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.

were lost to the recklessness of their magical talent. Until magicians began to teach each other, too many lives were lost in the pursuit

rub my arms vigorously, trying to regain some of the

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

Ava: Her

volatile.

on a question that’s been 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 physical

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

shifters are bonded with ancient magic,

helped, Selene sighs, and I can almost picture her shaking her head. It’s the nature of what we are.

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

Ava: Her Identity

am pure, Selene says, her voice filled with a quiet pride. I came to be with you of my own

that somehow makes my brain work better. “How

who is matched?”

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

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

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

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

Ava: Her Identity Sᴇaʀch Thᴇ ꜰindNʘvel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in

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is building faster now, and I can feel my skin starting to prickle with sweat. I need to get this under control

is

hospital gown and tossing it on the ground as

as I can.

know how far they are, but they’re close enough that I’m lifting

my nose.

of them. One’s a little weaker, but he’ll do

Ava!

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

minutes, huddled

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Her Identity

help keep my mind clear

extent.

I talk to Selene through my mind again. Why is heat even a thing? This is ridiculous. I’m losing my mind because