Page 62 of Magical Mayhem

The words felt wrong in my mouth, bitter as old vinegar. Lying to Keegan didn’t sit well, but I wasn’t ready to untangle the truth, not with his pulse already erratic under my fingers.

His eyes searched mine, and for a heartbeat, I thought he’d call me on it. But then the sharpness faded, washed out by exhaustion. He turned his face away, closing himself off.

The hurt of it lodged under my ribs.

Still, he spoke again, voice low but steady.

“It isn’t just the curse. I know the difference. Gideon’s not gone, Maeve. He’s never gone. He’s waiting, circling. And if he’s close enough for me to feel him… then you should be worried too.”

I swallowed hard, my throat aching.

If you only knew,I thought. But I couldn’t say it. Not yet.

Silence filled the room, punctuated only by the low crack of embers in the hearth. I tried to focus on the small things, such as the curve of the quilt, the way Ardetia had shifted silently in her chair, watching but not intruding, and the soft, golden light that clung to the carved edges of the wolf-head bed frame.

Normal things.

Mundane things. Anything but the truth hanging unspoken in the air.

Keegan broke it first, his voice sharper than before. “Don’t let him in.”

My head snapped toward him. “What?”

He turned back to me, eyes fever-bright and burning with something that was half plea, half command.

“Whatever you do, Maeve. Don’t let Gideon back in. Not to the Academy. Not to Stonewick. Not to you.”

The words cracked something in me. He said them with such certainty, as though he already knew, already saw me at the threshold with Gideon’s shadow trailing behind me.

I wanted to shout that I hadn’t, that I wouldn’t, that I was smarter than that. But the words stuck in my throat, because the truth was messy. Ihadlet him back in, in my way. Into my thoughts. Into the Wilds. Into the secret corners of the inn.

And even worse, I didn’t know why.

Was the circle a good enough reason?

My chest ached, a wild thrum of guilt and fear.

“Keegan,” I whispered, my voice trembling now. “Rest. Please. You need your strength.”

His grip tightened once more, fierce despite his weakness.

“Swear it, Maeve. Swear you’ll keep him out.”

I couldn’t. Not when every part of me already knew it wasn’t that simple.

But I bent closer, pressing my lips to his moist temple, feeling the heat of his skin and the curse burning beneath it.

“I swear I’ll keep us safe,” I said.

And hoped he would mistake that for enough.

His hand loosened, falling back to the blanket. His breath eased into sleep, though not peacefully. Shadows still clung to the corners of the room, like they’d been listening all along.

I sat there, staring at him, my own hands trembling.

He felt Gideon close. Heknewit. And I had no idea why.

No, that wasn’t true. Deep down, I feared I did. The curse was tying them together. Binding Keegan to the very man he despised. And if that was true… then maybe keeping Gideon away wasn’t just impossible. Maybe it was dangerous.