Magic Awakened: A Reverse Harem Romance Complete Series

by Sadie Moss

  They both looked up when I entered, grim expressions on their faces.

  “You heard.” It wasn’t a question.

  Retta nodded, her eyes wider than ever behind her thick, round glasses. “Yesterday. I’m so sorry, Miss Crow.”

  “Thank you. And call me Lana, please.” Now that Beatrice was gone, keeping up any pretense of status over these women seemed pointless. I chewed my lip, feeling lost. “Look, I know you worked for my grandmother, not for me. If you don’t want to stay….”

  “Are you staying?” Darcy’s round face was serious.

  “Yeah. Well, at least until I… figure out what to do next.”

  “Then we’re staying,” she said, nodding decisively. “Those men of yours need someone to feed them.”

  Gratitude welled in my heart, although there were plenty of practical reasons for them both to want to stay. Good jobs were scarce for the Blighted, and the ones that paid well were usually incredibly dangerous.

  I sank down onto a stool at the island. “Thank you. The gods know I can’t do it. And Fenris would die without your bread.” I hesitated, then added, “Look, I don’t know what Beatrice was paying you, but I’ll double it. And I’ll make sure you’re taken care of, even if—when—I do leave.”

  A squeak slipped out of Retta’s mouth, and she dropped the napkin she was folding so she could dab at her eyes. “Thank you, Miss Cro—Lana.” Her usually soft voice was barely a whisper, and she picked the napkin back up, wringing it in her hands.

  “Are you okay?”

  “She’s scared,” Darcy said softly. “We all are. Word of the attack on the palace spread fast yesterday, and gangs of Gifted have been roaming the Outskirts looking for revenge.”

  A chill crept over my skin. “But the Representatives don’t even know who did it. At least, they didn’t yesterday. I was there; I spoke to the Minister of Justice.”

  She rested the wooden ladle against the edge of the large pot, turning to me. “It doesn’t matter. It was a nonmagical bomb. That’s all the Gifted need to know.”

  “They’ll use it as an excuse to go back to the old ways. Claim the Blighted are trying to bring another plague down on the Gifted, that we’re trying to kill them all.” Retta gave up folding the napkin entirely and used it to blot the tears streaming down her face. “They’ll come after us again, just like they did before. I told William to stay home today to be safe, but what if that’s worse? What if he’s trapped inside, and they come and—”

  She broke off, pulling in deep, shuddering breaths. I could feel the fear and panic radiating from her, and it stirred an answering fear in my stomach. William was her eight-year-old son; she talked about him often.

  Unbidden, Corin’s story about the attack on his family rose in my mind, and I had to force down a sudden wave of nausea.

  “I’ll have Tarik go pick him up and bring him here. And anyone else you want. Darcy, do you want me to send someone for your family too?”

  The large woman shook her head grimly. “No. My Travis will want to stay. Our building takes care of each other, and he’s one of the only people there strong enough to fight.”

  I wanted to tell her I’d bring them all here, every single person who lived in her building. But then what? What about the building next to theirs, and the one next to that? I couldn’t shelter every Blighted person from the Outskirts inside this house. And even if I packed the mansion with people, it would be like putting a Band-Aid on a mortal wound. If I was going to have any hope of keeping these people truly safe, I needed to fix the problem at the source.

  The Gifted.

  The Representatives.

  I swallowed. “Beatrice said I was supposed to succeed her seat on the council. I… I don’t know how that works exactly, but I’ll speak to them. I’ll tell the Representatives they have to make an official statement saying they don’t know who planted the bomb.”

  Retta looked up hopefully, but Darcy shook her head, her usually kind eyes hard. “Until they find who did it, it won’t matter. People will believe what they want to believe.”

  Godsdamn it. She was right. The hatred the Gifted had for the Blighted was a burning ember, just waiting for a spark to reignite it into an inferno. But if the bomb hadn’t been set by anyone in the Resistance, then who could have—?

  “Fuck,” I breathed.

  “Fuck who?” Akio walked into the kitchen, his tattoos shifting as he stretched.

  The other three men followed close behind him. Fenris planted a kiss on my lips that made my toes tingle despite my anxiety, and then he made a beeline for the breads on the counter. Darcy was so distracted she didn’t even stop him with a ladle-whack to the hand.

  I shot a glance at Retta, who seemed to have barely noticed their entrance. “Retta, I’ll have Tarik get William. And I’ll do what I can to make the Representatives listen. I promise.”

  I inclined my head in the direction of the door, and the men and I headed out, Fenris snagging a huge slice of apple bread on the way. It seemed safer not to let Retta and Darcy in on the entire situation, especially given the tension already permeating the kitchen.

  When we entered the large living room where Ivy sat in front of the TV, Corin did a double take. The ghost glanced up and waved happily as we all piled into the room.

  Akio leaned against the back of the couch. The curtains were drawn open, but no other lights were on in the room, and the pale yellow glow of sunlight danced over the dark lines of his tattoos. “I believe there was talk of fucking?”

  What?

  Oh.

  I shook my head, hauling my train of thought back onto its rails. “What if the bomb was set by Gerald?”

  The incubus tilted his head. “I need more, kitten.”

  “He’s a Gifted man—or at least he was. He was a target of mine a couple months ago; I was contracted to deliver him to a drop-off point alive and unconscious. But I ran into him on the steps of the palace yesterday, and he didn’t even remember me. And… his magic was gone.”

  The room quieted.

  Finally, Fenris spoke around a mouthful of bread. “Gone, gone?”

  “Yes. Maybe it was repressed or something, like mine was by the ring my father gave me. But I couldn’t feel any magic coming off him. And when I met him before, his power was strong.”

  “What was he doing at the palace?” Jae rubbed his jaw, his elegant brows furrowed.

  “I don’t know. He didn’t seem to know. He was confused, rambling about someone giving him his magic back.” I looked around the room, thoughts whirring as energy thrummed through my body. “But it’s a strange coincidence to see him at the palace the same day a bomb goes off there, right? What if he was the one who set it? On the orders of whoever took or repressed his magic?”

  Corin wrapped his arms around me from behind. His breath stirred my hair as he interlaced his fingers with mine. “It’s worth considering. We don’t have any other leads at this point. It wasn’t the Resistance, and I’m not sure I buy Christine’s theory that it was a random agitator with a vendetta. But even if it was Gerald, that still doesn’t necessarily help us find out who’s behind this.”

  “It might.” I craned my neck to look up at him, my brain working overtime. “Someone’s been abducting the Gifted, and I think it’s the same person who had Gerald plant the bomb. I charmed a guard to put him in a holding cell under a different name and then forget the whole thing. He should be safe, no one knows who he is or why he’s really down there. I need to talk to him, see if I can force him to remember something.” I turned to Jae. “Is there a spell that can unlock forgotten memories?”

  He rubbed his chin with the long fingers of one hand. “Those spells do exist, but I don’t know any. They’d have to be extremely powerful, as any mind-altering magic is.”

  I grimaced. “Shit. I’m sure he knows something worth uncovering. We’ll have to find some way to get it out of him. In the meantime, have Christine send someone to The Crow’s Nest to track down Rat. H
e’s the one who got me that job. Maybe he can give us a name, or at least a description of the person who put the contract on Gerald.”

  Corin huffed out a breath, nodded thoughtfully. “Good idea. We’ll tell her.”

  “Thanks.” I pulled his arms tighter around me for a moment, basking in the warmth of his love. I’d need it where I was going. “While you do that, I need to head to the palace.”

  Akio’s dark eyes flicked to mine, his sharp features highlighted by the living room’s dim light. “You’ve got that look in your eye, kitten. What are you planning?”

  “I’m going to crash a council meeting.”

  Chapter 18

  I instructed Tarik to drive me to the palace and then head into the Outskirts to pick up Retta’s son and anyone else the housekeeper or cook requested. His bright green eyes widened with shock at my order, but he bowed his head deferentially, his fairy magic filling the car and making me feel calm and even a little hopeful.

  My four had barely agreed to let me leave the house without one of them accompanying me. I could see genuine fear in their eyes, feel the panic radiating from them. I understood the sentiment. I didn’t like leaving them either. But I needed to do this alone. And I had my communication charm with me, so I could reach them in an emergency.

  When the green-haired fairy pulled the SUV up outside the palace, my eyes widened. The steps leading up to the entrance were lined with guards. Apparently, security had been ramped up after the attack yesterday. I didn’t know if that made me feel more or less safe.

  I needed to find Gerald in whatever holding cell the guard had put him in and see if I could get him to talk rationally. Hopefully the charm I’d used on the guard had been strong enough for him to carry out the task I gave him and then forget all about it. I didn’t want anyone else to know Gerald was hidden below the palace until I had a chance to visit him.

  If he was the one who’d planted the bomb yesterday and the Representatives got wind of it, he’d probably be killed immediately. Not only that, but word would get out that it was a Blighted man who had attacked the palace, and the Gifted mobs trolling the Outskirts would ramp up their retaliatory attacks.

  The guards watched me with wary eyes as I made my way up the steps, but no one tried to stop me. More guards were stationed along the hallways as well, and I had to ask one of them for directions to the council room. I’d only been there once before, and I’d been so distracted I hadn’t made note of the route.

  When I reached the large double doors on the fifth floor, I hesitated, listening to the raised voices of the Representatives inside. My grandmother should be in there, but instead there would be an empty chair where she once sat. Pain and anger twisted in my heart at the thought. Why couldn’t the bomb have gone off in Victor Kruger’s office? Or Nicholas Constantine’s?

  Squaring my shoulders, I pushed my way inside.

  The council room was large and opulent. A giant, ornate rug covered most of the floor, and a broad cherry wood table had a prominent position in the middle of the room. Portraits of the Representatives and other people I didn’t recognize lined the walls.

  At the sight of me, everyone in the room froze mid-action as if they were posing for a painting. Theron Stearns, the Secretary General, sat at the head of the table. He leaned heavily on one armrest, head jutted forward and brow furrowed. On his right side sat Jonas Nocturne. The Minister of Justice’s eyes glittered with malice as he took me in, and his promise from the other day echoed in my mind, filling my stomach with ice.

  He had vowed he’d never let me replace my grandmother on the council.

  Rain, the Chief Advisor, sat on Theron’s other side. The bags under his eyes were as puffy as ever, and his whole face looked a bit gaunt and strained.

  The other Representatives were spaced out around the large table, with one empty seat next to Simon Gaunt. Nicholas and a single remaining female Representative, Olene Romo, were both on their feet, leaning toward each other across the table. It appeared I had interrupted an argument.

  I released the doors, and they swung shut with a dull thud behind me. The sound reverberated in the suddenly quiet space, and it took all my self-control not to reach for one of my daggers or spark a ball of flame above my hand.

  No one looked happy to see me.

  “My child. Lana, is it?” Theron Stearns was the first to speak, his old face pulling down into a frown. “I’m so sorry for your loss. Beatrice was one of our oldest and most esteemed members.”

  “Thank you. I’m heartbroken to have lost her when I’d just found her. But I know she would want me to carry on in her name.” I stepped toward the empty chair at the table. But before I could sit down, Jonas was on his feet, his nostrils flaring.

  “Secretary General, I must object to this. This girl is neither qualified nor worthy to occupy the seat her grandmother once held.”

  Nicholas turned to me, his half-lidded eyes burning with malice. “She’s a Blighted-lover. She likes ’em empty. She’s not one of us.”

  “Don’t know why she wouldn’t want the Blighted all dead since they were the ones who killed Beatrice.” Victor smiled at me, but it wasn’t a pleasant smile. More like a baring of fangs.

  I clenched my fists. “That’s not—”

  The room erupted into noise, the three men talking over each other and gesticulating in my direction. Olene and Simon tried to restore order, while Theron Stearns just looked at me, his old eyes tired. He was the figurehead of this government, but I was starting to wonder how much power he actually wielded. He seemed to be letting the other Representatives run wild.

  “No one wants you here, girl. You’re practically one of the Blighted yourself!” Nicholas pushed his chair back and stumbled around the table toward me, lightning sparking between his fingertips.

  I turned, ready to fire back if he dared to attack me, but before I could summon a flame, someone stepped in front of me.

  Rain.

  He faced down the advancing man, holding a hand out. Magically, Rain was probably the least powerful person in the room. I could tell he had power, but it wasn’t strong. Still, Nicholas paused, little sparks of light dancing between his fingers.

  “I’ve known Beatrice for years,” Rain said stiffly. “I knew Dominic Lockwood for years before that. And I can’t think of a family more worthy to govern in the Order of Magic. Even”—he glanced back at me, his expression almost warm for the first time since I’d met him—“a long-lost member of that family. I have no doubt that Lana Lockwood will be an excellent Representative.”

  I blinked. What the fuck? Had Rain just stood up for me?

  “Rain is right.” Theron finally waved a hand, calling for order in the room.

  I pursed my lips, forcing down my irritation. A little late for that, Secretary General.

  “Beatrice talked often of how pleased she was that you’d come back to her, Miss Lockwood,” the older man continued, running a hand over his white beard. “I know she wanted you to take her place someday. That law shall be honored.”

  “But—”

  Jonas’s usually cold face was red and blotchy. He looked like he might join Nicholas and start hurling magical attacks at me at any second.

  “If you choose not to have your son succeed your position, that’s your prerogative, Jonas. But the law is the law, and it will be enforced.” Theron’s voice rose a little, the words steely. The kindly old man I’d met the first day was gone entirely, and I could see now why he presided over the council.

  I suppressed a grimace. These fucking Representatives; they were impossible to get a read on. To call them two-faced would be to underestimate the sheer number of masks they were able to wear.

  Jonas looked mutinous but sat back down. He wasn’t actually a member of the council, although his role as Minister of Justice gave him plenty of power in other ways. But if Theron Stearns wanted me here, I’d be allowed to stay.

  As if in response to my thoughts, Theron inclined his head toward th
e empty seat before me. “Sit, Miss Lockwood.” There was a sharp intake of breath behind me, but he held up his hand before Nicholas could protest any further. “There are more important things for us to deal with today, Representative Constantine.”

  Nicholas slunk back to his seat, glaring at me through the slits of his eyelids.

  Simon spoke up from my left. His silver-white hair was perfectly styled, and his too-young face was grave. “I believe the most pressing issue we’re facing is the increasing number of attacks against the Gifted. The Minister of Justice failed to stop the disappearances of Gifted men and women in the Capital, and now the Blighted have brought their attacks to the palace. This is the second in almost as many weeks. If we don’t do something soon, we’ll all be in danger.”

  His voice quavered a bit, and I shot a glance at him. I’d gotten the sense he had a bit of a crush on my grandmother, and I wondered if he’d chosen the seat next to her on purpose. My heart cracked a little at the thought.

  “This ‘Resistance’ group is getting out of hand.” Eben Knowles, the wizard Jae had pointed out to me at the ball, steepled his fingers in front of his face. “We need to make an example of them.”

  “I’ve been saying this for years,” Victor cut in. “We gave the Blighted too much freedom, and now look what’s happened.”

  “Are you sure the bomb was set by the Resistance? Or by one of the Blighted at all?” I blurted.

  Everyone turned to look at me, and I gritted my teeth to keep from shrinking under their collective stares.

  “Who else would it be?” Olene asked slowly. She was regarding me thoughtfully, as if trying to discern whether I was mentally sound.

  “I—I don’t know. But you should be sure before you start leveling accusations. If you let people just assume it was the Blighted, you’re putting innocent people in the Outskirts in danger.”

  “Blighted-lover,” Nicholas muttered under his breath.

  My jaw clenched, anger pulsing through me as I jumped to my feet. I wanted to leap over the table and wrap my hands around his throat. But I gripped the edge of the dark wood tightly and tried to speak evenly.