“Probably not going to be the last one,” I warn.
“You have friends here, Jared. We’re here to walk alongside you until you’re not afraid anymore.”
Grateful, I nod. “What’s next?”
“Well, you connected to your inner magic much faster than I expected—it makes me wonder if you’ve been subconsciously accessing some of your abilities without realising. Have youexperienced anything unusual over the years? People suddenly changing their attitude towards you, like doing a one-eighty in the middle of an argument, or being afraid of you even when you’ve done nothing to provoke the feeling?”
“No, nothing like that.” But… “What about having good instincts? Is that a demonic trait?”
Huxley cocks his head. “How so?”
“I get these… gut feelings about situations and people. They’ve never been wrong.” Sometimes it’s come too late, like with The Raven. I sensed danger only a moment before the incapacitating blow to the back of my head. Shaking off the memory, I continue, “Honestly, I don’t think I’d be handling the supernatural surprise anywhere near this well without it. My gut tells me I can trust you. And Selene… it’s beyond that with her. I’ve never felt so sure of anyone.”
“Interesting…” He slaps his hands on the tops of his thighs, having come to a decision. “That definitely sounds like magic, but it’s still not enough for me to guess what kind of demon you are.”
Hux springs to his feet. “I’d like to try something, if you’re willing?”
“What is it?” I ask cautiously, rising to join him.
“Can you access your magic again and hold the image of the calm lake in your mind?”
“Yeah.” I close my eyes and do just that.
“Alright, now keep that image steady. No matter what happens, don’t let it go.”
Fingertips brush the back of my neck, and the familiar weight of my necklace disappears.
Power. Unlike anything I’ve felt before. It swallows me whole. The lake in my mind morphs into a body of water deeper than I can comprehend.
I feel incredible. It’s like I’ve been weighed down, pinned to the lakebed my whole life, and now I’m finally surfacing. It all happens so quickly that if I really were a diver, I’d end up with decompression sickness for certain, but this… This feelsincredible. Life changing.
“Bloody hell,” Hux whispers reverently.
Something tugs at the centre of my chest. Instinctively I know I have to follow the sensation. Nothing has ever been more important than finding my m?—
Pain ignites a fire in my veins, and I scream. My muscles ripple beneath my skin. It’s like I’m being torn open. Eyes wide, I look to Hux for help.
“Shit!” He scrambles forward, fumbling with the clasp of the amulet. My entire body shudders in agony. What’s happening to me? “Got it!” Huxley crows triumphantly, kneeling in front of me. How did I end up on the floor? The pain vanishes as quickly as it arrived, my magic disappearing with it.
I glance down to see the amber stone of the amulet glinting against my chest.
Huxley’s lips move, but I can’t hear anything beyond the ringing in my ears. Black spots cloud my vision. The last thing I see is him reaching towards me as the world tilts on its axis.
“Why isn’t he awake yet? We should take him to a healer.”
That voice. She’s important. Selene. I have to get to Selene.
“It’s only been five minutes. Give him a chance. You’d know if he were still in danger.”
“Fine.”
For the second time since moving to Crystal Lake, I find myself lying on the ground, head pounding.
“What happened?” I croak, my mouth drier than a desert.
Gentle hands sweep the hair from my clammy forehead. “Your power surged and almost forced you to shift into your demon form,” Selene explains, shooting a glare at Hux.
“Demon form?”
