Page 114 of Magic Claimed

“Logan.”

TWENTY-SIX

“How did you get here?”

His chin lifted. “A gateway opened up right outside our apartment. I saw all those people come through, and I knew it had to lead to wherever you were. So once the fight started…”

“You sneaked out and jumped right in,” I said softly. I had no idea what he’d been doing alone in our apartment, but that hardly mattered now.

So often, when I looked at him, I saw only my memories of the boy we’d first rescued—the boy who never talked. The boy fighting so hard for control that he rarely smiled. We struggled to find equilibrium with the grumpy teen looking for independence, hoping for more of his rare flashes of enthusiasm. Wanting nothing more for him thannormal.

And in the midst of all that, maybe I’d forgotten that, unlike Ari, he was old enough to remember everything. Old enough to understand the horror of what we’d been through. His scars were as deep as mine, and when he said he wanted to help, whatthat meant was… he needed it. Needed to deal with our past just like I did. Needed to use what he’d been given in a way that made the world better instead of worse.

And as I tried to come to terms with my own failure to give him what he needed, my kid looked me dead in the eye, and I saw evidence of tears he would never have wanted to show.

“I can do it,” he said, and his voice rang with certainty. “I know what this is. I know why it has to be destroyed. And I need to… Please, let me do this.”

I’d never felt so torn, or so proud of who he was becoming. And he’d been practicing his earth magic. Faris had always said he was strong, so hopefully that meant he was powerful enough to bury this place so deeply it would never be found.

“Okay,” I said. “I believe you. You’re strong, you’re smart, and I know you’ve got this.”

He nodded at me solemnly, and I wanted so badly to hug him.

Thankfully, I’d been parenting this particular teenager long enough to know better.

I turned to Tairen, wryly aware that just a few short hours ago I would never have dreamed of asking this question.

“You’ll protect him?”

She looked at me as if I’d lost my mind. “Are you seriously asking me this?”

Well, yes. I’d sort of hoped she’d be willing, but if not…

“If the situation weren’t so dire, I would be mortally insulted. That you could even insinuate…” She stopped and drew in a breath, as if pleading for the patience to tolerate my audacity.

“I am a dragon,” she informed me sternly, “and we protect our children above all else. So if you think there is any force on earth that could come between me and my grandson, you are far more foolish than I anticipated.”

I blinked.

Looked at Shane.

He shrugged.

Logan was grinning from ear to ear.

“Okay then. I guess… we’ll leave it to you.”

In the not so very distantpast, I would have said that leaving my kid behind in that place was the hardest thing I’d ever done, but the last few days had been so full of difficult choices, it was difficult to rank them.

All I could feel as we headed back towards the control room was a sense of dread and anticipation.

Would the gateway still be there?

Was the battle over?

Was Callum still okay?

The kids were silent as we jogged up the stairs. No protests, no crying. As if they’d already seen too much. So when we reached the control room, I deliberately tried to draw their attention—hoping they wouldn’t look too closely at the monitors.