Chapter Eight
“Maeve.”
The sound of my name, low and rough, dragged me from the tangled edges of sleep. My eyes snapped open, disoriented by the unfamiliar space. Nova and Stella were nowhere to be seen.
Soft gray light filtered through the curtains, and the faint scent of cedar and something darker, like worn leather warmed by the sun, swirled into my senses. I rubbed my neck ache from the awkward angle I’d spent slumped in a chair I didn’t remember sitting in.
Keegan took two steps from the bed and stood in front of me. He crossed his arms over his chest, and his sharp eyes studied me like I was a puzzle he couldn’t entirely solve.
The early light cut across his face and traced the hard line of his jaw, shadowing the hollow beneath his cheekbones. He looked a little thinner than when I’d gone into the Academy. But still strong. Still muscular.
His dark hair was tousled like he’d run his hands through it one too many times.
“You’re awake,” I mumbled, my voice thick with sleep, as if stating the obvious would anchor me to the moment.
His brow lifted slightly, a subtle arch that managed to say a dozen things at once—none of which I could fully decipher.
“Didn’t realize my chair was so comfortable.” A smirk spread across his face. “Or that you knew where I lived.”
I sat up straighter as heat crept into my face. The chair groaned slightly under the shift of my weight, betraying my attempt to be casual.
“I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I was just…waiting.”
“For me?”
The question hung between us, simple in words but weighted in meaning. I nodded because it was the truth, and Keegan had always seemed like the kind of man who’d prefer that over anything else.
“Nova came to the Academy and got me.” I let out a low and steady breath. “I had no idea…”
He didn’t respond right away.
Instead, he uncrossed his arms and stepped closer. The floor creaked softly under his feet.
I could see more details now. The faint shadow of stubble along his jaw, a thin white scar that curved just above his left eyebrow that I’d never noticed before, the way his fingers curled slightly like he wasn’t sure what to do with them.
There was so much thrashing around inside of me, but I didn’t know where to begin. He’d never told me how much the curse had destroyed his life. That he…
My gaze fell to the floor.
“You didn’t have to come,” he said finally, his voice quieter now. The rough edges of his tone smoothed by something softer. “I always manage to get through it.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
His brows quirked in surprise. “Tell you what in particular?”
“That you’re a…shifter.”
Keegan’s eyes darkened, and he shook his head. “I’m not.”
“But I saw—”
“You saw the curse.” His voice flattened. “The clans betrayed this village…the Academy. I’m not one of them. It’s why I fight so hard against it. I refuse to be lumped into a class that betrays and abandons those in need.”
I swallowed, unsure how to explain the restless pull that had brought me here, that had kept me anchored to this chair long after it became uncomfortable.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d come back.”
Keegan’s gaze sharpened, and something flickered behind his eyes. “I always come back.”
But for how long? The question pressed against the back of my throat, but I didn’t ask it. Instead, I let the silence stretch between us, thick and fuzzy, filled with all the things we weren’t saying.
“And when could I tell you? You’ve had so much thrown at you in a very short time. Can you imagine what would have happened if I had told you the night I gave you the envelope? You’d have run away from here so quickly. Or how about the night we were in battle? You’d just lived something you didn’t even know existed.” His voice sounded stern but also resigned with regret. “My issue is the least of things.”
Typical Keegan.
“I don’t agree with that,” I said softly. “What you’re going through…what you’ve been through makes me want this curse to end even more now.”
His jaw clenched, and he shook his head. “I’m more concerned with Stonewick and…”
I interrupted him. “And that’s why you’re their leader.”
“I’m no one’s leader, Maeve.” His eyes drifted over me. His gaze lingered on my sweater's faint crease from where it bunched under my arm, the indentation on my skin from the chair’s seam. “You okay?”
The question was simple, but it hit me harder than I expected. Maybe, because no one had asked me that in a while—not like they meant it.
I nodded, then shook my head. “I don’t know.”
Keegan’s mouth twitched, not quite a smile, but close enough. “Honest. I like that.”
“I’m better now that you’re awake.” I shook my head. “But I feel absolutely helpless and so ignorant. How could I not have known you…”
“The curse attempts to shift me to what I once was, but I chose a different path.”
“But it’s in you.”
His gaze dropped down to Frank, and he sighed. “I’ve fought for several decades. I made it, and I don’t have to worry about it for another ten years.”
“If we find a way to break the curse, what happens?”
Keegan didn’t answer. He just sat in the chair across from me, leaning back like he had all the time in the world. But his eyes—those sharp, searching eyes—never left me.
The silence between us had settled into something comfortable, like the softness of a blanket. Keegan sat across from me with one leg stretched out. His gaze flicked to me occasionally, not sharp or probing anymore—just…there.
Steady.
I was about to say something when the door burst open with the force of a minor hurricane.
“Hope nobody’s naked!” Stella’s voice preceded her as she barreled into the room, balancing a plate of muffins in one hand and a teapot in the other. She skidded to a dramatic stop when she saw Keegan sitting in the chair, his expression shifting from amused to vaguely startled.
“I thought I heard your voice,” Stella said, her eyes narrowing with mock suspicion. “Look who’s upright and breathing. Good thing I didn’t bring the batch of dog treats I baked. You know, just in case the curse finally got the best of you.”
Keegan chuckled, the sound low and warm.
A crooked smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. “You made dog treats for me? Ah, how sweet.”
“Figured if you’d turned into something cursed and drooling, I’d still be able to lure you in with snacks if you escaped.” She glanced at Frank. “I guess Frank’s the lucky boy now.”
“You’re something else,” Keegan said, laughing. “What faith you have in my abilities.”
“I just like always to be prepared, and who wouldn’t love a fresh batch of pumpkin dog biscuits?” She eyed Keegan. “Too soon?”
Keegan shook his head, that smirk lingering like it had no intention of leaving.
“Always,” Keegan shot back, winking at me.
Nova appeared in the doorway before I could recover from the sudden shift in the atmosphere.
Her steps slowed as her eyes landed on Keegan. Relief washed over her face like a tide, softening the edges of her usually composed expression.
“You’re awake,” Nova said slowly. Her gaze darted between Keegan and me as if trying to solve a puzzle she hadn’t been prepared for. Her brow furrowed slightly, curiosity flickering there. “You’ve never awakened this soon after one of these incidents.”
Keegan’s eyes slid to mine, locking in a way that made my heart do an unhelpful little flip. His eyes held deep concern, something unspoken but heavy with meaning.
“Maybe Maeve’s my good luck charm.” He kept his gaze on me.
I didn’t want to admit that the words wrapped around me like a whispered spell and gave me hope that I’d found my people.
I opened my mouth to respond—something witty, maybe, or deflective—but all that came out was a chortled cough.
Stella snorted, reaching for a muffin. “Took Maeve by surprise, I see. Always good to keep her on her toes.”
Keegan chuckled again, and the sound curled around me like smoke, lingering long after it faded. I didn’t understand the feelings that were suddenly bathing me in confusion.
Typically, Keegan would give me a cold stare or a vague answer, and I’d be rightfully annoyed. But now, I just wanted to bask in him returning to normal.
Maybe that was all it had to do with…almost losing him.
Nova moved farther into the room with a softening expression as she took in the easy banter.
“Seriously though,” Nova said, her tone shifting back to its usual calm authority, “this is unusual. You should still be recovering.”
Keegan shrugged, the movement casual but deliberate. “Maybe I’m just evolving.”
“Don’t get too cocky,” Nova warned.
“Or maybe Maeve’s secretly a magical healer,” Stella added, waving a muffin in my direction like it was a wand. “Do you glow in the dark? Because that would be super useful, too.”
I laughed, and the sound surprised me with how natural it felt.
“No glowing as of yet.”
Keegan’s eyes crinkled at the corners and his smile lingered just a heartbeat longer than necessary before he reached for a muffin, tearing it in half with an absentminded grace.
Nova, still clearly processing, perched on the arm of the chair Keegan occupied. “Whatever it is, I’m not questioning it too hard. I’m just glad you’re okay.”
Keegan nodded, and his gaze dropped to the crumbs on his palm. “Yeah. Me too.”
I sipped the tea Stella had poured without asking. Its attributes soothed me as the room settled into the quietness I needed.
Something about Keegan’s presence—solid and steady—made everything else fade into the background. Even the strange, magical threads that wove through my life now seemed less overwhelming with him nearby.
After a few beats of silence, Stella clapped her hands together, startling us all. “Well, I don’t know about you two, but I vote for more muffins and fewer near-death experiences.”
Nova laughed softly, shaking her head. “Agreed.”
Keegan glanced at me again, his eyes softer this time, like the walls he kept so carefully in place had thinned just enough for me to see through. There was something fragile and real there, which made my heart ache in a way I didn’t understand.
But I wanted to.
I wanted to understand all of it.
Him.
The curse.
The village.
The magic.
This connection felt like it had been stitched into the fabric of my life when I wasn’t looking.
Maybe I was his good luck charm.
But the truth was, he felt a lot like mine, too.
Keegan leaned back in his chair, the half-eaten muffin forgotten in his hand. His gaze found mine, piercing and curious but softer around the edges than usual.
“So,” he said, voice low and steady, “how was the Academy? Anything… happen?”
My fingers tightened around the warm mug in my lap, the tea long since gone lukewarm.
How could I explain it? The Academy wasn’t just a place—it was alive, woven into the fabric of my magic, history, and sense of self. And what had happened there wasn’t something small or casual.
It was everything.
But they knew that, didn’t they?
I glanced at Stella and Nova. Both watched me, their expressions open but expectant.
Keegan’s gaze, though, was something different. It wasn’t just curiosity. It was layered—concern, hope, maybe even fear stitched into the edges. I hesitated, my heart thudding with the weight of what I needed to say.
“I…” My voice came out quieter than I intended. I cleared my throat and tried again. “I made a vow to the Academy.”
The words hung in the air, crisp and final.
Keegan’s eyes widened slightly, something flickering behind them—relief? Recognition? Maybe both. Then, slowly, a smile stretched across his lips, not the usual quick, fleeting smirk, but something deeper, something real.
He didn’t say anything.
Instead, he glanced at Frank, who was curled up at my feet, snoring softly, utterly oblivious to the magnitude of the moment.
Stella blinked, setting down her half-eaten muffin with exaggerated slowness.
“A vow? Like, capital-V Vow? With magical consequences that tie you to Stonewick?”
I nodded, my throat tight. “Yeah. That kind of vow.”
Nova leaned forward. “Maeve, that’s… not a small thing.”
“I know,” I whispered. “Grandma Elira walked me through it.”
The truth was, I hadn’t been sure when—or if—I should tell them.
Keegan had been through so much already, his life shaped and scarred by the place I’d now bound myself to. But as I looked at him, that faint smile lingering like an ember refusing to die out, I realized this was precisely why I needed to tell him. This was what he’d fought for, what he’d survived for.
And somehow, without meaning to, I’d become part of that story.
Even though I didn’t even minutely understand my role in all this, I wanted to provide hope.
As silence hung in the air, exhaustion hit me all at once, like my body had been holding it off just long enough to get the words out.
My limbs turned heavy, and my mind fogged with the weight of everything unsaid.
“I think I need to lie down,” I murmured, pushing myself up from the chair. My legs protested, shaky and uncertain, but I managed to stand.
I expected Frank to stay with Keegan, especially after everything Keegan had just been through. But the moment I moved, Frank’s head popped up. With a soft grunt, he scrambled to his feet.
His sturdy little body trotted after me like it was the most natural thing in the world.
I glanced down, surprised. “You’re coming with me?”
Keegan stood. “Let me come.”
I shook my head. “No, I think I just need a nap. I’ll be fine.”
Frank snorted, his wrinkled face set in what I could only interpret as mild judgment. Of course I am, that snort seemed to say.
I managed a tired smile and hugged Stella and Nova while Keegan looked on. I thought better of hugging him with all the confusing emotions churning through me mixed with exhaustion.
As Frank and I entered the cool evening air, the fading light created long shadows across the path.
I stole one last glance over my shoulder, and Keegan stood in the doorway. His eyes followed me, and for the first time, I didn’t feel like I was walking away from something—I felt like I was walking toward it.