With shaking hands and a pounding heart, Kalinda did what she did best—direct.
Looking to her cooks and servers, she pointed to the front door. “Get out of here, now. There are vans waiting outside.”
“But—”
“Don’t argue. I’ll meet you back at the shop.” She would stay on scene and get what help she could. She couldn’t just leave the Pride here in this state, especially knowing she’d probably caused it.
Kalinda was going to have to call her best friend Zoey and her mate Dominic. The Lombardi Pack was feared and respected throughout Encantado, and whatever was happening here, they’d be able to handle it.
She hoped. Of course, the price would be high—Zoey was going to give her grief for the rest of her life, and probably into the afterlife.
She knew it, but she picked up her spell phone and dialed anyway.
“Kalinda? Everything okay?”
“Well, that depends. I mean, it’s only like I may have used magic to turn Rock Landing into a massive orgy after being accused of attempting to kill the Leo. I may have started an incident. Other than that, everything is peachy.”
“You what?” Zoey squawked.
“Just come help me. Whenever this stuff calms down, they’re probably going to want to kill me. I’d like to stay alive today.”
“You’re going to have to explain this better when we get there.”
“Who are you bringing?” Kalinda felt a sudden flutter of alarm. “Not him. Don’t say you’re bringing him.”
Zoey actually laughed, the wench. “Romano isn’t going to pass up a chance to see this, not in a million years.”
Ugh. Not Romano! The Lombardi Pack’s enforcer was far too arrogant, far too sexy for his own good—or hers, for that matter—and he was a total flirt. When he walked down the street, you could practically see women’s panties melting. Well, that wouldn’t happen with Kalinda. Not today, not ever. She’d already gone down the love ‘em and get screwed over train. She wasn’t interested in a second trip.
“You don’t actually have to tell him about it,” she argued.
“I have to tell my mate, and he tells Romano everything,” Zoey protested with a laugh.
“Seriously?” Kalinda groaned. “I never should have warned you when the Capo came to claim you!”
“Ha! That’s what friends are for, silly. That and having each other’s backs. I’ve got yours.”
A wave of dizziness rolled over Kalinda, and black spots swam in front of her eyes. She was going to fall and mess up her uniform. She hated being dirty. “Oh, that’s good because I think I’m going to pass out.”
Zoey’s worried voice was very far away now. “Kalinda? Ka—”
Yep. Dry cleaning won’t be getting these stains out.
Chapter Two
“Come on, buttercup. As much as I’d like to see you falling at my feet, I’d much rather it be done because of me.”
The world was hard, warm, and smelled of deep woods. It was a … comforting scent. Kalinda had never really thought of the woods as comforting, but right now, in this darkness, her body drained and her mind going haywire, she clung to it. She curled her fingers into silken earth, scrunching her face when dirt didn’t crumble between her fingers. But even that thought shattered as quickly as it came. She held on to the anchor, pulling it closer, inhaling deeply.
Darkness gave way to fire, burning and sizzling along her skin. The sky was dark, pitched with billowing smoke, and an acrid taste lined the back of her throat. She hated it. A failure. A loss. Tears welled up in her eyes. Here, on this land, lost to the blue-purple blaze of the dragon, she’d failed to save any of them.
“Hey, baby. We’re here. It’s okay.”
That same voice again, baritone and rumbly. That wasn’t right. She felt it even before she heard the words. The ground vibrated under her with each sound. She liked the way it soothed the charred edges of her nerves.
A warm thumb caressed her cheek and she—
Thumb?
Kalinda jerked awake, groaning when she knocked forehead first into the most annoying man she’d met in her life.
“Don’t touch me,” she warned.
“Well, hello to you too, sunshine. And warn me after you detach yourself from clinging. Or you could stay right where you are. I’d prefer that option.”
In three seconds, she realized where she was and what was going on. She also realized a few other things. One, she was outside of Rock Landing with the gold and white lights all gone. Two, Zoey grinned at her like a loon, rubbing her rounded belly at the side of a massive white wolf—Dominic, her mate and the Capo di tutti Capi of the Lombardi Pack. Three—and this one really annoyed her—she was in the arms of his scarred Capo, Romano. He held her off the ground as if she weighed nothing, and he wore the same grin he always did when he saw her.
Oh, and lastly, he was absolutely correct. She had her arms wrapped around him, her fingers twisted into the material of his suit jacket over his back, like a vine. Woohoo! That’s just brilliant. Embarrassed and face flaming, she detached herself and waited for him to put her down.
She should have known better.
Instead, he cocked his head to the side for a moment and watched her, his ever-present smile plastered on his face. His grin pulled his scars tight, nearly white on his face. Romano was a gorgeous man, there was no denying that. He was taller than her, and that said a lot at her height, with dark hair and swarthy skin. As Dominic’s enforcer and a warrior-class wolf, he was built as big as an oak tree. Most striking of all was the multitude of scars up one side of his face. They didn’t detract from his looks at all. Instead, they enhanced them, giving him an edge of danger and power she couldn’t help but notice.
The panty-melting kind.
As if reading her mind, his nostrils flared and he took a sniff before his smile widened.
“Anytime, beautiful. Anytime.”
Kalinda rolled her eyes. She hated that word. She wasn’t the type to be beautiful and not recognize it or not like being acknowledged. She’d been courted to be a model for most of her life before they found out she was a mage and kicked her out of human society. But what bothered her was it was all people saw first. Not her skill level, the pain of losing her mother, her work ethic, or her need to care for others. No, they saw a trophy, and she’d be that for no one.
“Lines are annoying and uncouth. Put me down, please.”
Romano opened his mouth to say something, but the doors to Rock Landing burst open behind her and Roxi and two other lionesses rushed out. Romano’s demeanor shifted, all smiles and laughter gone in an instant before he lowered Kalinda to her feet and pushed her behind him. She’d never seen him so serious.
“We want the mage. She attempted to kill our Leo. And she spelled us. The penalty is death.”
Romano … rippled. She didn’t know how else to describe it. The air around him stilled as his skin rolled for a moment, black fur flashing for an instant.
“You will watch your mouth when you speak about her.”
The lioness hissed. “It’s our right.”
Kalinda stepped around Romano to address Roxi. He stepped with her but allowed her to be partially seen. “I already proved the meal was signed for and was given as ordered. Besides, how could I have given your Leo something he’s allergic to without your wonderful nose picking up on it?”
“I would have to agree,” Romano added.
No, she didn’t feel warm and fuzzy at his support of her at all. People say they have your back, but it never lasts, does it Kalinda?
“We haven’t finished investigating yet, and that doesn’t address the fact you used your magic on us. Come with us, mage.”
“It seems you’re hard of hearing,” Zoey spoke up. “She is under the protection of Dominic Lombardi of the Lombardi Pack. And she would have no reason to use her magic on you, so clearly, there’s another explanation. If you must see her, schedule a meet on neutral territory, and we’ll sit down an
d talk like the civilized animals we are.”
“You do not speak for the Alpha.”
Okay, Roxi was either fearless or stupid. Instantly, the white wolf shifted into a very naked, very pissed off Dominic.
“Down.”
The power of his magic pulsed out to everyone around the room. Romano whimpered but succeeded in staying on his feet. Zoey fared better, burying her face for a moment in Dominic’s arm before looking ahead again.
The lionesses? They were pissed off but couldn’t react. All three struggled to stay on their knees at this point, hissing and spitting at Dominic. They all sounded like very large, very angry cats ready to fight. While she didn’t know much, Kalinda had been told by Zoey that an Alpha male could make other shifters bow under the power of their Alpha status. It also extended to other shifter types, to a point. Dominic had grown stronger taking over as an Alpha, and his power showed.
Roxi recovered the best, getting to a crouch but no longer hissing. “She won’t be allowed to get away with this. We will plan that meet, and we will see you later.”
The last was directed at Kalinda, and she felt the threat down to her toes. And for what? She’d proven she hadn’t poisoned the Leo. And, as Orion stepped out of the building as well, he didn’t look any worse for wear.
If Orion thought his presence as Leo was going to change anything, he had another think coming. More wolves pulled up and stepped out of cars instantly.
Orion lifted placating hands. “We just want her, Dominic. We don’t want war.”
“And I’m making it clear that touching her would be war. Send a message when you want to meet, but we are leaving,” Dominic ordered.
“Come on, Kalinda,” Romano added.
What was going on? None of this made sense. They shouldn’t be this ready to tear her down. She was a caterer, for God’s sake. Sure, if Orion were allergic to peanuts, feeding him some would have been treacherous, but one of the lionesses had already seen that wasn’t the case from the evidence, and tainted food should never had gotten through. This had to be more than about the food, but Kalinda couldn’t figure out what.
Romano wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close. “There won’t be a later. You’ll be staying. Dominic, I’ll keep her within the compound.”
She fought against Romano’s restraining arm, but he didn’t let her go. “You can’t do that. I have a business to run. This has all been some big misunderstanding. Let’s just have the meeting and get this cleared up.”
“I’m upset you don’t want to spend quality time with me, sweetheart, but now isn’t the time for debate.”
Once again, she was in Romano’s arms, and he was moving quickly toward the cars, apparently with her as his baby bundle. Zoey and Dominic piled in after them.
“What spell are they talking about?”
Leave it to Zoey to get to the quick of the situation. Bless the woman.
“I’m not sure, really. And the peanut allergy thing doesn’t make any sense. Is it a ruse?”
“Silva called us and told us you were seeing gold and white,” Dominic explained.
Ah, that explained why they’re asking. Note to self: don’t give Silva that raise.
Kalinda shrugged, still on baby status and sitting in Romano’s lap. She shifted to signal wanting to get up, but he only smiled and wrapped her tighter. So … not going anywhere. Got it. She should have fought harder, but she was still feeling weak and shaky from whatever craziness had happened earlier.
Yeah, that’s why she wasn’t fighting to get away.
“Well, you know, Zoey, how I’ve been talking to you about how my magic has been weird?”
Zoey nodded. “Yeah. And you smell different right now.”
Kalinda hadn’t thought about that. Dominic had bitten Zoey, and with everything that had happened, Kalinda hadn’t thought about whether Zoey’s senses or powers had changed.
“The medicine didn’t work?”
“Not exactly. I’ll explain later.” She looked to Dominic for a moment, and he smiled softly, rubbing her stomach.
It was odd seeing the man they’d all thought of as a murderous leech looking soft and sweet, but there was nothing but love when he looked at Zoey.
“For now, we need to know why your scent has changed,” Dominic added. “Tell us about the colors.”
“I don’t know how to explain it, really. My magic has always been low-level, at most geared to adding a sense of comfort to my food. I can’t control elements or anything like that.”
“But the wards on your building are Level 7. What level are you as a mage?”
“I pay for those, to be honest. It’s a nice chunk of change out of the profits, but it keeps us all safe.”
Zoey smiled. “And we love you for it.”
“Love you too, girl. Most of the time. Except when you’re so … happy. Which is most of the time.” Zoey pretended to look hurt, but Kalinda ignored her. “Anyway, my magic has been funny since the portals have been opening up. Sometimes, it’s stronger than normal and flaring at odd times. Today, I panicked when they were all set to attack and I sent out calming vibes, but it happened during a time when my magic was flaring. Apparently, it pushed out gold and white lights from me, and everyone it touched got … um … frisky.”
Dominic blinked. “Say again?”
“I may or may not have started an orgy.” Kalinda cringed. That sucked even saying it.
“Remember when I first met you and threatened to eat you? That could still happen.” Romano’s voice was a sexy growl. “I’d like to join in on that action.”
Kalinda thought about slapping Romano again, but the last time she’d done that it only left her with a hurt hand and him stating it tickled. This time, she glared at him, ignoring how her panties wanted to melt—again.
The things must have been produced with edible material instead of fabric.
Romano leaned in, his hot breath sliding over her neck, and her pulse jumped. If she thought she was hot when her magic flared before, she was ready to ignite now. That easy. Just being in his arms and having his mouth so close to her skin was all it took for her to lose part of her brain capacity.
“I think you like that idea more than you want to show,” he whispered against her flesh.
No. Yes. Maybe?
Kalinda knew his type; they were all the same in the portal cities and in the world of normal humans. Men who flirted, who always joked … The women who took them up on it were just another notch in their belts. She had too much going on to be simply another go in the bed. It didn’t matter how sexy he was, she wasn’t one for games. She couldn’t take him seriously. What she could be, however, was annoyed with herself and her reaction to his obviously insincere flirtation.
“I can still try to kick you where the sun don’t shine. It would hurt, but it’s worth a shot,” she warned.
He chuckled, the sound rumbling deep within his chest. She only felt it because she was so close, not because it made her lady parts wet.
Right.
Dominic sighed. “Pipe down, children.”
“He started it!” Kalinda argued.
“Look, he jokes, a lot, but there is no better man when it comes to protecting my family, and with how Zoey feels about you, you’re family.”
Kalinda didn’t know how to respond to that, not really. She’d lost access to her family coming to the portal city, like many other mages caught up in the sweep. It made her feel … something she couldn’t quite examine immediately.
“Can we focus on the matter at hand? I think they wanted to kill me.”
“No, I think they wanted to take you, and that means they want something from you. Something we don’t know about, and I want to know why. The allergy thing was just a ruse to start something, but the question is what made them interested in you in the first place?” Dominic answered.
“I’m not inclined to call the Council in to find out. We saw what happened last time we dealt with them. We don’t know who�
��s trustworthy and who’s not,” Romano argued.
Dominic shrugged. “Then we use Zahara.”
Zoey sat up straight, excitement bubbling from her. “The witch doctor?”
“Why are you so excited?” Kalinda wondered if they were all crazy. She was the one in danger.
Zoey shrugged. “Haven’t really had a chance to meet her. I’d go for a chance to see what she can tell us.”
Zahara typically only worked with those who had enough money to afford her services. It wasn’t because she charged high for snake oil but because she was the real deal. From what Kalinda had heard, she was invited to join the Council of Mages but turned it down because of too many restrictions on her actions. She wanted to be able to freely use her gifts as she saw fit.
So Zahara opened her practice in District 12, and many of the daywalkers had her to thank for being able to walk around in the sun for a period of time. She’d been the mastermind behind the concoction that helped them. The Council of Mages left her alone as long as she didn’t try anything against them. Kalinda didn’t know if Zahara had ever tried, as there wasn’t much more than that known about her, but Kalinda knew this: anyone the Council had to make an agreement with was powerful.
Dominic shifted in his seat and looked at Romano. “For now, Romano, keep Kalinda with you and don’t leave her. If she must travel to work, you go with her and don’t let her out of your sight. She’s kept safe until we understand what’s going on and why the Viscount Pride put on a show to take her.”
Kalinda snapped her fingers. “Hello? I’m right here. You can ask me how that may get in my way. I’m sure there are other wolves you can appoint. I’d like to be able to go home.”
“Aw, you shouldn’t have. I’d love to see your home. I could have my things moved in today.”
Kalinda ignored Romano and kept looking at Dominic. “Alpha?”
Dominic sighed. “Besides me, Romano is the strongest wolf of the Lombardi Pack. I can’t leave my mate unprotected, and I can’t in good conscience have danger so close to her when our child is in her womb. I’m giving you my right hand in order to keep you safe. Pack lands will ensure other enforcers are there and the pride won’t come there. Your home is a different story.”
Mated to the Enforcer (Mafia Wolf Shifters) (Encantado Shifters Book 2) Page 2