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.

teach each other, too many lives were lost in the pursuit of the power within them.

regain some of the warmth that fled my body as she spoke.

odd sense of loss. Magic would have been amazing to learn, of course. But–if Selene says it’s too dangerous, I believe her.

Her Identity

volatile.

on a question that’s been bothering me from the beginning. “Selene,

Of course.

why are you separate from me? No shifter has

magic, she explains in that non–explaining way, where nothing

groan. “That makes no sense. You’re being cryptic again. All shifters are bonded with ancient magic, and they don’t

Selene sighs, and I can almost picture her shaking her head. It’s the

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

Her Identity

says, her voice filled with a quiet pride. I came to be with you of

makes my brain work better. “How

who is matched?”

her tone turning brisk. For now, it’s more important that

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

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

to be with me? And what do you mean, we’re separate and one at the same time? I don’t understand any of this.”

is much you don’t understand yet. But trust me when I say

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more later.

argue, to demand answers, but the heat is building faster now, and I can feel my skin starting to prickle with sweat. I need to get this under control before I become a

is

head for the bathroom, tearing off my hospital gown and tossing it on the ground as I

as I can.

wolf. I don’t know how far they are, but they’re close enough that I’m lifting my chin

my nose.

a little weaker,

Ava!

to help but makes me feel better for at least trying, and turn on the water

shivering in minutes, huddled under

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Ava: Her Identity

but it seems to help keep my mind clear

extent.

chattering, so I talk to Selene through my mind again. Why is heat even a thing? This is ridiculous. I’m losing my mind because I want some dick? Who came up with this stupid idea?