Page 147 of Magical Moonbeam
Chapter Thirty-Six
The cold hit first, sharp and biting, as if I'd crossed a threshold that didn't just separate land but soul. The fog clung tighter here. It licked at my boots and curled up my legs like smoke that had learned to breathe.
Gideon stood just ahead, framed by the twisted wrought iron and the looming silhouette of the mansion. He didn’t move. He didn’tneedto. His presence hung thick as mist, as though the very air bent around him.
But then—
His hand shifted.
Just slightly. A flicker. A ripple like water catching a glint of moonlight.
I froze.
His fingers had shimmered. Not sparkled, not glowed, but shimmered, like glass catching firelight.
Translucent.
It only lasted a heartbeat. If I’d blinked, I might’ve missed it.
But I didn’t blink.
My breath caught.
That wasn’t Gideon.
At least—notallof him.
Not the real one, not any longer.
The realization hit me low in the gut, like a stone being dropped into my stomach, rattling around.
He wasn’t here.
Or not really.
“Why would you do this?” I asked, my voice a whisper now. “Why send an illusion?”
He tilted his head at me, expression still unreadable. “I’ve told you what I want, Maeve.”
My heart thundered. My magic pulled tight against my ribcage.
No.
This wasn’t him. This wasn’t how he moved, how hefelt. Something had changed from the moment we stepped through the Shadowick gates until now.
A slow unraveling started with a gap that widened without me noticing.
He hadn’t wanted me to see it.
He hadn’t wanted me tonotice.
“What is it you want?” I asked again, voice louder this time.
The image smiled. Or tried to. It cracked at the edges. His jaw flickered, too smooth in its movement.
“I’ve told you that many times, Maeve,” it said. “It’s you I want. Your power. Your might. Your abilities.”
The words echoed, hollow.
