Page 51 of Elmwood Inclusive Magic Academy
“Oh, um, ok…”
“Weird, I can’t hear anything!” Persephone declares, getting up on the table and putting a hand to her ear. Hallie snatches the book away from her dripping dress.
Rae frowns. “Well, I have super-good wolf shifter hearing.”
“We’ve got to get to class anyway,” Orion says, pulling his siblings away.
“See you tomorrow!”
I wave as they head out of the library, Persephone still straining to hear. Then I turn back to Rae and Hallie.
“What were they saying about fated mates?”
“Oh, nothing,” Rae shakes her head. “You know how mermaids are, always going on about destiny and whatnot. Anyway, Hallie, how does magic become bound?”
For a moment, Hallie squints at Rae. Then her love of explaining magical concepts overtakes her.
“Well, it’s a bit difficult to decipher, but I’ve been reading up on it! The most common reason is that another, more powerful magical entity binds your magic. Like, say, when you’re a young child and less able to protect yourself. Or if you’re not very knowledgeable about magic.”
“But who could that be?” I ask, genuinely unsure. I run through a mental list of anyone who could have bound my magic. Someone when I was small? Could it have been related to the incident with the children who bullied me?
Hallie replies, “I don’t know, but the good thing is, you’ve broken through it. Now we just have to figure out if this is connected to the evil spirits…”
“Evil spirits?” I ask.
Hallie looks at me like I didn’t notice I wasn’t wearing pants. “Yeah, obviously, the evil spirits that have been surrounding you since you got here! They’ve been getting worse, especially since that healing spell.”
“The ones that surrounded you in the forest that night I rescued you,” Rae’s brow furrows.
Honestly, I hadn’t really thought too much about them. “I thought those were just…I don’t know…generic forest spirits?”
“No, I think they’re congregated around you.” Hallie brings a hand to her chin in puzzlement. “Maybe you were cursed!”
“I can usually smell curses,” Rae says.
“You guys, are you sure this isn’t a bit…much?” I ask. I feel a little anxious about all this attention. “I mean, if I were haunted by evil spirits, wouldn’t they have gotten me by now or something?”
“Well, no, because you’ve usually got some protection around you,” Hallie says. “Rae, your mom, or Pan…”
Pan nips my hand in concurrence.
“Plus, remember what my Creator said, at orientation? Elmwood Academy is covered in magical protection spells. The spirits can’t get within the walls of the building.”
“Until we sort it out, I guess I’ll have to stay by your side,” Rae grins, putting her arm around me. “I’ll make sure to keep you safe.”
I shrug sheepishly, butterflies in my stomach. “You’re stuck with me, then.”
I lean in to kiss her on the cheek but she pulls away suddenly, turning toward the library door. A group of shifters go by, chatting animatedly.
“Shit, it’s my pack,” she mutters. She swings her legs around the other side of the bench to get up and join them. “I’ll come find you later, ok?”
She hurries out of the library without looking back.
“Oof,” Hallie mutters, tucking her book into her bag.
“She can’t help it,” I say, defensively.
Hallie gives me a knowing look, which I avoid. I don’t really like it either, but I’m not sure what to do. Anyway, Rae and I have only been hooking up for a few weeks. I can’t expect her to tell her pack about us so soon, right? Especially with all the weird politics there seems to be between witches and shifters.
