ENCHANTED WORLD SERIES BOOK 1: POSSESSED BY LORD MAGE

Black smoke was everywhere and there was no sign of Noelle.

Tyran had never felt so shaken before. His Noelle was alright, Goddamit! His hand shook ferociously as he weaved a spell on the glass wall. The glass bowed inside then shattered into pieces. The black smoke plumed out in great clouds. Tyran’s eyes watered but he refused to back down. Not until he had Noelle in his arms and out harm’s way.

“Noelle!” he called as he levitated inside but a force stopped him. “Damn it, Noelle!”

There was a countering spell blocking him out. She tried to escape and instead she weaved a blocking spell.

“Damn you, Noelle! Answer me!” Tyran growled as his eyes took a moon-like shine. White hot veins of energy pulsed around his body as his panic rose to an alarming point. The entire building was facing total meltdown if he didn’t control himself.

“Tyran?” a weak croak escaped from the thick smoke.

Tyran was overwhelmed with relief that he almost forgot he was hundred and fifty floors up. “Where are you, princess? Follow my voice. Come to me.” When Noelle coughed and whizzed, Tyran felt his heart squeeze hard in his chest. She was hurting and helpless. “Princess, pixie, tell me what spell you used to counter mine.”

“I can’t remember.” She croaked again and shifted to her side.

Tyran saw movement and concentrated. “Noelle I need you to remember the exact words you used to counter the spell. Do this for me and I give you my word that I’ll never bind you again. Noelle, baby, try and remember it for me.”

Noelle cited out the words weakly. She had inhaled too much smoke and was losing consciousness fast. Tyran reversed her spell as quickly as he could and didn’t even wait for the wall to shimmer away entirely. He pushed through what felt like an icy glass wall rattling his insides. With blurry speed, he scooped Noelle in his arms and rushed up to the private helicopter pad of his penthouse. She looked pale and was smudged with soot on her face and body.

Tyran ran his hand over her chest and felt the black smoke thick in her lungs. He pressed his hand over her delicate rib-cage and chanted a spell to remove it from her lungs. Energy flowed straight from his soul into her lungs and expelled out every pint of the poisonous gas.

Noelle’s eyes widened as she began to choke out the smoke until the last of it left her system. She took a deep breath and turned her hazel stare up at him. Tyran felt his heart turn over. She looked so small and fragile he wanted to lock her up somewhere where nothing could harm her.

“You stupid girl!” Tyran’s eyes darkened until they were almost black. He growled at her, satisfied when he saw the fear in her eyes. She had him so scared that he wanted to roar like a lion. “I should give you a good spanking right now.” He tightened his arms around her, his fingers biting into her soft skin yet he cradled her the way a mother would her baby.

“I didn’t know the bathtub was made of fiber glass and not ceramic.” She cleared her throat and blinked away the tears that swam in her eyes.

“Why would you set my penthouse on fire in the first place?” he snapped.

“I knew your housekeeper had to be Mage and that if something happened she was able to bring down your wall and set me free.”

His little princess was intelligent. He was almost proud of her quick thinking but she endangered herself and the entire building. Did she hate him so much as to chance the entire building to escape him?

“So you torched my bathroom.” He gritted his teeth.

“I torched your Armani suites. Your housekeeper came up but she couldn’t enter and I couldn’t leave so she went to look for help.” She explained then frowned. “Wait a minute, why am I explaining anything to you. This is all your fault! If you hadn’t bound me in there, this wouldn’t have happened!”

“You spoiled little Fae!” Tyran bit out. “You torch my penthouse and put the entire building in danger and it’s my fault? I leave you for but a few hours and what do you do, burn down my quarters! What is the matter with you? Will you ever step down from your high pedestal and see that the world doesn’t actually revolve around you? Just stop fighting me and what is destined and accept your fate. This is the Heavens’ will.”

Tyran saw the fire sparkle in the depth of Noelle’s eyes as twin red shades coloured her cheeks in anger. “I swear to you, Tyran, I will fight you with every single breath that I take. I will fight from dawn to dusk and then some! I will fight you until I drive you crazy! I’m not spoiled or selfish but what I am right now is pissed off as hell!” She punched him on his chest.

Tyran could only stare at her. There was so much anger burning in her eyes, he didn’t know what to say. He let his hands slip away from her. He saw the resolve and there was no way of getting her to trust and accept him. “So, that’s it then.”

“What else is there?” She sat up, her expression hard and accusing.

“Fine.” Tyran could barely keep his own anger under tight reins. He stood up and stalked off towards his commanders who stood by the door watching.

“Wait! You can’t leave me up here!” She scrambled to her hands and knees. “I’m scared of heights, damn you!”

Tyran barked out a bitter laugh. “Then crawl!” he yanked the door, almost unhinging it and pounded inside.

Noelle swallowed hard and stared at the three massive males that were caught between helping her back to the apartment and following their king. She remembered them from the Courts but she didn’t know their names. She bit back a cry as the bitter evening wind whipped against her skin as one cursed out blatantly before he stalked towards her.

His face was hard and grim but his violet eyes were almost friendly. Without a word, he scooped her into his thick arms and walked towards the other two commanders. Noelle fought down tears of humiliation as she was taken back down to the penthouse. The male placed her on one of the sofas and went to what looked like an office where Tyran was on the phone.

The door slammed behind him and the growling and grumbling that followed raised the little hairs at the back of her neck. Something shuttered, someone cursed and Noelle flinched but it seemed she was the only one concerned with what was happening behind the closed door. When she darted her eyes towards the other two males, they didn’t seem disturbed by the angry growls and the abusive language .

“So, you are the Fae princess.” The blonde haired male with the sexy grin asked as he leaned against the wall and crossed his hands on his chest. “Nice.”

The other male elbowed his friend and hopped over the sofa before sitting in front of her. “Ignore him. He hasn’t been laid in a long time.”

The blonde commander smirked. “Like you know which hole to place it.” He wiggled his eyebrows at Noelle making him appear boyish. “Little Harry Potter over here is a virgin.”

Noelle pursed her lips to stop a smile that was itching to come out.

“Not according to your mother. She said I was the best she’d ever had.”

The blonde male threw his head back and laughed. “As if.”

“I’m Zach.” The dark haired male smiled at her warmly. “And that right there—” he pointed to the blonde haired male. “—is a dog named Ruvin. Smell the musky scent? It’s all him.”

Noelle couldn’t help but chuckle. “Nice to meet you both. I’m—”

“Noelle.” They both answered.

“We know who you are, alright.” Ruvin pushed off the wall, his booted foot landing on the marbled floor with a dull thump. “We were present last century at your Union announcement.”

Noelle felt heat tickle her cheeks. No one was ever going to forget that night. She wanted to put it aside and move on but it always came up and bit her on her ass. Noelle still remembered the grim mask Tyran had. His eyes warned her not to tread on that path but she ignored even her own instincts that screamed for her to shut up and called him all sorts of vile things, words she didn’t want to remember because they brought a bitter taste in her mouth.

Tyran was no male to let things like that go. She knew he had something planned for her and no matter how much she told herself she deserved it, she feared his wrath. She already had pushed him too far and now he was pissed but she didn’t understand why he would still hold on when he knew he would be better off without her. He shouldn’t have revealed himself to her, then the mate-bond wouldn’t have cemented itself between them and he would have been free to do whatever he wanted with his life.

“Oh, yeah.” She mumbled under her breath. She didn’t want to see the look on the two males faces. They must have thought her a spoiled royal pain in the ass for what she did to their king. But the thought of the way Tyran treated her from the moment of their introduction made her blood boil.

Firstly he looked like he was ready to slaughter the entire Court for even glancing at her and that thrilled her. Then he became grim and indifferent. He ignored her from there on until the night of their Union announcement. She didn’t know what she did to make him lose interest but she didn’t want to stick around with someone who took her as another trophy to put in his fortress.

It hurt her deeply that the male that was supposed to be her mate after the union that following morning even had the audacity whisper intimately to one of his female Court members in front of her and follow her out of the hall a few minutes after she left. That was the last straw. She was never a violent person but the moment she saw them together, a red haze blinded all logic. She wanted to pull the female’s eyes out and wear them around her neck. That change in her frightened her terribly that she had to flee and when she was about to escape, Tyran returned and stopped her. Noelle let him have it. She called him a heartless beast, arrogant and a savage and that she would rather die than get united to him before she fled into the night. Words way worse had come out of her mouth that night but she didn’t want to remember.

“That was something else.” Ruvin barked out a laugh as he settled next to his friend. “I had never seen Lord Mage so furious.”

“The Lord Mage was spitting venom for an entire week.” Zach grinned as he rolled his shoulders and eased back on the sofa. “You were the first person to ever challenge him and he wasn’t prepared.”

“It was good for him though. It kept his ego in check not to mention a run for his money.” Ruvin’s grin was a killer. The male couldn’t help looking sexy.

Zach was also very good looking but he was more reserved. He didn’t look like the flirting type.

“I wish I could take that night back.” Noelle whispered almost to herself before her eyebrows came down into a frown. “But I was mad! Tyran is the most maddening male I have ever come across.”

“That’s what makes him Lord Mage, I guess.” Ruvin stated as-a-matter-of-factly. “But underneath all that arrogance and brutality, he’s actually a nice guy.”

Noelle snorted inelegantly. “I didn’t catch any of that from him. I’m even shocked that he gets along with others considering you a shifter and all.”

Ruvin chuckled shaking his head. “I’m no shifter, princess.”

“Ruvin is a first class pureblood mutt.” Zach sighed as if feeling sorry for the guy.

Noelle’s eyebrows arched up in surprise. “You are a Lycan? I thought Lycans were wiped out the enchanted world?”

Ruvin shrugged his shoulders. “Well, there are a few remaining halfbloods but even lesser purebloods like me. I think you probably know that we are not a very social bunch.”

“How did you find yourself commanding Tyran’s army? I thought Lycans would rather cut their own throats than follow someone else?” Noelle knew a bit of every species of beings in the enchanted world. Lycans were proud like the Fae and were very possessive and territorial. They hardly associated with other species. She was very curious at how a pureblood managed to stay under the rule of a Mage.

A dark shadow entered the Lycan’s eyes as he shrugged his bold shoulders. “That’s a story for another time. As for now, I need to feed.” He got up and quickly escaped towards the open plan kitchen.

As he ravaged through Tyran’s fridge, Noelle turned to Zach in puzzlement. “Did I say something wrong?”

“Ruvin is a wretched mess when it comes to his past. The pup had it harsh growing up and he doesn’t share that part of his life with just anyone.” Zach raked his long lean fingers through his dark hair. “Did the Lord Mage ever tell you what to expect on the other side?”

Noelle paled down. She was going to face the consequences for her actions, that’s what! She didn’t even know how she was going to make it better for her people. She didn’t know if her father was ever going to forgive her for her reckless behavior. She cost a lot of good warriors their lives and their blood was practically on her hands. She really didn’t know what to expect other than being shunned by the people she had loved for centuries. “With the war going on, I don’t know what to expect. I just hope my father is alive and well.”

“We believe your sick uncle has the King hidden somewhere in the Realm of the Dark and we have the best warriors hunting him down. The Realm of Light is peaceful now but we have a feeling that Ron will try to take it back again with the help of either the Jinn or the Ghouls. Either way, we are ready for that sick bastard.”

Noelle’s mouth opened in surprise. “What? I thought I was the one to blame for what happened? You are telling me my uncle is behind this?”

Zach leaned forward and clasped his hands loosely between his knees with a frown. “I thought Lord Mage told you about it.”

Noelle blinked away bitter tears as her voice thickened. “Oh, he told me his version of the story.”

Zach cursed out colorfully as he turned to the office door. It was awfully quiet now. “I bet he did.”

“So, my uncle is behind all this fighting and hatred going on back home?” Noelle swallowed the painful lump on her throat. She had never liked her uncle. The male was forever giving her leery looks and she always caught him in the kitchens seducing the helpers. She was grateful when her father sent him to the Great Hall.

“It’s not my place to tell you—”

“Come on, Zach. Tyran lied to me about it, do you think he would tell me the truth now? Please, tell me what happened.” Anger simmered under her skin as she thought of the straight face Tyran had when he lied to her. Not only was he heartless but he was also a liar. She should have hated him for it but she couldn’t and felt sick to her stomach. The two of them together was like having an unstable nuclear bomb. It was dangerous.

Zach blew a long sigh and rubbed the back of his neck. “After the incident on your Union announcement, Ron used his power as the high lord of the Realm of Light and called a meeting with the most influential families of the Fae. Together they forged hostility against the Mage. Ron took his false information all the way to the Great Hall and laid it down to the High lords and ladies of the five Realms. Though Lady Lyrah tried her hardest to defend her Realm, trust was already broken. Without the Fae King’s knowledge, Ron was granted permission to breech the Realm of Spells borders to uncover whatever evil plans we supposedly had to overthrow the kings and queens of the other four Realms.” He chuckled bitterly.

“But uncle Ron didn’t just snoop round your realm, did he?” Noelle was almost afraid to ask what happened after Ron got the permission. The male was insane and she had once told her father about him but the king dismissed it telling her that Ron was never favored in his life so he needed the attention to make him feel worthy.

“No, Ron attacked the Realm of Spells. He slaughtered an entire village at the borders and sent their heads to the capital. Tyran had no choice but to retaliate. The Lord Mage took the war back to the Realm of Light. What we didn’t know was that your father was not part of it. The Light Fae King was wounded and Ron escaped with him to the Realm of the Dark. Though the Realm of Light is safe for now, no one believes the Mage protected it. The High Lords and Ladies believed the Lord Mage attacked first and the Fae king ran for his life.”

Bile threatened to fill Noelle’s mouth. She never knew her uncle was that far gone as to kill an entire village. And what of her father? Was he even alive? Dread settled in her stomach like a cold rock. Ron had to be stopped. “And my Aunt Alana?”

“The Lord Mage wants her back in the capital as the queen until we know what happened to your father.” Zach’s face was grim.

Noelle didn’t know what to say and she didn’t have to because the office door swung open and Tyran re-entered the living room. His presence had her heart stutter in her ribs. Heavens, he was the most sexily built male she had ever laid her eyes on. His silver eyes slashed towards her and Noelle could have sworn her heart stopped for a moment. His sinfully handsome face hard like marble and his sensual mouth set in a tight line but that did nothing for the hardening of her nipples and the heating of her skin. She was glad she wore a padded bra.

“Get ready, we are leaving in ten minutes.” He announced, the baritone timbre of his voice vibrating down her spine like a velvet caress, and walked off.

Noelle bit her lower lip. She was between being angry with him for lying to her and making her feel guilty for someone else’s greed and intense admiration for defending his Realm and hers like the king that he was. When it came to war, her father led the army but he was protected in battle but Tyran fought side by side with his warriors. If one didn’t know of his royal blood, they would have passed him as another battle forged warrior.

“Follow me, princess.” The male she had yet to know called to her.

“That’s Drake.” Zach assured her. “He’s second in command.”

“Thank you, Zach—for everything.” Noelle gave a small smile and followed Drake.

Zach gave her a curt nod as she walked off.