Magic Awakened: A Paranormal Romance Boxed Set

by K.N. Lee

  “Don't know my shifter, do you?” The guy cracked his knuckles.

  “Don't care either. You'll eat dirt like the rest of my opponents.”

  “Yeah, we all saw how you crashed during the shadow fight with Lion,” he smirked. “Guess you’re past your prime.”

  Kyle let his dragon eyes morph over his human ones. The black vertical pupils usually threw people off, but this guy merely shrugged. Guess we do this the hard way. Tensing, Kyle raised his fists. He swung at the shifter, catching the guy on the chin, the prime spot for a knockout. Except the big guy didn’t flinch. Didn’t blink.

  “My turn.” He punched Kyle in the gut. The force of it felt like a semi-truck hitting him.

  Before Kyle dodged, another strike to his temple sent stars sailing past his vision.

  “Now you know why they call me the Beast and why I never have an opponent beat me to round three.”

  “Talk is worthless.” Kyle plowed into the guy’s middle. “Never fought me.”

  Beast grunted and stumbled back a few steps, but didn’t fall.

  Without waiting, Kyle elbowed him in he face but missed, and his arm skirted across the guy’s collarbone. Beast picked up Kyle in a hug, squeezing him until ribs cracked. Kyle yelled and used both fists to pound on the top of Beast’s head.

  “Give it up, has been.” Beast grunted from the impact.

  “Never.”

  Beast smacked Kyle into a nearby a tree. Another punch sent Kyle reeling, but he kicked Beast’s legs out from under him. Liquid seeped into his eyes, stinging them, and Kyle wiped his face. His hand came back covered in blood. He stumbled to his feet, hunching his shoulders and preparing to attack.

  He blocked Beast’s hook punch and jabbed twice in a row before leaping back out of Beast’s range. The guy’s punches would turn a forty-five minute round in the ring to a human time of three minutes.

  Around them, the shifters cheered and booed. At least Melody was unconscious and the shifters were leaving her alone for the moment. But the dragon fire encircling around her was dissipating. A hit knocked Kyle on his back and the air whooshed out of his lungs. He couldn’t move. What the fuck had they struck him with?

  “Woot! Down for the count,” someone cheered.

  “Your shifter must be the Incredible Hulk or something,” another voice raved.

  Kyle forced himself into a sitting position, but the world spun around him. He’d failed. What about his sister, Danielle? Who would look after her now?

  “Want more, old man?” Beast mocked.

  Not now. Maybe after he’d recovered and didn’t have to worry about a passed-out witch. He tested his dragon, prodding along his nerve endings for the tell-tale glimmer of heat just under his skin, hoping it was ready to transform so he could get Melody help before she died. It would be just like these morons to deliver her to Diego hours later, dead from the wolfbane before he even got her.

  His dragon stretched and shook. Ready. Not powerful enough to take these brutes out, but enough to get her to safety. Kyle blasted a fireball at Beast, making the shifter and the others dance back a few steps. With a bellow, his cracked ribs surged with pain as he transformed.

  “Get him!” Bodies piled on top of Kyle, but it was too late. The metamorphosis had already started.

  Wings sprouted from his back, knocking a few men off him. His body elongated until he was larger than a full grown horse. He snarled and bit into one of the wolf shifters and tossed his body aside. Guy would be lucky if he lived. Kyle thumped his tail, sending several more stumbling to the ground.

  In the moonlight, Melody’s skin was pale and her breaths were turning to wheezes. The fire protecting her was now smoldering ash.

  Beast growled, his body darkening.

  Shit. Not good. Any other time, he’d welcome the fight, but if he delayed, Melody would die. His sister would never forgive him or accept the money for her medical expenses if she knew he’d stayed to boost his ego against a worthy opponent.

  Rocking his tail in a horizontal arc, he whacked aside the nearby shifters, then hefted Melody into his arms. Flapping his wings, he was gaining altitude when a huge animal landed on his back. Hits and punches pummeled him, but he kept flying higher.

  Beast grasped his throat in a choke hold. “Set us down and I’ll tell Diego the witch hexed you.”

  When he didn’t answer, Beast increased the pressure, cutting off his air. No, he couldn’t die. No life insurance. Who would care for his sister? She didn’t have anyone else. His life of fights and stupid mistakes flashed before him. This wasn’t going to be the end. If he hadn’t been carrying Melody, he would have dive bombed to the ground, and pulled up just before crashing. But that was too risky. He tucked Melody close to his chest, then twisted over and over in the air.

  Losing his grip on Kyle’s throat, Beast’s hold broke and slipped down, but he yanked on a wing to keep himself from falling. The membrane tore and Kyle roared. All three barreled into the dense forest.

  Kyle

  Pain shot through Kyle’s back as if someone had flayed him.

  The wind ripped into him. His pulse rampaging through him as the ground raced up toward him. Kyle jerked, trying to control his descent with only one working wing. His shoulder, then backside, crashed along a freeway overpass. Pain lanced through him, but at least Beast tumbled off. Clutching Melody closer, Kyle flapped his good wing. Didn't think he'd get Melody far, but he needed to get both of them further away from the shithead shifter.

  Melody was a burning coal against his chest. Soon the seizures would start and there would be no saving her. He had to get her help. Now!

  Ahead, the bright lights of the city illuminated the sky. If he could reach the outskirts, Zack might help. He was a mage-in-training, but had discovered his skills were more physical healing oriented. When Kyle had woken from his week-long coma, he’d gone to Zack to fix his memories, but nothing had worked. The mage thought it was a mental or emotional barrier. Like hell it was. He needed his dragon to just let go of the damn past, because whatever had happened couldn’t be that bad. He could take it.

  Car horns blared as Kyle flew low over them, barely able to keep from scraping their hoods.

  He dipped low, struggling to right himself. A pickup truck slammed on his brakes and skidded along the road.

  Time to get off the freeway before someone hit them.

  Kyle flapped harder, straining his muscles to go higher, faster. Just as he cleared the freeway median, his strength waned. His broken wing no longer worked, and he fell into a patch of forest near the freeway.

  Clutching Melody against his body, he slammed into a pine tree and broke it into splinters as he tumbled. His head hit a block of concrete haphazardly thrown into the reservoir. Pain shot through his skull and he blinked to clear his vision as he shifted back into human form.

  Was Melody okay? He scrambled forward, finding her laying on a patch of grass. Her arm was bent at an odd angle. Broken. Kyle hissed. He'd wanted to keep her safe. His fingers brushed her hair out of her face, her skin burning his fingers.

  How could he help her now? Maybe he should've escorted her to Diego for the cure, then figured out a way to smuggle her out.

  Zack was too far, but maybe his friend knew something that could give her time.

  Where's my phone? Kyle checked his khaki pockets, then scanned the area around him. Fucking shit! Damn phone was gone. His insides clenched. What if his sister or the hospital had tried to call him?

  He glanced at Melody. Her belt had things attached to it. He inhaled a sharp breath as he crawled to her, his bruised ribs sending bolts of pain razoring through him.

  He patted her pockets, the found one of the pouches on her belt was blinking. Jackpot.

  He removed the phone, and called his friend who knew more about illegal poison than the hospitals.

  “Zack’s pharmacy, where our drugs aren't addictive, but our personality is.”

  “Hey, it's Kyle. I need your help, pronto.�
� He laid a hand on Melody’s shoulder. Her body was trembling under his touch. “Got someone with me with wolfbane in her system.”

  “Shit! Is she conscious? How far away are you?”

  Kyle’s insides froze. “Too far to reach you in time. Even flying.” Which was impossible now, due to his wing being broken. “She's raging hot, unconscious and her body is starting to shake.”

  Zack whistled. “Only one thing can save her, but you ain't gonna like it.”

  “Tell me.” Did the antidote require an animal sacrifice, or finding a mermaid’s scale?

  “You're gonna have to rub some of your blood over her wound, and have her swallow at least three drops.”

  Simple enough. “That's not so hard. What's the catch?”

  “You and she will be bonded. Don't know to what extent until you both come see me.”

  A binding wasn't an easy thing to break, but it wasn’t impossible. If it healed her or bought them time to get to Zack, then it couldn’t be that bad. Besides, Diego’s shifters were after them and they couldn’t stay here.

  Melody convulsed, her body shaking hard against the ground.

  Shit! Kyle bit his wrist, piercing skin. The sting was deep and persistent. He rubbed his dark blood over the wound on Melody’s arm, but her seizures didn’t stop. Lying beside her, he placed his forearm over her mouth and held her as best he could to keep her from hurting herself. But she wasn’t getting any of his blood down. Saliva blocked the cure from getting inside her.

  Her convulsions slowed, but she still wasn’t swallowing. How could he get her to take the blood? He had to do something. Her body was shaking from aftershocks. Too many more attacks and she’d die from heart failure and possible brain damage. He licked his bleeding wound, then kissed her, plunging his tongue into her mouth.

  At first, nothing happened. No response. Then, her tongue quivered against his. Slowly, she sucked on him, enticing a growl from deep inside him. Her hands came up and ran over his shaved head. Even though he knew she’d taken at least the three drops required to heal her, he couldn’t pull away. Her mouth was warm and sweet and he wanted more. He traced his hands up her side. When he grasped her shoulder to haul her closer, she cried out.

  “Sorry, what is it?” he asked.

  “My arm!” She blinked as if waking from a dream. “It’s burning.”

  He frowned and lifted himself onto an elbow. “The broken one?” Damn, he should’ve been more careful.

  “What? No, the one with the bite.” She held up her arm. The wolfbane bite was glowing violet. Her eyes met his and she narrowed them. “What the hell happened to me?”

  Melody

  A car horn blared and Melody jerked away from Kyle’s embrace, from their kiss. Where were they, and what had happened to the other shifters?

  Melody scrambled into a standing position, tempted to brush her fingertips over her lips that still pulsed from their kiss. And goddess help her if she didn't want more. The only thing that brought her out of the haze of lust was her injured arm heating up so hot she couldn't think. Felt as if she'd bathed it in a vat of boiling oil.

  “Shit, why’s my arm hurting so much?”

  “I don't know.” He paled.

  “Not good enough. Did I fall on an ivy bush?” Something had happened and it was more than a kiss. Why wasn't he saying something?

  He ran a hand through his hair, avoiding her stare. “It was the only thing I could do to save you.” He lifted his gaze. “Short version, I transformed, Beast tagged along for the ride and practically tore my wing off. You were having seizures and Zack said giving you my blood was the only way to save you.”

  “Zack? He a vamp or something?” Leave it to the undead to think blood was the answer for everything. Blood magic was powerful and tricky. Do it wrong and everything went to shit. Most witches avoided it, and for good reason. A witch who bonded with someone else during the transfusion wasn't able to break that connection without a dozen rare objects and a stroke of luck. Not to mention the weight of a hundred unicorn hearts - which was why the magnificent creatures were almost extinct.

  He cleared his throat, “No, he's a mage.”

  “You're kidding right?” Her stomach dropped. Mages were humans who’d studied the mystical arts, and while some had talent, none of them knew how complex a blood ritual was. Sure, if Kyle had been a wizard or other magical user, the healing would've been fine. Maybe there would have been a lingering sexual attraction between them which would have faded with distance and time. But a freaking dragon shifter? Who knows what side effects she'd go through, or how long they’d last.

  Spotting her cell next to his foot, she picked up the phone up and hit speed dial to her MIS Sargent. Her boss was going to hate this. She’d need time to sort out this connection, break it, and she had to find out where Diego was and send a team after him. The moon shone overhead. What time was it anyway?

  “This better be good,” her voice growled.

  Would Marian understand or put her on probation for losing her lead? “I'm going to need a few more days on the Diego case.”

  “You called me at two am for that?” her voice rose.

  “I'm close.” Melody picked at a nail. “Diego sent a shifter after me with wolfbane.”

  “Holy crap, did you bust his ass? Wait, you didn't get bit, did you?” A rustle echoed over the phone. “Where are you? I'm coming to get you.”

  “Listen, I've got it handled. I'll touch base when I know more. Sarge, the shifters are different. I hit one with my tazer and he was able to walk it off. Even transformed back in seconds.”

  A pause, her Sargent said, “That's not possible. Your weapon must not have been at full charge.”

  “No, it was.” Melody spared Kyle a glance and wished she hadn't. Two feet away, he stood with his arms crossed over his chest and a vein in his forehead bulging. What was his problem?

  “Melody, can you hear me?”

  “What?” She turned toward the freeway in the distance rather than the brooding dragon.

  “Come into the station tomorrow and we'll fix whatever made it defective.”

  She bit her lower lip. Her department already thought her unable to prove herself and gave her the toughest cases possible... No one made the progress she had. Why else would Diego send so many shifters after her? But she couldn't tell Sarge about accidently tasering Kyle. “I tested my taser after it recharged and the electricity worked fine.”

  “Hmmm... still, I need you to report in by noon tomorrow on your progress. In the meantime, get some sleep.”

  “Yes ma’am.” She clicked the end button, then waved the phone at Kyle. “All right, now we need to go see this mage-in-training friend of yours and get this fixed.”

  Kyle’s brow furrowed as he stepped forward. “You're a goddamn cop?”

  She bristled. “No, I'm a police investigator, assigned to discover the underground shadow boxing and eliminate the crap out of it.”

  “And what about the fighters and coaches and, hell, the popcorn and beer vendors who depend on the fights to earn a living?” His tone grew harsher with each word.

  Realization hit. “You're one of them?” Must be why the other shifters knew him, and why he was such a badass fighter. Maybe she hadn’t lost her lead after all.

  He clenched his jaw so tight, the muscle twitched.

  She squared up to him, and said, “You wanted a deal? Tell me where the rings are and I'll see what I can do to help you.” He'd never said what he wanted and, while the idea of rolling in the bed with him grew more and more appealing with each passing breath, she didn't trade favors for sex.

  He rolled his eyes. “Consider our deal off. I got you out of a sticky situation and healed your wound. So you owe me, not the other way around. In the future, when you pull me over for speeding, let me off with a warning.”

  When he turned to leave, she snagged his arm. “Wait. You're right. I owe you big time. What can I do to repay you?” Why did his lips have to look so delic
ious and call to her? “Besides, my arm feels like it’s melting from the inside out. Technically, I think you botched my healing. Least you could do is help me break the bond between us.”

  “There is no—”

  Lightly she ran a fingertip across his chest. “Surely there must be something you need?” Wow, she was totally flirting with him. What if he did ask for sex? Her skin heated and it was hard to catch her breath. She'd never in her life had a one night stand.

  “Nothing you'd be willing to give.” He cocked his head. “Now that I know you're a cop, doubt you'd even know how.”

  Really? Did he think her unable to bend the rules a bit just because she was in law enforcement? “Try me.”

  “A memory spell.”

  She could do anything he wanted. Would he take charge in the bedroom or let her have the reins sometimes? Wait, memories? “What? Um... why don't you get your magic friend to help you?” She held up her arm that still was filled with liquid fire, and the purplish skin now covered her forearm. “He did a bang up job on me.”

  “You're alive aren't you?” He ran his fingers through his hair. “But he warned me there would be repercussions... just didn't expect them to be this severe.”

  Goddess help her. Yes, she was alive and, every moment, the craving of being with him was growing more intense. Focus on the arm and getting it better. Then catching Diego, not on a sexy dragon shifter who smells like musk and cinnamon and vanilla.

  “Zack heals physical problems, and mine is a mental block. But then your answer tells me you don't really know enough about memory spells for me to trust you digging around in my brain. So let's get to Zack so he can break this link between us, and we can part ways.” He stomped forward.

  “The memory lapse could be psychic.”

  Stopping, he glanced over his shoulder. “Yeah? Know anything else?”

  She straightened and marched past him. “Sure. I aced memory charms in school.” Didn't need to tell him that it had been middle school, during her rebellious period.