Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 39 Ava: Her Identity

You have the potential, Selene says, her voice a cautious whisper in my mind. The arcane flows through your veins. But…

My breath escapes me in a giddy rush. Magic. Real magic. Human magic. It's something out of a fairy tale, not something that should exist in my life. Then again, supernaturals exist—and we're pretty nonstandard, ourselves.

It's not that simple, Selene continues, her tone growing more serious. Magic is not a toy, little one. It's a force of nature, raw and untamed. To wield it requires knowledge, discipline, and control.

I swallow hard, feeling the warning in her words. "But how do I learn? I don't even know where to start."

You would need a teacher, Selene explains, her voice tinged with hesitation. Someone well-versed in the arcane arts, who could guide you, show you how to harness and control your power. But magic is a lost art. Magicians were lost to the curse and became shifters.

Talk about a letdown.

"So, I won't be able to do magic." Is that how you say it? Do magic? Cast magic? Spell magic? Cast spells? It all feels weird in my mouth.

It is unlikely, Selene says, but she still has that cautious sound to her voice.

"If I tried, what's the worst that could happen?"

Death.

A simple word, bluntly given, with all the truth in the world behind it. I shudder at the matter-of-fact tone.

talented humans were lost to the recklessness of their magical talent. Until magicians began to teach each

arms vigorously, trying to regain some of the warmth

been amazing to learn, of course. But—if

I focus on a question that's been bothering me

Of course.

are you separate from me? No shifter has a wolf with a physical

were born bonded with the ancient magic, she explains in

sense. You're being cryptic again. All shifters are bonded with ancient magic, and

Selene sighs, and I can almost picture her shaking her head. It's the nature of what we

now? And what are we, exactly? Are you a

with a quiet pride. I came to be with you of

makes my brain work better.

story for another time, Selene says, her tone turning brisk. For now, it's more important that

I can feel the

don't want to be in a frantic state like yesterday.

what do you mean,

I say that everything will be

want to argue, to demand answers, but the heat is building faster now, and I can feel my skin starting to prickle with sweat. I need to get

One humiliation is enough.

the bathroom, tearing off my hospital gown and tossing it on the ground as I go. Niceties are foregone; I

but they're close enough that I'm