Page 163 of Magic of the Damned

Telling him the truth and withholding information both filled me with anxiety and dread. Each action had repercussions.

“It’s…complicated,” I whispered so softly that Emoni moved closer so she wouldn’t have to strain to hear me.

“I saw things…things that aren’t supposed to exist,” Forest said, his voice heavy with confusion and angst.

The tension in the room could have been cut with a knife between Emoni and I. Because she had been on the other side of the fabrications and lies of omission, I knew she was reluctant to have the same done to Forest. Emoni broke the silence.

“Luna, tell him.”

I swallowed hard and tried to determine how to reveal the information. There wasn’t a way to sugarcoat it or deliver it in a way that wasn’t troubling.

“Secrecy is important to them, and they go to great lengths to maintain it,” I said, gravity threaded in my words.

“I gathered that. When you left, I wasn’t too far behind, but when I approached, I felt an unease and didn’t want to go in that direction. Something didn’t sit right with me. Your demeanor was off when I told you about the video, and you seemed anxious to leave. Anytime I moved closer, I got a sickening feeling. Weird anxiety and fear over nothing. Everything just felt wrong. I took another route. Parked and moved toward the nature reserve. I saw a man turn into a wolf…” His voice trailed off as if he was trying to assure himself that his eyes hadn’t betrayed him. “I had to use my phone to get a better look because every time I approached the area, those strange feelings would hit me again.”

“It was a spell to repel people,” I provided.

“Magic,” he whispered.

“Yeah.”

“I didn’t see everything, but enough. I saw enough. And glimpses of you. When you disappeared with that…that…man?” There wasn’t certainty in his use of the descriptor “man” because Forest knew Dominic was more but had no idea what.

“You have a video?”

“No. I couldn’t get it to work.”

If nothing else, techno-witches were efficient and by far the most essential member in maintaining their secrecy.

“Forest, I’m going to tell you everything. And then you must behave as if you know nothing. Don’t investigate. If you suspect someone is off, not quite human, don’t let on that you do. Leave it alone.” If the magnitude of the danger wasn’t infused in my voice, it was definitely in my face.

“I know.”

He was given all the information while Emoni sat in silence, an indecipherable look on her face. The emotionless mask she wore didn’t provide any feedback on whether I should change my delivery. Did I need to soften, ease him into it? He’d seen it. Nothing could be more traumatizing than seeing that unprepared. I knew from experience. So, I opted to be candidly direct.

“Am I like you?” he asked. Horror had swept over his face when I told him of the discovery of the mark on me.

“No. I checked.”

Realization lifted his lips into a smirk. “I knew there was more to you being so overly affectionate that day at dinner.”

“No, I meant it. It had dual purposes. I missed you!”

The boom of laughter was infectious even if I knew it was a response of learning the horrid information and the betrayal of my mother’s friend. I continued filling him in on the rest of the information.

“You died!?” Of course, I couldn’t slip that in as an afterthought. Ileana recreating me wasn’t something minor. For a brief moment, I’d had magic. Wielded power that contended with some of the most powerful beings. It was so short-lived, and I couldn’t believe I actually missed it. It wasn’t the magic. Nothing compared to the confidence I felt having the ability to truly protect myself.

“Not really,” I said.

“Sounds like you did. I’m not sure why you keep brushing over it like she did some minor spell and bam, you were a magical entity or whatever. You were made into a new person,” Emoni piped in from the sidelines. I could have done without her commentary.

“I’m the same person.”

“Now. Because your magic was stolen.” Her interjection opened the door for me to proceed to tell Forest about my interaction with the Dark Caster and her proposal. The ball that had settled in my chest tightened at my brother’s calm demeanor. Had he descended into a fugue state? His glassy eyes connected with mine before he closed them and took a deep breath.

“Gloria was a Dark Caster?” he asked.

“We’re uncertain. She was either a Dark Caster or an acolyte. I believe there are some humans that aren’t as oblivious to the existence of the supernaturals as they’d like to believe. Nevertheless, I was a contingency plan.”

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