The Alpha Warlocks' Desire: An Alpha Warlocks of Kala West Story #2 (A BWWM and BBW Paranormal Erotic Ménage Romance)

by Auriella Skye

  Even if there weren’t any dungeons, the Kala West El-Board was made up of some of the most powerful witches and warlocks in North America, and when they punished people, they promised their victims it would remain with them for as long as they lived and then some.

  This was what happened when Claire thought too much and got caught up in her own head. The worst case scenario was always a possibility.

  Claire was ready to go to war to protect their sister, even if it meant going against El-Board. She had no doubt her sisters would do the same for her if she was in trouble.

  Brixtons stood together or not at all. She could still hear her mother’s mantra loud and clear, which annoyed Claire, but it was still true.

  Of course, Claire thought Charice’s attempt to cloak herself and hide from El-Board was a stupid idea. That didn’t mean she should be punished by them for it.

  Claire’s death wish of going up against the heads of magic was premature.

  She and Carmen used a tracking spell to find their sister, and she was far from being tortured. Unless you called having hot magic sex torture.

  How were they supposed to know Charice would be shacked up with her new warlocks? It was awkward to say the least. Naked awkward.

  But El-Board knew how to pick them. Charice’s warlocks weren’t lacking in the wealth or gorgeous department, and from the smile they saw on their sister’s face, the men made her happy. Charice was happier than when she started her magic shop, Ethereal Delusions, and she had been ecstatic when she opened it.

  Maybe Firewick wasn’t so bad after all.

  “Are you even listening to me?” Carmen asked her.

  Claire focused on her baby sis. “Sorry. What did you say?”

  “I’m going,” Carmen declared. “Invitation be damned.”

  “You can’t just crash Firewick, Car.”

  “Why not? Young witches and warlocks do it all the time. I just never did because I trusted the system. Respected it, even. El-Board would ask me when the time was right, and they found me a perfect pair of hot warlocks.” She crossed her arms with finality, and did that lip curl thing she did when her mind was working out some outrageous plan. “Fuck the process. I’m going to find my warlocks myself.”

  “It doesn’t work that way.”

  “Says who?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe generations of Perfect Triads made by the board?”

  Carmen snorted. “Obviously, this group is not so bright.”

  Claire didn’t even know why she tried. Once Carmen made her mind up about something, there was no changing it. She was stubborn that way, just like their mother.

  “Tonight is the last night of the festival, Claire. If I don’t go now, I have to wait for the next one.”

  “Wow. A whole six months of waiting.”

  “Can someone say eternity?”

  “Don’t be so dramatic.” Claire sighed. “Never mind. That’s like telling you not to breathe.”

  “Ha, ha.” Carmen flicked her fingers together.

  “Ouch!” Claire jumped out of her seat. A jolt ran down her arm. “Did you just magic pinch me?”

  Carmen smirked. “So what if I did?”

  Claire grinned and snapped her fingers right back.

  Carmen leapt onto the glass counter that held the gemstones and crystals and rubbed her backside.

  “That hurt!” Carmen rubbed her arm.

  “Serves you right, Car.”

  “Now I remember why we stopped doing that as kids.”

  Claire shook her finger. “Teenagers and magic pinching don’t mix,” she said, trying badly to imitate their mother.

  They both stared at each other and burst out laughing.

  “Mom does that tone so much better,” Carmen said between gasps for air.

  “Right?” Claire held her belly as she giggled. “At least we could feel the wrath of the goddess when she said it.”

  When Carmen caught her breath, she said, “I’m serious about Firewick, Claire.”

  Claire looked at her and nodded her head. “I know.”

  Carmen always wanted a formal invitation to the Firewick Festival. The urge nestled in her blood and made her who she was. Fire was her element. It only made sense she’d long for something that thrived off her magic’s ability.

  Claire couldn’t fault her younger sister for that, and she even respected her for it. When the girl had a goal, she didn’t stop until she achieved it. She was as far removed from weak as magically possible.

  Claire wished she had the same confidence in herself.

  “Just promise me something,” Claire said.

  Carmen squinted. “Depends on what it is.”

  “Don’t get in trouble.”

  “I’ll try not to.” Carmen grinned. “As long as you help me.”

  Chapter Two

  “Is this a fucking joke?” Jett stormed out of his bedroom, holding up his cell phone.

  As far as Axel was concerned, his roommate was ruining a perfectly good breakfast of sausage, eggs, and bacon. Heavy on the bacon. Greasy goodness at its finest.

  Axel threw a couple pieces of bacon in his mouth before answering.

  “I’m guessing you saw the invite,” he said between chews. He could feel the air in their warehouse apartment shifting and contracting.

  Jett was definitely in a foul mood this morning. Hopefully, he wouldn’t cut off the air supply this time. Breathing was a necessary part of eating, at least in between bites.

  “Did you read it?” Jett asked, pacing a hole into the ground. “They have the nerve to demand we participate in that bonding fiasco.”

  “I think you mean the Firewick Festival,” Axel said before shoving some eggs in after the bacon. He was thankful for the concrete floors. He’d hate to see what Jett’s “Furry of the Day” and heavy stomping would do to carpet.

  “I know what it is. But this triad match shit comes now? After they dismissed us from duty last night?”

  Axel shrugged. “Master of Fire said they had private business to discuss.”

  “Why the hell do we guard them if they’re not going to utilize us? Now, they have the gall throw us in front of some witches and make us sing ‘Kumbaya’ around a damn bonfire!”

  Axel sighed. Apparently, a quiet breakfast was too much to ask for.

  “This is Elemental Board you’re talking about, man,” Axel said. “They do whatever they want. Whether we like it or not.”

  “The board forcing us to into a triad doesn’t bother you at all?”

  “To be honest, I kind of expected it.”

  “Why?”

  “Because Warren and Kye found their third last night,” Axel said, pushing his half full plate back with regret. “I mean, they’re the Board’s Enforcers. Only makes sense that we, as their Guardians, would be next.”

  “Kye and Warren found their witch? That information would have been helpful last night.”

  “I tried to find you, but you pulled that disappearing act.”

  “So this is my fault now?”

  “What? No I—” Axel inhaled deeply, using the shift in the air to ground himself.

  Axel had to choose his words carefully. He’d learned that in the past few months paired with Jett, who had an easily-ignited temper.

  When they were both recruited to guard the board, they were both unlinked warlocks, so the Elemental Board “suggested” they pair up. What El-Board wanted, El-Board got.

  At the time, he didn’t see anything wrong with the linking. It meant he and Jett would be stronger from their shared power and more able to protect the board members. It also made them eligible for a Triad Bond. After all, you couldn’t form any Mystical Triad without two warlocks and a witch.

  Now, he was starting to doubt that decision. Although Jett was powerful, he was a hothead.

  The guy was good blood and a reliable partner, and he knew through their link he could trust Jett to save his ass when it counted, but Axel found himself walking on eggshells somet
imes.

  Axel actually looked forward to forming a Triad Bond, not that he’d tell his roommate that. It would only piss him off more, but Axel knew that one of the benefits of forming a triad was that their witch would balance them out. A witch’s bond acted as an anchor in the union, which helped to strengthen their powers together.

  Jett could use some balancing out, and Axel thought the idea of having a witch in his bed every night wasn’t too shabby either.

  There was one witch in particular that he still dreamed about. Claire Brixton, one of the sexiest witches he ever met. He knew her through his best friend, Matt, when they attended Kala West University together.

  The instant he shook Claire’s hand, he was hooked on her. It didn’t matter that she made his magic react in ways no one else ever had or that she made him harder than he’d ever been. She was off limits since she was dating Matt. There was a code, and although he didn’t think Matt deserved a girl like Claire, he wouldn’t step over that solid line.

  That didn’t keep him from having feelings for her. Whenever he saw her, he felt the urge to protect her and claim her for his own. He always felt a pull from the dark, voluptuous beauty with eyes the color of heated chestnuts.

  Axel could barely speak around her, so he took to not saying anything at all and admiring her from afar.

  He only discovered Matt was cheating on Claire when he walked in on him and another witch in bed together. Axel was never one to get mad easily. He’d always been a calm guy, but seeing Matt like that made Axel break out into a rage.

  If it wasn’t for the witch who pulled him off with her magic, he would have killed Matt right then and there with no regrets. He warned Matt that if he didn’t dump Claire and let her find someone who deserved her, he would kill him next time, and there wouldn’t be another witch there to save his ass.

  He watched from a distance as Matt took her to their spot near Lake Everclear.

  Axel wanted to give him another beat down for taking her there of all places to end things. The warlock had no decency in him.

  Why did he ever become friends with the guy? He realized it was that Matt had changed after high school, but it was probably a vindictiveness that was always in him. Axel was just too stubborn to see it.

  When Claire cried, it took everything in him not to dump Matt head first into the lake, but he fought the urge and stayed hidden behind the cluster of palm trees.

  Claire deserved so much more. Someone who could treat her for all she was worth. Someone like Axel, but seeing her heart break before his eyes made him take a step back.

  No matter how hard he tried, Axel couldn’t stay far away from her for long. He would haunt the areas near Ethereal Delusions and wait to see Claire from a distance. He sat in his favorite seat by the window at Kala Java, drank a cup of coffee, and waited to catch just a glimpse of her.

  In hindsight, it probably wasn’t the brightest idea he ever came up with, but he had to guarantee that she went on living her life without Matt’s shitty treatment holding her back.

  There were so many times when he wanted to storm inside and ask her to give him a chance, but he couldn’t do it. What if he only reminded her of Matt? He’d die before causing her any kind of pain.

  He was grateful she had her sisters to care for her. Seeing them support Claire made him back off until he only went to the coffee shop once every few months. He wouldn’t always see her, but when he did, it made him ache for her.

  The possibility of having a bond with a witch like Claire brought some benefits to the invitation to Firewick. Maybe he could finally get her out of his system once and for all. A witch to come home to so he could explore her body with his, a softness to discover for endless nights at a time.

  He felt a grin sneak up on him, which he should have put a stop to instantly.

  “You think this is funny?” Jett asked.

  Well, shit. There went his fantasy moment.

  Axel had to keep his magic from rearing up for a fight. It didn’t like being challenged, even if Jett wasn’t physically attacking. That was the thing with being just a Warlock Pair. Each warlock’s magic clashed to see who was the strongest. A problem a witch could stabilize.

  “Look, Jett, you’ve got to chill out. I don’t think this is funny. I think it’s necessary. If we’re going to keep watching out for Elemental Board, we have to be at our strongest. That means finding a witch. Our witch.”

  Jett actually shut the hell up and took a moment to think, which meant Axel was getting through to him. Probably.

  Damn it, he hoped so. Because, as much as he’d come to respect his fellow warlock, if the man kept him from finding and bonding with a witch, their partnership and friendship were both in jeopardy. Big time.

  ***

  Jett knew he was overreacting. Sort of.

  He’d been in Kala West, Florida for seven months, six of which he was partnered with Axel. The man was a decent warlock and a good friend. Okay, more like Jett’s only friend.

  He wasn’t really that approachable, so people feared him rather than befriended him. That was fine with him. Less problems that way.

  Jett blamed his last home, if you could even call it that. The Baltimore coven of warlocks and witches made him distrustful of people, especially those with power.

  Instead of following the local Elemental Board, they deferred all decisions to a crazy millionaire scientist with superiority issues, a man shadier than the devil himself.

  That’s what he got for falling in love with the wrong witch. He made a promise to himself. He’d only hookup with humans. No witches or other supernatural women. They only brought him problems. Hearing about Kala West having a high male population, he figured that’s the best place to avoid female trouble.

  Jett followed his namesake and got the hell out of town. He didn’t think twice about joining the Kala West sect and took up the guard position. It paid well for him to do what came naturally, which was being on alert at all times.

  What he did have reservations about was binding himself as a Warlock Pair. The Elemental Board had convinced him and Axel that they’d be able to do their job better if they merged their magic.

  It made logical sense, since they could feel each other’s emotional state through the link. If danger was nearby, they’d know it through their connection.

  But for most of his thirty years, Jett had been on his own and didn’t have to answer to anyone but himself and the ruling board members in whatever state his motorcycle, Sheryl, took him.

  He had no friends, and his parents had abandoned him when he was a baby. He grew up in the system as an orphan until he aged out.

  Jett never even tried to hunt down his family. As far as he was concerned, if they didn’t want him, he could live without them.

  Finding out he was a warlock on his own brought a new set of challenges. How did he explain to a human girl that she almost died because he didn’t know he was absorbing the air around them? Fun times for his teenage years.

  It didn’t take him long to find a group of witches and warlocks to explain who and what he was. He still kept his distance from them as he learned about his air element and magic. There was no need for him to develop relationships. Life was simpler that way.

  Why he ended up he staying in Florida was beyond him. It was like some unseen force kept him tethered there, and it wasn’t his link with Axel.

  It felt like magic but different, and it frustrated him that he couldn’t figure out what it was. He tried a spell to locate the source of the connection, but that had been a lost cause since he had nothing to focus his energy on. All he knew was that the more he tried to fight making life in Kala West permanent, the stronger the chains sunk in to keep him there.

  “I’m going for a run,” Jett said.

  “You’re not going to skip out on tonight, are you?” Axel asked.

  Jett studied his partner’s face and could feel his tension. He knew Axel wanted a witch even if he didn’t.

  He d
idn’t want to hurt Axel, but he didn’t want to be tied down either. Their pairing was strong, but it could be broken. If they merged with a witch, that was forever.

  Still, being invited to Firewick didn’t mean they had to bond right away. Some triads took months before they did the actual binding ritual.

  Axel had given him a place to stay and had been good to him. Who was he to deny him a chance to see if a witch was right for him? That didn’t mean they both had to make a connection with one. Maybe Axel would discover another warlock too. One who was more willing than Jett to fulfill the triad, so Axel could find and bond with his witch. Jett wouldn’t deny him that opportunity at least. It was the best he could do.

  “Don’t worry,” Jett finally said. “I’ll be there.”

  “Good,” Axel said. He pulled his plate over to continue eating his breakfast but paused. “And thanks.”

  Jett gave a silent nod before leaving the loft on the large freight elevator.

  He hoped the day would pass quickly so the night would do the same. That way he could get back to guard duty and the normalcy that was his life.

  Chapter Three

  “How do you expect this to work exactly, Car?” Claire was beginning to regret agreeing to help Carmen, but she knew her younger sis. Whether she helped or not, Carmen was going to Firewick.

  She figured helping her gave them both the best chance of minimal damage.

  “It’s simple,” Carmen said. She couldn’t hide the excitement in her voice, even if she tried.

  “Magic is never simple.”

  “Save me the responsible spells speech.”

  Claire couldn’t help it. With Charice gone, she felt more responsible for everything, especially Carmen. She didn’t want to coddle her sister, since she was only four years younger than Claire at twenty-three. That didn’t mean she couldn’t worry that something could go wrong.

  Their big sister was the best at doing spells. One never really went wrong, until recently.

  “Look what spellcasting did to Charice,” Claire said. “A few words and she literally disappeared. Not even by her choice. I’m so not going on another Brixton hunt.”