Luna - Beasts of Beauty Series - Book 1

Chapter Eight

"Marianne, do you want milk or sugar in your coffee?" 

Marianne hums from her chair, somehow letting me know she would like both. Currently, we are in the library; Marianne is engulfed in a cheesy romance novel, whereas I am researching and rewriting a couple spells.

"Something's wrong with Evander," Asher says, bursting into the room with no warning. I flinch at the sudden bang of the door against the wall and drop the cup.

"Shit," I hiss, the coffee on the floor spilling all over the cream rug. "Oh, Marianne, I'm so sorry," I hurriedly apologize. I mumble a spell to soak up the coffee quickly. I haven't really used my magic since I've been here and been feeling so depressed. Working with my old spells, though, has re-lit the spark in me, even if only a little one.

"Oh, don't worry about it, hun," Marianne says gently. "Asher, what on earth are you doing here?" Clearly she's more worried about why Asher is here rather than at the Gold Wing Colony and what is wrong with her son than the coffee on the rug. As she should be.

"Something isn't right," is all Asher will tell her, looking at me wearily. "He just isn't acting like himself, it's really worrying me. Quite frankly, it's pissing me off." Marianne looks at him as if she understands, but I can tell there is something that Asher is trying not to say out loud. Does it have to do with the fact that Evander is my mate? Is the fact that he is treating me so cruelly what is so out of character? 

Of course it is; they've told me plenty of times that it is.

The bruises that cover my body remind me of every time he has laid with someone that isn't me - yet another reminder that I am an unwanted creature. Even without knowing I'm a hybrid, he knows he doesn't want me.

But, that's not true. The way Evander was acting last night has only confirmed my suspicions that something was off. I already knew something was terribly wrong and I hardly know the guy. Even Asher is becoming more and more worried about this. We really have to figure this out.

I should take this opportunity to ask them for help now that we are all on the same page. I had no idea how to ask for help before without giving away that I knew Evander is my mate. Now that I've stupidly confessed my knowledge to Marianne and they know something is wrong, I can just offer my services. 

They have both continuously tried to assure me that the horrible treatment I am getting from Evander is not his true self and they don't know what is going on. I truly believe them now and I want to help my mate. 

If I can figure out what's going on, maybe I can help him return to normal and I can have a chance at a real mateship. 

"I may be able to do an old conjuring spell that my father and I wrote; it might be able to tell me what's going on in his head," I suggest as if I hadn't been rewriting the spells all morning.  "He won't know I'm doing it, I just need some of his hair."

"I can get his hair, easy," Asher tells me at the same time as Marianne asks, "What do you all need to do this spell?" 

"Did your pack ever have a witch or a wizard?" I ask, evading the question temporarily. "I'm just looking for an old Adeato."

"Adee-uh-who?" Asher asks, looking at me confused.

"Ah-dee-ah-toe," I sound out for him. "A wizards' sanctuary?" I try when they don't understand the word.

"We had a wizard join our pack some time ago," Marianne says, as if trying to remember. "He hasn't been around much since..." she trails off carefully. "Well, we haven't seen him in a long time now. I can take you to his.. Adeato. I don't know what will be there, if anything. Or if we will even be able to get in."