Chapter 4 #2
The two dragons continued to stare at me, the silence growing until my own breathing began to sound too loud. Callum’s mother looked as if she were observing some particularly strange new species of bug and wasn’t sure whether to take pictures or squash it under her boot.
“I’ve heard the rumors, of course,” Tairen said at last. “Of the woman who crashed the Symposium and single-handedly either destroyed it or saved it, depending on who’s telling the story.”
I wasn’t sure who she’d been talking to. There weren’t very many people out there willing to defend me.
“I’ve heard that she admitted to being human and wielding stolen magic. That she colludes with our enemies and wants nothing more than the destruction of all Idrian lives on Earth.”
Of course she’d heard that. It was the most popular narrative at the Shapeshifter Court and the primary reason they’d tried to summon me.
“But I’ve also heard that she’s a survivor. One who wields her magic for the sake of others and protects the powerless. Who shields even those who would destroy her and has saved my son’s life on more than one occasion.”
That could only have come from Ryker, Kira, or Callum himself.
“But what I have not heard”—her tone changed, growing somehow even more commanding and stern—“even from my son, is that he has suddenly entered into something as significant as a mate bond without a single word to inform his own family.”
Ohhhh, crappity crap.
This was bad. This was very, very bad.
But how was I supposed to know Callum hadn’t told his mother about the mate bond yet?
She looked like I’d just announced that we’d eloped with an Elvis-themed ceremony in a Las Vegas wedding chapel.
To make matters worse, I’d gone and dropped that information in the middle of a not-very-respectful tirade.
The question was probably no longer whether my potential future mother-in-law wanted to eat me, but how long she would wait, and whether she would cook me first.
It was beginning to look like I could officially add this moment to my catalog of absolutely humiliating mistakes. But… I wasn’t sure it was entirely my fault. Why would Callum tell her about me but not mention the bond? Unless…
No, I couldn’t think that way. He wasn’t second-guessing. He’d just told me so last night, and I believed him. So he probably hadn’t told her simply because he knew she would disapprove. He might even have had a plan for the best way to break the news, and I’d just shot it full of holes.
Go me.
It seemed I didn’t have much choice but to brazen it out, so I lifted my chin. “Well, I guess now you’ve heard.”
Skye choked, and her lips twitched as she looked from her aunt to me.
“And, uh, how long have you been together?” she asked, when Tairen seemed unable to find words.
Good question. One I really didn’t want to answer.
“A little over a week,” I admitted.
“And you are bonded already?” Skye seemed startled by that.
“Look, I don’t know how these things work.
” I was feeling smaller and stupider by the second.
“So I also don’t know how to tell when the bond is complete.
Callum said we technically still had a choice whether or not to accept it.
But he can sort of sense what I’m thinking or feeling, and I…
I can usually tell where he is. And I can hear him talking in my head when he’s in dragon form. ”
“That’s…” Skye paused, and I braced myself.
She was going to say that was ridiculous or wrong. Maybe that I was making it all up. That Callum couldn’t possibly bond with someone like me.
“… incredible.”
I looked at her hesitantly and found that her eyes had gone wide—with wonder and maybe even… warmth?
The reigning queen of the dragons took a few steps towards me. I stiffened in alarm, but Skye only reached out and took my hand. “I’m so happy for him,” she said simply. “And for you.”
Whoa. Was this for real?
“You’re… happy?”
She nodded. “Except among gryphons, a mate bond doesn’t happen for all shapeshifters. Maybe only twenty percent of dragons. But they are a beautiful gift and should always, always be cherished.”
I had no idea what to say to that.
“I didn’t plan for it to happen,” I blurted out. “I didn’t even like him at first.”
Skye just laughed. “Most people don’t. He can be…”
“Stubborn, paranoid, bullheaded, and entirely too fond of rules?” I supplied.
“Yes,” she agreed. “But he’s changing. And he’s genuinely one of the most caring people I know. He only hides that part of himself because it makes his job easier if no one knows how soft his heart really is.”
She surprised me, and it must have shown on my face, because she responded with a grin and a shrug. “Being mated to an empath has a tendency to rub off,” she said ruefully. “I’m quicker to see these things now than I ever was before.”
Huh. So Callum’s cousin didn’t actually seem to hate me. She might even be… nice. But that didn’t mean I could relax, because Callum’s mother had yet to say a single word.
Unless this was still part of the test and Tairen was waiting for Skye to soften me up so she could pounce.
A soft rustling sound from behind me jerked my head around so quickly I nearly put my neck out, but it was only a piece of paper—a black envelope someone had slid under the door.
It was face down, but it wasn’t like I needed to see the front to know that it was probably another offer from some mercenary guild or other. Good grief, was I not even safe here at work?
With an audible groan, I picked it up and turned it over, searching for a clue to the sender. Usually they had a name or a logo on them, but this one was blank. The paper seemed heavy and formal, with an actual wax seal on the envelope, so out of curiosity, I peeled back the flap.
Within was a plain white card. I pulled it out and saw my name printed on it in thick, black lettering, with the imprint of what looked like a medieval coat of arms at the bottom.
I heard a strangled noise from Skye and found her peering over my left shoulder, amber eyes suddenly sharp and glowing. She didn’t ask, just snatched the card out of my fingers and shoved it towards Tairen, who glared as if she were personally offended by its existence.
“They’ve actually lost their minds,” the dragon queen said, and there was no mistaking her anger. “Wait until Callum finds out. I would love to fly to New Mexico and watch the fireworks, but sadly, I don’t have time.”
Callum’s mother hadn’t moved, but she seemed rigid with fury.
“What is it?” I was growing more freaked out by the second. “Will someone please tell me what’s going on?”
“You’ve just been given an official summons,” Skye informed me, her lips twisting sympathetically.
“That’s the official seal of the Shapeshifter Court, which means it’s been approved by the chamberlain.
Plus, it was delivered in front of witnesses, therefore it cannot be rescinded or denied.
Even…” She paused for a moment. “Even by the king,” she finished softly.
“Shapeshifter law commands your presence within twenty-eight days, or you will be assumed guilty of all charges.”
Guilty of all charges…
A deep sense of betrayal cut me to the heart. Why hadn’t Callum said anything?
“I don’t answer to the Shapeshifter Court,” I said numbly.
“But you will,” Tairen interrupted briskly. “If you are mated to my son, you have no choice but to become a part of the court and submit to its rulings.”
A sharp swell of panic rose in my throat, along with the desire to run.
I felt like I was about to cry, but I refused to cry in front of either of these women.
Callum’s mother was already watching me, waiting to see if I would fall apart under pressure.
I couldn’t let them judge me as weak or unfit, but… Callum hadn’t told me.
I wanted to call him and ask what was happening. Find out whether he’d known this was coming. But I was at work. I’d already attacked a customer, and now…
Crap. If Faris knew that a member of the Shapeshifter Court had delivered this summons on his territory? He would come unhinged.
I turned towards the door, hoping to catch him so I could explain, but I was too late. Tairen finally moved. Like a freight train gathering steam, she brushed past me, yanked the door open, and strode into the room beyond.
Her bellow nearly had me clapping my hands over my ears.
“Hector Ademar, don’t you dare take another step.”
Oh goodie. Looked like I’d just provoked another inter-species incident.
And all I’d really wanted out of tonight was a nap.