Kai’s body spasmed. His eyes shot open, and he jumped to his feet, shaking beads of lightning off of his body. “Are you trying to kill me?! Don’t you ever do that again,” he growled.
“I thought you were dead,” she said, slouching with relief.
“It takes more than a few vampires to kill me.” He looked around, his eyes widening when he saw the vampire parts everywhere. “How long was I out?”
“Half a minute or so?” She hadn’t been keeping track of time. She’d been too busy punching him to life.
Kai glanced over at her. “I don’t feel any more of them coming. Thankfully. Your magic is like catnip for monsters.”
“And dragons?”
“Yes.”
Wow. “I was just teasing.”
“I know. And I was serious.” He stared at her, his gaze snagging on the hemline of her skirt. Magic ignited in his eyes.
“You’re appreciating my clothing again, aren’t you?”
“No, I’m appreciating you. The clothing is merely enhancing my appreciation.”
“I’m going to throw that Edwards fellow responsible for these outfits into the fighting pit,” she grumbled. “And, just for the record, the vampires didn’t come here for me.”
Before she could start pointing fingers, the commandos rushed into the room. Their eyes panned across the battlefield, taking in the dead vampires. The rest of them couldn’t have looked much better. Sera’s clothes were torn and bloody. Again. How long had her new clothes lasted? Half an hour? Less? Geez, that had to be a new record. She sure had rotten luck when it came to clothing. And monsters. It was a good thing the hotel didn’t run out of hot water for showers.
“It looks like we missed the party,” Tony commented.
“Boss, you must have really been pissed off this time,” Callum said, picking up a vampire hand.
Kai gave them a dark look. The commandos looked away.
“It wasn’t him,” Blackbrooke said, standing. His beady eyes snapped to Sera. His finger shook as he pointed it at her. “It was her.”
Dal snorted. “Oh, it all makes sense now. Sera has an uncanny ability to make messes.”
“But not clean them up,” Callum added, grinning.
It was Sera’s turn to shoot them a dark look. Unfortunately, it didn’t have the same effect as Kai’s had. Maybe because she couldn’t make magic pulse in her eyes. Tony gave her a manly slap on the back along his way to check on Blackbrooke. Callum and Dal exchanged chuckles, then began to deal with the mess she’d made.
Kai left them to it, joining Sera by the window. He stopped beside her and folded his arms across his chest. She looked at him. Blood was dripping down his arms, splattering his shoes. She turned and moved in for a closer look. His chest was bleeding. His arms were bleeding. Hell, every corner of his body was bleeding.
“You’re injured,” she said.
“I’m fine.”
“You were dead. You’re not fine.”
“I wasn’t dead,” he said. “I was regenerating.”
“You’re full of shit, Kai.”
Satisfaction slid across his face. “You were worried about me.”
“Of course I was worried. A dozen vampires swarmed you. They tore at you.” She shuddered at the memory. “You weren’t breathing.”
Humor danced in his eyes. “I’ve been swarmed by many dozen vampires and survived.”
“This isn’t funny,” she snapped at him. “This is no time for jokes. You nearly died.”
A chuckle rumbled deep in his throat. “But I didn’t. And you always find time for jokes.”
“This is different.”
He brushed his hand down her face. “You were really that scared?”
“I was petrified,” she told him. “I thought you wouldn’t wake up.”
“That jolt of lightning you gave my heart could have woken the dead.”
His eyes met hers, the look in them so intense that they seared her soul. His magic lapped against hers like the tide at midnight. She closed her eyes, letting it wash over her. His hand had moved to her lower back. It began to knead loose a cluster of tense muscles that had been bothering her all day. Suddenly, just as a soft gasp brushed past her lips, he dropped his hand.
“Take Mr. Blackbrooke back to his hotel. Stay with him until his security arrives,” Kai called over her shoulder, presumably to the commandos.
When the footsteps had grown distant, Kai looked down to her. “The vampires went straight for Duncan. They didn’t seem interested in either of us.”
“I noticed that too,” she said, disappointed that he didn’t resume his massage. Her back felt like it had gone through a trash compacter, then been fed to a flock of seagulls. “Why do you think that is? If the people controlling the Blood Orb are targeting the Magic Council, wouldn’t they be after you as well?”
Kai looked around, like he expected the villains in question to be hiding in some dark corner nearby. “Come with me. We need to talk somewhere less exposed.”
* * *
By the time they reached the hotel, most of Kai’s wounds had healed. And by the time they stepped through the door to his suite, there wasn’t a scratch on him. It must have been nice to have turbo-charged dragon healing.
Even though the wounds themselves were healed, blood still clung to his body like warpaint. As soon as they were inside, Sera rushed to the kitchen sink and filled a bowl with warm water. She carried the bowl and a stack of white towels over to the table. Why did hotel towels always have to be white?
“I thought you were dead,” she said, slouching with relief.
“It takes more than a few vampires to kill me.” He looked around, his eyes widening when he saw the vampire parts everywhere. “How long was I out?”
“Half a minute or so?” She hadn’t been keeping track of time. She’d been too busy punching him to life.
Kai glanced over at her. “I don’t feel any more of them coming. Thankfully. Your magic is like catnip for monsters.”
“And dragons?”
“Yes.”
Wow. “I was just teasing.”
“I know. And I was serious.” He stared at her, his gaze snagging on the hemline of her skirt. Magic ignited in his eyes.
“You’re appreciating my clothing again, aren’t you?”
“No, I’m appreciating you. The clothing is merely enhancing my appreciation.”
“I’m going to throw that Edwards fellow responsible for these outfits into the fighting pit,” she grumbled. “And, just for the record, the vampires didn’t come here for me.”
Before she could start pointing fingers, the commandos rushed into the room. Their eyes panned across the battlefield, taking in the dead vampires. The rest of them couldn’t have looked much better. Sera’s clothes were torn and bloody. Again. How long had her new clothes lasted? Half an hour? Less? Geez, that had to be a new record. She sure had rotten luck when it came to clothing. And monsters. It was a good thing the hotel didn’t run out of hot water for showers.
“It looks like we missed the party,” Tony commented.
“Boss, you must have really been pissed off this time,” Callum said, picking up a vampire hand.
Kai gave them a dark look. The commandos looked away.
“It wasn’t him,” Blackbrooke said, standing. His beady eyes snapped to Sera. His finger shook as he pointed it at her. “It was her.”
Dal snorted. “Oh, it all makes sense now. Sera has an uncanny ability to make messes.”
“But not clean them up,” Callum added, grinning.
It was Sera’s turn to shoot them a dark look. Unfortunately, it didn’t have the same effect as Kai’s had. Maybe because she couldn’t make magic pulse in her eyes. Tony gave her a manly slap on the back along his way to check on Blackbrooke. Callum and Dal exchanged chuckles, then began to deal with the mess she’d made.
Kai left them to it, joining Sera by the window. He stopped beside her and folded his arms across his chest. She looked at him. Blood was dripping down his arms, splattering his shoes. She turned and moved in for a closer look. His chest was bleeding. His arms were bleeding. Hell, every corner of his body was bleeding.
“You’re injured,” she said.
“I’m fine.”
“You were dead. You’re not fine.”
“I wasn’t dead,” he said. “I was regenerating.”
“You’re full of shit, Kai.”
Satisfaction slid across his face. “You were worried about me.”
“Of course I was worried. A dozen vampires swarmed you. They tore at you.” She shuddered at the memory. “You weren’t breathing.”
Humor danced in his eyes. “I’ve been swarmed by many dozen vampires and survived.”
“This isn’t funny,” she snapped at him. “This is no time for jokes. You nearly died.”
A chuckle rumbled deep in his throat. “But I didn’t. And you always find time for jokes.”
“This is different.”
He brushed his hand down her face. “You were really that scared?”
“I was petrified,” she told him. “I thought you wouldn’t wake up.”
“That jolt of lightning you gave my heart could have woken the dead.”
His eyes met hers, the look in them so intense that they seared her soul. His magic lapped against hers like the tide at midnight. She closed her eyes, letting it wash over her. His hand had moved to her lower back. It began to knead loose a cluster of tense muscles that had been bothering her all day. Suddenly, just as a soft gasp brushed past her lips, he dropped his hand.
“Take Mr. Blackbrooke back to his hotel. Stay with him until his security arrives,” Kai called over her shoulder, presumably to the commandos.
When the footsteps had grown distant, Kai looked down to her. “The vampires went straight for Duncan. They didn’t seem interested in either of us.”
“I noticed that too,” she said, disappointed that he didn’t resume his massage. Her back felt like it had gone through a trash compacter, then been fed to a flock of seagulls. “Why do you think that is? If the people controlling the Blood Orb are targeting the Magic Council, wouldn’t they be after you as well?”
Kai looked around, like he expected the villains in question to be hiding in some dark corner nearby. “Come with me. We need to talk somewhere less exposed.”
* * *
By the time they reached the hotel, most of Kai’s wounds had healed. And by the time they stepped through the door to his suite, there wasn’t a scratch on him. It must have been nice to have turbo-charged dragon healing.
Even though the wounds themselves were healed, blood still clung to his body like warpaint. As soon as they were inside, Sera rushed to the kitchen sink and filled a bowl with warm water. She carried the bowl and a stack of white towels over to the table. Why did hotel towels always have to be white?
