Page 44 of Stolen Magic (All That Glitters #2)

M yst crouched on the windowsill, tail curled tightly around her paws.

Her silver fur still shimmered faintly, the last, misty traces of the spell she had cast to prevent Callan and me from kissing.

Her eyes glowed faintly, narrowed in sharp disapproval as she watched me fasten the pendant Callan had carved for me back around my neck.

“So,” she said coolly. “It appears you’ve decided to keep playing house with the prince.”

I didn’t answer right away. My fingers lingered over the wooden charm, letting its warmth settle against my skin.

Myst leapt down from the sill with a graceful flick of her tail. “You might think trusting in his honor will somehow lead to salvation instead of ruin, but in truth you’ve lost sight of your purpose—you’ve forgotten why we came here.”

“I haven’t forgotten,” I said softly.

“Then why are you risking everything for the enemy? The more you linger in this illusion, the deeper you will fall for him, and the more dangerous this foolish game becomes. We came here to reclaim what was stolen, not to offer your heart to the very people who took it.”

My hand tightened around my pendant, the carved fleur-de-lis imprinting its shape. “He’s not like them.”

Myst’s ears flattened. “He’s his father’s son.”

“He is not his father.” I snapped. “Callan is no more responsible for his father’s cruelty than I am for the wonders my mother’s magical talent once created. He has shown me nothing but kindness. He treats me not like a pawn, but like someone worth seeing.”

My voice wavered, and only by voicing these words out loud did I fully understand how much this gesture had meant to me.

“That's what makes him so dangerous.” Myst’s tone had lowered, no longer reprimanding but still cautious. Her warning might have once seduced me, but I could no longer be swayed by the darkness I’d succumbed to for so long.

“ No .” I turned to face her fully, holding her glowing gaze without fear.

“Trust and compassion are not what are dangerous, but the prison of grudges I’ve built from the ruins of my past. I’ve let grief and vengeance guide me for so long I’d forgotten part of me was still capable of joy.

I’ve spent so long pretending, lying, and hiding, even from myself.

But when I’m with him, I forget to be sad or afraid, and instead remember who I used to be—and the woman I might have become if I’d chosen a different path the day I lost everything. ”

Myst’s silver eyes were unreadable.

I looked down at the faint seal still glowing within my clenched palm, then out toward the gardens beyond the glass.

The moment spent with Callan beneath the gazebo hadn’t changed me so much as it had simply revealed a truth I’d hidden even from myself.

The rain had washed away more than my disguise—it had illuminated what I could no longer deny: he had seen me and had still chosen to stay.

I pressed a hand over the place where the pendant rested just above my heart. “I’m in love with him. And I will no longer let you sabotage what’s become the most important part of my life.”

A long silence passed, yet though she clearly still disapproved, for once Myst didn’t argue but simply watched me, the quiet weight of her gaze lingering like a shadow I no longer feared.

Now that I had spoken the truth aloud, I wanted to embark on the new path my realization had opened to me. I departed to seek out the object of my newfound affection.

The corridors were quiet, the hush of morning broken only by the distant clatter of guards changing shifts and the occasional echo of courtly footsteps.

I moved quickly, the soft rustle of my skirts barely audible as I rounded the corner near the council chamber where Callan had said he’d spend the morning in meetings.

I hadn’t meant to wander this far; I only wanted to find him.

After everything that had passed between us the night before—the rain, the confession, his acceptance—I couldn’t bear to spend another moment apart.

I needed to see his face again, to bask in the warmth of the fragile connection we’d forged.

I didn’t know what I would say, I just needed to be near him.

But as I neared the chamber doors, raised voices caused me to still, my hand half poised to knock. “…do not lie to me, Callan.” The king’s voice rang sharp and cold, slicing through the thick wood chamber door.

Heart hammering, I pressed my back against the stone wall as I strained to listen.

“You think I wouldn’t find out?” the king continued, voice low and dangerous. “You think my spies wouldn't notice magic being gathered right beneath our noses? Or that no one would question a sudden storm summoned from clear skies, one that pulsed with traceable spellwork?”

My blood turned to ice. The storm, the magic Myst had drawn…I hadn’t realized they could track it.

“I’ve already told you,” Callan replied, his voice calm but firm. “There’s no danger. She hasn’t done anything wrong.”

“She’s been caught pulling raw magic from restricted corridors. Twice . And now the storm wardens confirm a magical anomaly centered over the royal gardens at the exact hour you just happened to be strolling with your fiancée.”

Callan didn’t immediately respond. My throat tightened as the silence stretched, my breath shallow. This was his chance to reveal the secret I’d entrusted him with that I could use magic, to prove my faith in him hadn’t been misplaced.

“She didn’t summon the storm,” he said.

“No?” The king's voice turned deathly quiet. “Then who did?”

There was a pause. I could almost hear the desperate war raging in Callan’s mind. “I know it couldn’t have been her. Throughout my years of study, I have learned how to detect magic and didn’t sense any around her…and I stood quite close to her when the enchanted rain started.”

“Is that so?” The doubt emerged as sharp as a blade.

“You know I’ve been studying these past several years.” Callan’s voice was steady now as he wove his lie. “I was testing a weather-manipulation theory and wanted to impress her, but lost control.”

The king’s disbelief was so thick it choked the condemning silence that followed. “You expect me to believe you, a barely trained novice, summoned a storm without authorization? Don’t be daft.”

“I didn’t intend to,” Callan replied. “But regardless I’ll take full responsibility for the mistake.”

“You’ll take more than mere responsibility ,” the king said. “For shielding a girl we both know is hiding something from the crown. My sources said she was seen skillfully channeling power, an ability no one from her kingdom should still possess. That alone suggests foul play and espionage.”

“She’s not what you think she is,” Callan said tightly. “Gwen has had ample opportunity to do harm or betray us. You are well aware that your mages swept her room while she was out and discovered no magical artifacts. You’ll find no threat from her.”

“No,” the king hissed. “She’s worse. She’s a mystery that you’re foolishly protecting. I want to know why. Is it infatuation? Does she smile at you and make you believe you’re not just like me?”

Callan’s answer came immediately, quiet but firm: “Because I believe in her.”

A heavy silence followed. My heart swelled, chest aching with the weight all his words caused me to feel. He was protecting me, keeping the promise he’d made…even with knowing full well the price of defying his father.

There was a long silence before the king spoke again, low and dangerous. “If you defy me in this and continue to shield her, I will strip you of your title as heir.”

“You’d see the kingdom fall to infighting just to punish me for believing in the woman who is to be our future queen—the woman you insisted on betrothing to me?” Callan said. “You taught me to serve Eldoria, and that is what I’m doing.”

“This extends well beyond any noble intention,” the king said darkly. “It’s become a matter of loyalty to the crown you are to inherit. I know you’re keeping something from me. If you won’t bring it to light, I will.”

I couldn’t bear to hear another word. A sob rose in my throat and I pressed a hand over my mouth to stifle it as I stumbled back from the door, the guilt cinching my racing heart unbearable.

I had come here for revenge—to reclaim my power and tear down the throne that had stolen my past. But somewhere along the way, I had found something far more precious.

And now he and whatever was growing between us were in jeopardy… because of me.

I pressed a hand over where the pendant Callan had given me rested above my heart like a quiet promise.

Thanks to my deception, he stood at odds with the king who ruled this realm, risking everything just to protect the secrets I should never have let slip.

I didn’t deserve his faith in me or his unwavering loyalty, and yet he gave them freely, sacrificing everything for me… while I had done nothing but lie.

A tear slid down my cheek, the first I’d allowed myself to shed since the day I lost Mother.

For the first time since I entered these halls, I no longer cared about the magic I’d once burned to possess.

I would find a way to protect him, even if it meant surrendering my mission to reclaim what had been stolen, my vengeance, even my stolen name.

Because even though I had believed my heart had become hardened beyond redemption, I had finally found something stronger than hate, something I cared about more than magic.

I had found him …and now I had to let him go.

My heart wrenched at the thought of losing the single shaft of light that had illuminated my dark world since the fire and destruction of my childhood.

But it was because of his goodness and the love I now felt for him that I knew he deserved better than the shadows and lies that followed in my wake.