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.

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 that door, Ava.

to regain some of

have been amazing to learn, of course. But–if Selene says it’s too dangerous, I believe her. It isn’t worth my

Her

volatile.

bothering me from the beginning. “Selene, you’re my wolf, right?”

Of course.

are you separate from me? No shifter has a wolf with a

explains in that non–explaining way, where nothing is really answered. We are both separate and one at the

You’re being cryptic again. All shifters are bonded with ancient magic, and they don’t have

sighs, and I can almost picture her shaking

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

Her Identity

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

my brain work better.

who is matched?”

brisk. For now, it’s more important that you take a cold shower before your heat starts back up. Clayton

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

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

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

when I say that everything

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want to 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

is enough.

tossing it on the ground as I go. Niceties are foregone; I just want to get control of my body

as I can.

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

my nose.

two of them. One’s a little weaker,

Ava!

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

huddled

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Ava: Her

help keep my

extent.

teeth are chattering, so I talk to Selene through my mind again. Why is heat even a thing? This is ridiculous.