Page 20 of Magic Forsaken
And then I fell over.
A whine escaped my throat, and I began to tremble with something akin to panic.
I’d shifted.
Yet another piece of my control, broken beyond repair. I’d spent all these years suppressing the competing magics raging within me, and now, in a single day, those efforts had been ruined. First with my elemental power, and now—thanks to a moment of misguided idiocy—I’d changed into a tiny white fox.
And the king of the shapeshifters had seen me do it.
Or maybe he hadn’t. When had he arrived? Did he actually know it was me or could I still maintain my secrets if I could manage to get away?
“Raine.”
Okay, there went that theory.
But maybe running was still an option. Without a sound, I whirled and bolted, but I hadn’t accounted for the extra legs. Before I’d taken even two staggering strides, I was lifted off the sidewalk and dangled in the air, just like that unfortunate teenage delinquent.
“Stop running,” Callum commanded sternly, his gaze pinning me in place. “You’ve never shifted before, have you? Did you even know you had a shifter parent?”
I squirmed in frustration, trying to escape his grip, but he held on, even when my claws raked the skin of his arms.
“You may need help to shift back,” he growled. “I can help you, but you have to stop trying to take my arm off.”
Shift back? I stopped thrashing. Saw my clothes lying in a heap on the ground. I was going to have to change back, but then I would be…
Oh,heckno.
My body twisted wildly as I resumed my efforts to escape. Today had been bad enough without appearingnakedin front of the shifter king.
“All right.” Somehow, Callum still hadn’t reacted. Still held me in that gentle but implacable grip. “I’ll set you down, but if you run again…”
I turned my head and bit him.
I genuinely didn’t mean to—at least not seriously—but Ineededto get away, and had no other way to say so. I felt my teeth sink into his wrist, heard him swear, but he didn’t fling me away, or even drop me from that height. Instead, he lowered me carefully to the ground before releasing his grip, and then I was already running.
The hostel wasn’t far. I just needed to hide until he stopped looking for me. Just needed to find a small, dark, place where I could curl up and be safe…
Wait, no. That wasn’t me. Those weren’t my instincts. Those were the fox’s instincts. I needed to get back to Kes and Ari and Logan. Needed to focus. Not get lost. My paw landed on something sharp and I almost yelped, but swallowed it at the last moment. I didn’t want Callum following me.
Come to think of it, why had he been following me in the first place? Didn’t the king of all the shapeshifters have better things to do than stalk homeless waitresses with poor impulse control?
Worry suspended my flight, and I came to a stop among the thick weeds of a vacant lot. If Callum was still on my trail, I couldn’t afford to lead him back to the hostel. It was one thing for Faris to know where I lived. But a shapeshifter could potentially catch the scent of the kids’ magic. Might have the ability to determine what had been done to them. I couldn’t risk it.
At that moment, I could make out no sound of footsteps, no deep voice calling my name—only the rush of traffic from nearby Interstate 40, the lights of an occasional car, and the wail of a distant siren. So, like an idiot, I decided to confirm that I was alone.
My tiny white paws were at least good for sneaking, so I was able to slink back to the scene of my mistakes without making any undue noise. Between the darkness, the uncut grass, and the shadows from the gas station’s lights, I crept close enough to see where I’d originally fallen.
The tall, broad-shouldered form of the shifter king was still there—crouched on the sidewalk, enduring the scrutiny of one scruffy, injured stray kitten.
As I watched, the scrawny orange and white feline let out a pitiful cry, limped towards the looming figure, and rubbed up against his leg with a chest-rattling purr that my fox ears could pick up even from a dozen paces away.
For a brief, tense moment, worry for the tiny creature tugged at my heart. In my experience, the powerful and privileged didn’t care what became of those who could do nothing to help them. Callum was probably frustrated with me for risking my life to help a cat that likely wouldn’t live out the week.
“So you’re the reason that foolish fox decided to get involved.” His voice was still deep and harsh with disapproval, and I felt my ears flatten against my head with annoyance. How dare he judge me? I would take that risk a hundred times over before I would choose to be the sort of person who could walk away while a helpless creature was in torment.
One huge hand reached down to scoop up the purring kitten and bring it up to eye level. It looked so tiny against the backdrop of his powerful form. So fragile as he held it cradled in his strong hands.
I held my breath. Ready to dart forward if he showed any sign of trying to hurt the already injured feline.