“So you’ve decided to play matchmaker?”
“No, but I think you owe it to Kai—to yourself—to give him a chance,” Riley said. “Just look at all he’s done to help you. And to keep your secret, even though he doesn’t know what it is. He’s putting himself into a difficult position by helping you.”
“How do you know?”
“Because he and I are friends, and we talk.”
“Complaining about me, is he?”
“No. He’s mentioned that he’s worried about you. He knows you’re scared of your magic, and he wants to help you. He is helping you. And it’s costing him.”
“How?” Sera asked.
“I’m not sure exactly. Kai doesn’t talk about that part, but I’m not stupid. I can read between the lines. And I’ve overheard stuff. He’s put himself between you and the Magic Council, and they’re not happy about it. The Council has a feeling you’re special, and they always get suspicious when someone pretends to be human who’s not. Most people exaggerate their magic, not hide it.”
“I suppose that’s true,” she said, stealing a glance at the bathroom door. Naomi had turned on the shower in the bathroom, but Sera lowered her voice and leaned in closer anyway. “Riley, the thing is, well, I know you and Naomi and Alex mean well. But I can’t really afford to care about Kai.” Or kiss him again. “He’s dangerous. He sits on the Magic Council, and that means he upholds their laws. My very existence is against those laws.”
“I told you he’s been protecting you from the Magic Council.”
“Because he doesn’t know what I am.” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “An abomination.”
“Sera, you’re not—”
“Every supernatural in the world has grown up believing that I am, Kai included. The moment he found out, he would turn me in.”
“Kai wouldn’t,” Riley said.
“I wouldn’t do what?”
The shadow of Kai’s magic loomed over her—or maybe that was just the shadow of her impending doom. She turned to look at him.
“You wouldn’t turn into a dragon in the fighting pit. There’s no space,” Riley spoke before Sera could. It was a good thing too because she had no idea what to say. She’d probably just have made some sarcastic comment.
“That’s not entirely true,” Kai said. “The Magic Games fighting pit is very large. There’s plenty of room for a dragon.”
“Does that mean you will be bringing out the dragon today?” Sera asked him, suppressing a cringe. Fighting elemental mage Kai was bad enough. She was far too tired to fight dragon shifter Kai at this hour.
He looked at her empty bowl. “Are you ready to go?”
“Yes,” she sighed, not missing the fact that he hadn’t actually answered her question. “I just need to grab my bag.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The Fighting Pit
THE WORDS ‘MADISON Square Garden’ loomed over Sera in big, raised letters. Groups of scurrying mages crisscrossed the cavernous lobby, their boots echoing off a pale marble sheet that resembled an ice rink more than a floor. They strung lights and magic from the pillars and railings. They didn’t stop as she and Kai passed by, though a few of them did slow down just long enough to scowl at her. Maybe they didn’t approve of her clothes. Sera looked down at her pants. So maybe they weren’t pristine, but they weren’t really that dirty. Especially considering that this morning’s training session with Kai had been a fifty-stringed combo of some pretty spectacular kickings of her ass. She’d hit the mud more times than a three-legged centaur.
Shuddering at the memory, she folded her giant pizza slice in half and took a bite. It washed all that pain right away.
“I don’t think they like that you brought food in here,” Kai said.
“They have basketball games here. And hockey games. And concerts. If they can put up with sweaty guys, hot dogs, and half-empty beer cans, they can deal with my pizza too.”
“Perhaps we should have eaten at a proper restaurant instead of ordering from an establishment with one counter and no chairs. Then we wouldn’t have needed to eat on the street.”
She smiled at him. “The lack of chairs didn’t stop you from snarfing down six slices.”
“Snarf?” A crinkle formed between his eyes.
“Yes, snarf. You ate them faster than they could make more,” she said.
“Magic requires energy. In other words, food.”
“Kai, you might as well just admit that you liked the lunch I picked out.”
“You’re dripping oil,” Kai told her.
Sera looked down, catching the golden drop before it hit the floor. She licked her finger clean. “And you’re evading.”
He stopped and stared down at her. “I don’t evade problems, sweetheart. I confront them head on.”
“With dragon scales and hellfire?”
“Yes.”
Sera snorted and nudged him toward the escalator. Beside them stood a pair of mage security guards who could very well have been professional wrestlers. They acknowledged Kai with a curt nod, then carried on looking big and bad.
“How many of those security guys are there?” Sera asked as she and Kai stepped onto the escalator.
“A lot. The Magic Games attract far too many supernaturals who come solely to get drunk on magic and booze and then start fights with the other spectators. The security guards need to be capable of kicking out any troublemakers.”
“No, but I think you owe it to Kai—to yourself—to give him a chance,” Riley said. “Just look at all he’s done to help you. And to keep your secret, even though he doesn’t know what it is. He’s putting himself into a difficult position by helping you.”
“How do you know?”
“Because he and I are friends, and we talk.”
“Complaining about me, is he?”
“No. He’s mentioned that he’s worried about you. He knows you’re scared of your magic, and he wants to help you. He is helping you. And it’s costing him.”
“How?” Sera asked.
“I’m not sure exactly. Kai doesn’t talk about that part, but I’m not stupid. I can read between the lines. And I’ve overheard stuff. He’s put himself between you and the Magic Council, and they’re not happy about it. The Council has a feeling you’re special, and they always get suspicious when someone pretends to be human who’s not. Most people exaggerate their magic, not hide it.”
“I suppose that’s true,” she said, stealing a glance at the bathroom door. Naomi had turned on the shower in the bathroom, but Sera lowered her voice and leaned in closer anyway. “Riley, the thing is, well, I know you and Naomi and Alex mean well. But I can’t really afford to care about Kai.” Or kiss him again. “He’s dangerous. He sits on the Magic Council, and that means he upholds their laws. My very existence is against those laws.”
“I told you he’s been protecting you from the Magic Council.”
“Because he doesn’t know what I am.” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “An abomination.”
“Sera, you’re not—”
“Every supernatural in the world has grown up believing that I am, Kai included. The moment he found out, he would turn me in.”
“Kai wouldn’t,” Riley said.
“I wouldn’t do what?”
The shadow of Kai’s magic loomed over her—or maybe that was just the shadow of her impending doom. She turned to look at him.
“You wouldn’t turn into a dragon in the fighting pit. There’s no space,” Riley spoke before Sera could. It was a good thing too because she had no idea what to say. She’d probably just have made some sarcastic comment.
“That’s not entirely true,” Kai said. “The Magic Games fighting pit is very large. There’s plenty of room for a dragon.”
“Does that mean you will be bringing out the dragon today?” Sera asked him, suppressing a cringe. Fighting elemental mage Kai was bad enough. She was far too tired to fight dragon shifter Kai at this hour.
He looked at her empty bowl. “Are you ready to go?”
“Yes,” she sighed, not missing the fact that he hadn’t actually answered her question. “I just need to grab my bag.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The Fighting Pit
THE WORDS ‘MADISON Square Garden’ loomed over Sera in big, raised letters. Groups of scurrying mages crisscrossed the cavernous lobby, their boots echoing off a pale marble sheet that resembled an ice rink more than a floor. They strung lights and magic from the pillars and railings. They didn’t stop as she and Kai passed by, though a few of them did slow down just long enough to scowl at her. Maybe they didn’t approve of her clothes. Sera looked down at her pants. So maybe they weren’t pristine, but they weren’t really that dirty. Especially considering that this morning’s training session with Kai had been a fifty-stringed combo of some pretty spectacular kickings of her ass. She’d hit the mud more times than a three-legged centaur.
Shuddering at the memory, she folded her giant pizza slice in half and took a bite. It washed all that pain right away.
“I don’t think they like that you brought food in here,” Kai said.
“They have basketball games here. And hockey games. And concerts. If they can put up with sweaty guys, hot dogs, and half-empty beer cans, they can deal with my pizza too.”
“Perhaps we should have eaten at a proper restaurant instead of ordering from an establishment with one counter and no chairs. Then we wouldn’t have needed to eat on the street.”
She smiled at him. “The lack of chairs didn’t stop you from snarfing down six slices.”
“Snarf?” A crinkle formed between his eyes.
“Yes, snarf. You ate them faster than they could make more,” she said.
“Magic requires energy. In other words, food.”
“Kai, you might as well just admit that you liked the lunch I picked out.”
“You’re dripping oil,” Kai told her.
Sera looked down, catching the golden drop before it hit the floor. She licked her finger clean. “And you’re evading.”
He stopped and stared down at her. “I don’t evade problems, sweetheart. I confront them head on.”
“With dragon scales and hellfire?”
“Yes.”
Sera snorted and nudged him toward the escalator. Beside them stood a pair of mage security guards who could very well have been professional wrestlers. They acknowledged Kai with a curt nod, then carried on looking big and bad.
“How many of those security guys are there?” Sera asked as she and Kai stepped onto the escalator.
“A lot. The Magic Games attract far too many supernaturals who come solely to get drunk on magic and booze and then start fights with the other spectators. The security guards need to be capable of kicking out any troublemakers.”
