Paranormal Word Series Box Set (Books 1-3 and Novella)

by CC Solomon

  Felix then spent the better part of an hour trying to help me build a wall against Phillip. At some point, Mae and Bill showed up. I tensed when they appeared. I hadn’t seen Mae since Charles had been brought back. Her betrayal still bothered me. Having loss my mother to the Sickness, I suppose I had imprinted that affection onto Mae. I’m sure many people did. She just had a motherly way about her.

  Mae looked at me. Her eyes were pained and she gave a sympathetic smile. I gave her a half-hearted smile in return, and then grimaced as Felix continued to psychically dig into my head. Dig might be too great of a description. I felt no invasion or pain. He put his hands on my head and the only thing I felt was stupid.

  Spoiler alert, nothing Felix did worked. As soon as my mind purposefully wandered to Phillip, it felt like he came to attention. I would see him in my mind’s eye doing something and he would look up and out, as if staring into space but he was staring at me. And he would smile. He knew I was connecting. At one point he even waved hello. I felt nauseous. He could have been doing this to me for the past month and I’d never known. How had I never felt him?

  The reality was, I had. I’d felt something but was too scared to acknowledge that the feeling of being watched was coming from him.

  Felix sighed. “Azrael says it can’t be done,” Felix said, dejected. “They say you and Phillip are joined at the soul. There’s no end and no beginning. They tried to build a wall but it’s like there’s no ground to build it on. They said maybe in the old world they could have separated you both, but now the magic rules and nature won’t allow it. You are him and he is you.”

  I growled and put my head in my hands.

  “The best you can do is to start being sensitive to his presence, just like he is to you. Contain your emotions, including worry and stress. Be in the now,” Mae said, taking a seat at the dining table.

  Charles, still wearing his sunglasses, chuckled. “Yeah, good luck with that.”

  I glowered at him. “I’m a type-A worrier,” I grumbled.

  “Just don’t talk for a while and…” Felix began. Sitting on the floor in front of me, he looked around the room and then grabbed a decorative pillow from the couch. “Squeeze this when you feel stress and just focus on it. If you don’t let your emotions overtake you, you’ll be able to sense him.”

  “Can I ask an obvious question?” Henry asked. He was now sitting at the table with Mae, Bill, and Faith. He didn’t wait for a response. “How do we know we can even trust Phillip for this challenge? This could all be a setup. Or he could break his word if he loses the challenge. We already know the guy has a shaky grip on morality.”

  It was a good question. One I knew we were all thinking. I had no assurances that Phillip would acquiesce if I won. I had no assurances that he wouldn’t cheat. But then again, what choice did I have?

  “I know all about this challenge of Phillip’s. He’s been thinking of ways to subdue you since the trial,” Mae stated.

  Faith nodded. “We told Mina that. That’s why we’ve been trying to come up with ways to break their bond,” she explained, crossing her tattooed arms.

  “That isn’t the thing to do,” Mae stated.

  “I don’t want to be his soulmate,” I said.

  “I understand, honey. But you have to be soulmates so we can—”

  “Fight the big bad coming,” I interrupted her, rolling my eyes. “I thought it was the six of us who were supposed to do that.”

  “With his help. The power boost you’ll have by being soulmates with him will help you in this fight. We need you at your fullest strength,” Mae stated.

  “And that’s tied to your psychotic godson,” I mumbled.

  Mae nodded. “Actually, yes. And until he has his senses again, this challenge is the best option.”

  “Was this challenge your idea?” Erik asked, leaning against the wall.

  “He was so fixated on getting you back. I had to talk him down from killing Erik and attacking this place. A challenge was the compromise,” Mae answered.

  “What if I lose?” I asked.

  “Don’t worry about that.”

  “So, you’ve had a vision that I’ll win?” A hopefulness rushed through me.

  “Not exactly. Something’s going to happen and things will work out. I had a different vision. You will become a leader in Silver Spring and not one who is second to Phillip.”

  “How will that happen?”

  “I wish I knew. I just saw a vision that this would come to pass if a certain line of events happens.”

  “And those events are?” Erik asked.

  Mae glanced at him. “One of them is her accepting this challenge. Then I saw a town surrounded in green that I wasn’t familiar with and a man of fire. And there was a man with an arrow as well.”

  “A lotta men hanging around,” Charles muttered.

  “I also saw a woman with a sword.” Mae smiled. “There are other things involved, I’m sure but so far that is what I saw in my vision. Those things happening will lead to good both for you and Phillip. Your leading will be because whatever has a hold on Phillip will be gone.”

  While I wasn’t certain I was a leader, I knew Phillip staying in power wasn’t the best option either. I squinted my eyes. “You really think he’s possessed?”

  Mae sat back in her chair and sighed. “I don’t know for sure. Possessed or maybe even cursed. And he is getting worse. I know that it’s because you two are separated. He’s become irrational.”

  “Well, we can help him out by putting his ass in a coma,” Faith muttered.

  “Are these magic tests legit?” Erik asked.

  Mae looked to Bill, who was more in tune with the witch community since he was a mage. He nodded. “I’ve never seen the full challenge done but I knew of some of the tests. We have a witch committee who will supervise the challenge. Out of fairness, we convinced Phillip to allow you to bring two witches you trust to join in overseeing the challenge for a total of four judges,” Bill explained.

  Erik shook his head. “I still don’t like this. Phillip’s too powerful. If she loses…”

  “It’s bye, bye girlfriend,” Charles cracked.

  I shot eye daggers at him but I couldn’t tell if he was ignoring me behind those sunglasses.

  “Amina’s strong enough to beat him,” Felix cut in with an assured voice that didn’t match his questioning eyes.

  Erik, whose face looked uncomfortably tense, pushed back from the wall and began to slowly pace again. “I think it’s better if we get control of the vampires and weres. We can use magic to get people to fight the mind control. And we lock Phillip up. Contain him somehow. Probably with a ward from Mina,” Erik stated, looking around. “We keep him in a coma until we can find a way to get rid of him without hurting her. Then I challenge Seth and get the weres behind me.”

  I turned to Erik and frowned. “I already agreed to the challenge. If I don’t go, it’ll be war. The goal was to find an alternative to war by the end of the day. And you can’t risk fighting Seth until you’re fully powerful. The Six aren’t here, so we can’t effectively help you.”

  Erik nodded. “Then we should be mates. It’ll match my strength to Seth’s. It might make you stronger against Phillip too. Maybe it’ll even detach you two.”

  Charles snorted and I wanted to run over to him and wrap my hands around his throat.

  “So, you think a were mate could trump soulmates?” Chelsea, who was seated beside me, asked with thoughtful eyes.

  “That won’t stop things,” Mae stated, shaking her head. “Erik, you care deeply for Amina. I feel for what you are going through and I can understand why you would believe that being mates would change things between Amina and Phillip, but it will not. You should know what you are getting into by becoming the mate of someone who is already bonded to another.”

  I can’t lie. It hurt to hear her say that. I secretly hoped that Erik and I could move forward with whatever was between us without worrying about Philli
p. At least one day.

  She paused and looked at me. “Do you want to have this conversation here and now?”

  I nodded. “Everyone here is family. They can hear it. Besides, if The Six are bonded, then I would think that this might affect them too.”

  Mae nodded. “Fine. I’ve been doing some research, speaking to others in the spiritual and magic community. The internet really is a wonderful invention. Anyway, I’ve learned a great deal more about mate bonding of all types and magic. When you are mates with Erik, the benefits the two of you will share from being mates will expand to Phillip. So, it won’t just be you and Erik who will have this strength. Phillip will grow stronger. And I suspect that whatever bond you and Phillip have, part of it might spread onto Erik. It will be that the three of you would become bonded. I don’t know what that would look like exactly. What I am certain of is that mating with Erik will not break your bond with Phillip. It may not even weaken it.”

  Erik let out a curse word in a low growl.

  “What do you advise?” I asked, a feeling of devastation growing. I hadn’t realized how much I’d wanted mating with Erik to be my salvation.

  “I advise that you become mates if it is in your heart to do so. It could even be that your combination could help Phillip heal. It certainly would be advantageous to Erik having, possibly, two mates in one. You could beat Seth in a pack fight.”

  “So, what’s the deal, Amina? You going to be a threesome or no?” Charles asked me, an amused look on his face.

  This time I did get up to strangle him.

  Chapter 10

  After Erik pulled me back down into my chair, the rest of the meeting was productive. Bill shared as much knowledge and guidance as he knew on the tests. I went to my mentor, Shayla, afterwards and she agreed to train me every day.

  For a month after that, my life became a mind-numbing cycle of practicing magic, eating, and sleeping. I wasn’t even teaching right now. Everyone seemed to know the importance of this fight, even if they hadn’t met Phillip.

  So far, I’d broken a ward, followed a challenging spell, and had three types of magic going at once. However, making a spell was an entirely different matter. What useful spell that hadn’t been invented could I create?

  I was still holed up in my room studying, a week before the challenge, when I heard a knock at my door. I tossed the notebook I used to collect spells to the side and got off my bed. I had no idea who it could be but I welcomed a break. I was a touch close to pounding my head against the wall just to get away from the growing panic keeping me in an off and on state of nausea.

  I went to the front door and looked through my peephole. Erik stood there holding a canvas tote. I opened the door and lifted an eyebrow.

  “Hey?” I said in a questioning voice.

  He raised the bag in the air. “I made dinner,” he said. He gave me the barest smile and I let him in, suddenly realizing how hungry I was.

  He walked in and headed to the dining area.

  “Sooo, you made me dinner? Out of the blue. Even though we barely talk anymore,” I stated, following him.

  Erik started taking wrapped dishes out of the bag. “Mae made you a lemon ice pound cake,” he replied, ignoring my suspicion. He placed the dessert dish on the center of the table. “And I made us steak and grilled vegetables. I’ll have to heat it up again in your oven, since I’m sure it’s grown cold after a two-hour drive from Silver Spring.” He turned and walked to the kitchen, turning the oven on.

  “You didn’t have to do all of this,” I replied, watching him put the food in the oven.

  “I’ve been a jerk.”

  I crossed my arms. “You’ve been yourself.”

  He turned and glared at me. “Are you saying, I’m regularly a jerk?”

  I slowly raised my shoulders in a shrug but smiled. “I’ve been a jerk too. I pushed you away and didn’t tell anyone the truth of what was going on. I’ve also used my mind control powers on people, which is bad.”

  “Namely for the people getting controlled. I’ve been your puppet twice, now.”

  I looked down at my feet. “I’m really sorry. I don’t know how to make it up to you.”

  He didn’t look too appeased. “Just don’t do it again.”

  I raised my hands in surrender. “Fine, fine…but what if—”

  “Grab some glasses,” Erik said, walking back to the dining room.

  I silently grabbed some glasses from an overhead cabinet and entered the dining area again with a curious look. “I don’t have anything fun to drink. Charles drank it all.”

  Erik held up a glass jug filled with a clear liquid. He had a coy smile on his face.

  “Dude, is that moonshine?”

  He nodded with a mischievous grin. “Apple flavored. There’s a guy in our pack who makes it. All kinds of flavors. All natural, no magic.”

  “I love the hell out of you right now,” I replied, matching his smile.

  “And I love you always.” He gave me a wink, took the glasses, and poured the liquid in.

  I took a seat, feeling spoiled. We chatted over dinner like old friends and we didn’t discuss Phillip, Seth, Lisa’s disappearance, or my crazy brother. For just one evening, we only wanted to talk and be normal.

  After dinner, we moved to the couch with the moonshine and talked some more. I should have been more responsible and gone back to studying and practicing. I should have just sent Erik home but I didn’t want to.

  “When does Charles usually get in?” Erik asked, turning to me on the couch.

  I shrugged. “It’s a Saturday night. He may not get back until dawn,” I sighed. A heavy weight pressed upon my chest and I leaned my head against the back of the couch. “I can’t believe I tried to strangle him a few weeks ago. He’s just not like he used to be. He used to be so sweet. He was the nicest brother a girl could have. Now he’s like a—”

  “Asshole teenager?” Erik raised an eyebrow and I quickly nodded. “In a way, he is. He was reborn. Most of us changed on the day the supernatural came in one quick moment. He died and he came back as something supernatural in a different way than us. How was Charles as a fourteen-year-old?”

  I grumbled. “A jerk. He was cool before middle school and then got better in college but for about seven years, I wanted to dropkick him. He was always trying to prank me and had a smart-ass comment for everything.”

  Erik put a hand behind his head; his bicep flexing as it held the weight of his head. “He was reborn as a fourteen-year-old vampire.”

  I chuckled lightly. “That actually sounds very dangerous. He’s not happy. He’s just existing. That’s not a good combination.”

  Erik yawned and closed his eyes. “Do they have a spell to bring peace of mind or happiness?”

  I scrunched my face and thought for a moment. I’d never looked for such a spell so I wouldn’t know. “Not sure, but if not, that might be a good one to make. I could give the spell to Charles to use if he wants and pass one of the tests all in one!” I grinned at Erik. “Look at you, being more than a pretty face.”

  Erik grinned, eyes still closed, and I fought the desire to lean over and surprise-kiss him. His smile grew wider and I wondered if he knew what I was thinking. “So there, two of your worries are solved. What else you got for me?”

  “I don’t think we should be mates.” I bit my lip. I’d been thinking about that ever since he proposed it but being challenged by Phillip, and Mae’s warning that being Erik’s mate might make things more complicated, made me all the surer.

  Erik opened his eyes and looked at me coolly. “You’re serious?”

  “I don’t want to expose you to Phillip. It’s not fair to you.”

  He sat up, a coldness clouding his eyes. “You must like staying this way with Phillip because, to me, the benefits of being your mate, outweigh the risks.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Of course, I don’t want things to stay the way they are. I just don’t want you to resent me if you end up being attache
d to Phillip. He will find out and he will make things very…uncomfortable for us.” I could consider the countless ways in which Phillip would poke the bear that was Erik. Phillip entering Erik’s dreams. Phillip reading Erik’s mind. Erik might escape being mind-controlled by Phillip, but he wouldn’t be free of him.

  “Let him walk into my dreams. I’ll make sure it’s a nightmare for him,” Erik growled.

  I smiled.

  “Stop carrying this stuff alone, Mina. Let me help you.”

  “How would being mates work with us? We aren’t even together.”

  “We should be together,” he stated, grabbing my hand. The chill in his hazel eyes died away and something warmer replaced it. “I want you as my mate but I want more.”

  He lowered his eyes and ran his thumb lightly over the palm of my hand, sending chills over me. “Mina, you are so damn stubborn. You said I could have you and I haven’t given up but if I’m the only one feeling this way, then put me out of my misery and just say something. And not because you think Phillip might hurt me if we stay together. If I need to move on I will, but I don’t want to. Do you want me to?” He looked down at me and there was a vulnerability in his eyes that I had never seen before.

  I cared deeply about Erik. Yet, I had to focus on the challenge. I couldn’t let this distract me. If we were together and I lost we would both be devastated. My distance from him was the only protection I could give him right now.

  “I just have to focus on this challenge right now,” I said with bitterness. My words felt hollow and stale. I wanted to wrap my arms around him and tell him that I needed him. That I hadn’t stopped caring about him and that he had been on my mind every day. But I couldn’t. Not now. “Can we have this discussion after?”