Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 437: Ava: Break a Leg After the rites last night, I expected the energy of Wolf's Landing to be gloomy. Instead, it's bustling.

Everyone's rushing to repair the hospital, something that's becmore possible with the arrival of our Fae friends, who are helping mend walls with their magic. Despite the natural distrust between wolf and Fae, they're getting along well. And the injured are now walking, talking, laughing, and eating with ease, thanks to Heize— who specializes in healing magic.

Anyone coming in for the first twould never guess we just lost twenty-seven people to a mere ten-minute attack.

Selene yawns; she's half-asleep still in my cabin, having used the night to scout the general area. The tfor grief is done. We are survivors.

Our pack didn't bounce back this quickly after the initial massacre in Westwood, though.

Things have changed since then, Grimoire points out. We are in a long, drawn-out war. Tfor grief is a luxury in times like this.

"I'm not arguing," I mumble at them both. "Just noticing how different it is." Both of my bonded souls settle in my head, leavingin silence as I watch the Fae work.

The hospital's front doors rest against the doorfrof a rebuilt wall, askew and unattached, but not for long. Eris lifts her hands, and the metal hinges twist back into place with a soft groan. The door rights itself, settling perfectly into its fras if it had never been damaged.

Remarkable.

Eris' magic is not raw and wild. It's precise, controlled. Almost artificially clean. Her black hair sweeps back as she gestures at a pile of broken furniture. Pieces of wood and metal float up, spinning until they click together like puzzle pieces. A bed frmaterializes from the chaos, pristine and perfect.

"Luna Ava." Magister Orion' is the first of the Fae to notice me, and his booming voice carries through the area. He stands near a crumbling section of wall, directing fragments of plaster and concrete into a pile. "I trust you slept well?" "As well as can be expected." My attention stays fixed on Eris's work. "I had no idea magic could be so... specific." "Eris has a gift for repair and restoration." Magister Orion guides a large chunk of wall into place. "Each Fae's magic manifests differently. Sheal, sdestroy, some-like Eris-excel at putting broken things back together." Three other Fae work alongside him, their movements synchronized as they float debris through the air. A few pack weave between them, pointing out what should go where. Two are in wolf form, sniffing at things, and it takesa moment to realize they're using scent to identify what pieces go together.

One points his nose at a section of metal frame, a human-shaped shifter gives the command, and a Fae immediately shifts it toward its matching piece. Like an assembly line.

"The scent helps them remember where everything belongs?" Even as someone raised in a shifter pack, I didn't realize our noses could be so precise. More things I'm missing out on without the ability to shift.

"Indeed." A dresser reconstructs itself under Eris's touch, drawers sliding hwith soft clicks. She doesn't speak, her focus absolute as she moves to the next broken item.

No one is showing signs of mistrust, and it warms my heart to watch this happen.

"Luna." Kellan's voice startles me. He appears at my side, Lisa a few steps behind him. He nods toward the repair efforts with a faint smile, no longer hostile himself. I can feel the burden on my shoulders lift. "Quite a sight, isn't it?" "I never expected-" Kellan watches as a wolf directs a Fae toward a pile of broken glass. "Their presence at the rites changed things. Not all are comfortable being so close to magic, but these are all volunteers to work with the Fae to get this done." Lisa steps closer, her eyes wide as she watches Eris repair a window. "That's crazy. Ava, can you do that?" I shake my head. "Not in a million years." The magic I have is not so precise or fine, and I can't fathom how she's able to take two broken pieces of concrete and blend them so it seems they were never broken. Or wood.

Magister Orion chuckles and claps a hand on my shoulder, winking at Lisa. "Most are incapable of such a magic. Eris has unique inclinations. While it is considered a weak and ineffectual magic among the Fae, I have always found it to be sof the most useful." "Man, where was she when I broke my mom's special Christmas china when I was ten?" Lisa's laugh rings clear across the courtyard. "I spent hours trying to superglue those pieces back together. She was so pissed." The others chuckle, but I catch the way Lisa's smile falters. Her hand twitches toward her thigh. She hasn't spoken about her family in a long time, and I watch the light dim in her eyes.

My chest aches. She must be worried about them, and yet she never speaks of it.

"Forget the china," I say, trying to brighten her face again. "Remember that tthe espresso machine at Beaniverse decided to have a meltdown during rush hour? We could have used Eris' talents then. Those customers were pissed." Lisa's shoulders relax as she laughs. "Yeah. That was not a fun day. And Stephanie thought unplugging it would make it work-" "But then it wouldn't turn back on!" My lips twitch. "And she tried to blus." "Right? What a bitch." Eris pauses in her work, raising an eyebrow at our conversation. "I do not fix coffee machines." "Do you fix ice cream machines?" Lisa asks with a wide grin. Any sadness seems to have disappeared.

Eris blinks. "Do you sell ice cream along with coffee?" She asks, sounding mildly horrified.

It's clear she doesn't understand the reference, but that's pretty normal. It's a human world thing. Leaning over, I smack Lisa lightly on her shoulder, unable to stop the giggles from escaping. "Stop ordering ice cream from fast food places and you won't need to worry about broken ice cream machines." Lisa rolls her eyes at me, then turns to Eris. "You would make a killing in the human world." The horror that spreads across Eris's face is startling. Her lilac eyes widen, and she takes a step back, hands raised as if to ward off the suggestion. "I do not kill humans." "No, no." Magister Orion steps forward, his massive form blocking my view of Eris. "The phrase 'making a killing' in human vernacular means to earn a substantial amount of money. Lisa suggests you would be quite wealthy if you offered your services in their world." "Oh." Eris's voice comes out small. She peers around Magister Orion's bulk, her pointed ears twitching and cheeks faintly red. "You humans have the oddest expressions." Lisa sighs. "No kidding. Sof it's really strange. Who decided 'it's raining cats and dogs' was a good way to say it's raining hard?" "It rains... animals?" The horror returns to Eris's face.

"No, it's just another saying." I bite my lip to keep from laughing. "Though now that I think about it, that would be terrifying." "Humans." Eris shakes her head and returns to her work, though I notice her lips twitch. "At least 'making a killing' has slogical connection to acquiring wealth. But raining animals? Nonsense."

The exchange lightens something in my chest. Watching a Fae and a human discuss idioms is fun. M Lighthearted Light hearted. Not stressful or anxiety-inducing. Even Kellan's stern expression has softened into something approaching amusement. "Just wait until she hears you telling someone to 'break a leg' for luck," Lisa stage-whispers to me.

Eris turns around, a suspicious look on her face. "Why would you break a leg for luck?" "Breaking a leg just means good luck!" Lisa holds up her hands in surrender. "I swear! I'm not making it up." "How does breaking bones equate to good fortune?" Eris demands. "Why would their limb equal your fortune?"

"You don't actually break their leg," my best friend protests, trying to om explain, but the Eaexust stares at her NO in suspicion. I have the distinct feeling Eris thinks Lisa's just screwing with her at this point. Another giggle escapesas Lisa and Eris continue their back-and-forth about human expressions, and even the other pack members stop their work to listen in.

"What brings you here this morning, Luna?" Magister Orion's smile is gentle, but his question snapsback to my purpose.

The weight of my earlier conversation with Grimoire settles over me, and all the stress of our lives returns, like a yoke dropped onto my shoulders. My amusement disappears in an instant.

"I have something to discuss with you. Do you have tto cto my cabin?" Magister Orion's eyes sharpen with interest, though his expression remains neutral. "Of course."

Lisa catches my change in mood, her brow furrowing with concern as she ΟΠ abandons her conversation with the horrified Fae. But before she can ask, Kellan places a hand on her shoulder, steering her attention back to Eris. He knowswell enough to recognize when something needs to stay between fewer ears. "Perhaps you can explain to Eris why humans 'kick the bucket' when they die," Kellan suggests to Lisa, and just like that, the attention shifts away from me.