Chapter One
“Not now,” Kalinda Thorton muttered under her breath. “Anytime but now.”
Her magic was a fickle bitch. Weak and barely noticeable most of her life, it had been flaring up explosively for the last few months at the worst possible moments. She felt the weird, prickly energy that warned her the strength of her magic was shooting through the roof for no logical reason, which meant her coordination would be wobbly and spills were a serious risk.
She smoothed down her black tuxedo jacket over her black skirt and slowly counted to ten. When that didn’t work, she rubbed the tingling spot over her heart and took a deep breath. Kalinda had been dealing with aggravating heart palpitations, tingling, and weird bursts of her normally less-than-stellar magical ability.
Running Kalinda’s Katering in Encantado, Nevada, was a headache to begin with. Portal cities weren’t all glitz and glamour like the outside world believed. Battles, attacks, and paying for protection all ran rampant in the city of sin.
Kalinda stood straight and, by sheer effort of will, forced her hands to stop trembling. Just a couple of hours and then on to the next client, K. You’ve got this.
Kalinda stopped long enough to check her braid wasn’t out of place in the mirror then went on her way to check on her guests. Rock Landing was the place for Viscount Pride parties, and she’d served here often enough to have the layout memorized.
One platter, a delicious Thai noodle in spicy peanut sauce, was left to the side, and she grabbed it, stifling the urge to fuss. The Leo of the Viscount Pride shouldn’t have been left waiting to be served.
“Table two is looking for another helping. Get it done,” Silva called, her short legs already carrying her away and out of the preparation area as the other servers plated her requests. Kalinda grabbed it, happy at least one of her girls was moving and getting stuff done.
“I’ve got table two. Keep going with the rest,” Kalinda ordered and headed out.
A loud buzz of conversation thrummed in her ears. The pride was rowdy. Some were eating, while others mingled and joked, and a pair of lionesses circled each other readying to start a mock fight over a plate of steak tartare between them.
What is it with cats and playing with their food?
Kalinda danced around them, setting table two’s plate down with a flourish. “Enjoy!”
The young cub at the table growled his thanks, and she continued on her way.
Okaaaaaaaaaay.
The Leo, Orion Viscount, sat in a throne-like chair, wrapped in a custom-cut tan suit that did nothing but blend with the blond mane around his shoulders. The thick waves were shaggy and rough, just like the animal that lived within him, and his rounded ears stuck out. He surveyed the happenings around him from his elevated perch, a single round table in front of him and a female at his side. Kalinda thought they called their enforcers “chargers.”
Built like an Amazon, and a head taller than Kalinda’s own six feet, the charger turned her golden eyes on Kalinda and sniffed the air before nodding her head imperceptibly to continue. Prides tended to have a male at the head, with a few other males in positions of rank, but were mostly dominated by women.
Half the damn cubs here are probably the Leo’s.
Orion Viscount drank his wine from an enormous glass and pretended he was too important to acknowledge Kalinda’s approach. Whatever. His disdain didn’t bother her. As her mother would have said: “Consider the source.”
Orion’s eyes coldly swept the room as if he were thinking, “I pity you peons for not being able to sneeze on money and flush it down the toilet. Bwahahaha!”
“Your meal is served, Leo. I wanted to bring it personally and thank you for your continued use of Kalinda’s Katering. If there is anything else, don’t hesitate to ask.”
Was that sarcasm? Nah, only in her head.
He finally turned his head and sniffed the air. “Your service is appalling, and your magic fouls the air, mage.”
And you’re about two seconds from having my stiletto in your eye, pussy cat.
Kalinda smiled sweetly. “Enjoy!”
She was not going to respond to him the way he deserved just because it would make her temporarily feel better. Any trouble she caused would rile up his pride and put her employees in danger, and her prime job was to protect her girls. Sure, they might have to deal with an occasional groping shifter or touchy daywalker, but she’d taught her girls how to handle them too.
A well-placed foot or elbow helped a lot of that.
Her cheeks were hurting from smiling so hard, and she turned to leave, but a sudden screech stopped her in her tracks. The room became deafeningly silent as she spun around.
“You’ve killed me.”
The Leo’s deep voice had suddenly gone high-pitched and whiny. She blinked for a few seconds, wondering exactly how the Leo had attained that level of octave before she snapped back reality.
