Scorched by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #7)(30)

“What are you doing here?” I asked, closing the door behind me with less force than I’d intended. “I thought you’d be on guard rotation or something.”

“I was,” Rylan said, closing the book and setting it aside, “but Lord Iannis sensed you were returning, so he told me to come meet you. I figured this would be the best place to catch you.”

“Huh.” My hand drifted up to the serapha charm around my neck, and I focused on it. Iannis was downstairs in his Guild office. I rarely thought about the charm that bound the two of us, but I wondered now how often he used it to check on me. He must have done so as I was traveling toward the Mages Quarter, and sensed that I was heading back here. “Well, you can go hang out in your own room until dinner if you want.”

“Wait a minute,” Rylan said. He stood up and snagged my arm as I tried to brush past him. “What are you going to do, lie on your bed and sulk?”

“Do you have a better idea?” I snarled, twisting out of his grip.

“Yes, actually.”

His fist swung toward my face with lightning speed, and I barely managed to duck out of the way. “Slow,” he accused, sidestepping my return blow with ease.

“What the hell are you doing?” I shouted as he assaulted me with a barrage of blows—blows I was hard-pressed to deflect as a few landed in my midsection.

“Giving you what you really need,” Rylan said, tapping the pin on his chest. His tiger-shifter illusion dropped away, revealing his true face, and his yellow-orange jaguar eyes gleamed with challenge. “When was the last time you sparred, Naya? For shame, you’re getting soft!”

I was getting soft, I realized as Rylan forced me back across the room. Gritting my teeth, I drove my churning thoughts out of my head, and focused my attention on beating back my pompous cousin. As we exchanged blows, attempted leg sweeps, and went for takedowns, a kind of serenity swept over me. I was no longer worrying about Thorgana or Garrett, trying to predict the next assassination attempt, or to steer prying eyes away from Fenris’s secret. I was only in the moment, ducking and weaving, punching and kicking, sweat sliding down my skin as adrenaline scorched my veins.

By the time we were done sparring—one win, three losses—there were a few broken knickknacks and a hole in the wall, but overall, I felt a lot better. Panting, I sank down to the carpeted floor and leaned my sweaty head against the wall.

“Much better,” Rylan said across from me, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction.

“I guess I didn’t realize how much I needed that.” I rubbed my flank, which was still smarting—Rylan had gotten me good with a well-placed sidekick. “You’re right. I’m not training enough.”

Rylan shrugged. “You’ve been focusing on your magical studies, so it’s understandable. You’ve only got so much time in the day. I, on the other hand, spar with the other guards regularly, and during the months you were gone, I’ve been teaching Fenris. He’s surprisingly clumsy for a shifter,” he added, making a face.

I let out a startled laugh. “For real?” I tried to picture the calm, stoic Fenris in workout gear, sparring with Rylan, and failed miserably. “I have a hard time seeing him outside the library.”

“Yeah, and that’s pretty strange for a shifter as well.” Rylan pinned me with a frank gaze, and my insides squirmed. “Sunaya, I know there’s something weird going on with Fenris. Ever since that Garrett fellow showed up, his tension has gone through the roof. I tried sparring with him today, and he was just too unfocused and angry.”

“By Magorah,” I said, feeling absolutely terrible. I hadn’t even given a thought to how Fenris would be coping. Yes, he’d made the decision to leave, and he was probably busying himself with preparations for his departure. But he had to be feeling awfully lonely, and even depressed, as he faced such an uncertain future. I would have to go and visit him tonight, no matter what.

“Sunaya,” Rylan said gently, as tears sprang to my eyes. “What is going on?”

I blinked rapidly before the tears could slide down my cheeks. “Fenris’s story isn’t mine to tell,” I said, swallowing against the lump in my throat. I wanted to confide in Rylan, but Fenris was a private person, and damn if I was going to betray his trust. If he didn’t feel safe in confiding in Rylan, he had his reasons. “All I can tell you is that Director Toring is a threat to him, and Fenris plans to leave Solantha as soon as Garrett wraps up this investigation into Thorgana.”

“Well, shit.” Rylan looked saddened by the news. “We’ve only just become friends, and he’s the only other shifter besides you who knows the truth about me. I’ll miss having him around.”

“Me too.” I cleared my throat. “In the meantime, I need to keep Garrett busy and away from Fenris, which is pretty fucking stressful because Garrett is like a dog with a really juicy bone.”

Rylan frowned. “So Fenris is in trouble with the law, but Director Toring doesn’t have enough on him to do anything about it? And you’re hoping to keep it that way?” When I nodded, he tapped his chin thoughtfully. “I imagine that wherever he goes, he’ll want to lie low, off the government’s radar. I might have a few contacts who can help.”

“I don’t want you compromising your identity,” I said sharply, sitting up straight. “I’m already losing Fenris—there’s no way I’m losing you too.”