“Sorry. We shouldn’t have scared you like that.”
My head snapped up. “Oh, really?! It’s one thing when de Spina does it in a class, but when it comes out of nowhere like that—”
“I agree,” Alex said, before making his signature thoughtful sound. I usually found it charming, but right now it made me want to slap him.
“Oh, don’t be going allMr. Pensiveon me. All you should be doing is getting me apology chocolate.”
He chuckled. “I’ll get right on that.” He paused, and his tone dipped. “Although, say theoretically I had an idea about why your magic is acting odd . . . would you like to hear it?”
My breath hitched and my eyes grew wide.What? Is he serious?
“I thought so,” Alex said, reading my expression. “I’ve been considering this since we started hanging out. After the healing workshop last weekend, I wasalmostcertain, but didn’t want to bring it up in case I was wrong. Seeing your magic today, how you reacted to the demon . . . well, now I’m sure.”
“Oh my God! Spit it out, Alex!”
“I think you have lots of magic,” he began, his tone careful.
“Why the hell can’t I use it?” I pressed.
His gaze locked with mine, and a strange pressure built in the air between us.
“Because, Odie, you’re spellbound.”
“I don’t get it,” I said. “What do you mean by spellbound? And how do you know? How has no one else known?”
Alex had made the three of us leave the Battle Magic classroom for privacy before he explained his line of thought. Now that we were secure in my room, I couldn’t get my many questions out fast enough.
“I mean that your magic is tied up inside you. I think it’s in a tight ball. You’re able to access it through a hole, kind of like a pinprick in a water balloon, except you don’t explode. The hole lets a little power out, but not enough to be considered strong or dangerous.”
I pressed a finger to my lips. “What makes you believe that?”
“I know how energy should flow in a body. It should be free, running through you in a cyclical fashion. I’ve noticed that yours was different before when we . . .” His cheeks pinked as he trailed off, and Hunter wolf-whistled. Alex cleared his throat. “My mind wasn’t fully there during those times. I’m only a man, after all. But during Tiberius’ workshop, I could concentrate. I finally realized that your energy felt . . . stagnant, which isn’t like you at all. It was confusing, but I didn’t say anything. I did, however, begin to wonder.”
“And spend a crapload of time in the library,” Hunter added.
He was right. Out of the four of us, Alex naturally spent the most time in the library, but for the last week, he’d been spending an excessive amount of time in there—even for him.
“Yup, and that’s where I found information on binding. Usually it’s reserved for black witches and warlocks who have committed heinous crimes, but sometimes . . . parents bind children who have too much power. In that case, the binding is less severe and is often loosened over time.” His blue eyes leveled with mine. “I think that’s what your parents did to you, Odie. Kind of. The difference is I don’t think they ever loosened it,andI’m pretty sure they added a safety mechanism. They allowed you to access your magic if you were in a life-threatening situation.”
“Like Samhain.” I fell back on my bed, dazed.
Although what he said sounded kind of crazy, it also felt right. My parents had always been safety freaks. And this explained why they didn’t put much emphasis on magic in the home. They didn’t want me to question my lack of power.
It also explained why they didn’t want me going to Spellcasters.
Anger flared within me. All my life, they’d advocated for me to make my own choices about my body, and then they went behind my back and didthis? They’d restricted my magic? A part of my very nature?
Or was it because I was dangerous—a natural-born black witch?
I had to know.
“How can I get rid of it?”
“I’m pretty sure I can help.” Alex gulped and took a long, steady breath. “But it will hurt. A lot.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“Are you ready?” Alex asked, cracking my bedroom window.
