Magic Awakened: A Paranormal Romance Boxed Set

by K.N. Lee

  The two candles in the middle of the opened circle flickered.

  “Oh good. You're about to have more company. Gotta run.” The demon used control of Melody’s body to wave and skip across the wood floor towards the door. “Toodaloo.”

  “Come back here.” Kyle dove for the demon, but a small gremlin-like creature pounced on his head. “Get off me.” He tugged at the thing, but it wouldn't let go, its claws digging into his scalp. Kicking, Kyle rammed his head against the floor. Finally, the creature loosened and Kyle threw it down as hard as he could. The creature rolled and bounced, knocking over the two candlesticks. Instead of extinguishing them, the flames burst along the floor as if gasoline had been used to mop it.

  Fuck! There was going to be hell to pay when he got Melody back. If he ever could. Sparks shot out from the gremlin as it played with the flames. Books encased with crackling fire sputtered and the wood groaned, protesting their demise.

  A pain hit Kyle in the chest and he panted, his vision darkening. A burning lance rammed through his side and he felt along the injury for the weapon. Nothing but skin. From outside, he heard a strangled scream.

  Melody. He took a step forward, ignoring the heat of the flames. Dragons were immune to fire.

  The demon careered through the doorway. “What did you do to me, dragon?” it hissed.

  Must be the binding. Now that Melody’s body had a soul, or entity, it was reactivated. The fact that the demon didn't know that was promising. Best to sucker punch now than wait until it figured out how to get out of the spell.

  “That's right. It’s an ancient dragon marriage and you've taken the body of my mate.” He allowed the menacing fighter stare he'd perfected to come through. “So unless you want to be shackled to my side for decades, you'll take me to her spirit and go leapfrog into someone else.”

  “You're bluffing.” The demon straightened. “Besides, a marriage can be annulled. Or, my personal favorite, ‘til death do us part.”

  “Afraid not. Dragons mate not only for life, but in the afterlife as well. We are eternal. Why else is there the constellation Draco in the night sky?”

  “I'm not giving up this powerful body to take you anywhere.” It grinned using Melody’s mouth and showed all her teeth. “I could just kill you and find out if you're telling me the truth.”

  Kyle shrugged. “Sure. Then your borrowed body would die and you'd be up shit creek with no boat.” He held up a finger. “But if you help me, I promise you another body.” How in the fuck he was going to do that? “Just take me to the astral and let me bring back my mate.”

  The demon waved a hand and the fire around them smoldered to ash. “If you're lying, I will eat your heart.”

  “Fine. Let's go.” As if his life wasn't screwed up enough. Here he was putting his and Melody’s lives in the hands of a damn demon.

  The demon stepped out of Melody, her body falling lifeless to the floor, and crooked a finger at him. It was leathery and burnt red all over. Black claws the size of daggers were on its two fingers and thumb. It was half the size of Melody, but stronger than any human.

  This might be the biggest mistake of his life.

  With a crack of its neck, the fanged demon reached inside Kyle’s chest, and his heart felt like it was being ripped out of his body. Instinctively, he grasped the demon’s forearm, set on snapping it in two.

  “Careful. Want to go after your lady love or not?”

  Kyle couldn't leave her there. She'd risked her life, even if unknowingly, to help him. Without her, he might not have had a chance to save his sister and bring justice to Diego. He dropped his hand from the demon. No way could he get to the astral without help and, unless he was a demon, no physical being could exist there. His ticket was the demon taking him there and leaving Kyle’s body behind.

  Acid boiled in Kyle’s chest as the demon yanked out his soul.

  “Come, little dragon.”

  The world spun out of existence and only darkness remained.

  Melody

  Melody spiraled so fast, her screams lost in the astral. Her heart pounded in her ears and nausea rolled through her. Come on Melody, think! She had to find a way out of this. Wait. Even though stuck in the astral, she still had a tether. She couldn't sense her body while she whirled. The link with Kyle; it was both physical and magical and an exit out of this hurricane. They were bonded and his body was next to hers back inside the circle. All she had to do was slow down enough to find and grasp the connection. Her vision was blurry, but she didn’t need to physically see our touch him here in the astral. Just find the mental link between them.

  Except, when she reached out in her mind for his aura, she found nothing but emptiness. Where was Kyle? Her heart pounded in her ribcage. What if he'd been blasted out of the memory too? Was he in another dimension, helpless like she was?

  Panic clawed at her throat and she blinked back tears. This was her fault. From the beginning, she should've been honest with him... and with herself. Until Diego was shut down and in prison, along with all of his contacts, Kyle and his sister wouldn't be safe. There was too much money involved and even corrupt cops, like Gabriel.

  Remorse squeezed her lungs, and she couldn't take a deep enough breath.

  How long had she been spinning out here? Minutes? Days? Months? Time was meaningless. If she didn't find her way to her body, her spirit would fade. People on earth would say she was in a coma. The faster and longer she moved away from her body, the more machines wouldn't pick up brain activity. And if her silver cord was severed... she'd never find her way back... even with both her brothers’ magical help.

  She had to find her way. A flicker of a silver cord caught her eye. Kyle! Even though she’d never been in the astral with a dragon shifter, she knew it was him. Had to be. She reached out, almost grasping the line back to the living, when it swung away. She blinked, spinning to find it again. Where had it gone? She just had to retrace her steps, so to speak.

  Fighting against the current, she kicked her legs and pounded her arms to go toward a purple fog she'd passed through before. It was the only landmark she recognized in this vast space of black skies, endless fields of cerulean clouds, and streaks of white lightning that didn't penetrate the darkness.

  Something slimy grabbed her ankle and twisted. She screamed. Searing pain shot up her leg.

  She looked down. A huge black creature that resembled a cross between an octopus and a giant squid had her. Jerking only made the creature wrap another tentacle around her other leg. Her limbs became heavy as she fought to keep her eyes open. Shit! It was draining her energy. She closed a fist, concentrating on her power, and mentally pushing it into her hand. When she punched the tentacle on her ankle, a blast of white light struck the black ink monster. It looked like an octopus with way too many arms.

  Ha-ha, betcha didn't count on your prey being a witch.

  Three more limbs shot up from underneath her. One around her free leg, another on her arm, and one clasped across her waist. It dragged her down to the black pit with it. She summoned more magic, but it fizzled like a firecracker with too little gunpowder.

  More arms snagged onto her and she couldn't move. Her body was wrapped up like a mummy in duct tape. She closed her eyes, struggling with her reserves to shoot this bastard. With everything she had, she forced her magic out of her pore of her being. It wouldn't be enough, but at least she'd give the beastie a stomach ache.

  The creature's arms clutched her throat, tightening…choked her, digging into her flesh. Her lifeforce was slipping away as regret sliced through her heart. She’d tasted a glimmer of perfection and wanted more. Wanted it every night and day.

  Kyle.

  Visions of him swam before her. At least without her pursuing Diego, he and his sister were safe.

  The monster was engulfing her. Shit! Was it eating her? She screamed, panic snapping through her veins. Her kicks and struggles did nothing. Acid rolled through her stomach. She gritted her teeth, hoping to find a p
iece of magic left to hit this monster one final time.

  Again, the creature convulsed. Again, and again. What was happening? The tentacles around her loosened, then constricted harder than before. Her scream was cut off from lack of air. Spots danced before her eyes.

  The creature jerked so hard that she tumbled from its grip. She fell, air rushing into her, and she blinked to focus.

  Suddenly, strong arms brought her into an embrace. She flailed.

  “Melody, it's me,” Kyle said. “You're safe.”

  “Wha—?” She looked up to find him staring down at her. “How did you find me?”

  He gave her a lopsided grin. “We're bonded, remember? Did you think I'd just leave you there?”

  She clasped her hands behind his neck, pressing herself against him, enjoying the feel of his hard body against hers. And joy shot through her being in his presence again. “No. But we were separated in the astral, and you've no magic to navigate through this plane. Even the best magician would have an impossible time locating me. It would be like finding a speck of dust in the Milky Way. No, a million galaxies.”

  He rubbed her nose with his. “I would search for eons until I found you.”

  “Hate to break up the reunion, dragon,” an unfamiliar masculine voice said. It was almost guttural and scratchy, like a person who had smoked a pack of cigarettes a day since they were born.

  Melody turned to address the person she guessed had helped Kyle, to thank him, and recoiled at the red demon with black tongue and fangs in front of her. What was one of the hellions doing here and with Kyle? These beings ripped out hearts and ate them, then took over the bodies until they tired of them. Before she could question or pull Kyle away, the demon reached out and grasped both of their shoulders.

  “Time to fulfill your promise dragon, and give me a body.”

  Her “no!” echoed from the astral until she and Kyle landed in their bodies inside her brother's library.

  “What’s it talking about, Kyle?” Melody stood up on shaky legs. Owing a demon was worse than getting limbs chopped off. And Kyle had promised it a person? She shuddered, her stomach threatening to hurl.

  “It’s complicated.” He held out his hands.

  Did he trade his body to this monster? To save her? At the scent of something burning, she glanced around. Half of her brother’s bookshelves were smoldering ash. Burn marks covered the floor from where the two candles had been, all the way to the far wall. A scuff mark broke the line of salt that had formed her circle. Her gaze met Kyle’s. “Tell me what happened.”

  “I’ll explain, dearie.” The demon straightened, but still resembled a hunched over crimson-colored demon, complete with black claws and fangs. “He broke the circle to bring you back from the astral. I possessed your body. We made a pact. And now he has to deliver.”

  She twisted her fingers over one another, her body trembling. “What did you promise?”

  “Another body for him to possess.”

  “Yours?” She swallowed. What would happen to Kyle? If the demon ate his heart, there would be no coming back from that. No healing. No exorcism in any religion that would replace his life. Had she found a chance at love, only to lose it now?

  The demon laughed. “While the idea of wings and flying does appeal to me, this dragon is maimed. Don’t try and con me, you promised me a magical being.” It pointed at Melody and nausea rolled through her. “One more powerful than her.”

  “How do you know about my wing?” Kyle asked.

  “Easy. I see auras. And while yours is tangled with hers, I see the gash in yours.”

  “You’re hurt?” Melody took a step forward. When had this happened? When he was searching for her in the astral plane?

  “It’s fine.” He ran a hand through his hair. “It happened when you were unconscious from the wolfbane, and one of Diego’s new shifters tried to hitch a ride with us. Don’t worry, it’ll heal in a few months.”

  “Enough talking,” the demon growled. “Where’s the magical body you promised me?”

  Kyle paled. Why had he gambled with a demon?

  “You’ve got half an hour to produce this live body,” the demon’s eyes glowed redder, “or I’m taking you both back with me. I’ll take turns who to possess. And I’ll cause your families nightmares for generations to come.”

  Kyle

  “Kyle, you made a bargain with a demon?” Melody screeched, her face reddening. “Are you crazy? Y-you can’t just fight your way out of this or throw money at it!”

  “I know. But it was the only way I had to save you.” He took her hands in his. “It had possessed you, and was going to leave. Forever. I didn’t know what else to do. Only our bond caused it to return at all.”

  A vibration sounded underneath the floorboards. What the hell was that?

  “Don’t look at me.” The demon picked at its black claws as if awaiting a manicure. “You’ve twenty-eight minutes left before I collect my buy-one-get-one-free prizes.”

  Fuck! He’d screwed this up. He raised his fists, hunching his shoulders and preparing for the only thing he could do now... fight.

  The demon’s kick landed into his side and Kyle grunted. “You never had a replacement, did you, stupid dragon?”

  Blocking a punch, Kyle threw an upper jab, striking the demon’s pointy chin.

  “Now I'm taking you both to my place for playtime.”

  A rumble sounded outside. Thunderstorm.

  “Stop!” Melody yelled. “You said we have time.”

  “True, but I don't see either of you conjuring a person for me to possess.”

  If Diego had a magical bone in his body, Kyle would deliver him tied up in a red ribbon to the demon.

  Melody opened her mouth to say something…

  “And not just any homeless person sleeping in the alley.” The demon held up a gnarled finger. “One with magic. Those suckers last possession longer than others.”

  “‘Cause your kind chews away a human’s aura from the inside out and only a magic user is able to sustain for a greater time.”

  “And besides you, sweetie,” the demon blew her a kiss, “I don't see another witch or the like anywhere here. Now, thanks to your boyfriend, I've a dragon shifter to add to my collection.”

  “Enough talking.” Kyle stepped in front of the creature, blocking its view of Melody. Let it take him, but leave her out of the deal. “Let's settle this.”

  The demon growled, and it echoed through the house like thunder. “Why? Soon I'll have both of you. And I'm so looking forward to my new magic plaything. And the scent of sex on her is intoxicating.”

  “You will not touch her!” Kyle roundhouse kicked the demon. It flew backward across the wooden floor.

  Another rumble sounded, and the house shook.

  “What the hell was that?” Kyle didn't take his glare from the demon. It was probably a trick or something. “Melody, get out of here,” he called out over his shoulder. “Get your brothers to help you. Hide you. Shields, whatever it takes to keep yourself safe.”

  “I'm not going anywhere.”

  Stubborn little witch. Stomps vibrated down the hallway and Kyle didn't think they were her brother’s - or the rescue-from-a-demon squad either.

  “Do what I ask, for once, please. This is my fault and I can't survive knowing you're hurt.” He wanted her safe and happy... even if it wasn't with him.

  The door flew open and Diego and a hooded figure entered. Thorns marred one side of Diego’s face and body. “No one is going anywhere!”

  Melody whimpered as the hooded guy flung a magic sphere at her. She collapsed onto her hands and knees.

  “Bastard,” Kyle bellowed and feign a kick, then snapped his leg back while throwing a right cross at the guy to put more power behind the punch. An invisible sledgehammer smacked into Kyle's chest and knocked him through the air into a bookshelf. Books tumbled down on him.

  “Don't.” Melody panted, staggering to her feet. “He's a warlock.”

/>   Kyle gathered up the dragon fire in his lungs to burn the new enemy and Diego before they could sound the whistle and turn him into a marionette again.

  Instead of heat, coldness seeped into his bones at the magic guy’s clap. His bones froze and he couldn’t move. No! Melody! His sister... they were all in danger and he couldn't even blink. Yet, the sorcerer had left his jaw and mouth out of the spell. Probably he got off on hearing people beg for mercy and scream. He'd have a long wait, cause Kyle wouldn't surrender. Ever.

  “I chose the winning side.” He removed his hood, showing cropped blond hair and tattoos in black ink spiraling up his neck and face.

  “You sold out, Gabriel,” Melody spat.

  His face reddened. “Yet, I'm not the one skipping through memories and entertaining demons. The Sergeant will revoke you and your pitiful magic - if the demon doesn't eat you first.”

  “No, go ahead.” The demon levitated into the air, crossed his legs, and leaned forward with its hand on its chin. “I want to see where this goes with their fleeting minutes of freedom left.”

  Kyle grounded his teeth. “What are you two doing here?”

  “We've been searching for you since you botched your orders.” Diego scratched his goatee. “When you failed to bring me the head I asked for, I realized you must have... paused your commands, somehow. But we couldn't locate you and you didn't check in.” He paced toward Kyle, stopping just before him. “Imagine my surprise to learn you had blocked my men from bringing in this nosy witch. Then, Gabriel sensed someone tampering in the past, and set a trap for her. But you had to screw it up.” Diego punched him in the face.

  “How did you find us?” Melody asked, still on her knees as though glued to the floor.

  “Easy.” Gabriel waved a hand and all of the spikes in Diego vanished. “I followed the dragon's trail here. Wasn't easy, but your brother's magic is childish compared to mine.”

  “And now you’ll both die!” Diego slapped Kyle’s face. “No one defies me and lives. Oh, and my men are upset you took their witch treat, so I'll bring her back, just for them. And some like them young, so your sister will do nicely.”