Scorched by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #7)(8)

“Those sound more like life changes, not personal changes.”

I frowned. “Are the two not the same? We are talking about my life here.”

Iannis cupped my chin again, forcing me to meet his gaze. “It matters not that you wear dresses and robes rather than leathers—the package inside is still the same, Sunaya. What was the reason you decided to become an enforcer?”

“To help those in need, fight corruption, and ensure justice is delivered,” I said without hesitation.

“And is that not what still drives you?” Iannis challenged. “What motivated you to find homes for Tinari and Liu, what pushed you to shut down the Resistance even though you once thought you supported it? What drove you all the way to another country to assure our people remained safe from Thorgana’s deadly weapons? What pushes you, even now, to fight for equal pay for enforcers, even though many of them still mistrust you, and, as you said yourself, you are hardly there anymore?”

His words stunned me into silence. “You may be wiser and less hotheaded than the girl who was dragged to my audience chamber in chains,” Iannis continued softly. “But your essential self has not changed, Sunaya. You still burn with all the passion and fire that made me fall in love with you.”

He finally kissed me, and I flung my arms around him, tears stinging my eyes. Emotion swelled in my throat, and I poured it into our passionate embrace. Growling, Iannis deepened the kiss, and I moaned at the taste of him as he slid his tongue into my mouth. His strong arms banded around me, large hands sliding around my ass to lift me against him. Suddenly, he was lowering me onto the big canopy bed that I’d begun to think of as ours.

“Let’s see if we can find an outlet for all that passion,” he said before covering my mouth with his again. And I was more than happy to oblige.





3





I awoke bright and early the next morning, full of energy and excitement. As usual, Iannis’s side of the bed was cold—he always woke earlier than I did, since he didn’t need nearly as much sleep. He was probably downstairs in his Guild office already, reading reports and compiling his list of tasks for today.

Under normal circumstances, I would have snuggled back under the covers with one of Iannis’s pillows and let his scent lull me back to sleep since the idea of watching him do paperwork was boring. Unfortunately, I couldn’t do that today. I had a busy day ahead of me, and I wanted to look my best, so I hopped out of bed and headed straight for the shower.

During our voyage back from Garai, I’d convinced Iannis to let me set up a sort of consulting office, where once a week I would hear complaints and dispense advice to humans and shifters about any magical problems they ran into. We’d decided it wasn’t good enough to administer the yearly school testing—magic often awoke in children before the testing began and led to accidents when left unchecked. Offering a time and place where families could come and consult helped prevent unfortunate incidents. As it turned out, in the two sessions I’d had so far, there were lots of other problems I would never have learned about otherwise. As well as one or two scam artists I’d quickly thrown out. That had been the highlight of my day.

Deciding it would be best to look as approachable as possible, I forewent my enforcer leathers and my dressier outfits in favor of a black sweater, a pair of slacks, and a stylish dark red leather jacket. I left my hair unbound, but put on light makeup, making sure my weapons and harnesses were strapped on and secured. Yes, they made me look more intimidating, but I still had people out there who wanted me dead. It would be stupid to walk around defenseless, even if I did have a bodyguard now.

“Rylan,” I called via mindspeak, wanting to make sure he was awake. “Get your furry ass in the shower.”

“I’m up,” he grumbled, though his mental voice sounded a bit fuzzy. “Why exactly are we getting up so early again, if the Consulting Hour doesn’t start until ten?”

“Because I want to visit Com and Elania. Now get going.”

I met Rylan in the hall twenty minutes later. He stood outside my door, showered and dressed in his blue-and-gold Palace guard uniform. The gold pin on his collar held his illusion firmly in place—Rylan walked around as Lanyr Goldrin, a tiger shifter with golden-brown hair and a lean frame. But the illusion couldn’t hide the trademark wicked grin that he used on the ladies to great effect, or his swagger as he fell into step with me.

“I trust you kept your promise last night when you were with Nelia?” I asked as we headed for the dining hall to grab some breakfast.

“Sadly, yes. Nothing but a few stolen kisses.” He huffed out an exasperated breath. “I find it supremely unfair that you’re lecturing me about sex when you’re rolling in the sheets with Lord Iannis across the hall.”

My cheeks colored as his point struck home. “I’m not a prude, and you know it,” I protested. “But Nelia doesn’t know who you really are, and it’s not fair to her to let her fall in love with you under false pretenses. Besides, you’re not actually in love with her, or am I mistaken?”

“No,” Rylan admitted. “I’m not. Perhaps I should break it off with her. But she’s adorable in her way, and it’s not like I can go roaming about Solantha looking for other conquests in the meantime.”

True. He was a prisoner under supervision, and I wasn’t about to become Rylan’s wing woman, not when I had bigger things to deal with. I had no doubt I would be called upon to assist with earthquake preparations, and between that and my apprenticeship, there wasn’t time for much else.