"I guess." Sabrina didn't sound entirely convinced. "But this is real, Mom. Actually real! Not just stories anymore!"
"The world's full of mysteries, sweetie," Mandy said, watching yet another replay. Maybe we're just starting to see them more clearly now."
"That's... surprisingly philosophical of you." Sabrina's laugh held a hint of hysteria. "I'm kind of freaking out here, and you're all zen about it."
"Someone has to be," Mandy replied, wishing she could share her own magical revelations with her daughter. "Besides, panicking won't change anything. And obviously, shifters have been here all along. We simply didn't know about them until now. But - I have questions. So, so many questions," Mandy added.
"Oh, do you think?" Sabrina's laughter bubbled through the phone, the hysteria in her voice fading slightly. "Oh shoot. Lauren's calling - I bet she's seen the news too. I should probably..."
"Go ahead," Mandy said, still smiling as she scratched behind Mozart's ears. "Call me later if you want to talk more about it."
"I will. Love you, Mom!"
"Love you too, sweetie."
The line went dead, leaving Mandy alone with her thoughts and her cats.
Mandy stared at the black screen of her television long after switching it off, and her thoughts churned.
The shapeshifter's existence had blown the magical world wide open. Kieran would surely know more about this. She was simply dying to know more. Her fingers curled around the pendant, but something held her back from speaking his name.
The thought of summoning him made her stomach twist uncomfortably. The pendant's magic technically gave her that power, but it felt... wrong. Like treating him as some sort of supernatural servant, bound to appear at her whim.
"What do you think?" she asked Mozart softly, tickling his ears. "Is it rude to just... summon someone like that?"
The mental image of an alchemist drawing magical circles and commanding demons rose in her mind, making her cringe.Kieran was a prince, for heaven's sake, not some supernatural being to be ordered around at a human's convenience. He might be bound by magical laws to respond, but that didn't make it right to exploit that obligation.
Mozart headbutted her hand, demanding attention. She stroked his head, and gave him chin rubs, grateful for the distraction from her thoughts. But the questions wouldn't stop spinning through her mind.
A Djinn Council - Kieran had mentioned it, hadn't he? What must they be thinking now, with proof of magic splashed across every news channel? She remembered Kieran's careful explanations of magical rules and boundaries. Surely there would be consequences? Repercussions? Certainly both, now that the existence of shifters had just been revealed to the entire world.
There was no denying that this changed everything. The news footage played through her mind again - that incredible moment of transformation, captured forever on dozens of phones. There was no putting this particular genie back in the bottle, she thought with a wry smile at her own unintended pun.
The magical world hadn't just been exposed - it had been broadcast globally, undoubtedly going viral on social media, impossible to deny or explain away. Even now, experts would be analyzing those videos frame by frame, trying to understand what they were seeing.
What did this mean for beings like Kieran and Jacinth? Would they need to be more careful now? More hidden? Or would this force some kind of official acknowledgment of their existence?
A faint smile tugged at her lips as she remembered how carefully Kieran and Jacinth both had sidestepped any mention of other magical beings. But now - if shapeshifters were real, what other creatures might be walking among humans? Herwriter's imagination kicked into overdrive, powered by years of crafting paranormal romances.
Vampires? The thought sent a delicious shiver down her spine. She'd written enough vampire stories to populate a small city. A giggle escaped her as she remembered Jacinth's intense curiosity about her series featuring merfolk. The Djinn had practically devoured the details about her worldbuilding, asking such specific questions about how she imagined mer-society functioning.
"Oh my god," Mandy whispered, her hand flying to her mouth. She remembered both of the Djinn thinking she wanted to wish to be a real mermaid. They'd entirely re-directed the conversation, but… could it be? And then there was Jacinth's barely concealed excitement when discussing her books, the series with the mermaids. Had the Djinn been checking to see how close Mandy's imagination had come to reality? The thought made her head spin.
Mandy zippedher last suitcase and wheeled it into the entryway, adding it to the neat collection of luggage waiting by the door. Mozart and Bach watched from their carriers, their expressions clearly conveying their displeasure at being confined again.
A familiar tingle of magic raised the hair on her arms moments before Kieran materialized beside her. The silver-white strands of his hair looked windswept, and faint lines of tension marked the corners of his eyes.
"I thought you'd be too busy dealing with..." Mandy gestured vaguely at the TV in the living room.
"Indeed, I am." His deep voice held a note of weariness she'd never heard before. "The Council has been in session since thenews broke. But I could not leave you to make your way home alone."
"That's very kind of you," Mandy said softly, touched by his consideration despite what must be overwhelming demands on his time. "But surely there are more important things requiring your attention right now?"
"The Council can manage without me for the brief time it takes to see you safely home." His ice-blue eyes met hers, and despite his obvious fatigue, warmth flickered in their depths.
Mandy's heart skipped as Kieran's gaze held hers. The way his silver-white hair caught the sunlight, the quiet strength in his tall frame, the subtle warmth beneath his formal demeanor - all of it called to something deep within her that she'd thought long dormant. Her fingers itched to reach out, to discover if his hair felt as silky as it looked.
She jerked her attention away, squashing the foolish impulse. Magical being or not, he was still bound by duty and responsibility. The last thing he needed was a formerly disabled writer mooning over him like a teenager with her first crush.
