This made no sense. While he may have known of Silva from her Fae heritage, he shouldn’t have known her connection to Kalinda.
Not exactly.
Kalinda had to admit Silva was always with her. She was right beside Kalinda at her acceptance speech to the people of Encantado when she took office. Silva posted regularly on LeafBook. The whole of Encantado may not have been aware of what Silva was to Kalinda, but they at least could see how important they were to each other.
Their very open friendship had put Silva in danger, and from an angle none of them could foresee. Kalinda hadn’t learned much about the Fae relations, figuring that world was forever closed off. Now she wished she’d pushed a bit more. That she’d asked Silva about it all and understood the truth.
It may be too late.
Another flash grabbed Kalinda’s attention. This time, the wolf was closer, lifting its muzzle in Kalinda’s direction for a moment before a howl ripped through the space. Kalinda shuddered at the sound.
With the shifters, she had learned to recognize a sense of humanity within them. This wolf had none. It was all predator. All power.
The wolves behind Kieran got to their feet, but the largest wolf once more stood to the front and stared down the wolf beside them.
“It’s an animal, not shifter. Get back in line.”
The larger beast growled at Kieran but pushed back. Its eyes never left the scarred wolf to Kalinda’s side.
Where had the wolf come from?
Kalinda didn’t remember there being wild wolves anywhere in Encantado. In fact, she didn’t know too many animals that were native to the area. Anything that could walk on four legs could also walk on two when they chose. So it made no sense for there to be a lone wolf.
Without her magic, Kalinda couldn’t reach out to read or get a sense of anything more though. She was trapped, much like a human, with no extra support. She didn’t realize how much she’d come to rely on those gifts until she couldn’t access them.
It was like being cut off from a limb.
“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”
“Then don’t do this, Kieran.”
He shook his head. “I don’t have a choice. She deserves to die for what she did. And today, I will kill her.”
“No!”
But Kieran wasn’t listening. He’d already turned away. The portal he’d called before opened up again at the wave of one of his Fae, and he stepped inside. His men and the wolves he’d brought trailed in behind him.
When he looked to Kalinda, the rage and sorrow battled in his gaze.
He’d kill Silva because he had to.
And Kalinda would do everything she could to save her.
They were enemies by circumstance.
Life tended to give shit cards, didn’t it?
Chapter Fourteen
All combatants to me!
Dominic’s call blasted through Pasquale’s head and made him shoot up from bed. Giuliana, a constant guest in his home, did the same. They’d barely gotten to sleep after meeting with the Boulder wolves about the Renegades.
Stuffing his legs into his pants, he surveyed Giuliana. She was still trembling, the force of her remembered memories from the night before still holding her in their grip. He hated they’d had to get out of bed so quickly after she’d finally fallen asleep. But they’d been tired from going after Kalinda until Silva completely healed. While Zahara had restored her skin and wings, internally, the magic that tore Silva to shreds had done insurmountable damage. And as a Fae, she didn’t operate the same way a mage would under the witch doctor’s care.
Silva’s full recovery made them all pissed and edgy. Especially Romano. He’d been pacing the grounds, his rage and helplessness sparking a few attempts to go steal back his mate.
All stopped by Dominic, who knew going against enemies they weren’t prepared for would be suicide. At least Kieran sent a daily proof-of-life photo directly to Romano’s phone, but none of them knew how long that would last.
