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

by D. N. Leo

  Reaching the edge of the forest, Mori flopped down on the ground, breathing hard. Roy lay beside her, lifeless. She looked at his wrist unit and saw a glaring red signal which stated zero percent. “Damn it! Damn you, Roy.” She cried and punched his chest. From the woods behind her, Orla and Lorcan walked out, filthy with ashes and smears of blood. Lorcan had a new gash on his arm.

  Lorcan checked his wrist unit—it seemed to be operating normally. “This is neutral ground. You made it.” He opened a small lid on the back of Roy’s wrist unit. Removing a small component, he did some coding and then snapped the part back in. The unit blinked red but quickly turned green and stated one percent.

  Mori cried with relief. Orla gathered her into her arms and let her sob. When Roy got to fifteen percent, he regained consciousness and could walk by himself. By the time they got back to Jay’s house, Roy had gotten eighty percent of his energy back. Jay met them in the living room.

  “You guys look like crap. Which one of you needs the doctor first? There’s only one medical doctor in town.”

  “No need to call the doctor. We can take care of ourselves,” Roy said as he gingerly took Mori’s injured hand and led her to her room.

  Chapter 11

  Roy took Mori to her bed. He fetched a bucket of water and sat at her bedside, washing the dirt and dried blood from her bleeding hand and checking the scratches that covered her arms. He focused silently on the simple task as if his life depended on it. He hadn’t spoken since he’d gotten his strength back.

  “I’ll heal.” Mori broke the silence.

  Roy wiped off the last bit of blood. “Your healing process is always slow. This might hurt a bit.”

  “Why did you go to the woods to kill those wolves? Who were they?”

  He shook his head. “I was stupid.”

  “That doesn’t answer my questions.”

  Roy put the water away and sat back down by the bedside. He tucked away a stray strand of red hair on her forehead and looked into her eyes. “I saw a man tuck a red fox into a bag and run. I thought it was you, so I panicked and ran after him. Despite a gut feeling telling me it wasn’t you, and the fact I didn’t catch any scent of you at all, I chased him.” Roy wiped away a tear that fell from Mori’s eye. “There were countless moments during the chase when I thought I’d lose you forever if that man killed you. The fear clouded my better judgment.”

  Roy sank deeper into the bed, lowering his body, so close he could feel Mori’s breath against his skin. His fingers trailed down her jawline as she looked up at him.

  “What did you say to me when we were in the boat, and I was about to die from the poison?”

  “But you didn’t die.” Mori looked away, avoiding his question.

  “Unless you said something you now regret, or you lied to me, I’d like to hear you say it again.”

  “It makes no difference to our situation, Roy.”

  “What situation? I love you, Mori. You know that. I’d bet my life that you love me, too. So why can’t we be together? Why can’t we mate?” Roy was on the bed, almost lying on top of her. His body rubbed against hers, every muscle in him quivering as her body vibrated with desire. She said nothing, starting to wriggle out from under him. Roy’s mouth hovered an inch from hers. She could see his eyes darken, submerged in the simmering heat of lust. The virility of his body seeped out from every pore. The wolfness in him was prominent now—dangerous, dark, and incredibly strong.

  She wriggled again, and he grabbed her hands, pinning them to the bed. “Why can’t you be mine?” he asked hoarsely and pressed his lips to hers. Her lips parted, and his heat rushed into her body like a tidal wave of energy. He kissed harder, breathing heavily. His body tensed. “Why can’t you be mine?” he asked again. Mori closed her eyes. He was much too strong for her. If he wanted to take her, there was nothing she could do. Another tear ran down her face.

  “No,” Mori managed to utter.

  But Roy didn’t stop. He pressed down harder. He tried to kiss her again.

  “Roy, I said no!” Mori cried out, struggling to escape Roy’s grip. Regardless of how hard she tried, she couldn’t get away. Roy’s body didn’t move an inch. She avoided the kiss, and he was now raking his teeth down her jawline to her neck. He was going to claim her. She tried to shove him upward so that she could see his face and look into his eyes. She knew she could stop him that way. But his thirst for lust was overwhelming. Mori couldn’t get away. She cried out in frustration.

  Mori’s cry snapped Roy back to reality. He propped himself up on his elbows, breathing heavily, and looked into Mori’s face, seeing her tears. His body was still shaking with desire, his eyes dazed with confusion. Before he could say anything, they heard a low growl, and Lorcan pulled Roy off Mori, giving him a punch to the face. He then dragged Roy to the veranda.

  “You tried to rape her, you fucking scum bag.”

  Roy shoved Lorcan. “I didn’t.”

  “When a woman says no, and you don’t listen, what the fuck do you call that?”

  “Were we that loud?”

  “I have fox ears now, you jackass.”

  “I don’t know what happened. I was just so drawn to her, and I tried to kiss her . . . I don’t know . . . . I just wanted her so much that it took over. It’s never happened before, I swear. I didn’t mean it. I’d never do anything to hurt her.”

  Roy flopped down on the bench, raking his hands through his hair.

  “You’re telling me that you guys are as close as you are, but you’ve never kissed her before?” asked Lorcan.

  Roy shook his head.

  Lorcan knew laughing wasn’t appropriate, so he cleared his throat and mumbled, “Well, that sucks. Anyone with half a brain could see you’re head over heels in love with her, and she is with you. What’s stopping you from going with your feelings? From loving each other? Whatever it is, it must be stupid . . .”

  “It is stupid,” Roy rumbled, staring at his hands. Then he looked up at Lorcan. “She cried. I must have hurt her.” Roy jumped to his feet to go back inside.

  “I wouldn’t go in if I were you. You might risk injury to an important part of your body.”

  Chapter 12

  “Stop!” Orla’s yell, coming from inside the house, accompanied the shattering of glass and sent Lorcan and Roy charging in. They arrived in the living room to see only a shadow of Orla outside the front yard, followed by Jay. The last light of the sunset wasn’t enough for Lorcan and Roy to see what Orla was chasing. Whatever it was, she had lost it. When Lorcan, Jay, and Roy finally caught up, Orla stood still, bent at the waist, puffing and gazing into the darkness.

  “What was that, Orla?” Lorcan asked.

  “The kid we saw at the beach? He was in the house. I saw him in the living room.”

  “That’s impossible,” Jay said.

  “He broke in?” Roy asked.

  “No, he just walked in like he belonged there,” Orla said, approaching Jay.

  “You know Rose’s son wanted to kill Roy. You asked us to stay with you, and you let the kid in. What’s your game, Jay?” Lorcan raised his voice.

  “No game,” Jay defended weakly. A slice of freezing air whipped by, fierce and sudden, and the wind came in waves, blown by a gigantic flapping wings. It was too dark to see the creature coming at them. They heard Jay’s scream. Orla waved her arms urgently, making a fireball and throwing it randomly to shed some light on the situation. The fire died out quickly, but it illuminated a gigantic pair of claws gripping Jay’s shoulders and lifting him off the ground. The more Jay screamed and struggled, the more his flesh tore and his blood rained down.

  Roy and Orla jumped up, each of them grabbing one of Jay’s legs. The weight of their bodies hurt Jay more, but the creature couldn’t lift the body weight of all three people. Lorcan drew his gun, aimed it above Jay, and fired. The sound of the gunshot dissipated in the air—followed by nothing, suggesting Lorcan had missed. He fired again. This time, they heard a squawk. He fir
ed another shot, aiming at the same spot. There was a louder scream, and all three were released and fell to the ground.

  They heard a tremendous flapping sound as the creature flew off into the night sky. On the ground, Jay was no longer conscious. His shoulders were soaked in blood, each of the cuts bone-deep. They carried him carefully back to the house, not wanting to cause any more damage. Once inside, they lay Jay down on the carpet in the living room.

  “I’m not sure he’ll make it,” Lorcan said, concerned.

  “He’d mentioned a medical doctor before. Let’s get the doctor for him,” Roy suggested.

  Rose suddenly charged into the house from the front door. “I heard the commotion. . .” she started, and then saw Jay. “Oh, Jay!” she ran over, crouching next to him. She checked his pulse. “Still breathing,” she said. She looked up and said, “I’ll go and get the doctor.”

  “I assume there’s no telephone network here?” asked Roy.

  Rose shook her head and tucked Jay’s head in between two cushions. She used the tablecloths to stanch the blood.

  “I’ll go with you,” Orla said to Rose.

  “No, you stay with him. I’ll go,” Lorcan objected.

  “No, Lorcan,” Orla growled.

  Rose stood up and rushed to the door. Lorcan held Orla’s elbow, stopping her from following. “Her son shot at us. You think I’d let you follow her out to the woods in the dark?”

  “There’s magic involved, Lorcan. I knew it. I don’t recall magic being your expertise.” Roy opened his mouth to say something but stopped as Orla jabbed her finger at him. “And you! Her son wants you dead, so you’re not going, either.”

  “What if she doesn’t come back?” Roy asked.

  “That’s not the worst scenario. What if she comes back with a herd of creatures?” Lorcan asked.

  “Let her. There are four of us and we have . . .” Roy trailed off. “Wait—where’s Mori?” Before anyone could say anything, he ran to Mori’s room. Lorcan and Orla followed. Kicking the door in, they saw a trashed room with blood smears all over the white walls. Roy was half way out the broken window when Lorcan dragged him back inside.

  “I left her here alone. They took her.” Roy shoved Lorcan. “I’m a fucking useless piece of scum. I hurt her, then left her alone for those fucking hounds to get her.”

  “Are you talking about those wolves in the woods? Why would they want to take Mori?” Lorcan asked.

  “They wanted the key of Psuche.” Roy looked at Lorcan and Orla, devastated. “I know I should have told you. There wasn’t any time in between . . .”

  “You’re telling us now. It’s not too late. At least we know we have competition here,” Orla said.

  “Do they have the stone?” Lorcan asked.

  “They said they do, but I don’t think so.” Roy gazed out the window. “They called me brother. I think they might be a part of the clan from my mother’s side.”

  “Does that mean they won’t kill Mori?” Orla asked.

  Roy shook his head. “It’s my fault.”

  “Don’t be silly. You can’t choose your blood. Plus, I don’t know how much of the wolf blood is even left in you. You belong to another universe now. So when you go head on with the wolves, I want you to keep that in mind,” Lorcan said.

  “Creature,” Orla said and ran back to the living room. Roy and Lorcan followed. In the living room, crouching next to Jay was a strange man. He looked up when the group entered the living room, and a flash of realization came across his face. He stood up. He was tall with round eyes, and he had a dark green reptilian skin. He shuddered, his skin glowing for a moment before returning to a more human state of pale skin, deep green eyes, and thick black hair.

  Orla stared into those green eyes, trying to make sense of them. And then she recognized them. The recognition stunted her movement as much as the man’s.

  Lorcan grabbed Orla, shoving her behind him, and stepped forward. The man looked at Lorcan, realization dawning on him. His eyes lit up with fury, and his hands curled into fists. Orla held her breath and made fists as well, but she knew her fire was a child’s toy compared to the blue fire forming in the man’s hands. If the man shot that at them, there was no way she could protect Lorcan and Roy—they would all turn into pitiful piles of ashes.

  Lorcan and Roy pulled their guns and aimed at the man.

  “Don’t shoot! Don’t!” Orla commanded urgently.

  “If he throws that at us, he’ll have to take a beam from me,” Lorcan snarled.

  The man smirked and raised a hand, making a squeezing gesture in in the air. Lorcan shoved Orla further behind him and shot at the man. His beam flew out but was deflected into the air, dissolving into the nothingness right in front of the man. A crooked grin spread across the man’s face as Lorcan slumped to the ground, dropped his gun, and grabbed at his chest, gasping for air. Roy charged at the man.

  “Don’t, Roy!” Orla yelled so firmly that he stopped short in his path. Orla held Lorcan. A stream of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his face was turning blue. She turned to the man and glared at him. He continued to squeeze the air, simultaneously squeezing Lorcan’s chest with an invisible hand. Lorcan continued to gasp for air, the skin on his arms turning blue.

  Orla and Roy ran at the man. Still holding Lorcan with one arm, the man waved his other arm and Orla and Roy were knocked back on the floor, dazed with the impact.

  Lorcan looked as if he was shifting into his fox form. The man pushed a harder squeeze at him. Lorcan grunted, and fire flashed in his eyes. The man yelped, withdrawing his hands as if electrocuted. He staggered back, looking at Lorcan, then raised his arms again to try something else.

  On the ground, Jay opened his eyes and grabbed the man’s leg. He said something in a strange language, and the man grunted a response. Jay said something else, and the man roared in anger, darted out the door. Then Jay passed out again.

  Still gasping for air, Lorcan pushed to his feet and rushed toward the door as fast as he could. Roy grabbed him, pulling him back inside the house. It didn’t take much for Roy to drag Lorcan back to his room, whacking him in the head once he got him there to knock him out cold. Roy turned to see Orla in the doorway.

  “He’s yours now.” Roy said as he walked back toward the living room.

  “You’re not going after Mori now, are you?” Orla asked.

  Roy shook his head and walked down the hall. Orla tucked Lorcan in. She pushed the bookshelf over to block the window, then locked the room door, securing a bedside table outside with a vase on top as a kind of alarm. If he woke up and tried to leave the room, she’d hear him. She left the room and went downstairs to the living room.

  Chapter 13

  Rose had come back with the doctor. Roy helped carry Jay to his room. The doctor checked him over and was happy the wounds hadn’t been fatal. He gave instructions to Rose for Jay’s care and was about to head out when they heard the vase crash.

  “Damn it,” Orla cursed and ran toward their room. Roy, Rose, and the doctor followed.

  “Could you please stay here with Jay?” Rose asked the doctor. The doctor nodded and stayed back.

  In the hall, they found Lorcan walking toward them, holding his hand against the wall for balance, wheezing and gasping for air. A stream of blood still flowed from his mouth.

  Roy grabbed him, cursing. “You idiot. I thought you’d pass out and heal.”

  Lorcan shook his head. “I didn’t know how long it would take, and I need to talk to Orla.”

  She wrapped her arms around him, steering him back to the room. “All right. We can talk.” Her eyes gleamed with tears, but she refused to let them fall. “Could you get the doctor, Rose?” Orla asked. Rose nodded and scurried off to find him. In the room, Orla pushed Lorcan back down to the bed. He breathed with difficulty, his face was turning bluer by the second. “Your lungs are damaged. Lorcan. We don’t need the doctor to tell us that. Hurry and tell me what you need from me. I need you
to pass out and heal yourself before you die.” Orla tried to keep her voice low and controlled.

  “Who was that man? He knew you. I saw the look in his eyes.” Lorcan wheezed as the pain in his chest intensified.

  “I don’t know who he was, but he could certainly wield magic. But you could tell that yourself.”

  “Don’t ever try to play poker, Orla.” Lorcan coughed out a bit of blood.

  “Jesus Christ, what do you want from me? I said I don’t know him.” A tear escaped and rolled down her face.

  “Promise me you won’t go after him. He hurt me with his magic. And he blocked the laser beam with a dimensional shield. If he’s a sorcerer, he’s not an ordinary one. Not from this world.”

  Silence.

  “You seriously can’t promise him that? You really plan to go after that man?” Roy was astonished. “Well, I won’t let you.’ He turned to Lorcan. “I promise you, Lorcan. I won’t let her go. You just do your thing and get better.”

  “No. I know that the moment I pass out, you’ll go after Mori, and Orla will go find that man. I’ll be lying here like a useless piece of shit.” Lorcan grabbed at his chest, wheezing for air.

  “The only way you can stop us is to get better yourself, Lorcan,” Roy said.

  Rose came back with the doctor, but when he approached, Lorcan pushed him away.

  “Promise me, Orla!”

  “I don’t want to make promises I can’t keep.”

  Lorcan sat up. Roy jumped on to the bed and held him down. “Doc, you have to put him out.”

  “That’s dangerous—he mightn’t be able to breathe by himself. I can’t just—”

  “Do it!”

  “Don’t you dare!” Lorcan protested but couldn’t get loose from Roy’s grip.

  “Please, doc, I know he can get past this if you sedate him. I’m his wife, and I take full responsibility. You saw what happened to Jay? The people who hurt him will be coming back. We need to prepare, and I can’t do that when Lorcan’s in pain. Please!”