Filed to story: Tangled in Moonlight Unshifted Novel by Lenaleia
“Return to the Fae Ward, child. It is safer for you there. I will contact you when we have some news.”
“Thank you,” I say again, like a broken record.
The dhampir glances at the portal. “Have you heard from the Fae named Steve?”
The question catches me off guard. “No, I haven’t. I’ve been in the Fae Ward this whole time.”
Sister Miriam’s gaze locks onto mine, and I can’t shake the feeling that she’s questioning my intelligence. Her eyes narrow slightly, and I resist the urge to squirm under her scrutiny.
“That’s exactly why I asked, child.”
Heat creeps up my neck. Of course. Steve is Fac. She might be my neighbor, and I would have no idea.
Sister Miriam waves her hand dismissively. “Never you mind. Return to Magister Orion and the safety there.
Vanessa and Marcus go first this time. As I step through, Sister Miriam’s voice follows me.
“Oh, and congratulations on contracting with fire and water.”
Before I can respond, the shimmering veil of the portal envelops me, whisking me away from Sister Miriam’s mansion and back to the Fac Ward. The abrupt transition leaves me momentarily disoriented, my mind reeling from the rapidfire exchange.
My companions are already there, waiting for me.
“Everything okay?” Marcus asks, his brow furrowed with concern.
I nod, still processing Sister Miriam’s parting words. “Yeah, I think so. It’s just… Sister Miriam can be a bit overwhelming sometimes.”
Vanessa snorts. “That’s putting it mildly.”
The woman’s cryptic offkilter.
nature and apparent omniscience never fail to leave me feeling slightly
“Did she say anything useful?” Magister Orion’s booming voice startles me from my thoughts as he pops up from behind the guards of the portal.
They’re ignoring us this time. Makes sense, since Magister Orion is right there.
I turn to face him, noting the eager gleam in his eyes. “Not really. She’s going to look into the situation and get back to us. But… I hesitate, unsure how to broach the subject of Steve.
“But what?” Magister Orion prompts, his massive frame looming over me.
I take a deep breath. “We were working with a Fac outside of the city. A computer hacker kind of person. She disappeared right before we got here, in a very sudden way.”
Magister Orion’s eyebrows shoot up. “A Fac outside the Ward? Interesting. And concerning.”
“Why’s that?” I ask, curiosity piqued.
*Fac rarely venture outside the Ward these days, he explains, stroking his saltandpepper beard. “It’s not forbidden, mind you, but it’s… unusual. Especially for one to do business in the human world.
I think back to Steve’s basement office, so clean and professional despite the empty warehouse above. It hadn’t seemed particularly magical at the time, but it was certainly unusual.
*Could she have been hiding from something?” Vanessa asks, voicing the question that’s been. nagging at me.
Magister Orion shrugs his massive shoulders. “It’s possible. The Fae have their own politics and intrigues, from small family squabbles to massive wars at times. But without more information, it’s impossible to say.”
I nod, feeling the weight of yet another mystery settling onto my shoulders. As if I didn’t have enough to worry about already.
“Oh,” I say, remembering Sister Miriam’s parting words. “She also congratulated me on contracting with fire and water, but I never told her that. How does she know?”
Magister Orion’s eyes light up, and I brace myself for another lecture on magical theory. “Ah, your elemental affinities. It’s quite remarkable, really. Most wizards only contract with one clement, at least initially. To have two right off the bat… well, it speaks to your potential. Potential is great and all, but it also means expectations. I’m struggling to maintain the ones associated with my status as Lucas’ mate as it is.
“But how does she know? She’s a vampire, not a wizard. Or witch. Or magician, or whatever you call us.
“You can use whatever word you deem appropriate. They’re all accurate in their own ways. As for Sister Miriam, well, she has her own secrets. And she has her own magical affinities. She either saw it, or she saw it.”
I open my mouth, a dozen questions on the tip of my tongue, but Magister Orion’s massive hand
Sister Miriam’s Words gently guides me forward. “Come along now, back to the Magus Hall.”
“Magus Hall?” I blink, surprised. “It has an official name?”
Magister Orion’s eyes twinkle with amusement. “Well, this week it does. Next week, who knows? It might be the Wizarding Wonderland or the Sorcerer’s Sanctum.”
A disbelieving laugh escapes my lips. “You change it every week? Like the titles?”
“It gives me something to ponder each week. Although,” he adds, a hint of cheerfulness creeping Into his voice, “I suppose I’ll have less time for such banal eccentricities now that I have a pupil to teach.”
The word ‘pupil’ sends tremors of exhaustion down my spine. His eagerness to teach is only second to Jericho’s drive to keep all wolves fit and able to defend themselves.
“About that,” I say, stifling a yawn. “I’m still so tired. My brain even hurts.”
Magister Orion’s expression softens. “That will happen. Rest is crucial for magical development. We’ll focus on more training in the morning” He pauses, looking at the sky. “The time difference in the training room will be a tremendous help if you can keep up with it.”
LISA
Waking up in a bed is too comfortable.
My brain wants to wake, but my body wants to keep sleeping.
If this comfort is little more than an elaborate trap before I’m murdered, just take me away. At least I’ll be going in bliss.
A sharp poke in my side jolts me from my halfasleep musings. I crack open an eye, squinting against the sudden brightness. A face swims into view, so close I can count every wrinkle etched into leathery skin.
“Up! Up, you lazy girl!”
The voice is shrill, grating against my eardrums. I blink, voice. It’s a woman, impossibly small, with a nose so red it could guide Santa’s sleigh.
I open my mouth to speak, but my tongue feels like sandpaper. Before I can form words, a stinging slap lands on my calf. The pain is sharp, unexpected, and I jerk away, nearly tumbling off the bed.
“Ow! What the-“
“No time for your nonsense,” the tiny woman interrupts, waving a hand in front of my face. Her fingers are gnarled, reminding me of tree roots. “You stink. Shower. Now”
I sit up, head spinning. The room tilts and sways around me. Where am I? How did I get here? The last thing I remember is… Darkness, Cold. A strange man who brought me out of my personal hell.
The tiny woman’s groan snaps me back to the present. “Look at this mess. Filthy! You’ve ruined the sheets.”
I glance down at the bed. The oncewhite linens are stained with dirt and… is that blood? My stomach lurches at the sight of my wrists, raw and a little bloody.
“Come on, come on. No time to waste. She tugs at my arm by the elbow, her strength surprising for someone so small.
My legs wobble beneath me, and the floor is cool against my bare feet. Bare feet? Ah. Clothes I don’t recognizea simple white night dress that is several sizes too big, soft and deceptively clean. I’m sure it’s a mess on the inside.
The tiny woman herds me across the room, muttering under her breath. I want to ask questions. -so many questionsbut they stick in my throat. There’s something about her demeanor, gruff and no nonsense, that makes me feel like a scolded child.
I spent so much time in fear that it almost feels comforting to be afraid of someone like this.
Guess I’m going to need some serious therapy, if this tiny person isn’t dragging me around to murder me.
We reach a door, and she pushes it open, revealing a bathroom. “In. Shower. Make it quick.”
Before I can protest, she shoves me inside and slams the door shut.
I stand there, alone in the sudden quiet, staring at my reflection in the mirror. My face is pale, eyes wide with confusion and fear. Dark circles underneath them speak of exhaustion I can feel in my bones.
And speaking of bones…
My face is gaunt. I’ve watched my fingers grow to little more than bony sticks, but my face.
God.
I look like a skeleton with some skin hanging off it.