Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 352 Ava: Purify

"What do you mean?"

You'll need to draw the energy into yourself, he explains, and then overpower it with your own magic.

This is not what I expected. "Draw it in? Like... absorb it?"

He nods. Exactly. The resulting friction between your magic and the taint creates a sort of burning purification. It neutralizes the harmful energy and can even bolster your own reserves.

The idea of pulling this dark, ominous energy into my body makes my skin crawl. "And what if there's too much? What if I can't handle it all at once?"

Grimoire's ears twitch. In those cases, you'd need to purify in stages or enlist help from other magic users. The stronger you are and the more magical capacity you have, the more efficiently you can handle these situations. This amount should be easy for you, especially with your recent expenditures at the wards.

I grunt, still uneasy about the whole concept. The thought of willingly drawing this taint into myself feels wrong on a visceral level.

It's relatively easy magic, Grimoire assures me. It just requires fine control, which you've been improving lately.

His words are meant to be comforting, but they don't quite hit the mark. Maybe because it feels kind of like he just told me to eat evil. It's just wrong. "Does it hurt?"

Grimoire pauses, and that hesitation speaks volumes. It can cause fevers as your body fights against the toxic nature of the taint, he admits. But it doesn't necessarily hurt in and of itself.

"Fevers," I repeat, my voice flat. "Great. For how long?"

As long as it's required.

we can't just leave a mass of aggression-inducing taint—which really doesn't sound right—around. It's invisible. None of our wolves would be able to avoid it, even if

and reach out with my magic. It surges to my

an oil slick on water, but light

encourages. Now, imagine drawing that energy towards you. Like you're

snap open. "Wait, literally inhale it?" My lungs cringe at the

quickly. It's just a visualization technique. You're pulling it into your magical core, not your

I inhale as deeply as I can, even as I let my magic touch the strange,

magical siphon as it flows over my magic

of tainted energy touch my magical core, I gasp. It burns, a cold fire that spreads through my veins. My teeth clench

going, Grimoire urges. You're

I'm trying to drink an ocean through a straw. Just when I think I can't take anymore,

with

and for a moment, I'm afraid it won't be enough. It's like being too

way, and suddenly I'm flooded with a rush of

whole body feels like it's on fire, and my magic slowly

around me, and I stumble, nearly

Only there's no snow.

dirt and yellow grass in a

there in an instant, steadying me with a strong hand on

alright?" he asks, concern

can feel the beginnings of a fever setting in. It's like my very bones are aching, and