Magic Born Read online

  Table of Contents

  MAGIC BORN

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  MAGIC BORN

  Book Two Of The Guardian Series

  RAYANNE HAINES

  SOUL MATE PUBLISHING

  New York

  MAGIC BORN

  Copyright©2018

  RAYANNE HAINES

  Cover Design by Fiona Jayde

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, business establishments, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials.

  Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  Published in the United States of America by

  Soul Mate Publishing

  P.O. Box 24

  Macedon, New York, 14502

  ISBN: 978-1-68291-648-3

  www.SoulMatePublishing.com

  The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  This one is for Shelaine

  Acknowledgements

  I’d like to offer heartfelt gratitude to everyone at Soul Mate Publishing for helping bring this book to life; to Cheryl—editor extraordinaire; to Fiona—designer extraordinaire; to all the writers on the label who have offered so much support; and to Debby for giving me the chance to share The Guardians with you all.

  Thank you to the ladies of CaRWA for your friendship and community.

  And thank you to the readers and reviewers—for everything!

  Chapter 1

  She must be losing her touch. Mar opened the makeshift medical office door, only to be swept up into the thunderstorm gaze of Neeren Simine.

  The Parthen Kings eyes swirled green, black, and yellow.

  Wicked. Measured.

  His six-foot four-inch frame exuded cool masculinity.

  Prowess. Sin.

  Nonchalance written on every part of his body. He wore tan slacks and a loose white cotton shirt that effortlessly showcased his muscles. His sleeves rolled up above his powerful forearms. His feet were bare. As always.

  Show-off.

  Mar had been a guest on his island for close to two weeks and only managed to ruffle his feathers a couple of times. She usually pissed people off at least twice per conversation, but with this guy? Nothing. It was unnerving not knowing what he felt. Schooled in the art of diplomacy and secrecy, his face betrayed nothing. He was ice, through and through. She squinted, hoping to decipher something in his high cheek bones. His square jaw. His thick lower lip.

  Neeren grinned at her. His yellow eyes remained aloof. “Do you like what you see?”

  Mar snorted. Refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing he unnerved her. “Dream much?”

  “Double-entendres this early in the day, Maria?”

  Of course, she hadn't meant it that way. Trust him to pick up on subconscious spilling out.

  Neeren was half parthen and half water elemental. Parthen were shifters (black panther variation) and dream walkers. A race imbued with the ability to enter others dreams and manipulate them. Once inside a person’s mind, dream became reality. Whatever the parthen wanted to happen—happened. Pain or pleasure. They wielded their gift with exacting precision. Needless to say, most immortals were nervous around them. The jury was out as to whether they were admired or reviled. Depends on who you spoke to.

  The Elementals, a race capable of controlling all the earths elements, were one of only a few with a natural ability to block parthen from entering their dreams. because Neeren was both parthen and elemental he could bypass this natural blocking ability. Could do whatever he wanted to any elemental he wanted. Even kill them in their sleep.

  His secret was out now though. To keep peace, he’d agreed to have his dreamwalking abilities bound against the elemental. Mar was the witch tagged to do the binding.

  Mar leaned her hip against the door and winked at him. “Funny. Bet you think you're pretty clever.”

  “Hardly. If I was clever, I'd have figured out a way around this.” Neeren narrowed his eyes at her. Baring perfect teeth in a sinister grin.

  A shiver raced up her spine and slammed into her gut. Goddess he annoyed her.

  Mar pursed her lips. “It's not going to hurt. I never pegged you for a chicken. Tell me, how many bodyguards are standing guard during this little tete-a-tete?”

  “Ah yes, that's it of course. I'm scared.” He grinned again. “How perceptive of you.”

  She hated his grin. How his lower lip curled up slightly. Her jaw clenched. Realizing they were still standing in the doorway, she retreated a step to let him in.

  He remained where he was.

  “Are you coming in or what?”

  “I'd rather not, thank you.”

  She sighed. “Alex wasn't such a baby about it. Just get in here.”

  He growled. “Yes, well my sister trusts you for some strange reason.”

  “Look, you two made a deal. It’s time to follow through, kitten.”

  He bowed mockingly. “As you command.”

  Turning away, she walked into the room. Better than telling him to piss off and not come back. She had a job to do. It didn't include being mocked by some cat.

  The walls pulsed. Pushed down on her. She hadn't noticed before. Maybe it hadn't been as glaring when it was just her and Alex, but the space felt claustrophobic. A single bed lay in the middle of the room. A lone, white metal chair beside it. A small wood burning stove heated the room. Her flesh warmed. A pot of herbs brewed over flames. The smell of sage, lemongrass, and rosemary calmed her. The smell of magic.

  The room should have felt clinical. It didn't. Magic required energy and intimacy. The strongest magic came from connection. Mar would have to get very, very close to Neeren for the spell to stick. Dread bounced in her stomach. Beads of sweat collected on her forehead. Dripped down her spine.

  “So how does this work
?” Neeren’s voice jarred her back to the present. “Shall I strip and lie down?”

  Mar gifted him with her best don't-fuck-with-me stare. The only way she’d get through this torturous afternoon was by maintaining control. Dude had no idea who he was dealing with. She wasn't some wet behind the ears novice. She flexed her shoulders. Smirked. She was one of the most powerful witches on the planet. No joke. No fooling. She'd studied her ass off. Trained until her soul bled. She wasn't the best because she'd been born special. His dreamwalking shit didn't scare her. And no cat was going to dominate her, even if he was a King.

  “Oh, kitten, you wish. Go ahead and lay down. But keep your clothes on. This won't take long.”

  His voice weaved through the room like honey. “You'll find things always take longer with me. I expect you to be thorough, witch.”

  “Oh good, now you're gonna play the seducer? Lucky me.” She rolled her eyes. Twice.

  He smirked and glanced away. Like it was nothing. Jerk. She stirred herbs. Placed another log in the stove. Watched fire lick at fresh wood.

  The flames roared whenever the King’s sister, Alex, entered the room. Mar’s new BFF controlled fire and was one of the toughest people she’d ever known. They were best friends though because Alex took no one’s shit while still being kind.

  Mar liked kindness.

  Binding Alex had been easy. Her friend was newly immortal. She’d known about the immortal world for less than a month. When Mar reached into her subconscious, she'd discovered Alex hadn't fully embraced her immortality. Neeren wouldn't be so easy. The guy had been born and raised a King. Considered the most powerful of his kind, he’d spent his one hundred and twenty odd years protecting his people from outsiders.

  Her gut clenched as he climbed onto the bed and stretched out his legs. Muscled calves hung over the edge. His slacks pulled taut around long limbs. Even his stupid feet were perfectly proportioned.

  Her stilettos clicked her frustration as she stomped across the floor with a pot of herbs. She allowed herself a moment to study him as he closed his eyes. Thick, black lashes swept above his cheekbones. He breathed easy. Ice, she thought again. And too damn masculine for his own good.

  Mar licked her lips. “I'm going to have to touch you to do this. I’ll reach into your sub consciousness to access to your dream world. Then using magic, I’ll lay a block over your abilities. To do this, I'll rub an herb mixture across your forehead and temples. I may have to touch more of your face. There will be a sense of connection.” She swallowed. “Don't get any bright ideas about touching back.”

  Neeren’s eyes remained closed as he replied, “I will endeavor to remain passive and non-reactionary.”

  Mar leaned over his chest. Her hair spilled across his face.

  He flinched.

  “Sorry,” she said.

  She pushed her hair off her shoulders and leaned in again. A few stray strands fell across his lips.

  He flinched.

  She grinned. “Sorry.”

  “Get an elastic band for fuck's sake.”

  “I don't have one.”

  “Hell.”

  “Suck it up, Norman. It's just hair. Now don't move.”

  Mar positioned the pot next to his chest, lightly touching his flesh. Placed the fingers on her left hand along his temple. With her right hand, she traced a pattern through the herb mixture. She hummed under her breath. Tracing the exact pattern in a continual motion, until it began to glow. Fire sang. Sweat broke out across her chest. Moisture glistened along Neeren's upper lip. A blue mist rose above the floor. As it reached her knees, she placed her fingers, coated in moist herbs, against his jaw.

  He remained motionless.

  The chant became a wave. An echo. A siren call. The air vibrated.

  Slowly, Mar traced a new pattern across his face. Swept fingers across his cheek, up his nose, over the forehead, and down his hardened jaw. Repeated the movement again and again.

  His breathing echoed her chant. Her breathing echoed his. Matched the staccato beat. As they joined, the pattern across his face glowed the same blue as the mist now at her chest.

  Mar reached for his mind. Stretched for connections. Searched for pieces of him linked to the elemental. Let the spell weave between her and Neeren so they might become one.

  A shadow appeared. Her consciousness pushed at it. Heat bit her. The blue glow on his flesh singed her. His subconscious fought. Pushed back at light seeking entrance to this deep place.

  Mar pushed harder. Ignored a burning against her skin. Reached into shadow. Directed light energy. Battered with wiccan power. She would not be stopped. A crack appeared in the gray. She channeled her glow past the barrier Neeren erected.

  Pain engulfed her. Agony. Her lungs constricted, trying to hide from the force beating at them. Her limbs weakened. Dizzy, she tried to pull free. Neeren grasped her hand. Held it against his face before she could escape.

  “Finish it,” Neeren moaned through gritted teeth. Clenched jaw.

  This was wrong. She shouldn't be feeling this.

  “I can't,” she moaned back.

  “You have no option now,” he growled. “Complete the spell so we can be done with it.”

  His eyes remained closed. His face glowed electric blue. His entire body illuminated.

  Mar forced herself to ignore the burning inside her gut. To ignore the cries of death she heard in his mind. To pretend she hadn't felt his content. She resumed chanting. Louder this time, almost frantic. Watched as the blue glow finally weaved itself into a wall blocking his power.

  As soon as it was done, she ripped her hand out of his and fled across the room. “What did you do?”

  Neeren sat up. Controlled. Swung his legs over the side. Rested his hands on the edge of the cot. Smiled his knowing smile.

  Replied, “What I was born to do.”

  Chapter 2

  Neeren poured himself a glass of his favorite spiced rum and sat on the cream leather couch in his office.

  Two hours. It had been two hours since the little witch bound his power. He hadn't expected her to be able to reach as far in as she had. He'd been reading her since they met two weeks ago. Yet hadn't known she controlled so much power. Thought she truly was as flighty as she pretended. He'd been wrong. Someone had erected a barrier over her mind.

  He didn't think it was her.

  Neeren tossed amber liquid down his throat and rose to stand in front of the window. From this place, he could see across the island out to the water below. As a water elemental, he controlled the water around his home in the Aegean Sea. It did his bidding and kept his people safe. He'd been raised to believe his powers were a gift from the creators.

  He downed his rum and stared out to sea lost in old memories.

  He’d grown up knowing that he must be kept a secret from the elemental. Those immortals didn’t like creatures more powerful than them. Neeren and his sister were far more powerful.

  After his father’s murder, he’d become a shadow. He protected his mother as she grieved. Protected his island. His people. Remained hidden to the world until he had what he needed to fight enemies within the elemental and win.

  That time had come later than he’d prayed for. But it had come. He found his sister, Alex alive and well, living as a human. Together they destroyed the elementals responsible for murdering their father.

  To keep the peace, they agreed to have their dreamwalking powers bound against the elemental kind. It didn't sit well with him, but in the end, he'd agreed.

  They didn't know what else he was capable of.

  But now? Now the witch did. That was a problem.

  A knock on the door startled him. He turned from his internal musings and arranged his face into the mask of indifference he was known for. “Enter.�
��

  His sister Alex swept into the room like a firestorm.

  “What did you say to Mar?”

  “Nothing. And hello to you too, sister.”

  She stepped into his personal space and wagged her finger at him. “Mar is acting all weird and morose. What did you say to her?”

  It felt as though there was never a time when she hadn't been there—this sister of his. She was everything now. He was learning from her about how to be more at ease. Apparently, or so she said, he had a reputation for being off-putting.

  “I didn't say anything to your little friend.”

  “Little friend? You sound seriously pompous, Neeren. Can you please stop acting like a jerk around her?”

  He stretched his shoulders. “I did not act like a jerk. I simply refuse to play her games or get all wrapped up in her weird behavior like the rest of you do. I let her bind me, under protest I might add, and then I left. What else should I have done? Thank her?”

  Alex stepped back and walked over to the liquor cabinet. “No, but you don't have to be mean. And she isn't some little friend either. We're grown-ass women, brother.”

  “I wasn't mean, sister,” he replied with the same amount of mocking censure in his tone. He sat back down on his couch and smiled at her—his blood. “I know you are both grown-ass, powerful, could kick-me-into-the-next-century woman and all . . .”

  She interrupted. “Your chauvinism is showing again.”

  “Would you sit down? I didn't say anything rude to the witch.”

  He grinned as she plopped herself on the nearest chair and curled her feet up under his knees.

  She rolled her eyes. “She has a name. I don't understand why you give her such a hard time. She helped us.”

  Neeren raised his hands in submission. “Very well, I'll try harder. I know she is your friend, but she disturbs me. I'm not fine with having her bind my powers. I'm not fine with her hanging out on my Island for weeks because she feels like taking a vacation. And I'm not fine with the fact we know virtually nothing about her.”