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.

their magical talent. Until magicians began to teach each other, too many lives were lost in the pursuit of the power within them. Do not open

of the warmth that fled my

to learn, of course. But—if Selene says it's too dangerous, I believe her. It isn't worth my

that's been bothering me from the beginning. "Selene, you're my

Of course.

me? No shifter

You were born bonded with the ancient magic, she explains in that non-explaining way, where nothing is

You're being cryptic again. All shifters are bonded with ancient

Selene sighs, and I can almost picture

English professor now? And what

am pure, Selene says, her voice filled with a quiet pride. I came to be with

work better. "How is that possible? Doesn't the curse decide who is

another time, Selene says, her tone turning brisk. For now, it's more important that you take a cold

and I can feel the first tendrils of heat starting to

a frantic state like yesterday. But I can't let this

do you mean, we're separate and one at the same time? I don't understand

don't understand yet. But trust me when I say that everything will be revealed in time. For now, focus on getting through your

to demand answers, but the heat is building faster now, and I can feel my skin starting to prickle

One humiliation is enough.

as I go. Niceties are

far they are, but they're close enough that I'm lifting my chin to sniff, trying to get their scent in