Burned by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #1)(68)

Yeah, no kidding. I swallowed back the bile rising in my throat. “I’m fine,” I said, not wanting to dwell on it. “What happened to Talcon, though? And Yantz?”

The Chief Mage scowled. “Deputy Talcon bled out before I could heal him, and Petros Yantz was already gone. Fenris found a secret passage that allows escape from his mansion, and from the scent could tell that Yantz used it recently. He’s leading a search party to find him now.”

Hearing that Yantz was missing, and the answers to the questions bouncing around in my head gone with him, galvanized me into action. I swung my legs off the bed. “I need to get out there.”

“You’re not going anywhere.” Iannis was suddenly right in front of me, his hands braced on either side of my hips. My bare legs brushed against his blue robes, and I sucked in a sharp breath as heat raced through my limbs and lit a fire in my core. Once again, I was acutely aware of how little clothing I wore.

“I just finished healing you again, and I’m not going to let you run out this door so soon.” His voice was rough now, his violet eyes blazing down at me.

I should have been outraged that he was pushing me around, but my pulse was pounding too hard for me to think straight. “And just how the hell do you think you’re going to stop me?”

A sharp knock at the door interrupted us. Iannis straightened as I hastily shoved myself backwards, annoyance flashing across his sharp features.

“Who is it?” he demanded.

“Garen, sir. I’m one of the guards.”

I let out a sigh of relief as Iannis answered the door. Saved by the guard. I had no idea what would have happened if he hadn’t knocked on the door… but I had a feeling it was something we both would have regretted later.

“Well? What is it?” he demanded of the guard as I belted a robe around my waist.

“I’m sorry to bother you, sir.” The guard bowed hastily. “An important visitor is here to see you.”

“At this time of night? Who is it?”

Garen’s eyes slanted towards me as I joined Iannis at the door, and then back to the Chief Mage.

“It’s Thorgana Mills, the owner of Mills Media and Entertainment. She’s here to see you, and Miss Baine.”



I had to admit, for once it was nice to be standing next to the Chief Mage on his side of the desk instead of traveling towards him down the never-ending blue carpet. But as I watched Thorgana Mills walk through the doors, I reminded myself she was hardly in the situation I’d been when I was first dragged in here. For one, the two huge men who flanked her were her personal bodyguards, and for two, she was here of her own accord. She looked pretty damn good too, with her shoulder-length ice blonde hair curled, her makeup perfectly applied, and her white skirt suit wrinkle and smudge free – something I myself would never be able to accomplish, given my knack for attracting dirt. And blood.

Neither of which a woman like her knew anything about.

“Lord Iannis,” she greeted, bowing, and her bodyguards bowed briefly as well. Her silvery voice was as cultured as the rest of her, and she used it to great effect while hosting her many garden parties. Though Thorgana was the owner of one of the largest news and entertainment companies in the country – of which the Herald was a mere branch – she’d inherited the company from her father and left most of the management to CEOs and assistants. I had reason to know she was much more comfortable in her role as a socialite, hosting and attending parties and functions and working with charities – she’d hired me as a bodyguard once or twice. While she’d paid well, it had been one of the most boring jobs I’d ever done.

“Lovely to see you again.”

“Mrs. Mills.” The Chief Mage inclined his head. “Welcome back to Solantha.” Thorgana had a summer home here, but she hadn’t been in residence to my knowledge. That, and the fact that she almost never had any dealings with her own paper, made this visit a little strange. “What brings you to my doorstep this late at night?”

Thorgana’s smiling face took on a grave expression. “My husband and I arrived in town this evening, when we heard the news about Petros.” Her lush red mouth curved downwards in a brief expression of regret. “I decided to come here myself, to offer an apology in person. The fact that a serial killer had been hired to run my paper is very embarrassing.”

The Chief Mage arched a brow. “Your embarrassment is the least of our issues, Mrs. Mills. Yantz killed over twenty shifters in the last month, and when we searched his mansion we found a host of illegal bombs and weapons in his basement. We have reason to think that he was allied with a terrorist organization, most likely the Resistance.”

I jolted at this piece of information. Hot anger rushed through me, at the fact that Iannis hadn’t told me, and because he was pointing the finger at the Resistance. But I couldn’t argue with him now, not with Thorgana standing right there, her pretty silver-blue eyes wide with shock.

“Bombs?” Thorgana echoed, placing a dainty hand to her mouth. “Oh my. That is not at all acceptable. And that Petros was going to continue murdering all these shifters…” Tears filled her eyes, and she looked away for a moment. “All this anti-shifter bigotry is very upsetting.” She turned those huge, tear-filled eyes onto me. “That’s the other reason I came here tonight, so that I could apologize to you, Miss Baine. I have heard that you lost your mentor, and nearly lost your own life tonight because of Petros.”