Nope, she wasn’t thinking about any of that.
She and Silva worked steadily, for hours, until she was ready to box her orders. But first, she needed to taste a bit and always made a side cake from any batter to make sure it came out well. Silva, used to her manner of working, had her fork ready.
“Should we call the babysitter in here too?” Silva didn’t even look up as she asked, her gaze was firmly on the molding from the lemon cake. The girl had a serious sweet tooth.
“Probably. Hey, Giuliana, there’s free cake in here!”
Silently but lightning fast, Giuliana was at their side, and Kalinda swore her expression was the human form of a dog wagging its tail.
“Can I try them all?”
Kalinda smiled. “Sure. I love when people enjoy my food.”
“The prime rib was amazing. You should really make that for the pack one day. They’d love you forever.”
“It may be on the menu since they’re taking care of me.”
“I’ll let Dominic know.”
Fork in hand, the ladies dug in. Kalinda always added a touch of comfort and love into her food, hoping that when people ate, they’d enjoy a sense of care and release from the stresses of their lives. She’d always loved how her magical gift may not have been something huge and showy, but it still helped people just the same.
“Whoa.”
Kalinda blinked and looked over at Giuliana. “What is it?”
“Um, what did you put in this?” Giuliana gestured at the small red velvet muffin tray she was currently scooping massive bites out of.
“I didn’t put anything beyond my recipe, if that’s what you mean.”
“No,” she cleared her throat, “ingredients meant to get you hot?”
“What?”
“Yeah, I wondered that too,” Silva added, fork hovering over her lemon cake. Her face was flush and her eyes wide as she licked her lips. “This shouldn’t be happening. It shouldn’t be possible.” Her hazy gaze fastened to Kalinda’s. “Okay, we may have a problem with my conception of how old your magic is.”
Come to think of it, Giuliana didn’t look much different, her knuckles white from clenching her fork. And what the hell was Silva talking about?
“What is wrong with you guys?”
“I don’t know, but it’s really hot in here. Can we open some windows?”
Before Kalinda could stop Giuliana from snapping the wards, she’d already done it, muscling through the magic and throwing the bay windows in the kitchen wide open. She fanned herself, pulling at the neckline of her shirt as she sucked in big gulps of air.
Silva danced in her seat, clenching her legs before uncrossing them. She gripped the side of the table and crossed her legs again. Then. She. Moaned. The sort of moan that said, “Right there, and don’t move or you’ll die.” Silva let her head fall and rested her forehead on the table.
Kalinda groaned. “What have I done?”
Chapter Six
Kalinda had two withering women in her kitchen who were craving doing the vertical tango after eating cakes, and she didn’t know what the hell had happened or how to fix it. She raced around, grabbing ice and giving it to them to cool off, but that was an utter disaster.
Giuliana let it slide down into her shirt and damn near ruined the paint under the window when she clawed her way to the floor. And Silva? The ice somehow slipped and fell between her legs. Apparently, cold isn’t deterred by a cotton-based material, and that made Silva’s entire day.
Like, bucking and screaming yes sort of day.
“I’m never cooking again. I swear. Never.”
She tasted her food again. Maybe not be the best idea, but she hadn’t been affected at all by the food she’d made.
