by K. M. Shea
But, really, all of it was positive change.
And even though Killian and I were breaking something of a soft taboo…I couldn’t help but feel like magic itself approved.
These last few weeks, I could have sworn I’d gained an extra flourish and a new loop on my wizard mark that hadn’t been there before. But maybe that was just wishful thinking.
I ran back down through the House and burst onto the front porch, a little surprised when I realized about half of the House—wizard and vampire alike—was standing on the front lawn.
I paused on the sidewalk, my shoes dangling from my fingers. “Is everything okay?” I cautiously asked.
Josh and Celestina were closest to me.
“Of course,” Josh said. “It’s just—”
Celestina slapped a hand over his mouth, her expression tight. “The House swallowed the Eminence again.” She pointed to a mound of bushes, brush, and budding leaves that was about the size of two cars, and woven so thick I couldn’t even see Killian.
“Dang it, what did he do?” I dropped my shoes and ran for the bush-ball, but no one answered me, even when I got close enough to touch the greenery. “I’m sorry,” I said to the House. “Whatever he said he didn’t mean it. Could you let him go?”
I didn’t feel any anger from the House. It didn’t even sulk. Instead, I felt…excitement?
It opened up a hole in the bush wall, one small enough that even I had to crouch down and shuffle a little to get in.
“Killian?” I called. “Are you okay? And what did you do?” My last word came out as more of a snarl, but any follow up lectures dropped from my mind when I finally made it in.
Instead of being filled with prickers, poison ivy, and other landscaping torture devices, as I had expected, the gigantic sphere was blanketed with wall to wall flowers.
Directly behind Killian was a lilac bush that was blooming unseasonably early—same with the pink and red roses that carpeted the floor. White and yellow lilies dripped from the ceiling, and blue hyacinths ringed the walls.
I blinked, my brain processing too slowly to comprehend what I was seeing. “What’s going on?”
“You’re my One,” Killian said bluntly. “You’re my sun when I shouldn’t be allowed any. I will never love another like I love you, and I’ll never trust another the way I trust you.” Killian held out a tiny black jewelry box. “So I thought we should make things permanent.”
As I stared open mouthed, he added, “I considered asking you at Drake Hall, but I was pretty sure your pain-in-the-ass House would never forgive me.”
I didn’t need to hear any more.
I released a choked laugh and flung myself at Killian.
We kissed, and surprisingly it was Killian who pulled back first. “May I interpret that as a yes?”
“Of course!” I laughed.
“You haven’t even looked at the ring—which I spent a long time picking out,” Killian said. He flicked the box open, revealing an unusual engagement ring.
Instead of the traditional diamond, Killian had picked out two colored gems arranged to almost resemble a flower. One stone was a deep, blood red color, the other was the distinct shade of Medeis blue.
“It’s your House blue, and red for me, the vampire,” he told me as I smiled at it through wet eyes.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
He threaded his arms around me. “Of course. It’s you and me, forever.” He kissed me with enough passion to actually make my knees weak and my heart thump.
“I love you Killian Drake,” I said when we parted.
“I love you Hazel Medeis,” he said.
Faintly, through the protective shell of greenery the House had made, I heard Great Aunt Marraine. “What’d she say?”
Killian sighed. “I might have also asked you here because your family is worse than termites,” he added.
I laughed. “We should tell them.”
Killian kissed my temple. “She said yes,” he called out in a raised voice.
The flowers and brush dropped away, and our friends and family that had gathered on the front lawn cheered and hooted.
I shyly leaned into Killian, until I finally recalled his specific wording. “Wait, forever?”
“Ahhh, yes. I’ve been meaning to tell you about that.” Killian beamed down at me. “You’re probably going to live as long as I do.”
“WHAT?”
The End
For free short stories and more information about the Hall of Blood and Mercy Series, visit kmshea.com!
Afterword
Thank you for reading Magic Unleashed, I hope you enjoyed Hazel’s story! If you want to get a peek at what Celestina and the other vampires of Drake Hall think of Killian and Hazel, sign up for my newsletter to receive a short story from Celestina’s point of view. It’s included in my K. M. Shea Starter Pack ebook.
As part of the starter pack, you’ll also get prequel short stories for a few of my other series, as well as a fairytale novelette, The Princess Who Chased Sheep.
My newsletter is released every month, and contains information about the books I'm working on, new freebies, and exclusive content just for newsletter subscribers!
Thank you for your support and encouragement. I am proud to say I have the best readers. Therefore, it is my dearest wish that Hazel and her friends made you laugh and warmed your heart. Thank you.
Other books by K. M. Shea
The Snow Queen Series:
A completed Epic Fantasy series of two books and an anthology of short stories
Timeless Fairy Tales:
Beauty and the Beast
The Wild Swans
Cinderella and the Colonel
Rumpelstiltskin
The Little Selkie
Puss in Boots
Swan Lake
Sleeping Beauty
Frog Prince
12 Dancing Princesses
Snow White
Three pack (Beauty and the Beast, The Wild Swans, Cinderella and the Colonel)
The Fairy Tale Enchantress:
Apprentice of Magic
Curse of Magic
Reign of Magic
The Elves of Lessa:
Red Rope of Fate
Royal Magic
King Arthur and Her Knights:
A complete historical fantasy series of seven books
Robyn Hood:
A compete historical fiction series of two novellas
The Magical Beings’ Rehabilitation Center:
A complete urban fantasy series of two books and an anthology of short stories
Other Novels
Life Reader
Princess Ahira
A Goose Girl
Second Age of Retha: Written under pen name A. M. Sohma
The Luckless
The Desperate Quest
The Revived
About the Author
K. M. Shea is a fantasy-romance author who never quite grew out of adventure books or fairy tales, and still searches closets in hopes of stumbling into Narnia. She is addicted to sweet romances, witty characters, and happy endings. She also writes LitRPG and GameLit under the pen name, A. M. Sohma.
Hang out with the K. M. Shea Community at…
kmshea.com