Bound by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #2)(39)

“I guess that’s just one more thing to add to the list,” I said dryly. It would be a lot easier if they hired a shifter to weed out counterfeits, but I doubted they would listen to me if I suggested it. Knowing my luck the stingy bastards might dump the job on me instead.

“Indeed.” Fenris jumped to his feet, eyes sparking with ire, and I blinked. I’d never seen him this incensed before. “I will speak to Iannis about this at once. These pesky humans are getting out of hand, and this abuse needs to be stopped immediately. Good morning, Sunaya.”

And with that, he strode out of the room, leaving me staring after him.





13





I spent the rest of the afternoon at the Mages Guild slogging through paperwork, so by the time I walked out the front doors of the Palace I was almost looking forward to the Shifter Royale. Maybe if I was going to watch mages instead of shifters I would have been more enthusiastic. It would probably be educational to watch a couple of mage duels, actually. But even if I wasn’t thrilled about attending the Royale itself, I was looking forward to the opportunity of finding out whether or not the missing shifters were ending up in these illegal fights.

I parked my bike near my apartment, then changed into a tight black halter dress and a pair of ankle boots – the less I had to change myself for the illusion, the less magic I would have to expend. I then hoofed it over to the Enforcer’s Guild, which was less than twelve blocks from where I lived. By the time I got there, Lakin and Annia were already standing by the front doors, chatting amicably enough. I arched my brows at the sight of the huge purple and white steamcar parked in the middle of the lot, ten feet from where they were standing.

“Well look at you,” Lakin murmured as he caught sight of me, his reddish-yellow eyes looking me up and down. They lingered on the ample amount of cleavage I was showing, and I felt a blush sting my cheeks. “You clean up well.”

“Thanks.” I turned toward Annia, hoping to change the subject – encouraging Lakin’s flattery really wasn’t a good idea. “You borrowed your mom’s car?”

Annia shrugged. “I figured it was easier than having all three of us show up on steambikes.” She looped an arm around my waist, grinning a little as she tugged me close. “Besides, I don’t want your hair getting messed up for our second date.”

Lakin’s brows shot up as I rolled my eyes. “Is there something I’m missing?” he asked.

“I had the bright idea that we should pretend to be a lesbian couple when we went to buy the tickets, so that it wouldn’t be so weird that two girls were walking into a gambling club by ourselves.” I swatted Annia’s hand away. “Since so many people saw us, we have to keep up the ruse.”

“Well that explains the dress,” Lakin commented, and Annia raised her brows at the hint of jealousy in his voice. She gave me a questioning look, but dropped it when I jerked my head to the side emphatically. This was work, not a date, and we would play our roles accordingly. Annia had certainly done her part – she was wearing a biker’s jacket, jeans and kick-ass boots, and her long hair was slicked back from her forehead, revealing a pair of small steel hoops that winked at the top of her left ear. No one was going to mistake her for a girly-girl.

We hopped into the steamcar, Annia and I taking the front seats and Lakin in the back. I waited until we were across the bridge before I put on my illusion, turning myself into the petite blonde again.

“Whoa,” Lakin said when I turned around in my seat to look at him. “That’s really, really weird.”

“Yeah, well now it’s your turn.” I reached for him. “Give me your hand.”

Lakin recoiled. “What?”

I huffed impatiently. “You can’t go into an illegal shifter fighting ring as a shifter. I have to put a spell on you to make you look and smell human.”

Lakin glared at my outstretched hand. “I’m not comfortable with having spells cast on me.”

“Fine.” I turned to Annia. “Stop the car.”

“What?” Lakin demanded.

I twisted around in my seat to pin him with a glare. “If you’re not going to do this, then I can’t take you with us. This may be your investigation, Lakin, but if you walk in there as you are now you’re going to f*ck the whole thing up and then we’ll never find those missing shifters.”

Lakin glared at me for a long moment, but I didn’t back down. I understood his fear of magic, but I couldn’t allow that to jeopardize our recon mission. If he wasn’t going to play by the rules, then he was going to have to go. Even if that meant I had to toss him into the bay.

Just when I thought that maybe Annia really was going to have to stop the car, Lakin finally lowered his gaze. “Alright,” he said, holding out his hand. “I trust you.”

“Thank you.” A heavy weight settled onto my shoulders with those words – trust was a heavy burden to bear. Clasping my hand in his, I closed my eyes briefly, envisioning the illusion I wanted Lakin to wear. It wasn’t strictly necessary to hold his hand, of course – magic could be done from a distance, without direct contact – but it was a little easier. A flow of warmth traveled from his hand to mine, but I ignored it, focusing on the spell as I murmured the words.

When I opened my eyes, the Lakin I knew was gone.