Page 14 of Total Eclipse of the Moon
"The lycan brothers' curse was a freak product of stress."
"You have a lot of power. You simply haven't figured out your strengths. Level two is about your purpose in life."
"The lycans want me to reverse the curse."
Cora worked her teeth back and forth. "Your cosmic purpose isn't that ridiculous curse."
She shrugged.
Cora gazed out the kitchen window. Miniature goats frolicked in the yellowing autumn grass on the small estate an hour outside of Madrid. A tabby cat, Cora's familiar, wove between her legs, which she picked up and absently stroked. Cora was the most gifted magical person Madeline knew. Although she was not a pure white energy witch, which was someone who chose to only do positive, goody-two-shoes type spells, she knew everything about magic—from classic spells to curses to hexes to scrying and potions—and could also wield a variety of magical weapons.
Madeline wondered how long before MI6 tracked her here. Cora might have strong wards to protect her property, but they'd find her. They always did.
"Step one, you need to summon a new familiar." Cora let her cat settle in her lap.
Madeline picked at a cuticle to distract herself from the wave of heaviness that settled into her chest. "I’m not over Wylder’s death. That silly cat drove me insane with his jabbering, but he was right about danger so many times that I put up with his chatter. Then he took a bullet intended for me. I can’t ask another one to risk its life for me. I'm in the line of fire too often."
"That was his decision to die. A new one would watch your back and be loyal only to you, which you need. Think about it." Without warning, Cora grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm to expose the dragon tattoo, the one that had been on her for as long as she could remember. "This is your purpose. Each of our kind have a cosmic purpose in this world. We must figure out where we fit. If we don't we become jaded and unhappy. That's the road to evil that'll get you on the opposite end of your cursed lycans' sniper rifles. You’re going to sit still and listen to me for once about magic."
"What’s bigger than me fixing a mistake that ruined people’s lives?" She didn’t have time to pursue a "cosmic purpose." Desire for a life without magic roared through her. If she was a squib or human what would she want? To live somewhere quiet, for starters. Somewhere no one wanted to kill her. A place without sexy lycans that inspired bad decisions and wild magic like unintentionally removing all his clothes with an eye blink. She hadn't meant to get Shane naked that fast. She'd only meant to get him on the bed in order to handcuff him for his safety before she left.
She must lift the curse. Shane didn't deserve to live under the thumb of the monarch. She hadn’t wanted to curse the brothers. She’d been blackmailed into it. Afterward, when she went to the exchange to get the loved ones who were being held hostage, she got stabbed in the back. Literally. And left for dead. Would she cast the curse over again, knowing everyone was going to die and she’d be on the run for the rest of her life? Yes. They’d blackmailed her with an ace to guarantee she’d follow through.
They’d kidnapped her son. When she did everything the Queen ordered of her, they still killed her son.
Reversing the curse would require she forfeit her life, which scared the hell out of her. With death on the line, it had to be her purpose.
"Your father neglected to teach you the history of nonhuman species. It’s fundamental to understanding how we fit into the world and why you are vital. Yes, you." Cora pointed at her. "Don’t you dare squirm and then pretend you forgot something before you run out of here. You do that every bloody time. It's about time you listen. You're too old not to at least be a level two witch."
Her father's aversion to magic triggered guilt at the thought of using it for anything bigger than small spells, like the one she did on the guy at the bar who copped a feel. Her mind conjured six viable excuses to leave. She glanced toward the front door.
Cora flicked her finger, causing the lock to dramatically click shut. "You're staying for now."
"I know there’s belief in a creator, or at least many of us appeared through various god-beings getting angered or making mistakes."
"My brother, your father, was a coward and a gambler who thought he could raise you as a human to suppress what's inside you. He made me promise not to speak with you about magic. I've been trying to work around that promise spell for a long time. I finally got around it two years ago."
"Why would he make you promise not to talk about magic?" The only time she was allowed to meet Cora when young was at a cafe for about an hour when she was five. Her beautiful aunt had captivated her, but despite her begging to visit again, her father forbade it.
"Big magic scared him. He was a shoddy warlock who didn't take time to understand the power. He sensed big magic in you. Back to history. Sure, some of us nonhuman species came about because Egyptian gods were having an argument. Others, like lycans, appeared later because of a Greek god and his anger over some ridiculousness. But that doesn’t matter. What matters are our purposes within our species. You’re giving me the look that says you don’t get it. I can’t believe I have to explain this but let me show you." She waved her arms, and colorful 3D images appeared around them as if they were using some sort of VR technology.
"Why have you never shown me this power before? It's incredible. It's as if we’re inside a video game." Madeline reached out to touch some of the images, but her hand passed through.
"My head is like a video game," Cora said. "All of us with magic have a role to play in the universe." She flicked her wrist, and an image of magical beings from what had to be long ago, based solely on the overgrown hairstyles, appeared. "Mages and witches back in the beginning were protectors of the natural world, but we split. Witches nurture the living world—the trees, plants, and animals. It’s why we’re so connected to what’s around us. Each of us has a different aspect we specialize in if we are fortunate enough to find our niche. Mages do the elemental world of wind, fire, air, and water."
"Dad wasn't really into talking about this stuff." Madeline shook her head, mesmerized by the images all around her.
"Gah, that dork brother of mine, bless his dead soul, was such a disappointment. Lycans had no clear role when they were made because they were the result of a god’s outburst. We can talk specifics of that one day if you like. Those Lanzo brothers by some weirdness became protectors of humans against nonhumans who’ve gone crazy. Totally unsure how that came about." The images shifted to show the lycan brothers fighting something ugly that looked like a troll. "If witches didn’t have a function in the world, why give us such a long lifespan? I suspect you feel as if you have no purpose or lost yours. You’re important for far more than being cast into the center of the lycan brothers’ crisis."
"I have to fix their curse before I can go off on a journey of self-discovery." She sucked in a sharp breath and grabbed her side when it felt like someone jabbed a knife into her once, twice…and again.
"What's going on, love?" Cora jumped beside her and rubbed her back. They both stared when Madeline exposed unblemished skin.
"It hurts. I've been having this—" Rough breaths wracked her when the pain intensified to the point air wouldn't move. She grabbed the edge of the table and sucked in a few breaths. "Phantom pain for about a month."
Her aunt lay a hand on her forehead.
"Can you help me?"
