Paranormal Word Series Box Set (Books 1-3 and Novella)

by CC Solomon

  Joo-won spun around to the entrance of the basement cell. “Where’s Senna and Yuri?”

  Lorenzo waved his hand as if swatting away a gnat. “Fighting the soldiers. It was a fun distraction. I’ll have to pursue that further, later. After I kill you. Misandre won’t like it but she’ll get over it, I’m sure.”

  Joo-won sighed. “You think too highly of yourself,” he stated as he opened his palm. His glowing sword reappeared. “Let me ease your suffering by removing your head from your neck.”

  Lorenzo unsheathed his katana at his waist and grinned. “Let’s go.”

  The two men raced towards each other and clashed swords upon joining.

  Meanwhile, Lisa struggled against her shackles. If Joo-won died, she’d be dead for sure. It would also suck for him to be dead, she admitted to herself. She really did like him.

  Joo-won fell to the ground, slamming his back against the wall beside her. He jumped up in one graceful movement and charged at Lorenzo again.

  Damnit, how was she going to get out of this mess? Some special paranormal she was. She kept getting kidnapped and her ass kicked in battle. She couldn’t save so much as a cat. Whoever decided she would be a good member of the almighty Six was seriously mistaken.

  Lisa? Felix’s voice called in her head.

  “Felix? Oh, my God!” Lisa cried. “That’s right, we can help each other like we did Amina! I need your help!”

  Where the hell are you? He continued. We can’t locate you again. Are you back in Fae world?

  Yes, I think. Only this is a different type of place. It’s cold here and there’s no color. Just snow and ice and gray streets.

  Do you need help?

  Yes! I got myself kidnapped again. I’m in the Unseelie world. How’d you reach me if I’m here? No one else felt me? Or maybe they’re so mad at me and don’t care.

  Lisa, I didn’t feel you at first. Azrael told me you needed help. Now that we’ve been working on our bonding magic, Azrael has an easier time finding you in different worlds. I’m still no good at it, though. Azrael is how I found you.

  Well, tell Azrael thank you!

  What’s your current situation?

  I’m shackled up and can’t break free. I need more magic.

  You got it, sister.

  Lisa felt an instant jolt of energy. Every nerve in her body buzzed and she felt like she could climb a wall. She looked up at her hands cuffed together and spread her arms apart as she poured magic into the bindings. The chain connecting the cuffs broke.

  Commotion caught her attention and she quickly moved to the side as Lorenzo stepped closer to her. He was sliced in the arm by Joo-won’s blade. His blood ran down his arm from the deep gash, a thick, deep-green liquid. He swung his sword up in retaliation and Joo-won jumped back several inches in the air to avoid getting hit in the chest. Instead, the sword cut into his thigh.

  Lisa turned and looked at the chain connected to the cuff around her right wrist. She wrapped her left hand around the cuff and closed her eyes, pouring more magic into the warded manacle. Seconds later, the cuff opened and fell to the ground. She touched her other cuff and it opened even faster, falling away.

  Thank you, Felix!

  Can you teleport back now?

  Yes, but I can’t leave my friend hanging. I have to help him.

  How can I help?

  Send another burst of your magic my way, if you can?

  Sure thing, little mama.

  Lisa arched her back as another wave of Felix’s magic washed over her.

  She pushed out her hands and focused her Fae magic towards Lorenzo, sending a gust of winter wind his way.

  Lorenzo turned his body slightly to her but stopped as his head twisted around one hundred and eighty degrees, blown harshly by her fairy wind magic. Lorenzo stumbled sideways and then fell to his knees, looking up to her with wide, coal-black eyes.

  Lisa grimaced at the sight of his head facing unnaturally towards the back of his body. Why wasn’t he dead? She wondered.

  Lorenzo dropped his katana and grabbed the sides of his head with his hands. He began to twist it back around but Joo-won shot forward and stabbed the ghoul through the heart with his glowing blade. He tore the blade upwards through Lorenzo’s chest and shoulder. The sword moved through Lorenzo as if it were a knife through butter, tearing skin, muscle and bone.

  Lisa gagged as she saw the other side of the room through the gash. Lorenzo’s upper right side was useless now but she was sure he’d be able to heal even that serious a wound. After all he was still alive with a fully-broken neck.

  As if reading her mind, Lorenzo struck out with a clawed hand at Joo-won’s torso and sank his nails into the elven king’s stomach. Joo-won stumbled back, his left hand pressed against his stomach and right hand still clutching his sword. Red blood poured out between his fingers and he looked over to Lorenzo with a frown.

  “It burns. Did you poison me, ghoul?” Joo-won croaked in disbelief.

  Lorenzo turned his head back around with his left hand, the sickening sound of crunching bones filled the room. “My nails are laced with it. And it only kills Fae! My little insurance policy, in case Misandre ever gets out of hand. You can only trust Unseelie so far. Now, time for you to die, Elf,” he answered.

  Lisa gasped. She had to do something. She’d sent a man to hell before, but he came back…and killed Charles. No, she’d have to see to it that she destroyed Lorenzo. She could already see his torn skin knitting together from the wound Joo-won had given him.

  She looked to the elven king who fell to the ground, dropping his sword. He began to vomit up blood. So much blood.

  Lorenzo struggled to his feet and turned towards Lisa, leaning heavily on his left as his right side repaired. He gave her a sinister, teeth-baring grin. “I’m going to eat you alive in front of your elf and the original soulmates will thank me for it. I might even rule over Misandre for this.”

  He shuffled towards her and she backed away.

  “Lisa, get out of here,” Joo-won, cried, now lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood.

  “No can do,” she replied before clapping her hands together as if in prayer. She hadn’t been so lucky with this magic before but maybe with Felix’s power boost she might get lucky.

  The sound of thunder rocked the castle. She clapped her hands again. Just more thunder. Oh, come on! She thought.

  “What is this?” Lorenzo called, pausing as a confused covered his face as the thunder vibrated the room.

  The sound effects were disturbing but they wouldn’t save her against this monster. She needed more.

  What are you trying to do? Felix’s voice rang in her mind.

  Be hardcore. Lisa thought back, narrowing her eyes at The Ghoul as he began to move again.

  She inhaled deeply before exhaling a deep breath and clapping her hands harder, the skin on her palms stinging.

  A crack of thick lightning tore through the ceiling. Falling pieces of cement fell to the floor, narrowly missing them. The bolt of lightning tore through Lorenzo’s left arm, ripping it away from his body.

  “Yes!” Lisa cried. “No!” Her excitement quickly died away as she pressed her lips together to fight back the threat of bile upon seeing the blood and gore.

  Another bolt of lightning appeared and seared through his right arm. Blood spurted from the sockets and he shouted in pain.

  Lisa grimaced and rubbed her hands. This time, a tornado of focused wind surrounded just Lorenzo and lifted him in the air. She threw a protective shield over herself, to defend against the wind, and saw that Joo-won had done the same.

  Lorenzo let out an unsettling screech as the wind tore his right leg, then the left, away at the hip.

  “You bitch! I’ll eat your soul!” He spat.

  Lisa tilted her head. “I don’t think so.” She kept her magical wind going, pushing forward more power to strengthen the force. The wind ripped his torso away from his chest in a gruesome show of blood, intestines, muscle an
d bone.

  Lisa stared in open mouth shock. Just what kind of wind power did she have? She

  didn’t have time to ponder her powers and continued to focus her wind magic and not vomiting. Lorenzo’s head then separated from his body. His bodiless head looked on at her with frozen, shocked, black eyes as it rolled sideways.

  He was dead and in pieces. She let out a sigh. Satisfied, if not a little nauseous, as she let go of her wind magic and watched his body parts fall to the ground like broken doll pieces.

  Damn, little mama, Felix whispered in her head. That’s gangsta.

  Oh, my god. I’m gonna hurl. Lisa thought back.

  Lisa looked over to Joo-won, who was now lying motionless on the floor, eyes closed.

  She’d saved herself but had lost the elven king in the process.

  Epilogue

  “I love you,” Joo-won said.

  His eyes were still closed and Lisa laughed. “Sure, you do. You’re just still groggy from waking up,” she replied, patting his shoulder.

  They were in his room, located on the top floor of the luxury hotel. It was more of a suite and nicer than anything she’d ever stayed in, with floor-to-ceiling windows, high-end furniture and the largest king-sized bed she’d ever seen. Lisa had spent the prior night lying next to Joo-won in that bed watching over him as he healed. He had been totally oblivious to her presence.

  She’d thought he was dead but when he whispered her name, she’d made quick work on getting him back to health with the help of Felix’s magic. She wasn’t sure if her fairy magic could have cured Joo-won of the poison and she was thankful she wasn’t alone to risk losing him.

  She still had no clue where they were. Senna and Yuri refused to allow her to accompany them without her being blindfolded. If Lisa had been more strategic, she’d have bargained to at least know their location or have them side with the good guys before helping to save Joo-won. However, she wasn’t going to risk letting him die due to negotiations and they knew that. He was in his dire predicament because he’d tried to save her. She owed him her life. Damn it, she owed him a kidney.

  He opened his eyes, which were crystal clear, the swirls of blue and green still mesmerizing to her. “I realized what I said and I stand by it,” he replied in a groggy voice. He shifted up in the bed and Lisa reached over from her chair nearby to prop up the pillows behind his back.

  “Well, you can’t,” she ordered, moving to pour him water from a pitcher on a bedside table.

  He waved the water away. “I’m fine. I need to get up. I have a ghoul to go kill.” He leaned forward.

  Lisa pushed him back against the pillows. “If by ghoul you mean Lorenzo, he is dead. Dead, dead, dead, dead, dead. He can’t get any deader.”

  “I don’t remember killing him. I recall maiming him.”

  “Well, I finished him off. I sliced him and diced him. I wanted to do more but you were dying and then Misandre’s guards were coming. I’m sure she was on her way too, so we had to leave.”

  Joo-won’s eyes opened wide. “All on your own?”

  She decided that telling him about her connection with Felix might not be in her best interest. She liked him but he was still technically the enemy. “Yep, apparently, I am a fighter.”

  “I’ve heard tales of you banishing men to Hell. I’d think nothing less. That isn’t a normal power of the Fae. You are special, Butterfly.” He smiled at her. This time it wasn’t a cocky grin or dripping in sexiness. His face seemed to be filled with…wonderment. She smiled back against her will. “I meant what I said, Lisa. I do love you.”

  She nodded slowly. “And I think I believe you but it’s not a good idea. Misandre is going to come for me soon. She already hated me as it was. Starting anything with me would be messy.”

  “It was always her intention to kill you. You just made it a little easier on yourself by offing her right-hand man. I think you should stay with me. I’m your best protection. I’m not afraid of Misandre.”

  “My friends are pretty helpful as well. With them I’ll be okay.”

  “Do you hate me that much that you couldn’t stay here with me?” He reached out for her hand and pulled her to him and she didn’t pull away from his touch.

  Lisa lay her head on his chest, resting her hand on his fully-healed, noticeably toned stomach. One day and he was already back to normal. She hadn’t realized how quickly elves could heal. “Of course not. But we aren’t on the same page. It’d be a win for you if I don’t connect with the others. Of course, if you joined our side, we could all work together, then I might rethink it.”

  He nodded. “Okay, let’s work together then.”

  She squinted her eyes and moved to face him. “Are you just saying what I want to hear?”

  He shook his head. “Yes.”

  She chuckled and slapped him lightly on the chest. He grasped her wrist and pulled her closer to him again. “What are you doing?” she whispered.

  “Gazing into your eyes before I kiss you,” he replied before leaning forward and kissing her softly on the lips.

  Her stomach tightened as his kiss deepened. His body felt hot and hard beneath her fingers. She wanted to rip her clothes off and do things with him, just as she was about to the other day. He was beautiful, strong, and protective and she wanted more of him. She playfully bit his lower lip and he wrapped a hand around her back, pressing her closer.

  “Stay with me,” he whispered.

  She shook her head and pulled away from him. “Look at you, getting all attached to the woman you were supposed to seduce.”

  He chuckled tightening his grip around her waist and pulling her closer to him. “My Butterfly has played me!”

  She leaned back in and kissed him once more. “I’m innocent, I swear.” She kissed his nose and then his forehead. “But we aren’t supposed to like each other. You’ve already risked enough for me. I don’t want these original soulmate assholes to hurt you for saving me.”

  Joo-won shook his head. “They won’t. I’ll tell them I have you under my control.”

  She rolled her eyes. “That’d be a lie.”

  “It’d save your life as long as you don’t take action against them.”

  “Which you know I will.”

  He brought her right hand to his lips and kissed her fingers. “Don’t. I can protect you as long as you don’t go against us. Promise me you won’t fight the originals.”

  He looked so vulnerable at that moment. In the short time of knowing him, Lisa had never seen him look so exposed. Maybe he really did love her.

  “If they try to hurt or kill Amina, and I can help stop that, I will.”

  “You are strong but not stronger than them. They will kill you and I can’t have that.”

  “Then protect me and fight on my side! I’ll give you my kidney.” Lisa sat up and grasped his hands in hers.

  Joo-won shook his head. “Hold on to your kidney for now. I will find another way first. I’ll still protect you in hopes that you will come to me.”

  Lisa let out a growl of frustration. “Stop being so stubborn! Why are you even taking sides? You’re supposed to be neutral, you jerk!”

  He smirked. “I’m neutral to the plight of humans. My interest is in protecting Fae kind and siding with the originals will ensure that. I was never human, my love.”

  “Well, I was. I still am. We can’t work if we’re fighting on opposite sides!”

  “We will have to.”

  She lowered her shoulders and sighed. “No, we don’t.” She got up and moved away from him. “I can’t fall for you. It’ll break my heart when we have to fight each other.” She turned away from him.

  “You’ll come to my side. I’ll change your mind, Butterfly!” Joo-won called after her.

  Lisa shook her head. “No, you won’t.”

  She really hoped she meant that.

  Misandre crouched down at the thing that was formerly Lorenzo. “What have they done to you, my friend?” she asked in a grief-stricken
voice.

  She reached out and touched The Ghoul’s head. The humanoid opened his eyes. “Who did this?” she questioned.

  “The faiiirrrryyy,” Lorenzo replied in a croak.

  “Impressive,” Misandre replied, looking around the basement at Lorenzo’s various body parts. She stroked his matted hair. “My poor ghoulie. What shall we do with you?”

  “Heeeeeaaal.”

  “Of course, my dear. And you shall have your revenge. You will eat the fairy.”

  “Eeeellllf.”

  Misandre raised an elegant eyebrow. “Of course, the fool helped. Such a pity. We’ll have to punish him for that.” She stood up and placed her hands on her hips. “Now, first thing’s first. Let’s put Humpty Dumpty back together again.”

  Now that the Six are reunited, will they be able to find out the identities of the soulmates, prepare for the impending battle and grow an army of their own? Find out in Mystic Awakenings.

  Mystic Awakenings

  Paranormal World, Book Three

  By

  C.C. Solomon

  Acknowledgments

  Thank you to all my friends and family who supported my dreams. Thank you to Judi S. for your line editing. Your work, insight and thoughts have impacted my work from day one. Thank you to my beta reader Nibha. Your time and feedback is truly appreciated. Another thank you goes to my editor, Frankie Jo, at Real Indie Author, and proofreaders, Dawn and Rachel, at Yours Truly Book Services, for their great eyesight and guidance.

  Prologue

  Faith was suffocating. She clawed at her throat, at the invisible hand, crushing her larynx. She couldn’t scream. She could do nothing but wiggle in agony on her bed. Her eyes bulged out and her back arched. She raised her hands, swiping at the imaginary assailant while her red bed sheets twisted around her ankles as she tried to kick out.

  Standing in front of Faith’s bed, I pushed out my hands in an attempt to save her, forcing my magic through me, but nothing came. It was as if I was empty of power. Fully human again.