Page 21 of Magic Betrayed (The Shifter of Sheridan Avenue #2)

TWENTY-ONE

And then, as they say, it was all over but the shouting.

Callum left my side only long enough to borrow clothes from Seamus’s emergency stash, and when he returned, he looked gorgeous and rumpled and just a bit uncomfortable in a sweatshirt that was quite noticeably too small.

Now that he had arms, his first order of business was to pick me up, carry me to Seamus’s car, and set me on the hood, after which he crouched down and glared menacingly at my left boot.

“It’s broken,” I said helpfully, not sure what other information he was looking for. I could still sense a strong undercurrent of anger, but I couldn’t identify exactly who he was angry with, and I was too afraid to ask until we were somewhere more private.

If he was going to explain that he no longer wanted the mate bond due to my secrecy and betrayal, I didn’t want anyone else to witness it.

He looked up at me, his expression unreadable, amber eyes intense and piercing. “What else did they do to you?”

“I’m fine ,” I insisted. “Or at least, there’s nothing a shift won’t fix. But I think we should leave here as quickly as possible. There’s no way no one has noticed the fires, and I don’t think Faris needs any more attention from human law enforcement.”

I winced as I glanced at the ruins of the house, wondering what price we were going to pay for destroying it. And not just monetary… All that history was now nothing but a pile of rubble to be hauled away and burned. I could already see Seamus throwing mournful glances at the remains as he crouched beside Ethan, presumably getting caught up on events by Kes and Shane…

…who continued to allow Kes to lean on him. Now that I thought about it, he had yet to leave her side, even for a moment, and Kes—who typically avoided physical closeness—seemed oddly unaware of his proximity. As if she were so comfortable in his presence, she forgot to be nervous. Or perhaps draining Ethan’s magic had taken so much from her that she simply couldn’t stand on her own.

She would need to be checked over by an Idrian medic. Logan too. And Ethan. And as I contemplated what in all the worlds we were going to need to do to ensure that Ethan could live safely in a highly populated area, Chesney walked up, followed by Jacob, Bianca, Noah, and Reese. Chesney’s arms folded across her chest in a protective stance, and her expression could only be described as empty and cold.

“What now?” she said flatly, looking at me rather than Callum. “Do you intend to press charges?”

I huffed. “With whom? The humans don’t care, and if Faris decides you’ve violated the rules of his court, he’ll just bury you first and ask questions never.”

“We will accept responsibility for our part in the destruction,” she said stiffly. “But I do not accept…”

“Not to be rude,” I interrupted, “but let’s have this conversation back in Oklahoma City. We need to get out of here before anyone else shows up.”

She eyed me oddly. “You trust us to meet you there?”

I shrugged. “Where else are you going to go?” Blunt, perhaps, but true. “But I’m going to request that Shane drives your truck. Kes and Ethan will go with him, and you all can use the sedan. We’ll meet at The Portal. Get medical attention first if you need it, but otherwise, we’ll be expecting you.”

She might not like it, but she wasn’t exactly in a position to argue.

“And the bounty hunters?”

I winced. I doubted there was much chance any of them were alive. And maybe it made me a monster, but I wasn’t sure I cared.

“Seamus will hunt for survivors.” Faris was moving towards us with a strong, purposeful stride. He deposited a still-groggy Logan in the back seat of Seamus’s station wagon before turning to Chesney with a glower that should have made her cringe where she stood.

But she was enough Talia’s daughter to lift her chin and stare back at him haughtily.

“You have a lot to answer for, Princess.”

“I will not apologize for fighting to take my life back,” she declared.

“Then you can refuse to apologize to me once we’re back in the city,” Faris responded coldly. “But you will apologize to those you hurt with this arrogant, short-sighted stunt.”

Her nostrils flared, but she didn’t retort again. Just took keys out of her pocket and handed one to me before turning on her heel and stalking off, followed by the other four.

“You really think they’ll show?” I asked Faris.

“They will.” From the way he said it, I suspected he was prepared to employ a great deal of his authority to ensure that it was true.

While we limped and staggered into the two remaining vehicles, Seamus shifted into wolf shape to begin his search for the bounty hunters’ remains.

Faris buried the smoldering bonfires beneath the ground before sliding behind the wheel of Seamus’s station wagon to drive us back to the city. Callum took shotgun, while I propped up Logan in the back seat, hoping that his drug-induced babbling would take my mind off the throbbing from my ankle.

Shane, Kes, and Ethan followed us in the truck, and as we left, we drove past a dark van parked off to the edge of the drive—no doubt belonging to the bounty hunters.

“Should we make it disappear?” I mused aloud, unsure what human law enforcement would make of it when they arrived.

“Not our problem,” Faris answered gruffly. “Those hunters came out here looking for trouble, and they found it. Maybe the property owner can use it.”

From time to time I caught Callum glancing over his shoulder at me, but other than Logan’s occasional slurred questions, it was a quiet ride through the half hour just before dawn—too quiet.

It was as if my body couldn’t decide what to do with all the shock, fear, and violence it had encountered in the past few hours. First, my hands began to shake, and then, as I knotted my fingers together to still them, I felt the tears begin to fall. I wanted to sleep, but I wondered if I would ever sleep again. Every time I closed my eyes, I remembered how close we had all come to death, and felt the panic of being torn from earth by the catastrophic power of swirling winds…

When we finally reached The Portal, Faris pulled up out back, but didn’t turn off the engine.

“If it’s all right, I’m going to take Logan to my place to sleep it off,” he informed me, not really sounding as if he were actually asking for permission. “Morghaine will take care of him. I’ll be back as soon as he’s settled, and I’ll call for a medic on the way. You two… Take a minute if you need it.”

A minute… A minute wasn’t likely to be enough. But everyone else was headed our way, and a minute might be all we were going to get.

So we got out of the car on opposite sides and stood there silently as Faris drove away. I tried to think of something to say that would dispel the tension, but then it was too late.

Callum was already moving. He crossed the short space between us in two quick strides and tugged me into his arms. Then he held me close, one hand trembling as it threaded through my hair and tucked my face into the hollow of his shoulder.

“I was so scared,” I heard him whisper. “So scared I wouldn’t get to you in time.”

Maybe it was the exhaustion. And maybe it was some unnamed form of magic. But the moment his arms went around me, the moment I felt the steady rhythm of his heart, I knew I was safe. I felt his cheek come to rest on my hair, and then the tears began to fall freely as I wrapped my arms around his waist and let it all go—all the fear, all the pain, all the trauma of the past few hours—in a rush of emotion that terrified me with its strength.

I don’t know how long we stood there—me trembling and crying, and Callum just holding me. Steady and strong. Never flinching from my feelings or pulling away from my tears.

And even when my tears were finally gone, he didn’t seem ready to let me go. “It’s nice to have arms again,” he murmured into my hair.

“I like them too,” I confessed, and felt the rumble of his laugh beneath my ear.

“Callum.”

“Mmm?”

I pulled back a bit, and he let me. “We have to talk about what I did back there.”

“Okay.” His expression remained relaxed.

“About the secrets I’ve been keeping from you. And don’t try to pretend you aren’t angry. I can feel that you are, and I wanted to tell you… to try to explain why…”

None of my whys seemed sufficient right then, but he deserved the truth from me. Deserved to know why I’d kept something that important from him.

“First,” he said, still not looking all that angry, “how about I stop making you stand in an alley, in the freezing cold, on a broken ankle?”

“It’s not that bad,” I mumbled. I honestly didn’t feel that cold, and I needed absolution more than I needed to sit down. Besides, this alley was where he’d first told me that he trusted me. Where I’d first decided to trust him in return. And now all I wanted was to know whether I’d broken that trust forever or whether there was still hope.

“I didn’t tell you about the siren magic because I was afraid you would never trust me again if you knew,” I blurted out, keeping my gaze fixed straight ahead. At the too-tight sweatshirt and how it hugged his chest. Nope, that was a mistake, so I shut my eyes instead. “I saw how you were around Leith. And I never wanted you to look at me that way. I understand why you’re angry, and it’s justified. I should have been honest with you. Just… tell me if there’s anything I can do to make this right.”

I heard him sigh, and for an instant, his fingers tightened on my arms. “Raine, look at me.”

And because I was weak, I did. I looked up at his perfectly disheveled hair, his piercing amber eyes, his unshaven jaw and his lips…

“I’m not angry with you ,” those lips said, and for a moment, I was too busy gawking to really understand the words.

“But… wait, you’re not?”

He shook his head. “I’m angry with myself. I thought”—his mouth twisted with chagrin—“that I was dealing with my prejudices. That I’d broken free of at least most of the narrow-minded views we dragons have embraced for… oh, centuries, I imagine. But I still have blind spots, and this one hurt you. Made you feel as if you couldn’t trust me with the truth. So, I’m sorry. Sorry you didn’t feel safe with me. Can you forgive me?”

I didn’t want to cry anymore. But had he really just said that?

“You’re not real,” I muttered, swiping at my eyes with my sleeve.

“That’s news to me,” he teased, releasing my arms, but only so he could cup my face and wipe my tears away with gentle thumbs.

Without his grip to hold me steady, I staggered a little and couldn’t hold back a whispered curse as my weight hit my left ankle.

Apparently, that was all it took for him to snatch me off my feet and raise a sarcastic eyebrow in my direction.

“Not that bad, huh?”

“It hurts,” I admitted, with a wobbly smile.

“That’s actually pretty normal when you break things.”

Oh great. The dragon had discovered sarcasm.

“Have you always been a smart-ass?” I grumbled half-heartedly.

“No.” I felt his chest begin to shake with laughter. “Not until you.”

That, of course, turned my heart into a squishy little ball of warmth and happiness, and I had to hide my face in his shoulder to conceal my delighted blush.

Somehow, we made it through the back door of The Portal with him carrying me. Despite my protests that I could walk, he didn’t set me down until we reached the main room, where Emberly took one look at us, went wide-eyed with shock, and turned resolutely back to her computer screen.

And we were none too soon. A few moments later, Chesney and the others appeared at the front door, followed shortly after by Shane, Kes, and Ethan. Ethan was conscious and walking, but seemed dazed, and sat when Kes suggested it.

The atmosphere was tense, but quiet, until Faris finally returned with Kira at his heels. She shot me and Callum a pointed look before mouthing “Ari is with Hugh,” and sitting down at the bar.

“Is this everyone?” she asked briskly, looking around the room as Emberly quietly picked up her laptop and fled.

“Not quite.” Faris glanced at his watch. “But I think we can start without her. I’ll make this simple. You lot”—he surveyed the five elementals—“screwed up. You screwed up so hard that I would love to open up this floor and bury you in it, but I won’t, because skeletons in the foundation are bad for business.”

Pretty sure not a single one of us thought he was lying.

“So let’s talk about how you’re going to fix it and what’s going to happen if you ever try something this mind-blowingly stupid on my territory again.”

Chesney jumped to her feet. “I already told you, I won’t apologize. We had everything taken from us, and she”—she pointed a trembling finger at Kes—“was responsible. It’s only right that she fixes it.”

“Are you willfully ignorant or just that selfish and cruel?” Faris returned, his tone leaving little doubt as to which theory he personally believed. “She had no more of a choice than you did, and victim blaming won’t give you your lives back. Stop whimpering and grow up.”

“Go ahead,” Chesney snarled. “Mock and belittle us if that’s what makes you feel better. But you still have your power. You still have respect. Have you ever asked yourself what you would be if you could no longer make the earth move under our feet? Who would respect you then? How many of your family and friends would still claim you, and how many of your enemies would hold back?”

“You seem to think family and friends are all about power,” Kira pointed out. “When the truth is, they’re nothing of the sort. Faris and I aren’t family because I’m a dragon. We’re family because he chose me. He chose me when I had no magic at all.”

“You’ve always had magic,” Chesney retorted scornfully. “And he knew it.”

I could have told her not to waste her breath arguing with a dragon.

“Up until a year and a half ago, the only one who knew I had magic was my aunt,” Kira corrected her. “She gave me a bracelet that suppressed my power, so I thought I was broken. I thought I would never shift, until Draven took the bracelet off.”

This was a part of her story I’d never heard—a bracelet that suppressed magic?

“Do you even hear yourself?” Chesney asked incredulously. “You thought you were broken . Because you had no magic. So how do you think we feel?”

“Angry,” Faris said coolly, startling everyone in the room. “Helpless. Filled with frustration and doubts. Scared. Defensive. Maybe even grieving.”

His answer seemed to silence them, if only for a moment.

“No,” he continued, “I don’t know what it’s like to be in your place. Not entirely. But I was taken hostage by Elayara for a short time, and during that time, she drained my magic. Locked me up in a cell and rendered me powerless.

“So, yes. I have stared that darkness in the face and wondered what the future was going to hold. Wondered how my life was going to change. Asked myself who would look at me differently, who would turn their backs, and who would take advantage of my weakness.

“That’s why I’m not going to tell you how to live. Or even how to feel. I’m not going to tell you not to be angry. But I am going to draw the line at hurting others in this blind quest to return to the life you thought you’d have.”

Chesney stared back at him, at least some of her hostility now turned to desperation. “Then what do I do?” she pleaded. “What can any of us do if we will never get back what is ours? Tell us, since you seem to think you know.”

“You can come home.”

A new voice whipped my head around, and for a moment, I wondered whether I would need to intervene.

But Talia’s gaze was fixed on her daughter. She’d stopped just inside the door as if unable to move further, unsure of her welcome and yet trembling with the need to hold the child she thought she’d lost. On her face I saw pain, longing, joy, confusion…

“Mother.” Chesney paled, and her frame went rigid. “What are you doing here? You and Faris… You two hate each other.”

“Perhaps we do,” the elemental queen acknowledged. “But that doesn’t matter right now. I love you far more than I hate him.”

The younger woman’s face twisted until I thought she might cry, but she did not, and the words that burst out of her carried all the pain she could not shed with tears.

“No, Mother. You loved me! You loved that I was strong. You loved that I had power. That you had a daughter who could carry on your legacy and rule our court. That you would never have to hand your position over to one of your enemies. You loved that I was just. Like. You .”

Talia looked as if she’d been slapped in the face. “Why would you think that?” she demanded.

“Because you told me so,” Chesney replied in a trembling voice. “Every day of my life, you told me how proud you were. Of my magic. Of my strength. Of my talents. Never just of me .”

Talia took a step towards her. Then another. And on her stern face was a look of devastation so terrible, I almost had to turn away.

“No,” she whispered. “It’s not true. It was never true. I would never…”

“But you did.”

“Is that…” The words seemed to stick in Talia’s throat. Her lower lip trembled. “Is that why you didn’t come home? Why you’ve pretended all this time that you…”

“That I was dead?” Chesney emphasized the word her mother could not bring herself to say. “Yes.”

That single syllable crushed the proud elemental queen. Without a word, Talia broke down, her shoulders heaving, a cry of agony ripping from her chest as if her heart were being torn out by the roots. Her hands clapped over her mouth in an attempt to hold back the tide, but they only muffled the sound of her sobs.

“Mom…” Chesney looked stunned.

“It’s not true, baby. I’m so sorry, it’s not true.” Talia kept repeating those words over and over, until Chesney took a hesitant step towards her. Grasped her mother’s wrists and tugged. The two stared at one another, the bond between them so tense and fragile that it might have shattered at the sound of a single breath.

“I didn’t…”

“I love you,” Talia interrupted. “I love you, child. I love everything about you, now and forever. You are mine, no matter how old you grow, no matter what powers you have, whether you lose your voice or your hair or your magic. Do you understand? There is nothing in this or any other world that could make me not love you.”

Chesney took a single moment to look stunned. Horrified. Undone. Then she threw herself into her mother’s arms and cried.

Across the room, I saw Kira turn away, as if she were doing battle with her own memories and scars. And beside me, Callum turned his gaze to the floor, as ghosts of some other confrontation flitted across his face.

When Chesney finally pulled away from her mother’s embrace and wiped her eyes, she gestured to her four companions. “And them? Can you promise that we will all be welcome?”

“All of you are a part of my court,” Talia said, turning to survey her subjects with something like her old, haughty demeanor. “That has not changed. You will aid in making reparations for your mistakes, and then you will come home.”

She blotted her tears, pulled herself together, and turned to Faris. “On behalf of my people, I offer a formal apology. It seems the fault is mine, and I will accept responsibility for where I have erred. Please send an accounting of the costs you have incurred, including all injuries and destruction of property. I will deal personally with the owners of the home that was destroyed and reimburse medical expenses for everyone involved.”

Faris regarded her with a stern, unsmiling gaze for a few moments before offering a nod of acceptance. “Under these conditions, I will agree to consider this matter concluded.”

They both bowed slightly to seal the bargain between their two courts. And once they straightened, as if she’d been waiting for that signal, Chesney took a deep, clear breath, wiped her face, and turned towards Kes. Before any of us could stop her, she dropped to her knees on the floor and bent her head.

“I am sorry,” she said quietly. “We endangered you and the children, accused you unjustly, and caused you both grief and injury through our actions. Ask of us whatever you wish in recompense and we will do it.”

Kes did not hesitate for even a moment, but hit the floor beside her and wrapped her arms around the kneeling elemental princess. “Live well,” she said fiercely. “That is what I ask of you. Live well and find joy. Don’t let Elayara win.”

For a few moments, Chesney went stiff, and I feared she might reject the peace Kes offered. But in the end, she softened enough to hug her back. “We will try,” she said.

And then it seemed that there was only one thing left to be decided—the one thing none of us quite knew how to face. I could see Chesney’s doubt as she turned toward Ethan where he sat alone, hands folded peacefully on the table in front of him.

“He needs help,” she said. “But I don’t know if there’s anything we can do.”

“We’ve already talked about it,” Kes returned serenely. “Ethan will stay with us while we work on a way to help him control his magic.”

Control his magic… The thought seemed to strike me at the same time it struck Kira, and she slid off her barstool, eyes blazing.

“Do you think…” I said cautiously, but she was already headed for the door.

“I don’t know,” she called back, “but it’s worth a try.”

She vanished, the back door slammed, and Faris raised an eyebrow.

“What was that all about?”

“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.

All of 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.