Page 55 of Dark Moon Secrets

Smoke tendrils rose from near the bookshelves in the far corner.

Not the books. Not before I had a chance to read them.

I willed my magic to be cold as ice. In my mind’s eye, my magic would spark like Luna’s had and extinguish the fire. I would fix my mistake.

Instead, it was more like a lightning bolt, zigzagging deep blue light through the air.

Dammit. I held my breath. It might still work.

The bolt tip hit Luna in the back, and she cried out, arching backward. My magic shot from my fingers out of control, hitting the ceiling and bouncing around the shop.

“Stop your bloody magic, girl,” she yelled at me.

“I was helping.” I pulled back on my magic as if it were a rope I could rein back into me. The blue light came to me.

I ducked, covering my head with my arms.

Yeah, that hadn’t gone as I had hoped it would. I watched the blue shards of light fade, the magic dispersing. My body tensed, ready to react so I wouldn’t get hit with the last few pieces flying aimlessly.

Luna struggled to stand, sending out her magic to the fire. She extinguished the flames just as they were about to take hold.

I breathed out heavily, standing tentatively. That was lucky.

Excitement pulsed through me. The power of what I could do blew my mind. Why did I need this magic anyway?

“You can learn how to do the shop’s inventory now and process damaged books.” Luna picked up the book How to Heal Your Body in 30 Days by Luna Greenwood. The bright modern cover burned around the edges, soot thick on the pages.

“Wouldn’t have happened if I had been taught.” I folded my arms over my chest.

“Stop saying that and focus on what you can learn now,” Luna snapped back.

“I was.”

Luna ignored me, dropped the book on the floor, and started picking out the other damaged books from the bottom shelf.

“It could’ve been worse.” I helped her by pulling out two more books, the covers blackened beyond readability. I threw them on the pile, my chest tight. If I could burn books, I could do so much more damage to other things, even people.

“It’s bad enough, girl.” She sat back on her knees, hand on her shoulder.

“Can I get you anything? Tea?”

“Magic burns are more painful than a normal burn,” explained Luna, clutching her shoulder, fingers digging into her muscles as she moved. “I need to wait it out.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Just don’t do it again.”

“I promise.”

Though could I? There was too much I didn’t know about my power.

“You have a power in you like none of us. The coven wanted to ensure the wolves or other mystical creatures didn’t take you.”

“There are others?”

“Yeah, vampires, other shifters, trolls, demons, not so dissimilar to the fantasy stories humans tell. The coven keeps them in order, they obey the rules, and they are allowed to stay on Earth. From time to time, they don’t. We’ve been losing our ability. Modern life is taking us away from the source of our magic. Then you came.” She paused to catch her breath as she spoke in pain from her injuries.

“I was hope for the coven? That’s a lot of pressure.”

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