Julian The Arcana Novels & Stories

She's often possessed; I hope you won't be surprised if she suddenly behaves unusually," Julian whispered in Julie's ear. "Why did you bring her here? It's ridiculous," Julie replied no less quietly. "She's trustworthy, and she's still a descendant of the five great witches." "I only trust you, Julian." "And I need your expertise to break into Dad's cupboard." "Hahaha, you're so funny." "So, can we get started?" Joan looked straight at Julie. Her grey eyes seemed to be searching for an answer to the question Julian had asked her. She nodded and took a step back. Joan reached into a leather pouch from her waist bag and took out a jar containing a white powder.

But a minute later, it creaked open, and a figure stepped in, moving with the quiet assurance of someone who knew every inch of the place. He wore a dark coat, his face obscured by the hood. As he approached, he pulled it back, revealing a sharp gaze beneath a low brow, studying me intently. “Elijah Sinclair,” he said, his voice low and measured. “I’m Julian from The Arcane Network. I understand Adrian has referred us to you.” I stood, extending a hand, but he merely gestured for me to sit again. “We keep things… discreet here. The less you know about us, the safer you’ll be.”

To be fully protected by The Arc, the room must be fully enclosed. The Arc is common in Elenio and can be obtained easily. The government produces The Arc through one of the Archturian divisions and distributes it throughout Elenio. The Arc has almost the same energy as the sun, which prevents Draconians from entering the places that The Arc has given them. So there’s no way this place doesn’t have The Arc due to the difficulty of getting one. Unless they purposely didn’t install it because they wanted to die. “Tonight we will prove it.”

was all I could manage. He reached for my hand, his touch gentle. “Just tell me, Jules. It doesn’t change anything. I only want to know so I can protect you from her. Not that you can’t protect yourself, but your powers are still new, and I don’t want you getting caught in the wrong hands.” I took a deep breath, feeling the air burn my lungs. “My real name is Julian,” I said softly, my voice trembling. “And I’m the daughter of the late Alpha Cane.”

When Julian finally glanced back, the look in his eyes told Jace everything he needed to know. Julian stayed slouched against the sofa, one arm draped along the backrest, the other pressed hard against his temple as though that might ease the storm in his head.“The truth is…” His voice came low, “I haven’t been able to get her out of my head. Even my wolf—he’s smitten. He recoils at the very sight of Elara.” He gave a humorless laugh, sharp as glass. “It has to be because of the rut. I’ve never rutted any female before. My wolf’s…confused. That’s all.”

I added. What other perfect ways were there to get rid of Julian?

Thunderheads bruise the sky beyond the treeline—just heat lightning now, but the pressure feels like a held breath. And somewhere inside this house is Julian. She hasn’t seen him in person since the holidays, just a few photos her mom had posted on F******k before disappearing to Europe for the summer. Grace had zoomed in on them more times than she’d admit. Julian with his button-down sleeves rolled, scotch in hand, that unreadable half-smile curving his mouth. A little more gray at the temples, maybe, but still the same lean body, the same shoulders that seem too broad to belong to a man who prefers books to sports.

He dropped something in the dirt between them. A scroll. Victor’s eyes flicked to it, then to Julian. “What is that?” Julian didn’t answer. Emilia bent, picked it up. She unrolled the parchment. Inside, a map. Coordinates. Names. Symbols she recognized from the Hollowborn altar—Victor’s next targets. She looked at Julian. He gave one small nod. Victor caught it. “Traitor,” he snarled. “Visionary,” Julian replied. “She’s not your legacy, Victor. She’s your undoing.”

Which worried me a bit because Julian wasn't easily rattled. "Something's off." “Exactly what I’m saying, that woman isn’t acting like she’s trying to protect her daughter.” I said. “No, I meant something else is off.” He stood and walked toward a table covered in papers. “What’s that?” I followed to Julian’s table which was filled with maps, notes, reports - the usual mess he made. "I've been looking into Crescent Moon." He said. My attention sharpened instantly. "What did you find?" "Missing records."