Marked by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #4)(30)

Fenris sighed. “We can hardly maintain any level of order if we allow them to roam free,” he said. “Doing so will just tell the citizens that we condone this sort of behavior, and it will embolden the looters while making the victims feel less safe.”

“Indeed,” Cirin agreed. “And considering that our reputation is suffering every day this goes on, we need to demonstrate to the citizens that we are reasserting control and not abandoning them.”

A wave of exhaustion hit me then, and I leaned back in my chair. My body was trying to force me into shutdown mode, so it could use the food I’d eaten to finish healing.

“I’m going to get some sleep,” I said with a yawn as I stood up. “Will you tell the Chief Mage, when you see him, that I need to speak with him?” I asked Fenris, knowing he would likely run into Iannis before me.

“Is speaking really the right term?” Fenris asked, giving me a knowing look. I blushed a little, surprised he’d even gone there considering how reserved he normally was.

“What does that mean?” Cirin asked with a frown.

“Never mind,” I said, then hurried from the kitchen, bidding them goodnight and leaving them to deal with the leftovers. “Good night.”

I headed up to my room, hoping for a restful night’s sleep for once, instead of the hot and heavy dreams that usually came with heat. Resinah’s advice about getting in touch with my mage half was obviously the key to controlling my heat, but whether I’d be able to do it within the darkness of my sleeping mind was another story entirely.





13





“Sunaya!” Fenris’s voice shook me awake as he knocked on my door. “Sunaya, are you awake yet?”

Groaning, I sat up and glanced at the clock on my bedside. Eleven in the morning. Damn. I’d slept longer than I’d intended. I’d gone to bed around midnight last night, and because I’d been so exhausted, my sleep had been dreamless, the heat kept at bay by my body’s need to recover.

But now that I was awake, I was hyper-aware of the fact that I was sitting up naked in bed and that only a single wooden door stood between a virile male and me. Warmth rushed through my body, and I threw off the sheets, my skin too hot and sensitive to bear them.

“Just a second,” I called. “I’m not decent.”

Instead of hurrying across the room to grab some clothing, I stood in the center of the room, away from the windows, and took deep, calming breaths. Instinctively, I fell back into a breathing pattern my mentor Roanas had taught me, the one he used to clear his mind and focus.

You’re a mage, I told myself firmly, willing the thought to stick in my brain. I turned my focus inward, toward the pulsing ball of magic that always stood at my center. Warmth spread through me as I touched it, but not the aching, uncomfortable warmth of the heat – this sensation was soothing and energizing at the same time. As it filled me, my surging hormones receded.

Opening my eyes, I let out a relieved breath. No, I’d never forget that I was a shifter, but Resinah had been right. I needed to constantly reaffirm my identity as a mage if I wanted to stay in control. That was why my teenage-boy illusion had been so helpful – I’d been using my magic. Overall, the heat hadn’t been nearly as bad as it normally was – when a shifter female went into heat, she was usually reduced to little more than a wild animal, consumed by the need to mate, and couldn’t function without a steady supply of sex for the entire week. Yet, somehow, even when I wasn’t using illusion magic, I’d managed to keep my head. It had to have something to do with the fact that Iannis had unlocked most of my magic.

Feeling more grounded, I went into the closet, then paused in surprise at the sight of several pairs of pants and shirts hanging inside, as well as a bathrobe. They only filled up a fraction of the large space, but I was damn sure they hadn’t been there yesterday.

Moving in closer, I recognized the tops and pants as the same ones the Palace had provided for me the first time I’d come here, as a prisoner. As far as clothing went, it was pretty generic – a few pairs of jeans and some monochromatic shirts – but it would do until I had the time and resources to buy a wardrobe.

Obviously, Iannis had thought to have someone put clothing in here for me. The idea that he’d remembered my needs despite his insane schedule made me smile, and I reached for a green top, wondering if it would bring out the color in my eyes.

“Are you going to leave me standing out here all day?” Fenris demanded, and I jumped at the sound of his muffled voice coming through the doorway.

“Sorry!” I called, snagging the fluffy robe off its hanger. I shrugged it on, then made sure it was tightly belted and covering up as much as possible before I opened the door to admit Fenris.

“About time.” He brushed past me, looking unusually agitated, and shut the door behind him. “What took you so long?”

“I’m not a morning person.” I tried not to snap the words – clearly, something was troubling him. “What’s this all about?” I glanced down toward the paper tucked beneath his arm.

“Our old friend, the Herald, is at it again,” Fenris growled, pulling the paper from beneath his arm and handing it to me.

I unfolded it, then bared my teeth at the headline stamped across the front page. THE RESISTANCE PREVAILS! MAGES GUILD TAKES HUGE BLOW AT LOSS OF SOLANTHA AIRSHIP YARD, it read, and beneath was a photograph of the flaming airship yard, obviously taken last night, as it was hard to see much more than shadows and fire. Full story on page 13.