by J. L. Madore
Who’s in Calli’s pride?
“My point is, now you don’t have to take on the world alone. We’re a team.”
Her head tips to the side and the dappled light of the sun penetrating the trees strokes the elegant line of her cheekbone. “I didn’t ask for a team.”
I shrug. “You can put your boots in the oven but that don’t make them biscuits.”
She blinks at me. “Sorry, I forgot my decoder ring.”
“It means, no matter what you want, you can’t change what is. We’re fated. A predetermined bonding of strengths. A collaboration of parts for the strongest whole.”
“In your world, maybe. In my world, I decide who I’m with and where I go. You can’t say I’m bound to you four as this mythical savior and expect me to shrug and say, ‘Yeah, okay. I wasn’t doing much with my life anyway. Sure, let’s be a fivesome and save the world.”
I see her point—it’s moot—but I see it.
I feel the rightness of our bonding to the depth of my soul. Why doesn’t she? One look at her on the side of that road, and I locked in for the long haul.
Maybe the guardian call works differently on her. She was a no-mag nary. For us, the moment Calli resurrected, fae magic made its selection, and the four of us answered the call.
There was no question.
Maybe being human changes how the pull works. Maybe her cells don’t ring with the need to make this work. Maybe she could say no. For the first time, my confidence wavers.
Is that possible? Can she deny her calling? Can she deny us? A cold panic takes root in my gut. What then?
“So, tell me,” she says, oblivious to my mental tailspin. “Explain who you think I am now and what that means.”
Where to start? Daddy always says, begin at the beginning. “Wildlings and other fae races aren’t native to the human realm. Our ancestors immigrated here through portals connectin’ this world to a magical realm called StoneHaven. It’s a long-established, symbiotic co-existence the humans know nothing about.”
Calli and I stroll at a leisurely pace, and I’m pleased to have her attention. As we gain a rhythm, the acidic burn of her anxiety eases, and my gut unknots a little.
“Over time, the wielders of power conflicted with one another. StoneHaven has many races of magical beings, wildlings, mages, trolls, elves, goblins, etc., and eventually, the chaos of rising ambition plunged our home realm into war. The most powerful families of the different races claimed dominion over sectors of StoneHaven and the inhabitants who resided there.”
“Evil is as evil does,” she says. “I guess it’s the same in any realm—human or fae.”
I nod. “Several of these families allied and decided that instead of fightin’ against other magical beings for a half-destroyed home-world, it would be easier to come here and take over the narys.”
“Narys?”
“Yeah. Early settlers found humans ordinary, possessin’ nary a lick of magic. That’s largely the mindset still, though many of us live and work with humans and appreciate them for the strengths they do possess.”
“So, your fae ancestors planned to conquer the lowly humans with their magical supremacy. That didn’t happen, or I would’ve known about this before today.”
I stop at the fork of two walkways to allow her to choose our path to give her some control over the situation. “Right. When the elders discovered the invasion plan of Darkside—that’s what the alliance of the potential invaders was called—the leaders ordered the portals destroyed, and the access points sealed and spelled shut.”
I swing back the iron gate that keeps rabbits and deer from nibbling on Leo’s garden bounty. More than a garden, the place resembles the hanging gardens of Babylon. Lush vines drape heavily, burdened with heavy blooms.
The scents of the garden mix with the natural fragrance of Calli’s skin—it’s succulent.
“I hear a but coming.”
“But, the abrupt finality of the decision to cut off access between worlds stirred up a hornet’s nest of opposition and panic. There wasn’t time to evacuate and many members of StoneHaven had settled down and mated humans. It was suspected there were Darkside supporters here. There were innocents there. It was a genuine cluster-frackin’ disaster.”
“And the people stuck here had no access to their ancestral lands or family members left behind?”
“No. And no one knew if the loss of connection to StoneHaven and source magic would cause a loss of magical ability for those trapped here.”
Calli sighs. “But what does this have to do with me?”
I stop beneath an apple tree and pick one of the bright red globes. After polishing it on my shirt, I offer it to her.
She declines.
“Wildlings are the protectors of the fae realm, the warrior species that police the races. It is our number one tenet that fae live peacefully with humans and therefore, our existence largely remains a secret. Wildlings ensure that.”
“And you think I’m one of those? A wildling?”
“At the time of the portal closures, through a level of magic way above my paygrade, the Elder Council invited the chief mage from each of the four strongest wildling races to come together and spawn a new type of species. Legend states that a phoenix would rise to open the portal door between the worlds if ever the need arose.”
“So I’m a mythological key?”
“Legend states that when she rises, the most uniquely suited males belonging to the original four wildling species—feline, canine, ursine, and avian—will feel the pull of the call to their queen. The five are destined to create a powerful quint of magical mates.”
She frowns. “Please, don’t call us that.”
I swallow and try not to show how her rejection cuts. “The magic of our bonding triggered the moment you resurrected. The four of us are here to support you, to defend you, and eventually become more.” I hold up my hands when she glares. “When and if you decide and not a second before.”
Calli pauses in front of a stack of downed limbs collected after the windstorm two nights ago. When she looks up at me, the worry and confusion in her gaze doubles. “Even if I believed any of this, the mating thing is ridiculous. I have a crappy track record with men. I’ve never made it work with one guy for more than a few months. Four is crazy. I’m temperamental and mouthy and demanding and—”
“—now, you have four males dedicated to meeting your needs, ensuring your safety, and devoted to helping you in the trials to come. Focus on us uniting two worlds not us coming together physically.”
She arches a golden brow and even I admit that sounded half-hearted and lame.
“How about this… the more important thing to focus on is us growin’ into a united force to take on what is to come.”
She doesn’t look convinced.
“Try somethin’ with me,” I say.
She stiffens, and a low growl rumbles in the back of my throat. Her tension is driving my animal side into a pacing frenzy. I raise my hands. “I don’t mean to push. I only want to show you what it feels like to touch one of your guardians—to simply connect. There’s a tether between us and it’s growin’ stronger every day. Can you feel it?”
She reaches up to pull her hair away from her face. The movement shifts her weight and widens the gap between her t-shirt and the waistband of her yoga pants. Exposed for my appreciation, I take in the lush curves of her hips and the delicate navel piercing I admired three days ago.
Good gracious, she’s beautiful.
Suddenly, the air in the garden is thicker, hotter, and the space between us is charged beyond electricity. I raise my hands and advance one step. Calli’s eyes widen, and I hate the mistrust flaring in her eyes. “I won’t hurt you, Calli. Search your instincts… you must feel that.”
I wait, hoping she’ll mirror my hands and complete the connection. She makes no move to humor me. I want to set up house inside her heart, to be part of her and make her part of me, but she isn’t there. That
’s okay. We’ve got time.
My cat prowls inside me, eager for what is to come.
I am the chosen mate of the phoenix. How surreal is that?
Calli
I’m diving into the glistening pools of Jaxx’s turquoise eyes and can’t deny the sexual energy arching between us. Even without touching hands, awareness of him warms my skin. I’m struck by the promise of safety I see burning in his gaze.
For a brief moment, I imagine what it would be like to belong there. What if there is safe harbor from a life that’s been cold and hard too long? What if someone else could hold back the world long enough for me to catch my breath?
It’s not natural.
I drop my gaze.
Jaxx radiates a level of magnetism that has me shifting my legs to ease the tension. The moment I focus on him and the growing connection between us, my cells fire to life, responding to a silent demand my body seems instinctively attuned to answer.
Go ahead, a destructive voice whispers in my head. Meet his palms and connect skin-to-skin.
I choke the groan that almost escapes my throat. I don’t want this. I don’t. I repeat the words in my head, and wonder—who I’m trying to convince. Standing here with him, I’ve never felt so free, yet I’m trapped in a dream.
No. It’s a nightmare—a twisted, psychological thriller.
Jaxx swallows and his Adam’s apple works the smooth column of his neck. His skin glows with a beautiful golden tan, and he smells like fresh air and spruce trees. What would it feel like to press my lips against his throat or, better yet, have him press his lips to mine? My nipples peak as a rush of wet heat dampens my panties.
This isn’t natural. It’s not real.
Fated mates? Yeah, right.
I shake myself inwardly. I am drugged or suffered head trauma when I vaulted out my windshield. Whatever the reason, I’m not a reincarnated master key to a magical door to a forgotten realm. I am Calli Tannis, klutzy screw-up, scrappy survivor, and loyal friend to Riley—
Riley—the girl who needs me to avenge her murder and stop the spread of her killers’ evil plague.
Turning away, I catch the flash of Jaxx’s disappointment. He forces a playful smile and tries to appear unaffected, but the weight of rejection squeezes my lungs.
“Is phoenix the only answer? Aren’t there other fae who can resurrect that I could be?”
Jaxx tilts his head side to side. “Not with the way you came back. Calli, you literally exploded into a ball of fire.”
“But not impossible, right? What are the other choices?”
“Well… wraith, ghouls, and banshees are undead. And a mage with an undead spell could come back. Or there’s a rare cast of pixies in StoneHaven that were said to have the blood of the Fates. I suppose they could resurrect but there are none in the human realm.”
I shake my head. “No, like people who were human and then come back.”
He shrugs looking sympathetic. “Phoenix is the only answer, Calli. It’s not what you want to hear, but it is what it is.”
I occupy myself by tossing a few thick branches back into the pile of collected wood, my mind racing faster than my pace. When I straighten, I point at the mansion I escaped earlier. “So, this is your house?” My voice isn’t as strong as I’d like. I’m confused and feel vulnerable and alone. It’s not a feeling I enjoy. In truth, I hate it.
Jaxx’s flashes me a cocky grin. “No. I got a house down a back road with a porch that needs fixin’ and an inside that hasn’t seen much TLC in far too long—nothing suitable for the arrival of a phoenix. This safehouse belongs to my pride. When I told my Alpha what happened, he invited us here to await the others.”
The others—right, my three other super sexy, paranormal animal shifter mates. Natch.
“And you were sure they’d come?”
He shrugs. “Not a hundred percent, no. Legend said so, and then, one by one, they did. They weren’t sure why they came, only that they were drawn and needed to be here. Once they saw you, like me, they knew.”
“Let’s say I believe you.” I fall back to the two seasons I worked landscaping and burn off some pent-up energy with branch cleanup. “Okay, let’s say I believe that I was reborn due to some dire need of the magical world. Once that’s cleared up, do I go back to being me?”
Jaxx possesses the sleek musculature of his jaguar and the grace and playful demeanor of a cat. When he looks at me, that falls away, and his smile grows serious. “This is forever, Calli. This you is the new you. You are reborn.”
My chest tightens. I was afraid he’d say that.
He leans into my line of vision and smiles. “On the bright side. You’re alive. Without the resurrection, you wouldn’t be. There’s got to be a reason, right? Some unfinished business the universe wants you to take care of?”
Yeah, to avenge Riley, not jaunt off on a magical quest.
My stomach growls and Jaxx shoulder-bumps me toward the house. “Let’s see what Brant is fixin’ in the kitchen. You slept for three days solid. I bet you’re as hungry as our bear. I tell ya. That boy can pack it away.”
I tighten my resolve at the same time as I tighten my grip on the branch in my hand. When Jaxx turns toward the house, I swing with everything I have.
He grunts and crumbles to the ground. The tang of blood singes my nostrils and I drop the makeshift club. Oh, gawd. He falls so still, my stomach lurches. If I had anything in it, I might throw up. He’s just out cold. He has to be.
I assure myself of that and tear my gaze from the carnage. He seems like a decent guy, but hello—Stockholm Syndrome. Guilt makes my insides squirm, but I push it down.
I run like never before. I have to. They’ll come after me, and as Jaxx said, I came back for a reason.
CHAPTER FOUR
Calli
I run across toward the back of the property, my bare feet eating the manicured lawn as I close the distance between me and the sounds of traffic. When I break through the bushes, I stop dead at the perimeter fence to take in my surroundings. Despite hearing cars clearly, we are farther from the road than I thought. I still have a long way to go, and my tender tootsies will pay the price.
Oh well, not my first swim in shit’s creek.
Grabbing the top of the wooden fence, I pull myself up. Climbing over is less awkward than I expect, and I flip gracefully to the other side. After brushing off my hands, I leave the landscaped safehouse property of Jaxx’s Alpha and head across the wild Texas terrain.
If those guys really are fae shifters, their animals will track me if I stay on foot, but maybe not if I catch a ride. I hop a log and try to evade the thorny bushes. Geez, hostile plants grow wild in every direction in Texas. They claw at my legs and arms, greenbriers and cacti and—crap—does everything growing here have burrs and thorns?
I try not to think about snakes.
Texas has a lot of snakes.
The midday sun beats down on me, and I’m sweated through by the time I reach the strip of asphalt leading to my escape. Ignoring the searing on the bottom of my aching feet, I wave down the first vehicle I see—a bright blue Toyota Tacoma. Climbing up into the passenger side of the truck, I am doubly relieved. First, the rush of chilled air blowing at me from my vents is heaven. Second, I meet the concerned gaze of a woman driver. “Where ya headed, hon?”
I clutch my purse in my lap. “Anywhere but here.”
“That I can do.” The silver-haired cowgirl puts it in gear, and the pull of the engine getting us moving eases my nerves. A few miles down the road, she turns down the radio and smiles over. “I’m Grace, by the by. I notice yer a little shy in the shoe department. You in some kinda trouble?”
I stare at the scenery as we drive. It isn’t exactly a cookie-cutter community, but it’s weird how mundane it feels after everything that’s happened. Had words like mundane mattered to me yesterday… or three days ago?
Am I different from the girl who crashed into a pole fleeing from the bikers who killed her
best friend?
I search the empty road stretching behind us in the side view mirror, and my belly tightens. Jaxx rescued me from a ditch, and I betrayed him. Guilt and regret twist my insides.
Something wild inside me claws to return to them.
Is that real? Is it because I’m drugged? If they drugged me, the effects would’ve worn off by now, wouldn’t they?
Then why do I still feel so drawn to four strangers? The bloody image of Jaxx lying in the forest is burned into my mind’s eye. He was sweet to me, and I betrayed his trust.
I swallow hard and clench my fists. Why the hell am I second-guessing myself? They kidnapped me.
They wanted me to have sex with them.
Four of them. How does that even work? Would they want me one after the other, all at once? Or did they think we’d set a schedule for different nights of the week? I can’t wrap my head around that.
Yes, they are hot—okay, beyond hot—but four?
“I know that look,” Grace says, from the driver’s seat. “That’s man trouble if I ever laid eyes on it. What did he do, darlin’—cheat ye, get rough, take ye for a ride?”
The emotion building in my chest is crazy. I met those four only an hour ago, and here I sit, teeth clenched and with a searing pain in my lungs where oxygen is supposed to be. “I honestly don’t know what happened. I’m… confused.”
Grace nods and clicks on her indicator before changing lanes. “Been there, got the scars on my ole ticker to prove it. Don’t fret, hon. You’re as pretty as a speckled pup. If that guy back there isn’t the one, there will be three more down the road waitin’ on ye, guaranteed.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Shifting my gaze from the road behind me to the front window, I watch the sun burn high above the horizon. “Where are you going?”
“To the Feed & Seed on the township line. There’s a truck stop up the road a spell. I can drop ye there if you like. Maybe a kind-hearted soul hauling a load can help you get to where you’re headed.”
I nod, squeezing my purse in my lap. Riley died because she poked too deep into Sonny’s illegal businesses. It can’t be for nothing. I’ll take the address, find that property, and figure out everything else after that. “A truck stop will be perfect. Thanks.”