I’d half expected the place to be trashed and graffitied, so I was relieved to see that it was exactly the way I’d left it, dirty dishes on the counter included. I tossed the knife and letter onto the coffee table, then went through the coming-home ritual of hanging up my coat and shoes, washing the dishes on the counter, and cleaning any blood or grime off my weapons. It might sound silly, but after all I’d been through, I craved a slice of normality before I tackled the bloody letter.
Eventually I ran out of things to do, and with my kitchen cleaned, my couch cushions plumped, and my surfaces dusted, I sank down onto the couch with the letter in my hand. I used the bloody knife to slit the envelope open – because hey, I might as well – and with a shaking hand unfolded the single page inside.
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Sunaya Baine,
Despite multiple attempts to plant your feet onto the correct path, you have chosen the wrong side. Your efforts to thwart our plans have been noted, and retribution will be swift.
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The note was typed and unsigned, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out who’d sent it. With a sigh, I ripped it up, then tossed the pieces into the air. The Resistance might think they were my biggest problem, but they were just one more big bad bully trying to stomp me into the ground because I didn’t fit their mold. But if they thought they were going to get away with this, they were just as wrong as everyone else who’d tried to break me.
“Get in line,” I whispered as I watched the paper fragments flutter to the floor like confetti. “Get in fucking line.”
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To be continued…
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Sunaya Baine’s adventures will continue in Marked by Magic, Book 4 of the Baine Chronicles. Join the mailing list below so you can be notified of the release date, and to receive special updates, freebies, and giveaways!
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Glossary
Aryn: employee at the Sandin Federal Bank.
Baine, Sunaya: a half-panther shifter, half-mage who hates mages and has a passion for justice. Because magic is forbidden to all but the mage families, Sunaya was forced to keep her abilities a secret until she accidentally used them to defend herself in front of witnesses. Rather than condemn her to death, the Chief Mage, Iannis ar’Sannin, chose to take her on as his apprentice, and now she struggles to balance her shifter and mage heritage.
Baine, Melantha: Sunaya’s cousin, and daughter to the Jaguar Clan’s Chieftain.
Baine, Mafiela: Chieftain of the Jaguar Clan and Sunaya’s aunt.
Baine, Mika: a young jaguar shifter, daughter of Melantha Baine.
Baine, Rylan: one of Chieftain Baine’s least favored children, and Sunaya’s cousin. He is an active member of the Resistance, with the rank of captain.
Benefactor: the name the Resistance call their anonymous, principal source of financial support. According to Sunaya’s investigations, this mysterious criminal has many different irons in the fire.
Canalo: one of the fifty states making up the Northia Federation, located on the West Coast of the Northia Continent.
Canalo Council, usually just the Council: a governmental body composed of eight senior mages, supposed to advise the Chief Mage and substitute for him in case of sudden death.
Capitol: building in the capital Dara, where the Convention of Chief Mages meets every other year to conduct governmental business.
Chen, Lalia: the current Director of the Canalo Mages Guild in Solantha. She serves as deputy to Iannis ar’Sannin, the Chief Mage.
Chartis, Argon: former Director of the Canalo Mages Guild, dismissed by the Chief Mage for insubordination and attempts to undermine the Chief Mage’s authority.
Chieftain: a title used to distinguish the head of a shifter clan.
Comenius Genhard: a hedgewitch from Pernia, owner of the shop Over the Hedge at Witches’ End. Close friend of Sunaya Baine, employer of Noria Melcott, and lover of the witch Elania.
Creator: the ultimate deity, worshipped by all three races under different names.
Dira: mage, one of the secretaries at the Mages Guild.
Danrian, Warin: regional manager of the Sandin Federal Bank for Canalo, who turned out to be one of the Benefactor’s henchmen there. He was behind the illegal Shifter Royale, as well as coordinating the bank’s dodgy credit scheme for shifters.
Dara: capital of the Northia Federation, located on the east coast of the Northia Continent.
Dromach, the: a sect of powerful mages in Manuc who are specially trained to deal with the Tua, and charged with maintaining the walls that separate Recca from their realm.