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Lucas and I left the house. He stopped at the end of the walkway and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Nad, do you really think we have that much to work on?”
“I’m not sure,” I said quietly. I really thought we were in a good spot, but what Grammy said really made me think about it. Lucas and I were both strong people, and I think sometimes that made us hold back from each other.
He sighed. “Help me out here. You can be honest with me.”
I sighed. “All right. The honest answer is yes and no. We’ve made so much progress in the last year, and I love that we’re both growing. But maybe we have more blind spots than we thought. And maybe they’re not all bad, and there’s no one to blame. But if there’s problems between us, I want to solve them.”
He nodded. “I do, too.”
“How can I help you?” I asked.
He shook his head. “I don’t need anything right now.”
“It may not be about what you need,” I pressed. “What do you want?”
He dropped his gaze and sighed heavily. “I want you to ask me for help. Sometimes, it feels like you don’t need me the way I need you.”
“Of course I need you, Lucas,” I argued. I couldn’t believe he didn’t see that.
“Then let me be there for you,” he begged. “I’m not asking for validation or anything like that. It’s not that I want to feel wanted. I know you want me here. But I want to help before you reach the end of your rope.”
I curled my arms around him, and he held me close. I rested my head on his shoulder, taking in his warm embrace. It felt so good. “Right now, this is what I need. Thank you for being there for me tonight, Lucas.”
He pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “I’ll be there for you, Nad. Always.”
CHAPTER 13
LUCAS
Nadine and I were in a better place than we’d ever been, and we were still learning new things about our relationship every day. I liked that we were growing together. It made me feel close to her.
I didn’t leave her side until my Astrology class the next day. I entered the big circular room with a glass ceiling, a fireplace, and bookcases lining the walls. I took a spot at my usual desk, and Oliver jumped onto my lap.
Professor Loren stepped to the front of the room, her long black dress flowing around her ankles. She was a Mentalist who taught Incantations and Moonology, and she was one of the few professors who I still liked. Most professors had taken an intense disliking to anyone who wasn’t in their Cast, and it made our coursework this semester challenging.
“We’ve spent the last few weeks discussing the power of the planets in your spellwork,” Professor Loren began. “However, I’d like to take a short detour today to discuss an astrological feature specific to Miriamic Lore.”
Professor Loren turned on the projector, and a display of the night sky shone on the walls. “You all know the story of Mother Miriam—how her prayers to the gods were ignored, and so to escape her abuser, she summoned a demon, a rejected god with unimaginable power. Santos, the father of all Miriamic people, fell in love with her. They lived a life together on Earth, and together birthed five children—half-mortals who were known as demigods. We know that each of these children was born with a different power, and each of them became the first of their Cast. What you may not know is that on the night of each child’s birth, Santos gave them a gift. As a god, he possessed the power to place stars in the sky. Each child received their own star.”
Professor Loren pointed her wand at the wall. Light shone out the end of it, drawing attention to a specific star in the night sky. “The stars, in order: Maud, Percival, Cecilia, Mortimer, and Alora.”
“Alora?” Lena asked. “We can see our afterlife from here?”
“Our afterlife exists in another realm,” Professor Loren explained. “The name Alora is used in many places within our lore, because it is not simply our afterlife. Alora was one of the five children. Each of these stars was named for the child it appeared for.”
She pointed to each star in turn. “Maud was the firstborn daughter, and she had the power of Alchemy—one of the best potion-makers there ever was. Percival was the second eldest, and he possessed the power of telekinesis and the ability to manipulate people’s thoughts. He was the first Mentalist. Next came Cecilia, a Seer who could predict the future and see into the past. Miriam and Santos’s son, Mortimer, held power over death. He could predict when people would die, and was said to have influence over death itself. He was the first Mortana, as well as the first member of the Reaper Order.”
A shiver traveled down my spine when she spoke of Mortimer. I felt an instant connection to him. He was the first reaper in the coven. I wondered if I could summon his spirit and learn more about my powers.
“Finally, their last daughter was born, Alora.” Professor Loren pointed to a fifth star. “She was a powerful witch capable of many things, including breaking curses—hence the name Curse Breaker. However, her power was very versatile, with the ability to siphon and even absorb others’ powers, and move magic from one place to another. Although Curse Breakers today can only manipulate witch magic, Alora was a demigod, and she was powerful enough to manipulate even the fae. It is one of the many reasons the fae despise us.”
Professor Loren paced at the front of the room and continued. “With Alora’s powers of magic manipulation, the children learned how to combine their magic together, creating powerful spells unlike anything we see today. Our afterlife was named after Alora because of what she and her Cast represented—unity.”
She turned back to the constellations projected around us. “As the children grew up, they married and had children of their own. The coven grew, and each child left a legacy behind—not just their magic, which we are each marked for, but their stars. Just as you can use the planets to assist in your spellwork, you can use Miriam’s stars. Each star presents its own energy, and attuning to the star of your Cast can help you perform spells with great precision.”
Lena’s hand shot up. “How do we attune to the star?”
“When your Cast star is visible in the night sky, sit outside under the stars and meditate,” Professor Loren said. “Focus on the star’s location above you, and you should feel a connection, like a rope pulling you toward the star. That’s its energy shining down upon you. Draw upon it to cast your spell. Alchemists use this technique often by waiting to brew difficult potions at night, when they can focus their magic using their star, Maud. Don’t worry if you don’t feel a connection the first try. It can be a difficult task to master. I suggest you begin working with your star on clear nights, when its power is easiest to access.”
