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.

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 not open

regain some of the warmth

to learn, of course. But—if Selene says it's too dangerous, I believe

on a question that's been bothering me from the

Of course.

why are you separate from me? No shifter has

through my mind. You were born bonded with the ancient magic, she explains in that

being cryptic again. All shifters are bonded with ancient magic,

helped, Selene sighs, and I can almost picture her

what are we, exactly?

Selene says, her voice filled with a quiet pride. I

better. "How is that

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

my spine, and I can feel the first tendrils of heat

don't want to be in a frantic state like yesterday. But I can't let this conversation go just

be with me? And what do you mean, we're separate

when I say that everything will be revealed in time. For now, focus on

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

One humiliation is enough.

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

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