The Beckoning of Broken Things (The Beckoning Series)

by Calinda B

  I wander over to my dog. “Are you okay, pup?”

  Rafe shimmers next to me. “He’ll be okay. The bullet didn’t break the bone. It just nicked him. Your dog is great.”

  “He sure is. He’s a brave, brave dog.”

  “I heard this strange buzzing and saw two dragonflies whizzing over my head. They kept charging my head. They didn’t seem like drones so I let them live. They morphed into Betty and Tom yelling, ‘Gun! He’s got a gun!’ When I turned around, Sober leapt against me, shoving me out of the way of a bullet. That’s when you arrived.” He pauses, working his jaw side to side. “I got so distracted by you, I forgot to put my bullet proof vest on. That can never happen again. I can never afford to be so careless. Even if I am in love with someone whom I’ll never have again.”

  We both look over to Gabriela and Daniel.

  “So,” Rafe begins. “Are you two back together again?”

  I gaze into his summer sky blue eyes. “We have some sorting to do. Just like you and I have to do. I see now that there’s a way to break the binding. All I have to do is find a Light Rebel,” I say sarcastically. “That shouldn’t be hard. That and learn a little Latin.” I sigh.

  “Do you think you’ll break the binding?”

  “I don’t know, Rafe.” I finger a wound on his shoulder. “You should get that looked at.”

  He smiles. “Nah. It will heal right up. I’m still full of the effects of you. Those should last me for a while.”

  I return the smile. “This doesn’t have to be over, you know.”

  “Honestly, no, I don’t know that. The only thing I know is that I can’t afford to make stupid mistakes. Even if this one was worth it.” He gestures back and forth between us. “I’m going to leave you be for a while.”

  I frown. “Where are you going?”

  “I just picked up a job. It’s a short one. I should be back before you know it.”

  “How in the world could you just pick up a job?”

  He shrugs. “I live within a different sense of time.”

  “I guess. Does it involve death and maiming? I know where you can get a good Maimer.”

  He frowns and regards me, puzzled.

  “Never mind. When do you have to leave?”

  He looks up into the strange sky. “Oh, about now, I reckon.” He gazes at me wistfully. “I’m going to miss you.”

  “It’s not over.”

  “We’ll see.” He leans over and bestows a tender kiss on my lips, pressing his warm hand against my cheek.

  It fills me with thoughts of summer sunshine, warped worlds, and red-haired folly. Then, in perfect Stealth Numen form, he fades from view and leaves me, lips parted, staring at Daniel, who’s glaring at me with the most wounded expression I’ve ever seen.

  Chapter 37

  Gabriela smiles at me. She smiles at her son. “You two have some decisions to make. As for me, I get to rebuild my life - as mine.” She glances at Armando. “He used to be a good person. Maybe he will be again.”

  “Do you think he’s still alive?” I ask, slipping beside Daniel.

  “I see his chest moving. It’s subtle. But I’m a skilled healer.”

  “I’m pretty good, myself,” Crazy Betty says, lumbering over to where we all stand.

  “She sure is. She brought me back from death just a short time ago.” Tom strides over and stands next to her. “Is that what you want to do, Gabriela? Heal him?”

  Their voices fade from my attention as I gaze at Daniel. He’s still wearing the “I am so hurt by seeing you kissing Rafe” expression. “Sorry you saw that.”

  “It’s better to face things,” he responds, his mouth set in a crisp line.

  “What I really wanted you to see,” I begin, with my own version of a pout forming. “I really wanted to show you my sword. Rafe showed me where to put it so it’s always by my side.”

  “Good for you. Good for Rafe,” Daniel says in a wooden voice. “He’s been good for you, I can see.”

  I huff and plant my hands on my hips. “Daniel! Is this how our interactions are going to be?”

  “Maybe,” he says. “It all depends on what you decide.”

  “I’m not going to make a snap decision. Give me time.”

  “Take all the time you need,” he says, gazing down at me. “It will be good for me to practice patience with you. But now might not be the time to take that time,” he adds, gazing beyond me. “You might just get a chance to use that sword of yours.”

  My head whips around to see what he’s looking at. “Oh, my God, what are those?” Two freakish beasts slink towards us, stalking us. They look like nightmare panthers. “What are those?”

  “Baby Maimers,” Daniel says. “They’re always getting into trouble. They probably slipped out when we did.”

  “Will you be upset if we kill them?” I mouth my power phrase and slip the Naked Truth from my side.

  “Not at all. Maimers do their job really well, babies or not. They maim.” He crouches slightly. His hands curve into human weapons. “Everyone! Stay very, very still. Marissa and I have got this.”

  I glance at him sidelong and smile. At least he’s not whining about my power.

  “Roger that,” Tom calls. “We’re here for backup if you need us.”

  “Why can’t your mom just shoot them?” I stand, sword poised in front of me, eyes pinned on one of the baby Maimers.

  “They’re not of this world, dulzura. The bullets would just slide through them. Killing them requires magic skills.” His eyes are focused on the other one. “Wait for them to make a move. They’re just kids and don’t know quite what to do. The one on the right - the one you’re staring at - he’s the leader.”

  “Okay,” I whisper. “What does that mean?”

  “He’s going to make the first move. Watch yourself.”

  “I’ve got this.” I’ve never faced a Maimer, but how hard can it be? I’ve got the Naked Truth.

  My Maimer takes a slow, careful step. Its lip curls back to reveal rows and rows of fangs.

  “This isn’t good,” Daniel whispers. “It looks like his mama bedded a Shredder. See those teeth?”

  “Yeah. How can I not see those teeth?”

  “Those are the teeth of a Shredder. They’re poison. Do not let yourself get bit, whatever you do.”

  “Gotcha. You do the same, then.”

  You know how time does all these weird things sometimes? Like, you’re on a picnic and it seems like it stretches for days? Or you want to get out of a situation and it seems like the damn clock won’t move? This is one of those times. I’m standing here, facing possible death and destruction, while time seems to have stopped. And my mind wanders through the last couple of weeks. Being stuck in Brookstone because my aunt and sister thought I was crazy. Having to tell Dr. Beasley what I feel. Dealing with Dr. Bellows. Meeting and falling in love with Rafe. A warm, happy feeling thrums in my chest, thinking of him. We’re not done, I tell him silently.

  If you say so.

  The thought response pops into my head, making me smile. All the things I’ve felt and experienced. Being different. Being misunderstood. Being feared. Being desired. And you know what? I love being me. I love being different. I love being able to manifest whatever I need to out of my imagination. I love being a Light Rebel.

  “Sweetness?”

  Daniel interrupts my little reverie. “Yeah?”

  “Just wanted to make sure you’re with me. You seem preoccupied.”

  “Still here. Sorry, I was just appreciating being me.”

  “I’d like you to be around to appreciate. Stay focused.”

  My Maimer takes another calculated step. Like being flung from a Trebuchet, it leaps at me. There’s no more time to think and congratulate myself for growing. My arm shoots out, trying to connect with his heart. I miss, he swerves. I swirl around, keeping eye contact. The Maimer lunges again, all fangs bared. I focus, aim, and plunge my saber into the beast’s shoulder.

 
An unearthly snarl erupts from his throat.

  “I think I made him mad, Daniel.”

  “I think you’d better do something about that,” Daniel responds. He’s grunting from the exertion of hand to hand combat with his Maimer.

  My Maimer leaps at me in a blur. This time, my sword connects with his abdomen. In one swift move, I wrench it up his ribcage, tearing his chest in two. The Maimer slumps to the ground and disappears with a silvery puff.

  I glance over at Daniel. He’s holding his Maimer by the throat, squeezing its windpipe, shaking it back and forth. Its claws are raking Daniel’s arms as it struggles to get free. Finally, it gives up the ghost and hangs like a rag doll in Daniel’s hands. Daniel flings the creature away from him and it disappears like the other, in a cloud of silver dust.

  “At least there’s no mess to clean up,” I say, wiping my forehead with my free hand. I slip the Naked Truth back into its hiding place. “Pretty cool how magical creatures decompose.”

  “At least there’s that.” Daniel eyes the blood oozing down his arms.

  “Are the claws poisonous?”

  “Sure hope not.” He looks around. “Where’d the others go?”

  I look around, too. “I guess they all took off to deal with Armando or something.” I gaze at his arms, dripping with blood. “Those will need some tending. Don’t want you to bleed out before we’ve sorted things.”

  “No,” he agrees. “Think you can have a go?”

  “I can sure try. I got some practice undoing rat heads and goose heads.”

  He frowns.

  “I’ll tell you later.” I smile. “I’ve had all kinds of experiences while you were away.”

  His mouth presses into a firm line.

  “Not just those kind. Now hold out your arms.” When he does, I imagine painting away the blood, restoring the ragged skin back to new and let his DNA finish the job. “There,” I say, once his skin is healed. I stroke his arms with my lightning-infused palms. “All healed.”

  “This one’s not going to be so easy,” he says, drawing a heart on my chest. “I haven’t exactly given you good reason to trust me.”

  “Nor this one,” I say, making the same outline on his chest.

  “I’m game if you’re game.”

  “I am. At this point, there’s no clear outcome, got it?”

  “Understood, Light Rebel.”

  Our eyes lock. The passion between us bursts into flame. “Before we take this to the next level, think we can get out of Warplanida?”

  “Is that what you call the Shadow Lands?”

  “I do now.”

  “Care to call a cab?”

  “I’ve got a better ride.” I whistle for my winged escort.

  Her wings blow the warped world into even more strangeness as she lands.

  “Can you carry Sober? I’ll need to tend to him, too. I can do it mid-flight.”

  “Sure,” he says, hefting Sober like he’s a cotton puff. Sober licks his face gratefully.

  “Off we go to better things.”

  “Or merely different things.”

  “True. Always different in our world. You’re different. I’m different. My dog is definitely different. And we all make a difference in one another’s lives. To the skies, Chiara!”

  She spreads her shimmering wings and takes off above this strange world I now call Warplandia.

  Chapter 38

  “So,” I say, wandering into the bedroom in the trees wearing nothing but a thong. “How would you like some more make-up sex?” We’ve been at it for over a week now, exploring one another everywhere - in the house, in the barn, in the coffee groves, in the pool, in the gardens, even in the jungle. If there’s space, there’s space to play. Not only has Daniel become bigger, stronger, and more powerful, he’s also become more creative in the sex department.

  Daniel looks up from the reading material he’s poring over. It’s something to do with his mother’s and father’s assets. Now that his mother is back in the controlling seat in his father’s empire, he wants to ensure that all her ducks are in a row. One of his eyebrows arches. His eyes caress me up and down, in a slow, savoring sweep. “Nice outfit,” he declares. “What do you have in mind?”

  The heat in his gaze makes me instantly hot, immediately wet. “Oh, I’m sure I’ve got a few ideas left. Matter of fact, how about we play with these?” I whip a set of handcuffs from behind my back.

  He smiles indulgently at me. “Right. Like you or I could actually be restrained by those wimpy things. What else have you got?”

  I stick my lower lip out at him and drop the metal to the floor. “Well, I could try something else, I suppose.”

  “Such as?” He gathers up all the paperwork, taps it into a neat pile, and places the stack on the side table.

  He’s back to the stubble beard and longish dark hair that he sported when I met him, not the shaggy cave man he was a week ago. His eyes carry a new somber weariness until he looks at me. Then, they spark and glow with love, lust, and occasionally caution and wondering what’s next for us. I still haven’t made any decisions, but I haven’t seen Rafe yet either. I hope he’s okay. I hope he’s better than okay. I miss him.

  Daniel can tell I feel that way. Still soul bound, our minds and hearts are one. But today when he looks at me, all I see is love and lust reflected in those brilliant blue eyes.

  He’s wearing khaki pants, no shirt, and no shoes. There’s something about his bare feet that excites me. I love stroking them and running different parts of my body along them. Maybe they arouse me because they lead up to his powerful legs which I love to run my hands over. Or maybe it’s because they lead to his legs which leads to the apex between his legs, which is a place that provides infinite pleasure, infinite joy.

  “How about this?” I’ve been practicing quickly visualizing something and just as quickly manifesting it. In two flutters of my eyelids, Daniel’s wrists are bound with fibers made of light, affixed to unseen hooks in the wall behind him.

  “What’s this?” He tugs at his wrists. “Oh, you wicked little thing. Think I can’t get out of these?” He tugs some more. Tugs harder. Pulls against his restraints. “How the hell did you do that?”

  “Trade secret,” I say, crawling up between his legs. “I’m going to play geisha servant with a twist of control. You just sit back and relax. I like knowing I can have my way with you.” I’ve learned that fantasy play takes on new meaning when you’re a Light Rebel. I’ve been practicing a few things to share with Daniel today.

  A slow, wicked smile forms on his face. His tongue makes a leisurely slide along his lips. “I see. And what exactly does a geisha servant with a twist do? That sounds like one fine cocktail.”

  I stand up. “First, she dons her most pleasing attire.” My hands run lazily up and down my nearly naked form. As they do, they stroke color and substance to life, until I stand wearing a shimmering, luminescent silk kimono piece - my design. I’ve been studying fashion websites all week, trying to imagine just the right look. My version is a study in blues, turquoise, gold, and reds. It’s a whirl of textures. A high collar extends in the back and frames my face and hair, which has been piled up high atop my head. Long feathers extend from my hair, giving an exotic appeal. My eyes are lined with black kohl, and my lips are painted ruby red.

  I’m wearing the jewels that Daniel gifted me. My Herkimer diamond earrings dangle at the sides of my face. A necklace of five gold strands attached to lapis lazuli encircles my neck. My beautiful emerald necklace hangs at my chest, evoking a wellspring of love. My kimono is parted so that the rare, red diamond, affixed to braided chains hanging loosely around my waist, is revealed. The chains form a triangle. The tip of the triangle rests at the top of my trimmed and waxed pubic hair. Strands of gold form a spider web of filaments in the middle of the triangle. The diamond rests there, sparkling with light. This piece hums with electricity, making me quite aroused. A jasper-encrusted anklet rests on my leg, just atop my foot.
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  “The jewels,” Daniel says, his face full of wonder.

  “They’ve been through a lot.”

  “I can see that. They look even more beautiful than before on you. Their journey has made them all the more beautiful.”

  I know we’re speaking in metaphors, hinting at the things that he and I have experienced while apart. We’ll get to a more direct conversation soon enough.

  The entire costume is just see-through enough to be tantalizing and just opaque enough to leave the viewer panting for more. The viewer in this case is Daniel. He is most definitely panting for more as evident by his very hard cock tenting his khakis and his extremely huge pupils. “Nice,” he breathes. “Oh, how I’d love to fit myself into you right now. Come on, corazón. Let me at least touch myself. I promise to keep my hands to myself.”

  “Oh, no, Mr. Navid. No touching yet.” I wink at him. “Not until I deem you ready.” I crawl onto the bed and sit primly between his feet, my hands clasped, looking demure.

  He groans. Then his eyes narrow. “I’ve still got the use of my legs and feet.” He bends his legs behind me and attempts to pull me toward him.

  “Not for long.” I smile sweetly and lash his legs with the same fibers of light, securing them to the sturdy legs of my wooden bed frame. “There. Where was I? Ah, yes, a bit of soft comfort for my lover.” I imagine silky rabbit fur under his restraints. “Better?”

  “You realize turnabout is going to be extremely satisfying for me, don’t you?”

  A shiver launches up my back. “I look forward to it. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” I gaze at him pointedly. “You’re going to have to trust me, you know.” I imagine a soft blindfold into place. “I realize you thrive in the dark, but I’ll just bet you’ve never experienced what you’re about to experience.” I erase his pants, leaving one long, strong, sculpted, warm brown body to play with. “Mmm.”

  He smiles. “How can I see that gorgeous costume if my eyes are blindfolded?”

  “You saw it once. Now you can see it in your imagination.” I reach under the bed to get a small vial of warmed oil. I’ve been planning this sex play for days.