Page 9 of Magic Betrayed (The Shifter of Sheridan Avenue #2)

NINE

We didn’t say much during the last few minutes of the drive. Rath appeared to be lost in some grim contemplation of his own, and I was now free to worry obsessively over why Kira had texted us but not mentioned why.

Did that mean it was something so terrible she could only tell us in person?

When we finally arrived at the pink and black house that served as home to Kira’s bookstore, I barely waited for Rath to put the SUV in park. The moment he pulled into a spot, I leaped out and headed for the stairs behind the store that led to Kira’s apartment on the second level.

By the time I reached the door and lifted my fist to start knocking, it opened, and Kira’s wan face greeted me.

“Thank the heavens, you’re here.” She pulled me inside.

“Rath is coming too,” I noted, and she looked startled but poked her head out the door to watch for him.

“Where is Callum? I thought you two were together.”

“We were,” I acknowledged. “Long story, but he ended up shifting and had to fly back to his apartment for clothes.”

Her eyes went wide. “He shifted? Were you attacked?”

“We thought so, but turned out it was just Rath.”

Speak of the devilish fae prince… He arrived at the top of the stairs just as I said his name.

Kira shut the door behind him and commenced pacing across the kitchen, her phone clutched in tightly clenched fingers.

“What happened? Why did you text Callum?”

As she turned to face me, heavy footsteps came pounding up the stairs from the bookstore below, and Callum burst in, more on edge than I’d ever seen him. His hair was windblown, and his eyes were a little wild until they landed on me, at which point he seemed to force himself to stop and breathe.

“You made it.”

I nodded, watching him carefully. His jaw muscles remained clenched for a moment, his shoulders unusually tense, as if prepared for a fight. And he was still looking at me, a slight glow simmering in his gaze, when Kira held out her phone, screen towards me.

“I got these texts,” she said, her tone wavering slightly.

“Okay?”

“From an unknown number.”

Dread hit me like a freight train, stealing the breath from my lungs and leaving a sick ache in the pit of my stomach.

The only reason she would have called us here for texts from an unknown number…

“Kes.” I whispered the word, and she nodded slowly, compassion in every line of her face.

I reached out, fingers trembling, and took the phone. Dropped my gaze to the screen.

This is Kes.

I wanted to let you know that I’m safe.

The kids are with me, and they will be fine as long as you stay away.

We miss everyone, but please don’t try to find us.

And don’t tell Faris, or any of his people. I don’t need them messing up my life anymore. If they show up, it’ll only cause trouble.

We’ll be safer where we are, and there are things I need to do.

Secrets I’ve never shared.

Don’t look for me. It’s better this way.

Please forgive me.

It felt like being kicked in the chest by a mule. At first, all I could see was the fifth message.

I don’t need them messing up my life anymore.

She was sending me a message. But was that truly how she saw me? Did she resent my interference in her life? Wish I’d never brought her here, where she felt the need to stay hidden in the apartment, forever barred from any kind of normal existence?

It activated so many of my deeply buried fears, for a few moments I was unable to break free.

I couldn’t feel my fingers, and as the phone began to fall, a hand appeared and snatched it out of the air. Handed it to Kira.

Callum grabbed my shoulders and turned me to face him, his grip firm but gentle.

“Raine, look at me.”

I looked.

And for some reason, I didn’t see him the same way I usually did. Instead of the gorgeous, powerful, untouchable king of the shapeshifters, I just saw… Callum. Auburn hair barely tamed, scruff shadowing his jaw, lips pressed tightly together as he stared down at me. Unbearably handsome in his simple black pullover and jeans. He was wearing his boss-dragon stare, the one that made other shapeshifters cringe and show their throats, and ordinarily it brought out every bit of my stubborn, hard-nosed refusal to bend to anyone’s will.

But this time? It felt like safety. It felt like… home.

And in an impulsive moment of absolute desperation, I leaned forward, wrapped my arms around his waist, and buried my face in his chest.

I hugged the shapeshifter king, and he went motionless in response. But only for a moment, and then… he hugged me back.

He hugged me back . Wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me closer, wrapping me up in his steady warmth and unyielding strength.

“I’ve got you,” he murmured, and I gave myself a half dozen breaths to lean on him and let him be my anchor. I wanted to stay there—to let him hold me steady in the midst of this whirlwind of pain and uncertainty. But this was already going to be embarrassing enough once I pulled myself together, and I knew Rath and Kira were watching.

So after that half dozen breaths, I pulled back, gave him an unsteady nod, and held out my hand for the phone.

“I need to read it again.”

He handed it back without a word, then leaned in to read the texts over my shoulder.

I read them again. And then again. Took a deep breath and crossed the room to hand the phone to Rath.

“I think it’s definitely her,” I said, trying not to let anyone hear how badly I was shaking. “Not someone pretending to be her. She’s the only person I know who texts like that with all the capital letters and correct punctuations. If they were pretending, they would have texted the way they would expect from someone our age.”

And if it really was her…

“Pretty sure she’s being coerced into doing something, and they’re holding the kids hostage to ensure her cooperation. She thinks she can keep the kids safe by doing what they want, and keeping me safe by warning me to stay away.”

The fae prince’s expression was grim as he scanned the series of texts. “I agree. And given that she didn’t use your name but lumped you in with Faris, I believe she doesn’t want to risk them learning your identity—or your connection. There’s a chance her kidnappers would have taken you too if they’d known the truth.”

That… one hundred percent sounded like Kes. Far more like her than insisting I stay out of her life because I only caused trouble. We’d been through too much together—relied on each other for too long. I knew her better than that, too, but for those few moments, I’d let my guilt and my fears overwhelm the truth.

“She said there’s something she needs to do,” I said slowly. “That means…” I looked at Rath and he offered me a grim nod.

These despicable monsters were threatening the kids to manipulate Kes into using her magic. They were hurting her, just as Elayara had done.

I drew in a deep breath and whirled to face Callum, pulling his phone out of my coat pocket and shoving it into his hand. “Can you contact Grandma Pearl again? See if she can trace this phone number?”

He didn’t ask a single question, just snapped a picture of Kira’s screen and started texting.

I turned to Kira. “Thank you.”

She was watching me with a peculiar expression, her arms folded across her chest, and I recognized the stubborn glimmer in her eyes as one I’d seen on her brother a million times.

“You’re about to try to brush me off, aren’t you?” she accused.

“I…” Couldn’t exactly deny it. “You have a wedding to plan,” I pointed out cautiously. “I don’t want anything to get in the way of that. You’ve been waiting for this for so long, and…”

“Weddings be damned,” she snapped suddenly. “If you think I’m just going to sit back and fiddle with music and flowers after this, I swear, I might just lock you up in The Portal’s basement until you come to your senses.”

She glared at her brother. “And you ! You know what I can do. Were you planning to keep me in the dark over some misguided nonsense about keeping me safe again?”

“No.” His answer was steady and sincere. “I trust you. And I do know how capable you are. But this time it isn’t up to me. Also, up until a few minutes ago, we weren’t sure what we were dealing with, and there’s no point in calling in an army unless there’s actually a war.”

Kira huffed a bit, but seemed mollified. “Okay then. Restock my tea cabinet, and I might consider forgiving you. So what’s our first move?”

If only I knew. If only I had information to help me decide. But I was flying on pure, terrifying guesswork, and praying that it would be enough for me to save Kes and the kids.

“I still don’t think we can rule out the possibility that Blake is involved.” He suspected I knew Kes’s location, but according to Shane’s warning, didn’t have absolute proof. His flunkies would have had no way of knowing we were roommates, so it might actually make sense they would have tried to incapacitate me rather than grab me.

“But I also don’t think we should limit our options,” Callum added. “Just because we believe humans took them doesn’t mean it has to be Blake. There could be any number of humans out there targeting Idrians for reasons we haven’t even thought of yet.”

But if that was the case… Why Kes? Why not take someone more visible? More powerful? Someone with obvious magic? Kes’s unique power made this theory unlikely, but how could I explain that to Callum and Kira without betraying her confidence? And yet, how could I possibly point them in the right direction without telling them the truth?

Kira dropped onto her sagging couch and hugged one of the worn green pillows with a frown. “We still don’t know where that”—her words devolved into viciously muttered commentary on Blake’s character and parentage—“is, do we?”

“Ryker is looking into it,” Callum told her. “But we don’t have a lot of good leads yet.”

“We have the van,” I reminded him. “We can go chase that down while we’re waiting for an answer on the phone.”

“I’ll go with you,” Kira announced, bouncing up again, but I’d already made up my mind. There was no chance I was letting her put herself in harm’s way—not now. But there was one thing she could do, just as long as I was willing to take the risk.

I’d hoped there would be no need for this, but under the circumstances… “Actually, there’s something else you could investigate. Something that might need Draven’s help, if he’s willing.”

“Anything,” Kira promised. “Name it and it’s done.”

I hoped desperately I wasn’t making a mistake, but now that I knew for sure they’d been taken… my family’s safety had to take priority. Our secrets wouldn’t matter if none of them survived.

“There’s a contract out on Kes,” I blurted out. “Or at least there was. I need to know who’s behind it and whether or not it’s been withdrawn.”

Everyone in the room was suddenly staring at me, Kira in shock, Rath with calculating focus, and Callum with narrowed eyes.

“How did you find out?” My former boss’s tone was level and controlled, but I could tell there was more going on beneath the surface. I just couldn’t quite tell what.

“Shane Isaacson told me yesterday. He came to warn us.”

Kira’s head tilted thoughtfully. Whatever feelings she might have about the half-goblin mercenary seemed locked behind intent curiosity. “The Shane I know doesn’t do warnings. He also doesn’t get emotionally involved, especially not where the fae are concerned.”

Callum hadn’t moved, but I knew before he opened his mouth that he was about to ask the one question I didn’t want to answer.

“As far as any of us know, Kes has no significant magic and has stayed next to invisible since you arrived in Oklahoma City. So why is there a contract on her, and not on you?”

I met his amber gaze steadily, and as our eyes clashed, I sensed not anger, not frustration, but concern, along with what looked like a hint of disappointment.

He was probably disappointed that I’d felt the need to hide this. That I hadn’t trusted him enough to share the truth. I had to hope he would understand the impossible position I was in, but if not, there was nothing I could do. I’d made the decisions I had to make and I would not take them back.

“Kes does have unusual magic,” I admitted. “And we keep it secret for a reason. But Blake…”

A sudden rush of fear choked off my words, but it was too late for second-guessing. Callum had already figured it out.

“She’s the missing piece, isn’t she? The one thing Blake still needed. He thought you would know where it is.”

Drat him for being so perceptive. For seeing through my every attempt to be evasive.

“You have to swear you will never reveal this to anyone outside this room,” I insisted desperately. “The more people who know, the more danger she’s in. But yes. She is his missing piece. That’s why I’m afraid…”

Afraid of what Blake might do to her. Afraid that I’d ruined these fragile new friendships by concealing a dangerous secret. Afraid that I’d endangered Kes by revealing it—even in part—and afraid that she would hate me when she found out I’d done so.

But Kira came to her feet. Crossed the room, put her arms around me, and hugged me.

It was my second hug of the day, and I didn’t hate it. In fact, it was all I could do not to start crying again . What were these people doing to me?

“In this family, we know a thing or two about dangerous secrets,” she said fiercely. “So thank you for trusting us with this. We will protect it the same way we protect everyone we care about—with our legendary family stubbornness, a complete inability to know when to quit, and, of course, dragon fire. If necessary.”

“Thank you,” I whispered. “You have no idea…”

“How scared you’ve been?” She smiled crookedly. “I might. We should swap stories sometime. But for now, let’s get this party started. Draven and I will look into that contract and find out who’s behind it. We’ll also check in with Ryker and see if he’s made any progress. The two of you can go hunt down this van you were talking about, and Rath…”

“I will contact Shane to determine what else he knows about the bounty,” the fae prince stated coolly. “We have a casual connection, so he may be willing to discuss it with me.”

I could tell Kira desperately wanted to ask him about that, but she refrained. “Then it’s a plan,” she agreed. “After everyone passes the nutrition check.”

The what?

“Who’s eaten since breakfast?”

None of us responded.

“That’s what I thought.” She took her phone back and pulled up an app. “Luckily for you, I have barbecue on speed dial. I’ll order sandwiches so you can eat on the go, but you are going to eat.”

* * *

True to Kira’s prediction, we all ate—even me. I didn’t think I was hungry until she handed me a sandwich bulging with pulled pork and a basket of perfectly crispy fried okra, but I somehow managed to devour it and actually felt better afterwards. It seemed everyone found it difficult to tell her no—including Rath, who eyed his brisket with suspicion, but still downed it without complaint and even seemed to enjoy it.

After we finished, Callum and I dropped Rath back at the Ackerman Apartments to pick up his motorcycle, then headed west on Route 66, on our way towards the site where Grandma Pearl had found the missing van.

Callum was unusually quiet for the first few minutes after we left Rath, and I found myself growing increasingly nervous. Was he angry? Disappointed? Or just trying to figure out how to never talk to me again?

“Just say it,” I finally demanded, unable to bear the suspense. If he was upset with me, I’d rather know for sure than go on wondering. “Whatever you’re thinking, it can’t be worse than what I’m imagining.”

He looked a little startled by my outburst. “I’m not angry,” he assured me, “if that’s what you’re worried about. I just… I knew you were carrying a lot. Trying to financially support four people while hiding from literally everyone. Working for someone who scared you spitless, just to keep your family fed and safe. Worrying about a pair of kids with unstable magic, while pretending to be Idrian because it was your only option.”

Yeah, it sounded pretty bad when he put it like that. And that wasn’t even a full list.

“But somehow I just realized that you’ve also been carrying a lot of guilt that isn’t yours to bear.”

He had no idea.

“I think you blame yourself for more than the magic you carry. You blame yourself for all the people you didn’t save when you escaped. For failing to protect Kes and Ari and Logan from whoever took them. And now for the possibility that someone else will be hurt in the process of finding them.”

I did. Of course I did.

I’d made a lot of progress after the battle with Blake. Laid aside my guilt over the magic forced upon me and recognized that Elayara’s actions were not my fault. I hadn’t chosen to be her prisoner. It hadn’t been my decision to experiment with people’s lives, or to cause untold suffering to her many victims. But if I was going to find a way to heal, I also had to own the things that were my fault.

“I’ve made a lot of selfish choices,” I told him flatly. “Both back then and now. I know there’s no shame in using the magic Elayara forced on me. I can’t change what was done, and the best way to honor her victims, the best way to make this life I’ve been given worthwhile, is not to hide, but to use this power to protect others.”

Callum’s expression turned odd, but I wasn’t ready to hear him say that none of this was my fault.

“But it was me that chose to run with only the four of us. Because I was afraid that if I went back, none of us would make it. I told myself I would help the others escape as soon as we were safe, but now I’ll never know whether I was just lying to make myself feel better. Whether I would have chosen to give up my own safety in order to save them. And after we came here, after Faris gave us a home, I also chose to ignore the potential dangers because I just wanted to not be afraid for once.”

I’d wanted to catch my breath, just for a moment. To pretend we could have a normal life.

“So now, because I was so desperate for something simple and normal, because I didn’t trust anyone with the truth of who might be hunting us, I’ve gotten everyone caught up in this new fight. Spending their time, risking their lives, trying to help us. And for what?”

I shifted in my seat, turning towards Callum, begging him to understand. “I’ve brought nothing but trouble to any of you. And I have next to nothing to offer in the future. I have no knowledge any of you need, no unique power, no special abilities. All I can see is this mountain of debt that keeps growing and growing with no way to pay it back. No way that I’ll ever be enough to justify what’s been sacrificed for me, let alone for Kes, for Ari, and for Logan.”

I hadn’t meant to say all that. To say any of that. It made me too vulnerable. Laid too much of my heart bare for him to see.

So why had I picked Callum for all of this emotional vomit?

He didn’t speak for a few moments, as if waiting to make sure that I had no more to say. But what more was there?

“I understand the burden of guilt over things you have no control over,” he said at last. He didn’t sound angry. Didn’t even sound judgmental. He just sounded like… himself. Like a person I was beginning to associate with more than just stubbornness, responsibility, and strength. He was also patient. Thoughtful. Sacrificial. Willing to carry the burdens of others without complaint.

All very strange things to say about a dragon I’d once viewed as the greatest threat to my existence.

“But Raine, somewhere in all of this, I think you’ve been missing a voice to remind you that you don’t need to do anything to justify your survival.”

It wasn’t that I was trying to justify my survival… was I?

“You should know that you—just you, as you are—are worth protecting.”

My mouth opened to tell him he was wrong, but no sound came out, because something in my chest cracked. Not audibly, but I felt the breach in my walls, caught a glimpse of everything that lurked behind them, and caught my breath in a gasp I knew he could hear.

I was worth protecting.

I recognized each individual word in that sentence, but taken together, they meant nothing. Nothing I could make sense of. Nothing I dared believe. Because if they were true…

“I can’t.” I said honestly, my voice trembling with the effort. My words were raw and bleeding, and they probably told him too much, but there was no other way to stop this. “I don’t think I can hear this right now. I want to believe it, but if I try…”

I was afraid. Afraid of what I might find behind that wall. Afraid of losing control and being forced to confront all the bodies I’d buried—the corpses of hopes and dreams that had died long ago. I didn’t dare unearth those ghosts until I was somewhere far safer than a late night scavenger hunt with my family’s lives at stake.

“I’m not going to push you,” Callum said quietly. “But neither will I watch you drive yourself to the breaking point under this burden of guilt that’s eating you alive. We don’t help you because we believe there’s something for us to gain. We help you because you’re one of us. You’re family now, and family doesn’t abandon each other. Not ever.”

I heard the echo of Faris’s gruff voice as he left my apartment…

I don’t want her going off and getting herself killed before she figures it out.

Was this what he was talking about?

“There is no math you can use to explain this,” Callum continued. “No equation that tells us how much help we’re allowed to receive, or how much we’re supposed to give.”

“But I’m not…”

He cut off my protest with a single glance, amber eyes blazing.

“You are.”

When had this happened? How?

I had no idea how to make sense of it, so it was probably for the best that Callum’s phone buzzed with a text.

He used his fingerprint to unlock it before handing it to me. The text was from Grandma Pearl.

sorry can’t help you

burner phone

“She can’t trace the number,” I announced heavily. “The texts are a dead end.”

So we were back to only one potential lead—the mysterious white van. We just had to hope that we had not delayed too long, and that it would still be waiting for us when we arrived.