Page 16 of Wings and Shadowthief

Chloe chuckled, stuffing a hand in her satchel to retrieve a pretty, round, golden object she slid across the table. "Have a look."

Frowning, Gwen took the metal trinket, turning it around in her fingers to observe it. The other side was a smooth spelled mirror, reflecting someone who looked like Gwen, and yet, not at all.

The reflection had silver-white hair and eyes the blue of a stormy sky.

"What kind of spell is that?"

Blair winced. "No spell, lady. You're shifting."

Shifting.

Gwen was as familiar with the term as anyone from Oldcrest. Even regular children knew what a shifter was; a sup capable of altering their appearances. Animal shifters transformed into their inner beasts, the Enlightened and demi-gods of the worlds shifted to don claws or wings, or whatever else those posers felt like having. Even vampires underwent minor shifts, their fangs extending, their eyes changing as they focused the magic in their veins.

Witches’ shifts were minor. The eyes, sometimes. Gwen had heard about some witches gaining claws, too, but generally, those had a drop or two of fae blood in their ancestry.

But this? Gwen couldn't even begin to understand. She brought her hand to her face, to touch it, make sure it was real. Her long fingers shivered on her lips. She hadn't done anything to her nails in ages, yet they seemed painted black.

Tearing her eyes away from the pocket mirror, she stared at her actual hand.

No, her nails weren't painted black. There was no shine, no stroke. They'd turned dark as coal and grown sharp.

"What's happening to me?" The whisper traveled through the silence, but no one had an answer.

After a long moment Gwen could have counted in days or mere seconds, Blair seized her wrist. "Breathe, sweet. Breathe through it." Blair inhaled slowly, and exhaled, demonstrating a slow, calming rhythm.

Gwen did her best to follow each breath.

"You're fine. You're hardly the first sup to go through a change. When's your birthday again?"

Gwen blinked, understanding what the other witch was implying.

Several races bloomed at twenty-five, coming into the bulk of their power the moment they entered the age of majority set by the old gods. But not witches—not those from her clan, in any case. The Saiaras were mortal. Her ancestors had made a point of only breeding with plain, boring men and women they could dismiss to keep their bloodline intact, in fact.

"In the summer," she replied, her jaw tight. "I'm not evolving. I have enough power."

The thought of gaining more magic was downright terrifying to her. This couldn't be happening. It just couldn't.

"Calm down, sweet. Just breathe. You'll be fine. We're all here for you."

"Blair—" Cat's voice held a warning, but the witch shot the vampire princess the sharpest look Gwen had ever seen from Blair.

To her surprise, Cat shut up, but she kept her eyes set on Gwen, looking at her in a way Gwen recognized.

Like she was a threat to take down. A potential enemy. Bash's expression mirrored his mate's, though he wasn't just staring at Gwen; his eyes travelled between her and Chloe.

Oh, God. They thought that she might be a threat to their very pregnant friend.

And maybe they were right. If Gwen knew one thing, it was that she had no clue what was going on, and she wasn't in control. Not even a little bit.

A few days ago, she’d felt her magic finally taking shape, and she’d been dumb enough to think it a good thing. A step in the right direction, making her a witch like any of her friends, like anyone in her clan. She must have been an awful person in another life, because it looked like the Fates had other plans for her.

"I have to go." Tray in hand, Gwen rushed away from the table.

She could be wrong, of course, but if she wasn’t…she needed to get away from her very pregnant friend.

“Gwen—” Chloe began, but Cat reached out for her sleeve before the vampire could catch up. Chloe glared at her. “Can’t you see she’s unwell?”

“She’s notunwell.” Catherine Stormhale wasn’t known for possessing an abundance of compassion. “She’s awakening.”

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