Magic Awakened: A Paranormal Romance Boxed Set

by K.N. Lee

  Especially since he was wounded.

  After a shower and a quick, lonely breakfast, she went to her truck. Someone had temporarily fixed her window.

  Magnus.

  Gah, could he be more romantic?

  No. No. He had owed her this. He owed her a lot. He’d dragged her into a huge mess, and now she had a flat and a busted window. It was gonna take her some time to be able to save up to replace the window. The tire… well, she’d have to come up with the money somehow. She couldn’t drive around on the flat forever.

  But somehow, they had kinda bonded last night. Formed a friendship despite everything. Despite him being a werewolf. And she might have teased him about stalking her, but it amazed her that she had made an impression on him by taking care of herself. She had never been the kind of girl to need a guy to complete her, and she wasn’t going to change that about herself now.

  She returned to college, but she didn’t bother to go to any of her classes. Instead she headed straight for the research lab. For hours, she toiled over the sample of his blood and the poison. His blood was similar but also different from a human’s. His blood carried a lot more hemoglobin, which meant his blood was heavily oxygenated. His endurance and strength were much greater than a typical human’s as a result.

  There were a few more differences between human blood and his, but the more she tried to study his blood, the more she became distracted by his white blood count. Was Magnus sick in addition to being poisoned? She couldn’t be certain.

  Next, she looked over the poison. It wasn’t one she could identify, and while it definitely changed the composition of his blood when she mixed the two, she couldn’t be certain of the affects it had.

  The biggest issue—she had nothing to compare his blood to. She needed more blood from another werewolf, from one who wasn’t poisoned and hopefully was healthy.

  Now, where could she gain access to such blood?

  Unbidden, the image of blood black against the road and the cover of darkness flashed before my eyes, and she realized she did know exactly where more werewolf blood had been spilled—the site where Magnus killed the werewolves.

  Maybe she shouldn’t go back there, but she was already grabbing her keys. The entire drive back to the crime scene, she tried to tell herself that she should ignore the werewolves, that she should go back to her life, but she couldn’t. For two years now, she had been working hard on studying the properties of various plants and small animals to see which might be transferrable. That she could now study the already natural union between animal and human was too much for her to ignore.

  Even if werewolves continued to live in the shadows, beneath their noses, her inquisitive nature dictated that she investigate and learn all she could. The rest of the world might not even learn about her research, but the knowledge she could gain might be the missing link that could help her solve her own research.

  As she neared the crime scene, she spotted police cars and flashing lights and sirens. She was directed to detour, and from craning her neck, she was able to see that the police were gathering their owns samples of the blood. Uh oh. What would come of that? Would their scientists realize how different the blood was? It might be possible they’d overlook it. Oftentimes, you saw what you expected to see.

  Then again, werewolves seemed to be violent creatures. It stood to reason that others had been killed before and their bodies not cleaned up before the police got involved. Maybe there were some werewolves involved in police stations or even the labs to ensure that no one discovered their existence.

  Wow. Conspiracy theories?

  With no choice but to turn back around, she was at a loss for only for a moment before she knew where to find more blood—the scene of the first fight. It didn’t take her long to arrive there. Animals had trampled over the grass, and the blood droplets she found were hardly fresh and possibly contaminated, plus she could not be certain if the blood belonged to Magnus or one of the other werewolves, so she took as many samples as she could.

  Once more, she made her way back to the lab. One other student was there, but Franklin Ryerson was one of the quietest persons she had ever met. A brilliant mind, but he had no people skills at all. Right now, his silence didn’t unnerve her, though. She was too focused herself.

  Hours passed as she tried to isolate out the blood and determine where it belonged to Magnus, Werewolf A or Werewolf B, and gradually, she realized two things.

  One. Franklin had left, and the lights were dimmed in the hallway. The building would be closed for the night soon.

  And two. She wasn’t alone in the room. Zelda could definitely feel the presence of another in the lab with her. Someone who wasn’t making his or her presence evident. Someone who was hiding.

  Someone who was a werewolf?

  Chapter 11

  Magnus could feel his teeth lengthening to fangs. If the werewolves were going to come at him, he wasn’t going to go down without a fight. Yes, at one times, these werewolves had been like brothers and sisters and aunts and uncles to him, and he knew they were justified to be upset and even angry with him, but he had first fought for his life against Colin the Blood Warrior, and he would continue to fight for his life now, even against the Nightstar Hunters.

  Leviticus curled back his upper lip, his hand upraised, trying to settle down the growing rabid werewolves. None had shifted completely, most likely because even though the apartment was spacious, the sheer number of werewolves crowded within the walls left little room to shift and fit a huge wolf inside, but the shining of claws in lieu of fingers and glittering fangs promised a world of hurt all the same.

  Laci stomped right up to Magnus, eye to eye. “Give me one reason why I shouldn’t rip him to shreds,” she growled, her voice muffled through her fangs, a hand full of claws upraised and poised to slice him.

  Leviticus strode to her side and placed a hand on her shoulder. “The ones we have issue with are the Blood Warrior. They are the ones we need to worry about.”

  “We only need to worry about them because of him!” Laci shrieked.

  Magnus exhaled through his nose. “You only need to worry about them because you haven’t stood up to them,” he said quietly.

  “Are you calling us cowards?” Leviticus demanded, his dark silver eyes flashing.

  Magnus really needed to learn to stop speaking his mind.

  “I’m not calling you cowards. Overly cautious, maybe. But I faced a Blood Warrior. I survived.”

  “You should have died,” Laci pointed out.

  “And their numbers are far greater than ours. We cannot hope to fight them and best them.” Leviticus shook his head. “I have to do what is best for the entire pack. So far, that means finding a place where the Blood Warriors will not follow. I had hoped that once the Moon Walkers crossed them that they would forget about us, but it seems that that is not the case.”

  “The Moon Walkers are gone,” Magnus said.

  The alpha’s nostrils flared.

  “How do you know?” Laci demanded. “How do we know that you haven’t joined up with the Blood Warriors? That you aren’t going to go running back to them if we allow you to leave on two feet instead of in a body bag?”

  “Laci,” Leviticus warned.

  “I won’t stop.” Her eyes narrowed as she stalked toward Magnus. “You’ve made our lives Hell.”

  “Sorry I didn’t die.” Magnus glowered at her. He turned to Leviticus, knowing he needed to change the subject and find a way out of here or else Laci and the others would make use of her threat, and he’d end up in that body bag after all. “Why did they go after the Moon Walkers?”

  “I think it had something to do with the Moon Walkers not wanting to give up their veterinary practice,” a werewolf from the back said. Magnus recognize the voice as belonging to Jackson Davidson, one of the few Magnus most missed. They had been almost like brothers. “It was right on the lakefront, in an area that didn’t have a whole lot of traffic. My guess, the Blood
Warriors thought they could shift and drink their at their leisure.”

  Leviticus cracked his knuckles. “Did I ask you to speak, Davidson?” he growled.

  “No. Sorry.”

  Leviticus eyed Magnus. “The Blood Warriors are bullies. They take what they want. They kill who they want. They’re smart enough to do what it takes to stay under the radar of the media. They clean up their messes and don’t leave bodies behind to be found. There are even rumors spreading that they might want to come out and take over the United States. It’s impossible to know for sure because no one can get close to them.”

  “Why are you telling him this?” Laci seemed as vicious as a Blood Warrior. “We should kill him and be done with it. Finish the job for the Blood Warriors.”

  Magnus ignored her. “I’m not a threat to you all. I only came here to warn you. I hardly think that warrants my head.”

  “You can’t—”

  “Quiet, Laci,” Leviticus snapped. “Let him speak.”

  “I’ll go my way. You go yours. The world is big enough for all of us.”

  “It might not be big enough for the Nightstar Hunters and the Blood Warriors,” Leviticus said quietly.

  Magnus blinked. That very well could be true. They were all in a difficult position. The Blood Warriors wanted them all dead.

  “But that is a problem for the Nightstar Hunters, and you are no longer one of us.”

  “We can’t—” Laci started.

  “We left him for dead,” Leviticus said harshly. “That is the werewolf way. He survived somehow. He is free to go.”

  Magnus slowly made his way through the sea of werewolves. Few moved to give him space, and he saw even few friendly faces. Jackson, for one, nodded.

  “But don’t come back,” Leviticus added, his tone still cruel.

  Magnus did not respond. He was already out the door.

  Magnus wasn’t the kind of guy to scare easily. He’d lived through too much. He’d survived too much. Even so, his hands were shaking as he rushed down the stairs and out of the apartment complex.

  It was time to leave Philadelphia and maybe the entire state of Pennsylvania behind.

  He shoved his hands into his pockets and walked swiftly, head down, trying to be inconspicuous. His thoughts churned as fast as his worn boots hit the sidewalk. I wish I could see Zelda again. Tell her good bye. Call her Juliet for a last time. Make her smile.

  The image of her dark waves and her bright blue eyes brought a smile to his own lips, but then he recalled Rosemarie, the werewolf he had hoped at one time to make his mate.

  She had never be interested in him or any other guy for that matter. Although a werewolf, she was a doctor, a surgeon actually, and she had been married to her work. It must kill her to be on the move constantly. To start up one position, only to move on a few months or maybe only weeks later… Her resume must be pages long.

  And it was his fault, to some extent. His death wouldn’t have made things any easier, but he couldn’t say that he wished he’d died for their account.

  He was a wolf. He was a fighter.

  He also wasn’t meant to be a loner.

  Zelda or Rosemarie. It wasn’t fair for him to compare the two, but he found himself doing that just the same as he trekked down deserted blocks. Rosemarie was kind and gentle with her patients, but she had little patience for werewolves. Maybe she resented their kind. It had always admired that she would devote our hours to helping to heal those who could not heal themselves.

  Zelda… She hadn’t freaked out, not really. Compared to how some women would’ve reacted, she held up well. She hadn’t fainted or screamed. In some ways, she was as fierce as a wolf herself. She was just as intelligent as Rosemarie, just as beautiful, if not more so, given her fragile, human nature.

  He chuckled to himself as he turned a corner. Zelda would not appreciate being thought of as fragile, and in many ways, she wasn’t.

  But she remained a human, and even if she did carry a gun around with her, she would be at a severe disadvantage if werewolves were to come after her. Was that likely? He didn’t think so. He would not risk leaving her if he thought her in danger, and the only reason why he wasn’t going to see her one last time was to ensure that he didn’t place her in danger.

  In more danger. She had been attacked by werewolves once because of him. He never should have involved her in the first place. Maybe the poison affected his brain. Maybe it caused him to stop thinking properly because, honestly, thinking back on how he revealed himself to her, he had to have been out of his mind.

  Even now, he could feel the effects of the poison coursing through his body. He was able to push through it and walk easily enough, but he wasn’t at full strength.

  The sound of something hard and sharp scratching had him bristling. He paused, sniffed, and resumed walking, albeit a little faster now. He didn’t smell a werewolf or anything else to raise an alarm, but he felt vulnerable just the same.

  It took him an hour before he could relax somewhere, an again, his thoughts turned to Zelda. One day, she would find a Romeo. She would settle down. Maybe make a name for herself with her research. Heck, she might even win a Nobel Prize for her efforts. Would she want kids? He thought so. The way she had cared for him when he probably scared her to death made him think she’d make a wonderful mom and a loving wife who would tend to her husband’s need… and he had no doubt that she would want that husband to tend to her, too.

  That was why he had teased and joked and flirted with her—to try to put her at ease. And because he wanted to see her smile. And make her laugh.

  Okay, so he had flirted with her because he liked her. Somehow, someway, he knew that if he spent enough time with her, he could grow to love her, and that could not happen. He had to stay away. Right now, the Blood Warriors were out for blood. He’d covered his tracks, but if they somehow discovered that he had killed two more of their numbers, he wouldn’t have long to live. Well, how long he would have left to live would depend on how long he could survive their torture.

  As he continued his trek away from the city and away from her, he realized something. Although he was sorry he had involved her into the mess that was his life, he was not sorry to have met her, and he hoped he had made as much of an impact on her as she had made on him.

  Good bye, Juliet. I’ll never forget you.

  Chapter 12

  Zelda’s hand trembled as she removed the slide from the microscope. Should she look around? No. That would be stupid. If a werewolf had trailed her here, he or she would either make their presence known and attack her or he or she merely wanted to observe her.

  Well, if the werewolf wanted to observe her, he or she could observe her leave.

  Zelda slowly gathered up a few samples and removed her lab coat. After washing her hands, she retrieved her purse, shoved the samples inside, and removed her cell phone. One ring. Two. Three—

  “Hey, girl. I haven’t heard from you in a little while. What’s going on?”

  Zelda exhaled more easily. “Tracey. How are you?”

  “Honestly, I’m trying not to go out of my mind. There are so many crazy people out there. I know I shouldn’t use that word since I’m a psych major, but I don’t mean it in a bad way. I want to help them all, but not all of them can be. And it’s so tragic. Not medicine, not therapy… Some people just got the short straw. We seriously should team up.”

  “Team up?” Zelda shut off the light to the lab and closed the door behind her. She forced herself to not look around and to walk at a leisurely pace. If she wasn’t going crazy herself—and who knew, maybe she was a bit mental—and a werewolf really was following her, she didn’t want to tip off that she knew.

  “Yeah. I know you have your heart set on your research about plants glowing like lightning bugs, but maybe you should focus on the brain instead. A person’s personality is based on their brains and any deviants from the norm have to reside there.”

  Zelda compelled herself to listen t
o Tracey, to not be so wrapped up in herself that she couldn’t also help her friend. Tracey had been all set to become a lawyer. She had wanted to clean up the streets. Two months into freshman year of college, her mom experienced her first schizophrenic break. Ever since, Tracey changed her goal in life to be able to help her mom and others like her. Tracey was just like Zelda—driven, hard working. One day, she would change the world, of that Zelda had no doubt.

  “Tracey…”

  “Yeah?”

  By now, Zelda had walked out of the science building. She did sneak a glance around to ensure that no one was lurking in the shadows. All clear.

  Phone tight to her ear via her shoulder, keys in one hand, her purse at the ready to serve as a weapon if need be, she darted to her car, climbed in, and waited until she was out of the lot before resuming their conversation. “Is it possible for anyone to be normal?”

  “Is that a joke?” Tracey snapped.

  “No! I’m being serious. We all have issues.”

  “I don’t.”

  “Really? Then why do you have to wash dishes by hand before putting them in the dishwasher?”

  “It’s just to make sure that the dishes come out clean.”

  “They’re clean after you wash them. They don’t have to go through the dishwasher.”

  “But the heated drying cycle… Okay, so maybe I like things to be clean.”

  Zelda burst out laughing. “You’re a germaphobe.”

  “There are worst things to be.”

  “Yes, but…”

  “All right, fine. You made your point. I’m not normal.” Tracey sighed. “You’re impossible, you know that? Scientists. Always gotta question and prove themselves right all the time.”

  Zelda shook her head, smiling. Tracey loved to tease her, and the ribbing rolled easily off her back. “My point is that no one is. We’re human. We make mistakes. We learn, and we grow. Sometimes, yes, there’s something holding us back, but I thought you said things were going better for your mom.”