“Nope, mister. This is something I need to know.” I pointed to the exit. “And no one else is going to open that door for you to go down and get breakfast.”
Fine, he sighed. Your mother used magic to turn her hair back to white and opened a portal to The Middle. It took us directly to the Morelli city, Eylada. Somehow she knew exactly where Zayne was, and we went to him immediately. At first glance, he was happy to see her, but it all changed when she admitted to loving your father and wanting to marry him.
My stomach twisted, and I crossed my arms over my chest.
She wanted to see your grandmother’s grave, and Zayne refused to allow it. He was too angry at her choices and screamed that she would only bring death and hardship to their family.
“The curse,” I muttered.
Nine lay down and posed himself like a sphinx. Yes, the curse. As we left—and the only reason we made it out alive was that she used her ring to help us escape—I heard him say that he would never see peace between The Side of Magic and the Morelli.
A lump the size of my heart lodged in my throat. How was I supposed to ever make Zayne see the truth?
Chapter 8
As promised, I let Nine out of our room, and he went downstairs. I quickly showered and threw on a pair of jeans and a sweater when I was done. Outside my door the house was quiet. I tiptoed out into the hall and to Aspen’s room. The door was open a crack, and I pushed on it, but he wasn’t inside.
With all the craziness of yesterday, I hadn’t even seen his room yet. The inside was sparse—plain, white walls, a double bed with a basic blue comforter, a dresser, a side table, a lamp—and not much else. Aspen’s wizard travel kit sat on top of a wooden desk, and his bag was to the desk’s side, still packed. As much as he’d supposedly wanted to be home, he must not have felt welcome yet. Hung on the wall next to the one window covered in a pair of solid navy curtains was his framed acceptance letter to the Borealis School of Magical Arts. I’d never received any such thing, but my whole journey to the Academy was completely different from Aspen’s. He knew he was going there.
I walked to the obvious treasure and ran my fingers over his name.
“You’re up.” Aspen’s voice came from the door, and I jumped at the sound. “You slept a long time.”
I turned. “Uh, yeah. I guess I was really tired.” My dream and the idea that I needed to see my uncle still clung to me, and I wrapped my arms around my torso. “Did you talk to your parents?’
Aspen quietly shut the door behind him and leaned against it. “I did.”
I stuck out my chin slightly. “And?”
“And I don’t know. They got really quiet about the whole thing. Then they went back to acting like everything was normal—talking about how Christmas is tomorrow and what’s going to be on the menu.” He stuffed his hands into his jean pockets.
Maybe his parents were avoiders? I’d known a few people like that in the past, but I hadn’t known Dawn and Flint long enough to be sure. “Is that what they normally do when they learn something shocking?”
He shrugged. “Not really. In the past, we’ve been pretty open about things. You know . . . the kind of family where we all sit down and hear all the facts before we make important decisions.”
My mind spun, but I couldn’t figure out why they might have acted so strangely. I lowered myself to the edge of the bed. “Do you think it’s okay if I go down there? And what about Clay?”
Aspen peeled himself from the door and joined me. “Clay knows I told them, and he left for a run. Probably to burn off steam. He still wasn’t talking to me much this morning.”
I let out a long sigh. “Maybe I should just go home.”
Aspen reached over and took my hand. “You’re staying, at least through Christmas. If you still want to leave after that you can, but I’m going with you. We can mostly have the campus to ourselves.” He gave me a wry grin, and I couldn’t help but chuckle despite my tightening chest.
All too soon, though, my thoughts returned to reality—the dream, my uncle, Aspen’s family secret. I opened my mouth to tell Aspen about my dream, but the words stuck in my throat. Instead, “You think there’s any breakfast left? Nine mentioned cinnamon rolls,” came out.
Aspen’s eyes twinkled. “They are my mom’s specialty. She always makes them on Christmas Eve.” He stood, still grasping my hand, and pulled me gently to stand with him.
I forced a smile. “Then I can’t wait to try them.”
A few moments later, we were in the kitchen, and no one else was to be seen, not even Nine. He did like to wander, though, so it would be no surprise if he was out on one of his adventures rounding up mice or squirrels. I peered out the kitchen window, but I couldn’t find him out there, either.
“Where is everyone?” I asked.
“I don’t know. Other than Clay they were all here a few minutes ago.”
I scrunched my brows together but was quickly distracted by the large, more than half-eaten pan of giant cinnamon rolls with loads of sticky, white frosting smeared over the top. Behind the pan was a pot of hot coffee, and something about the combo of the two sounded amazing. I wasn’t a huge coffee drinker, but when grandma was alive, sometimes we’d sit on our back porch and enjoy a few cups. The memory brought a bittersweet smile to my lips. Living with my grandmother for my entire life, I thought I had known her, but the reality was I hadn’t—I never really knew her at all.
I shook my head from the thought and grabbed a white mug from the counter next to the coffee maker. “You want some?” I turned and held the mug out to Aspen.
He shook his head as he used a spatula to serve up two gooey cinnamon rolls on plates. “I already had two cups this morning with my parents. I don’t think I need any more.”
I smiled and poured dark, steaming coffee into my cup. “But I have a feeling that you haven’t had enough cinnamon rolls.”
He peered down at one of the plates and grinned. “How could anyone ever have enough cinnamon rolls?”
He had a point.
After I added enough cream to turn my coffee the color of creamy caramel, I joined him at the kitchen table and took a heavenly sip. Aspen was already munching away at was likely his third, maybe fourth roll. Without hesitation, I plunged my fork into the fluffy treat and brought the swirly brown and white bread into my mouth.
Immediately the flavors exploded on my tongue. I fell to the back of my chair and closed my eyes, completely lost in the deliciousness of the moment—sweet and sticky . . . and cinnamony . . . and buttery . . . and something that hit my taste buds with a shot of tang. A moan left my lips, and I immediately shot up straight and slapped my hand to my mouth. Heat flushed my chest and neck.
Aspen broke into a hearty laugh and raised his brow at me. “I told you that no one can get enough of these. They are that good.”
I swallowed the first bite and readied my fork for the next round. “These are the best things I’ve ever tasted. Are you sure that your mom doesn’t have any magic?”
As I stabbed the roll, the front door flew open. A wild-eyed Clay rushed into the kitchen. All thoughts of breakfast vanishing, both Aspen and I jumped from our seats. Protective magic tingled through my fingers, and I fought the urge to use it against Clay until I knew what was happening.
Aspen blocked me from Clay, and a low rumbling growl came from his throat. No matter what Clay had said about the wild in Aspen being gone, I knew it was completely untrue. Aspen was a wolf at heart.
“What do you want, Clay?” Aspen demanded, his hand sparking with blue magic. He was ready to shift if he needed to.
Clay’s chest heaved for breath and I realized it was not anger flaming in Clay’s eyes—it was terror.
Chapter 9
Before Clay caught his breath or any of us got a word out, Nine skittered in behind him, his tail poofed out to three times its normal size. He raced past me and hunkered down under the table. I had no idea if he’d come from outside or somewhere within the house.
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“What’s going on?” Ignoring Nine’s crazed display, Aspen put out his hands and moved slowly toward his brother.
Magic sparked between my fingers, but I slowed my breath to keep focus and control it. Thankfully, the urge to use it subsided.
“All I know is”—Clay’s eyes, filled with uncertainty, darted to me—“Mom shifted, and she’s gone. Dad is out looking for her right now.”
“What?” Aspen’s face twisted. “That’s not like Mom at all. I just left them down here a few minutes ago, and they were fine. Maybe acting a little strange, but okay.”
Clay eyed me again. “Strange?”
Aspen pumped his fists. “I told them everything . . . about Josy and me. They asked a few questions and went back to acting like everything was normal. Before I left to check on Josy in her room, I even told them about the curse and how it didn’t affect us, just in case they’d heard anything about it.”
“Curse?” Clay narrowed his eyes. “What curse?”
I started to tell Clay what Aspen was talking about, but he didn’t wait for an answer.
“Dad found me after I finished my run. He said that Mom muttered something about a curse right before she went outside and shifted. He tried to follow her, but she was too fast and he couldn’t keep up. I was going to go after her, but Dad sent me back here to get you instead.”
I twisted back to Nine, who was letting out a low growl from underneath the table. “Did you see what happened?” I whispered.
He only flattened his ears tighter to his head and crouched lower to the ground. Nine should be safe inside the house, and I didn’t have time to calm him down.
I grabbed Aspen’s hand. “We need to go find her.”
“We?” Clay’s nostrils flared, and he puffed up his chest. “You are not part of this family. This was all brought on by you, Josy. Our mother never shifts from strong emotion. She has her wolf under control. So if what Aspen told her about the two of you made her shift then I was right, and his bonding to you is dangerous. Dangerous for our family and all of Tumbling Falls.”
Aspen straightened his back and stepped closer to Clay. A haze of blue magic lit all around him, and as with the first time I witnessed Aspen shift, the light glitched. For a fraction of a second, the black wolf appeared and immediately reverted to human. “Back off, Clay!” Aspen’s eyes seemed to flicker with fire. “Right now, this is about finding Mom. You’re wasting time.”
Clay took a step back and held his hands up in surrender. “Fine, brother. You seem to know everything about the world.”
The two brothers glared at each other.
“Let’s find your dad and figure out what to do,” I said to defuse the tension.
Clay unclenched his jaw, and Aspen backed down.
“He’s by the creek,” Clay admitted. “That’s the last place he saw Mom.”
Aspen and I grabbed our coats and pulled on our boots as quickly as we could. We followed Clay through the forest and down to the creek.
Flint was standing at the edge, pacing and peering down into the water. As we approached, he turned to us, and relief filled his eyes at the sight of his sons.
“What happened?” Aspen took the lead and went to his father.
Flint shook his head. “I don’t know. It was like something in her just snapped. I knew what you had told us was a bigger deal than we were letting on, but it wasn’t the time to deal with it. Your mom and I needed to have a private conversation later. But after you told her about the curse, her mood changed. She went back to our room for a few minutes, and when she came out, she was angry.”
“At me?” Aspen asked.
“No, it was more like she was mad at herself. Her eyes were wild, and she kept saying ‘the curse, the curse.’ I tried to help her, but it was no use. She bolted out the door and shifted. I chased her to here before I reverted from my shift.” Flint gazed around at us. His eyes stopped on me and then returned to Aspen. “You need to go after her. She’ll listen to you.”
Clay scoffed. “I could have gone after her fifteen minutes ago.”
“You know Aspen has the strongest control over his shifts,” Flint said. “He can also use magic to ease her out of her state.”
“We can both go,” Clay pressed.
Flint shook his head. “You’ll stay here until they get back.” He turned to Aspen and said, “Go.”
Aspen turned his attention to me for a second and a blue glow emanated from his body. The magic morphed him into the black wolf I knew so well. He sniffed the air, let out a whine and raced upstream along the creek.
Nervousness welled in my stomach, and I backed from the group. I blew out a breath. There was no use in me staying here. “I’ll wait at the house in case Dawn goes back there.”
Clay wouldn’t even look at me, but Flint nodded.
As I trudged to the house, dark grey clouds rolled in over the sky and the temperature dropped. Snow was coming. Aspen, in his wolf form, would be fine out in a storm, but it still worried me. I clasped my arms over my chest and finally arrived at the house.
“Nine,” I called once I got inside.
You alone? He peeked out from around the entrance to the kitchen.
“I’m alone.”
Are they coming back?
I scoffed. “Of course they’re coming back—this is their house.” I could only hope that Aspen would find his mom and everyone would return soon. But even if they did, Christmas was completely ruined. How could they just go on and celebrate after what had happened? I ran my hands through my hair in frustration.
You know they’re wolves. Real wolves, not the kind controlled by a spell. Nine gingerly walked toward me, keeping his eyes trained on the front door. The Rivers family are actually wild animals.
“Yes, Nine. I’ve known since before we got here.”
And you just let me come? His eyes widened. They are outlawed, you know!
I waved at him dismissively. I didn’t want to argue that he’d come on this trip uninvited. “I’m going upstairs to pack. There’s a storm coming, and I don’t even know when Aspen will be able to take me back to campus, but I want to be ready.”
Great idea. I’ll be under the bed if you need me. Nine bounded up the stairs and disappeared.
Surely he would forget all about the Rivers family being wolves when his stomach started growling, but I wasn’t going to mention that either.
I plodded up the stairs to my room, fell backward onto the bed, and stared up at the ceiling. I hadn’t even been here for a day and the trip continued to get worse by the minute.
I closed my eyes, and the second I did my mind flashed with the face of a wolf—a black wolf with blue eyes, but it wasn’t Aspen. My limbs grew heavy with magic and then the sensation dissipated. I opened my eyes, and next to me on the pillow was my Morelli spell book, splayed open to a spell. Mrs. North had said that I could only use the spells in the book when it was completely necessary. Maybe the book was telling me something.
I sat up and stared at the title, Teleportation.
Tipping my head in interest, I ran my fingers along the page, and my mind flashed again with the wolf.
It was Dawn.
My thoughts twisted with hers, and my entire body tensed with emotional turmoil. I forced my eyes open to rid myself of the feelings, but the book in my hand was glowing with white magic.
“Go to her,” a strange voice sounded in my mind.
It wasn’t like I had a choice. The white, sparkling magic spread from my hand on the book and encompassed my entire body.
Nine popped his head up over the end of the bed. What’s going on?
But I didn’t get to hear if he said anything else because my room disappeared and I found myself sitting on the ground in a dim cave—not three feet from a snarling black wolf, ready to attack.
Chapter 10
The wolf lunged, and on instinct I threw my hands into the air to protect myself. White magic burst from my fingers and lit the entire cave lik
e a flash. The energy threw me onto my back and forced the air from my lungs.
The wolf hung frozen in midair, her horrible jaws open wide and claws splayed, perfectly capable of shredding my body.
I pushed myself halfway up and scrambled backward along the dirt and rocks while the magic held her suspended in the air.
My mind twisted with what to do as I scanned the cave. I knew that this wolf was really Dawn, but Flint was right that something was wrong with her. She appeared to have no control of her shift and had reverted to being completely wild. I wanted to call out, but who was going to help me? I had no idea where Aspen was. We could have been miles from him.
My lungs heaved for breath, and suddenly, my arms felt heavy again. Magic warmed the ring on my finger, and as if on its own my arm lifted and guided Dawn to the ground, still fixed in her terrifying pose. My head went dizzy.
Why are you here! Dawn’s voice demanded.
Had the magic given way? The dizziness quickly subsided, and I braced for the mauling I was sure to receive. But Dawn was still in front of me, frozen in place and blue eyes staring straight ahead.
“I—I don’t know,” I somehow spat out. “Aspen came to find you, and I went back to the house . . . and—and then I was here.” I shook my head.
You can hear me? The question must have distracted her slightly from her rage because her tone shifted.
I guessed she was speaking telepathically like Nine did, but I’d never been able to hear Aspen while he was in wolf form. “It must be the magic—all of it must be.”
Magic, she scoffed. Magic is what has gotten us all into this mess. I don’t know why I ever agreed to allow Aspen to pursue his . . . talents outside of Tumbling Falls. But Flint wouldn’t let it go.
My heart pounded against my rib cage as I continued to back away from Dawn. The situation seemed safe enough for the time being, but I had no clue how long it would stay that way. Dim light spilled in from behind; the exit must be that way. I gritted my teeth. If she was released from whatever magic I had cast, I’d have no chance of outrunning her. My only chance would be more magic . . . if I could control it. My best option was to talk her down. Dawn was a kind person. I had no doubt of that. She was fiercely loyal to her family, and what Aspen had told her about us had put them at risk.
Spellcaster Academy Box Set Page 29
