Page 74 of Magic Claimed

“Like I’m missing a limb,” he said honestly. “Like a sixth sense I’ve always used but never fully understood is just… gone. I don’t think I could go for a run or punch through a wall, but”—he offered me a lopsided smile—“I can help find a couple of missing kids.”

“Are you sure?” I stepped towards him until I could rest a hand on his chest, feel his heart beating beneath my fingers and wonder… How much longer did we have?

Callum covered my hand with his. “I’m sure. Whateverhappens… However much time I have, I’m going to spend it with you.”

I’d never dreamed that a single sentence could be so utterly romantic… and so utterly heartbreaking.

“If that’sall,” Angelica interjected a little sarcastically, “I think I’ll go drown myself in coffee and tackle my emails.”

She was already stalking off when I called after her.

“Angelica.”

She paused.

“Thank you.”

I heard her breath catch, just before she huffed and walked away.

EIGHTEEN

Our first stopafter leaving was The Portal. Callum wanted to assess the damage, and I wanted to make sure Faris wasn’t being harassed by humans. I expected to find a fair number of gawkers now that the glamour was gone and they could see what had been hiding behind the “Closed for Renovation” sign all these years.

The entire front was roped off by yellow crime scene tape when we arrived, and a temporary scaffolding had been set up along the sidewalk. Boards and tarps blocked off any view of the interior, and while a few people stood nearby snapping pictures, no one attempted to stop or question us as we ducked past them.

Inside, the center of the floor had been swept clean of debris and a single table placed there—possibly the only one that remained unburned. Faris sat at the table, a glass in his hand.

From the look of him, he hadn’t slept much the night before—if at all.

That wasn’t unusual for Faris—much of his clientele partied at night, so he was often awake until dawn—but this time was different. There was dust and debris in his beard, his shirt was torn, his knuckles were shredded and bloody, and his eyes…

I’d always had the impression that he was constantly watching—thinking, judging, assessing, maybe even taking notes. Faris Lansgrave was never less than one hundred percent aware of what was happening in his club, in his court, and in his city.

Today, his gaze was unfocused. He didn’t move when we clambered over the fallen bricks to approach the table, and he didn’t lift his glass to take a drink. Just stared into nothing with red, swollen eyes and the blank expression of a man who was no longer certain how to move forward.

“Faris?”

For a few panicked moments, I wondered whether it wasn’t Faris at all. But then he looked up at me, and I realized that whatever was in his glass, this wasn’t his first round. From the look of things, my boss was utterly and completely hammered.

Not on alcohol—that didn’t have much of an effect on most Idrians—but probably on fae liquor or pixie ale, which could act unpredictably depending on the person.

And despite the fact that he owned a club, I’d never seen Faris touch so much as a drop, so I had no idea what to expect.

“He’s been like that since before dawn.” Seamus stepped out from behind the bar and wandered over, running a hand through his shaggy brown hair and watching his boss with worried, bloodshot eyes. “He didn’t tell anyone. Just sent us allhome and came out here by himself last night to start cleaning up.”

That was the kind of man he was. The kind of boss he was. Always taking the largest burden on himself, while also sharing ours—all without ever revealing how much pressure he was under.

“Does Morghaine know?”

Seamus shook his head. “She’s been with Tairen. The news story broke overnight, and the public backlash has been pretty intense. People are scared, and they’re calling for everything from having her ‘put down’ to segregating all Idrians for the sake of public safety.”

I could sense a lot of anger behind his normally chill demeanor, and even as a human, I didn’t blame him. It was beyond absurd to condemn an entire group for the actions of one person, but fear and hatred always motivated more quickly than compassion.

Honestly, humans could be so embarrassing sometimes.

I heard a crash from the kitchen and raised an eyebrow at Seamus.

“Irene,” he said with a shrug. “She’s been in there swearing and slamming things around since shortly after I got here.”