Magic Awakened: A Reverse Harem Romance Complete Series

by Sadie Moss

  It took all my self-control not to start fidgeting as minutes ticked by and the stirring and chanting went on and on. Had it taken this long last time? Probably. I’d been antsy then too, but I’d also been distracted by the news of Rat’s death. Now there was nothing but Jae’s hand in mine, the sound of Marielle’s spoon scraping the bottom of the cauldron, and her low voice intoning words I couldn’t understand.

  By the time she finally finished, I had teeth marks embedded in my lower lip. She used a long tube to extract the liquid from the cauldron, pouring it into a small vial before stopping it up with a cork.

  Jae handed over a black credit card, and Marielle smiled genuinely for the first time since she’d greeted us. Once she’d processed his payment, she dropped the potion into my waiting palm.

  “A drop in each eye, two drops in the ears, the rest in your mouth,” she instructed me.

  “Really?” I grimaced. I’d gotten a whiff of the thing while it was brewing, and it had not smelled potable.

  She scowled. “If you want it to work, yes.”

  My stomach dropped. I’d gotten much more comfortable with magic since discovering it was a part of me, but twenty-four years of old habits were hard to break. The idea of ingesting something made of magic sent a nervous chill skating over my skin. What if she’d brewed it wrong?

  “It won’t kill you,” Marielle snapped, correctly interpreting my silence. If she was slightly less hostile, her words might’ve been easier to believe.

  Still, I closed my fingers tight around the potion and nodded. “Thanks.”

  The witch waved her hand at us in a clear dismissal, and Jae ushered me through the door and back out to his car. As he pulled away from the curb outside Mélange, I pressed the stone on my earring to activate my communication charm.

  “Did you get it?”

  Corin’s voice sounded in my ear so quickly I was sure he must’ve been waiting for my call.

  “Yeah. We just left Marielle. We’re on our way to the palace.”

  “Not without us, you’re not.”

  “Corin—”

  “No, Lana. It wasn’t worth us coming to get the potion with you, but if you’re heading into danger, we’re all going to be there.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense! The palace is the least safe place for you to be right now.”

  Even as I spoke, I noticed Jae turn the car away from the palace—and toward Beatrice’s house. I shot him a glare, but he avoided my eyes.

  “It won’t be much safer for you, but you’re going anyway. So are we.” Corin’s voice had taken on the stubborn edge that meant his mind was made up. I knew that tone well. He might be the only person I knew who was more pigheaded than me.

  “Sorry, killer,” Fenris threw in. “But you only get twenty percent of the vote, and I think you’re outnumbered on this one.”

  “Well, Jae is on my—” I started, but cut off at the slight shake of the mage’s head.

  “We need to stick together, Lana. I bought some potions and enchanted weapons Corin and Akio can use if it comes down to a fight.”

  Damn it. My stomach twisted, worry for my four just barely edging out my desire to have them with me. I wouldn’t change our situation for the world, but sometimes I hated having four pieces of my heart exist outside my body. It was nerve-wracking as hell.

  I sighed. “Fine. But if you come, then we stick together. We all go, we better all come back.”

  “We will.” Corin’s voice was firm.

  My heart squeezed painfully. If only that was a promise I knew he could keep.

  Chapter 11

  Jae didn’t drive directly up to the palace, as he had on numerous other occasions. Instead, he left the car several blocks away, and we approached on foot. Peacekeepers lined the palace grounds, directing curious residents of the Capital onto the sweeping front lawn before the palace.

  It was packed with people. The only areas that were free of crowds were the large fountain in the middle of the lawn and the angled roads leading up to the palace entrance. The roads were currently blocked off. Three red banners bearing the emblem of the Order of Magic hung from the balcony that spanned a section of the palace above the grand entrance doors.

  We pushed our way through the crowd, which grew even thicker toward the front. I stayed close to Corin, worried that the people around us might notice a Blighted man in their midst. But there were so many different kinds of magic mingling in the air it was hard to pinpoint their exact source, so his lack of magic was much less obvious. The size of the throng made it easy for us all to disappear.

  On the balcony, Theron Stearns stood next to Rain. The two men were backed by the remaining five Representatives, and Jonas Nocturne stood off to one side. Whether he was there as part of the ceremony, or in an official capacity as the Minister of Justice, I wasn’t sure. Given the size of the crowd, I guessed it was the latter. He was likely on duty, coordinating the activity of the Peacekeepers and palace guards.

  The Secretary General’s voice was magically amplified to carry over the entire crowd as he expounded on Rain’s years of service to the country, his dedication to magic, and his efforts to improve life for the Gifted.

  My heart pounded dully in my chest. Yeah, that sounded about right—plus or minus a little genocide.

  Akio took the lead, somehow managing to part the crowd for us without shoving and elbowing people aside like I would have. When we were nearly to the cordoned off road, and as close to the front of the palace as we were going to get, I slipped the potion out of my pocket.

  A drop in each eye, two in the ears, the rest in the mouth.

  I swallowed. There wasn’t a single part of Marielle’s instructions I liked.

  “Here goes nothing.” I looked at Jae. “You ready with the amplification spell?”

  He nodded grimly, his green eyes serious.

  Popping the cork out of the small vial, I held the bottle over my eye, trying to ignore the dark red color that was reminiscent of congealing blood. I tipped a drop into my left eye, then my right.

  It burned.

  My vision swam, everything around me turning a hazy red color. Quickly, I tilted my head and applied drops to both ears. The liquid slithered inside my ears, seeming to worm its way deep into my skull. I threw back the remaining liquid like a shot of whiskey.

  But godsdamn—whiskey never burned like this. My eyes stung, my ears felt muffled, and the liquid coated my tongue, tasting like copper and some pungent herb I couldn’t identify. It slid down my throat, leaving a scalding trail in its wake.

  I opened my mouth to curse, but all that came out was smoke.

  It poured from my eyes and ears too, thicker and darker than the wisps of smoke that had come from Gerald, rising high into the sky above me. My knees gave out, and I felt strong hands grab me from behind, supporting me as my body sagged and my head tilted back.

  Disorientation flooded me. I wasn’t sure I was still breathing. I couldn’t feel air entering my lungs, just smoke pouring from me in an endless stream.

  “Lana.” Jae’s voice came from a world away. “Did you see your father with Rain that day? Did you see Rain confess his plans to steal magic?”

  And I remembered.

  The memory slammed into me with the force of a speeding car. Then it continued through me, flowing out of my body and into the smoke swirling above my head. I saw the scene play out in my head as I heard it magically amplified all around me, drowning out Theron Stearns’ words.

  My father stood with his back to me as I peered around the door of his study. A younger version of Rain paced before him, his eyes burning like fire, his movements erratic.

  “Think of it, Dominic! Where will it stop? If this continues, in just a few generations, everyone will have magic. And what will magic be worth then? Absolutely nothing!”

  My father shrugged his broad shoulders. “I see your point. A lineage of pure magic means less than it used to. But there’s nothing to be done about it, Rain. T
his is the way of the world.”

  Rain’s face lit up with manic excitement, and he grabbed my father by the shoulders. “It doesn’t have to be.”

  The older man chuckled uncomfortably, brushing the grasping hands off his shoulders and stepping back. “What do you mean? What grand theory have you cooked up this time?”

  “Not a theory. A plan. And I’ve finally found a way.” The frenetic energy Rain had been giving off stopped, his focus seeming to narrow down to a pinpoint as he grew unnaturally still. His careful mask of sanity and civility slipped, and for a moment, I could see the monster inside. “We’ll take magic away from those who don’t deserve it, and give it to those who do.”

  His words hung in the air for a moment. My father let out another choked laugh as tension stiffened his shoulders. “You can’t be serious, Rain. You can’t take magic away from people who were born with it. And who would decide who ‘deserves’ it?”

  “I would. And I can. I will.” Rain’s voice was soft, his body like a statue. “Help me, Dominic. I’m almost ready. I just need—”

  “Rain, be serious! What you’re talking about is dangerous. Insane. Not to mention impossible.”

  “Not impossible. I’ve found a way.” Rain slipped a hand into the inner pocket of his suit jacket and withdrew a small glass orb, no bigger than a marble. Inside, a pure white light glowed. I could feel the power contained in that tiny ball of light even from where I hid behind the door, peering through the crack in the hinge.

  Silence fell. My father reached out toward the orb, but then arrested the movement. “Is this…? Have you truly…? What have you done?”

  “This is magic.” Rain’s chest rose and fell rapidly. “This is one man’s magic, harvested from his body and contained in its purest form. Once I replicate the pull on others, I’ll be able to redistribute the power as I see fit. Will you help me?”

  “No,” my father murmured. Then he repeated more forcefully, “No, I won’t help you.”

  Rain blinked. “I… thought you understood.”

  My father scoffed. “I understand your frustrations. I understand wanting to prize and value magic, to preserve the bloodlines of pure magic users. But this? This is unconscionable. This is theft of a person’s very essence. I cannot—”

  There was a crack, and a harsh blast of wind threw him backward. It pinned him to the bookcase, sending bits of paper flying. Before my father could fight back, Rain swept from the room.

  I ducked behind the door as he passed then darted into the study, fighting the wind that still howled in the room. A moment later, it cut off abruptly, and my father stumbled forward. He caught himself in a crouch and stood slowly, a dark look overtaking his features.

  Anger. And fear.

  Until that day, I’d never seen my father afraid.

  A noise escaped me, halfway between a squeak and a sob, drawing his attention. His jaw tightened, and he reached for the tungsten and copper ring on his pinky finger, pulling it off and clasping it between his palms, muttering the words to a spell.

  Shouts and screams filled the air, and I looked around, wondering how so many people had gotten into our house.

  No. Wait.

  They weren’t here.

  And neither was I.

  I blinked and gasped, drawing a heaving breath into my lungs. Smoke still hung heavy in the air above me, and the shouts and cries were coming from the crowd around us.

  Akio and Fen were behind me, holding me up. My feet were still on the ground, but I wasn’t supporting any of my own weight. Red still tinged my vision. Nausea roiled my stomach.

  I looked over at Jae, almost choking on my words. “Did… did it work?”

  He nodded, his mouth set in a grim line, and we all turned toward the balcony where the Representatives stood.

  Theron had stepped back from the railing a few paces, and he pivoted slowly to face Rain. He’d cut off the spell amplifying his voice, so I couldn’t hear what he was saying. But he gestured angrily. Rain shook his head, arms held out in a supplicating gesture.

  Olene stepped forward from the line of Representatives, speaking urgently to Theron. The Secretary General nodded then turned toward Jonas, gesturing again toward Rain.

  Thank the gods. They believed me.

  They had to. They’d heard the truth themselves, seen the demented look in the mage’s eye as he ranted to my father. Seen the ball of pure magic he had pulled from another human being.

  Relief flooded me as Rain shrank back from Theron. The Representatives may have been complicit in the violence and subjugation that followed the Great Death, but at least none of them were as evil as Rain. And now that they could no longer pin the blame for it on the Blighted, they would have to make reparations. They’d have to—

  It happened so fast my mind didn’t process it until it was over.

  One moment, Rain was stumbling away from a towering Theron, and the next, a thick bolt of electricity flew from his hands toward the Secretary General. It struck the white-haired man in the chest, and Theron stumbled backward. Another blast threw him against the balcony railing, and he pitched headfirst over the side, tumbling to the steps below.

  The screams around me ceased like someone had hit the mute button.

  I waited, stinging eyes held wide, for Theron to rise. To fight Rain, to order the guards to attack.

  But he didn’t. His dark form on the palace steps didn’t even stir.

  He was dead.

  “How…?” My voice was hoarse, and my throat burned at the single word.

  “No. It shouldn’t be possible,” Jae murmured slowly. “The Secretary General wears protection charms. Always.”

  Rain raised his hands toward the other Representatives, the threat clear. The guards on the balcony had stepped forward, tense and alert, but nobody moved to attack him.

  Fuck. Rain may not have performed the second magic pull yet, but he must have already begun testing the transfer of magic into a new host. And clearly, it had worked. The day we’d confronted him in the council room, his magic had seemed different, stronger somehow. I’d thought it was just because of his agitation, but I was wrong. He’d increased his powers.

  Light danced around both of his outstretched hands, and I swore I could feel the electric charge in the air from yards away. Slowly, a translucent shield formed in a tight dome around him.

  Then he spoke, and this time his raspy voice echoed out over the crowd, louder than Theron’s had been.

  “Dominic Lockwood didn’t share my vision. Theron Stearns didn’t either. But I tell you now, my vision for the future is coming. And in that future, all defenders of pure magic will have a place of honor! They will be granted power beyond their wildest hopes. They will be the preservers of magic, and all who are without it will bow before them.” He swept his arm out, encompassing the crowd. “You all have a chance, right now, to join me and secure your place at my side. Or you can resist—and become Blighted yourselves.”

  His booming voice died out, and in the brief silence that followed, my gasping breaths were all I could hear.

  Then, slowly, Victor Kruger stepped up to Rain’s side. Nicholas Constantine followed, a wide grin splitting his face. A moment later, Jonas Nocturne stepped to his other side. A shocked cry escaped my lips, and Jae’s shoulders stiffened.

  As soon as he came to a halt beside Rain, Jonas nodded to the guards surrounding them. Several of the uniformed officers shifted toward the remaining Representatives, their posture threatening. Either the guards were loyal to Jonas, or they’d decided to take Rain up on his offer. Or both.

  “Oh shit.” Fen’s voice was low. “What do we do now?”

  Before I could force my frozen lips to answer him, chaos erupted around us.

  Chapter 12

  Several bursts of magic flared to our right as a group of Gifted turned on the people around them. Screams filled the air again as those under attack fought back or dove for cover.

  On the balcony, Olene moved. She
threw her hand out like a whip, and several green balls of light flew forward and stuck to the translucent shield around Rain. A half-heartbeat later, they exploded, weakening his shield. She repeated the move once more before two demon guards grabbed her from behind, wrestling her back.

  Rain let the shield drop entirely, but that only freed him up to attack. He raised both hands above his head, bolts of electricity sparking between them, just as Simon Gaunt turned tail and ran. The older man was halfway to the arched doorway in the palace wall when the lightning struck him in the back. It propelled him the rest of the way, sending his body hurtling into the doorframe. He hit the ground and didn’t get up.

  Olene was putting up a valiant fight. The two guards who’d attacked her lay at her feet, and she stepped over their bodies to go after Rain again. The brown-haired mage shouted something to Jonas and jerked his head toward us. I swore his gaze found mine for a moment, even though it was impossible at this distance. But my stomach dropped anyway.

  As Victor, Nicholas, and Rain battled against Olene and Eben, Jonas called the remaining guards to his side then leapt off the balcony. But they didn’t fall like Theron had. They dropped gently to the ground, slowed by a levitation spell on Jonas’s part.

  When they landed next to the Secretary General’s prone body, none of them spared it a glance. Jonas descended the steps with a heavy stride, and it wasn’t until he and his posse of guards started to cross the street toward us that I shook myself out of my stupor.

  “They’re coming for us! Rain must’ve given him orders to collect us. Or kill us.”

  I stepped out of Akio and Fen’s supportive grasp, not pleased to find that my legs wobbled as I moved forward. The memory spell had fucked me up. My vision was no longer streaked with red, but I felt fuzzy and disoriented.