Bound by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #2)(31)

The phone went dead, and I had a feeling Rylan wouldn’t be calling me again. By Magorah, but what had happened to him? Of all my family, he was the only one I’d been truly close with, mainly because we both shared a rebellious streak. But the Rylan who’d run off to join the Resistance had still believed in the idea of true justice, and would never have put his support behind an organization that condoned terrorist attacks and senseless destruction. Bombing the Firegate Bridge was both, and I just couldn’t understand how Rylan could possibly be okay with killing all those people.

I set the receiver back down in its cradle, then stared at it, wondering if I should call the Palace to warn the Chief Mage, or tell him in person. There was no way I could leave Iannis in the dark about something like this. On the one hand, Rylan’s warning had been vague – he could have simply meant that if I came along and interfered in whatever the Resistance had planned that they would kill me. But now that I knew what the Resistance was capable of, the Chief Mage’s life might be in some kind of danger.

It’s probably better not to call, I thought. I didn’t know if the Resistance had a way of monitoring my phone calls, but considering their resources were growing, I couldn’t discount the possibility. No, it was better for me to go in person.

But just as I was reaching for my jacket, someone started pounding at my door.

“Sunaya!” A familiar voice shrieked, and I froze – it was my cousin Melantha, Mafiela’s oldest and most favored child. “Sunaya Baine, open this door right now!”

Annoyed and alarmed all at once, I strode over to the door and glared through the peephole. Sure enough, Melantha stood there, dressed in a dark blouse and a pair of jeans, her blonde hair perfectly curled around the diamond-shaped face that was so very much like her mother’s. And like her mother, we hated each other passionately, something that distance and time clearly hadn’t lessened, as her yellow eyes were burning with rage.

“What the f*ck do you want?” I snarled as I yanked the door open.

“You bitch!” Melantha shrieked, launching herself at me with her claws outstretched. I was so surprised that I didn’t move out of the way fast enough, and she knocked me to the ground. I yowled as her claws raked across my face, leaving a burning trail of fire and blood. “You’re going to pay for this!”

“What are you talking about?” I shouted, raising my arms to block the blows. Blood streamed down my forearms as she shredded my skin with her claws, and I hissed at the pain from the deep gashes. Pissed, I bucked my hips hard and twisted my body, flipping us over and pinning her to the ground. “Pay for what?”

“My daughter is gone!” Melantha howled, tears streaming from her blazing eyes. “They’ve taken Mika, and it’s all your fault!”

“What?” I recoiled, completely dumbstruck. That couldn’t be right. The mysterious man, whoever he was, had only called yesterday. They couldn’t have followed through on their threat so soon!

“She’s been gone since this afternoon, and I know it’s your fault!” Melantha snarled, and then she kicked me in the chest, sending me flying back several feet. One of my ribs crunched, and I cried out in pain.

“Are you f*cking kidding me?” I growled, struggling to my feet. Normally Melantha wouldn’t have been able to wipe the floor with me like this, but her announcement about Mika had shocked the shit out of me, giving her the upper hand. “She hasn’t been gone for twenty-four hours yet and you’re already calling her missing? How do you know she didn’t just go out with some friends?”

“Because she told me she was going out to the backyard to work on her homework, and the next thing I knew she was gone!” Melantha jumped to her feet, claws extended as she bared her fangs at me. “Mother told me that you came to our house with a warning this morning. I should have known you were too selfish to do as the man asked and stop meddling in whatever mess you’ve gotten yourself into!” She rushed me again.

“THAT’S ENOUGH!” I shouted, flinging an arm out. Blue-green flames ignited around my fist, and Melantha skidded to a halt, fear flashing in her yellow eyes. She hissed at the sight of the flame in my hand, but shrank back – like all shifters, she was afraid of magic, and unlike me she didn’t have mage blood running through her veins to help counteract the instinct to run away.

“You’re an abomination,” she spat at me. “Your life should have been terminated while you were still in the womb!”

“Shut the f*ck up before I burn you to a crisp,” I snapped, my body trembling with rage and pain. “I’m sorry about your daughter, Melantha, and I’ll do my best to find her. But if you don’t get out of my apartment right now, I’m going to kill you.”

“May Magorah curse you and all your progeny!” she snarled, and then slammed the door behind her as she left.

I shook my head as I slumped to the ground. With the way my life was going right now, I wasn’t going to have any progeny to curse.




I shifted into beast form to heal my wounds, then tried to get some shuteye, but I was too distressed to sleep. So instead, I left my apartment, still in panther form, and trotted down to Lakin’s house in Shiftertown. I was too hungry and tired to shift back, but I needed to know what he was doing to find my cousin’s daughter.