by Kali Willows
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Claiming Trinity
Copyright 2016 by Kali Willows
ISBN: 978-1-68361-004-5
Cover art by Fiona Jayde
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work, in whole or in part, in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
Published by Decadent Publishing Company, LLC
Look for us online at:
www.decadentpublishing.com
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
A Cougar Among Wolves by Kali Willows
Wiccan Haus Order of Books
Shifting Hearts by Dominique Eastwick
A Man Worth Fighting For by Sara Daniel
An Apple Away by Kate Richards
Siren's Serenade by Dominique Eastwick
Psychic Lies by Sara Daniel
Unveil my Heart by Nya Rayne
Finding Her A-Muse-ment by Rebecca Royce
Guarding His Heart by Carolyn Spear
Lifebound by Leigh Daley
The 13th Guest by Rebecca Royce
A Bride Worth Fighting For by Sara Daniel
Healing his Soul's Mate by Dominique Eastwick
Sorcerer’s Legacy by Carolyn Spear
Healing His Soul’s Mate by Dominique Eastwick
Claiming Trinity by Kali Willows
Coming Soon
Son of Flame
Bear Essentials
Breaking the Mating Bond
Also by Kali Willows
Designing Passion
Damnation and Desire
Savannah’s Ghost Tale
Terminal Lust
Double Dragon Seduction
Dragon Temptation
Tantric Storm
Dragon’s Breath
Dragon’s Bond
Romancing the Author
A Cougar Among Wolves
Claiming Trinity
Tears of blood…
Trinity is the last of her bloodline and cursed with a bizarre ability for a banshee. Living a mundane façade, and using her empathic gifts, she becomes a psychologist who helps her clients work through their own grief—or at least she does until her life takes a sinister twist. Soon after the murder of her uncle, her traumatic past comes back to haunt her. An unexpected offer of help comes from the Rowan siblings when she receives a ticket to the Wiccan Haus for a much needed retreat, along with some sizzling adventure she doesn’t bank on. The evil that stalks her has bigger plans than anyone on the island realizes.
Two heroes with a dark past…
Arawn, an Immortal, rises up against his namesake and abdicates his throne to the Underworld. Conflicted between his lineage of war and vengeance and his desire to protect those in need, he serves on the Para Elite Forces. Kane, a tortured soul with a profound fear of showing anyone his gargoyle form, is forever indebted to his best friend. They attend the Wiccan Haus for additional security training, but an unexpected run-in with a voluptuous white-haired beauty brings about a change of assignment—and sleeping quarters. How will they maintain the safety and wellbeing of this mystifying woman from looming threats, while battling their deep-seated desire for her?
Welcome back to the Wiccan Haus. Where the staff have some unusual quirks and the herbal tea is sometimes more than you bargain for. The proprietors always do their best to make the resort a place of healing and peace. It’s also a place some never want to leave!
Welcome to the Wiccan Haus
Something Wiccan this way comes to a mystical mysterious island where authors get to play and bring their love stories to life. At the Wiccan Haus you will meet Rekkus, Cyrus, Sage, Sarka, Cemil, and Myron, all of whom return in most if not all the stories. Yes each one will eventually get their HEA as well.
We hope you enjoy the stories from all the authors and return time and again to keep up with the staff and meet new characters along the way. But fear not if this is your first or twenty-first story each book stands on its own. If you want to know more about the series please sign up for our newsletter.
A Note from Kali
Thank you for choosing Claiming Trinity for your reading pleasure! Trinity has a compelling story, about a woman trying to overcome elements beyond her control. Her life takes a turn for the worst and she accepts an impromptu invitation to a fantastic island dedicated to healing practices for the guests, both para and human alike. It’s filled with suspense and steamy intrigue as she delves into sacred realms to seek out the truth behind attacks on her, while the temptation of not one, but two smoldering, sexy men sweep her off her feet. Will she survive the life and death circumstances? Or perhaps find romance among the ruins of her career and personal life?
Happy Reading,
Kali Willows
Dedication
To my readers, and FAN-ADDICTS, without you, my stories would end when the final words are typed. With you, they live on forever.
To Dominique Eastwick, thank you for welcoming me the Wiccan Haus world, a place I never want to leave.
Claiming Trinity
A Wiccan Haus Story
By
Kali Willows
Prologue
The gruesome scenes had stained Trinity’s memory for an eternity. Most days, she maintained a professional ability to shut off her emotions and recall when in session. Until these past few weeks, she had never lost control over her skill to push the images out of her head when needed. In fact, the pressure against her temples right this second threatened to explode her head into a thousand pieces.
“Trinity?” His gentle voice snagged her attention.
Her breath caught in her throat. “Excuse me.” She worked to shove the painful visions of mortality from her mind. Trinity gathered the papers in front of her, tidied the pile, and tucked her fountain pen into the holder on the desktop.
“It would seem our grief therapist is in need of a little respite herself, Sage?” Cemil reached across the mahogany desk and patted Trinity’s hand. “It’s a good thing this is our last visit.” His long blond hair cascaded around his broad shoulders, and his icy-blue eyes sparkled.
“I agree. I have just the item she needs….” The flaxen beauty at his side, whose eyes matched the same stunning color as her counterpart, opened her large canvas bag and fished through it. “Ah, this shoul
d help.” She tugged out a small blue organza satchel with tied drawstrings and handed it to Trinity.
“What’s this?” She accepted the filled bag and breathed in the tranquil floral scent.
“It’s a pouch of lavender, a few other herbal ingredients, and some rose quartz, onyx, and moonstones.” Sage gathered her canvas bag and stood.
“For…?”
“Keep it under your pillow at night. It will help you sleep better. And keep it with you through the day…it will balance your energy.”
“I didn’t say anything about not sleeping,” she protested, her cheeks warming. “This is your therapy session, not mine. I can’t accept this.” She gestured to give it back.
Sage waved it away.
Trinity tried to hand it to Cemil. “No thanks. I sleep fine, but then again, I’m not swarmed with visions of death and massacre.”
“I-I….” Stunned at his accuracy, she swallowed hard. “I’m familiar with your talents and admire them, really I do. But I’m not seeking counsel right now.”
“Oh, but you need to.” Sage grinned.
Cemil cleared his throat, rose from his seat, and stood at his sister’s side. “Trinity, thank you so much. I know Sarka and Cyrus weren’t very receptive to your assistance—they never came to see you at all, in fact—but we appreciate all you’ve done to help us work through this”—his chin quivered—“everything.”
“It’s my pleasure. Please accept my sincere apologies. My awareness is a little off today.” Today? She downright lied. Her attention had been off for weeks. She stood to see them out.
Sage paused and faced her. “Trinity, you know who we are and what we do.”
In their monthly meetings together since the siblings came to see her a year ago, she had grown to find Sage characteristically soft and flaky in the way she talked. Her current demeanor of narrowed eyes and lack of cheerful smile came across as firmer than usual.
“The Syndicate has tried to make amends. The island is a huge success. We discussed it with Sarka and Cyrus, and we would all be pleased if you would join us as our guest for a week.”
Trinity’s throat grew thick. “You all discussed me?” Unsure if she should be offended or honored, she wrapped her arms around herself.
“You’ve helped us through the most impossible circumstances, and we are better prepared to help others now. We want to extend the same gift to you.” Sage shifted her focus to the contents of her bulky bag. “Caregivers burn out, too.”
“After all you’ve been through yourself in the past six months,” Cemil continued, as though they had prepared to tag-team this speech beforehand, “it’s no wonder you can’t shut your talents off anymore.”
She gasped. “I never said—”
“We are paras, you are a para. We understand, the way you did with us. The flashbacks, the trauma, the loss. Even psychologists need a little therapy with life’s tragedies. There’s no shame in it,” he affirmed. “It took us years to ask for help. Please don’t wait as long as we did.”
She exhaled an exhausted breath. To have the same words of wisdom she’d offered the resistant siblings used against her proved unfair at best. “Thank you. I know you’re right,” she conceded.
In fact, their profound losses occurred more than six years prior, but they’d needed time before they were able to seek out her professional assistance.
“Ah ha!” Sage blurted out. She yanked an oblong black leather case from her bag and presented it to Trinity.
“Another gift? I can’t accept this, really.” She shook her head.
“They were custom made.” Sage tucked the box into her hand. “Sarka had her friend here in the city make them for you. It’s a tool, not a gift.”
Trinity lifted the case and opened it. Inside was a spectacular set of pewter-frame glasses, with engraved Celtic knotwork around the edge and rose-colored lenses. She glanced up in awe. “They’re unique and gorgeous.”
“They’re enchanted, designed to give your senses a little bit of a break.” Cemil grinned. He picked them up and extended the intricate arms then inched them over her ears and settled them on her nose. “Can you see our auras now?”
“You know I can see auras?” Her chest tightened. In all their time together, they’d never once discussed her abilities. But then again, they talked about theirs in great detail. She shouldn’t be surprised at how much they knew about her.
“Of course we do.” Sage giggled. “These dull your acute perceptions of auras, since your system is on overload. It affects your sleep and every waking interaction with humans and para alike. To live and work in New York City would strain anyone, but a para who practices psychology? Talk about burnout waiting to happen.”
“Given your recent loss and the whole situation with your parents, we feel, if you agree to join us, we can help you find some balance and peace in exchange for the very gifts you’ve bestowed upon us. It would be an honor if you let us pamper you for a week.” Cemil flashed a playful pout.
“I can’t, I’ve got my patients, and….” she lied.
Her business had dwindled over the months. The mundane were not in need of her unstable sessions. Who in their right mind, or otherwise, wanted to experience their therapist suffer from horrific flashbacks of post-traumatic stress disorder in the middle of their therapy? And when she picked up on their traumas in a visual play-by-play, it wiped out every ounce of resiliency she had left. Eight patients had cancelled in recent weeks. Sage and Cemil were her last two, and, after today, they were done. In essence, she had no practice left.
The sibs knew what they were talking about. Only six months ago, she’d foreseen her uncle’s brutal murder and been powerless to stop it. Her precognitive tears of blood had confirmed his death would be inevitable, just like with both her parents.
“You’ll need this, too.” Sage handed her a small object.
“What is it?” She examined the triangular, swirling symbol.
“It’s a triple spiral labyrinth.” Sage ran her finger over the carved detail. “It reminds me of you, beautiful, complicated, and unique, all in one.” She stepped back and the corners of her mouth retreated with a mischievous grin. “Everyone gets their exclusive charm to enter the portal.”
“Portal?”
“Yes, it’s how paras arrive to the island. Humans take the ferry. Portal transportation takes place at sunset at Portal Central in the para capital city. You can’t get on or off the island without this. It’s your boarding pass, so to speak.” Cemil folded her fingers over the trinket.
“I haven’t agreed.” She shook her head, tears blurring her eyes.
“The arrangements have all been made. We will see you next Saturday.” Sage handed her an envelope. “We sensed urgency for you to attend, so there will be no delay. Details are in there. We have two portal sites. Given your situation, we’ve all agreed it’s best to have you arrive directly at the Wiccan Haus where there will be less traffic and stimulation for you to contend with.”
Chapter One
With a deep breath and her Wiccan Haus charm in hand, Trinity folded her completed checklist of items to pack and shoved it into her pocket. She clutched the handle of her suitcase and mustered the courage to step into the portal.
In a flash, lights swirled around her, the sensation of gravity dissipated, her body lightened, and her limbs lingered in the air. She floated up, twisted, and spun on the spot. A faint but deep voice echoed in the distance. “Incoming.”
In the blink of an eye, she bounced through the end of the portal, crashing into three large, burly men and toppling over a dark-haired stranger.
“Whoa!” He stopped their rolling together and landed on his back. Warm hands gripped her as she came to rest on top of his rock-solid chest, face to face. He chuckled. “You okay, princess?”
The sweetness of his warm breath brushed her lips and tingles of electricity ran over her sides where his hands held her steady. A delectable aroma
of amber and patchouli wafted past her nose. Trinity leaned closer to his neck and inhaled then jerked back, lost in the depths of his dark eyes and chiseled features. His stare penetrated her and his touch stirred something deep inside. “I’m…oh, my….” She bit her lip.
“Are you hurt?” He frowned.
“No.” She rested her palms on his chest. But I don’t think I would notice if I was. My word, you’re handsome. Warmth curled around her spine, followed by giddy tickles in her tummy. Her body responded to the contact and lulled her other senses. In the next instant, she snapped out of her lustful daze. “I’m so sorry.” She eased to sitting.
His hands settled on her hips. “I’m not.”
Trinity’s cheeks burned with embarrassment at the sudden realization she now straddled the stranger she had tackled. “By the gods, please tell me this did not just happen.” She slung her leg over to kneel on the floor and scrambled up. Another set of hands gripped her under the arms and lifted her to her feet.
“You landed pretty hard, are you sure you didn’t get hurt?” A second hunk straightened her glasses and brushed her shoulder off.
“I had a cushion to break my fall.” She smoothed back her hair to find her tight bun had loosened. She brushed away the rogue locks, and her focus landed on another delectable vision.
Damn her glasses. The rose lenses tinted the colors she tried to see, but she would bet her life she gazed up into a brilliant set of emerald eyes, and maybe his shoulder-length hair held an auburn hue? Tall, dark, and yummy. Her kind of fantasy come true.
“If that isn’t the most embarrassing entrance I’ve ever made, I don’t know what is.” She rubbed her temples and huffed with despair. Pressure pounded in her head and had worsened over the week. This situation didn’t help in the least.