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.

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 that door, Ava.

rub my arms vigorously, trying to 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

Her Identity

volatile.

me

Of course.

shifter

a thoughtful sound that echoes through my mind. You were born bonded with the ancient magic, she explains in that non–explaining way,

no sense. You’re being cryptic again. All shifters are bonded with ancient magic, and they don’t have any

almost picture her shaking her head. It’s the nature of what we are.

And what are we, exactly? Are you a Lycan or a shifter?”

Her Identity

with a quiet pride. I came to be with you of my own choice.

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

who is matched?”

it’s more important that you take a cold shower before your heat starts back up.

sends a shiver down my spine, and I can feel the first tendrils of heat starting to uncurl in my belly.

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

And what do you mean, we’re separate and one at the same time? I don’t understand any

know, little one, Selene says, her voice softening. There is much you don’t understand yet. But trust me when I say that everything will be revealed in time. For now,

Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and

more later.

demand answers, but the heat is building faster now, and I can feel my skin starting

is enough.

ground as I go. Niceties are foregone; I just want to

as I can.

know how far they are, but they’re close enough that I’m lifting my chin to sniff,

my nose.

two of them. One’s a little weaker, but

Ava!

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

in minutes, huddled under that

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Ava: Her

help keep my mind

extent.

a thing? This is ridiculous. I’m losing my mind because I want some