Filed to story: Tangled in Moonlight Unshifted Novel by Lenaleia
Words.
A message.
For me?
My breath catches in my throat as I read the words, each one searing itself into my mind with the force of a brand.
“Embrace your destiny, Ava Grey. The time has come to…”
The runes shiver, their edges blurring as if they’re struggling to maintain their form. I lean closer, my heart pounding as I wait for the rest of the message to reveal itself.
But instead of clarity, the symbols dissolve into chaos, their meanings lost in a swirl of ink and magic. I blink, my eyes straining to make sense of the jumble, but it’s like trying to catch smoke with my bare hands.
Selene, something’s happening, I whisper, my voice trembling with a mixture of awe and fear. The runes, they’re trying to tell me something.
Her warmth by my side keeps me grounded, with half my mind deep in this weird place between here and therebetween reality and the magic of this book.
What do they say?
“I don’t know… They’re fighting. Trying to break through…”
My breath catches as the runes continue to shift and change, growing more frantic as each second passes.
Then, as suddenly as it began, the chaos stills.
One by one, lines emerge,
“Your teacher awaits. Enter the sanctuary of wizards, Ava Grey.” What the hell does that mean?
)
What sanctuary?
Wizards? Yet a new term brought to my ears. First magicians. Then witches. Now, wizards?
My phone rings, a quick musical note. A text message.
There’s a simple text on my phone, from an unknown number.
[UNKNOWN: Come to Dakota Sanctuary. We have a place for you. Now that you’ve unlocked your power, you’re a danger to everyone around you.]
“Is everything okay?”
Marcus’ eagle eyes must have noticed the blood draining from my face.
I don’t want to lie to him, but I don’t know how much he should know about the situation.
Then again, the man’s my bodyguard.
How can he effectively guard me if he doesn’t know what’s going on?
Tell Lucas, Selene says, sounding grim.
I will. “This text. Probably the same as the unknown call from before.” Handing Marcus my phone, I watch as his face zones out to inform Kellan or Jericho of the situation. Or both of them. Probably both.
My gaze flicks to the book, but the words that had appeared moments ago are gone, leaving only those illegible runes once again. The cryptic message lingers in my mind, unsettling in its implications.
I don’t like this, Ava, Selene says, her voice laced with concern. It feels like we’re being herded into something.
The thought of being manipulated, of being led down a path I didn’t choose, brings nothing but unease
What are our choices right now? I ask, hating the tremor in my mental voice. If my power really is a danger to everyone around me…
I trail off, not wanting to finish that thought. The idea that I can hurt the people I care about, that my mere presence could put them at risk, is a heavy weight on my chest.
I’ve already hurt so many people.
But leaving isn’t an option.
So what the fuck am I supposed to do?
It feels like I’m being forced into making a bad decision. There has. to be another way, right? Like Vanessa saidI was always thinking in black and white. So, now I need to find gray. Or orange. Or whatever other color it could possibly be.
Somehow.
Lucas’ face flashes through my mind, and I can already imagine his reaction to this new development. Can he really keep me safe from my own power? Can I keep him safe?
The Unregistered city is an unknown, Selene says. We need to talk to someone we can trust.
But the only lead we have is Sister Miriam, and Lucas doesn’t trust her.
I don’t necessarily trust her, eitherbut I don’t think she intends. me harm.
Your power is a concern, Selene admits, though I can hear the reluctance in her voice. But…
Her concern mirrors mine.
Funny; before, when we had no one to rely on, we were ready to take so many risks. Selene wasn’t as worried as now.
But with the people we care about warning us, time after time, about our safety?
After the vampire attacks?
She’s learned caution.
So have I.
Marcus clears his throat, drawing my attention. “Kellan and Jericho are on their way,” he says, handing the phone back to me.
I nod, trying to quell the rising panic in my chest. Kellan and Jericho will know what to do. They’ll have a plan. They have to.
Don’t always rely on others to do your work for you, Ava. You have to do it, too.
Fair. But there’s nothing that comes to mind…
And my plans in the past have led to trouble.
But you successfully found freedom in Cedarwood, didn’t you?
Did I?
With Mrs. Elkins’ arrival, it’s been a niggling doubt in my head.
Did I find freedom?
Or was it the first stage of someone’s grand plan?
That’s just paranoia, Selene murmurs, but I can tell she’s not sure, either.
The Unregistered city. A place where the laws of the world don’t. apply. Where vampires and other creatures roam unchecked. The thought of venturing into such a place…
And Lisa’s already there.
She’s been there for so long.
I could go. I could save her.
But I don’t have the training, and I’m… what, some sort of exploding time bomb of magical power?
My brain just keeps rushing in circles, making me dizzy with the force of my indecision and panic.
If only I were like my family. A bizarre thing to think in a moment like this, but even I have to admit that Jessa was never one to panic. Phoenix, either. And my father? I don’t think I’ve seen him at any level past moderate concern in his entire life.