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.

the recklessness of their magical talent. Until magicians began to teach each other, too many lives were lost in the pursuit of the power within them. Do

trying to regain some of the warmth that fled my

loss. Magic would have been amazing to learn, of course. But—if Selene

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

Of course.

why are you separate from me? No shifter

my mind. You were born bonded with the ancient magic, she explains in that non-explaining way, where nothing is really answered. We

"That makes no sense. You're being cryptic again. All shifters are bonded with ancient magic, and they don't have any

can't be helped, Selene sighs, and I can almost picture

English professor now? And what are we, exactly? Are you a Lycan or

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

if that somehow makes my brain work better. "How is that possible?

is a story for another time, Selene says, her tone turning brisk. For now, it's more important that you take a cold shower before your heat starts back up. Clayton is

shiver down my spine, and I

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

just choose to be with me? And what do you mean, we're separate and

softening. There is much you don't understand yet. But trust me when I say that

the heat is building faster now, and I can feel my skin starting to prickle with sweat.

One humiliation is enough.

ground as I go. Niceties are foregone; I just want

but they're close enough