Scorched by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #7)(62)

The crowd gasped as Rylan stepped forward, then tapped the pin on his lapel to undo the illusion. A lump swelled in my throat as I watched him accept his medal and flowers, and I rushed over and folded him into a tight hug.

“Congratulations,” I whispered fiercely. “And don’t be a stranger.”

“I’ll visit often, I promise,” Rylan said. He hugged me back, then went to Aunt Mafiela, who was standing now, tears streaming down her face. The crowd erupted into deafening applause as Rylan embraced his mother, lifting her feet off the ground. As I looked around the room, I caught sight of Nelia sitting a few tables away, and I had to bite back a laugh. She looked flabbergasted, and not entirely pleased, about Rylan’s sudden transformation. I had a feeling Rylan wouldn’t need to end the romance between them—she would be the one to kick him to the curb.

“Now for my last announcement tonight,” Iannis said, and the room went quiet again. He turned to look at me, and I froze at the twinkle in his violet eyes. “I am instituting a committee to reform the Enforcers Guild organization and pay structure.” Many of the enforcers cheered at this, though there were some folded arms and glares from a few senior foremen. “It is important that everyone is fairly compensated, and that all crimes are appropriately investigated irrespective of bounty size. After due consideration, I am naming Sunaya Baine as chair of this committee, and she will choose six other members to help her, two from each race. They have six months to come up with a plan.”

My mouth dropped open in shock and horror, and it took a supreme effort to replace my expression with a pleased smile. Thankfully, the crowd was already applauding again, giving me time to regain my composure. But as I came up to accept my flowers from Director Chen, I shot Iannis a veiled glare from behind my smile. There would be hell to pay for this later.

You’re not a simple enforcer anymore, a voice that sounded a lot like Resinah echoed in my mind, and I bit back a sigh. But as I turned to the crowd to give my acceptance speech, I caught Captain Skonel’s eye, sitting in the back, and had to hide a grin at the look of sheer horror on his face. He looked disgusted at the idea that he would have to defer to me now. On the other hand, my friends and family were on their feet, clapping and cheering, their faces shining with love and pride.

I’m not just an enforcer anymore, I told myself, at peace with the idea now. I’m a champion for these people. For my friends, colleagues, and the underdogs of our city. And with that in mind, I squared my shoulders and prepared to give them one hell of a speech.





23





I spent the rest of the reception talking and drinking with the guests, congratulating those who had received medals and promotions, and accepting congratulations on my own appointment as graciously as I could. But the moment everything was over, and Iannis and I were back in his suite, I rounded on him.

“How could you stick me with a huge responsibility like that in front of a bajillion people?” I shouted, jabbing him in the chest with a finger. “Without even asking me first!” Now that I no longer had an audience to hide from, all the outrage and shock at being blindsided came pouring out of me. I fisted my trembling hands at my sides and glared up at him, resisting the mighty urge to punch him. “Do you think that just because I’m your fiancée, you can just tell me when and where to jump, and I’ll obey without question?”

“No,” Iannis said calmly, completely unfazed by my anger. “But now that you no longer require frequent magic lessons, you’ll need something else to keep you occupied. And you really are the perfect person for this particular job. You brought up some excellent ideas about restructuring the enforcer pay system when we talked the other day. Nobody else would approach the problem with as much verve and insight as you.”

That took the wind right out of my sails. “What…what do you mean I no longer need magic lessons?”

Iannis smirked. “Did you really think I wouldn’t notice Fenris had gifted his knowledge to you? I knew for sure when you sent me that ether pigeon the other day, after you had so much trouble with them earlier.” He shook his head. “It would be just the kind of thing Fenris would do with his dying breath—he would have considered it sacrilegious to waste all the knowledge he’d gained over a lifetime of study without passing it on to someone.”

“Oh.” I let out a little sigh. “So, do I seem…different, to you, at all? Like I’ve become more like Fenris?” I had been worrying about that possibility, putting off confessing to Iannis what we’d done. I didn’t feel any different, but knowing I had all those extra memories might seem weird to Iannis.

Iannis shook his head. “You are still my Sunaya.” He took me by the shoulders, drawing me closer to him. “Still the same passionate shifter-mage hybrid I fell in love with,” he added, smiling softly. “And now that Fenris has given you such a precious gift, I see no reason why we must waste the scarce time we have together with basic training and Loranian grammar.”

I arched a brow, even as the pain of Fenris’s loss lanced through me. “Is that your way of saying we’re going to have more sex instead?”

Iannis threw back his head and laughed, his broad shoulders shaking. By Magorah, I thought, watching the way his teeth flashed, and how the firelight flickered across his sculpted face. He really was such a beautiful man.