Magic Awakened: A Paranormal Romance Boxed Set

by K.N. Lee

“Take care,” Leviticus called.

  “Watch out for your wife,” Magnus said. “She’s a crafty one.”

  “Intelligent, not crafty,” Leviticus growled. “She’s a fine alpha female.”

  “Yeah, but she just might want to be alpha.”

  With that, Magnus slipped away.

  By the time Magnus reached his car—yes, he had bought a sturdy used one with some of his wages—he realized he wasn’t alone. A figure emerged from the shadows from the apartment complex. He tensed but then relaxed with a laugh.

  “Jackson. Why are you sneaking up on me?”

  “Why are you sneaking away?” Jackson approached, wearing a mask of indifference on his face. Only the tightness around his eyes gave away his concern.

  “I was gonna say goodbye,” Magnus said.

  “You’re not in the pack.”

  “No.”

  “Aren’t you gonna get sick again?”

  “Hopefully not.” He’d explained all about Zelda’s theories to his friend.

  “Are you sure she’s worth it?” Jackson asked quietly. “That you’re not so wrapped up in her just because she’s the first female to pay you attention in a long while?”

  “You really think I’m that desperate?” Magnus ran a hand through his hair. “Honestly, yeah, I wondered if that might be the case, but there’s something about her. She’s… It’s hard to explain, but sometimes, you just know.”

  “Know what?”

  “Know when you’ve got to give it a shot. Look, I know you’re ready to burst out laughing, thinking I’m weak or whipped, but it’s not that. Zelda and I could have something really special. Or maybe it’s nothing. Maybe we’re just meant to be friends. Whatever the case is, I want to see her again. I want to talk to her.”

  “You want more than that.”

  “So sue me,” Magnus muttered. “I’m going.”

  “And if she doesn’t want you?”

  “I’m still gone.”

  Jackson nodded slowly. “Guess I can’t blame you. Things are ready to reach a boiling point here. I almost think you’re smart to go.”

  “Almost?”

  “Yeah. I mean, how smart can a lovesick puppy be?”

  Magnus laughed. The two slapped hands and chest bumped before Magnus got into his car and drove off. He hurried along the slick roads until he reached her college campus only to realize that she wasn’t here. That hardly anyone was there.

  Winter break.

  Against all hope, he went to her apartment off campus, but she wasn’t there. Her scent lingered, but it had long grown stale.

  Had she gone to stay with a friend? Or her mom? She’d mentioned her mom lived in upstate New York.

  He’d considered going north to New York after Philadelphia anyhow. If he could track down the mom…

  He knew her as Zelda, but he didn’t know her last name. And, worse, he didn’t know her number.

  He was a damned fool.

  Magnus knocked on her door even though eh knew she wouldn’t answer him. With a low grunt that almost sounded like a howl, he turned away.

  The next door over cracked open. “Looking for Zelda?”

  “Yes.” Magnus wanted to rip the door open to see the woman more, to force answers out of her. It must be almost a full moon. He normally didn’t feel quite so animalistic. “Do you know where she is?”

  “Yeah. She went up to her mom’s.” The woman didn’t open the door more. He could hardly see her through the slit.

  “Can I have the address?”

  “Nope,” she said almost cheerily. “Sorry, bud. I’ve lived next to her for years, and I know she doesn’t have a boyfriend. I don’t know who you are, and I’m not just gonna give that info out to just anyone.”

  “Zelda’s number,” he said, hating the desperation in his tone. “Can I have that at least?”

  “Who are you?”

  “A… a friend.”

  Zelda’s neighbor cracked the door open a little more. She was in her forties, but life hadn’t treated her kindly, so he wouldn’t be surprised if he overestimated her age. Her lines weren’t from smiles or laughs, and he felt sorry for her. “What’s your name?”

  He saw no reason not to give it. “Magnus.”

  Her eyes widened, and then she shut the door.

  Dumbfounded, Magnus stood there. He’d have to find another way to locate her. The school had to have records on file. He could go there and…

  The door opened, and the woman handed him a slip of paper.

  “She’s been having a lot of dreams lately.” She tilted her head toward Zelda’s apartment. “I can hear her. Nightmares, mostly, but sometimes… I think I heard your name once or twice. I don’t know if you’re a bad guy, if you’re haunting her or what, but maybe if you talk to her, she can move on and the nightmares will stop.”

  Magnus closed the paper in his fist. “Thank you,” he said curtly, and he stomped his way back to his car.

  Should he let her go? Of course being exposed to the horrors of werewolves would give her nightmares, but did he star in horrible dreams for her, too? The dreams he had of her were of a whole different arena.

  Maybe he should let her go after all.

  Chapter 26

  Christmas night, and all was quiet except for her mom’s gentle snores. They had a wonderful day together, and Zelda’s heart felt full. She hadn’t felt this happy since before her dad passed away.

  This… family… that was what her life had been missing. Her school, her research—yes, they were important, but so were people. It was something she had a tendency to overlook.

  And people included werewolves. Yes, they were part animal, but they were humans, too. Yes, they were prone toward violence, but so were a lot of humans. Just like they were good humans and bad ones, the same went for werewolves.

  Magnus wasn’t a bad werewolf.

  She was standing in the kitchen, holding a cup of now-cold hot chocolate when a low howl sounded. The hairs on the back of her neck rose as she sneaked toward the back door.

  Shocked, she opened the door to reveal a woman she hadn’t met before. “Can I help you?”

  “You’re Zelda.”

  “Who are you?” she asked. Her gun was in her purse on the nearby counter. Something about the woman made her fee like she was in danger.

  A werewolf?

  “I’m Heather. Alpha female to Leviticus.” The woman stepped forward, forcing her way into the house, and only now did Zelda see the silver in her green eyes. “I wanted to talk to you.”

  “What about?”

  “Magnus left the pack. Is he here?”

  “No.” Zelda’s mind raced. “Why would he do that?”

  Heather smirked. “Really, now, don’t be naïve. You’re too beautiful to pull that off. A cute girl might, but not you. And from what I hear, you’re too smart for that, too.”

  “Did you come here to ask me for help finding Magnus?”

  “No. You’re an outsider. Your opinion won’t be tainted. I need to talk to someone who isn’t biased.”

  “About what exactly?” Although it was nearly midnight, Zelda felt wide awake. She hadn’t been sleeping well lately, but right now, rest was the farthest thing from her mind.

  “I don’t think Leviticus is the alpha the Blood Warriors need.” She waved her hand as she sat down at the small kitchen table. “I know we’re supposed to be the Nightshade Warriors now, but my people don’t see themselves as that. We’ve always been a strong, fierce pack.”

  “The kind to wipe out others,” Zelda murmured.

  Heather’s eyes flashed. “We’re Darwinists to a fault, yes. It’s been that way since… for centuries. Our pack first forged in the 1800s, I think. It’s not that I think Leviticus is a poor alpha. He’s a good and fair and kind ruler, and he’s a good and fair and kind husband, too.” Her shoulders slumped, and for the first time since she barged in, she looked uncertain and even a little lost. “I don’t know what to do for my people. Bec
ause the Blood Warriors are still mine, and the Nightshade Hunters remain his. We are trying to unite them, but a marriage isn’t enough. I… I don’t know what to do.”

  “I’m not the one to ask for advice. I’m not a werewolf. I don’t understand everything there is to know about you and your culture and your way of life.”

  Heather smiled knowingly. “I think you know enough.”

  Zelda could feel her face grow warm. “You really want to know what I think?”

  “Well, I didn’t come here to listen to myself talk,” the werewolf said dryly.

  Zelda cut her laugh short. “If the packs are too incompatible, than maybe it would be better served to separate the packs again.”

  “That’s impossible,” Heather protested, but Zelda could see the wheels turning.

  “Werewolves don’t believe in divorces?”

  “We don’t,” she said shortly, “and especially not when a marriage binds two packs together. To break it apart… Someone would have to kill Leviticus or me…” She shook her head. “And if I were to kill Leviticus, that wouldn’t help either. Not that I would,” she hastened to add.

  “What about a trial separation, then? You rule one pack and he rules the other?” Zelda could hardly believe that she was discussing matters about werewolves like this, calmly, as if they were talking about something completely ordinary.

  “Werewolves marry for life. Sometimes, especially when you’re married to an alpha, that marriage might not last long. Weak alphas are not tolerated by their pack.”

  “Do you fear that one of the Blood Warriors would… challenge, right? That’s the word? Would challenge Leviticus?”

  She pursed her lips and nodded. “Yes. And if the alpha is a Blood Warrior, it will not bode well for the Nightshade Hunters.”

  “Even though they’re a part of the pack?”

  “That’s the thing. They aren’t accepted, just as they don’t accept us. They’re been several fights, and honestly…” Heather glanced away, lips pursed.

  “Magnus had a rough go of it, didn’t he? That’s why he left.”

  “Partially.” Heather stood. “Thank you. I have a fair amount of power as alpha female, but even I need help sometimes. Asking one of the werewolves in the pack hadn’t been an option, and I didn’t know who else to turn to.”

  “How did you find me?” Zelda placed her cup down on the kitchen table. “I’m sorry. Do you want something to eat or drink?”

  Heather waved her words away. “I’m fine. And I learned enough details about you to realize where you went to school. When I saw you weren’t at school, I did more digging, learned your last name, and found out about your mom. If you weren’t here, I’m not sure if I would’ve been able to track you down, but it all worked out.”

  “I’m sure things will work out with the packs, too.”

  The alpha female smiled. “I’m sure things will work out for you, too,” she murmured. “Thank you.”

  Without waiting for a response, the werewolf up and left.

  Zelda went to close the door, but although Heather was gone, someone else stood on the back door porch.

  Magnus.

  Chapter 27

  A lump formed in his throat at the sight of her. He had remembered how beautiful she was, but her dark eyes were pools he could get lost in. Her hair framed her face, and the white t-shirt and Christmas-tree-printed pajama pants she wore made her seem completely relaxed—something she hadn’t seen from her since the cabin.

  Before he had kissed her.

  He swallowed hard. “Zelda.”

  “Magnus.” She crossed her arms, pulling her shirt tight against her chest. “What are you doing here?”

  He smiled widely and rubbed the back of his neck, doing his best to hide his wincing. “I thought I would take a little trip.”

  Her lips twisted into a scowl. “And Leviticus let you go? Just like that?” She snapped her fingers.

  “Why wouldn’t he?”

  “I would think releasing someone from a pack is a big deal,” she said dryly.

  His eyes narrowed. Why had she assumed he was a lone wolf again?

  “Heather stopped by,” she explained.

  “She did?”

  “Yes. Now, I think you should tell me why you would do such a thing?” She leaned against the open doorway, barring him entry. She had to be cold, but she wasn’t shivering, and she made no move to grant him access to the house. “Isn’t your body rejecting being without a pack? Why would you risk it? What if it becomes a serious enough condition that it kills you?”

  “I’m not the kind of werewolf to take abuse. I fought back. I licked my chops. But they’re so many of them, and it just wasn’t living. My own packmates shouldn’t want me killed. It was back to square one. I want none of that.”

  She arched an eyebrow.

  “I want you,” he said simply.

  “Really.” She didn’t necessarily sound pleased.

  “Don’t you think it’s time Juliet’s ending got rewritten? She deserves a happily ever after.”

  Her lips twitched, and he could tell she was fighting back a smile. “I’m not a… We can’t form a new pack. You’ll stay sick. Unless. Do you plan on seeing if there’s a pack nearby? But I don’t live here. I mean back in Philly. What exactly… I mean, that pack wouldn’t want me around, either. I don’t belong in your world.”

  “Maybe you do.” He risked grabbed her hand, stroking his thumb across her smooth skin.

  Her eyes widened. “You don’t want to date me. You want to marry me. Have a kid with you. See if the baby would be the start of your new pack.” She yanked her hand back. “That’s way too fast for me. And you’re leaving the pack behind was to what? Force my hand? What about what I want?”

  “What do you want?”

  “Kids, maybe, one day. But I still have another semester until I graduate, and then I have to decide if I want more schooling or apply to jobs, and then maybe, just maybe, dating and eventually marriage. Not right away. Not now. I’m not… We’re not… I… No.”

  “You don’t also want me?” he asked. Had he made a huge mistake? Had he risked everything for nothing?

  No. Even if she didn’t want him, he couldn’t have remained with that pack. It was a terrible situation for him, any way you looked at it, and he did want her in his life. It didn’t bother him that she was a human.

  “Do werewolves not date?” she demanded. “I mean, you can’t just go from meeting a woman to wanting to marry her, right? There has to be a process, a—”

  “You’re such a scientist.” Magnus couldn’t help himself. He leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose.

  Her cheeks darkened, but she didn’t slap him.

  Progress.

  “Romance, love, marriage, all of that is meant to be spontaneous.”

  “I don’t do spontaneous,” she insisted.

  “No?” He lifted his eyebrows.

  Her blush grew to encompass her neck. “All right, yes, maybe I’ve been a little impulsive lately…”

  “Zelda? Who are you talking to?”

  The panic-stricken expression on Zelda’s face had his heart sinking. She didn’t want her mother to know about him. If she really thought of him as a dirty secret, maybe he truly had no chance with her.

  Her blush remaining in place, she turned sideways. “Mom, this is Magnus.”

  “Magnus? The one you never gave a chance? Well, honey, I have to be honest with you, if you’re going to make him stand outside when it’s so cold out and on Christmas night, too, I don’t see why he would want a chance with you.” Her mom bustled forward and practically dragged Magnus inside past Zelda. “You don’t seem to have frostbite at least, thank goodness. Would you like some hot cocoa? Or eggnog?”

  Her mom was a woman of energy. Even though her eyes were tired, she acted as if it was closer to noon than midnight. She hummed to herself as she retrieved eggnog from the fridge and poured two glasses before pausing.

 
She glanced down at her red bathroom, glanced over at Zelda and then Magnus, who had sat at the table. “You two talk. I’m sure you didn’t come here without a reason. And so late, too. A little rude, maybe…” she muttered to herself as she walked out of the room.

  Magnus laughed. “Your mother is a delight.”

  “I don’t know enough about you.” She gripped her eggnog tightly, sipped it, and then turned to the window above the sink, her back now to him. “I don’t know if your mom is still alive. You only mentioned that your father died to protect her.”

  “She passed away shortly before everything went down with Colin. I think it had been of a broken heart. Despite the years between their deaths, my mom never got over my father. Zelda, I don’t just want anyone to settle down with. I don’t just want to hurry up and marry and start a family so I can have a new…” He trailed off. He didn’t think her mom lurked nearby, but her mom definitely did strike him as the eavesdropping type.

  “Are you sick?” she demanded. She placed her cup in the sink and gripped the counter with her arms spread.

  “Yes.” There was no point in lying.

  “Maybe a blood transfusion from a… That might help delay the sickness. Would trick your body into thinking another werewolf is around.”

  “Zelda.” He stood. His back ached, and his legs were sore. His car had broken down a few miles away, and he had to walk here. His body didn’t care for the punishment, considering how weak he did feel from his illness. “I choose this. Do you understand? I knew you might reject me, but I still walked away. That pack isn’t the right pack for me. Maybe there isn’t one. Laci found the one for her. I can spend my days hunting other werewolves, seeing if I can’t find a new pack, but that’s not what I want. I want to get to know you more. I want to see if the spark between us—and you can’t deny that there’s a spark—I want to see if it can’t blossom into love. Yes, one day, I hope to marry you. I hope you’re right, and that we’re compatible and that we’ll be the first to be able to produce children. It’s not… Gah. I don’t want to make this sound like I want you to just be the mother of my children. I love you because of your brilliant mind, and I would never dream of asking you to give up your career and be barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. It’s just… I…” He crossed his arms and scowled. “I never have a hard time expressing myself to a female before. This is all your fault.”