Free Spellbound (the Spellbound Series Book 1) by Rene Lanausse Page B

satisfied that I won’t kill anyone with my poor aim. It’s slow going at first, but by Friday, I can hit almost all of the targets eight times out of ten. Krystal determines that as long as what I’m trying to hit is standing still, I’ll be fine. Next week, I’ll start learning elemental spells, and I’m excited beyond words. I’ll finally be learning something that can be used in a fight.
    Nick walks me home after Krystal gives me the okay to leave, as always. His fingers slip between mine, and it feels like we’ve entered our own world again. It’s warm enough now that I don’t need gloves, but still cold enough for me to see my own breath. For the first time, I wish Nick’s temperature wasn’t dependant on his surroundings; I’m sorely tempted to hold him closer for warmth, but his body offers none.
    We stop in front of my building to say goodnight, and Nick asks me what I’m doing tomorrow. I want to say nothing, but I remember that tomorrow night is the full moon. “Crap, I have to go to that counseling thing with Rachel tomorrow.”
    “Oh right, Landon’s support group.”
    “Yeah, I promised I would go with her.”
    “Cool. I’ve gone to a couple of meetings before, they’re usually pretty interesting.”
    Before I can stop myself, I say, “You can come with us, if you like.” I immediately regret letting that slip out; now he probably thinks I’m desperate to spend time with him. In reality, I just don’t want to be the only non-werewolf in attendance.
    Thankfully, Nick doesn’t question my motives. He just says, “I’d love to,” and kisses me on the forehead like he always does at the end of the night now. “I’ll meet you there. Goodnight!”
    I plant a tiny kiss on his cheek, like always, and whisper back, “Goodnight,” before stepping into my building.
    The next day, Rachel comes over a couple of hours before the meeting is set to begin. She’s already looking a little worse for wear; she doesn’t seem to have slept at all. When I ask her if she’s alright, she says, “Yeah, mostly. I was up all night working on a paper that should have been handed in yesterday. Emailed it just after 5 A.M.”
    “Well, geez,” I mutter, “tonight is gonna be especially rough for you then.”
    “You have no idea. Werewolves are bad enough… a tired, cranky werewolf just might eat your whole family.”
    She’s joking. At least, I hope she is.
    The address on the card Rachel has is somewhere in Queens, so we leave an hour or so before the meeting is scheduled to start. The trains are mercifully empty, which is pretty surprising for a sunny, mildly warm Saturday afternoon. We arrive at the address in Flushing, Queens about fifteen minutes before 4 PM. The building turns out to be pretty short, only two floors, and gray both inside and out. There are a few people already in the appointed room, some chatting and nibbling on the free sandwiches, some sitting quietly and reading. More people show as it gets closer to 4, including Nick and Landon, the former of which gives me a hello kiss before taking the seat on my left.
    Finally, it’s time to start, and a tall, dark skinned man in his forties walks into the room. Unlike everyone else, he’s dressed up for the occasion, sporting a midnight blue suit with a red cravat. At his request, we move the chairs into a circle, and he addresses the group. “Good evening everyone, glad you all found the place alright. For the fresh faces we have here tonight, my name is Doctor Lucian, and I have been a werewolf for roughly seventeen years. Before we start, I’d like to go around the room and have everyone introduce themselves to the group. First name and your nature, please.”
    For a moment, I have no idea what he meant by “nature”, and then the young man to Doctor Lucian’s left says, “My name is Amaury, and I’m a werewolf.” The introductions continue, with the person to the left always speaking next, and only a few stand out; Kamal, a