Kamali's Courage [Sisters of the Circle] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)
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Sisters of the Circle
Kamali’s Courage
Ready. Set. Find your mate! Kamali Zalika is sent to find her mate after a vision quest pointed her to the sunny land of LA. Once there, a shocking revelation is revealed that not only does Kamali have one mate, she actually has two very old, very gorgeous vampire mates.
Mikel and Ezekiel Cabral never expected to share a true mate, but both are quite surprised by their little vixen. As leaders for the North American clan of vampires, they must always be in control. So what’s a couple of vampires to do when a curvy woman with a mouth of sass tips everything upside down?
When trouble from Kamali’s past shows up on their doorstep, they must all stick together or Kamali might be forever taken from them, and to a place where no one could ever reach her again.
Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Paranormal, Vampires/Werewolves
Length: 21,016 words
KAMALI’S COURAGE
Sisters of the Circle
Cam Gallagher
MENAGE AMOUR
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Amour
KAMALI’S COURAGE
Copyright © 2015 by Cam Gallagher
E-book ISBN: 978-1-63258-798-5
First E-book Publication: February 2015
Cover design by Harris Channing
All art and logo copyright © 2015 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Letter to Readers
Dear Readers,
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Regarding E-book Piracy
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This is Cam Gallagher’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Cam Gallagher’s right to earn a living from her work.
Amanda Hilton, Publisher
www.SirenPublishing.com
www.BookStrand.com
DEDICATION
This book is dedicated to my Aunt Red… It’s your fault I started writing “SEXY” stories in the first place because of all your jokes at holiday dinners.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Prologue
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
Epilogue
About the Author
KAMALI’S COURAGE
Sisters of the Circle
CAM GALLAGHER
Copyright © 2015
Prologue
Sitting at the great oak desk that dominated the small office, Maya Zalika, high priestess of the circle and an elder of the council, contemplated how to best approach the subject of marriage to her five daughters. Kind-hearted as they were, compliant and submissive were not in their personal characteristics. This was even truer in her eldest, Kamali, who would one day take over as high priestess and guide her sisters in their duty to provide and protect the sanctity of true mates. They understood their duty, understood what must be done to protect the people of the paranormal world. Be it a shifter such as the bears and wolves, or a vampire, all creatures were protected by the high circle.
The high circle had been formed over a thousand years ago, in hopes that a truce could be made between the different species. Once formed, the circle brought peace throughout the world by promising the people what they most sought after, their True Mate. A person who, in all essence, was the other half of their soul. The circle was made up of five magic users, all women who are dedicated to serving Fate.
Sighing, Maya looked at her watch and wondered where her mate had wandered off to. She could really use the bumper when it came time to let the cat out of the bag, so to speak. Her mate, Matias, was a wonderful father. He doted on the girls and, in all honesty, allowed them to get away with anything.
Hearing voices coming down the hall toward the office, Maya sat up in her chair and allowed her best “I’m in charge so you better listen” facial expression to cross her face.
Maya watched as her daughters shuffled into the room, one after the other.
“Mom what’s wrong? Sienna said you wanted to talk with us,” Maya’s youngest daughter Nirveli asked in her trademark voice, all soft and so peaceful that one really could see the true meaning of her name, “water child.”
Okay, so having the maid track the girls down was a bit of a hasty decision, Maya conceded silently. But for all that was holy, she needed to just man up and grow a pair!
“Girls, I have decided it’s time you did a vision quest to find your mates.”
There, she said it and now they all could just move on. However, one look at her daughters’ faces and she knew trouble was coming and all hell was about to break loose.
“What!” Voices rang out in perfect harmony.
Huh, that was impressive. Those girls could’ve been opera singers in a past life, what with the glass-shatteringly-high squeals and screams.
Maya jumped at the deep, rough-sounding voice suddenly commenting in her head. After all these years, and in fact there were a lot of years to count in relevance to her age, her mate Matias could still get the jump on her when she wasn’t paying attention.
Sorry dear, didn’t
mean to spook you. Again.
Ignoring her chuckling mate all the while sending some rather unladylike mental gestures to him, she said, “Listen up, girls. You need to find your mates whether you think you’re ready or not. I mean, when I was your age I was already mated with a daughter on the way.”
Um, sweetheart, I don’t think you are going about this in the right way. Haven’t I always told you that a person catches more bees with honey than oil?
She sighed and, unable to see another alternative, replied with the worry that had been on her heart for a long while. First, Matias, that is not quite how that particular saying goes. At least that I’m aware of, it’s not quite said in that particular fashion. Who really knows with human sayings, quotes, and customs? Second, these girls, and I do mean ALL of them, need to find their mates quickly. Trouble is coming, and I and the other elders can’t handle the responsibilities that are needed to run the different sections anymore. The circle is losing their powers, getting ready to hand over all responsibilities to the next generation.
She felt her mate send a surge of love and understanding through their bond. This was one thing that Maya loved about the true mate bond. Even when they were apart, it felt like they were still together. They both knew what this new threat to their peace was, for it was them that gave birth to the person who wielded the knife that would slit all of their throats if the new circle was not fully initiated.
For every member of the circle, there must also be the circle member’s mates. The mates of the members were the men who protected the carriers of the elements from harm. They, above all else, wished for peace to rain down upon the land, if only so their beloved mates could find some peace in a warring time.
Hearing the sound of her mate’s chuckle, she felt him send a bolt of need through that instantly had her wet.
Shit! Matias what the hell! I’m trying to order our children to their futures and you want to have fun? Where are you? You should probably be here for this. No answer came through, so Maya turned back to her daughters.
Maya honestly couldn’t tell why her daughters were so against finding their mates. If it wasn’t for Matias, Maya could honestly say she wouldn’t be the leader that she had become. He was her life, her love, and her salvation. The one person in all of creation who was made to love her unconditionally. The one who could bring her closer to heaven with just a touch of his fingers and a soft caress…
Crap! Maya really needed to find out where her mate went. She did not want to pull out one of her toys.
“Okay girls, despite your lack of excitement, and overjoyed participation, at this announcement, we will be having the ceremony in an hour.”
Standing up from her desk, Maya walked around her daughters and out the door in search of her wayward mate.
* * * *
What the Hell? Kamali Zalika, future high priestess of the High Circle, and eldest daughter of Maya Zalika, couldn’t seem to bring her jaw up from the floor after her mother’s hasty exit.
“Kamali? Kamali!” Jerked out of her thoughts, she realized that all four of her younger sisters were looking at her in a pleading way.
Sighing, she said, “Listen, I don’t like this just as much as you guys do, but you heard her. It’s time. We need to take our heads out of the sand and start doing our duty. Unfortunately, that has to begin with finding our mates because we are nothing without them.”
“Kamali are you really going to take this without a fight? What about Daniel?” asked her younger sister Pyralis. She was the hothead of the group and tended to use that when using her element, which ironically would be fire.
Kamali pivoted away from the group and, stated in a voice that conveyed more determination than sadness, said what needed to be said for her to start her own personal journey to find her mate. “Daniel knew it was just a temporary thing between us.”
She wouldn’t admit to falling in love with him, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to disappoint her family. She had a destiny, and by Fate, she would live it.
Kamali twirled back around to face her sisters, her long skirts swirling around her ankles. She looked each of her sisters in the eye and said what needed to be said for her sisters to try to accept the unwanted intrusion into their lives. “It’s time we did what we were born to do. Each of us has a destiny that must be accomplished by us alone. No matter our ties to our old lives, once we leave this place, our old home, all of us must strive to live our new lives with everything we have.”
Spinning away toward the door once more, Kamali turned her back on her old life and walked to face her future.
Chapter 1
3 months later
Kamali peered around her new living room and sighed to herself. Well, she thought, it could be worse. The tiny one-bedroom apartment in LA was the best she could find under the circumstances. She really couldn’t understand what the big deal was about this city. So far, all she saw in the overcrowded city was sex, drugs, and alcohol. Okay, maybe the alcohol wasn’t such a bad thing, but still. The streets were dirty, there was a crap load of homeless people, and in all honesty, the people here were just self-righteous, rude snobs.
She had’ been in the city for a week and already missed the feeling of home. Her mind went back to the vision quest that showed her and her sisters’ future homes. The vision didn’t show the girls’ mates, but it showed them each where to find them. For her it was sunny LA.
Fan-freakin-tastic!
Snapping out of her daydream, Kamali walked into her bedroom and ventured over to her favorite place in the apartment. Her new closet was so kick ass. At least she had all her clothes from home. When she had packed, Kamali wasn’t sure if she should take everything. However, in the end, every single pleated mini skirt, pair of skinny jeans, and pair of hooker boots were packed away and ready to be shipped.
Tonight she had to go to a meeting with the local vampire leader, who coincidently owned one of the hottest clubs in LA. At least she got to do some dancing after the boring meet and greet. Ugh, she really hated politics and all the kiss-ass shit she had to put up with being future high priestess.
Digging through her stack of clothes, she pulled out one of her favorite outfits. A short micro mini skirt that was a deep silvery grey color, a black halter top that had silver sparkles, and a pair of black hooker boots that came to her knees made up the fabulous outfit. An outsider looking in would say, “Damn that girl is slutty looking”, or “Doesn’t she have clothes that don’t belong to a hooker?” Kamali’s insightful and wise words back to them? Fuck You.
Chuckling to herself, she remembered all the times she and her mother had gotten into it because of Kamali’s choice in apparel.
Walking over across the room, she threw the clothes onto the bed and began to undress. In less than ten minutes she was dressed, primed with the latest cosmetics, and zipping up her boots before walking over to the mirror to check the final package.
“Well, this as good as it’s going to get tonight.”
Kamali was under no illusion that she was some great beauty. Unlike her younger sisters, she was, well, kind of plain. That was the major reason she became such a fashion diva during her teenage years. Kamali was bigger than her sisters, curvier instead of willowy. Long, thick brown hair that one could sometimes see strands of blonde and red in dominated her head instead of the blondes of her sisters. Her eyes, which were a rich chocolate brown, were Kamali’s best asset. Well, her eyes and her triple D boobs.
Grabbing her keys and stuffing some money down between her breasts in her bra, Kamali once again thanked god that she was lucky enough in that department. Yippee! She had a built in purse and wallet, without taking the chance of someone lifting the money out of her pocket in a crowded place.
Walking out the front door of her apartment, she sighed and already wished the night was over so she could go to bed. Hailing a cab in LA was no easy feat in itself, but apparently Kamali was cursed to have a crappy night because it took twice as long as what w
as usually normal. Finally, fifteen minutes later, she was quickly being carried from her apartment complex to the popular nightclub that apparently was run by the vampires in this district. Kamali couldn’t contain the snort of laughter that came up at the thought because even though vampires were perfectly fine with walking around during the day, they still preferred sticking to the cliché of “nightwalkers”.
Twenty minutes later, the cab pulled up in front of a tall building that sat in a swankier district of the city. LA seemed to have good parts and bad parts, strict, policed parts and parts that made a girl wish she could fit an ak47 in her Prada bag.
Walking past the line, she marched up to the giant behemoth of a man that was guarding a velvet rope with a clip board. Suddenly Kamali’s arm was jerked back and she was being dragged back. Looking up, she caught sight of a redhead that was dressed in what appeared to be a micro-mini leather skirt that you could practically see her ass stick out of and a red leather corset.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing? You have to get in line like everyone else! Don’t even try to go through the rope first because I can guarantee you that they aren’t going to let your fat ass in there!”
Kamali couldn’t believe what she was hearing from this complete stranger. Making a decision, she turned her back on the bitch and continued walking. Making eye contact with the Mr. Behemoth, she announced, “I’m Kamali Zalika. I have an appointment with Ezekiel Cabral.”