Magic Unbound: A New Adult Urban Fantasy Novel (Touched By Magic: Dragon Book 1)

by Ashley Meira

  “We’re good, right?” she said softly so no one else could hear. “I mean, after we got back from Arcadia…. What I said—”

  “We’re good.” I pulled her back into a hug and squeezed tight, inhaling the foreign scent of her soap.

  The cotton candy scent of her magic usually overwhelmed any other smell, but now that I couldn’t sense it, I had a chance to appreciate the soft aroma of the cherry blossom soap she insisted on buying even though it cost ten bucks more than the other stuff available.

  We embraced a few moments longer before pulling away. Fiona gave me a warm, sheepish smile that I returned. Then, the others swarmed around me, their greetings and kind words mixing together as they spoke at once. Eventually, we all sat in the booth, though they never stopped speaking. Apparently, they thought being louder than everyone else would make them the winner.

  In the end, it wouldn’t have mattered, because I stopped listening the moment I’d gotten used to the noise. Watching them gathered around me was familiar, yet all it did was remind me of everything that was gone. Symeon was sitting across from me being his usual charming yet annoying self, but there was no fresh spray of ocean water brushing across my face. His magic was there. It had to be, but I couldn’t sense it.

  Adrienne was rolling her eyes at the way he and Fiona were bickering, but the taste of blueberries was absent. Even the people littered around the cafe were unreadable. The thin, blue haired woman near the counter was a new regular. She’d moved to Santa Fae six months ago. I used to feel her magic prickle against my skin whenever I saw her, a mix of our world with the remnants of Arcadia.

  Now, there was nothing.

  Warmth surrounded my shoulders, jolting me back into reality. I looked up and saw the upturned corners of Adam’s lips as he smiled at something Fiona had said. He was right beside me, his arm around my shoulder, strong and warm, but I still felt hollow.

  I turned toward him, my senses on high alert. But there was nothing. No strong pine-fresh smell, no soothing taste of vanilla against my tongue. Just the subtle scent of the cologne I’d noticed before the Inquisitors had taken me. I remembered how awful I’d felt then, like I was dying. I didn’t think anything would feel worse than that. But living past that feeling, existing in this world without my Fire, without that inherent part of me….

  It was worse than death.

  “Where is Ollie, anyway?” Fiona asked as she looked around the room. “Shouldn’t he be here fussing worse than the rest of us?”

  “He’s making me lunch,” I said, forcing myself back into the present. If I wanted to feel sorry for myself, I could do it when my friends weren’t around to notice. The last thing I needed was to explain all of this to them. Just imagining the looks of pity on their faces was enough to make me scream. “He fussed a lot before you all got here, though.”

  “Had to get it all out of his system before Fiona arrived, I imagine,” Symeon said. “He’s probably using cooking as an excuse to hide from her. So brutish for such a delicate looking thing.”

  “First of all, I’m not a thing,” Fiona huffed. “Second of all, you’re probably into that.”

  “Darling, if you want to know what I’m into—”

  “Gross,” she said.

  “Lovely.” He turned to me. “You’re both prudes.”

  “I’m not a prude,” she said. “I’m just not into ancient guys.”

  Symeon’s eyes grew three times their size and his brows disappeared into his hair line. “Excuse me?”

  “Oh goodness,” Adrienne sighed, rubbing her temples. “Here we go.”

  “It couldn’t possibly be worse than the scene he just made during the Council meeting,” Adam said.

  She arched a brow. “Wanna bet?”

  “I wouldn’t take it,” I said. “He’s a siren. And with as vain as he is, calling him old will probably cause him to hit an octave that hasn’t been invented yet.”

  “Stop it.” Ollie made his way toward us, a plate of something that smelled sinfully delicious in his hands. “I have no idea what’s going on, but Symeon looks like he’s about to destroy the entire block, so cut it out.”

  Fiona shrugged, every muscle in her face struggling to keep her expression disinterested. “I’m just saying—”

  “I am not old,” Symeon snapped, his usual pallid complexion flushed. He turned to us, the white in his eyes replaced with an abyssal black. It reminded me of Cordelia, the sea witch we met, and her pitch black gaze. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. When I had my powers, I was safe from any magical outbursts. Now, I felt more naked than ever before. “You tell me, then: how old do I look? Hm? Barely a day over thirty. If even that!”

  “Look,” Fiona repeated, apparently unfazed by what was now likely certain death. “Fairies aren’t the only ones who can mask their true age.”

  “Indeed,” Symeon sneered. “You’re probably older than I am.”

  “The world probably isn’t older than you are.”

  “I didn’t survive a month in prison just to be murdered by one of my friends,” I said, resisting the urge to dig into the steak placed before me. I grabbed the cup of apple juice beside it and sipped slowly, trying to convince myself that my knife and fork were tools, not obstacles. “Knock it off. You don’t look old.”

  “Thank you,” he said tersely. The flush stayed on his face, however, and his eyes remained pitch black as he glared at my sister. Then, a moment later, it all faded as he whipped around to look at me, lips curved in a smirk. “Did you just call me your friend?”

  “No,” I said immediately, shoving a piece of meat into my mouth. Sweet lord in heaven. “Ollie, marry me.”

  “Pass,” he said, hazel eyes beaming with pride as he watched me devour my food. “Your boyfriend would kill me.”

  I froze mid-bite, but it was short lived. I’d gone too long without proper food to let embarrassment stop me. I did feel bad, though. Any notice I’d paid to Adam had been marginalized. First, he was part of my inner circle coming to greet me. Then, he was a familiar figure whose magic I could no longer sense. My mind hadn’t put it together that, hey, this was my Adam.

  Symeon “tsk’d” at me. “Now, now, darling, don’t go changing the subject. It’s perfectly all right to consider us friends. I can’t even begin to imagine the honor you must feel—”

  “Don’t make me stab you,” I warned.

  “Old people always run their mouths,” Fiona said lazily.

  Symeon turned to her, a deep frown fighting its way onto his usually amicable face. Adrienne quickly pulled him back and moved to sit between them. I watched the show for a few seconds, wondering if my sister had gone crazy while I was gone.

  But Symeon said something that turned the tables on her and smirked in satisfaction as her face turned so red it blended into her hair. Adrienne’s eyes widened at the things Fiona was threatening to do to various parts of his body, but I figured she could handle them if things got out of hand. If not, at least I’d have a great final meal.

  My fork scraped against the empty plate. Damn it. I’d had a great final meal.

  “I’ll get you more food,” Ollie said warmly, taking my plate away. “And maybe some heavy duty sedatives for these two.”

  I nodded as Fiona leapt for Symeon only to be smacked in the head by Adrienne’s clutch.

  The nereid waved her clutch threateningly. “Knock it off, both of you. Why don’t we go look at what pastries are on sale, hm? My treat.”

  “We’re not children you can bribe with cake.” Fiona crossed her arms. “….You paying for one or as many as we want?”

  Adrienne rolled her eyes. “Just go.”

  “You’re not eyeing that cream puff are you?” Symeon drawled as he followed behind the two women. “A moment on the lips—”

  “Hey,” Fiona said menacingly. “Have you ever been assaulted by pie before?”

  “Yes, actually.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “I hate you.”

  “Why?
It’s not my fault your threats fall flat.”

  “Forget it,” Adrienne threw up her arms. “You two can pay for yourselves.”

  “Hey!”

  “Literally nothing has changed,” I mused before sipping my drink with a content sigh. Geez, who knew how delicious simple juice could be?

  “I don’t know,” Adam said, lacing our fingers together. “I’ve certainly felt the difference.”

  Heat consumed my face, and I tried to hide behind my glass. Shit. Awkward. “That’s not what I meant. I missed you. A lot.”

  “Me too.” He brought my hand up and pressed a kiss to the back of it. “For a while I was worried you met someone new in prison.”

  I snorted. “With your Witch Mode pictures taped to my wall? Never.”

  “Sweaty men building houses in Africa is what does it for you, huh?”

  “Actually, it was just the cover. You know, the one where Damien is shirtless? I pasted your face over his and hung it up.”

  It was his turn to snort. “If I weren’t so jealous, I’d tell him just so he could torture you about it.”

  “Jealous?”

  He rolled a large shoulder and met my eyes. “I’m man enough to own it.”

  I swallowed thickly, trying to remember how to speak. Those damn molten gray eyes were going to be the end of me. “Well, don’t worry. They didn’t let me hang anything in my cell. By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask someone: is it still considered a cell if there are no bars — or windows?”

  My question hit him with a hard does of reality, and his lighthearted expression dropped into a deep, uncomfortable frown. He sighed. “How are you? Really.”

  “Fine,” I said, unable to force an unconcerned shrug into the mix. “I tolerated seeing you almost every day for three months — prison is a cakewalk after that.”

  Half his mouth quirked up, but it felt forced. “Does that make me a veritable god for handling you?”

  “Don’t sass me,” I huffed. “I’m not taking attitude from someone who didn’t even bother to pick me up.”

  His smile faded once more, and he looked away from me. I wanted to say something to diffuse the situation, but despite all my self-denial, it really did upset me that he hadn’t been there.

  The others I understood — they didn’t have the same kind of pull that he did. And I doubt they’d have been told they could visit last week after I’d been cleared. Though couldn’t Adam have told them that, too? Hell, even Diana had come to visit me.

  Still, seeing him look so dejected tugged at my heartstrings. Just not enough for me to bend over with no questions asked. I squeezed his hand, but didn’t speak.

  He tightened his grip. “I wanted to be there. I wanted to visit you, too, but my father told me to stand down.”

  I frowned. “Since when do you listen to your father?”

  “I don’t, but….” He sighed. “You were in prison, suspected of being Fireborn. That kind of accusation — even my father couldn’t get you out of it scot-free. I had no idea what to do, and he seemed to have the answers. If I went to see you or did anything to interfere….” He met my gaze again, his expression more tortured than I’d ever seen it. “It was my fault you lost your powers. If I ended up being responsible for you losing your freedom, too, I don’t know—”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa.” I held my free hand up. “How was it your fault that I lost my powers?”

  “If I’d protected Charlotte better— Ow!” He rubbed his forehead and shot me a bewildered look. “What the hell?”

  “Keep saying dumb shit like that, and I’ll hit you again.” Or maybe not considering the pain in my palm. I’d barely smacked his forehead and the sting was unbearable. Stupid, hardheaded phoenixes. “I made the decision to save Charlotte. And she made the decision to follow us. Like it or not, she’s an adult. Besides, she was the one who destroyed the Wreath in the end.”

  “I—” He cut off, eyeing my raised palm. “I still feel bad.”

  “You should.” I nodded. “Could’ve at least sent some damn chocolate or something. The food they serve in the Black Citadel is semi-nutritious evil.”

  The tense grooves of his face eased a little, but didn’t leave. “You weren’t allowed outside contact until last week.”

  “That’s still a week I could have been binging on those fancy French pralines.” My stomach growled at the second mention of chocolates. I tried soothing it with more apple juice, but my legs were ready to storm into the kitchen and whine at Ollie. “How is Charlotte, by the way?”

  “Alive,” he said with a breath of relief so heavy it scattered my bangs. “Thanks to you. I still can’t believe it.”

  “Really? After everything you’ve seen, my amazing-ness is still in question?”

  He dropped his forehead to mine. “Never. And definitely not to Charlotte. She’s been raving about you.”

  “I am pretty amazing,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Has she returned home, or is she searching for a new artifact?”

  “Neither. After I filled my father in on Gadot, Nicholas, and all that insanity, we had her moved somewhere safe. The solitude isn’t helping her much.”

  “She’s still in danger, then?” I sat up, recalling Diana’s words. “She shouldn’t be. Gadot was only after her for the Wreath. There’s no reason—”

  “That isn’t what I meant. In case you’ve forgotten, she’s a busybody. Doesn’t like to be cooped up. And without something to keep her occupied, I’m worried the guilt will consume her,” he admitted somberly. “She was a mess when she learned about what happened. Grateful, certainly, but she hates being the reason you lost your powers.”

  I stiffened, trying to chase the encroaching hollowness away even as my chest tightened. If I took deep breaths and closed my eyes, the apple juice could almost pass for Ollie’s magic. “Gave. I chose to save her. I didn’t lose anything.”

  But it felt like I’d lost everything.

  Adam pulled me closer, and the concern in his voice made me feel ten times worse. “How are you handling things?”

  I guess he thought a month was enough for me to have gotten some sort of hold on things. I’d certainly thought so. But it wasn’t. I had no idea how to get a grasp on this, if such a thing was even possible. Though based on the empty feeling in my chest and soul, I ventured I wasn’t doing very well.

  Not that I’d tell him that. I didn’t want pity. I conjured enough of that by myself. “So, why did your dad want to pick me up? You knew he was planning to, right?”

  “Yeah,” he said heavily, running a hand through his thick dark hair. Was it as soft as I remembered? Wait. Damn it, Sophia. Focus. “That’s my fault, too. After the Inquisitors took you away, he grilled me about the allegations. He wanted to know if they were true, why you had magic when you two first met and why it was gone now — just what the hell was going on in general. He was pissed the Inquisitors blindsided him.”

  My stomach clenched. “And?”

  His frown told me he’d picked up on my suspicions. “I didn’t tell him anything, of course. But I couldn’t make it go away completely, either. I told him he could try asking you, but that you don’t remember anything from your past.”

  I could always give Mr. Pierce that exact answer if he confronted me. After all, I’d only had one memory from my past. The best cover ups were based on the truth. “But he didn’t show up. I heard there was an emergency meeting. The same one you were in?”

  “Yes,” he said gravely. “Things have been a mess since you went away.”

  “The master’s plans are coming to fruition.”

  If my spine were any stiffer, it’d shatter. “What’s happening?”

  “Storms.” Adam buried his face in his hands and sighed. “Big storms all over Asia. It’s been chaos in the major cities, and smaller settlements have been outright destroyed. Both magical and non-magical cities have been affected. We’ve been trying to find the cause, but crisis relief comes first.”

  Flashes of my nigh
tmare came back to me. Images of Santa Fae flooded, of my friends buried underneath the rubble….

  Fireborn weren’t psychic. It hadn’t been a vision, just a nightmare. But Nicholas’ words came back to me, and I couldn’t help wonder if they’d been brought on by a lost memory. Maybe he’d mentioned something while I was still his prisoner.

  “Even Seraphine’s touch is heavier, though it’s always good to have a representative in the Eastern branch.”

  Lauded as a great and terrible sea witch so powerful a flick of her wrist could cause enormous tidal waves and decimate cities, Seraphine was known as the Ocean Queen. Centuries ago, she’d developed a taste for Fireborns and began devouring them. Upon doing so, she gained even more power. It got to the point where she couldn’t be killed and they had to seal her away instead. They split her soul into four different pieces and sealed them within a pair of earrings, a bracelet, and a necklace. Unfortunately, only one piece of her soul was enough to bring her back, which is exactly what Nicholas did. She’d be weakened without the other pieces of her soul, but she was still out there.

  “Seraphine,” I forced out.

  Adam nodded. “That’s my bet. Things have been quiet this week, which has given us some breathing room while we try to help those affected, but I can’t help but feel this silence is leading up to something.”

  “Just when you think things can’t get any worse….”

  “Yeah….” He sighed. “The destruction is unbelievable, but it feels like we’re getting off lucky.”

  My brows shot up. “Huh?”

  “This is just a piece of her, isn’t it? One of four parts of her soul. If Nicholas had succeeded in freeing all of her, half of Asia would probably be gone instead of devastated. At least we have a fighting chance.” He clenched his fists. “Not that it’s doing much good right now. Too many people need help. Even with the Pierce Incorporated’s help, Council resources are stretched thin.”

  She. Was. Finished.

  The resolve left me as quickly as it came. How the hell was I going to do that? Seraphine had to be defeated, yes, but what help would I be in that endeavor? She was so powerful they had to cut her up and lock her away. Even a piece of her was destroying the world. With my Fireborn powers, I could absorb her magic, giving me a chance to face her on more equal ground. What was I supposed to do now? Punch her to death?