Magic, New Mexico Boxset books 1-3

Chapter 6-1

Chapter Six

Frost rolled onto his back and blinked several times up at the sterile white ceiling as he tried to clear the fog in his brain. Lifting his right hand up, he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his fingers. A sound to his right had him stiffening. He warily turned his head. The rounded figure of a woman with vivid purple hair and matching eyes stared back at him with a huge grin. He was so focused on the bizarre image it took a moment for the metal bars to sink in.

Rolling, he sat up on the edge of the bed. A low moan escaped him as his pounding head protested the move. He felt like he had drunk one tanker too many of potent Trayvan liquor. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees until the spinning stopped.

“You must have really made Lacey mad for her to spell you for so long,” the woman stated as she came up to peer at him through the bars. “You’re a good looker, too.”

Frost slowly raised his head and stared back at the woman. He would have shaken his head if he hadn’t been afraid he would pass out again. He opened his mouth several times before he was finally able to push out the words caught in his throat.

“Where am I and how can I understand you?” Frost asked in a rough, husky voice. “And who are you?”

“You’re in Magic, New Mexico,” Topper replied with a mischievous grin. “Well, technically you are in jail in Magic, New Mexico. You can understand me because I used a translation spell on you. That is why your head might hurt a little bit. It is the most incredible spell, but the side effect is a pounding headache as your brain works to decipher everything. It’ll pass in a few hours. You might feel like you need to…”

The words died on Topper’s lips as the man sitting on the bed suddenly paled. With a snap of her fingers, a metal pail appeared just in time to catch the contents of his stomach. She grimaced after he was finally reduced to dry-heaves. With another snap, the pail disappeared.

“Who are you?” the male demanded in a hoarse voice.

“Mm,” Topper hummed, rubbing her purple hair. “Oh, I’m Topper, Lacey’s aunt. Lacey is the one you are here for. At least, I hope you are. Sean seems pretty confident that the spell is what brought you here.”

Frost rose from the bed on shaky, but determined, legs. He stumbled forward and gripped the bars as the older woman named Topper stepped back as she realized that he towered menacingly over her. He wrapped his fingers around the bars until they were as white as his face was a few moments before.

“Where is the other female?” Frost demanded in a raw, dry voice. “She shrunk Taar and turned me into something furry. What else can she do?”

“Oh, you are a big one too!” Topper exclaimed as she eyed him with delight. “Most women like tall men. Though, Sean wasn’t very tall and Lacey loved him. I don’t think Lacey will mind, though. She sees the beauty inside of a person.”

Frost shook his head, ignoring the pounding in his temples. Nothing the woman was saying made any sense even if he could understand the words coming out of her mouth. He growled in frustration. Where was the other female? More importantly, where was Taar?

“Answer me!” he demanded. “And who is this Sean you keep talking about?”

“I… oh, dear,” Topper muttered crossly as she turned her head when a set of headlights lit up the semi-dark room. “Theo is back. I’ve got to go. Ta-ta for now.”

Frost reached through the bars to grab the front of the woman’s brightly colored tunic, but she faded before his eyes and he was left grabbing at empty air. With a loud curse, he banged his fist against the metal bars as the door leading into the room opened. His lips pulled back in another curse as he found himself staring in shock at another large male… one that not only carried a badge on his chest, but the telltale mark of a Glacian in his icy blue eyes.