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“This isn’t about whatever parlor tricks that your ridiculous honor and nobility would label waste. Someone or something has tapped into your realm’s powers. You’ve got a siphon who’s stealing magic. I wondered before, with the gradual drain, but now they’ve gotten sloppy. If they continue at this rate, whoever it is won’t stop until they’ve devoured the magic that sustains your world.”
“No. It’s not possible.” Even as I say the words, Meg’s question about someone turning my magic against me echoes in my mind.
“You’re sure no one there has the power to do this?” he asks.
“I’m sure. I’ve already discussed the possibility with Meg.”
“When? Why? If you needed to talk to your human about suspected misuse of magic, why didn’t you say something to me? That’s her safety and my reputation that you’re jeopardizing, and I won’t let you—”
“No more than I would let you steal my mate from me.” Anger sends my powers thrumming through my veins, sizzling beneath my skin. “Just give me until the end of the contract.”
“If she’s endangered in the least little way before then, I’m taking her. No argument from you. You will let her go. The entire contract rests on your guarantee of her protection. I won’t leave a match in danger.” His image wavers. “We’ve been friends for a long time, Leander, or as close as I come to having a friend.”
“True,” I say. Not that I trust easily, but Theo hasn’t given me a reason to doubt him.
“If the threat’s not from within your kingdom, then someone outside plots against you. It could be the hydra, dark elves, scorpion men, basilisks… any number of monsters who don’t care about rules, integrity, or bargains. Discovering which enemy or enemies you have? That’ll be tough to do in only days.”
“Let me try, Theo.”
He seems to consider an outright denial, his expression grave, his gaze solemn. “If anything suggests she’ll be harmed—anything at all—she’s gone, and I won’t bring her back. Deal?”
I consider my options, though really, what choice do I have? The contract should have already been void, with Meg almost dying. The fact that Oggie saved her doesn’t make me less culpable. Besides, I can’t risk her. Not for all the magic in all the worlds. “Deal.”
18
MEG
Leander’s acting weird. I realize he has a lot going on with magic returning to his realm and reassuring the kingdom after the craziness at the market. But after calling me sweet things like his queen, he has practically ghosted me, other than quick make out sessions. Granted, I’ve holed up in my room in a game-designing frenzy. When we unlocked magic in the temple, we must’ve also flipped an all systems go switch on my creativity.
We’re on the last night of our contract. Theo comes for me in the morning, and Leander has said nothing about the possibility of me staying. Now that he has his powers back, what would he need me for? The thought makes me sick to my stomach.
It doesn’t help that the smell of paints, primers, and thinners permeates the room. New characters, boards, and battle strategies hang on every surface, ripped from the sketch pad as fast as I draw them so I can begin another. Mutter Udder Maniac expansion ideas cover the far wall, like patchwork wallpaper over the stone, paintings, and furniture. I’ve even chalked concepts while brushing my teeth, and rough flow charts cover the door to the secret passage that Bess insists I keep closed now.
Don’t need just anyone wandering into your room, she announced, as if I truly was the queen. No one would dare come through the royal suite uninvited. Having a minotaur king as my own personal bodyguard and enforcer makes the castle the safest place I could be. Besides, who would touch my gaming stuff? There’s no Dirk the Jerk here to pass off my creations as his own for money.
If I had an airbrush system, I could add sick shading to the already awesome pieces, but coming here meant I stripped my process back to basics. Which I needed more than I knew. Without school, rent, and a thousand other things screaming for priority, I’ve had days to immerse myself in what I love to do. Even if I wish Leander would pull his horned minotaur head out of his tailed ass and ask me to stay. Although that doesn’t appear likely to happen.
He stops by to watch me create or to carry me off for sexy times, dinner together, or sleeping. That’s it.
No more talking about our lives, no more Leander decapitating game pieces or participating in any way, no more courting or funny swipe right jokes. Maybe he thinks he has won our wooing game.
Or he has lost interest in it.
In us.
In me.
Dirk the Jerk got distant and weird in the days before I found him cheating on me, before he jacked my creations to pimp as his own work. Is this a repeat of that? Only with Leander, my heart is at stake so much more than it was with my ex. Then, I wanted someone to notice me. Now, I want him to love me, to need me, to want nothing more than having me stay.
“I told him,” Bess says, “that it’s none of my business, but he shouldn’t be leaving you here alone with your imaginary friends.” She sweeps a hoof toward my wall of work.
“I’m not alone. I have you and Oggie. Plus, I have my work. I’m fine.” My lie comes out so cheerful that I almost believe it.
“All of us are rooting for you to stay past the matching contract as our true queen. Has he said anything?” She doesn’t need to specify who she means.
“No, but we have until morning.” The countdown tick, tick, ticks in my heart like a bomb set to explode.
She harrumphs in bovine judgment. “You should sleep here tonight. Shut the door to keep him out and show him what he’ll be missing if you leave us. We can tidy the place up where it’ll be cozy for you and your amazing characters.” She taps the likeness of her that I brought over from my world. “Mine is still the best, obviously.”
