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.

to teach each other, too many lives were lost in the pursuit

rub my arms vigorously, trying to regain some of the warmth

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

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

Of course.

you separate from me? No shifter has a wolf

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

no sense. You're being cryptic again. All shifters are bonded with

and I can almost picture her shaking

What are you, an English professor now? And what are we, exactly? Are you a

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?

it's more important that you take a cold shower before your heat starts back up. Clayton is

sends a shiver down my spine, and I can feel the

want to be in a frantic state like yesterday. But I

choose to be with me? And what do you mean, we're separate and one at the same time?

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

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

One humiliation is enough.

it on the ground as I go. Niceties are foregone; I just want to get control of my body

they're close enough