Black Moon (The Moonlight Trilogy) Read Online Free PDF Page B

wanted to smile, but something in the tone of the gasp and the uneasy silence that followed turned his mouth down instead.
    Darby’s eyes were wide, but she wasn’t looking at the table. He followed her gaze. The extra candles in the box Elliot had brought in were floating midair above it, all brightly lit. A few random candles sitting on the kitchen counter also burned. The group moved robotically into the front living room, where several other candles on the mantle and bookshelves were lit.
    Simon’s heart thudded uncomfortably. Someone whispered, “All the candles in the house!” His hands turned cold, his throat dry. The candles hovering in the air fell to the floor and the rest puffed out. He said, “I didn’t mean to.”
    Collectively, the other witches turned to him, shock and a sliver of fear marking their faces. He’d seen that look before; he hated that look. Willa stepped next to him, slipped her hand in his and held on tightly.
    Willa wished everyone would stop looking at Simon like he’d burned down the house instead of lit a few extra candles. His hand was stiff in hers, his eyes looking toward the side door. He’d demonstrated superior abilities in training before, but this was the most shocking . . . since the cave, of course.
    Rowan moved toward them.
    “I’m sorry,” Simon blurted out.
    Rowan shook his head, smiling. “Don’t be. I’m impressed.”
    Simon looked around the room. “No, you’re all nervous. I can feel it.”
    “It’s just unexpected,” Rowan soothed. “But there’s nothing to feel worried about. You are learning. Learning includes mistakes and missteps. This is just proof of your exceptional skills.”
    “Exceptional is just another word for abnormal.”
    “No, it’s not,” Wynter said firmly.
    Simon plowed a hand through his hair, finally looked at Willa. “I didn’t mean to.”
    That bothered him the most. Simon did everything deliberately. She placed a hand on his arm, held his eyes. “I know. It’s okay. It’s just a few extra candles.”
    Rowan added, “Control will come with time, Simon.”
    “But how do I control something I don’t understand? We don’t know why I’m like this. How do we solve a problem that doesn’t have a source?”
    Wynter took a step closer. “I’m working on it. I’ve been reading all the grimoires we have, and asking around. It’s slow going, but I promise we will find a way to help you.”
    Willa gripped Simon’s wrist in a reassuring gesture. “We’ll find out why.”
    “But what if we can’t? And what do I do until then?”
    Rowan answered, “We do our best to help you learn how to handle it. It will take extra effort on your part, especially as we get into more serious magic. Can you do that?”
    Simon exhaled, nodded. “Yeah, okay.”
    Rowan nodded. “Good. I think that is enough for tonight. Go home, get some rest.”
    Simon nodded again, looked to the door again.
    “I’ll go get our stuff,” Willa offered.
    A few minutes later, the couple was parked outside Willa’s house, the heater finally warming up the frigid car. Simon had his arm propped on the back of the seat, lazily twirling one of Willa’s curls around his finger. She could tell by the creases in his forehead that he was still thinking about the candles.
    “I know you hate this question, but are you sure you’re okay?” she asked.
    He gave half a smile. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. It wasn’t that big a deal.”
    “You suck at lying,” she smiled back.
    The half-smile spread. “I know.” He tugged gently on her hair. “I just don’t want it to get worse, you know?”
    “Yeah, I know. But why would it get worse? If anything, you’ll get better at controlling it.”
    “I hope so.”
    Willa studied the worry on his face. Do I dare ask? She wetted her lips. “Anything else you want to talk about?” He’d know exactly what she meant, and she couldn’t help feeling that she’d breeched some code of their relationship in asking. She held