liked. “I can’t. But if the time comes…”
She didn’t look at me, but she nodded as if she understood. If that time came, she would walk beside me—no matter how much it hurt her to relive the pain—and in that moment, I wasn’t sure I’d ever respected anyone more.
“So we’re going to fight.” I drew in a deep, steadying breath. “I just don’t know where to start. What’s the situation with the fae prisoners from last night?”
“That’s now a court matter between Faris and the fae,” Ryker informed me. “And he’s aware of where things stand with Callum. If there’s a way to leverage them as hostages, he’ll take it.”
Okay, so I didn’t need to think about that particular problem right now. Out of everything else still on my plate, what were the biggest priorities?
Angelica clearly noticed my hesitation and somehow guessed the reason.
“He wouldn’t want you to hover,” she said briskly. “Let him know you’re here, and then do what needs doing. Ryker and I will protect him.”
With their lives. I absolutely believed that. Callum had so many people who loved him and would fight for him. And because I loved him too, I knew Angelica was right. He would want me to trust them and keep moving forward.
So that’s what I was going to do.
First—ensure the safety of my family. They needed a place to stay while our apartment was being cleared of water damage. Somewhere secure, where Shane could continue to guard them. But also with easy access to Faris for Logan’s lessons, and close to people like Kira who could give Kes a break now and then so Ari didn’t get bored and teleport into The Portal or The Assemblage without warning…
I sucked in a sudden breath.
“Ryker, were the renovations on this building ever actually completed?”
