Magic Awakened: A Paranormal Romance Boxed Set

by K.N. Lee

  “I will kill you!” Kyle bellowed. “All of you!”

  “As if you could stop me,” Diego chuckled. “Don't worry, we'll keep you around until they tire of them. Then Gabriel will whistle and you'll complete your mission... killing Danielle and yourself.”

  “What?” Shock filled Melody’s wide eyes. “You're more a monster than he is!” She nodded toward the floating demon.

  Diego straightened. “Get rid of that thing. It gives me the creeps.”

  “Of course.” Daniel lifted a hand, but before he could utter a syllable, the demon whipped its tail around, snagging the warlock around the throat.

  “Time is nearly up, dragon.” It narrowed its eyes. “And I will not allow anyone to damage my property.”

  No, only you. The only difference between Diego and his magical henchmen and the demon was one scenario where he and Melody would live longer in misery. And what of Danielle? Even if the demon took him and Melody, his sister wouldn't be safe.

  “Demon, wait.” Melody met Kyle's stare. “The dragon has delivered what he promised, and more, before your deadline.” She lifted her chin to Gabriel. “Behold, a better, more powerful magic user than I.”

  At her words, the sorcerer's face blotched.

  The demon snorted but didn't argue.

  “Take him,” Diego laughed. “I can find another.”

  Melody

  Melody had helped get herself and Kyle into this mess with Gabriel, Diego, and the demon; the least she could do was try and offer a trade for her’s and Kyle's lives.

  “And this guy is a bonus,” Kyle said looking at Diego, picking up on Melody’s thoughts. “Possess him, and you’ll have women, drugs, and power of illegal fighting rings at your disposal.”

  “Really?” the demon elongated the word and it echoed through her brother’s library.

  “Lies!” Spittle flew out of Diego’s mouth.

  The man had been all talk before, thinking his poker hand of a jack and king would win. But if the demon took her and Kyle’s offer, it trumped Diego with aces. True, she didn’t want a demon having that much power, but she didn’t want to be dragged to hell or have Kyle or her brother serve eternal damnation either. Later they’d figure out how to exorcise the demon from Diego and lock him up. If the demon even let him out of the fiery pit long enough to track him down.

  “Melody!” a familiar voice shouted up the stairs.

  What was her brother doing here? Wasn't he body guarding someone? “Luke?”

  “Did you all schedule a party and forget about to invite me?” The demon frowned.

  “Him…” Diego pointed as Luke entered the room. “He's a magic user. Take him and both of them instead of Gabriel.”

  “What the hell is going on, Melody?” Luke glared at her, then paled at seeing the destroyed books and smoldering ashes. He didn't even blink at the demon or others. “My library!”

  “There's no time to explain.” Kyle volunteered. “Your sister is in danger. Get her out of here.”

  Luke headed for her, and she recoiled.

  “No, wait. Kyle!” She couldn't leave him even if he was a hardheaded macho dragon shifter. Her heart pounded against her sternum as she summoned her magic and her strength to reach Kyle.

  “Demon,” Kyle wouldn't meet her stare, “take all of us as the bargain, but leave Melody and her brother alone.”

  “Goddess damn you, Kyle!” Tears clouded her vision. “I'm not going anywhere without you.”

  “Decisions, decisions.” The demon tapped his chin. “I’ve changed my mind, I’ll take the lot of you.”

  Diego paled. “I-I’ve money and will pay you whatever you want.”

  There had to be a way out of this. Something Melody could do to get rid of the demon without sacrificing all of their lives. She had to save her brother and Kyle. It went against the vows she’d taken to get on the police force, but what good was her badge if she was stuck in hell? And she would never forgive herself if innocent lives were harmed because of her.

  She swallowed as her brother, Kyle, and Diego argued and bribed the demon.

  “See all these books?” Luke, her brother, waved a hand out. “I've all kinds of ways to hunt you down, demon, and make you pay if you try and take or hurt my sister.”

  “Her lover and I made a bargain.” The demon’s words hissed out smoke.

  At his words, Luke whipped his head around and stared at her. “What? And he put you in line with a demon?” Venom filled his voice.

  “Time’s up.” It snapped and crooked a black fingernail.

  “Wait!” Her nerves zapped along her skin. She only hoped her gamble would work. “I’ll accept a demon mark in exchange for Kyle, Luke, and my freedom.” If the demon agreed, she'd never be free. Until she died, she'd have to find a host for it whenever its current human body no longer worked. A mark was nearly impossible to remove, but she would accept the consequences if it meant saving them. The mark would be seen by all…especially magic users. She’d be shunned. It was basically a one-way ticket to hell, all it bought her was a bit of time before the demon collected her. A decade or more. Plenty of time for her, Kyle, and her brother to figure out how to reverse it. Right? Her insides tightened.

  “No!” Kyle and Luke yelled at the same time, they stepped toward her, but the demon froze them in place.

  “And what about my playtime now?”

  Her throat dried, but she squeaked out, “Take Diego and Gabriel in our place.”

  “Fucking bitch!” Diego lunged for her and his hands clasped around her throat, choking off her air.

  Kyle roared and broke through the magical hold and ripped Diego off her. She gasped for breath, the air scraping her throat. Her shoulder seared like she’d laid it against a hot poker. The scent of burning flesh filled the air: the demon mark.

  “Enough. I will take these two as well.” The demon waved a gnarled hand and Diego flew through the air toward him, screaming. Gabriel’s eyes grew wide in fear as he dragged his feet as his boots scraped along the floor. Luke started to move across the floor as well as he wheeled his arms to stop himself.

  “No! We made a deal.” Melody grasped her brother’s free arm to try and hold him.

  “Yes,” the demon grinned, its black teeth shining. “Two persons to replace you and the dragon. I’ve been giving nothing for your brother.”

  “Take me instead.” Kyle squared his shoulders.

  “And have you moping about her for eternity?” It nodded to Melody. “One thing I can’t stand is love, especially lost, unrequited love.” The demon shivered.

  “Luke,” Melody licked her parched lips, “promise it something. Your books.”

  “No way, are you crazy?” He frowned. “You’ve destroyed half of them and it took me decades to collect these.”

  “Look man,” Kyle clapped a hand on Luke’s arm to get his attention, “would you rather give up your library or your life?”

  With a grunt, Luke nodded.

  “Say the words, wizard,” the demon countered. “Doesn’t count unless you speak your vow.”

  When her brother didn’t answer, Melody punched him in the arm.

  “Fine. You may have one book from my library every year.” Luke met her glare. “And you, sis, have some explaining to do and owe me.”

  At this point, she was indebted to almost everyone: Kyle, for rescuing her twice, a demon for offering a trade, and her brother for trying to help and having to sacrifice his precious collection.

  With a pop, the demon, Gabriel, and Diego vanished. Melody ran to Kyle and hugged him. “We did it. We’re safe.”

  “At your expense.” He embraced her and despite her brother grumbling behind them, kissed her. “Now we need to figure out how to break this mark off you.” He traced his finger over the burnt skull mark on her forearm.

  Maybe heavy tattoo makeup would help cover it up. No, she’d heard about demon marks burning through anything to reveal itself to the world.

  Her cell buzzed and
she checked it. Cripes! Sergeant. She was late for her check-in. “Hi, Sarg—”

  “Where are you?”

  “It’s complicated.” Melody shakily sat down.

  “Well, get your ass in here and explain what the hell has been going on.” The line went dead.

  Even if she couldn’t be a cop anymore, she could still help people. Her brother was in the private bodyguard field. Maybe she could do that, too. Or be a private detective. And somehow, she had to get this mark removed. The demon could show up at any time to demand a body. And, if she didn’t deliver by a certain deadline, it would take her… or Kyle… or one of her brothers.

  Without her badge and equipment, walking out of the police force made her feel naked. Her ears still hurt from her Sergeant’s screeches. Today, Melody had lost a friend. The ache of it pressed in on her. But there was nothing she could do. A compromised cop wasn’t allowed to participate in active duty. And a demon mark topped the list of ‘do not do’s’ for magic users.

  “You okay?” Kyle leaned against a street light.

  “No.” She folded her arms around him and breathed in his scent of cinnamon and roasted chestnuts. “But I will be. You’re helping make it better.”

  “Am I?” He lifted her chin with his finger and lightly kissed her lips. “How about now? Any better?”

  “Hmmm… might have some more work to do before I can tell.”

  “My pleasure.” He leaned down and kissed her until the world vanished around her.

  Kyle

  Six months it took for Melody and both of her brothers to find a counter spell to remove the buried spell that Gabriel had left inside Kyle. Twenty-five weeks of worrying that something would set him off and he’d kill Antonio, then his own sister and himself. Melody had to leave on a case alone for a month. Upon her return, Kyle threw a party at his house and invited Antonio and Sherry.

  Kyle kissed her and lifted her off her feet.

  “Ouch!” she panted.

  “What’s wrong?” He lowered her to the floor.

  “Nothing. Cramps.” She patted his arm. “I think our guests are arriving.”

  “They can wait. Are you sure you—”

  “I’m fine.”

  As though to demonstrate her words, she gave him a long smooch that had him wishing the guest ringing the doorbell would go away.

  She opened the door and the first wave of visitors arrived. Soon, his place was full of people.

  Damn, he should’ve had the welcome home party tomorrow. After they’d made love all night long. He took out a beer and brooded in the living room with his back propped up against the wall.

  “Hey, you okay?” she asked handing him another beer. “I can ask everyone to leave if you want.”

  “No,” he took her hand and brushed her knuckles with a kiss, “I can wait to have to myself. Just don’t make me wait too long.”

  She winked, then engaged a woman who was decked out in a uniform and he guessed was her Sargent. The woman kept glaring at him, and Kyle lifted his beer bottle in a toast.

  From across the room, Antonio approached Kyle with caution, his jaw set and his eyes scanning for threat.

  “The spell he was under has been alienated.” Melody smiled at the tall bulky man, “Just like I told you over the phone.”

  Antonio visible relaxed, but didn’t move within striking distance. “Thank the goddess.”

  “So,” Kyle rubbed the back of his neck, “mind filling me in on what happened? I woke from my magical amnesia covered in blood. When I found out what Diego had planned, I feared it was your blood.”

  “Some of it was. Actually, a lot of it. But Sherry’s a nurse and gave me a transfusion of her blood until we got to the hospital.”

  “Then why did I stop? Why didn’t I kill you like programmed?” Fighting was one thing, but taking an innocent man’s life? He would turn himself in, even if he had had no control. What Diego did to him… what he’d tried to do… was unforgivable. He’d seen the remorse creeping into Melody’s eyes more and more, but she’d done the right thing. It had been the only way to save the three of them. Kyle didn’t like the cost she’d had to pay, but now that he didn’t have to worry about snapping and becoming a suicidal murderer, they could concentrate on eliminating her mark.

  “Your dragon shadow stopped you.” Antonio nodded.

  “Come again?” What was Antonio saying? The shadow selves of their shifters were unpredictable and dangerous. They didn’t save people.

  Antonio shrugged. “I don’t know, man. One minute you were taking slices at me and had me down. The next, Sherry was throwing herself over me to protect me.” Taking her hand beside him, Antonio glanced down at her and smiled before meeting Kyle’s eyes. “Then you shifted into your shadow dragon form which, for the record, is black as night and scary as hell, and flew away.”

  His shadow side had saved them? Why? Was it because it knew Kyle wasn’t himself? Or because it recognized love and knew that was what Kyle needed, too? Whatever the reason, he was grateful.

  “Thanks. I’m glad I didn’t kill you.”

  “Me too. I count myself lucky every day.” Antonio kissed Sherry’s hand, who blushed and placed her own hand over her swollen belly.

  “Kyle!” Melody’s shout echoed across the crowded living room. “It’s your sister, the hospital is on the line.”

  The floor dropped from underneath him. No, not after everything. He couldn’t lose her now.

  The hospital wouldn’t even let him see her. She was in intensive care and not allowed visitors for two days.

  Finally, they allowed him in and he pushed past the doctor to see her.

  She was pale with black circles under her eyes, but her blue eyes twinkled with mischief and hope. “It worked, Kyle. It worked.”

  “What worked, sweetie?” He sat on the bed beside her and took her hand. So fragile. So small for her sixteen years.

  “My kidney transplant. And, with Melody’s magic, it renews itself every decade. I might even outlive you at this rate.”

  Melody’s magic? “What are you talking about? Did Melody somehow help your body accept the transplant?” His heart leapt. Finding a match for his sister had been impossible. She’d been on the donor list since both her kidneys had stopped working. Twice before she’d had this surgery, and twice before, the new kidney had failed. Maybe this time with luck and magic, it would hold. Give her a few more years.

  “We were a match,” Melody strolled in and smiled. “How are you feeling, kiddo?”

  “Great, except I’m so sore, like I’ve done a million sit ups.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  Kyle looked from Melody to his sister and back again. “Your magic is helping her keep her new kidney?”

  “Yes. Oh, and my brother was a match for the bone marrow transplant too.”

  A miracle. Joy lit him up, but there was still something going on between the two women in his life that he didn’t understand. “How is that possible? Wouldn’t the doctors and magicians have done that before now if was that easy?” And her brother being a match, guess that meant he couldn’t beat the guy up for the booby-trap of spines from hell.

  “It only works when the organ is part of the equation.” She lifted her shirt and pulled down her pants part way, showing a newly healing scar. “And if both the donor and receiver are a match… which thankfully your sister and I are. She has my kidney and my enchantment to keep the kidney not only alive and thriving, but renewing itself.

  “I wanted to tell you sooner, but the doctors wanted to make sure her body didn’t reject the organ first.”

  Tears filled his eyes and he swallowed to push the lump back down his throat. “Thank you.”

  “Afraid you’ll both need to leave now.” A nurse popped her head into the room. “She needs her rest.”

  “Sure.” He kissed Danielle’s cheek. “You’re a dragon fighter, show them how well you got this thing beat.”

  “Will do.”

  The
y said their goodbyes and Kyle walked hand in hand with Melody outside. This was one of the many reasons he loved her. She was brave and strong and self-sacrificing.

  “Are you mad I didn’t tell you?” she asked, her voice a soft whisper yet had a core of firmness that she would have done this with or without his blessing.

  “No, but I wish you had.”

  “I know, but you’d have tried to talk me out of it.” Her jaw line set.

  Damn right, he would’ve. He pulled her to his side and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “Melody, I love you. I will support anything you want to do as long as it doesn’t endanger you. For eternity, I will be grateful for what you did for my sister back there.” He eased them into an alcove next to a shoe store as it began to drizzle. “But if you ever endanger yourself again, I will beat your ass, then kiss you until you get some sense.”

  “In that case, we better buy some condoms.”

  He cocked an eyebrow. “Oh?”

  Fat rain pelted across the sidewalk and people scrambled inside to keep dry.

  “Yes,” she nodded, her head bumping his chin. “Doctors say I shouldn’t get pregnant for at least six months after donating a kidney.”

  Her next words were muffled as he spun her in the air, then kissed her until they were both panting. With their laughter mingling, they raced to her home through the rain.

  Seeds of Love

  Cait Reynolds

  Chapter 1

  I am Hades.

  I have been called terrible, evil, mysterious, and grim, and that is pretty much the sum of it. The poets of the heroic age were not brave enough to spend their words describing my dark palace and those who dwelt within. They lingered on the edges of my kingdom, making much of the ferryman (any why should they not, for they’d need his favor one day when their souls arrived from their freshly departed bodies), and of Cerberus, the three-headed dog that guards my kingdom. But, to my point, I am not evil.