Magic Awakened: A Paranormal Romance Boxed Set

by K.N. Lee

  Her shoulders shook.

  Crap. Was she crying?

  He rushed around the table to reach her, his arms enfolding her.

  Yes, she was crying. Laughing so hard she was crying.

  His scowl deepened. “What’s so funny?”

  “You,” she gasped out. “If you’re asking me out, the answer is yes. If you’re asking me to marry you, the answer is no. I don’t know enough about you and your… kind,” she whispered. “Not yet. Maybe one day.”

  He crushed her against him and readied to claim a kiss, but she squirmed back to increase the space between them.

  “But what about you? You’ll just get sicker and sicker.”

  “I talked to Heather before I left. She knows of a small town in New Jersey that doesn’t have a pack nearby. I can settle down there. It’s about an hour and a half away from Philadelphia, unfortunately, but it could be worse. Hopefully, being isolated from packs will stop the illness or at least slow it down. It’s so active when I’m around other packs, like my body so badly wants to rejoin one.”

  “Wolves aren’t meant to be alone,” she murmured.

  “I’m not alone right now.”

  And he claimed that kiss. And another. And another.

  “Merry Christmas,” he whispered.

  Zelda giggled. “Christmas is over.” She nodded over his shoulder.

  He glanced behind to read the stovetop clock: 12:02. “The Christmas season isn’t over, though.”

  “No, not yet.” Her smile almost looked a little shy.

  Magnus glanced around. “No mistletoe?”

  She burst out laughing. “As if you need an excuse to kiss me.”

  “Not at all,” he murmured.

  He swooped in for a kiss, but she pressed a finger to his lips.

  “I’m tired. You look ready to fall over yourself. Why don’t you make yourself comfy on the couch—”

  “The couch?”

  “The couch,” she said firmly, grinning broadly. “We’ll talk more in the morning.”

  It took Magnus a long time before he could fall asleep. Knowing Zelda slept not that far from him kept him awake and hoping and daydreaming.

  He was taking a calculated risk doing this, but he desperately wanted this to work. More than wanting to potentially do something the world had never seen before, he wanted to enjoy his time with Zelda, to prove to her that this was a passing phase for him.

  This would work.

  Right?

  Chapter 28

  That morning was awkward. Her mom either asked probing questions, or else she’d look slyly from Zelda to Magnus and back again. It was beyond embarrassing.

  Eventually, though, her mom got the hint and excused herself to her room to make some phone calls for her business, leaving Zelda alone with Magnus and no idea what they should do.

  Magnus grinned and leaned forward. He was sitting on her mom’s chair angled from the couch, where she was. “We could also retire to your room.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

  Zelda grinned. “Only if you want me to examine you.”

  “Examine?” His full lips fell into a handsome pout.

  “Yes. You’re sick, remember?”

  He faked a cough. “Yes. Nurse me back to health. Please.” He puckered up.

  She reached over and slapped his knee playfully. “You’re such a goof.”

  “Maybe. Do you like goofs?”

  They ended up watching a movie, a rom-com that was boring and predictable. She ended up dozing, her head against his shoulder, but when she stirred and woke, she realized her head now rested against the back of the couch.

  “Magnus?” She blinked and covered her mouth as a yawn escaped.

  The room was empty, the movie playing the title screen on a loop. She bypassed her mom’s room—the door was shut, and she could hear her mom’s murmur, so she was still on the phone—and entered hers.

  Magnus sat on her bed, her notes sprawled out in front of him. For a moment, she stood there, drinking in the sight of him—his chiseled nose, his strong jawline, those amazing eyes…

  The deep frown.

  “I’m sorry I conked out on you,” she said, entering her room. After a moment, she closed the door behind her.

  He didn’t glance up. “What am I to you?” he asked, his voice low, almost like a growl.

  “What do you mean?” Her heartbeat raced. Maybe she should’ve let her door open.

  “Am I just a science experiment?” He finally lifted his gaze, and the hurt in his eyes stole her breath away.

  “Do you really think I—”

  “No. I don’t.” Magnus tossed the paper aside and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry. I’m being unreasonable. Maybe it’s because of the sickness or maybe—”

  “Maybe you’re afraid.” She suppressed the urge to tidy her papers but did move enough aside so she could sit beside him. “I’m afraid. Most of the guys I’ve dated don’t understand me. Don’t understand my drive, my dedication… They think I should cut loose and just have a good time. That’s not me. I’m not a partier.” Zelda shifted away. “I… I’m boring, Magnus. You don’t want to be with me.”

  “A brilliant mind is never boring.” He tapped his finger against hers before entwining their pinkies. “But I want that mind to want me for me, not because of who I am.”

  “But you can’t separate who you are with… what you are.”

  “True.” He exhaled, and his warm breath tickled her. When had she gotten quite so close to him? “I guess this is some of the reason why werewolves and humans don’t mesh except for hooking up now and again. Not real, loving, lasting relationships.”

  “Well, maybe we’ll buck that,” she said lightly.

  “That’s what I’m hoping.”

  They grew quiet, but it wasn’t an awkward one, and Zelda found herself smiling. Maybe she needed to stop being so analytical.

  But she did want to see how he was doing.

  “Take off your shirt,” she dictated.

  His warm laugh caused butterflies to flutter in her stomach, but then he frowned. “You don’t want to run your fingers along my abs I take it.”

  Her cheeks grew so hot. “Maybe after I see how you’re faring.”

  His shirt came off, and she examined his backside first. There were several openings. Now that she was fairly certain they were the result of a sickness from being a lone wolf near a pack in an effort for his body to force him to find a pack to join, she could see how the wounds made more sense to be from an illness versus poison. They were too regular instead of the randomness of poison, too uniform.

  It was also far more widespread than ever before.

  “Do they hurt?” she asked, careful to not touch any.

  “I have a high pain tolerance.”

  “That doesn’t answer the question.”

  After a moment, he admitted, “Yes.”

  “Does nothing help? Have you tried ointments? Medicine?”

  “A few, but that would just be treating symptoms. Let’s not worry about that right now.” He shifted around to face her.

  His abs were impressive, the ridges begging to be touched, but her mom was home, and she wanted to take things slow, to get to know him, to not make things physical too fast before they could determine if they could be compatible, so she grabbed his shirt and put it back on him. His pout was too cute, though, and she brushed her fingers against his lips.

  “What’s wrong?” she whispered.

  “I’m sorry.” He swallowed hard. “I’m putting you in an impossible position. What if Heather is wrong about that town? What if a pack moves through? I should go and find a pack and join and then—”

  “That would mean we wouldn’t have a future, though.”

  “If we take too long to decide, I might not have a future. You’re anal. I’m impulsive. Too impulsive. Leaving the one pack that knows about you, that tolerates you, that was my stupidest move.”

  “Maybe, maybe not. I
think the pack is falling apart. It might become two packs again.”

  His eyes bulged. “Really?”

  “Heather and I talked about it.”

  “You two are friends?”

  “Maybe.” Zelda cupped his cheeks. “We’ve been through a lot together already. I care about you. I… I think I can grow to love you. That, the idea of it, of giving myself to another person, of trusting another, letting them have a measure of control over me… it’s not something I’m used to doing. It scares me, if I’m being honest.”

  “I know what you mean. I’ve never fallen in love myself before. I told you about my parents, the love they shared. I won’t settle for something less.”

  “And you’re putting your eggs in my basket?”

  He grinned recklessly. “I’m hoping you’ll put your eggs in—”

  “Magnus!” She burst out laughing.

  Chapter 29

  Zelda’s mom, who insisted Magnus call her Erin, refused to turn him away when she realized he didn’t have a place to stay nearby and would be forced to get a hotel room. “Nonsense. There’s room here. I don’t even know why I bought a house. Yes, it’s small, but still. This is New York, and it’s just for me…” She glanced slyly at Zelda, who purposely looked away.

  Magnus grinned. She was hinting at possibly future grandbabies.

  But Magnus had to admit that he did have a growing fear that Zelda was only interested in him because of the puzzle he provided.

  On the other hand, her blushes were easy enough to read, and she definitely seemed as affected by their kisses as he was. He was being ridiculous.

  But that night, he woke up in severe pain. He couldn’t tolerate it. In fact, it made him so nauseous he had to crawl to the bathroom and luckily made it in time for him to retch.

  A hand rubbed his back. “Get out,” he mumbled.

  “Aw, does the poor baby not want to be seen when sick?” Zelda grabbed a washcloth and ran in under the water before wiping his mouth. “Relax. Let me take care of you.”

  “Animal nurse,” he mumbled, recalling her job at the veterinarian’s office.

  “Or a loving girlfriend.” She patted his mouth one last time. The concern in her eyes was touching, but it wasn’t quite the look he remembered his mom giving his dad. “How bad is it?”

  “Bad,” he said through gritted teeth. He could even straighten his back.

  “Can I…” She was already lifting his shirt but then stopped halfway. “You have to go. Now. To New Jersey.”

  “That bad?”

  “Yes. Come on. I’ll drive you.”

  “But your mom—”

  “I can always come back later and visit her. Classes don’t resume for weeks, and it shouldn’t take you too long to find a place, right?”

  It was a rushed affair, getting him out of there, but her mom didn’t give them a hassle. She offered to pack them some food, but Zelda declined, and Erin didn’t push it.

  Zelda chatted for most of the drive, but he dozed off or passed out—he wasn’t sure which—but a hand shaking his shoulder had him forcing his eyes open. “What city in Jersey?” she asked.

  “Clinton.”

  She stepped on the gas.

  Honestly, it didn’t surprise him that there were werewolves in New York. Any city with a population that large had to house a decent size pack, if not multiple smaller ones.

  Clinton seemed quaint enough, and Magnus felt a little better. He could stomach to eat some soup, and when he climbed back into the truck, he fell back asleep.

  A hand on his cheek stirred him.

  Zelda smiled. “I booked us a hotel room. Tomorrow we can check out apartments. I already complied a list of possibilities.” She frowned, her brow furrowing. “Or do you want a small house?”

  “A house eventually, but an apartment is probably smarter.” He cleared his throat, straightening from his slouched position. His neck ached from sleeping, but overall, he felt even more like himself.

  “Want to sleep more?”

  “Nah. What time it is?”

  “Ten.”

  “At night already?”

  “Yeah. Not sure there’s a lot we can do.”

  They spent the night watching a movie, and they fell asleep together on the couch.

  It was perfect.

  The second apartment they checked out was the one for him, and he immediately set out to find himself a job. Although he wanted to spend as much time as possible with Zelda, he also needed to make sure that living in Clinton was feasible. A job was necessary.

  After a job interview, he returned to his apartment to see that Zelda had cleaned it and bought him a few things.

  “You did all of this for me?”

  “Yes.” She flushed. “You still think I’m doing this because I just want to study you?”

  “Hm. You can study me all you like.” He sauntered over.

  “Someone seems to be feeling much better.”

  “Oh, yeah.” Magnus wrapped his arms around her. Man, did it feel amazing to hold her. He dipped his head down, and she kissed him back, fire burning all through from his lips to his toes, and even more so when she began to fool with his shirt. He pulled back so she could lift his shirt over his head…

  …but she then walked around him. “Your back is healing fast.”

  “Yes. I’m all better.” He turned around to face her.

  “Not all better, but you’re getting there.”

  “Thanks to you.”

  “I didn’t do anything,” she protested. “Heather is the one who found this place for you.”

  “Yes, but if it weren’t for you, I might not have realized on my own the connection between the ‘poison’ and other packs. I might not have survived after the attack from the Blood Warriors.”

  “Oh, come now. You would’ve been fine. You didn’t need me to give you space from them.”

  “They only left because you arrived. If you hadn’t, they might’ve killed me.”

  “You killed multiple Blood Warriors at the warehouse,” she protested.

  “Yes, but I had been caught unawares. It’s one thing to mentally prepared yourself for a battle, especially a battle you think you might not survive. But to be caught off guard, you can’t mount on offense. You’re constantly on the defense, and when you’re outnumbered, it’s not good.”

  “Magnus…”

  “You saved my life, Zelda. Instead of taking yours, Juliet, you’ve given me life. A fresh chance. A new start. I can’t ever thank you enough.” He clasped her hands to his chest.

  “Magnus…”

  His lips pressed against hers, and there wasn’t much speaking for quite some time after that.

  Chapter 30

  Classes resumed in two days, and Zelda almost didn’t want to go back. She knew that once she settled into her classes and resumed her research that she’d feel differently, but for now, she was enjoying being with Magnus. While he tried to find a job, she made a game out of finding coupons and ways to stretch his money so that she could furnish his place. If he objected to her choices, he never said, and he seemed to appreciate her efforts instead of thinking her a dominating type A.

  Honestly, these past weeks had been pretty amazing. No responsibilities, no classes, no homework, no job… Other than when he was out for interviews, Magnus had so much time to spend with her, and they would just talk or eat or watch movies and cuddle. For now, it seemed like they were completely compatible, but Magnus was also suppressing his werewolf side, and she had more questions about that. Could he go months at a time without shifting? She had to figure that he would want to shift, regardless of whether or not he physically had to shift. Denying a part of himself couldn’t be natural, but Clinton didn’t offer a place where he could safely shift and not be spotted—which was probably why no packs lived within the small city.

  Right now, she was unloading her truck from the groceries she’d bought. She placed them on the counter and returned for more, but Magnus was th
ere, carrying the last four ones.

  “You’re a lifesaver,” he said.

  She kissed his cheek. “You’re on cooking duty tonight.”

  He mocked groan. “Can’t you?”

  “I cooked yesterday.” She opened the front door to the complex for him despite her annoyance level rising.

  “I know, but I don’t feel like cooking.”

  She hurried up the stairs and opened the door to his apartment. “I don’t feel like cooking.”

  “You know what I feel like? Steak.”

  “Steak? I didn’t buy any—”

  “There’s a small place not far from here. The food smells amazing. We can eat—”

  “Magnus, you really don’t have the money—”

  “Just a little splurge. To celebrate.”

  “Celebrate what? A job. You got a job?”

  “I did. You’re looking at the regional manager of a construction company.”

  She squealed and threw her arms around him.

  “Let me put these bags down.”

  Zelda disentangled herself from him. As soon as he put the bags on the counter, she launched herself back at him.

  “Or if you prefer, I can make dinner.” He nuzzled his nose against her neck, and she shivered.

  “Whatever you want,” she murmured.

  “I like the sound of that.”

  Those two days passed by far too quickly, and the drive back to Philly, although only an hour and a half, seemed to last forever. As she figured, she quickly adjusted to her old routine, although now she called, texted, and emailed—yes, he got himself a computer and upgraded his phone—Magnus whenever she could.

  “You’re awfully happy,” Tracey said a month into the semester. They were eating lunch in the cafeteria.

  “You could say that.”

  “Things going that well with your guy?”

  Zelda’s cheeks grew hot. “Yeah.”