End of Magic (Next Gen Season 1: Episode 4): Bend-Bite-Shift, #13

By Olivia Hardin

Since the destruction of the Org and the end of the fae revolution, life for paranormals has slowly found a sense of balance. But the rise of Magia Nera is creating a shift, and the unbinding of one magic might spell disaster for both the human and faery realms.

Sweet and angelic, Nona has always been special. Her powers as a souler were decided even before they fully manifested. As a child supplicant to the Org, she'd suffered a fractured childhood. But thanks to Belle and Roon, her adopted parents, she and her siblings discovered a loving home, and Nona found an existence devoid of any pain at all.

Kenyon is a new vampire, born into the dark world of Magia Nera. His last memory is a blow to the head that stole all memories of the life he had before the change. A prisoner to a cult growing in power, Kenyon is resigned to his fate until he lays eyes on the mysterious fae princess, Nona. She's a vision of beauty and innocence, and he can't help coveting her for his own.

As Kenyon and Nona discover a forbidden love, it becomes clear that something hidden is churning within her. Will the toll paid for their romance suck them both into the darkness forever?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cactus Rose Press
• Release date: Jan 21, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393753629

Olivia Hardin

When Olivia Hardin began having strange movie-like dreams in her teens, she had no choice but to begin putting them to paper. Before long the writing bug had her and she knew she wanted to be a published author. Several rejections plus a little bit of life later, and she was temporarily “cured” of the urge to write. That is until she met a group of talented and fabulous writers who gave her the direction and encouragement she needed to get lost in the words again. Olivia’s attended three different universities over the years and toyed with majors in Computer Technology, English, History and Geology. Then one day she heard the term road scholar and she knew that was what she wanted to be. Now she “studies” anything and everything just for the joy of learning.  She's also an insatiable crafter who only completes about 1 out of 5 projects, a jogger who hates to run, and she’s sometimes accused of being artistic. A native Texas girl, Olivia lives in the beautiful Lone Star state with her husband, Danny and their puppy, Bonnie.

Book preview

PROLOGUE

He was staring at her again.  He gave her an icky feeling, like when she ate too many candies and had a tummy ache.  She swallowed and hoped she wouldn’t retch.  Mrs. Bittner hated it when she retched.  His eyes did funny things, whirling with colors just like the kaleidoscope her brother got from the carnival.  Were there mirrors in there, too, just like Belle had told her were in that little paper tube?

You’re a strange one, he told her, cocking his head to the side and narrowing those color-changing eyes. You aren’t feeling it, are you?  You aren’t succumbing to the reverie.

She didn’t know what that word, reverie, meant.  She didn’t know what he wanted her to feel.

Don’t like you, she told him. Hurt my tummy.

He laughed, a bad laugh, like the villain in the scary movies Lena liked to watch. Nona tried to pull her hand away, but he held it tight.  She whimpered, frightened now, but he spun her around and wrapped his arm around her, pinning hers at her sides.

You’re afraid, aren’t you, little one? he whispered close to her ear. The truth is, I don’t like using the reverie anyway.  I’d heard, though, that you couldn’t be hypnotized, and so I just had to find out.  It makes this all the more exciting, doesn’t it? He licked her neck, and she struggled, but he was a big man.  He was a big, strong man, and she couldn’t get free.

Yes, so much more exciting for us both.

The pain was terrible.  She’d never known anything so horrible.  It burned.  It tore.  It was so awful that it stole her breath.  She stiffened, tears pouring down her cheeks and a gasping sob finally working its way up her throat.  She wanted to scream but couldn’t.  Terror captured her, holding her in its grasp just as certainly as the man named Lodar held her.

Her childlike mind thought he must have gnawed and chewed for hours and hours, but finally his tongue licked her, and she felt the skin of her neck tighten.  The pain didn’t go away though, the throbbing, darting agony ebbed through her entire body and she trembled so hard that her teeth chattered.

As if she were a precious baby, Lodar lay her onto her bed, then tucked the covers up over her.  Her tears continued to flow as she sniffed and whimpered and shook. 

NONA WAS AFRAID.  JEREMY, her brother, came to get her for breakfast the next morning, but she didn’t want to go.  Still, she put her thumb in her mouth and let him take her hand, walking her down the big steps at the Bittner mansion. 

Belle greeted them with a big smile as soon as they entered the kitchen. Good morning, sleepy head.  I didn’t think you were ever going to wake up, so I sent Jeremy to get you. She approached and gently brushed her fingers through Nona’s tangled dark mane.  When the little girl flinched at the simple touch, Belle’s eyes narrowed in concern. Are you feeling all right, Nona?

She swallowed, luminous eyes peering up at the woman.  Belle was so pretty, like a fairy princess with big, warm eyes.  Tears welled up in Nona’s, and she dropped her chin against her chest.

What is it, darling?  If you’re feeling badly, we won’t have to go to the fair with Lodar today.

All she could do was nod, terror at the idea of seeing the bad man again making her shake.  But then he was there, the door from the back porch rushing open to announce his arrival.  Nona turned on her heels and ran away, climbing the stairs as quickly as she could, and hiding under the bed.

DAYS AND DAYS PASSED, and Nona hoped, prayed that Lodar would never come to see them again.  In the meantime, Belle doted on her, serving her hot soup in bed and giving her yummy sugar cookies when she ate all of her dinner.  Belle played doll with her to keep her company. 

But just as she knew he would, Lodar came back.  She was in her room, putting her stuffing doggies in order on her shelf, when she heard the door open slowly.  He smiled at her, revealing a brand-new stuffed puppy dog, this one with pretty pink spots on its purple body. 

He held it out to her, but she refused to take it, instead putting her hands behind her and backing into the corner of the room.

Ma chere, Belle said you haven’t been feeling well.  I’m so sorry if our little private time the other night was difficult for you.  It was so wonderful, I think I may have gotten carried away.  Will you forgive me?

She began to shake again, her teeth chattering in paralyzing terror.  Darting to his left, she tried to get away from him, but his arm reached out to snatch her to him.  A scream started to make its way from her mouth, but he clamped a hand over her lips to smother it. 

Within seconds, his teeth were rending the skin of her neck again.  The pain, that awful, horrible pain was back, and all she could do was sniff against his hands and hope it would end.

Lodar? Belle’s voice cut through the agony.  Oh my god, Lodar, stop.  What are you doing?

Nona blinked past the tears and saw Belle rush forward, arms outstretched.  Lodar’s teeth retracted, and he gave her wounded skin two swipes of his tongue, then released her.  She was still shaking, and she clutched at Belle, burying her face against her neck and whimpering.

I’m so sorry, my darling. The words were whispered into her hair. I promise I’ll never let this happen again.

CHAPTER 1

Blackness enveloped her. Like a thick, inky mass, it swallowed her up and refused to let any of the light break through.  She opened her eyes wide, turning left and then right, up and then down.  Nothing.  Just never-ending dark.

Panic rose up in the form of bile from the pit of her belly, and she swallowed, reaching with her hands for whatever might be in front of her. 

Nothing.

Then the black began to slither down her throat, choking off her air.  The solidity of the ground beneath her disappeared, and she fell into the molasses of black, slowly choking to death on it. 

If she could just find it, reach it, she knew she could save herself.  But where was it?  Where was the key to unlock it?  It was her salvation.  It was her damnation. 

Where are you? Her voice gurgled through the black as she sucked and sucked to get another breath.  But it was no use.  She would drown in it.  The black was never-ending and wouldn’t let her go.  It wouldn’t release her.  It would kill her.

NONA! NONA, WAKE UP! Lena’s hand was on her shoulder, shaking her awake.  She opened one eye, then the other and frowned.

I’m awake. She forced a smile and tossed her blankets away. Is it already morning?

You were dreaming again, weren’t you? her older sister said, eyes narrowed and hands on her hips. I couldn’t tell if it was a bad one or a good one.

Nona laughed. You know I never have bad dreams. She smacked her sister with the back of her hand.  She meant the words, but as soon as they’d left her mouth, she felt a tremor work its way down her spine.  Had it been a good dream?  Or a bad dream?

She really didn’t know.  A hollowness settled into her chest, and she turned her back to Lena and swallowed a few times as she made up her bed. 

Are you sure you want to do this? Lena asked, and she could hear the bells on the wind chime hanging from the windowsill ring.  The window was closed so she knew her sister was toying with it absently while she waited.

I’m sure, sister.  Trust me, she assured, plumping her pillow once before tossing it on top of the bed and turning around. Do we have any of that berry bread left?

Lena pivoted to offer her a half smile. Yes, we do.  Want some before or after you get dressed?

Nona considered that, raising her eyes to the ceiling as if the answer might be there. After.  I need you to help me figure out what to pack and to wear.

Her big sister snorted and shook her head. What would I know about it?  I’ve barely spent any time outside the faery realm.  All I know are fae customs.  You’re the one with the obsession with the human realm.

Nona wouldn’t call it an obsession.  But she did like it on the human side of the golden door.  It was strange, considering she had been so young when they’d come to live with the fae.  Lena and Jet might have been old enough to long for their previous home, and their brother did seem to spend more time there than not.  Then again, he was dhampir, and there were few vampires that needed hunting in the fae world.

But Nona had always felt as though she was of both worlds, without preference for one over the other.  When she crossed over to the human realm, the vibration in her mind changed, shifted to a different tone.  But it was just as familiar as the one she felt when she was on fae ground.  Somehow, her magic was equally charged in both places.

Her sister said something else, something she didn’t catch, then turned on her heel and left the room.  Nona stared at the empty doorway and considered her magic.  As a teenager, she’d studied with Kristana, the souler at Charlie’s Place. Like a dutiful student, she’d taken in all that her teacher had shared.  And even though she’d experienced the same visions of souls as Kris did, there was something different about the manifestations of her sight.  It was different, but it also didn’t feel whole.  She always had the sense something was missing in her power. 

She didn’t know why, but she’d never said a word.  Embarrassment?  Maybe so.  Fear?  She didn’t get afraid.  Cautious, yes, but never truly afraid.  Whatever it was that was different about her, she felt she could learn it in the human realm.  And that was why she made so many trips there.  And that was why she was going with her friend Genia, a faery, on a weekend trip to Illinois. 

Something was waiting for her.  And because she didn’t get afraid, curiosity was the only thing that drove her.  She thought of her father’s words when she’d been little.

Curiosity killed the cat.

You coming? Lena called from the kitchen of their little cabin.   Shaking her head to push away her wandering thoughts, Nona reached back and tied her dark brown hair at the nape of her neck, then hurried to follow the sound of her sister’s voice.

When she’d turned seventeen, her mother had allowed the two of them to move into their own cabin, just across the glade from the home where they’d grown up.  It was a big step for Queen Belle, their mother.  It was a small one in Nona’s eyes.  She’d been dreaming of moving from the Summer, possibly even getting an apartment of her own in the human realm. 

Still, it was a start, and Nona was nothing if not positive.  She would be nineteen in a few months, and if all went well, she’d have a job on the other side of the golden door and would be well on her way to discovering herself. 

Herself and her powers. 

As she watched her sister cut several thick slices of berry bread, slathering them with sweet, cream butter, she wondered if her sister would miss her when she moved out.  She comforted herself with the knowledge that Lena was rarely home these days.  She was their mother’s right-hand woman, her heir apparent to rule the fae.  Or so everyone said. 

She also knew Lena had her eye on Malcom, a burly blond-haired faery from the autumn sector.  It wouldn’t surprise Nona to find them engaged to be married in the coming months.  Her sister had few aspirations for adventure, her desire to settle down and start a family a topic of sisterly chatter some evenings.

Nona hadn’t developed that desire yet,