CHAPTER 16
~ MC under attack ~
The next morning, Callie crawled out of bed when her bladder and the increasingly active baby growing in her belly made it impossible to sleep. After answering the annoyingly persistent call of nature, Callie catches a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror as she is washing her hands. Oddly enough, she doesn’t look nearly as gaunt and fatigued as she had just the day before.
That strange voice which has spoken into Callie’s mind since childhood picks that moment to make herself known again. “You are bonding with your mates, which allows you to draw on their strength.” The regal voice is gentle and reassuring, making Callie smile back at the familiarity of the speaker.
Looking into the mirror, searching for any sign that an actual presence shares her being, instead of some form of insanity making her hear voices. But then again, if I am crazy and imagining all of this would I not think I am perfectly sane? The voice is back, chuckling softly in the deepest recesses of Callie’s consciousness. “You are not mentally ill, little one.” Callie can only nod, but her doubts persist. “After all you have seen and experienced, is the voice in your head that has guided and reassured you throughout your life truly so hard to believe in?”
Callie smiles and almost giggles. “No, I suppose it is not.” Suddenly, her mood turns somber. “I felt you… that night. I felt you keeping me alive when he attacked me. I felt you give me strength.” She closes her eyes as though to hide from the voice. “I was embarrassed to try to explain your presence to Blood and the others when they marveled at my survival.”
The inner voice chuckles. “No worries, little one. They would not have understood. Our connection is something not even the most powerful of the Immortal worlds have ever witnessed.”
“Well, that doesn’t do much to reassure me that I am not losing my marbles,” Callie rejoins with a grin.
“Shower, Little One.” The voice says with amusement plain in her regal tone. “Your vampire and the Morrígan are waiting rather impatiently for you in the hallway.”
“Why?”
“It is La Fey’s duty to protect you, and your vampire is driven by mating instincts and his own moral code to keep you safe.” The voice chuckles again. “He is concerned that you will try to pull back after being embarrassed last night.”
Callie blushes profusely. “I can’t believe I let that happen.”
“Why not?” the companion queries gently. “You are mates. The need to come together in a physical expression of that bond is strong. Sex builds emotional connections and keeps the bond strong. It is certainly nothing to be embarrassed about.”
“But… on the bar top in a strip club?” Callie sputters.
“A strip club which was closed and empty at the time,” the voice reminds gently.
“Until right there at the end…” Callie lets her voice trail off. Deciding to put the subject of her brazen behavior last night on the back burner, Callie asks; “Why are you able to communicate so much with me today? Normally, I can only sense a few sentences or stray thoughts. This is different.”
“We are getting stronger, Little One. Our time is nearly here.”
“What does that mean?” Callie asks, feeling utterly confused.
The hesitancy Callie can sense from her companion is almost a palpable presence. “I’ve likely already shared too much.” The lengthy pause that follows makes Callie think her companion has once again faded away to wherever she goes when Callie is not aware of her nearness. “I’ll never be far away, Callie, not ever again. Not unless you choose to deny me.”
The pregnant woman can’t help but to smile at the promise. “I’d never deny you.”
“We will see,” the voice says ominously. Callie can tell the power of the presence has waned considerably and she wonders if communicating with her tires her companion. “You will be challenged, Little One. But trust in yourself, trust in your mates and follow La Fey’s guidance.”
And with those almost dire words, Callie is quite certain the presence has gone away, or at least faded so much in strength that Callie cannot feel her any longer. “Damn,” Callie whispers to her reflection. “I certainly hope you are not losing your mind, girl.”
Once Callie has showered and dressed in comfy yoga pants and a very loose tunic, she slips her swollen feet into flip flops and opens the door to see that Kazar and Morrígan are, indeed, waiting for her. Kazar’s handsome face lights up upon seeing her, but La Fey looks impatient. Without even giving it much thought, Callie rushes into Kazar’s arms. He wraps her up in his protective embrace and glares over the top of her head at the Celtic-Brythonic war goddess.
“This is sweet and all, but we need to talk,” Morrígan pipes up impatiently.
“Fine,” Kazar huffs at the pushy redhead. “But first, my female needs sustenance.”
“Yes, yes, she does,” Morrígan concedes as though regretting her earlier edginess.
Kazar and Callie stroll hand in hand as they make their way to the kitchen. Callie blushes profusely when the trio encounters Jarome and Rambler on the stairs, but the males simply offer a respectful nod and go on their way. They have nearly made it to the kitchen when Callie finally blurts out the question that has been on her mind since seeing the duo in the hallway. “Where is Nyle?”
“He had to go into town to handle some business,” Kazar says evasively.
“She needs to know,” Morrígan huffs.
“Later,” Kazar rejoins and gives the redhead a malevolent glare.
Callie halts and looks from her friend and her would be mate. “What’s going on?” She gives Kazar an implacable glare that says she won’t tolerate being put off on this subject.
Kazar sighs, almost tiredly, and takes Callie’s small hands into his own. “Someone burned your store down last night. Nyle has gone to deal with matters with the Fire Marshal and see if anything can be salvaged.”
Morrígan snorts and barks out. “It is a total loss. Nothing but a few scorched bricks, metal remnants and some bits of shattered glass remain.”
The callous words of La Fey feel like a punch to her belly. She has worked very hard over the last ten years to purchase the once dilapidated building that housed her store and to build up a clientele, and now it is all gone in just the span of one night. “What about the vault? Did the vault survive?”
“What vault?” Kazar asks quizzically.
“The building was a bank back during the days when this was Indian Territory.” She shakes her head, her sadness over the loss of her property plain to see. “I tried to get the building declared a Landmark, but I ran into a lot of resistance from individuals who wanted to get the block rezoned as residential.” She shakes her head to dismiss thoughts of those now vain struggles. “I stored some especially valuable antiques in that vault, and my most important documents.” She bites the nail of her thumb and murmurs; “I hope the vault, at least, survived.”
Without conscious thought, Callie clings to Kazar as he leads her to the kitchen, where he helps her onto a stool and sets about making breakfast for her. Callie watches enthralled as the graceful vampire moves around the kitchen with apparent practiced ease. “Why does someone who has not eaten food for centuries know his way around a modern kitchen so well?” Callie blushes when she blurts out the question, but doesn’t retract it. She genuinely wants to know more about the men who destiny has proclaimed her mates. Instead, she waits expectantly as Kazar pauses in the middle of whisking eggs for an omelet.
He simply chuckles and returns to his work before replying; “Our other mate also consumes food.” He looks up and the expression in his dark gaze is so sensuous that Callie is suddenly hungry for something very different than food. He shrugs, breaking the spell. “I enjoy caring for my mate… uh, mates.” He looks down at the eggs as though embarrassed to have misspoken.
Callie smiles. “I’m not the only one who has to become accustomed to being part of a threesome.”
Kazar’s head whips up and the look in his eyes is now fierce and blazes with intensity. “We are not a threesome! That word implies a temporary arrangement for mutual pleasure. We are a Triad. Permanent, complete, fated.”
At that moment, Joker and Jenniene stroll into the kitchen. “Ah, adjusting to a triad?” The sexy caramel skinned woman with dark flashing eyes and a mane of wildly kinky curls giggles and casts Callie a look of understanding. “My friend Breena?” She raises a brow as though expecting Callie to know her friend. Callie does not know this Breena, so she simply smiles and waits. “Well, her bestie is part of a triad. Two females and one male. Fionn said the adjustment was worth it… in the end. But he struggled to feel as though he really belonged because Rinda and Annveig were already in a committed relationship before he realized they were both his mates as well.”
The sexy demon bound female, clad in riding leathers and kick ass biker boots, strolls over to the industrial fridge to retrieve a couple of T-bone steaks before making her way to a second stove where she fires up the stove top grill. Callie watches, enthralled, as her mate, Joker, gathers potatoes and moves to stand near Jenniene, deliberately brushing against her body as he moves by. The pair exchange a heated glance and smile that secret smile that belongs only to those deeply in love and confident their love is returned.
After a few moments of flirting with her male, Jenniene resumes her story. “Poor Annie was overwhelmed when she realized Fionn was the third intended to form a mating Triad with her and Rinda.” The woman’s giggle is so sweet and musical that it makes everyone in the kitchen smile. “You see, Annie, who was centuries old at the time, had never been attracted to a male until the mating pull with Fionn kicked in.” She leans over and kisses Joker’s café au lait cheek affectionately before turning to smirk at Callie. “Can you imagine suddenly discovering a passion for the opposite sex when males had previously repulsed you?”
Callie can only shake her head, totally enthralled with watching Jenniene and Joker work side by side. The strength of their mating bond is evident to everyone in the room. But more importantly, the pair are not only fully mated, but also wholly in love with each other. Callie’s heart yearns for that kind of connection with Kazar and Nyle, but her insecurities rear their ugly head, once again, making her doubt the likelihood of ever being as blessed as the pair before her.
Fortunately, before she can dwell any further on such dismal thoughts, Blood, Wrath and Nyle flash into the kitchen. Nyle immediately goes to Callie’s side to ask after her wellbeing. “My building?” she asks after returning his embrace and assuring him she is healthy.
“Sorry, lass. It is a total loss.” She can see the true regret on her would be mate’s handsome face. His blue eyes are filled with compassion. “Don’t fret, Kazar and I can easily pay to have it rebuilt for you.”
Callie sighs softly. “Oh the building and my inventory were insured, but that building was unique. It dated back quite a ways in Oklahoma history. I regret the loss of such a historical treasure as much as I regret losing my business.” She bites her bottom lip and asks; “Did the vault survive?”
“What vault?” Blood asks from where he had been leaning into the massive commercial refrigerator in search of food. “There was no sign of a vault in the remains of the building.”
“That’s impossible,” Callie states emphatically. “It was built into the building. The sucker was about five feet by five feet and had eight inch thick steel walls. The thing had to weigh a ton. Several tons.”
“Hmmm,” Blood says thoughtfully. “It is not in the remains of the building. The fire was magickal. There are barely a few bricks, some scraps of metal objects and some glass shards left in the rubble.”
“Which Fire Marshal investigated the scene?” Kazar asks quietly as he sets a massive, fluffy omelet in front of Callie. Her mouth waters at the sight of the melting cheeses, delicately sautéed mushrooms and peppers, as well as the bits of ham and sliced grilled tomatoes spilling from the fluffy folds of perfectly cooked eggs. She smiles her appreciation at her vampire and digs into the treat with gusto.
“Mmmmm,” she moans her appreciation at the first bite and looks up in confusion at the laughter in the room. That’s when she realizes all eyes in the room are glued on her two mates. She turns her attention to Kazar and Nyle, to realize they are staring at her with a hunger that surpasses the gusto which she attacked her breakfast. “What?” she croaks out around a mouthful of delicious food.
Nyle steps forward, as though drawn to her by an irresistible force. “Aingeal míne, if you persist in making those sounds when you eat…”
Jenni giggles. “Your mates might… uh… lose control.”
“No one is using the bar top at the moment,” a droll voice quips from the doorway.
Callie blushes profusely and looks up to see Rambler leaning against the door frame with a wicked smirk on his handsome, bearded face. “That’s just rude,” she chastises sincerely and looks down at her plate. Suddenly, the delicious fare has lost its appeal.
When the embarrassed female hears a smacking sound and familiar voice, she looks up to see Wrath’s mate, Gin standing beside the bearded blond psychic warrior. When she moves to smack him upside his head again, Rambler ducks and casts a baleful glare at the raven haired beauty. “Don’t be such an ass, boy. When the mating pull strikes you, you will finally understand.”
Rambler simply snorts disbelievingly and ambles away, muttering something about riding to the diner to find a meal since the kitchen is filled with uptight assholes. Gin is giggling as she strolls into the room, where she is wrapped up in Wrath’s powerful arms and soundly kissed. Once the lovers break apart, Callie is once again moved nearly to tears by the depth of the connection between yet another set of mates.
Gin blushes when she realizes she has become the center of attention. She moves to sit beside Callie at the breakfast bar and giggles. “Rambler is a good guy, he’s just tortured with the influx of thoughts and psychic energy that swamps him. He tends to act like a fourteen year old boy at times to compensate.” The younger woman smiles engagingly and then shrugs. “At least, that’s my theory.” She giggles again. “You know, I pity the poor girl who fate decides to hook up with that boy.”
She gently nudges Callie with her shoulder and looks down meaningfully at the plate filled with Kazar’s culinary masterpiece. “Eat, Callie. You and the baby need the sustenance.”
Callie simply swallows hard and looks away from her friend as Wrath moves to stand behind his mate. The Viking behemoth places a loving and possessive hand on Gin’s shoulder and leans down to kiss her tousled raven locks. She looks around the room to see if anyone else is as uncomfortable in the face of so much mated bliss, and notices Nyle has a possessive arm over Kazar’s shoulder as her mates watch her expectantly, wanting her to resume eating. But it’s the expression on Blood’s face which makes her realize she is not the only one feeling left out by the overabundance of mating magick in the room. She cannot help but wonder if Blood has a thing for Gin.
The sabretooth shifter turns abruptly to glare at her and Callie remembers, belatedly, that Blood can hear her thoughts. Probably without even trying, if what Rambler said last night is true. “It’s true,” Blood’s voice booms in her head. Callie blushes and scurries to take a bite of her omelet. The previously delicious combination of eggs, cheese and vegetables now tastes like sawdust in her mouth. “I’m not angry with you, Little One.” She can actually hear the leader of the Twin Ravens sigh tiredly in her head. “I do not pine after my friend’s female. I long for my own.” Callie simply nods as though responding to a spoken comment. “You see, my fated mate is near. Under this very roof, in fact. But I am forbidden from claiming her.”
Callie’s heart breaks for the terrifying but tenderhearted Immortal enforcer. She wonders what all of that means, but realizes the details are not something she really needs to know. She simply aches with the knowledge that this male who does so much to protect and care for so many is denied his heart’s greatest desire. “Perk up, Callie. It will not always be so.” She looks up from her food and smiles wanly at Blood to acknowledge his last telepathic message.
That is when she realizes the conversation in the room had resumed and she had been wholly unaware. She tries to pick up the thread of the conversation, as they talk about someone named Del Fuoco and elemental magick. When Nyle comes forward to set a very tall glass filled with apple juice and ice cubes in front of her, she smiles her thanks up at her would be mate before trying to once again understand what Blood, Wrath, and Kazar are discussing. Nyle seems to understand her confusion because he leans down to speak quietly to her. “Del Fuoco is an Elemental Mage. Fire is his element. He is also the chief arson investigator with the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation. Because of a bit of magickal tomfoolery with mortal minds, he is the one who is always called in whenever a fire is set by magickal means.”
Kazar picks up the explanation. “Magickal fires do not leave any trace of accelerant and yet are obviously not natural. Del Fuoco’s mate is an Alchemist who works in the OSBI’s lab and she handles processing the evidence from the scene of any magickal fire. She fabricates evidence that mortals can understand.”
“Wow!” Callie breathes. “Why do I get the feeling that much of what we mortals perceive as reality isn’t the entire story?”
“Because you are not a stupid woman,” Morrígan rejoins drolly. “Your eyes have been opened, rather forcefully, to the magickal world all around you.”
“Whoever set the fire at your building probably moved the vault before doing so,” Wrath says thoughtfully.
“And that means you had something that someone, likely the Dark One’s minions, wanted or needed in that vault,” Morrígan supplies with a frown. “But what?”
Callie shrugs and takes a bite of her omelet. “I don’t know. There wasn’t anything of any real value in there. Just a few pieces of antique jewelry, some random antique knick knacks, and an ornately carved wooden box I found at a flea market. My business and personal documents, plus a few old vintage fur stoles I picked up at an online auction right before the attack.” She shakes her head slowly. “There was nothing of any real consequence, at least not to anyone but me.”
Before anyone can comment on Callie’s revelation, an eardrum shattering boom resounds throughout the building. “What the heck?” Callie whispers, looking to Kazar and Nyle for reassurance. But she doesn’t find any comfort in their handsome faces. Her males look worried. Very worried.
Before her brain can kick in to formulate a question Tara, Tank, and Boomer rush into the room. “We are under attack,” Tara states without even a hint of the emotion betrayed by her vivid crimson eyes, the only indication the vampire witch is not as calm as her tone suggests. Blood, Wrath, and Gin flash out of the room while Joker and Jenniene abandon their breakfasts of grilled steak and home fries to run out of the kitchen. “Kazar, Nyle, take your female upstairs. Please watch out for the club girls as well,” Tara says before flashing out of the kitchen, apparently to join the battle they can all hear raging outside.
Nyle scoops Callie into his arms and speeds from the room and up the stairs. When they enter the common room of what is commonly called the club girl suite, Callie is pleasantly surprised to see the frail blond boy she had met weeks ago, Colby, sitting with Susie and a few other club girls. Susie and Colby are comforting the scared mortals, but the blond waif of a young man looks startled when the trio barge into the room.
Nyle growls at the blond man. “What the hell are you doing here, Sangue di Demone?”
Susie rises to her feet and glares at Nyle, while Callie wants to smack him for his rude tone. But the frail looking male simply shrugs. “I arrived with Agnar and Leo for some meeting they were to attend with your leader. When the vampires, ghouls, and blood wraiths appeared in the parking lot, I decided to come check on my friends.” He looks over at the mortal club girls with an uncertain smile on his almost pretty face.
Susie moves to position herself between the suspicious shifter and the dangerous warlock, as though the slightly built young man actually needs her to shield him. “He’s my friend, and you should be more polite, Celt.”
With this, Callie rolls her eyes and smacks Nyle’s shoulder. “Behave, mate.” Nyle looks at her with a pleased expression because she called him mate. “And put me down. I can walk to the couch.”
Susie giggles and smiles at her friend. “I’ve seen this before. You should have seen Coyote making a fool of himself, trying to protect River when he didn’t need the protection. And Wrath is crazy protective of Gin, even though it turns out she is nearly as bad-ass as he is.” The lovely blond club girl simply smiles and winks. “It’s the mating instinct, they just cannot help themselves.”
Sounds of the battle raging outside of the clubhouse draw everyone’s attention to the wall of windows which overlook the parking lot of the MC’s compound. Kazar, who had instantly understood Colby didn’t pose a threat to anyone at the MC, not because he doesn’t have some serious abilities at his disposal, but because the young warlock is a wounded soul who doesn’t want to harm anyone, had pretty much ignored the young warlock and gone directly to look out the window. From his position, he can easily watch the combatants clash outside. “I cannot believe they attempted a full frontal assault in broad daylight.” He turns to seek his lover’s gaze. “Nyle, do you think they are after our Callie?”
“Of course, they are,” Colby says quietly. He smiles almost apologetically at Callie before continuing. “Look, I don’t know what’s going on with Callie, but I think Leo does. Or at least, I think he suspects.” The diminutive blond bites his bottom lip and seems to be carefully considering his next words. “Leo said the Dark One’s forces are desperate to distract the Twin Ravens so that they can get at Callie. He didn’t say why, but I get the feeling it is in everyone’s best interests to keep her safe.”
Nyle snorts and casts a scornful glare at the younger male. “Upstart warlock,” the shifter seethes. “You think protecting our mate is not our priority?”
Colby ignores the jab and simply shakes his head before glancing over quickly at Susie and the other mortal women. “But I think you should consider taking her away from other mortals. Someplace those who wish her harm cannot cause a bunch of collateral damage.”
“Why?” Kazar asks with an earnest expression. “Do you have some sort of prophetic ability, boy?”
Again, the young warlock simply shakes his head. “No. Nothing like that. But I was raised by an evil, callous, rogue immortal who cares about nothing but his own needs and wants. I understand the mindset.” He looks at Callie and somberly proclaims; “And these rogues obviously want Callie, and that baby she carries, dead.”
Suddenly, Callie feels quite foolish for wasting her time and energy fretting about her mating with two immortals. She is painfully reminded that she has to survive in order to complete the mating bond. With quiet determination, she moves to stand between Kazar and Nyle as the triad watches the battle unfold. The utter brutality of the clash unfolding below sickens her very soul. “This is all happening because of me?” she whispers dejectedly.
Susie moves to stand behind her friend, offering a comforting squeeze to Callie’s shoulder. “It is not your fault, Callie. There will always be those who are willing to destroy the innocent to achieve their own means. Fortunately, there will also always be those who are willing to defend them as well.”
Kazar tightens his comforting embrace around Callie’s body and watches the bloody confrontation below. The words the young psychic warrior spoke last night come back to Kazar and he begins to formulate a new plan to protect their mate. He also realizes the young warlock’s assertion that truly evil souls do not care who gets hurt in the pursuit of their goals is absolutely correct. Hiding Callie at the MC until the baby comes no longer seems to be the most sensible option. Not at all.