“Not people.” He took her other hand. “You.”
She opened her mouth to say something surely witty—if only she could have thought of something—but he’d already dropped her hands.
A deep chuckle rumbled in his chest. “Let’s get you some dinner.”
“I already ate,” she said, trying to ignore the beat of her pounding pulse.
“Did you?” He rested his chin on his hands and looked at her. “And what did you have?”
“A peanut butter and jelly sandwich,” she told him.
He looked horrified. “That’s not even food.”
“How is that not food?”
“It just isn’t,” he said, as though that were that, no need for further discussion.
“And what do you consider food?” she asked.
He didn’t even need to think about it. “A steak,” he said immediately.
Sera gave her eyes a long, slow roll. A steak. Of course.
“Which is why I ordered you one,” he continued. “You need your strength.”
“You ordered me a steak?”
He nodded.
“At a nightclub?”
“Yes,” he said.
“And you expect it will actually taste good?”
“Of course. I’ve had their steak before. This isn’t just any club. And this isn’t just any city.”
Sera tore her eyes away from the groping couples on the dance floor. “I see.”
“Just give it a try. If you don’t like it, I’ll eat it,” Kai said as the bartender set a large plate down in front of her.
Her stomach betrayed her, greeting her dinner’s arrival with a growl. “Ok.” She poked the steak with her knife. It looked normal. And the fact that it didn’t poke her back spoke in its favor. “I am hungry. Naomi and I trained hard this afternoon. Do you have any idea how much it hurts to be blasted with Fairy Dust thirty-eight times in a row?”
“No.”
Of course he didn’t. The military had shot tank ammunition at him, and he’d claimed it only tickled. It must have been nice to have super-defenses. She poked the steak again.
“Sera.”
She looked up from her plate. “Yes?”
“If you don’t stop torturing that steak, I’ll be forced to save it from you.”
She pointed her fork at him. “Says the man who steps on people.”
“Only if they annoy me.” A feral grin curled his lips. “Now eat.”
Sera cut off a piece of the steak and set it into her mouth. As she began to chew, salt and seasoned butter melted against her tongue, splashing it with a dozen subtle flavors. The only steak she’d ever had this good was that one from Illusion. Which Kai had also gotten her. The dragon sure knew his meat.
“And?” he asked.
“It’s really good. It doesn’t taste at all like bar food,” she replied, cutting off another piece.
“Maybe you’ve been going to the wrong bars,” the bartender said, sliding a glass of red wine across the counter to her.
She smiled at him. “Maybe I have.”
Kai took the second wine glass, frowning as he swirled it around in his hand. “Are you flirting with Connor?”
“Why? Are you jealous?” she asked, grinning as the bartender walked away.
Kai’s eyes narrowed. “It’s a good thing we switched to wine. That glowing cocktail went to your head. You’re being silly.”
“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m always silly.”
“On that we can agree.” He sipped from his glass. “Tell me about your training session at Mayhem.”
Right. Straight back to business then.
“Naomi and I spent two hours in the gym,” Sera said. “She blasted me with Fairy Dust. She has some elemental spells too. They’re not so bad alone, but the Dust mixed with the elemental magic hurt like hell. I thought my hands would freeze off. Or burn off. It depended on what combo she was using.”
“It sounds like good training for you.”
“Losing my hands?” she asked.
“Facing different varieties of magic.”
“Yep. That’s why I asked Naomi to train with me.”
“And did you practice stringing your spells together like we talked about?” he asked.
“Uh, so… The thing is my magic wasn’t cooperating so well. I might have used some magic or another during the fight. You know, in between repelling her with those big ropes that hang from the walls and ceiling.”
“I see.”
Sera hadn’t believed anyone could pack so much disappointment into so few words. It…hurt. Yes, hurt. She could be mature and admit that she cared what Kai thought about her. Admit to herself anyway. Not to him. No way, no how.
“But I did kick Cutler’s ass on the way to the gym,” she told him. “And I only used magic. Lots of magic. With lots of stringing spells.”
“Good.”
He glanced across the club. A group of mages was sitting on a big sofa, Cutler and his unfortunate date included. Cutler met Kai’s stare for a moment—then hastily looked away.
“I hope you’re not going to pull him around back and beat him bloody,” Sera said.
“I don’t have to. Apparently, you already kicked his ass.”
She snorted.
“Are you going to eat that?” he asked, pointing to her steak.
She opened her mouth to say something surely witty—if only she could have thought of something—but he’d already dropped her hands.
A deep chuckle rumbled in his chest. “Let’s get you some dinner.”
“I already ate,” she said, trying to ignore the beat of her pounding pulse.
“Did you?” He rested his chin on his hands and looked at her. “And what did you have?”
“A peanut butter and jelly sandwich,” she told him.
He looked horrified. “That’s not even food.”
“How is that not food?”
“It just isn’t,” he said, as though that were that, no need for further discussion.
“And what do you consider food?” she asked.
He didn’t even need to think about it. “A steak,” he said immediately.
Sera gave her eyes a long, slow roll. A steak. Of course.
“Which is why I ordered you one,” he continued. “You need your strength.”
“You ordered me a steak?”
He nodded.
“At a nightclub?”
“Yes,” he said.
“And you expect it will actually taste good?”
“Of course. I’ve had their steak before. This isn’t just any club. And this isn’t just any city.”
Sera tore her eyes away from the groping couples on the dance floor. “I see.”
“Just give it a try. If you don’t like it, I’ll eat it,” Kai said as the bartender set a large plate down in front of her.
Her stomach betrayed her, greeting her dinner’s arrival with a growl. “Ok.” She poked the steak with her knife. It looked normal. And the fact that it didn’t poke her back spoke in its favor. “I am hungry. Naomi and I trained hard this afternoon. Do you have any idea how much it hurts to be blasted with Fairy Dust thirty-eight times in a row?”
“No.”
Of course he didn’t. The military had shot tank ammunition at him, and he’d claimed it only tickled. It must have been nice to have super-defenses. She poked the steak again.
“Sera.”
She looked up from her plate. “Yes?”
“If you don’t stop torturing that steak, I’ll be forced to save it from you.”
She pointed her fork at him. “Says the man who steps on people.”
“Only if they annoy me.” A feral grin curled his lips. “Now eat.”
Sera cut off a piece of the steak and set it into her mouth. As she began to chew, salt and seasoned butter melted against her tongue, splashing it with a dozen subtle flavors. The only steak she’d ever had this good was that one from Illusion. Which Kai had also gotten her. The dragon sure knew his meat.
“And?” he asked.
“It’s really good. It doesn’t taste at all like bar food,” she replied, cutting off another piece.
“Maybe you’ve been going to the wrong bars,” the bartender said, sliding a glass of red wine across the counter to her.
She smiled at him. “Maybe I have.”
Kai took the second wine glass, frowning as he swirled it around in his hand. “Are you flirting with Connor?”
“Why? Are you jealous?” she asked, grinning as the bartender walked away.
Kai’s eyes narrowed. “It’s a good thing we switched to wine. That glowing cocktail went to your head. You’re being silly.”
“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m always silly.”
“On that we can agree.” He sipped from his glass. “Tell me about your training session at Mayhem.”
Right. Straight back to business then.
“Naomi and I spent two hours in the gym,” Sera said. “She blasted me with Fairy Dust. She has some elemental spells too. They’re not so bad alone, but the Dust mixed with the elemental magic hurt like hell. I thought my hands would freeze off. Or burn off. It depended on what combo she was using.”
“It sounds like good training for you.”
“Losing my hands?” she asked.
“Facing different varieties of magic.”
“Yep. That’s why I asked Naomi to train with me.”
“And did you practice stringing your spells together like we talked about?” he asked.
“Uh, so… The thing is my magic wasn’t cooperating so well. I might have used some magic or another during the fight. You know, in between repelling her with those big ropes that hang from the walls and ceiling.”
“I see.”
Sera hadn’t believed anyone could pack so much disappointment into so few words. It…hurt. Yes, hurt. She could be mature and admit that she cared what Kai thought about her. Admit to herself anyway. Not to him. No way, no how.
“But I did kick Cutler’s ass on the way to the gym,” she told him. “And I only used magic. Lots of magic. With lots of stringing spells.”
“Good.”
He glanced across the club. A group of mages was sitting on a big sofa, Cutler and his unfortunate date included. Cutler met Kai’s stare for a moment—then hastily looked away.
“I hope you’re not going to pull him around back and beat him bloody,” Sera said.
“I don’t have to. Apparently, you already kicked his ass.”
She snorted.
“Are you going to eat that?” he asked, pointing to her steak.
