Spectrum of Magic Complete Series - Spell Breaker - Fate Shifter - Cursed Stone - Magic Unborn - Libra

by D. N. Leo

  “Japan? I don’t think we’re anywhere near Japan,” Roy said.

  Lorcan pulled out his liquid map and showed it to Rose. “Can you help us?” Rose glanced at the map, and looked up at Lorcan. “I’m sorry. I really want to help, but we’re not on that.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “We’re not on the map.”

  Jay pointed to the middle of the ocean. “We’d be somewhere around there.”

  “Are you saying the map is missing an island?” Lorcan snorted.

  Jay shook his head. “I don’t know. It used to be a popular island. But it’s been eleven years now that no one can get off the island. If you get on a boat and row out, you’ll just go around in a circle.” Jay shrugged. “We accept it now. No one tries anymore. So . . . what are you?”

  “You mean, who are we?” Orla asked.

  Jay laughed. “I used to be an English teacher. I know the difference between what and who. Only creatures can transport on and off of this island.”

  “Oh, I’m . . .”

  “The ones you fought with this morning, are they human?” Lorcan cut in before Orla could finish her sentence.

  “They’re shapeshifters. Many are werewolves. But they stay in human form most of the time so that they can use weapons.”

  Lorcan glanced at his map, then nodded. “If you don’t mind, we’ll stay here tonight and figure out our next move tomorrow.” Here would be better than being out there among the well-armed men he’d seen this morning, Lorcan thought.

  “You can stay at my place. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s comfortable,” Rose said. She glared at Jay then walked ahead.

  Jay glanced at Roy. “No, I think the guests should stay with me. My house has plenty of room.” Jay didn’t wait for a response but gestured them to follow.

  “He just wants to keep an eye on me,” Roy grumbled.

  Chapter 8

  Jay led the group to a two-story modern house. The decoration was tasty, Orla thought. She arched an eyebrow at the contemporary furniture and expensive antiques in a glass-encased cabinet. She hadn’t dealt with antiques for a while, but she was sure these items were authentic. She approached the cabinet but was stopped by Jay on the way.

  “Nice vase.” She pointed.

  “It’s not for flowers,” Jay said.

  “Can I take a look?”

  Jay smiled. “Tomorrow. Your room is this way.” He pointed to a corridor at the far end of the living room and proceeded forward. Orla shrugged and followed, making a mental note to revisit the cabinet. If it was true that humans could not travel to and from the island, and Jay was one of the last human travelers here, where, then, did he get these valuable items? Orla wondered.

  Jay had left the room, and Orla was pacing, agitated, still thinking about the antiques.

  “Orla!”

  “Huh?” She ignored Lorcan and channeled her mind back to the antiques.

  “Orla!” Lorcan repeated. “I’m going to activate the wrist unit to see if I can triangulate our position using the system in the Daimon Gate. We need to know exactly where we are before we can find the stone.”

  Orla looked up, saw Lorcan’s face, and bounced back to reality. The incident at the Raven House this morning came flooding back to her mind.

  Lorcan cupped her face. “Talk to me, Orla!”

  She shoved him away. “I need to be alone for a bit. I’m going out for a walk.” She turned to exit the room. Lorcan grabbed her elbow.

  “No. You’re not going anywhere until we talk this out. What’s the matter?”

  “Let go of my arm.” She shrugged him off and tried to head toward the door, but Lorcan grabbed her again. Orla whirled around, and before Lorcan realized what was happening, she’d slapped him across the face. He could taste the blood from his split bottom lip.

  “Is that what you want? Okay, hit me then if that’s what makes you feel better. But then tell me what the fuck is going on with you.” Lorcan grabbed her, pressing her hands against his chest. But she shoved him away again and turned toward the door. He pulled her back against him. She punched his chest and wriggled to break free. “You’re going nowhere until you tell me what I did wrong.”

  She extricated herself from his grip and jabbed her finger at his chest. “You . . . you died. Again.” A tear escaped her eye.

  “Well, that’s entirely my fault then. I’ll try not to die next time,” he promised softly.

  Orla sniffled and wiped the tear away. Realizing the ridiculousness of the situation, she snorted, “Infidelity and death are the two things I will not allow from you. Everything else goes.”

  He arched an eyebrow. “Everything else?” Before she could answer, he grabbed her and threw her on the bed. She landed on her back on the bed, but when he dove after her, she’d rolled off to the other side. She reached over and ripped his shirt open. He hooked a hand in the collar of her shirt and ripped open the front of her blouse. He pressed his mouth to hers, wincing at the sensation in his wounded lip. He sat up enough to look down at her face and her big brown eyes, full of challenge, and her lips, currently curled in a smug smile. She laughed and grabbed two fistfuls of his hair. She wanted devour him, one greedy bite at a time.

  She groaned her pleasure as he ran his teeth down her throat. She wrapped her legs around his waist, moving herself on top so that he was under her. Then her mouth was on his. He pulled at her clothes like a man possessed by demons. Her smooth skin rubbed against his. Her hands and her lips took possession of him. He’d taken her beyond reason. Near delirium, he rolled over so she was once again on her back, and he devoured her.

  Lips, teeth, tongues, and fingers demanded and took.

  “You’re mine. And I’m all yours,” he whispered into her ears. “All of me.”

  “Now. Come to me now,” she said as she arched her back. He drove into the heat of her, and she cried out, “don’t you ever die on me again.”

  “I promise.”

  And then they loved each other, moving together in rhythm, bringing on another into the glorious darkness of pleasure.

  Chapter 9

  The next day, Lorcan found Jay sitting on the back veranda, a cup of tea in his hand, watching the sun rise over the trees of the tropical forest in the distance. The horizon glowed in the glorious orange glow of sunlight.

  “It’s going to be a hot day,” Jay said when he saw Lorcan approaching and gestured toward a chair. “I have tea, coffee, and things enough for a simple breakfast for you and your friends. You can help yourself before you hit the road.”

  Lorcan sat down. “I’d kill for a cup of coffee—any sort of coffee as long as it contains caffeine. But Orla’s very picky. She only drinks a certain type. Not only that, it has to be brewed in a certain way. She makes it very difficult when we’re on the road, you know.”

  Jay laughed. “Women,” he said and shook his head. “You and Orla are made for each other. I’ve been isolated from the human population for quite some time, but I can still tell. That says something about your relationship. Strong. Enduring . . .” Jay’s voice hollowed out and he trailed off. Then silence.

  “Where’s your family now? I saw pictures in the living room.”

  Jay sipped his tea and looked at Lorcan over the rim of the cup. “You don’t have to show an interest in my story, Lorcan. The truth is, if you’re human, and you somehow got in to this town, you won’t be able to get out. If you’re not human, then you’ll be able to come and go as you please. My advice is to leave as soon as you can.”

  “What happened here?”

  Jay stared.

  “Come on, I want to know.”

  “I taught English for a living in a community language center in New Jersey. I love travelling. You know—adventure, going places, meeting new and interesting people. This island was a treasure. Great for travel addicts like me. It was a real getaway. Apart from a connecting ferry, there’s no other transportation in and out. I got on the ferry eleven years ago. Arrived and staye
d for a few days. Then bam—we got hit by a heavy storm. That’s about it. The humans were disconnected from the outside world. This island became heaven for creatures because of that isolation. Clans have been fighting over territories for a very long time.”

  “Do you know the number of humans remaining?”

  Jay shook his head. “I don’t know about the locals. I take care of the group of tourists. There are ninety of us . . . and the number is decreasing . . .”

  They heard footsteps on the veranda, and Mori stormed out. “I can’t find Roy. He’s not in his room. He . . . he . . .”

  Lorcan stopped Mori’s stuttering, dragging her to the corner of the veranda. He lowered his voice, “He might have just gone for a run?”

  “No . . . He told me he’d meet me in the front yard, and we’d walk into town. But he didn’t go out.”

  “All right, calm down. Go get Orla, and then we’ll look for Roy.”

  As Mori scurried away, Lorcan approached Jay. Sitting down opposite him, he stared into his eyes and said, “When we first arrived, there was a boy at the beach. He grabbed Orla’s gun and tried to shoot Roy. When we saved your people at the Raven House, they thought Roy was one of the people or creatures that had imprisoned them. You know why, and I need you to tell me.”

  “What kid?”

  Lorcan described the boy, and Jay nodded. “His name is Michael Harris. He’s Rose’s eldest son. If you head south for about four miles, there’s a small forest, I think you might find Roy there, if he is who I think he is.”

  “And who do you think he is?”

  “A creature. A werewolf, to be precise.”

  Lorcan shook his head. “Why is that such a big deal? Didn’t you say the town is full of creatures?”

  “But that’s the most vicious clan. They feed on human blood. Were-creatures are bad news,” Jay explained.

  “There’s one thing I can assure you of—Roy is our friend, and he’s harmless.”

  Jay shrugged. “I hope so. Good luck with the search. You’ll need your guns.”

  Chapter 10

  Roy ran as fast as he could. The werewolf in human form who ran in front of him was strong and fast. It carried a bag with little red fox Mori in it—Roy could see her tail waving as the werewolf flew through the woods. It knew its way through the brush. Roy knew he’d be faster in fox form, but he wanted to be able to use his gun, so he remained human. He was stumbling all over the place. He was in a hurry and panicking, and he couldn’t catch Mori’s scent. He had to keep up with the man in front of him if he was going to save her.

  Suddenly the man stopped running. He turned back with a grin on his face.

  “Hello, brother!”

  “Who the fuck is your brother? Let her go.” Roy pointed at the bag. He could see the red tail poking out from inside and feel his blood boiling with fury, but he collected himself and tried to remain calm. He couldn’t afford a wrong move.

  “Let’s go inside. My alpha is waiting for you. We can talk this out.”

  Roy glanced at the dark hole in front of him. It was the mouth of a cave, and he had no intention of going inside. The man wasn’t as tall as Roy, but he was over six feet, and he was hulky. Roy knew the half-fox gene in him made him leaner and faster than a wolf, but not necessarily weaker. He adjusted his stance and checked to be sure his gun was still at the ready. If a fight broke out, he’d use his weapon first. Shifting and fighting in fox form was his last resource.

  “Why aren’t you coming in?” the man asked.

  “Why don’t you call your boss out here, and we can negotiate.”

  The man smirked. “You’re scared. That’s embarrassing. A disgrace to our breed.”

  “We don’t share any DNA. If the head of your clan won’t come out, I’m leaving.”

  “You jackass . . .”

  “Language, Khulan. He’s still a guest,” chastised another voice. “I’ll come out and welcome him to the family.”

  “I’m not your family. Not even close,” Roy growled.

  A formidable man wearing Native American garb now stood in front of him. The minimal outfit showed off impressive muscles that, when amplified by werewolf strength, could prove lethal to Roy. Ten more men emerged from the cave.

  “Give me Mori,” Roy demanded, firmness in his voice.

  The well-built man arched an eyebrow.

  “Tell me what you want from me,” Roy asked.

  “My name is Ganzorig, and I am the alpha of this clan.”

  Roy nodded. “What do you want from me so that I can have Mori back?”

  Ganzorig smiled. “I can see you really care for your little firefox. One threat, and you trailed us all the way here. Did you mate her?”

  “Don’t you dare . . .” Roy clenched his teeth and his hand tightened on the gun.

  “Calm down, Roy. Pointing a gun at me won’t do you any good. I’ve heard about your reputation. The vicious mixed-blood renegade who chose to be a fox instead of a wolf.”

  “I’m asking for the last time . . . what do you want?”

  “Who has the key of Psuche?”

  “What key?”

  “Don’t play dumb, Roy. It doesn’t suit you. You came here looking for the Indigo Stone. You’ve got to have the key.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t have any key. As much as it will humiliate me, I’ll let you search me to make sure.”

  Ganzorig shook his head. “You’re not stupid. You wouldn’t have the key on you, but I know your people have the key. I’m sure of it. I saw you land from the sky. Quite a powerful toy you’ve got there. So you have the dragon in the water, and that big plane in the sky, and for some reason you think you’re safe? You’re wrong because we know your weakness. We’re stronger. And we have the stone.”

  “No need to bluff. I don’t have the key, and you don’t have the stone. If you had it, you wouldn’t have had to use Mori to lure me out here. Let’s say we play by the rules—let’s fight. If I win, I take Mori back. If I lose, I’ll tell you all I know,” Roy suggested.

  Ganzorig nodded. “Sounds like a fair deal.” He waved his hand at the other men. They nodded and shifted into wolves. They were enormous.

  Roy looked at Ganzorig. Ganzorig let out a short laugh. “You didn’t say it had to be a one on one fight.”

  Roy smiled. “My bad. You’re right—I didn’t say that.” Then fast as lightning, he pulled his gun and blasted it at the dogs. In a few seconds, the wolves lay dead on the ground. Ganzorig howled and charged at Roy but was stopped by the muzzle of Roy’s gun.

  “Shoot me!” Ganzorig said.

  Roy whacked him with the gun barrel instead, knocking him out cold. Then he ran immediately to the bag and pulled the little red fox out.

  It wasn’t Mori.

  “Shit,” Roy mumbled under his breath. He stood up and found it difficult to regain his balance. His vision was blurry, and his legs weak. He heard footsteps approaching in the distance. Thinking it to be Ganzorig’s pack, he rushed to a tree to take cover behind it. It was then that he saw Mori frantically sniffing the air, searching for his scent. Lorcan and Orla were right behind her. Roy stepped out from his hiding place, and Mori saw him immediately. She ran to him, checking him up and down for injuries. Mori was saying something as tears streamed down her face, but Roy couldn’t make sense of what she was saying. His body swayed, and his eyes glazed over.

  Lorcan grabbed Roy’s wrist unit. “Damn it. Ten percent. You only have ten percent energy left, Roy. How could it suddenly go down that fast?” On a hunch, Lorcan checked his own wrist unit. “Oh, no. The signals are all messed up.”

  Orla looked at Lorcan’s unit. “It’s broken?” she asked.

  Lorcan shook his head. “No, it’s either a magnetic force or energy movements underneath the surface.” He moved away a few feet and observed the changes in his unit. “All right. It seems to be an issue with magnetic energy. Let’s move Roy out of here. Can you walk, Roy?”

 
No response.

  “We’ve got to get him out of here,” Mori said and pulled at Roy. Orla and Mori flanked Roy’s sides, helping him move in the right direction. Lorcan ran ahead, watching his unit as he went and giving direction to an area that seemed to have less magnetic influence. “Left. Left. Keep going.” Lorcan scurried further ahead and tried a couple of options. “Veer right. Okay.”

  Roy was running slower and slower by the second. His wrist unit beeped a five percent warning. He gradually slowed down and stopped altogether. Before he flopped down to the ground, Mori slid her arm around his waist and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “You have to get up and walk for me, Roy.”

  Howling echoed through the woods. Ganzorig’s pack was coming. Orla darted back in that direction. She could see wolves’ shadows.

  “Orla, what are you doing?” Lorcan asked.

  “I can wipe them out. You keep going.” She dashed back toward the pack before Lorcan could respond. In a few seconds, fireballs were flying through the air, knocking down a few trees in their path. Lorcan darted ahead to check the magnetic field and then came back to Mori. “This way,” he told her, “and keep it straight.” He pointed then rushed to where Orla was fighting the wolves.

  Roy dropped to the ground again. His wrist unit now indicated only three percent. She got behind Roy, wrapped her arms around his chest, and dragged him.

  “Let go of me, Mori. Go! Run!” Roy whispered in his delirium.

  “The hell I’ll leave you here.” She continued pulling him with all her strength, keeping it straight as Lorcan had said. She had to make it—he had to be okay. She fell a few times, but she got up and kept moving.

  Mori could see a storm of fire in the distance and hear gunfire and the howls of wounded dogs. She kept moving. It was a bit of an uphill path, but it appeared to be the last leg out of the woods. She slipped a few times, grabbing tree roots, tree branches, rocks, and anything she could find to balance herself and keep moving. Her hand was scratched and bleeding. Roy was no longer conscious.