The Blood Moon Twins
Chapter 102

REMY

"Before we get started, I have a question for you," I said. I felt nervous with how this interaction began, but if Blade had the courage to stand up for me, I wanted to have the courage to ask about his magic. Cain paused and raised his eyebrows. "What is your question? Make it quick. We don't have a lot of time before your parents insist on leaving."

"Blade's mother was a sorcerer, but he doesn't remember ever feeling his magic, and he can't use it. Is there a reason for this? Is there a way we can awaken his magic?" I spoke too fast to breathe in between sentences, and I felt out of breath after the questions. I knew part of that was due to nerves.

Cain turned his attention back to Blade and looked him up and down. "Now that you mention it, I don't sense any magic from you. Are you sure your mother was a sorcerer?"

"She was," I answered for Blade. I knew his mother was still a difficult topic for him, and I didn't want to subject him to that.

Cain hummed, pondering my question. He looked at Blade again. "You have never felt your magic?"

"Not that I can remember. I didn't know the truth about my heritage until recently though," Blade explained.

"I see. If you are sure your mother was a sorcerer, there are a couple of things that could explain the absence of your magic. Someone could have suppressed your magic at a young age to stop it from ever growing in power, but typically when magic is merely suppressed, you can still feel a flicker of the magic stirring inside of you."

Cain didn't realize it, but he was describing my situation. I had felt my magic at a young age, but I hadn't been able to do much with it at all. I still knew it was present, though, so I was pretty confident this wasn't the case for Blade. "Another possibility is that you repressed your magic as a way to protect yourself. This is what happened with Adira, so it wasn't until she neared her twenty-first birthday that she even realized she had magic. How old are you, Blade?" "Physically or how long have I been alive? Because those are two different answers," Blade said.

"I suppose physically, but knowing both wouldn't hurt," Cain said. "I don't actually know much about how vampires age."

"I stopped aging when I was about twenty," Blade said. "I've been alive for twenty-four years, though. Vampires who were created by another vampire don't typically age. They become frozen at the age they are turned. Vampires who were born vampires are different. They stop aging when they are fully grown, which can vary from vampire to vampire from what I understand. Born vampires aren't very common though, since vampires typically lose the ability to reproduce."

Cain nodded his head. "That could explain your lack of magic. If your body never reached the age of twenty-one, your magic could be frozen."

"Is there a way to unfreeze it?" I quickly asked.

"It is possible to force a magic awakening. The Council of Magic did that to Caulder. I wouldn't recommend it, though. It is painful, and it often leads to death, especially if the magic user isn't very strong," Cain said. "It's a testament to your brother's strength that he survived what the Council of Magic did to him."

"So that's it. My magic will forever lie dormant?" Blade asked. The disappointment was evident in his voice.

"It's possible if that's the case, unless you figure out another way to awaken the magic. There's one more option I can think of, though," Cain said. "If someone took your magic from you, it would explain your lack of magic as well. Is there anyone in your life that would want to take that power away from you?"

Blade's body tensed at the question. "I can think of someone who would want to take that from me."

I knew he was thinking about his father. From what little I knew about the man, he was cruel and uncaring. Blade was seen as a product for power-not a child of love. I wouldn't have been surprised if his father took his magic away just to make sure Blade stayed in check.

As I looked at Blade, I had a feeling he was thinking the same thing, and it made my heart ache. I just wanted to take all of his pain away. I wanted him to know that despite how he was treated as a child, he was special, especially to me, but it felt like words would never be enough to convey what I wanted to.

"If possible, you should try to replace out if that person actually took your magic. Until you know what happened to it, there is no guaranteed way to regain your magic," Cain said.

"But it's possible to?" Blade asked. He looked desperate for the little bit of hope Cain could provide him with a simple yes to his question.

"It's possible," Cain said slowly. "But it's not a guarantee."

"The possibility is all I need for now. I'll see what I can figure out." Blade was still stressed, but I could feel the little bit of hope stirring inside of him.

"If you do regain your magic, just be careful with the prophecy. I know you don't think it's my place to comment on this, but there's a chance the prophecy isn't triggering because you currently lack your magic. That change could be enough to trigger the prophecy, which could change everyone's lives, so just tread with caution," Cain pointed out.

As much as I hated what he was saying, I couldn't argue with his logic. Magic seemed to be the commonality between the Daughter of Moon and Magic and the Son of Blood and Magic, so if Blade and I were truly meant to trigger the prophecy, him lacking magic could have been the reason nothing had happened so far.

-

CAULDER

I woke up feeling lighter and happier than I had in a long time. Harper was still wrapped in my arms, and it made me want to stay in bed for the rest of eternity, but I knew I had minutes at best. I could hear my parents packing, and the moment they heard me, they would ask me to help. I wasn't ready to get up quite yet, so I kept my eyes closed and snuggled into Harper.

Her birthday was tomorrow, which meant her mate bond would fully emerge. She would finally feel what I had been feeling for her, and I was excited to share the experience with her. I was excited about not holding back from her, making her my own. No one would ever question my loyalty to her again, and she would be my everything.

"Any updates from Reyland?" I heard my mother ask.

"He said that last night was quiet and nothing happened, so we should take our time," my father said. They were speaking in a hushed tone, trying not to wake us up.

"That's a good thing, isn't it?"

"It sounds like it would be, but that almost makes me nervous. Why would they be quiet all of a sudden?"

"Maybe they realized it wasn't worth it. Remy did say her vision predicted the battle on the night of the Blood Moon. That's not for a few more months."

"Maybe, but my gut is telling me it's not going to be that easy."

As I listened to the conversation, I couldn't keep my eyes closed any longer. Harper had caught me up on what was going on with Draven and the vampires, and the idea of them lingering around the pack made me nervous, especially after what happened with Darian. His death still didn't feel real to me, and I wasn't sure if it would until I was back in the pack, and he wasn't there.

"Is there anything I can do?" I asked. I carefully moved away from Harper, not wanting to disturb her sleep.

"We're almost done here. Why don't you get Blade and Remy? It's almost time for us to leave," my mother quickly said. "Sure thing." I grabbed some clean clothes and quickly changed before going out to replace Remy.

She had invited me to come train with her in the morning, and I knew I should have joined her, but it had been difficult to get out of bed. I knew it wasn't a great excuse, but after being trapped for nearly a month with little hope of escaping and seeing my family again, mentally it had been a struggle to get up and do anything but hold Harper.

It was still early, and there was a slight chill in the air, even though summer was just around the corner. The village was calm as I walked through it, and it seemed like most sorcerers hadn't started their days yet. I wasn't too surprised after how much I heard they were drinking at their festival last night. I hadn't joined them, but I could hear the shouts and laughter late into the night from the guest house we had been provided.

Remy was in the middle of the clearing, facing Cain. Her head was hanging down, and even from this distance, I could feel her frustration exploding from her. I watched carefully as I approached, shoving my hands into my pockets. She stood there, curling and uncurling her fingers, and I knew the training wasn't going the way she wanted. It made me not want to approach her and tell her it was almost time to go.

Blade was the first one to notice me, and he did a quick upward nod to acknowledge my presence. Then his frown slowly sank in. He knew as well as I did that Remy's frustration was about to grow exponentially.

I took the final steps towards Remy and placed my hand on her shoulder. She instantly jumped, and when she saw me, she frowned even more.

"No, we can't leave yet. I just need a few more minutes. I feel like I'm on the verge of figuring this out," Remy said, desperation filling the air.