Page 24 of Faeheart (Widdershins Supernatural Academy #2)

“No,” Wild said firmly, his hand sliding up to cover mine. “We practice together, we figure it out together. That’s what we agreed on.”

“But if my issues cause the magic to backfire?—”

“Then we’ll deal with it,” Caden interrupted gently.

He reached across the table, taking my hand in his.

It was an intimate gesture, and I felt his affection toward me surge through the bond.

“Elias, we’re all struggling with different aspects of this bond.

You’re not the only one with barriers to work through. ”

Atlas nodded in agreement, adding his hand to the mix. “The mate bond with Caden was terrifying at first. I kept trying to convince myself it wasn’t real or that it was something else. There was a moment where I thought it would consume me.”

“And I spent the first week after we bonded, convinced Atlas was going to realize I wasn’t worth the trouble and leave,” Caden added with a rueful smile. “Emotional barriers come in all shapes and sizes.”

I could feel all four of us in that moment, Caden and Atlas’s hands on mine, Wild’s hand on my knee.

All of their affection flowed through our bond, filling me with warmth from head to toe.

Behind it, I felt a surge of lust, but it wasn’t coming from them.

It was coming from me. I realized, for the first time, that I really did trust these three.

And that I was happy to be with them despite the circumstances.

“Thank you,” I said, feeling a sudden rush of gratitude for these three men who had become so much more than friends. “I think I’m ready to try.”

We finished breakfast quickly, eager to test the tetrad formation.

The mansion seemed to sense our intentions, corridors shifting to lead us directly to a circular chamber I hadn’t seen before.

The room was massive, with a domed ceiling painted with constellations that moved subtly when I wasn’t looking directly at them.

The floor featured an intricate mosaic of interlocking geometric patterns, with clear markers at the four cardinal points.

“This is perfect,” Atlas said, his golden eyes wide with wonder. “It’s like the house knew exactly what we needed.”

“Lydia must have created this space specifically for tetrad practice,” Wild mused, running his fingers along the wall where crystals pulsed with soft light. “The energy conduits are already in place.” He glanced back at me. “She wasn’t lying. Her and Sorrel really did know we’d be here one day.”

Caden moved to the northern point, his connection to growth and nurturing magic drawing him there instinctively. “I think we each have a specific position.” He stepped onto the northern tile, letting out a contented sigh. “Growth. The cool earth beneath our feet.”

Atlas nodded, taking his place at the western point without hesitation. “Protection. The flowing river.”

Wild grinned, practically skipping to the southern marker. “Chaos. The burning sun.”

That left the eastern position for me. Structure. The never-ending winds of change.

As I stepped onto my marker, the floor beneath my feet began to glow with a soft blue light. Looking around, I saw the others’ positions illuminating as well. Amber for Caden, crimson for Atlas, and emerald for Wild. The colors seemed to pulse in time with our heartbeats.

“Now what?” I asked, feeling the room’s energy beginning to swirl around us.

“According to the journal,” Atlas replied, “we need to synchronize our breathing first, then extend our magical awareness to form the initial connection.”

It sounded simple enough, but as we closed our eyes and began to breathe in unison, I felt the familiar tightness of anxiety creeping up my spine. What if I couldn’t maintain the connection? What if my hesitation broke the formation?

“Elias,” Wild’s voice came through our bond rather than aloud, gentle but firm. “Stop overthinking. Just feel.”

I took a deep breath and tried to let go, focusing on the sensation of our bond instead of my fears.

Gradually, I became aware of the others’ magical signatures more distinctly than ever before.

Atlas’s protective energy was like a steady drumbeat, Caden’s nurturing power flowing like sap through a healthy tree, Wild’s chaotic magic dancing and sparking like lightning.

When I finally extended my own structured magic to meet theirs, the effect was immediate and breathtaking.

Lines of pure energy shot from my position to each of theirs, forming a diamond of power with me as its source.

Then similar lines extended from each of them, creating a complex geometric pattern that pulsed with combined power.

“Holy shit,” Wild breathed through our bond, his amazement rippling through all of us. “This is incredible.”

The magical matrix we’d created was unlike anything I’d ever experienced.

Where our individual magics had always felt separate and distinct, now they flowed together like instruments in a perfectly tuned orchestra.

I could feel Caden’s growth magic strengthening my structured spells, while Atlas’s protective energy formed a foundation that allowed Wild’s chaos to dance freely without becoming destructive.

“Try a simple spell,” Atlas suggested, his voice tight with concentration. “Something basic.”

I focused on creating a light orb, the most elementary magic I knew. But instead of the usual pale blue glow of my precise magic, what formed above my palm was a swirling sphere of all four of our colors, amber and crimson and emerald threads weaving through my blue in patterns that defied logic.

“It’s beautiful,” Caden whispered, his own orb forming at the northern point, equally complex and radiant.

“By the gods…” Atlas breathed, holding up his own orb of magic, something normal werewolves couldn’t do. “I… I’ve never felt anything like this.”

Wild let out a whoop of joy, his sphere crackling with chaotic energy that somehow harmonized perfectly with the rest. “We’re doing it! We’re actually doing it!”

But as our excitement built, I felt something reverberate through the mansion.

Then a loud bang echoed through the halls.

It happened again and again, each one sounding hollow and far away.

Our magic faded away simultaneously, confusion and worry filling the bond between us.

I turned on my heel to see one of the far doors opening, an ethereal servant stepping inside, their form a shimmering silvery mist.

“The mansion,” it said in its normal monotone. “Is under attack.”