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.

to teach each other,

trying to regain some of

learn, of course. But–if Selene says it’s

Her Identity

volatile.

a question that’s been bothering me from the beginning. “Selene, you’re my wolf,

Of course.

from me? No shifter has

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

are bonded with ancient magic, and

almost

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

Her Identity

pride. I came to be

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

who is matched?”

is a story for another time, Selene says, her tone turning brisk. For now, it’s more important that you take a cold shower

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

like yesterday. But I can’t

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

when I say that

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

is enough.

gown and tossing it on the ground as I go.

as I can.

of a powerful wolf. I don’t know how far they are, but they’re close enough that

my nose.

them. One’s a little weaker,

Ava!

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

minutes, huddled

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Ava: Her Identity

it seems to help keep my mind clear

extent.

Why is heat even a thing? This is ridiculous. I’m losing my