Magic Awakened: A Paranormal Romance Boxed Set

by K.N. Lee

  “Come on,” Egan said. “I don’t want to linger here longer than we have to.”

  “Neither do I,” Livia said.

  They closed the door behind them and stood in the cramped office with damp walls and slick concrete floors. Crates and file cabinets awaited.

  “This is going to take forever,” Livia said, surveying their surroundings. The smell of wet paper and stale air made her cover her nose.

  “You take this side, and I’ll take this one,” Egan said, pointing. “Teamwork, right?”

  Groaning, Livia nodded. “I guess.”

  Egan nudged her. “The faster we go through the files, the quicker we can get out of here and get some Thai food.”

  That perked Livia right up. She clasped her hands together. “Right. Let’s do it.”

  For what felt like hours, they searched every old manila folder for any clue as to who was responsible for Jason’s death.

  Livia sat behind one of the battered school desks, a pile of folders stacked higher than her head. She placed her phone and her clutch on top of the desk and settled into her work. She flipped through folders, read bios, and stared at pictures. “I don’t see any info about anyone with her abilities. Do you?”

  “Nope,” Egan said. “Which is pissing me off. But what do we have to go on? Turns people to chalk with a kiss?”

  Livia yawned and pulled her damp hair back into tight bun. “She has to be around our age.”

  “I know. I thought the same. There weren’t many blondes back then. There was Sarah, the shapeshifter, and Megan, the witch. That’s all I remember.”

  “Well,” Livia said, “people can dye their hair.”

  “Please, don’t make our job harder. We could be looking for anyone, then.”

  “I just can’t remember her face.”

  “I can,” Egan said. “If I see it again.”

  Livia’s phone buzzed, nearly vibrating across the desk top and to the floor. Egan caught it.

  Her brows furrowed.

  “Alec? Who the hell is Alec?” She asked, showing the phone to Livia.

  Clearing her throat, Livia avoided Egan’s stare and answered, pressing the phone to her ear.

  “Um, hey, Lt. Danvers.”

  Egan’s eyes widened as she folded her arms across her chest.

  “Hey, Liv,” Lt. Danvers said. “I have the toxicology report on my desk. Looks like some new drug was in his system. When you come back to the station, I’ll give you the information.” He gave her a few more details. Then, his voice lowered. “As well as something else.”

  Livia’s cheeks burned. She turned away from Egan and said, “That sounds good, sir. I look forward to it.”

  He chuckled. “I promise to make it good.”

  She disconnected, wishing she had cold water to splash on her face.

  “What do you look forward to?”

  Egan’s voice felt like a pitchfork, tossing guilt in her tummy.

  Livia tried to overlook the expression on Egan’s face as she relayed the information to her. “A new drug was in Jason’s system. Something exotic. The same one that guy was selling that night at the club.”

  Egan nodded, suspicion on her face that Livia knew she’d have to soon address.

  She forced a smile as she hung up. She took Egan by the arm. “Looks like we have a lead.”

  Egan shrugged her off and headed for the door.

  “Yes,” Egan said. “Let’s go then.”

  Dread washed over Livia.

  It was time to tell Egan the truth. But first, they had to go talk to one of the scumbags of the earth—Renner Müntz—in a place that could compete with hell.

  They headed to Oblivion Maximum Security Prison, one of the darkest places on the planet.

  Egan

  Dread sent icy chills of apprehension up Egan’s neck as she sped up the winding roads toward the prison known as Oblivion. Fog gathered in wispy clouds, smothering the landscape. Her hands gripped the steering wheel as she peered through the windshield. She had to flick the lights to dim while in a fog bank, driving at a grandmotherly speed, then back to high, as they popped in and out of the white condensation pouring across the hills. Soon this entire valley would be socked in.

  The prison—a dark and dirty structure that always seemed to be in shadow—loomed in the distance. An ore processing factory—the kind that spewed toxic fire and foul smells from its smokestacks—surrounded the prison. Mined in distant places Egan didn’t care to know about, melted and hammered into shape by the prisoners, the resulting metal structures were sent to hospitals around the world.

  The metallic substance could far out live stone, brick, plastics, and all other metals. It had the strange ability to regulate heat inside a building, saving companies hundreds of thousands in electrical bills.

  The sought-after structures came at a cost, however. Newsfeed articles constantly featured stories of the deaths of those who worked at the factory. The work was brutal and the environment poisonous. No one else in their right mind would ever work there.

  “We need to talk,” Livia said. She hadn’t said a word since climbing in the car.

  “Can you believe this place?” Egan said, pointing up the hill. “Most people don’t believe in magic but this place must be cursed by some warlocks. This whole area is a nightmare.”

  “Did you hear me? We need to talk.”

  “I can’t understand why hospitals would want to use metals shaped by depraved individuals.” Egan shook her head. “I read an article last week—something about the conducive properties of this particular rare ore and how they use it to direct those new healing rays to cancer patients. Crazy, huh? Maybe the energy of the depraved sticks to the metal and that’s what does the healing. It attracts the cancer. You know, like follows like?” She laughed. “Wouldn’t that be something?”

  Livia put her hand on Egan’s arm. “Egan, would you listen to me? We need to talk.”

  Egan’s head whipped in Livia’s direction for one brief second before directing her attention back on the slick roads.

  “You need to talk. But I’m not in the mood for listening, okay? I hate this place.” She scrubbed her hand in the air, tiny sparks shooting from her fingers, wishing she could cleanse this entire landscape. She balled her hand into a fist, shutting off the light show. “Hate it. So, let’s get this over with and then if you feel the need for true confessions, we can deal with it. But not now.”

  Livia huffed out a sigh and resumed her stony stare out the window.

  Egan softened. “I’m sorry, Liv. It’s just that…”

  A rabbit darted across the road.

  “Egan!” Livia yelped.

  Egan slammed on the brakes to avoid making rabbit road steaks. “Shit!”

  “I thought you’d hit the little guy. Are you okay?”

  “I think so.” Egan pressed on the gas pedal. “Sorry I snapped at you.”

  “It’s okay.” Livia gave Egan a slight smile. “You’re right. Let’s talk later.”

  Livia looked so relieved Egan wondered if later would ever come. Maybe I should have let her talk. But do I really want to know what she needs to tell me? She shuddered at the thought of Lt. Danvers and her friend doing whatever they were doing.

  At the prison, she and Livia were shown through dark corridors that smelled of piss and mold. They wandered past locked, barred cells.

  Prisoner’s clutched the bars. They waggled their tongues at Egan and Livia. Made catcalls. And gave Egan the chills.

  Egan imagined them being led through the intestines of the building to the place where shit was stored. When they got to the private room where they were told to wait for Renner, she cringed, figuring she was right.

  The walls of the room seemed to close in on her as she and Livia sat at the small metal table bolted to the floor. Deep grooved scratches had been carved into the concrete walls, by God only knew what or who. Splatters of dark red decorated one wall—evidence of brutality being used to extract a con
fession. When the jangle of keys outside the door met their ears, both she and Livia jumped.

  “Hey, ladies,” Renner said, dressed in an orange jumpsuit, his hands cuffed and his legs shackled. “You’re too late for tea but right on time for bourbon. Did you bring me some?”

  “Shut up and sit down, Renner,” the hollow faced guard said.

  He led Renner into the room and shoved him into the seat opposite Livia and Egan. Grabbing Renner’s hands, he locked them onto a metal ring secured to the table.

  They both shrank back, giving nervous glances to one another.

  “I’ll be right outside. Give a holler when you’re done.” The guard headed toward the door.

  Egan hoped they only needed to holler and not scream for help.

  Renner leered at them, his wide grin revealing a few missing teeth.

  Egan’s forehead furrowed in disgust.

  “What? You don’t like the dental work some goon did for me?” Renner’s face darkened.

  “It’s fine,” Livia said, her cheeks pale. “We have questions.”

  “And you think I’m going to answer them,” he said, attempting to sit back in a casual manner. His cuffed hands remained locked to the table. An angry scowl formed on his face. “Fuck. Are you going to get me out of this place?”

  “Not our job,” Livia said. She tossed her head causing her purple strands of hair to fall behind her shoulders.

  “Well, it’s not my job to answer your fucking questions. Not without a lawyer present. Guard!” he called. “We’re done.”

  “Oh, but we’ve barely begun, Mr. Müntz. Livia?” Egan gave a cat-like smile in Livia’s direction, mentally giving her the go ahead to do what she did best—extract the truth from his mind.

  “Yes, Egan?” Livia smiled sweetly. “Would you like me to bypass the questions and get this jerk to spill his secrets?”

  “That would be lovely,” Egan said, folding her hands in front of her on the cold metal surface.

  Livia smiled at Renner.

  He glared back.

  The guard opened the door. He looked at Egan.

  “One sec.” She held up a finger.

  He disappeared, closing the door behind him.

  Livia relaxed. She closed her eyes and rested her hands, palm up on the table.

  Renner continued to glare.

  Livia repositioned herself, inhaled a deep breath, and tried again. A slight frown appeared on her face. She gave a subtle shake of her head. My powers—they’re not working on him.

  Egan’s eyebrows stitched together.

  Renner laughed. “You two think you’re all that and then some, don’t you? Your silly mind tricks aren’t going to work this time. People learn from their mistakes. And I’m a quick learner. I’ve got friends in here who showed me a whole lot of tricks last night.”

  “You haven’t learned all that much,” Livia said, the pads of her fingers pressed hard into the table top. “You’re still here. Held without bail, we hear. That makes you at least twelve eggs short of a dozen.”

  The scowl returned, and his hands balled into fists.

  Egan tensed, hoping he couldn’t snap the metal holding him.

  He narrowed his eyes at Livia.

  She held his gaze.

  Then, his face seemed to melt into something softer. “Don’t count your chickens, sexy. I’ll be out of here before you can get your mental powers back. Then, we can fuck. I know you want to.”

  “You fucking asshole,” Egan said, rising from her seat. “You don’t talk to my friend that way.”

  She slammed her hand on top of his bony wrist. The metal binding him turned molten hot.

  He screamed, yanking at his locked arms. “Let me go, bitch! Stop the fireworks.”

  Egan only turned up the volume on the heat, forcing it through her arms.

  Flames danced up his forearms, singeing the hair.

  The room began to stink with burning flesh.

  His face grew ashen as sweat poured from his forehead.

  “Let me go, let me go,” he bellowed.

  “Not until we get some answers,” Egan said, leaning into him, cranking up the heat even more.

  He struggled and tugged to wrench his arms free. “Okay, okay, okay, okay! Make it stop. Stop. Please.”

  Egan drew back her hand and shook it, willing the heat to stop pouring through her veins. “You’re a whiny little bitch, you know that? You come in here and talk all tough.”

  “Yes, you’re nothing but a big fat baby. Maybe his mommy told him he was a bigshot and he believed her,” Livia added, glancing at Egan. “Before she took his toys away.” She turned back to the prisoner. “Like I said before: You’re in here. We’re going to walk away. So, give us some answers so we can recommend you for an achievement badge. What happened to Jason Chambers?”

  Renner looked to the left. He looked to the right. Finally, he faced Livia, his eyes all shifty and strange. “I can only tell you one thing. I don’t know much. His death won’t be in vain.”

  “What the hell does that mean?” Egan said, frowning.

  “What I said.” He shrugged.

  The loud blare of an alarm exploded through the air. Egan and Livia pressed their hands against their ears.

  Renner cackled.

  “That’s my cue,” he shouted, looking victorious.

  The lights went out, plunging them into darkness.

  Egan shrieked.

  Livia said, “Egan, are you okay?”

  A second later, the lights returned. Renner no longer sat across from them. His metal handcuffs and ankle shackles lay in jagged pieces, as if torn apart.

  “What the…?” Livia said. She looked visibly shaken.

  “Whatever the fuck happened, we need answers,” Egan said. “Let’s go.”

  The leaped to their feet and raced toward the door, eager to get out of the hell of Oblivion. But even more worrisome—where did Renner go?

  Livia

  Livia wrung her hands as they left the empty room of the prison. Darkness clung to every crevice, warning them that not all was what it seemed.

  “I don’t like this,” Livia said, rubbing her hands together as a bitter chill seeped into her bones.

  “Me neither,” Egan said.

  “Something is not right.”

  Livia tensed as the sounds of yelling and gunshots echoed throughout the halls.

  “What do you want to bet that this has something to do with Jason Chambers?”

  “I don’t have much,” Livia murmured. “But, I’d bet it all.”

  With a nod, Egan glanced at her. “Me too.”

  “How do you think Renner got out of his cuffs?”

  “Hell, if I know.”

  “Come and get me, ladies,” Renner’s voice teased from down the hallway.

  They froze. His voice had come from toward the center of the prison.

  “Shit,” Egan said, and took off down the hall toward the cells. “We have to catch him.”

  “Wait!” Livia raced to catch up with Egan. Always running toward trouble. That was Egan’s way. Livia wanted to assess the situation, maybe use her mental abilities to figure out what lay ahead for them both.

  Whatever lay ahead, she wasn’t sure either of them were ready.

  Their feet pounded the stone floor as they jogged down the empty corridor. It led in an open area that stretched out into several hallways leading into different directions. The ceiling seemed to be especially low, and despite the space around them, Livia felt closed in.

  Egan scratched her head.

  “Damn,” she whispered. “All of the cells are open.”

  “And all of the prisoners are gone.” Livia’s eyes scanned each hallway, searching for Renner. She swallowed and took a step closer to Egan.

  “Where is everyone?”

  A bone-chilling scream erupted from above. Egan and Livia lifted their gazes to the ceiling.

  “Up there. Let’s go,” Egan said. She pointed toward some stairs at
the end of the hallway. “You head up those stairs.” She wheeled around and indicated the opposite end of the hallway. “I’ll take those stairs.”

  “No. It sounds dangerous.” Livia grabbed Egan’s arm and stepped backward.

  “It could be Renner. We have to catch him.” Egan pried Livia’s fingers free.

  The lights flickered again.

  Egan met her gaze.

  Livia shuddered. “There is an enhanced being here. A strange supernatural. I don’t recognize the energy.”

  “I know,” Egan whispered. “I can feel it, too.” She took off at a sprint.

  With that, Livia nodded and ran for the metal staircase. She held onto the railing as she skipped two steps at a time. Why she was running toward what she could feel to be extremely dangerous, she was unsure. Perhaps it was her desire to get there as quickly as possible to protect Egan. Egan was always getting herself in danger, leaping before looking. Her thoughts were unclear as images of death and agony filled her head, nearly doubling her over with disgust.

  “Can’t catch me,” Renner shouted from above her.

  Livia gasped and froze in her spot in the middle of the staircase.

  He chuckled and turned to run.

  “Damnit,” Livia said, and continued her ascent up the stairs.

  Once she reached the top, she paused to peer into the dimly lit hallway. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled as she faced two lines of prisoners who just stood there, as if in a daze, looking ahead.

  “What the hell?”

  It was as if they were frozen. They weren’t though. One of the biggest men, at least six-foot seven inches with arms the size of hams, turned to look at her and lifted his finger to his rubbery lips.

  “Shhh,” he whispered, his dark eyes locking with hers. The sheer terror in his gaze made Livia want to turn and run home. “She will hear you.”

  She? Who is he talking about? She swallowed and scanned the hallway for Egan. She was nowhere to be seen, though Livia could feel her presence. That alone moved Livia’s feet as she shrugged off her fear and ran through the open space between the prisoners. They moved out of her way. There wasn’t a shred of opposition, as if they wanted her to rid their home of whatever pest stalked their halls.