by Dyan Chick
Magic Awakens
Dragon Mage Book Two
Dyan Chick
Illaria Publishing LLC
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters and events in this book are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons living or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Published by Illaria Publishing LLC
Copyright © 2018 by Dyan Chick
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover Artwork by Melody Simmons
Created with Vellum
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Author Notes
1
Jimmy's house really was the safest place I could be right now. It offered protection that I wouldn't get in the human world. Much of it found in the magic objects I'd brought him over the years. The vampires that worked round-the-clock security didn't hurt, either.
I'd been trapped inside the house for four days now, with the exception of my hour-long meeting with Chief Matthias. She promised me that my apartment was free of recording devices and as safe as it could be with a renegade Fae on the loose.
I still wasn't sure she fully believed me, but the video of the false me breaking into the vault had been picked apart by a team of Tech Mages and they managed to clear up the face. There was no doubt Tavas was the intruder. Every time I thought about it, rage bubbled inside me. I'd spent several hours trusting the man who had killed Jimmy. If I ever saw him again, I wouldn't hesitate to take him out.
"Morgan?"
I looked up from the couch where I was pretending to read a book to see Marco entering the room. "Any word on the dragons?"
He shook his head. "Still no sign of them in Realm's Gate. Pretty sure they're gone." Marco sat down on the couch next to me. "You doing okay, kid?"
I smiled. "As good as I can be. And, thank you for letting me stay for a few days. I'll head back to my apartment tomorrow. I'm sure you're ready to get rid of me."
"Actually, that's what I came to talk to you about," Marco said.
My forehead creased as I watched the expression change on Marco's face. He was difficult to read but I sensed his weariness, which was rare in a vampire. "What is it?"
"We had the reading of Jimmy's will today," Marco said.
I nodded. It wasn't private information, they'd had the reading in the study a few doors down from where I sat. But there was no way I was going to sit through the lawyers reading the way they were going to divvy up what was left of Jimmy.
Closing the book, I set it down. The new owner probably wanted me out of the house right away. Though, I had to admit, I always thought Marco would inherit everything and Marco would never kick me out. Being a vampire, Jimmy didn't have any remaining blood family. This organization was everything to him. And he and Marco had know each other since the Renaissance. "I can leave today, if you need me to."
"No, you don't have to leave," he said.
"That's very kind," I said.
"In fact, you don't ever have to leave if you don't want to," Marco said.
"Thank you, Marco, but I'd just be in your way, I'll head to my place tomorrow," I said.
"This is your place," he said.
I stared at him for a minute, flattered by the paternal role Marco was stepping up to fill. Jimmy had taken me under his wing when I was still a teenager, but at 23, I didn't need the kind of help I had back then. How did I explain that to Marco without hurting his feelings? To him, I must seem like a child, someone who needed protecting.
"He left it to you," Marco said.
"Wait." The words weren't making sense. "Left what?"
"Everything," he said. "Except the laundromat." Marco smiled, showing his fangs. "He left the laundromat to me."
"By everything you mean?" It was surreal. Why would he do such a thing?
"The house, his investments, his property in Sicily, the vineyards, all of it," Marco said. "You're a wealthy woman now. You never have to scavenge at estate sales again."
"Did you know about this?" I asked.
Marco nodded. "I signed as witness on the document two years ago. When you turned 21."
My heart dropped into my stomach. "Who else knew about this?"
"Nobody that I knew of." He paused. "You think that's why they killed him? For his money?"
Swallowing, I shrugged. "I still don't know why they killed him. I have to wonder about everything. You're sure nothing was missing from the vault?"
I'd asked that question every day. We'd had no sign of Tavas and still no idea as to why he would go to all that trouble to set a dragon loose on the city. Aside from finding out that I had dragon blood, there seemed to be no purpose. But if all he wanted was to know if I was part dragon, he could have skipped the theatrics and just released the dragon into Realm's Gate. It would have made more sense. There had to be something else, something bigger.
"Nothing, but when you're ready, we can do a walk through with the inventory list and you can check it for yourself," Marco said as he stood.
"Marco, you'll stay, right?" The vampire had lived in this house as long as I'd known Jimmy. It was large enough for most of his crew to crash in when needed, but Marco was a permanent resident.
"If you'll have me, I'll stay."
"Thank you," I said, still not sure what I was going to do about being the new owner of such wealth. What does one do with a vineyard and a mansion? I'd grown up with so little, needed so little, that all of this seemed excessive.
As I watched Marco leave the room, I noticed that the sun had risen in the sky. It was probably nine in the morning by now. I'd been waking before sunrise the last few days and spent most of the day on the couch.
An untouched plate of food sat nearby. Marco's attempt to get me to eat. I set the book down on the table and ran my hands through my hair. How long was I going to let myself stay locked up in here feeling sorry for myself?
My cell phone beeped, and for the first time since waking, I turned it over to look at the missed message. The whole screen was filled with text messages and alerts for missed calls. Since sending Alec and Dima home, I'd ignored all contact with the outside world. But they hadn't stopped trying to get a hold of me.
It was time to stop moping. I had to at least leave the house. Before I could lose my nerve, I texted Alec and Dima to let them know I was still alive. Then, I left the couch and walked to the guest room I'd been staying in.
The house was massive by my standards, probably by most people's standards. With eight bedrooms and ten bathrooms, countless living areas, two kitchens, a library and a study. I paused in front of Jimmy
's room on my way. The doors had been closed since I arrived. What was I going to do about the house? Was it really mine now? It didn't feel real and I wasn't sure what my next steps should be.
After considering the doorknob for a while, I entered the room. It had been empty for about a week now and it looked as it had while he was alive. I wasn't sure what I expected since I'd only been in his room once or twice when I house sat for him.
The spotted cat that called this mansion home trilled as she bumped up against my leg. It was the first time I'd seen her all week. I knelt down to pat her on the head. "Where have you been hiding?"
The cat purred and continued to nuzzle my leg. She wasn't usually this affectionate. I hugged the cat, then smoothed her fur. "I miss him, too."
When I left the room, I left the door open so the cat could roam where she pleased. It made me feel better to open it. There was something final about it. A way of finalizing that Jimmy was gone and he wasn't coming back. I wondered if that's why the door had been closed in the first place. Was that a signal to the others in the house? Either way, open or closed, there wasn't anything I could do to bring him back but I was starting to wonder if there was a way I could figure out why he had been killed.
There had to be something I was missing. So far, the police had zero leads that I knew of. James and the wild dragon were gone, and for all I knew, Tavas was gone with them. James wouldn't even know he'd been betrayed when he shifted back into human form and I had a sinking feeling that if I sat around doing nothing, I wouldn't be around by that time, either. With a sigh, I walked into my room, then into the in-suite bathroom.
The hot water from the shower beat down on my back and I breathed in the steam, washing the last few days from my hair. I thought about the vault, the dragons, what I knew about Tavas, and everything else that had happened to me. Clearly, the police couldn't be trusted. Even if there was evidence of something else missing, had that been covered up?
Marco had mentioned an inventory sheet. That was where I had to start.
Feeling energized, I finished the shower and got dressed quickly. It was time to take matters into my own hands.
2
Grabbing my purse, I headed down the stairs to the front door. Halfway down, I spotted a small group gathered at the entryway. Four heads turned to me and I stopped my descent while I tried to place the faces.
Marco and Scott, two of Jimmy's men were facing the door as if preventing the other two people from entering the house.
Moving slowly down the steps, I peered at the newcomers. They looked familiar, but I couldn't immediately place the sharp-nosed woman or her frizzy-haired companion.
Frizzy-hair stepped past Marco, her long black coat rustling as she walked. "Morgan?"
Marco moved to block her from me, then turned to me. "They came by to have a word with you, but I can send them away if you want."
Narrowing my eyes, I looked at the two women. Clearly not with the police, but still maintaining a sense of official business, I couldn't place why they were here. They didn't seem threatening, but then neither had Tavas. "What do you want?"
"I'm Jasmine Porter, head of the Mage Order," the frizzy-haired woman said.
"McKenzie Dowell," the sharp-nosed woman said. "I'm head of security for the Mage Order."
I tensed. The Mage Order was made up of untrustworthy, power-hungry types who would turn you over for their chance to get ahead. And that was coming from someone who worked for the mob. I'd take any of Jimmy's men over the Mage Order any day. "I've already told your Order that I want nothing to do with them."
When I was sixteen, I'd turned down an offer to attend the Order's training academy. Despite my mother working for the Order, I had no desire to follow in her footsteps. As far as I was concerned, the Order had failed her, it was their fault she was gone.
"Just five minutes," Jasmine said. "Then we'll go."
I wanted to kick them out, but there was something in her tone that made me think I should listen.
"I'll stay with you, if you want," Marco said.
"Okay, five minutes, and Marco stays," I said.
Jasmine and McKenzie both visibly relaxed. It seemed they were worried I'd turn them away. What could they possibly have to tell me that would make them this stressed out? The Order had ignored me since I left Realm's Gate and since I never joined the Mage Guild, they had no authority over me, and had no responsibility to offer me any protection.
"This way," Marco swept his arm toward the formal living room.
The women walked away and Marco hung back with me. "You sure you want to talk to them?"
"We'll give them the five minutes," I said.
He nodded. "You want them gone, just say the word."
I smiled. "Thanks." Since I'd come back, Marco had been very protective of me and I had to admit, it was sort of nice knowing that a vampire was looking out for me. There was no way I could have slept in my own apartment, enchantments or not, so he'd let me stay at Jimmy's. Knowing that the vampires that stepped in to take over never had to sleep was comforting. Someone would have to have a death wish to break into a house full of vampires.
Settling into a turquoise chair across from a gray couch, I watched as Jasmine and McKenzie sat down. Jasmine was older, probably the same age my mom would have been if she were still alive. McKenzie looked to be close to my age. Maybe even younger. It was surprising in some ways to see a younger member of the Order as Head of Security. I wondered how she'd earned that position.
"Thank you for letting us speak," Jasmine said. "I know you're not in the guild, and not involved with the Order, but we felt it was important for you to hear this."
Marco sat in the matching turquoise chair next to me and the women glanced at him before looking back at me. I was glad I'd kept him in here with me. In the past, I never would have felt scared or nervous about being alone with another Mage, no matter their title. But since Jimmy's death, my nerves have been a bit shot. It felt like my confidence was having to be re-built as I recovered from all the excitement of the last several days.
After realizing I wasn't going to speak, Jasmine continued. "There have been some kidnappings in Realm's Gate that may have an impact on you."
I looked over at Marco. "Have you heard of any kidnappings?"
He shook his head. "Been nothing on the news."
"It hasn't made the news yet, we're keeping it quiet," McKenzie said.
I looked at her. "Why?"
"We don't need to cause any mass hysteria."
"I don't understand. If there's multiple kidnappings, why would you keep people in the dark?" I asked. "And what would it have to do with me?"
"All those who have gone missing have one thing in common," McKenzie said. "They all have a family connection to dragons."
"What the hell does this have to do with Morgan?" Marco asked. "So what if they're taking dragon bloods? That's not a surprise, really, with the history of that organization."
"He doesn't know?" McKenzie lifted her eyebrows.
Shifting in my chair, I wondered how I should respond to this. Do I deny it? Do I admit it? "There were people with dragon blood in Realm's Gate?"
"Most of the families didn't know they had dragon blood until the creatures were released a couple of days ago. Then their powers began to manifest," Jasmine said.
"Six mages have gone missing. We think they all come from dragon lineage," McKenzie said.
"I'm failing to see how this relates to Morgan. She's been cleared of the charges. The dragon wasn't her fault," Marco said.
McKenzie looked at Marco. "I really don't think it's my place to tell you."
"What's going on here, Morgan?" Marco asked. He looked hurt.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, I just didn't know what it even meant. But I guess I'm part dragon but I didn't know before all of this happened." Without waiting to hear Marco's response, I turned back to the Order. "Wait, how the hell did you two know?"
"Your mom put it in y
our record when you were born. It's Mage protocol to keep a list of any known members with dragon blood," Jasmine said.
"My mom?" I leaned back in the chair, fighting against the betrayal I was feeling. My own mother knew I was part dragon and had never told me? How was this possible?
Jasmine reached inside her jacket and pulled out an envelope. "We thought you might want to see this."
I took the envelope from her. Inside was a copy of my birth certificate, which I had never seen before. There wasn't much reason to have this document in Realm's Gate so I'd never asked my mom for it, and after she passed, it had never come up.
The date, time, and hospital I'd been born at were all recorded on the paper. Along with my mother's name and my father's name. Though he'd never been a part of my life, his name wasn't a secret. My mom told me he died when I was young, a few years after he left us. The thing I didn't expect to see was a series of empty boxes with species names next to them: siren, shifter, harpy, sprite. I scanned the list of options, until my eyes stopped on the one box that was checked: dragon.
Hands shaking, I passed the paper to Marco, who was patiently waiting in the chair next to me. He took the paper from me, then looked up. "You never knew, did you?"
I shook my head then turned back to Jasmine. "How many others?"
"You were the first who had a parent who checked that box in four generations," Jasmine said. "Your mother was part dragon. She knew her lineage and it never caused a problem for her. As a member of the Order, she followed the rules and checked the box."
