Page 111 of Destined Paranormals: Volume One

“That’s the sandstorm?”

“It is. They are normally unpredictable and just pop up, but this one has been tracked moving across the desert. It subsided, then grew again. The air currents are what causes them, and right now, they are favorable for this,” Calum said, pointing at the darkness that was outside.

“It doesn’t look nice,” I told him.

Calum wrapped an arm around my chest and pulled me back into his. I stood there with him behind me as we stared out at the ugliness that was outside. “It’s not nice. It’s difficult to breathe during them, and if you’re exposed to them for prolonged periods, they can cause lasting negative effects. I’m not sure how that would impact us, to be honest. We heal different than humans, but there are nasty things in the sand.”

I shook my head. “No, thanks. Can I just have the snow in Montana instead?”

Calum chuckled, and when he did, my head bounced a little because it was leaning against his chest. “Yes, you can. I messaged my dad. He’s still asleep, most likely, and the storm will make connections difficult, but I asked him to send me some places to live. I’m looking to purchase, so I don’t necessarily want something that is on pack or den lands.”

“Can you do that?” I asked. I tilted my head and looked up at Calum. He moved enough to where he could kiss my nose and did. I couldn’t help but smile at that.

“I can. Did you wish to live with the pack or the den?”

I shrugged. “I don’t have much of an opinion on it either way, to be honest. I’ll live wherever you are most comfortable. You’re the shifter, so where you want to live so you can shift is good with me.”

Calum smiled. “You’re so sweet. But I don’t have to have the ability to shift and run wherever I live. Even as an alpha, I’m not that large when shifted. I can shift in the house and run around in there.”

“Oh. Yeah, I guess you could, couldn’t you?”

Calum nodded. “But when I visited, I just went up to Treasure Ridge and shifted there. It’s where the council is, and with Benjamin being an enforcer, he lives up there in enforcer housing.”

“And that’s a safe space, right?” There was so much to learn, and I was trying to remember everything so my mate wouldn’t have to keep repeating himself.

“It is. Treasure Ridge is a mountain. The council has settled there, and what was once a small thunder of dragons is now a growing town on top of a mountain. It’s warded by Master Edison and his warlocks and is completely hidden from humans that know nothing about us.”

That was incredibly fascinating. “So much information. I’m trying to absorb it all, but I’m sure I’ll ask about things at least one more time.”

Calum chuckled and shook his head. “You can ask all you need. Now, I’m finished with work, and I know that it’s been a while since you have had anything to eat. Would you like to order room service?”

I glanced at the storm outside once more before I turned and looked up at my mate, my hands resting on his chest. “I would. I’m not sure what they have, or what I’ve had or will know what everything is, but I trust you and your judgment. You’ve been in this realm your entire life, and you have eaten here before.”

Calum leaned down and gave me another one of those forehead kisses. I closed my eyes and sighed a little. Yes, those were actually really nice. He was right about them being innocent.

“Well, room service is available twenty-four hours a day, and we can get it from any of the hotel dining, so it’s just a matter of what you want to try. There’s a fairly authentic English pub, and it has your typical pub food. There’s Indian cuisine, as well as Asian foods.” Calum walked across the room and picked up a thin book. He took it to the table and gestured for me to join him. When he held out the chair, I sat and discovered it was a booklet with the dining choices.

Immediately, I knew there was no way I was going to know what I wanted. I looked up at my mate and shook my head. “Just order two of whatever you’re having. Or something that you’ve had before and loved. This is…” I glanced at the booklet and shook my head again. “This is a lot. I’ll never be able to decide, but I don’t have reactions to any foods that I know of, and I’m not a picky eater as far as I know.”

Calum nodded. “All right. I can do that.” Calum turned the thick pages until he found what he was looking for. He then went back to the small table that the booklet had been on and picked up the phone. This one wasn’t a cell phone though. He pressed a number and, after a moment, started talking about food. He requested fish and chips and shepherd’s pie, and he mentioned something about two pieces of cake. I wasn’t sure what all that was, but I was completely trusting my mate not to steer me wrong.

“It will be here within thirty minutes. Would you like to maybe move your bag into the bedroom?” Calum asked as he walked back over toward me.

I glanced at where I’d dropped it by the door. “Yeah, I can do that,” I told him. I closed the book, placing it back on the couch, and went over to where my bag was and picked it up. It was bulky, and I probably should have packed lighter, but I wasn’t going to get to return to get my things. This was all that I had now. Everything that I owned was in this bag, and that honestly wasn’t a whole lot.

I followed Calum into the other room, and my breath caught at the sight. The bed was neatly made and was in the middle of the far wall. But the wall to our right was nothing but windows. It was a wall of glass, and I would guess if we could see, it had an amazing view of the river and the city beyond. Right now, it was just brownish in color outside.

“It’s gorgeous at night,” Calum said.

“I’ll take your word for it. Maybe I’ll see it before we leave?”

He nodded as he reached for the bag. “You will. We won’t be able to leave for several days. Especially not if you end up in a fertile period.”

I thought about that and suddenly realized that we couldn’t do that here. I frantically started shaking my head, but Calum was turned away from me and couldn’t see. When he turned back my way, he could tell something was wrong. Or maybe he’d sensed it before he turned?

“What’s wrong?”

“I can’t have a fertile period in a hotel. There are other people here, are there not?”