Page 49 of Magic's Rise

CAR DODGING

Haut holds his to-go coffee in the air so it doesn’t tip out of the small cup holder. “Keep swerving like that, and I’m going to stuff you in the trunk.”

Tris checks his blind spot and darts into a narrow gap between a semi and a hatchback. “If the cars in front of us were going the speed limit, I wouldn’t need to pass them.”

Once the van stops rocking, I take another sip of my chocolate milkshake. With the attempted stabbing, we’d taken a group vote and decided to only leave our vehicle for bathroom breaks.

While waiting for our bags of food and drinks, we’d done the driver switch-er-oo, Levi climbing into the back to stretch his legs and Tris taking the wheel.

“Slowpokes out of the fast lane!” Tris honks before zipping around a hybrid.

I laugh as I tip to the side, and Aspen throws out an arm to keep me in my seat.

Haut grabs the handlebar above his window. “Where did you learn to drive?”

He winks at Haut. “I’m self-taught.”

“Eyes on the road!” Haut and Aspen shout.

I twist to face Levi, who sprawls in the backseat, stretching his long legs and looking unconcerned about the bumpy ride. “Tell me more about Silver Hollow and that amulet of yours.”

Levi hooks a finger under the chain and pulls the pendant from beneath his shirt. “There are five of these, which the Alpha guards. Their existence is not general knowledge, and they’re rarely used.”

I take a pull on my straw. “What does it feel like?”

His brow furrows. “I’m not sure I understand the question.”

“You were born a werewolf, right?” At his nod, I say, “So, what does it feel like?”

“I imagine it’s similar to wolf shifters.” The words come out slow with consideration. “We only shift under the full moon, though, unless we’re wearing an amulet. Then we can shift whenever we like.”

“Do you turn into a shadow monster during that time?” Again, he nods. “So there’s no wolf at all?”

“Well, there is…” He straightens in his seat and leans forward, his elbows on his knees. “Strong wolf shifters can take on a halfway form. It’s like that, but the darkness is still there.”

Owen can do that now that he’s mastered his curse. He can even control the shadows to a certain point. “Does it feel separate from you? The darkness?”

“Never really considered that.” Levi hitches one shoulder. “It’s just something I was born with.”

Aspen turns to peer back at him. “Have you never experienced the full effect of the moon madness?”

“No, the barrier spares us from that.” Levi fiddles with the pendant.

“And the coven can’t make more?” I ask, though he answered that question once already.

Regret flickers across his face. “They’ve tried but can’t replicate the spell.”

“Perhaps the gift for it died out of the line.” Aspen faces forward. “It’s the danger of seclusion.”

I kick his foot. “You were singing a different tune when I showed you my family grimoire.”

“It is a treasure of witch history.” He frowns at me. “But if your family didn’t hide away for so long, it wouldn’t have been lost.”

“Or it would have been lost in some other way. There’s no right answer here.” I turn back to Levi. “Tell us about your pack.”

“I was born and raised in Silver Hollow. Our pack lives in the original commune, which is separated from the other residents, but we spend a lot of time in the downtown area.” He tucks his amulet back into hiding. “My Alpha, Griffen, is part of the town council. They make decisions about the community.”

“Ah, yes. We have one of those, too.” I nod sagely. “I got kicked out of it.”

---