Magic Awakened: A Paranormal Romance Boxed Set

by K.N. Lee

  Gilly shivered in horror. The time spell had not stopped time entirely for her sister. While Tamara had not aged, she had remained awake. But Mam had said it was as if they went to sleep one moment and awoke the next, decades later.

  Not so for her poor sister.

  “Jarrod, I must tell Mam about Tamara,” she whispered.

  His hand landed over hers in a firm hold. “No! I shouldn’t have read Tamara’s mind like that. Among my people, it is forbidden to read another’s thoughts without permission. I hadn’t meant to. But despite her silence, her thoughts were blasting out and I couldn’t block them. If you heard them through me, you cannot betray her. She must speak of this on her own terms. It is her secret to keep or share.”

  The queen tapped a knife against her goblet, distracting Gilly. Once the diners grew silent, she said, “Going forward, there will be changes to the way this land is governed. The first will involve the Erovians. Lord Jarrod, I wish Erov to play a stronger role in Ryca’s development.”

  His head tilted sideways, gray-green eyes faintly inquiring, his dark ringlets swinging. “Such as?”

  “Saira tells me that your people do an exemplary job of recording history. But you do not share your knowledge. The past several years have shown what happens if people are not aware of the true nature of events. Although our minstrels transmit news, over time, that information can become fictionalized.”

  “You wish us to share our historical records?” The idea seemed to intrigue him.

  “We need good teachers,” Mamosia said. “I want my people to learn how to read and write as well as learn about their past. The true past. Where our youths can learn both practical and historical information.”

  “You mean work with the other guilds?” Jarrod asked.

  Mamosia nodded. “It is time Erov became a part of our world, Jarrod.”

  Everyone smiled and thumped the table to show their approval of this suggestion.

  The conversation veered to other current events. Gilly spent the rest of the evening dividing her attention between Tom and Tamara. Since neither seemed to warm to her, she excused herself.

  Before she made it past the doors, Tom was by her side “Leaving so soon, Saira?”

  “You seemed occupied with Talus,” she said. “I had no wish to disturb you.”

  “Then you failed miserably, my love,” he said gently kissing her hand, “for you have done nothing but disturb me since you kissed me several days ago.”

  Liking his words, she thawed a little towards him. He disturbed her too, in many ways, and had for far longer than their first kiss. Since she had initiated their last embrace, it was his turn to kiss her next, surely. An embrace was long overdue. At least four days to her count.

  “Will you come with me?” he asked.

  “Where?” she asked coyly, hoping he would say to her chamber. Or his. She was tired of sleeping alone.

  To her disappointment, with an irrepressibly devilish grin, he tugged her toward the front doors. “Outside.”

  He led her toward the horse barns and Gilly had a dreadful premonition he wanted to show her a new fighting technique while riding horseback. But he led her around back of the barn.

  A bright elaborate green tent that screamed Erovian was set up in the field. What caught and enraptured Gilly’s gaze were the goats grazing beside the tent.

  “My goats!” she shouted in delight and raced to give each one a reverent hug, burying her face in their soft fleece. They bleated and gathered round her to give her head butts and wet face licks. She turned to gaze up at him with a contented smile. “How did you know?”

  “That you were planning to leave me again? Because I know you better than you know yourself.” He held out his hand. “Now come on. We’re not finished yet. Not by a long shot.”

  She laughed and followed him as he led her toward the tent, thinking she would trail him anywhere. “Did Jarrod give us this? Why?”

  “I told him finding a private place to be with you was virtually impossible in this vast castle with your mother’s guards and hangers on around every corner.

  “Are you calling my family hangers on?”

  He chuckled and hugged her close. “I’m calling anyone who comes between you and me a nuisance. According to Jarrod, once we enter this tent, no one will disturb us until we’re ready to leave it. I’m not thoroughly certain, but I suspect we may no longer be in Tibor once that tent flap closes behind us.”

  The tent was absolutely silent on their entrance. Her ears might even have popped. The inside seemed unusual for an Erovian home since she recalled every tent she entered in Erov being filled with a bevy of beautiful women and helpful men. In typical Erovian fashion, however, this one did seem bigger on the inside than out.

  Tom opened a side flap and Gilly found herself in a room similar to the bathing one she’d last occupied in Erov. There was a giant pool in the center, with ointments and towels neatly set out along the rim.

  “You owe me a chance to finish your leg massage,” Tom whispered in her ear. “For all the days during which you tormented me by taking care of me.”

  “But I’m healed,” she said, though she was thrilled by his turn of thought. She had been hoping he would remember. Since his last attempt, she had been dreaming every night about what it would feel like if she had allowed Tom to finish what he once began by the stream near Perm.

  “Your lack of a limp is irrelevant.” He turned her toward him and emphasized each word he spoke next with a kiss and the disrobing of one layer of her clothing. “Time. I. Repaid. You. In. Kind.”

  In short order, she was left as bare as the day she was born and too breathless to object. “I was hoping you would remember that debt she whispered, and kissed him as thoroughly. Two could easily play this game.

  About the Author

  Once upon a time, Shereen read fantasy and romance novels to entertain herself. Now she writes heartwarming tales braided with threads of magic and love, and mystery elements woven in for good measure. She’s a fan of resourceful women, intriguing men, and happily ever after endings. If her stories whisk you away to a different realm for a few hours, then Shereen will have achieved one of her life goals.

  Newsletter Sign up at: http://eepurl.com/vuU_b

  I enjoy hearing from readers. Please visit my website to learn more about me or to contact me:

  Shereen Vedam

  http://www.shereenvedam.com

  Afterword

  Author’s note:

  I hope you enjoyed reading Hidden. If you did, please consider leaving a review at the ebook store where you purchased this book. A line or two sharing what you liked best is all that is needed. And thank you for reading this book!

  Books by Shereen Vedam

  From ImaJinn Books

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  A Perfect Curse

  Historical fantasy romance novella

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  (From One Winter’s Night: A Regency Yuletide Collection)

  From The Wild Rose Press

  Regency romance short story

  To Capture Love

  Fantasy romance short stories

  Baron of Dragon’s Reach

  Daughter of the Sorcerer King

  The Misspelled Charm

  Cornered

  Kara James

  Kyle

  A punch landed into Kyle’s gut and he reeled back. Damn, keep your head in the fight. Kyle slapped his thigh to shake off the blow to his ego. A lucky hit, that’s all. Even if he was out of early retirement, he shouldn’t have let down his guard. Before, he’d never lost a competition, now his insides still quaked from the blow. He had to win this, take all the money, and pay for Danielle’s surgery. His little sister had been the reason he’d quit before. She had leukemia and needed a kidney transplant. And he wouldn’t succeed if he didn’t pay attention.
r />   At least the shadow ring had yet to be dropped. That was where most of the fighters lost their minds to the shifter animal inside them. Go dark enough, and what little humanity was left was stripped away with a chainsaw. That’s why Kyle had retired at age twenty-eight. His dragon shifter was becoming too overwhelming, to the point where he couldn’t control it. Hell, the last time he’d fought in the shadow realm, he’d lost three days of his life, and still had no idea what he’d been doing. Danielle had had a relapse then because she’d run out of medicine, and the damn nurse he’d hired to help her had skipped town with their money.

  Kyle slammed his fist against his opponent’s jaw, but the guy merely staggered back a few steps. Was his fighting that out of shape after just a year?

  He had to knock this guy out before the next round, quickly… before the shadow cage. He couldn’t afford to have time lapses, not now. Not with Danielle so close to needing surgery. Kyle glanced to his right, past the arena, to where his coach was shaking his head. Jones wanted him to get the maximum money, which meant the entire three rounds. Screw you, Jones! Shadow rounds sucked the life out of shifters, and he had enough of a vacuum in his soul from previous fights.

  “Cream the sucker!” someone shouted from the crowd.

  No way to know if the voice was cheering him or the other guy, Brian, whose black eye was swelling shut. As if believing the crowd was for him, Brian held up a grappling glove in recognition.

  “You're going down, Kyle.” Brian spat out blood.

  The bets only said Kyle had to last past round two. Nothing in the bets about the shit head before him going lights out a split second before the bell.

  “We’ll see, mangy lion.” Kyle grinned.

  Brian snarled and side kicked him. The blow stung, but Kyle was prepared for it. Figures the guy would attack after an insult. Kyle snatched Brian's foot and spun, lifting the shifter off the ground and tossing him into the side ropes. The crowd roared, and Kyle glanced at the clock. Less than forty seconds left. Brian jumped to his feet and let out a roar - a mixture of human’s scream and a lion’s growl. The crowd yelled in glee and Brian charged.

  With reflexes faster than human, Kyle flipped overhead, dodging the attack.

  “Stay on the ground,” Brian snarled. “I’m gonna rip you to shreds.”

  “As if you could touch me.” Time to end this.

  “My shifter is King and will be again!” Brian raised his hands to cover his face.

  Approaching his opponent, Kyle wiped his mouth, finding a stream a blood mixed with his saliva on the back of his hand. “King of the jungle, my ass.”

  With a growl, Brian dove, and his momentum knocked Kyle's legs out from under him. His back slammed into the mat with the lion shifter’s weight pressing down on his chest. Stupid fucker! He shoved against Brian, but the guy rammed an arm under his throat, cutting off Kyle's air supply. Elbows to Brian’s side only made him press his arm down harder.

  No way would he lose this fight. Danielle was counting on him. She needed him. Spots flashed in his vision. What would happen to Danielle’s treatment fund if he failed? They’d not found a donor yet and time was running out.

  In the distance, synchronized shouts were muffled. Shit! Was that the countdown? Losing this fight would mean having to win fifty new fights to pay his loan shark back. Danielle would die without treatment. His breath lodged in his chest.

  He’d been so sure he’d be a match. After all, it had been just the two of them since Mom had died last year. Dad was M.I.A. and they had no other relatives that either of them knew about. So when the match came back negative, Kyle had broken down. All this power and prestige as a shifter MMA champion, and it didn’t amount to squat. He’d sell his dragon side, if he could, to save her. Pain twisted his insides. She was all the family he had left. He couldn’t lose her too.

  Focusing on his inner animal, Kyle let out a piercing dragon cry and thrust Brian's arm back.

  Sweet air burned his throat as the round two bell dinged announcing the shadow set was beginning.

  Now he was totally screwed.

  Melody

  Melody’s breaths came out ragged as she poured the last of the salt around her circle on the grass. Her suspect had morphed into wolf form and the intent in his eyes before the switch had been clear. He was gonna chomp on her throat. She had to do something to protect herself until she could get him in her cuffs. The magical shield snapped up, and a hum vibrated through her body, lifting her hair as the power formed an invisible dome around her. Through the hazy protection, the shadow wolf snarled outside the circle. Unconcerned by her spell, it charged, and bounced off the shield.

  “That'll teach you to attack a witch.” Shifter shadows were the worst. This guy was her lead to the underground fighting among shifters. And from the look of madness in his eyes, he’d taken part in way too many of the darker aspects of the fights. All the bad in a person was brought out during illegal MMA shadow rounds.

  Once more the wolf snapped onto her force field, but this time the circle wobbled.

  “What the hell?” Nothing should be able to get through her magical barrier. Not even the wind once the circle was completely in place.

  The wolf’s canines were dripping with saliva.

  “By order of Shifter Control and Protection, I command you to change to your human form.”

  Whatever was going on with its bite, it shouldn't be able to do the same thing as a man. Right?

  It shook its muzzle, but remained a wolf. Impossible. No shifter could resist the law.

  Rearing back, it again sank its teeth down into the edge of the protective bubble, twisted, and a blast of air hit her stomach. Fuck! It was going to get through. Was it after her because she was getting close to the MMA lair? Excitement mingled with fear zinged through her.

  She placed her fingertips on her badge at her hip, igniting the enchantment within the silver. “I, Detective Melody Raschet, hereby command you by the power that bonds all shifters, to transform back.”

  The wolf shuddered, and an image of a man with a nose that looked like it had been broken too many times appeared. “Fucking cop!” he snarled, returning back into the wolf.

  Melody gasped. How was this shifter able to transform back after the command and partial change? No time to ask. The wolf bit down on her shield, and this time the entire bubble shimmered. Any second, it was going to collapse. With her commands not working, it could lunge for her before she could do anything. Preparing for the worst, she unhooked her taser from her belt. Bullets were useless against a shifter unless you had an automatic machine gun or, better yet, a cannon.

  “Stop, or I'll shoot.”

  The shifter continued its assault. With a crack followed by a pop, her protection was down. Shit, shit, shit. Circling her, the wolf appeared to grin.

  “Change into human form and tell me where Diego is hiding his fights.” Her words came out forcefully despite the icy hand trailing down her spine.

  Its blood red eyes narrowed. Charging her, it leapt into the air.

  Melody fired her weapon. Electric wires burrowed into the wolf's pelt. Smoke and singed fur stunk up the air.

  It crashed to the ground, tongue sticking out of its mouth, chest rising rapidly, panting.

  “Told ya.” She replaced her taser, the thing would have to charge for thirty minutes before being able to be used again.

  A growl reverberated. Melody frowned and placed a hand on her silver cuffs.

  After being sent the high voltage, it shouldn't be able to do any more than breathe.

  The wolf’s body trembled as it pushed up on shaky legs.

  In seconds, the animal shook, its body morphing into a wolf twice its size.

  A double shifter? Damn, no wonder her taser didn't work, but it still should've nailed his ass down for a quarter of an hour, not seconds.

  It charged and Melody threw up her arm. The wolf bit down on her forearm, pain radiating up her limb as she screamed. From the darkness abov
e another shadow rose, this one a dragon. Was this one part of the wolf gang? Or a lone hunter sent by Zomier to protect their secret den and to take care of what the wolves were too slow to do? Well, she wasn't going down without a fight. With her hands outstretched, she sent a blast of her own magic in a wide circle around her. It struck the wolf, its jaws ripping from her and taking a chunk of her flesh with it. She screamed.

  Damn dragon had taken flight and avoided the enchantment, but now it was circling back. Wait until the captain found out about this - if she didn’t die before telling him. After years of research, she’d never been this close to finding the underground ring. She had to be close to make the shifter attack her.

  Blood poured from her wound. Crap. Already she was feeling light headed and the wolf was coming to. It let out a howl.

  She could use the last of her magic to heal herself or send another blast and hope the wolf and dragon would back off. Checking her hip, her radio was gone. So much for calling for backup. Must have fallen out when she was chasing the shifter, before he’d turned on her.

  Her vision blurred. “Amorga Sinte Retaria.” The healing chant sent tingles through her arm. She let out a breath, then frowned. Her blood wasn't slowing. In fact, the wound appeared bigger.

  Nearby, a wolf howled, followed by more.

  The shifter in front of her let out a long howl and ice gripped her throat.