Page 39 of Magic Claimed

Unfortunately, in this case, it was entirely misplaced.

“Angelica, this is his family.” I stepped towards her at a steady pace, my voice level, my hands at my sides. Non-threatening, I hoped. “They would move heaven and earth for him. Let them help.”

“The king is undermy protection.” Her eyes flashed amber, and power resonated from her voice. “Until the medic arrives, I will not be moved. This is the king’s request and is therefore law.”

“Then what does the law say about his mate?” I asked quietly.

Her glowing gaze shifted to me, doubt dimming its fire for the first time. “Your bond has not been formally recognized.”

“It’s the real thing.”

A new voice from behind me seemed to jolt Angelica out of her almost robotic stubbornness. Her eyes flared, her chin jerked, and she stared over my shoulder with visible frustration as the newcomer moved forward to stand beside me.

“You know it, and I know it,” Ryker said, a bit of growl in his normally cheerful tone. “Now let Raine in to see him.”

“But he said…”

“He told Draven no access until they find out who stabbed him. But that was at the Fae Court. He was about to be unconscious and had no one there he could trust. This is his home. His family. Sometimes the letter of the law just isn’t enough, Anj.”

Anj?

The squirrels of curiosity rioted in whatever part of my brain wasn’t currently scared spitless for Callum. How hadthese two gotten close enough for him to call her Anj? And why hadn’t she stabbed him for his familiarity?

The gryphon took another look at all of us, threw up her hands and let slip a muttered curse entirely at odds with her usual rigid and exacting demeanor.

“Fine,” she snapped. “But if he dies, I will hunt all of you down, starting with you.” She pointed straight at Ryker, and he spread his arms in response.

“Anytime, Anj.”

The moment the way was open, Tairen, Skye, Morghaine, and Kira started forward, disappearing into Callum’s room without another word and leaving me standing there with a grim-looking Ryker and still seething Angelica.

I wanted more than anything else to see Callum. Feel his hand in mine and make sure he was still breathing. Tell him that we would fix this. But I could give his family a moment.

Only a few seconds later, Skye poked her head out and looked at me quizzically. “You don’t have to wait out here.”

“But you’re his family…”

“And you’re hismate,” she said firmly. “Even when he’s unconscious, he needs you more than anyone.”

Ryker offered me an encouraging nod, so I lurched forward despite trembling knees. Walked across the living room, through the doorway, and into the bedroom.

The scene was weirdly disorienting. I’d been in this room, but mostly when waking up from the various incidents and accidents that had befallen me since meeting Callum. So even though I knew it was Callum’s room, I’d never actually seen himin it. Never seen him lying in that bed, so pale and still that he might as well be…

My face must have shown everything I was feeling because someone grabbed my hand in a tight grip.

“He’s breathing, Raine. He’s stable.” Kira.

He might be breathing, but I wasn’t. It felt like something heavy was sitting directly on my chest, refusing to let air into my lungs.

Callum had always been so much larger than life—a powerful, burning presence that could not be dimmed or denied. Strong enough to literally throw a lion across a room, but controlled enough to cuddle a kitten and earn its trust. He made me feel safe, seen, protected. I must have unconsciously believed there was nothing that could take him down, because seeing him like this…

It awakened a terror I’d never known I could feel. Even in the fae prison, even when I was being hunted in the tunnels, even when Ari and Logan and Kes were missing… it hadn’t been like this.

I drew in a shuddering breath and hit my knees beside the bed.

“Bond feedback,” I heard someone mutter, before a tentative hand landed on my shoulder. “Try to separate your feelings from his. The bond is new, and he’s not conscious enough to be in control, so you may need to work harder to compensate.”

I glanced up at Morghaine. “How do I do that?”