Page 45 of Magic Claimed

He walked in, took a critical look at me, and grunted. “How is he?”

“Same,” Ryker told him.

“We’ll fix it,” Faris said gruffly, and I had to fight once more to maintain my composure. “Don’t worry. There are a lot of people on your team.”

I swallowed and bobbed my head to show that I understood. For some reason, I was struggling to form words, but Faris didn’t seem to be having the same problem.

“I’ve given notice that I need an experienced herbalist. Most freelancers know it pays to have the Shadow Court owe them a favor, so we should be able to find someone within hours. And Marilee is back in town. She’ll be available to cover your shifts until you tell me you’re ready to return to work.”

I’d always wondered if he’d given me a job more out of pity than need. But even if this was proof, I no longer cared.

“Thanks,” I choked out. “I wish I could say that’s all I needed, but…”

“Say it.”

“I may need help getting Kes and the kids moved into one of the apartments up here.”

His green eyes flared with a spark of emerald magic. “Done. Isaacson too?”

Hah. For a gruff and grumpy male, he didn’t miss much.

“Pretty sure the answer is yes. Also, I need to know who ran the fingerprint search on the kidnappers’ van.”

“For the human with the missing kid?”

I nodded. “Monique.”

“Give me her address. I’ll make sure it happens today. Anything else?”

“Start me a tab?” I joked, only mostly kidding.

Faris glared.

“I know,” I said, sobering. “It’s family. But someday, I hope this family thing won’t be so one-sided.”

“It won’t,” he rumbled. “Someday I’ll be too old to threaten people properly. Then maybe it’ll be Logan’s job.”

Logan’s job…

I didn’t know if he’d done it on purpose, or the words had just slipped out, but the way he’d said that… It painted a picture of us staying here, with this family, until we were all old and gray—of him treating Logan like his own son—and I was hit with a wave of longing so intense that it took my breath away.

But first we had to survive this. Had to make sure all of us made it through to see that future.

I took a deep breath. “I’m going to go see Callum. And then I’m going to go help Kes and the kids pack up. I don’t want anyone to know where they’re going, so we’ll probably move them out one at a time. Try to hide the truth.”

And then, once they were safe, I would focus on the next most urgent task.

Finding Jeremiah.

I hadto take a few moments just to breathe and steady my heart before I walked into the bedroom. Because if Callum was in there somewhere—able to hear me, sense my thoughts, feel my emotions—I wanted to be calm. Strong. To show him I had everything together, and that I was going to fix this. He could count on me, the same way I’d been able to rely on him so many times.

But then I saw him lying there—still and gray and helpless—and all my resolve crumbled. I had no false bravado, no blustering confidence. Only fear for his life.

I sat on the bed beside him, lifted his hand, and pressed the back of it to my cheek.

As always when I touched him, I could feel his presence and his emotions through our bond, and had to choke back a cry as I realized they were already dimmer than yesterday. The coils of despair seemed to have drawn tighter, and the light of his power was flickering.

No. I would not focus on that. I would not feed this darkness with my own. Maybe my efforts would be in vain, but I wasn’t going to stop fighting until there was nothing left to fight for.