Page 33 of Claws for Celebration
"I think we're already building it," he said honestly. "Every conversation, every touch, every moment of trust and understanding. The question is whether you want to continue building it, knowing where it might lead."
She still felt like he was holding back something, but knew that he was also being very honest in the words he chose.
Moira looked around the bookstore that had become her sanctuary, at the man who'd guided her with infinite patience and care, at the grimoire that held secrets about her family's magical legacy. A week ago, she'd been Dr. Moira Marsh, respectable academic with a quiet life and modest ambitions.
Now she was discovering that she was something far more complex and potentially dangerous. A witch whose awakening abilities could reshape reality. A woman whose heart had recognized its perfect complement in a panther shifter who looked at her like she was his salvation.
"I'm not the same person who arrived in Hollow Oak two weeks ago," she said finally.
"No," Lucien agreed. "You're not. The question is, do you like who you're becoming?"
Moira thought about the protective magic that flowed from her fingertips without conscious thought, the way ancient knowledge seemed to surface when she needed it most, the profound sense of rightness she felt when Lucien's arms were around her.
"I'm terrifying and powerful and apparently destined to be responsible for protecting an entire supernatural community," she said. "But yes, I think I like who I'm becoming. Especially when I'm becoming her with you."
The relief that flooded his expression was almost palpable. "Then we'll figure out the rest together. One impossible revelation at a time."
As morning light strengthened around them and the normal sounds of Hollow Oak waking up filtered through the bookstore windows, Moira found herself looking forward to whatever came next. She was no longer just an archivist researching her family's history.
She was a Shadowheart witch coming into her power, with a potential mate whose own supernatural nature complemented hers in ways that promised extraordinary possibilities.
The future had never looked more uncertain or more full of promise.
19
LUCIEN
The emergency Council meeting had been called for two AM, which meant leaving Moira sleeping peacefully at the inn with promises that he'd return before dawn. The intimate night they'd shared had settled something fundamental in his chest, but it had also raised the stakes exponentially. Now that his heart was fully engaged, the thought of losing her to supernatural threats made his panther pace with barely contained aggression.
"The perimeter breaches are accelerating," Elder Varric announced without preamble as the five Council members gathered in the moonlit glade. "Three more incursions since yesterday, all testing different sections of our defensive grid."
"Shadow creatures?" Maeve asked, settling onto her usual boulder with the fluid grace of a lioness preparing for hunt. Her short black hair was still damp from what had probably been a hasty shift back to human form.
"Shadow creatures, rogue spirits, and something new that my scrying can't quite identify," Varric replied grimly. "They're being drawn by the magical disturbances emanating from theShadowheart Codex, but there's coordination to their probing that suggests external direction."
Lucien's protective instincts sharpened. "External direction from what?"
"That's what we need to determine. But first, we need to address the more immediate crisis." Varric gestured to a collection of runestones scattered across the ancient stone table, several of which glowed with ominous red light. "The binding circles that maintain our concealment wards are showing signs of structural failure."
"How bad?" Elder Bram asked, his usually pristine appearance showing signs of strain. Dark circles shadowed his pale eyes, and his perfectly trimmed beard looked disheveled.
"Bad enough that I've detected several human hikers in the past week who came dangerously close to stumbling through the Veil," Miriam reported. "I've had to redirect three separate groups using minor compulsion magic, which is exhausting our secondary defenses."
"The circles were designed to be maintained by Shadowheart blood magic," Varric continued. "When Elara's family departed Hollow Oak, they left behind stabilization spells that have held for over a century. But those spells are finally weakening beyond our ability to reinforce them."
Lucien felt his heart sink as the implications became clear. "You're saying Moira is the only one who can repair the town's protective barriers?"
"I'm saying her awakening bloodline magic is already trying to repair them," Varric corrected. "The question is whether we can guide that process before the barriers fail completely."
"And if they fail?" Lucien asked, though he suspected he already knew the answer.
"Hollow Oak becomes visible to the outside world," Bram said with characteristic pessimism. "Government investigations,media attention, supernatural hunters. Everything we've worked to prevent for generations."
"Not to mention the shadow creatures and other hostile entities that are currently being held at bay by our wards," Maeve added. "If the barriers collapse, every supernatural threat in a hundred-mile radius will converge on this location."
"Which brings us to the immediate tactical situation," Varric said. "Lucien, I'm assigning you to full-time protection detail for Miss Marsh. Stay close, monitor her magical development, and be prepared to evacuate her if the situation deteriorates."
Relief and terror warred in Lucien's chest. Spending more time with Moira would normally be a dream assignment, but not under circumstances that painted a target on her back. "What about regular patrol duties?"
