Page 168 of Magical Mischief

My chest tightened. My heart started to pound, thudding against my ribs like it was trying to answer back. I clenched my hands around Nova’s without meaning to, fingers curling as my breath caught.

The ache in my side flared…hot this time, not the dull throb from before. It radiated through my torso, up into myshoulders, humming beneath my skin like something trying to break through.

Nova didn’t stop. Her voice deepened, the spell slipping into some older current, older than either of us or the Academy itself. Her hands stayed on mine, firm and grounding, but everything inside me felt like it was coming unmoored.

My thoughts spiraled, fast and breathless.

What if therewassomething inside me?

What if I’d let him in?

What if every moment I felt stronger was Gideon pulling on the thread, feeding off the magic, burrowing deeper into my soul, learning about the Academy?

My lungs felt too tight, like they couldn’t catch enough air. My temples pulsed. Though my eyes were still closed, my vision sparked with little bursts of white.

I wasn’t ready for this.

I wasn’t strong enough.

The Academy had made a mistake.

And Nova.

Nova was going to see it. She would look at me, see whateverhehad left behind, and pull away.

I didn’t realize I’d made a sound until Nova whispered my name.

“Maeve.”

Just that. No command. No alarm. Just her voice, saying my name like it was something strong, something worth anchoring.

Her hands held steady.

And I gripped them like a lifeline as the spell kept flowing.

Chapter Forty-Four

I blinked.

The room came back in layers…first the soft gold of the crystal light on the walls, then the smoke drifting in curling spirals from the bowl, then the green and violet crystals glowing beside me. I felt the window cushion beneath me again, and the weight of my body returned like I’d floated above it.

Nova’s face came into view next. She was kneeling in front of me still, eyes calm and steady, like she’d been watching me the whole time, waiting for me to come back to myself.

Her hands were still wrapped gently around mine, warm now, pulsing with quiet, rooted magic.

Grounding me. Holding me steady amid everything whirling behind my ribs.

I tried to speak, but my mouth was dry. My heart still pounded like I’d run a mile with my eyes closed.

Nova smiled, but not in a big, triumphant way, but in a kind way. The kind of smile that knows what it’s like to hold fear in both hands and choose not to let it rule you.

“Oh, Maeve,” she said gently, her thumbs rubbing small circles into my palms. “Dear girl.”

I opened my mouth again, and she squeezed my hands just a little.

“There is no bond to Gideon,” she said softly. “None. You're not tethered to him or anyone else.”

The words hit like a sudden thaw.