I let out a breath and placed my hands on the ground. “Aspen really does love magic. He’s worked so hard to become the best wizard he can.”
You think I don’t know that? He’s been carrying that wizard travel kit that’s up in his room around since he was ten. Anything he would earn he’d spend to put some new herb inside it. Dawn’s breath hitched. How is a mother supposed to tell her son that he can’t do something that not only means so much to him but that he’s good at?
My heart plunged into my stomach. I had no idea what to say to her.
It was always a terrible risk for him to attend magic schools, but all these years he did well at keeping to himself and concealing who he really was. It wasn’t difficult when most of the students’ magic ran deep in their family’s blood. He wasn’t a part of their world, so they left him alone. Aspen always knew he was there for the magic and nothing else—but then you came along.”
I bit my lip. Dawn was right. But why did it matter so much?
“Aspen didn’t mean to fall in love with me. He really didn’t . . . he barely wanted to work as my tutor.”
Josy, my son sees people for what they are. Believe me. He’s had years of practice of sitting back and doing little but observing. If he fell in love with you, it’s because he sees your heart. He sees the person you truly are.
I lowered my brows in confusion. “Then why is this such a problem? I know that there’s been this rift between The Side of Magic and the Morelli, but maybe there doesn’t have to be. I think there’s a chance that they might work together for the good of all magic. And if that happens, maybe they can be convinced that shifters are not dangerous like they thought.”
Dawn sneered. Your head is full of impossible dreams. The Directorate hates the Morelli, and they both hate natural shifters. There is too much fear for them to let go of the contempt they cling to so tightly. When I saw Aspen again, I let my guard down and forgot all this for a few moments. He was so happy to have a friend, but after he told me the truth, I remembered how stupid it is to let my guard down . . . because doing that puts everything we’ve worked for at risk.
I brought my hands to my face and covered my eyes.
Do you love him? Dawn’s tone was flat, almost cold.
I flinched at the question. I didn’t know yet if I loved Aspen, but whatever I felt for him was pretty close. Some of me wanted to guard against it because of my vision where I died, but it's not as if I could control my emotions like that. Flashes of Aspen’s handsome face and heart-melting smile came to the front of my mind. His lips on my lips . . . how he made sure I had enough to eat when I might not otherwise get the chance . . . how he put up with Nine without batting an eye . . . how he put his body between Clay and me to protect me from possible harm . . . how he’d follow me into a war he didn’t quite understand yet . . .
“I love Aspen,” I admitted.
As the words left my mouth, Dawn shifted from her wolf form, and her human body lay slumped on the ground. The magic holding her in place dissipated.
Against my better judgment, I stood, walked to her and bent to place my hand on her shoulder. “I can’t help but love him; he’s one of the best people I’ve ever met.”
Dawn let out a lungful of air and lifted her head to me. Any rage that was inside her a few moments ago was gone, and all that remained was sadness.
“Why is that so wrong?” I cried.
“It’s not,” she admitted. “I’ve hated that Aspen had to give up the normal parts of growing up and having friends . . . girlfriends, but it was the choice he made. It’s not wrong that Aspen fell in love, that he bonded to someone, but it is a problem that he bonded to you.”
My face twisted. “Because I’m Morelli.”
Dawn sat up and closed her eyes for a second. “Yes, but not for the reason you might think.” She winced as if she were in tremendous pain. “It’s because of the curse. It was something I’d never considered. If it was even real, why would he even have the opportunity to bind himself to a Morelli? The odds had to be almost nonexistent.”
“But the curse won’t affect us. Aspen researched it, and the words were very specific. It would only apply to a Morelli and someone whose ancestry is from The Side of Magic. Shifters are from The Other Side.”
Her eyebrows pulled together. “But that is not entirely true for Aspen.”
My breath turned to short pants. “I don’t understand. Both you and Flint are wolf shifters . . . nonmagic.”
Tears left Dawn’s eyes and she turned her face from me. “I was young . . . and made a mistake.” She barely got the words out.
“What are you talking about?”
She wiped the still-falling moisture from her face. “Aspen is half wizard. It’s why his magical abilities are so strong.”
My mind tried to grasp what she was saying, but the words didn’t quite make sense. “Aspen is not Flint’s son?”
She shook her head, unable to speak.
My chest tightened like someone had wrapped me with a tight rope. “Does your husband know?
Dawn faced me again and whispered, “No one knows . . . but you.”
Dawn collapsed onto the ground and sobbed.
In shock, tears flowed freely down my cheeks. I had no idea what I was going to do. Allowing myself to believe that Aspen and I had somehow skirted the curse and could have something between us was ridiculous. I never should have thought we could even have a moment of happiness and should have stayed away from him like I’d originally thought.
The crunch of gravel sounded behind me, and I turned to see what it was. Near the cave’s exit stood another black wolf—Aspen. His head was hung in complete sorrow.
“Aspen!” Dawn cried from behind me.
But he did not shift and go to her. He only eyed his mother and me, puffed out a large breath from his nose that looked like smoke, turned and raced from the cave.
Cold shuddered over my body. I tried to stand and go after him, but my knees gave way.
In my heart, I knew he’d heard everything.
Chapter 11
I whirled my attention back at Dawn, who was still on the floor of the cave. She was going to be no help, so I pressed my hands into the rocky soil, stood and raced for the exit.
“Aspen!” I’d never be able to catch up with him. He was considerably faster than me, especially in his wolf form, but I had to do something—try to find him.
When I reached the mouth of the cave, I skidded to a stop. The storm had set in and the snow was coming down in sheets. The forest beyond the exit was a blurry, white mess. If I went out, there was a high chance that not only would I get lost, but I’d also freeze to death in the storm. My panting breath puffed out in front of me, and a shiver ran down my spine as I stood in the opening, hopeless.
“Aspen!” Desperate, I brought my hands to my mouth and called again. Squinting, I waited and scanned the forest once more.
After a moment, I spotted a black shape in the distance headed back this way. Blue magic glowed around it, and a human form appeared. My pulse sped up, knowing it was him. But my relief quickly turned to fear. What were we going to do about the curse? And how was Aspen going to deal with the knowledge that he wasn’t Flint’s son?
Aspen drew closer to me, his eyes trained on the ground.
“You came back,” I whispered.
“I have nowhere to go without you,” he admitted and fell into my arms.
Curse or no curse there was no way I was going to let him go. We’d have to figure that out later. I wrapped my arms around his waist and pulled him against my body. His scent was piney, earthy from his forest trek and he smelled like home. My home.
“I love you, Aspen,” I admitted into his ear.
He dragged his hands into my hair and cupped the back of my head, holding me closer to his chest.
“I’m so sorry,” Dawn’s quivering voice came from behind us.
Aspen flinched and pulled away from me. His eyes were full of a mix of em
otions—anger, confusion, sorrow—as he looked his mother’s way.
“I wanted to do the right thing and now I’ve made everything worse.” Dawn raised her hand to her mouth and covered it.
I wanted to fix everything for Aspen, but there was nothing I could do at this moment. Even if I knew how to control my magic, I didn’t know of anything that could take the knowledge of his mother’s mistakes away. And even if I could, would it be the right thing to do? Without them he wouldn’t even exist.
Aspen’s body stiffened and a very wolf-like growl came from his parted lips. “Why didn’t you tell us?” His voice was low, and he trained his rapt attention on Dawn. “Our family doesn’t keep secrets like this.”
“There were so many times that I wanted to.” Dawn’s dark mop of hair hung into her face, and she stepped toward Aspen, but he snarled and held out his hand to stop her.
My heart nearly stopped at the sound, but Dawn only paused and cleared her throat. “The lie became too big, and honestly? I just wanted to forget. You were our son—you’ve always been our son.”
“But I wasn’t, and you lied about it for over eighteen years—to dad, to Clay, me—everyone.” Aspen backed slightly from her and turned his palm up. Blue magic lit inside of it.
My eyes widened at the thought of what he might do next. Was he so angry that he could use it on Dawn?
Instead, he turned to the mouth of the cave where snow was still steadily falling just outside. For a moment he stared at the dancing magic in his hand. Finally, he blew on it and the magic spread until the illumination covered the entire opening, forming a light blue shield between the inside and outside, protecting us from the snow and wind. My face warmed slightly. Not only had he formed a buffer from the elements, he’d even done something to affect the temperature in here. Aspen’s true heart was always to love and protect those close to him. Even when they had hurt him.
Aspen’s shoulders dropped and any aggression he’d had seemed to dissipate. “How could you forget, Mom? I’m a wizard. We always knew that wasn’t normal. How could Dad not know?”
Dawn shook her head and blew out a breath. “Maybe he did, but I think that was clouded by the idea that he wanted to believe the shifters were becoming more. You being a wizard gave him hope.”
Aspen stood his ground and pumped his fists, a dull glow of magic lighting his fingers. “You were going to have to tell me at some point. That wasn’t going to be an option.” He glanced at me. “And look at what not admitting the truth has done! It’s put both Josy and me at risk when I thought we were safe! I did all the research before I even mentioned it to her. I did everything right!”
Dawn winced and took a step toward her son one more time. This time he didn’t wave her off. She reached out her hand, and after a brief moment, he took it. She pulled Aspen into an embrace, and they must have stayed that way for over a minute. Finally, she eased from him.
“I don’t have any good excuses. I’m to blame.” Dawn straightened her back and squared herself. The woman with a calm demeanor I’d met the day before had returned. “If I could go back in time, I would, but that’s not possible, even with magic.”
“You have to tell Dad.” Aspen rubbed at the back of his neck. “I won’t keep this secret for you.”
Dawn spun on her heel and walked several feet from us, back into the cave. “I can’t lose your father over this. I chose him, and I’ve never regretted that choice.”
“But you lied to him all these years. You made him believe I was his son.” Aspen furrowed his brow.
“You are his son,” Dawn turned to us and whispered. “He raised you, and he couldn’t love you any more than he does.”
“You think I don’t know that? And he loves you. Dad is bound to you—to this family.” Aspen stepped toward his mother. But before he continued speaking, he trained his attention my way with such a fire in his eyes that I knew precisely what he was thinking. If Flint were like Aspen, he’d do anything for the person he was bound to. Aspen didn’t care about the curse. He never really did. Admitting to me that he was a natural shifter was only for my benefit—to allow me to let go of my fears of being with him.
My breath hitched from the emotions welling up inside of me. Dizziness swirled in my head from our connection. He finally peered back to his mother, and the lightheadedness passed.
“You can’t let this secret continue,” he said. “It’s not fair to either of you.”
Dawn hung her head for a moment, took a deliberate breath and straightened. “You’re right. And what I did today can’t happen again. Letting our wolves become out of control is too dangerous for this entire community.” A line formed between her brows. “But what are we going to do about the curse? I won’t just stand by and let my son die over a lie.” She darted her gaze between us. “Maybe if you two don’t see each other again . . .”
But Dawn knew full well what Aspen’s feelings were for me, and I had told her how I felt about her son. Since Aspen was half wizard, the curse was already set in motion . . . and that meant an eventual untimely death for us both.
For some reason, a strange calm settled over my body. I looked at Aspen and thoughts of my parents filled my mind. Before now, I’d wondered how they allowed this to happen to them because I thought they could have stopped it. But knowing how I felt about Aspen, I got it. Love was a force of its own. A certain type of magic that was incredibly difficult to control. At that moment, I decided that just like Aspen had done, I was going to stop trying to control my feelings for him, too. The future was what it was.
I gulped down the lump in my throat and took Aspen’s hand. “I love your son; there’s no stopping that. Aspen and I will figure out a way to break this curse.”
Warmth formed between our palms, and I gazed down to see white and blue magic intertwining our hands.
Heart pounding with nervous energy and hope, I raised my eyes to Aspen to let him speak. But before he could say a word, my arms went heavy.
Instead, a voice invaded my head. Josephine Barrows.
Panic twinged at my chest and everything darkened.
Chapter 12
My head swirled and my body felt like it was floating in space. Where am I? Did I pass out in the cave?
I blinked my eyes open to a white ceiling. Quickly I snapped them shut, inhaled deeply, and let the air out of my mouth. Under my head was a pillow, and the weight of a comforter pressed on my torso and legs. I must have been back at the house.
“Aspen?” My mouth felt like sandpaper, and his name barely came out. I ran my hand along the side of my body searching for Nine, but he wasn’t there.
“Aspen is a long way from here, Josy,” said a male voice.
I flinched and shot up, throwing off the covers. My vision cleared enough to make out my uncle, seated on a wooden chair off to my right.
“What’s going on?” I croaked out. My eyes darted around the stark room with a high ceiling and one large window, then back to him again.
The man with short-cropped white hair sat with one leg crossed over the other and hands folded on his lap. As in my vision, he’d become less of the monster I’d had in my mind up until then. Zayne looked to be in his late forties, and light crow’s feet flanked his eyes. Nine had described him as angry, but for now his demeanor was calm. He wore plain black pants and a long-sleeved shirt. He raised his brows and shrugged. “Why don’t you tell me what’s going on? You are the one that appeared unconscious in the middle of Eylada, unannounced, with your cat.”
“Nine?” I felt around on the bed, searching for him again. “What did you do with him?”
“He’s fine, Josy. One of my advisors is caring for him. He’s been asleep for a day, just as you have been.”
A day? What? Aspen must be worried sick about me. My eyes trained on the wooden door.
“I want to see him! Now!” I slid one leg off the bed, but my head spun again and I brought my leg back.
“You need to rest,” Zayne said, keeping his vo
ice even. “Crossing into The Middle as you did for the first time drained much of your life force. We weren’t sure how long it might take you to awaken.”
I fell backward onto my pillow and brought my hand to my head. “Why didn’t you just kill me when you had the chance?”
Zayne let out an exasperated sigh. “I’m not sure why you believe that I want to kill you.”
“This must be a dream again,” I muttered. “I just need to wake up.”
“While you have pulled me into your dreams recently, I can assure you that what you are experiencing right now is real.” White magic sparkled over me, and my head cleared slightly.
I turned my head to see Zayne standing and holding a glass of water toward me. “I’m sure that you are very dehydrated, and I’d recommend drinking a lot.”
I gritted my teeth and propped up on my elbow. Reluctantly, I took the glass from my uncle and downed the water with the hopes that it didn’t contain poison. Within seconds, my tongue felt less like it was covered in sand, and a small amount of strength returned to my body.
The corners of Zayne’s lips turned up to form a slight smile. He took the empty glass from me and placed it on a table next to my bed. Brows raised, he returned to his seat and crossed his arms over his chest.
I sat completely up again and scanned my body. My coat was gone, but I still wore my jeans and a sweater. “I’m finding Nine and getting out of here.” I swung my legs over the side of the bed onto a stone tile floor, but as soon as I started to stand, my head spun again. “You’re doing this!” I accused and pinched at the bridge of my nose.
Spellcaster Academy: Episodes 1-4 (Spellcaster Academy Omnibus) Page 30