Ruby Morgan Box Set: Books 1-5 Read online

  Ruby Morgan

  Book 1-5

  L.J. Rivers

  Copyright © 2021 by L.J. Rivers and Inspirert Publishing

  All rights reserved.

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to locales, places, actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Any such violation constitutes copyright infringement.

  for you, the reader

  Contents

  Book 1: Essence of Magic

  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

  Book 2: Sentries of Camelot

  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

  Book 3: Virtues of Purity

  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

  Book 4: Tears of Pestilence

  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

  Book 5: Knights of Avalon

  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

  Sneak Peek: Blood of Morgana

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  The RubyVerse

  Ruby Morgan

  Book 1-5

  L.J. Rivers

  Book 1: Essence of Magic

  Chapter One

  A Harvester was the number one enemy of any Magical, including me. Spearheading the MagX industry, they hunted us like prey. I had yet to come across one myself, but they were very much a constant shadow in my life. One that kept me from practicing my magic the way I wanted to. Since I couldn’t do much about the harvesters—yet—I had chosen to attack the illegal drug industry from a different angle, exposing MagX dealers. My current target, Craig Hackley, might be low on the proverbial food chain, but my research had revealed he was no saint. And with any luck, he might lead me to bigger fish.

  Mum would have killed me—verbally, at least—if she knew I was tracking this story. I could hear her voice echoing in my head. She’d go full “Ruby Guinevere Morgan!” on me, as if I were a disobedient child. To be fair, I was being disobedient, as she had been adamant all my life about the need to keep my magic hidden from the world. Had she seen me now, she’d no doubt “ground me for life”. Not that she could shield me from the world forever, of course, no matter how strong her force fields were. Though I could appreciate her tight leash on me coming from a place of love and concern, we both knew it was time for me to test my wings, even if they were only imaginary. Either way, as long as I didn’t involve myself in anything having to do with the MagX industry, Mum might be OK with me moving out.

  Yet, here I was, involving myself.

  Well, at least I wasn’t flaunting my Fae powers to anyone, which was what she feared the most. Granted, she had a point, especially with Harvesters lurking around, although I hadn’t heard of any Mags being caught in sleepy Chester. While I understood her concern, and acknowledged that we were targets, I couldn’t let this go.

  My fingers slid down the camera strap as I narrowed my gaze against the dim light of the early August evening.

  I looked Craig Hackley up when he had started dealing in Chester a couple of weeks back. He was from Liverpool but had relocated down here during summer. There was no way I’d let him slip past me without attempting to get some intel from him. I wasn’t stupid enough to believe that all the dealers from the same place knew each other, or that Craig would know anything of use to me. If there was any chance at all, however, that his business was connected to something about Dad, then I had to find out.

  So far, I’d not had much luck. I had been tailing Craig for the past week and was yet to come up with how to approach him. I didn’t want him running scared or whatever else a MagX dealer would do to me on account of sticking my nose where it didn’t belong. I was good at that, sticking my nose into things. Mum always told me how curiosity killed the cat, and I’d rather avoid that outcome if I could. Not having an actual plan, I’d kept my distance and tried to gather the information from afar.

  There was a pattern to Craig’s movements, which made following him easier. He was careful, sure, though not so careful that someone who went looking for him didn’t take notice. It made me think he was fairly new at this, which again made him a terrible lead for finding out about Dad.

  Inhaling the warm air, I turned my ruby ring around my finger, and pictured Dad’s gentle smile. Seven years had passed since that horrible night in 2012, and it was still a picture-perfect memory. The ring made me feel closer to him, but his absence was a hole in my heart that I would never be able to mend. If only I could find out the truth, then maybe I could patch myself up enough to live without him. Which was why, these days, I played the part of an aspiring journalist at the local newspaper—out for justice. Only I wasn’t sure if I was after justice for the people or mostly for myself. I hoped I would be able to do a little of both.
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  A few strands of red blew over my face in the summer breeze, and I gathered my thick hair at the back of my head, fastening it with a rubber band. The sky was dark with clouds, hiding the sun that was still up somewhere behind them.

  Someone moved in the alley by the corner of The Shade, and my lips quirked up. I had counted on Craig to come here. Crouching behind a hedge across the road from the bar, I brought the camera up. I zoomed in, and the shape of him became clearer as he moved closer to the UV lights of the bar sign. The bass from the music reverberated up my legs as the door swung open and a pair of girls stumbled outside, arm in arm, steadying one another. I squinted, recognising them. Susan had been in my year at school. She was curvy, of medium height, and with a pair of legs that made her look taller than she was. Haley, on the other hand, was a year younger, stocky, with a cute button nose and a bright smile. Neither of them were close friends of mine—not that I had any of those—but I knew them well enough.

  The dealer turned to the girls, his hoodie shading his face, and beckoned with two fingers for them to follow. The girls moved sideways and trailed after him into the alley, disappearing from my line of sight.

  “Shoot,” I muttered. I needed to catch him in the act, and I had to get a shot of him getting paid while handing over the drugs. I might be out for my own truth, but I also had a story to write. The words of my editor, Logan, whispered at the back of my mind: Don’t ever let a good story die. As much as I wanted to find out about Dad, I wanted to prove myself and break this story for the Blacon newspaper, a job I was yet to get paid for.

  I had written a lot of articles for the Blacon during my internship year, though none as close to my heart as this one. Dealing MagX had become a common thing in the bigger cities, and I wasn’t sure Logan would approve of this as breaking news, but I figured I could spin it. And common or not, it was an illegal business, one which had to stop.

  Things had got increasingly worse in the years since Dad died. The number of deaths by magical blood was at an all-time high, while the number of users grew accordingly. It was spreading like a vicious rumour. And now, it had come to Chester.

  I dashed across the street and peered around the corner into the alley. There were four iron sconces mounted on the brick walls. One was broken, the next two shed a dim light, and the last one was flickering, ready to give out. It was enough light to get a decent shot, however, so I raised my camera again. My finger rested on the shutter button as I zoomed back in on Craig and the two girls. I snapped pictures without pause, making sure I didn’t miss anything.

  The girls were giggling, and Susan brought out a pile of cash from her oversized bag. Craig accepted it and handed her something in return. It was hard to tell what, though it was an easy guess. I tried zooming in on what I assumed to be blood panels, hoping it would show up clear enough in at least a picture or two. If Logan wasn’t such a cheapskate, he would have agreed to spend a few extra quid on a new camera, or at least on a better lens. It was fine for beginners, but far from the best fit for this kind of work.

  Craig tilted his head at the girls and pulled his hood further down, then turned to walk off. I spun backward, flung the camera strap over my head and tucked the camera into my backpack. With quick steps, I joined the line outside the bar.

  Crap! Why was I still hiding? I wanted to question him. But how? My magical powers were purely defensive, nothing that would intimidate Craig. And if I did manage to hold him long enough to ask him anything, then what? I wasn’t going to torture the guy, and at some point, I would have to let him go. By that time, he would know what I was.

  Stupid, Ru!

  My pulse quickened as Craig passed the line to The Shade and crossed the street. He wasn’t looking my way, though, as he was busy shielding his face and getting out of there.

  Once I could no longer see him, I slipped out of the line again and returned to the alley. I walked straight down the cobbled alleyway to find the girls leaning against the brick wall at the end. They were laughing as Susan slid the pieces of a panel apart, her tongue hanging out.

  “Hey,” I called, catching their attention. “You shouldn’t do that.”

  “Well, if it isn’t Miss Goody Two-shoes Morgan,” Haley snapped. “Who are you to judge?”

  “It’s dangerous,” I said, stepping closer. “Not to mention illegal.”

  Susan waved one hand at me. “Go away, Ruby. We’re just having some fun.”

  I crossed my arms. “It could kill you!”

  “So could a car. Try living a little. In fact,” Susan tilted her head at me, “why don’t you try one? I got several interesting samples. How about you try yourself some blood for invisibility?”

  “There’s no such thing,” I mumbled.

  Haley snickered. “She’s not having my magical power, that’s for sure.”

  I wanted to scream at them but took a deep breath instead and fought to compose myself. “My dad died from MagX, so no, I don’t want it, and I don’t want you to lick that blood either. It’s not worth the risk.”

  The girls stared at me like I was from some different planet, then Susan lifted the panel and gave it a slow lick. She wiped her mouth and shrugged. “What happened to your dad sucks, but he OD’d. We’re just having a small taste, is all.”

  “Yeah, just a taste,” Haley agreed, and licked a panel as well.

  I trembled, unable to speak. Before I had time to consider my actions, I rushed closer and grabbed Susan’s bag, tossing out the contents. Six panels lay among the makeup, Susan’s phone, and a pack of chewing gum. I stepped on the panels as hard as I could, a wave of satisfaction washing over me as they crunched and broke beneath my feet.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Susan straightened, her body tense. “I paid a lot of money for those.” Her neck craned backward as she unleashed an earsplitting cry. The ground shook, and a number of bricks tumbled from the walls, crashing down. I leapt forward to avoid getting hit and pinned Susan to the ground. She laughed bitterly, flexing her fingers to make the cobbles crack and shift around us. Panting, I rolled off her and looked for Haley. She was holding her arms above her head, a large metal beam in her hands, the kind they make to support the weight of roofs. Too large for any human to lift as she did. Fur sprouted along her suddenly muscular arms, and she exposed her sharpened teeth in a feral growl. Part of her was still human, though, making her look like a science experiment gone wrong. I glanced upwards. Two similar beams supported the housings, and where the third should have been, there were two deep wounds in the brick wall on either side.

  The blood was from a bear Shifter!

  This was getting out of hand. I had to do something, but what? My powers couldn’t stop this. My only hope was that the girls had got short-lived MagX so that it would end on its own, though the norm was for the effects to last at least a few hours.

  Susan found her feet again, the ground elevating to lift her up. “You’re missing out, Morgan! This is extraordinary!”

  Haley bent the beam into a u-shape. “I’ve never felt this powerful in my life, Suze. Time to go kick my stupid brother’s arse!”

  They laughed again, this time more shrilly than before.

  My feet wouldn’t carry me anymore as the ground kept shaking, and my knees hit the cobbles. A heap of bricks rained down into the alley, and with no place left to run, I crossed my arms protectively over my head. A sensation of warmth flared up in my veins, and the surge of power blasted through my skin. I watched as the bricks crashed into the force field, while I strained to keep it in place. If the girls hadn’t been so preoccupied with testing bought and stolen powers, they would have realised I had magic of my own. The kind one was born with. But the girls weren’t paying attention to me anymore.

  The final brick dropped, and as it hit the ground, I retracted my magic, keeping it alive and close under my skin in case I needed it again.

  Susan’s laugh distorted into a cough. She gasped, her chest heaving for air. What was happening?

/>   “H-Haley—?” Susan croaked.

  Haley, who was busy tossing bricks against the walls, looked back at her friend as Susan tumbled down the slope she had created. The ground stilled, but Susan’s body shook, writhing as if trying to fight off an infestation of something that didn’t belong. Her mouth frothed and her eyes rolled back.