Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 436: Ava: Wards

Grimoire appears, floating in mid-air, in his preferred form of a child. "I'm not up to anything, you suspicious mutt."

Selene's lips curl back, exposing sharp teeth in a silent warning. The darker fur along her spine bristles, but she remains where she is. Grimoire ignores her.

"What's going through that head of yours?" I ask, feeling a vague sense of trepidation tickling its way down my spine. "You're plotting something. I can tell."

"I believe it's time we seriously consider removing your soul's wards." Grimoire's childlike form hovers as he rotates slowly, his hair and clothes the only things that move according to gravity. It's a trick he doesn't do often; not everyone in Wolf's Landing knows he exists. Outside of our cabin, he's usually in the form of a fox, if he takes a form at all.

A few have seen the red-haired child, but not often enough to cause rumors. While everyone knows about Selene, few know about this second magical being in my head.

"My what?" Frowning, I turn his words over in my head. They're strange and don't make sense. Soul wards? "What are you talking about?"

Grimoire's palm meets his forehead with a sharp smack; it's a mannerism he's picked up from watching the pack's children, and looks odd when he does it. "Not this again. We've had this conversation before, Ava."

A chill races across my skin. My gaze darts to Selene, whose ears now lay flat against her skull.

Yes, Selene says, answering my unspoken question. I remember this discussion. We decided it wasn't worth the risk.

That's impossible. I would remember being a part of this conversation. "When did we talk about this?"

It's been quite some time now, but not long enough for you to forget.

points out. "She forgot my words on our first meeting, as well." His form

"What are these wards?"

wards on your soul are what we believe prevent you

forget so completely. My heart trembles, and I wrap my arms around myself. As if I can hold all my

dart to Selene again, because—they do. She's living, furry

rests her chin against the

and soothing in my head, like a metaphysical hug. Can you feel where

memories. No empty spaces. No missing pieces. Everything feels whole, complete—and that terrifies me more than finding holes would. At least Selene has a fuzzy realization of missing memories. I have

don't understand. Wouldn't I notice

upright once again.

other conversations we've had

been lost," Grimoire says, with a shrug—as if this is little more than a minor bump in

wracks my body, but the cold isn't from the winter air. "And these wards are on my soul? What are they

true nature, your full potential. The reason you can't shift or integrate with the pack links. It's only my theory, but I can't imagine it being wrong." Grimoire's childlike face grows serious. "We need to work on removing

rise. We agreed it isn't worth

sudden and overwhelming. Twenty-seven names. The pack's howls of grief still echo in

With how desperately I want more strength. And the terrifying idea I could disappear, lost in my own

my body live on, dependent on IVs and machines to keep me alive? Lucas would do that—waiting

forbidden for many reasons—the outcome is never assured." Grimoire lowers himself until he's standing on the ground and walks toward me with his arms stretched out for a hug, like he's the child he's pretending to

him onto my lap, grateful for the warmth