“Yeah, so I think hot stuff here is giving me a virtual blowjob.”
“You called me about that?”
“She’s not controlling it.”
Rustling on the other side of the line sounded loud in his ears. Tongues licked their way down his shaft and over his balls, and he groaned. Not. Going. To. Make. It.
“Romano? If you touch one hair on her head and she’s not willing, I’ll take your balls.”
“Hello, Zoey-who’s-not-sweet-anymore, she’s trying to seduce me, and I’m calling you. I think I deserve some brownie points.”
A mouth, hot like lava, wrapped around his balls, all while Kalinda stood to the side and sucked on the spoon of mix.
“Is her magic spilling again?”
Zoey’s voice helped put a leash on his libido long enough for him to take a whiff. Old magic, ancient even, wafted into his nostrils.
“Tell Dominic to get Zahara here. Now.”
“What’s happening to Kalinda?”
“Now, Zoey!”
He didn’t mean to yell, he really didn’t, especially when his Alpha got on the phone and the power still reached him, though it was nowhere near as strong as if he were beside him.
“You yell at my mate again and I’ll end you.”
“Kalinda needs help,” Romano coughed out.
Sexy and skillful as she was, Romano would not allow Kalinda to be used when she wasn’t aware of what she was doing. When they came together, she’d know exactly what she was dealing with and love every minute of it.
“Stand by.”
Dominic was gone, and Romano kept the island between him and Kalinda. She sucked harder on the spoon, and he clenched the granite until it cracked under the pressure. Her tongue swirled, and his wolf whimpered in need and agony. When she used the flat of her tongue to travel from the base of the spoon near her hand and all the way back to the tip, he pulverized the rock between them and lunged for her.
Heat radiated from her hot enough to rival the sun, and she rocked her hips into his. Hard and in pain, he ignored it and cupped her face in his palms.
“Kalinda, come back to me, baby. I know you’re there and this isn’t what you want. Not like this. I swear to fuck I won’t let you be taken this way. Ever. Listen to me. Follow my words back.”
She blinked, her pupils growing wider until they swallowed her eyes in darkness. He fell into that gaze—spiraling stars and exploding universes—and he remembered it.
The Chaos Realm.
Chapter Four
Cold, spiked ground wanted to eat Kalinda alive, and not in the good way. Her pulse jumped and moved, from her neck, to her hands, and even to her feet. Where was her heart? It was there somewhere, wasn’t it? Oh, there it went, jumping through the darkness, a little white rabbit rushing against time.
No, that wasn’t right.
Hmm.
Where was she?
Oh, yum. Romano. He was hot, his heat drawing her until she couldn’t think or breathe. The air here was thick. She’d always heard the phrase “thick enough to cut” but she’d never felt it until now. It started angry, raging even, burning against her flesh and sizzling away cells and slipping into the missing pieces. The locks broke within her, spinning and turning, tumblers sliding into place, and those black, ugly spots changed. They set on fire, flaring brighter than the sun, eclipsing the darkness until she wanted nothing but skin.
Romano’s skin.
Close.
She wanted to feel him, taste him. Where was he? She couldn’t find him, and it pissed her off. She needed him, and the asshole always threatened to eat her alive. Well, now she wanted to eat him.
Something was wrong. Her mind kept splintering, fracturing and running away. Tumbling chaotically through thoughts, holding on to them like sands slipping through her fingers.
Fingers, oh, around Romano’s shaft, pumping him until he was stiff and hard, his soft skin slick with his need and her saliva. That’s what she wanted. It all made sense now. She searched for that, pulling to get him closer, to find his heat, his desire. She craved him and was finished denying herself.
But would there be a tomorrow?
Come this way, little mage. Hungry mage. We can feed you.
What?
Finally looking around her, she realized she was in a place she’d never seen before. Jagged shards of obsidian grass pierced a swampy black ground. The earth twisted and moved like oil and water wrapping around her ankles.
Come, come, mage. We will make you stronger.
No. She didn’t want to be stronger. She wanted to get out.
“Please, help me!”
Her voice went out and came back, slapping her in the face with the force of torrential wind before slipping her off her feet.
Welcome home.
She screamed again, but there was no sound. Her wail was only a raw bite in her throat. Terror clogged her chest, making it hard to breathe with each gasp, pulling at her hair, yanking on her skin, ripping into her and twisting her up.
Although she was afraid and her mind fought against each step with fright to freeze her, somehow, she recognized this feeling. In her blood, the metals of her existence sang. They rejoiced to be back here. To touch chaos once again.
Chaos.
Something about that made sense, but it was too late and it slipped away. She couldn’t hold on to anything more than desire for Romano or the feeling of homecoming into the sharp, inky night. Which one was real? Or was any of it? She couldn’t make sense of it.
“She’s deep in there. Let me look at the child.”
The woman’s voice wrapped around her, anchoring her. The accent was thick, but Kalinda couldn’t place it. The one thing she did know was when she heard it, her mind cleared.
“I’m here. Right here.”
“I have you. Feel me now?”
Her voice was a rope, rough-hewn twine, wrapped around Kalinda’s ankle and tethering her to the ground, wherever that was.
“Now hold on, gal, while I work.”
There wasn’t much else Kalinda could do. For now, she peered around, floating in the air, the oppressing feeling of the air. Now she saw everything wasn’t black but shades of black. The grass and ground were the darkest, like an abstract painting of splattered monochrome. The space in between the—sky?—was more gray and murky, a thick fog coiled and ready to strike. Kalinda floated above it all in a navy-blue, starless sky.
Not exactly.
As she watched, small flames of gray and almost white hovered just before her. She couldn’t look away if she wanted to.
“Hello, daughter. We see you. We will forever see you now. When you go home, we shall follow.”
Um, no. I’d rather you didn’t.
A wry, warped chuckle filled the air. “You don’t have a choice. You need us now.”
“You can hear me?”
“Quiet, I’m working.” That was not the flames but the one who anchored her.
“Yes, we hear you. In here, speak in your mind, as you did before. The others won’t understand.”
Like this?
“Well met, young one. You will need us in the time to come. Do not fear the darkness. It was meant to be at your fingertips.”
I never asked for any of this.
“Neither did we. Neither did we.”
The rope jerked and the flames shot at her, slamming into her heart and making her scream before she was pulled harder.
“You belong in this world, love. Come home.”
Another yank, and Kalinda was spiraling, splintering, and put back together. She couldn’t tell which was up or down, but she smashed apart before jerking out into the sun.
“Jesus, Kalinda.”
She blinked. It took a moment, but she was able to recognize Romano’s guest room. He leaned over her, worried eyes scanning her.
“I’m okay,” she croaked. Not that she was sure, but she refused to be weak. She tried to sit up as another face swam into view.
&nbs
p; “Rihanna?”
Freaking Rihanna was there, with some amazing white lines down the bridge of her nose and dots under her eyes. Her top lip was white as well, and her wild, dark hair was kinky around her shoulders. She smiled, showing pearly white teeth.
“I’ve heard that a lot. Must be the blood of the islands in us all. I’m Zahara. And you, pretty girl, are extraordinary.” She leaned forward suddenly, her eyes going dark as night. “The flames burn hot in you. Will you catch fire, or play?”
“How about run? I like that answer.”
Zahara blinked, and her face cleared. “We shall see, won’t we?” She looked at Romano, her lip curling. “I’m charging extra for dog bites. You know that, right?”
Romano rolled his shoulders, worry lining his face, but his smile was razor sharp. “Only if you survive them.”
Zahara looked him up and down. “Looks like you got your snap back, even if you tried to take a bite out of my ass. I still want to put you into a dark place for a very long time for that.”
“I can’t be blamed for my wolf wanting to protect me.”
“Don’t be so sure.” Zahara flicked her hands up in the air in his direction before she frowned down at Kalinda. “She’s out of the woods for now.”
“But what happened?”
This time Zoey came into view, rubbing her belly and tears filling her eyes. Kalinda didn’t remember seeing Zoey cry, ever, and it nearly scared her as much as being in the dark place.
“I’m okay, Zoey. Really.”
“You didn’t see it, Kalinda.”
“But I’m here now.”
Zoey managed a smile that looked more like a grimace. “Look at you … taking care of me when you’re the one who should have everyone caring for her.”
Kalinda shrugged. She’d never been comfortable with people caring for her like that. People didn’t … stay. “Damn, I feel like I’ve been hit by a dump truck.”
“You look it too,” Zoey quipped.
“Oh, thanks, that makes me feel grand.”
“Don’t listen to her,” Romano said. “I’d eat you and go back for seconds, I’m just saying.”
Kalinda rolled her eyes at the last statement. Of course, he’d say that. Instead of focusing on how it felt to have them around—or how good it felt to have him there for her—she looked to Zahara again.
What mattered was what had happened to her. “Where was I?”
Before she could answer, Romano huffed. “Zoey, you’re doing that miracle grow thing again.” Kalinda had no idea what the hell he was talking about, but his eyes were glued to a potted orchid in the corner of the room. It was … massive—larger than any orchid she’d ever seen—and little gold dust floated around it.
“Did you just call my mate fertilizer?” Dominic forced out. Kalinda couldn’t tell if he wanted to laugh, growl, or a mixture of both.
Romano whirled on him. “Well, what else am I supposed to call it? Magic poopourri or something?”
“I’m going to punch you.”
“I’m just saying, D.”
“Still going to punch you.”
“Sorry,” Zoey quipped, and she stepped back a bit, away from Romano.
What. The. Hell? The damn orchid shrank back to normal size, but the petals were a bit wilted.
Kalinda pointed to the plant. “Um, what was that?”
Zoey shrugged. “We don’t know, honestly. But it’s not important right now. Zahara? What happened to Kalinda?”
Okay, I’ll file that for later ‘cause, you know, sudden plant explosion isn’t weird at all.
“She was in the Chaos Realm, of course,” Zahara stated it like it was child’s play.
Everyone sucked in a breath and then started talking at once.
“What?”
“How?”
“Is she safe?”
The last was from Romano. Smart. It seemed
Zahara lifted her hands, quieting the room. “She pulled her magic from there and got lost in it. That’s how. As for why she got lost, it’s because she’s been a very naughty girl and hasn’t been practicing with it.”
“Wait, stop. I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’ve never been able to use magic like that. The most I can do is put good vibes in food.”
Kalinda was really tired of explaining this. It irritated her how much things had changed lately, but she hadn’t caused any of it. It was like getting mixed up with shifters and their shenanigans had turned the whole world upside down.
She didn’t hate them—that would be silly and unfair—but she didn’t like things she couldn’t control. Her catering company ran smoothly, and she went home every night to dream up new business opportunities and leave it at that. She didn’t have to deal with the stress of a relationship, family depending on her, or finding a way to save herself from sliding into some godforsaken realm where flames spoke to her!
Over it.
She wanted to go back home, curl under her cover, and realize this was all a damn dream. A bad one, but a dream all the same. She sat up to do just that. Forget all of this.
“The Council of Mages will come for you soon.”
Zahara was officially queen of shutting down a room instantly. No one moved for an entire minute, including Kalinda.
“Why?” she finally forced out, looking at the witch doctor.
“Because you will be one of them … if you accept. You can become powerful enough to be one. If they find out, they will come for you.”
“I don’t understand. I’m Level 2. They have already swept me.”
“Things change. The old magic is in you. I can’t tell you more than that, and I don’t care for them anyway, so I won’t share your secret. You can’t hide this forever though.”
Romano stepped forward. “Can you tell what her magic is changing to? I’ve smelled something ancient on her, and it’s even stronger now.” At Kalinda’s dirty look, he added, “Ancient and delicious.”
Yeah, that helped. Not.
Romano moved and sat on the bed, wrapping his arms around her. Kalinda let him hold her, soaking in his strength for a few moments and acting like she had someone to lean on again—someone she could trust. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed it. How much it soothed her. He didn’t disappoint. Rubbing his hands up and down her spine, a soft growl that was oddly soothing rumbled his chest.
Zahara shrugged. “I don’t know, but I would wager she is closer to me now.”
“What does that mean?”
Kalinda appreciated Romano taking the lead in questioning. She knew she was wide-eyed, but she couldn’t help it. It was all too hard to take in.
“A Level 9, if she can control it. It hasn’t manifested all the way, so it fluctuates. I can’t read past that, or her form. It’s still shrouded. I’ll take payment in my account before I’ve left the grounds. If I don’t receive, your pack lands will be gone.”
Dominic growled but wisely stayed silent and nodded as Zahara left. In the mage caste system, the ten levels didn’t mean a small step up. Each level jumped exponentially, depending on the skillset.
For example, a Level 1 one may have just a twinge of magic, enough to be caught in a sweep. The next level would have more of a spark and be able to manifest said magic in small ways. Like Zoey with her map magic which let her find her way anywhere and her ability to make flowers bloom, or Kalinda with her adding comfort to her food.
From there, the levels of power jumped up in larger manifestations. Levels 8 through 10 are Council levels, and a Level 9 would be able to challenge the power of an Alpha for a time. There was no way Kalinda would believe she was the same level as Dominic. None of this made sense, and she was sick of not understanding.
She had no interest in being tied up with the Council or the FBMC. They’d ruined her life to begin with, and she was not in the mood.
She wrenched out of Romano’s arms and stood on shaky feet. She felt bruised everywhere, but nothing was going to stop her from going home and l
eaving all of this behind.
“Where are you going?”
She ignored Romano. Instead, she stomped her way past a smirking Zoey.
“Ohhhh. Someone’s in trouble.”
Kalinda stopped herself, barely, from growling. “Can it, Sunshine. I’m done with it.”
“Can’t can it,” Zoey smirked. “I tried, and they told me I was too addicting. Besides, Dominic would just buy every can off the shelf and threaten to rip off the arms of anyone who thought to buy it.”
“Go have your baby already,” Kalinda retorted.
“Hey, friends don’t wish pain on friends.”
“I’m wishing a bundle of joy and lots of extra time lost here so you can’t bother me. Big difference, chick. Big difference.”
She didn’t know how she was going to get all her things home but she was going. She tucked her feet into her Chucks—the only time she didn’t wear heels was when she was home—and looked for her purse.
Zahara, the purveyor of the crazy times, simply walked out the door without a care while Zoey, Dominic, and Romano followed the tornado called Kalinda as she stormed through the house to pick up what she could carry.
“I’m going to ask again because I’m starting to worry that maybe your hearing isn’t working.” Romano stopped in front of her, his massive form blocking her from leaving the kitchen. Okay, the stuff in her arms was really heavy, and she was not in the mood.
Countdown to complete meltdown, starting now.
“Where are you going?” Romano quirked a brow.
“Home. Where else? I’m not some great mage who deserves to be on the Council.”
“Zahara doesn’t get things wrong. If she says that’s the power you’re coming into, then it is.”
Not listening.
Okay, so she may be a little childish right now. Okay, a lot. But she was terrified of what this would mean, and she didn’t understand any of it. Not the flames. Not the Chaos Realm or how she could get there, none of it. And not understanding made her very nervous. Feeling nervous pissed her off. Kalinda needed space, her own four walls, and some way to get this all off her mind.
She needed to bake thirty cakes and maybe a thousand cookies. Whatever.
Mated to the Enforcer (Mafia Wolf Shifters) (Encantado Shifters Book 2) Page 4