Page 4 of Magical Moonbeam

“But I do worry about the tether snapping.”

“It won’t,” he said. “Because I’ll be there holding the other end.”

My eyes burned with unshed tears, and I had to blink rapidly to keep them from falling.

This wasn’t just about breaking the curse and getting my dad back to human form or stopping the deadly shifting incidents for Keegan. It wasn’t even about me.

It was about Stonewick, the Academy, and the future of magic.

Keegan reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a folded piece of parchment. “I’ve been tracking shadow breaches near the Flame Ward. They’re getting closer. The memories seem…off.”

My blood chilled.

“I thought the Flame Ward was strengthening. The memory forge seemed far more active.”

“True, but I’m not certain the forge is active with only Stonewick’s memories.”

I took the page with trembling fingers. The markings were erratic and spindly, spiderwebs of dark influence weaving toward the heart of our safe haven.

“Could that be from our current students? Their memories being pulled into the memory forge? Or the two who infiltrated?”

I didn’t even want to speak their names.

“Possibly.”

“Then our students have seen more darkness than I realized.”

“Seems that way.” He let out a sigh. “But we’ve come so far together, Maeve.”

“And we’ll go even further.” I nodded. “And we might not be able to do anything about the memories being borrowed. If that’s the kind of baggage some of our students have, then we need to work with it as best we can.”

Something dark flittered through his gaze, and he cleared his throat, bringing his gaze back to mine.

“I won’t let anything happen to you, Maeve.” Keegan scratched his chin, and a smirk surfaced. “If that means pulling you out of Shadowick before we complete our mission, so be it.”

“You say that now, but do you really want to be faced with the uncontrollable shifting? The thought that the next shift could be your last?” I felt the anger bubble through me again at the thought of Gideon’s evil ploy to torment those who stayed to fight for Stonewick. “We have to break the curse no matter the dangers.”

He didn’t respond to my observation and continued. “Gideon is getting more brazen.”

“Shadowick is pushing the edges,” I whispered. “Testing the perimeter. He’s appeared to me in the in-between. I’ve seen him on the grounds, but my mind knows better. I realize it’s not actually Gideon, but he’s testing me, and I’m tired of feeling like I’m on the defense.”

“You are right,” he said. “Something’s coming. The Moonbeam may be our only window to sever whatever connection Gideon still has to the Wards.”

I looked at him, suddenly overwhelmed with gratitude and a sense of awe. “You believe me?”

Keegan’s voice was low. “Ibelievein you.”

That did it. The tears slipped down my cheeks, warm and fast. I wiped them quickly and laughed at myself. “We really have to stop having these emotionally charged moments in the middle of magical gardens, especially if you haven’t even kissed me yet.”

He reached out and touched my hand, his fingers bending around mine as his eyes locked on me.

“Maeve,” he said, voice barely above a whisper. “You’re not playing a part. You’vebecomewhat this place needed. You’re the realest thing I’ve ever seen.”

I leaned into him then, just a little. Just enough to feel steady again.

The only sound left in the Butterfly Ward was the thrum of my heartbeat, which was far too loud and far too aware of the man beside me.

Keegan.