Marked by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #4)(49)

So that was why they’d sought Lakin out. It wasn’t too surprising they would go through him – after all, Mafiela hated the Resistance and would refuse to listen to a word if they showed up on her doorstep. On the other hand, even though Lakin was new to the community, he served the shifters in all the clans, and was fast becoming well acquainted with them. He would be a good ally for the Resistance to have.

“I guess,” Gyron said glumly. “We’ll get confirmation from a reliable source, and be in touch when we know one way or the other.”

The two bird shifters said their goodbyes to Lakin, ignoring me completely. Once they had departed, Lakin shut and locked the door, then leaned against it with a sigh and stared at me from beneath hooded eyes.

“You sure do know how to have a good time,” he said, sounding tired.

I grinned at him. “You know me. I always bring the fun stuff.” But my grin faded a little as I took in the bags under his eyes and how thin he was. “Are you all right?” I wanted to give him a hug, but right then, closing the distance was a bad idea, so I stayed in my chair.

“Better now that I’m out of that hellhole,” he said, crossing over to the couch and plopping down on it. I focused very hard on maintaining my control as I caught a whiff of his enticing scent. “I tell you, Prison Isle is no joke. I’m glad they have a separate section of the prison just for shifters, and that I haven’t been around long enough as the Shiftertown Inspector to have put many shifters in there yet. Otherwise, I’m not sure I would have survived.”

I winced. “I’m really sorry you had to endure that,” I said, and I meant it. I’d been to Prison Isle a time or two to question prisoners, and the place was f*cking grim. The prison guards were lower-level mages specially trained in combat magic, and they were not afraid to use force against anyone who stepped out of line. Since non-violent offenders usually just got sentenced to work in the mines as punishment, Prison Isle was full of hardened, bloodthirsty characters, and the guards were generally content to sit back and let disputes sort themselves out. If you didn’t make the right sort of allies, chances of surviving your sentence were slim to none. The mages only stepped in if things were getting too violent, if the violence was being directed toward them, or if the situation threatened prison security. Otherwise, almost anything went.

Another thing I was going to have to speak to Iannis about.

“It’s not your fault,” Lakin said. “There was nothing you could have done to stop it, and if you hadn’t brought the Chief Mage back, I would still be languishing in a cell right now.” He scooped a hand through his sandy hair, making it stand on end, and his eyes glittered as he looked me up and down. “I’m glad to see you’re back,” he said softly.

“I’m glad to be back.”

The sexual tension in the room thickened, and I cleared my throat, desperate to steer the conversation away from the dangerous attraction between us. “You’re not going to join up with the Resistance, right? Even if those guys do come back and try to recruit you again?”

Lakin shook his head. “My duty is to the clans, to Solantha’s Shiftertown. Since the clans are divided on the issue, that makes it easier not to take sides, which is my natural inclination anyway.”

“Good.” I hesitated. “If my aunt Mafiela decided to throw her allegiance in with the Resistance, would you go along? You are technically a Baine Clan member.”

Lakin let out a half-laugh. “Chieftain Baine would sooner eat her firstborn than join the Resistance,” he said. “We had a brief meeting shortly after being released, and while she was furious at the Mages Guild and intends to demand restitution, she is just as angry at the Resistance. Especially at Rylan, as she feels that he should have protected the clan through his influence, and instead, Mika got roped into the Shifter Royale.”

“Right.” Although I doubted Mika’s kidnapping was Rylan’s fault, or even that he knew about it, I wasn’t exactly happy about his loyalties either. He’d already made it clear that the Resistance’s aims were more important than his family.

“Could you meet with Mafiela again and relay the information about the Resistance’s plans for the shifters?” I asked. “She’s probably more inclined to believe it than the other clans, and she’d call a council meeting for sure to discuss it.”

“I can try that,” Lakin said cautiously. “Of course, she will ask where I obtained the information.”

“You can tell her I was the one who told you.” I raised my chin a little. “And if she wants to speak to me directly, I’ll meet with her. Hell, if she wants me to speak to the council, or the entire town, I’ll do it. The shifter community needs to know.”

Lakin smiled a little. “As entertaining as that would be to watch, I expect Chieftain Baine will choose to have as little involvement from you as possible. There are many shifters in the community who are grateful for your part in unmasking the Shifter Royale, but more than half of those people have left the city, and the ones who remained tend to favor the Resistance. They will certainly hold your mage heritage against you when trying to decide whether or not your claims are truthful. Some may even try to kill you on sight, like those soldiers.”

I sighed. “I guess it’s better that I remain in disguise, then,” I said, and I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. What use was my growing popularity amongst the shifter community if my supporters weren’t even here?