Total pages in book: 182
Estimated words: 171176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 856(@200wpm)___ 685(@250wpm)___ 571(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 171176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 856(@200wpm)___ 685(@250wpm)___ 571(@300wpm)
And then Calia ran at me with a knife.
Chapter 18
Weston
“Watch out!” Vemar shouted, but Aurelia had already twirled and stepped out of the way, sticking out her hand to harmlessly shove Calia past. Nyfain did the same, his expression blank, his movements graceful despite his size.
I put my hand in front of Aurelia to tuck her behind me safely, but she caught my forearm.
“She doesn’t mean any harm,” she said, watching Calia turn.
Calia pointed at Aurelia. “You must feel the emotions of others. Or motive, maybe? I have not heard of that.”
“I just feel danger, Calia,” Aurelia said patiently. “You weren’t exuding any.”
“She feels danger, all right,” Vemar murmured, organizing the books. “Then she blasts that feeling until everyone loses their minds and someone tries to crawl out a window.”
“Or sends half the castle running down the hall and out the back of the castle,” Nyfain said thoughtfully. “I’ve never heard of a shifter doing that.”
“Have you ever known a shifter that has been suppressed for as long as I have and that has struggled to survive?” Aurelia lifted an eyebrow.
“Yes,” Vemar, Nyfain, and I all said together.
“Right.” She winced. “Well . . . I don’t know, maybe I just got more creative in my survival skills?”
“No, that’s not it.” Calia held out the knife, hilt first. “You are something. I don’t know what it is yet, but it’s something. Whatever magic it is has been bastardized because of the wolf.”
Aurelia huffed and rolled her eyes. “My wolf seems to think killing everyone is the answer. Except Nyfain, obviously. Him, she clearly just wants to avoid.”
“Smart wolf,” Nyfain replied.
“Here.” Calia shook the knife she held out. “Since you know I didn’t intend to actually stab you—yet—you can hold the knife.”
“No, thank you.” Aurelia still held my arm, pulled in now at my side.
“Just hold it. It’ll only work for a person with a decent amount of fairy magic.”
Aurelia hesitated taking what looked like a very pretty knife. The coral hilt gleamed while the metallic blade etched with scrolling runes had a muted shimmer. “How does a knife not work for someone? Even if the point dulled, if you stick hard enough—”
Calia huffed and handed the knife to Nyfain. “Show her.”
The moment her touch was gone, the blade retracted into the hilt and the coral lost its color and luster, turning a drab sort of whitish-brown with darker brown spots.
“Whoa,” Aurelia said in wonder. A delighted smile worked up her face. “How cool are fairies?”
“Whoever said dragons are the most arrogant of magical people,” Vemar drawled, “had clearly never met a fairy. They only design stuff like that to distinguish themselves from others.”
“You clearly wish you were half as ingenious as my kind,” Calia replied with a smirk.
“See?” Vemar said.
I took the knife from Nyfain. The blade didn’t re-emerge. I then held it out for Aurelia, curious to see what would happen.
“I assume Granny hasn’t messed with this,” Aurelia said, looking at it, “and that you aren’t all in on some kind of joke at my expense.”
“None of those things. That is my personal knife,” Calia said.
Aurelia let out a slow breath. “I know this is ridiculous,” she murmured, and I surmised she was answering her wolf.
From the bond, I felt trepidation mixed with hope. She was unable to deny her desire to call herself a fairy, even without the magic. She could no longer hide that from me.
Her fingers brushed mine, and a jolt of electricity surged through me. She swung her gaze my way even as the blade slid out and the hilt regained its beauty.
I held her gaze, our fingers entwined on the hilt, her hand starting to shake.
“It can’t be true,” she said on a release of breath. “It’s impossible. My grandparents were definitely wolves. They could shift. Unless my birth father somehow has ties to the fairies?”
“Or unless your wolf grandmama had a dirty little secret involving the fix-it man and his lovely, popping pecs,” Vemar said.
“Okay.” Calia nodded with a smile, entwining her fingers in front of her. “That answers that. You definitely have the blood. Those blades do not lie. I will be able to prove it with a magical blood test when my things arrive. In the meantime, we just need to figure out what type of magic you have. For us, it is not as easy as shifting and determining an animal. For some, it is more like a gathering of clues.”
“Arrogant and complicated,” Vemar murmured.
I let go of the blade so Aurelia could hold it on her own, watching her marvel at its beauty. She hesitantly gave it back, clearly loath to let it go. I was suddenly determined to buy her one of those blades. I was sure Calia would help me get one and teach Aurelia how to use it. It suited her.