Page 24

“What are you saying?” I asked skeptically.

“I am saying…that I am a shapeshifter,” he breathed, “but not just any kind of shapeshifter. I am a…Nightshade. I am a witch.”

I couldn’t even formulate the words that were on the tip of my tongue. Ever since Nik arrived, everything had started tochangeand go haywire. I thought I was going insane, but everything that had happened tonight proved that I wasn’t. I hadn’t been imagining things, all of this was real. I had thought for a moment he might be a werewolf, but this was equally as hard to wrap my head around. I found out that I have magic tonight, did that mean that Nik was a witch just like me? Could I shapeshift too?

“I’m going to need some details…” Tess interrupted my thoughts. “I’m big on the details.”

“I’m not even sure where to start,” Nik replied, slowly shaking his head.

“Did you know?” I asked, my voice sounding thin and tinny in my own ears. “Did you know that I was a witch, too?”

“Yes,” he answered honestly, meeting my eyes again, sympathy clear in his expression.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” I knew I sounded weak and small, but I felt a sting of pain at him having kept this from me. I couldn’t believe he had known…from that first time we had met. And these past few days, I had struggled to piece it all together.

“Magic doesn’t develop this late…when you have magic it usually develops around eleven or twelve. When we first met, I thought maybe you might be one of the rare witches who has had magic most of their lives but cannot draw from it themselves,” he mused, “but that is obviously not the case.”

“I didn’t have a lick of magic until I met you,” I accused.

“Sometimes that can awaken it, being around another magic user,” he explained with a nod of his head as if this explanation made the most sense. “Especially a powerful one.”

“So, you’re a powerful witch then?” I asked with a sheepish laugh.

“Very,” his eyes sparked, and a smile played on his lips.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I questioned, “I think that’s something I would have liked to know.”

“Would you have believed me?” he asked. “If I told you that you were a witch, and that you had magic without letting you find out on your own, would you have believed me?”

I bit my bottom lip realizing he was right, I would have thought he was mad, and I would have avoided him and written him off.

“No,” I admitted, “I just wish I had known. I have been completely unhinged these last few days. I could have hurt someone…”

“Magic can be extremely hard to control, especially if you don’t know anything about it. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone put a concealment or silencing spell on you, so that you wouldn’t know, and you wouldn’t find out. You are the only one with magic in your family, to your knowledge?” he asked.

“As far as I know.” I shrugged. Would my mom have told me if she did? Would Jake? My father had never said anything, and there was no indication that I could remember that he might have been a magic wielder before he passed.

Nik covered his mouth with his hand, deep in thought.

“Can we go back to the wolf thing for a second? Are you telling me that Diana can turn herself into a giant wolf?” Tess asked, glancing from me to Nik.

“No, Diana can’t turn into a wolf,” Nik laughed. “She isn’t a shape shifter like me. She isn’t a Nightshade. She’s a different type of witch.”

“Care to elaborate?” she asked, eyes wide.

“Can’t, I’m late to meet Puck at Elixir,” he replied as he stood up and stretched his long arms over his head. The movement revealed a patch of toned skin just above his belt.

“You are not going anywhere. We had a deal, and I want answers.” I stood as well, moving to block his way to the door.

“I did give you answers,” he pointed out as he pulled his shirt back down with a saccharine smile.

“Not enough. I need more details, pal, I am totally in the dark here. I need you to explain to me what is going on.” I poked him in the chest with an accusatory finger. He slowly looked down to where my finger still rested on his chest and rose his eyebrows.

“Did you just call me pal?”

“Listen, I will quite literally hold you captive until I am satisfied with the information you have given me,” I replied tersely, removing my finger from his chest.

“That doesn’t sound all that bad, firecracker.” He winked.