Page 85 of Unraveled
“What if they could craft a connection with Naheli?” he says. “I don’t know if the hybrids are aware of this, but they can’t have access to her. They are already using my ancestor’s magic to craft the veil you love so much.”
I clench my hands around his shoulders, looking away as shame bursts through me, foul and repulsive. “Did the scientists use fae magic to craft the veil?”
“They did. It’s an ancient blood spell meant to protect the royal kin from being abducted and used in battle. It creates a powerful shield that repels certain fae types. But in order to keep it going, you need one of their—or, in the case of the veil,our—kind’s blood. An old ancestor designed it to keep the seelie away from our children.”
We cross the edge of the city, and the air is charged with electricity. Almost immediately, clouds cover the previously clear sky. A storm brews in the distance. “Is that why you could break through the veil when most lunargyres can’t?”
“Yes. I’m the only fae they can’t keep away—well, me and anyone from my bloodline. The shield is made with waves of energy that mimic my magic. The grimoires call the beasts there, but the veil keeps them away as it prevents them from scenting humans in the city. Quite the invention they created to stop me from breaking the curse.”
I’m going to be sick all over him if we continue with this conversation. What I saw in that machine room will forever haunt me. I went ahead with Skylar’s demands, even though deep down I knew it was wrong.
For Irene, I would do almost anything, but I couldn’t forsake Ash anymore.
My heart squeezes at the thought, and we fly above the treetops in silence, until rain begins to mist down on us.
“Fuck.” Raindrops catch on Ash’s long lashes. “We’ll need to find somewhere to stay for the night or risk ruining the books.”
Thunder cracks, and the storm catches up with us. Reaching for the pin in my hair, I probe at it again with my mind and urge it to wake up as my fingers tingle. I know how to help this time. I’ve been protecting grimoires for five years, using spells to shield them from moisture, heat, and cold.
I was trained to be a puppet, but I’ll use what little the librarians taught me to help the fae. But the pin doesn’t answer other than to keep my power from truly bursting out.
We dive deep into the forest and under the thick canopy. The grimoires follow us, some crashing into thick branches, while others expertly avoid them. Their voices grow stronger in the quiet of the woods at night. Forest debris cracks under my feet when Ash sets me on the ground. I left my traveling cloak back in the strix nest, and I’m cold, wet, and completely unprepared to face the night.
Ash unclasps his hands from around my waist and takes a step back. The cold water rolls over the shiny feathers of his wings as he shrugs off his coat and hands it to me.
“Put this on, Monster, or your shaking bones will call every dark creature hiding in the shadows.”
I reach for the coat but pause as my fingers graze the wet fabric. “This is just as cold and wet as my dress.”
“Demanding little thing, aren’t you?” He raises a brow and smirks, this time with dimples. “Didn’t the librarians teach you how to use simple spells to dry yourself and keep warm? I’ve seen you master fire and wind. Surely that would be easy for you.”
His magic blooms around us, and the books fall from the air with murmurs of displeasure, but the coat dries in front of my eyes. Ash steps forward again and drops it over my shoulders. Warmth seeps into my frigid limbs.
“I know how to dry myself,” I say, sounding a bit more defensive than I intend to. But I want—Icando much more... if I’m able to wield my magic properly.
“What’s stopping you?”
“The amulet is doing too good a job at canceling my power.”
Ash tilts his head as he studies me quietly. Without a word, he walks in a random direction. Does he even know where we are?
“Come, there are things here you won’t be able to fight off if you can’t use your magic.” He glances back over his shoulder, and that stupid smirk reappears on his face. “Though perhaps that’s the incentive you need to break out of the hold a cheap trinket has on you.”
“Cheap?” I gasp, but follow him through the forest. “This amulet cost more than I make in a month!”
“I think you were horribly underpaid. Though if you are unable to cast a simple spell to keep yourself from dying of hypothermia, then perhaps it’s expected.”
The heat that comes from my bubbling temper overtakes me rapidly, and my power rushes through my body as I step over a fallen branch. I shrug off his coat, and my amulet vibrates against my head. My whole body hums with pressure. “You’re the biggest prick I’ve ever met in my life?—”
I’ve tried to maintain a level of civility with this fae. Surely, I can’t actually have feelings for him, because right now, every cell in my body wants to shove his coat up his?—
“Well, look at that. It seems anger overrides whatever your faulty amulet is doing.”
I stop. It isn’t the cool air hitting my bare shoulders that calms me down, but that I’m glowing all over. My fingers, my arms. Like a candle is burning beneath my skin. My dress is no longer wet, and everything around us is silent. I can’t even hear the rain anymore over the rush of blood in my ears.
“Mia,” he calls, and I blink my confusion when I meet his eyes. I expect to find the same cruelty he was spouting before, but his face is gentle and understanding. “I believe you can break through the spell and unlock your powers when you experience raw emotions.”
“How do you know?”
