Tangled

39 Ava: Her Identity

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.

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39 Ava: Her Identity

Talk about a letdown.

O

“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.

long past, many talented humans were lost to 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 not open

some of the warmth that

I say, shoving down the odd sense of loss. Magic would have been amazing to learn, of course. But–if

Ava: Her Identity

volatile.

bothering me from the beginning. “Selene,

Of course.

shifter has a

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 and one at the same

makes no sense. You’re being cryptic again. All shifters are bonded with ancient magic, and they don’t have any ‘separate‘, only ‘one‘. Why am I different?”

can’t be helped, Selene sighs, and I can almost picture her shaking her head. It’s

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

Her

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

that somehow makes my brain work better. “How is that possible? Doesn’t the

who is matched?”

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 near.

of the alpha sends a shiver down my spine, and I can feel the first tendrils of heat starting

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

how can you just choose to be with me? And what do you mean, we’re separate and one at the same

trust me when I say that everything will be revealed in time. For now, focus on getting through your heat. We

on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early

more later.

feel my skin starting to prickle with sweat. I need to get this under control before I become

is enough.

it on the ground as I go.

as I can.

a powerful wolf. I don’t know how far they are, but they’re close enough that I’m lifting my chin to sniff, trying to get their

my nose.

them. One’s a

Ava!

my nose, which of course does nothing to help but makes me feel better for at

minutes, huddled under

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Her Identity

keep my mind

extent.

thing? This is ridiculous. I’m losing my mind because I want some dick? Who came