By the Magic of Starlight (The Forbidden Realm) Read Free Page A

endanger the tenuous barrier between the two worlds.
    But he hadn’t done that—not even close. Certainly he’d crossed some lines with Raea, and of course there was his involvement in covering up the mermaid episode, as Swift called it, but there had been absolutely no Co-Mingling. Why on earth would Swift pick that, of all the charges? And was he planning to draw Raea into the matter? He probably knew Kyne would confess to just about anything if it meant protecting Raea through this. Swift had him pinned.
    But Co-Mingling? Everyone knew Kyne had no love for the human side of things. He’d rather have the Veil made impermeable so there could be no interaction at all, as a matter of fact. He thought he’d made that clear, standing up for his convictions at every opportunity.
    For too long magical beings had been forced to dance to the whims of humankind, to go to any lengths to keep the bumbling humans distracted and blissfully unaware of the magic all around them. If Kyne had his way, he’d give up on mankind altogether, shut the Veil once and for all, and keep humans confined to designated nonmagical areas. It would free Veiled Creatures to live without the constant fear of human discovery. They would be free to explore all facets of magical existence—even the things now considered too human. Like passion.
    Apparently that had been a foolish dream not shared by Swift and his associates. Kyne should have known better than to hope for such a thing. And he should never, ever have let Raea get involved. Anything he could do now to keep Swift’s attention off her, he would.
    “What game are you playing, Swift?” he demanded.
    “It’s no game. You heard the charges and you have your advocate. Now come peacefully or I’ll have to use force.”
    Kyne would almost like to see that, though he doubted Swift might resort to something as base and earthy as actual violence. No, more likely Swift had a pouch full of Compliance Dust. That wasn’t handed out to just anyone, but Swift seemed like the sort who’d be authorized to carry it. Kyne would have no choice but to go quietly.
    Besides, the last thing he wanted was a scene that might put Raea into an even more uncomfortable position. If he created an altercation, she’d be called as a witness and questions would arise as to why they were together here at this remote location. By the Skies, if Swift did anything to damage or harm Raea it would take more than a handful of Compliance Dust to restrain Kyne. But Swift seemed to be ignoring her, for now. The best thing Kyne could do would be to give in, to go quietly and leave Raea behind. Safe.
    Yes, Swift had him. Kyne would go with him to the council and find out what they wanted from him this time. He’d been called in before, threatened with charges and ordered to play their puppet and spy on his peers. He’d not exactly played along, though, so maybe this was their retribution for his unwillingness to cooperate. Maybe they felt like ramping up their tactics to strong-arm him into doing their dirty work. Or maybe it was because they simply hated who he was.
    “Very well,” he said, rising into the air so he was eye to eye with the hovering Swift. “Let’s go see the council.”
    Swift gave an unimpressed nod, but Kyne could see he was pleased with himself. He thought he had gotten what he wanted. Well, let him think that for a while longer.
    “Me, too?” Raea asked, her confidence betrayed by the tiniest break in her voice.
    “No,” Swift replied. “You can go back to work. If we need you for anything, we’ll know where to find you.”
    Kyne spared one cautious glance at her, hoping she might be reassured by his apparent lack of concern for Swift’s accusation. She didn’t seem reassured. Her beautiful lavender eyes were huge and her pink, feathery wings beat quickly, causing little eddies in the lapping water beneath her. He couldn’t deny that the sight of her being worried for him was more than a little