All Good Magic Comes to an End: Paranormal Women's Fiction (Supernatural Midlife Mystique) (Shrouded Nation Book 2)

ALL GOOD MAGIC COMES TO AN END SUPERNATURAL MIDLIFE MYSTIQUE SHROUDED NATION BOOK TWO BRENDA TRIM TIA DIDMON CONTENTS 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 Excerpt from Sweet Magical Destruction, Book 3 in the Shrouded Nation Series About the Author Also by Brenda Trim Also By Tia Didmon CHAPTER 1 “I finally have a foothold in this world. I can’t lose it now because of an inconsequential witch. I’m relying on you to help me usher in my new world order.” Heads nodded as the acolytes listened to the creature that commanded them. “I’ve given you a piece of me. I will take it away if you fail me again.” Nishi grabbed my hand. “That’s Rerek, the God of Chaos.” Despite her whispered words and my spell, the god heard it and looked over at us. My heart leapt into my throat and battled for position with the bile burning a hole in my esophagus. We couldn’t be in a worse situation. How the hell did Nishi and I end up standing in a cave facing a bunch of nutcases and a God of Chaos? We’d been attacked when we left Club Bliss and followed the demons and vampire-shifter hybrids into the mountains, hoping to find answers when they fled during the altercation. That was after I’d ended up having sex with Hunter in Carnell’s club. What a freaking day I was having. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to come across a crazy god trying to gain a foothold on Earth. That was something I would read in one of the fantasy novels I read from time to time. Yes, it was odd for a witch to read a mundane’s version of the supernatural. It was most often for comical relief. However, sometimes it was so I could dream of a hot guy loving me more than life itself. Looking back, I can see that I’d been unhappy for a long time with Caton. Shaking my head, I turned to Nishi. “We need to get the hell out of here.” “I don’t think so,” the god called out from the other side of the cave. He was speaking through the crackle of a portal. He was standing on the other side of an oval the size of an apartment building. The light shining from it was dark blue threaded through with lighter blue. It was the sight of the god that made fear slither up my spine like a serpent. Of course, that could just be my mind playing tricks on me based on what I was looking at. Rerek had snake-like features and withered skin. His gray hair was long and straggly, and his eyes were black and malevolent. The slits he had for a nose flared, making me wonder if he could smell through the portal that he was behind. Sweat started rolling down my back as dozens of pairs of eyes focused on us. My fight-or-flight instinct had kicked in and was screaming for me to get the hell out of there. I grabbed Nishi’s hand and spun around. I didn’t get to drag her two steps before we bounced off of a barrier. What the hell? I stumbled into Nishi, who had remained facing our enemy. She had her kris out and was crouched. I ended up on my ass, looking up at my friend. I should have known she would be ready to fight. She was raised by a father that taught her the samurai code and was a huntress for the goddess Artemis. She didn’t flee a conflict like me. In my defense, I wasn’t raised being taught how to fight and Nishi hadn’t had time to train me, yet. Although, I was getting better at dealing with bullshit day by day. And finding the confidence Caton had been tearing away from me for twenty years. A hand in my hair snapped me out of my mind and into acting. I might not be a born fighter, but I was no longer a doormat. I flung a spell at the acolyte, trying to drag me away from my friend. We couldn’t let them separate us. We were stronger together. I focused my intent on remaining close to Nishi and cast a spell, making it impossible for us to be more than ten feet away from one another. I reached into my bag and took out a vial of one of the potions I had. I didn’t have much. The hellfire had stopped them in the street. But using it in the cave would be dangerous for Nishi and me. I had some healing potions along with some defensive ones. I didn’t pause to look at what I had. Maybe I could help some of these disfigured people. I couldn’t make out precisely what they were. They looked like a bastardized mash-up of vampires and shifters. The vial left my hand and broke against the floor at my would-be captor’s feet. A flash of light and acrid smoke told me that I’d broken a vial I kept with me in the event I would be able to give Caton a severe case of diarrhea. It was petty and not a fully fleshed-out plan. Much like how we followed the demons into this trap. And my visit to Club Bliss that led to sex with Hunter. That seemed to be a trend with me. The minion started gagging, and I turned away as it began throwing up. Perhaps my poor planning would pay off. I chanced using the hellfire and tossed a ball into the middle of the acolytes. The god stopped swaying and his red robes seemed to freeze in place before he waved a hand that sent the flames right back at me. They struck my side and singed the hair along my