Sera stopped in her tracks. “Don’t tell me monsters attacked.”
“No.” She pulled Sera along. “But he did have a few too many of those magic cocktails.”
“I still can’t believe you brought him to Trove,” Sera said. “Do you know what goes on there? Did you have a look at what those mages were doing on the dance floor?”
“Oh, we saw that all right. It was really hard to miss.” Naomi’s eyes twinkled—then shifted green. “I blame the cocktails they serve there.”
“Those same cocktails that Riley had?” She sighed. “You got my brother drunk!”
“Of course not. He is perfectly capable of getting drunk all by himself.”
“Did you at least find him a date? A nice girl preferably. Who doesn’t do unseemly things on the dance floor.”
An impish smile tugged at Naomi’s glossy pink lips. “I’ve heard about a few unseemly things you yourself were doing on that dance floor.”
Sera blushed. “How?”
“Talked to the bartender. Apparently, he knows your dragon. I heard you two practically set the sprinklers off with your magic.”
“I…” She cleared the frog from her throat. “That’s not even true.”
Naomi squeezed her arm. “Good for you. You deserve to let your hair down once in a while.”
“Riley,” Sera reminded her.
“Oh, right.” Naomi smirked at her. “He danced with a few women, but his heart wasn’t really in it. It was disappointing actually. He loosened up after a few drinks, and later the two of us danced a bit together. And then there was more drinking and…” She tapped her cheek thoughtfully. “Then we sat at the bar and made fun of all the weirdos in the club.”
“Not to their faces, I hope.”
“No, but they wouldn’t have noticed anyway. They were all too wasted.”
“So, basically, you got my brother drunk and then flirted with him,” Sera teased.
“Sera, I flirt with everyone.”
“Yeah, I know. Just go easy on Riley, ok? He can’t handle a woman like you.”
Naomi sighed. “None of them can, honey.” Her wistful look flipped to devious. “But enough about me,” she said, her voice dropping to a whisper as she stole a glance back at Kai. He and the commandos were far back enough that they couldn’t hear. Probably. “You didn’t come back to our suite last night, young lady.” She wiggled her finger sternly at Sera, but the amused twinkle in her eyes ruined the effect.
“Vampires attacked,” Sera said.
“Oh, did they now? The whole night?”
“They attacked Duncan Blackbrooke.”
“The Game Architect?”
“Yes. And he’s completely worthless in a fight. Kai and I had to fight off all the vampires ourselves. And there were dozens of them.”
“How did you defeat them?” Naomi asked.
“I blew them up.”
Naomi blinked, then cleared her throat. “All of them?”
“Not all. We burned a few before that. Then they were swarming Kai. I freaked out and set them all on fire and then…pop. The vampires exploded.”
Naomi chewed on her lip. She looked like she didn’t know what to say. She finally settled on, “Wow.”
“Kai got torn up pretty badly, so I brought him back to his suite.”
A wicked grin spread across Naomi’s face, displacing the shock. “You sure must be a good nurse.”
“Huh?”
Naomi wiggled her eyebrows. “I’ve never seen the dragon in such a good mood before. He actually looks…” She winked at her. “…relaxed.”
Sera turned her gaze forward. The tunnel vision defense worked against mischievous, teasing fairy friends too.
Naomi dropped her voice further and whispered. “I can’t believe you slept with Kai Drachenburg. Ok, I can believe it but, wow. Just wow.” Her hand tightened on Sera’s shoulder, squeezing her closer. “And?”
“And?”
“And spill the beans. I want to hear details.”
“He’s right behind us,” Sera hissed through gritted teeth.
“Ok, you don’t need to say anything. From the way you’re glowing, it must have been good. Your eyes just had an orgasm. Eye-orgasm.”
“There’s no such thing.”
Naomi smirked at her. “Oh, sure there is. And your eyes just had one.”
There was no point in arguing with fairies about things like these. And Sera had bigger problems to worry about. They’d reached Madison Square Garden.
As they entered the lobby, Naomi released Sera’s shoulder and fell back to flirt with the commandos. Kai moved forward to walk beside Sera. He didn’t say anything to indicate that he’d heard her conversation with Naomi, but he wasn’t a very expressive person. Sera studied his face, trying to see this relaxed look Naomi had mentioned, but he just looked serious. No, not just serious. Vexed. Magic cracked and sizzled across his body, snapping in tight, agitated coils. And Sera had just seen why: Blackbrooke was walking straight for them, a contingent of security guards at his back.
“He looks upset,” Sera commented to Kai.
“What happened last night after the vampire attack?” Kai asked the commandos.
They closed around him as one smooth, coordinated unit.
“We brought him back to his hotel,” Tony told him.
“No.” She pulled Sera along. “But he did have a few too many of those magic cocktails.”
“I still can’t believe you brought him to Trove,” Sera said. “Do you know what goes on there? Did you have a look at what those mages were doing on the dance floor?”
“Oh, we saw that all right. It was really hard to miss.” Naomi’s eyes twinkled—then shifted green. “I blame the cocktails they serve there.”
“Those same cocktails that Riley had?” She sighed. “You got my brother drunk!”
“Of course not. He is perfectly capable of getting drunk all by himself.”
“Did you at least find him a date? A nice girl preferably. Who doesn’t do unseemly things on the dance floor.”
An impish smile tugged at Naomi’s glossy pink lips. “I’ve heard about a few unseemly things you yourself were doing on that dance floor.”
Sera blushed. “How?”
“Talked to the bartender. Apparently, he knows your dragon. I heard you two practically set the sprinklers off with your magic.”
“I…” She cleared the frog from her throat. “That’s not even true.”
Naomi squeezed her arm. “Good for you. You deserve to let your hair down once in a while.”
“Riley,” Sera reminded her.
“Oh, right.” Naomi smirked at her. “He danced with a few women, but his heart wasn’t really in it. It was disappointing actually. He loosened up after a few drinks, and later the two of us danced a bit together. And then there was more drinking and…” She tapped her cheek thoughtfully. “Then we sat at the bar and made fun of all the weirdos in the club.”
“Not to their faces, I hope.”
“No, but they wouldn’t have noticed anyway. They were all too wasted.”
“So, basically, you got my brother drunk and then flirted with him,” Sera teased.
“Sera, I flirt with everyone.”
“Yeah, I know. Just go easy on Riley, ok? He can’t handle a woman like you.”
Naomi sighed. “None of them can, honey.” Her wistful look flipped to devious. “But enough about me,” she said, her voice dropping to a whisper as she stole a glance back at Kai. He and the commandos were far back enough that they couldn’t hear. Probably. “You didn’t come back to our suite last night, young lady.” She wiggled her finger sternly at Sera, but the amused twinkle in her eyes ruined the effect.
“Vampires attacked,” Sera said.
“Oh, did they now? The whole night?”
“They attacked Duncan Blackbrooke.”
“The Game Architect?”
“Yes. And he’s completely worthless in a fight. Kai and I had to fight off all the vampires ourselves. And there were dozens of them.”
“How did you defeat them?” Naomi asked.
“I blew them up.”
Naomi blinked, then cleared her throat. “All of them?”
“Not all. We burned a few before that. Then they were swarming Kai. I freaked out and set them all on fire and then…pop. The vampires exploded.”
Naomi chewed on her lip. She looked like she didn’t know what to say. She finally settled on, “Wow.”
“Kai got torn up pretty badly, so I brought him back to his suite.”
A wicked grin spread across Naomi’s face, displacing the shock. “You sure must be a good nurse.”
“Huh?”
Naomi wiggled her eyebrows. “I’ve never seen the dragon in such a good mood before. He actually looks…” She winked at her. “…relaxed.”
Sera turned her gaze forward. The tunnel vision defense worked against mischievous, teasing fairy friends too.
Naomi dropped her voice further and whispered. “I can’t believe you slept with Kai Drachenburg. Ok, I can believe it but, wow. Just wow.” Her hand tightened on Sera’s shoulder, squeezing her closer. “And?”
“And?”
“And spill the beans. I want to hear details.”
“He’s right behind us,” Sera hissed through gritted teeth.
“Ok, you don’t need to say anything. From the way you’re glowing, it must have been good. Your eyes just had an orgasm. Eye-orgasm.”
“There’s no such thing.”
Naomi smirked at her. “Oh, sure there is. And your eyes just had one.”
There was no point in arguing with fairies about things like these. And Sera had bigger problems to worry about. They’d reached Madison Square Garden.
As they entered the lobby, Naomi released Sera’s shoulder and fell back to flirt with the commandos. Kai moved forward to walk beside Sera. He didn’t say anything to indicate that he’d heard her conversation with Naomi, but he wasn’t a very expressive person. Sera studied his face, trying to see this relaxed look Naomi had mentioned, but he just looked serious. No, not just serious. Vexed. Magic cracked and sizzled across his body, snapping in tight, agitated coils. And Sera had just seen why: Blackbrooke was walking straight for them, a contingent of security guards at his back.
“He looks upset,” Sera commented to Kai.
“What happened last night after the vampire attack?” Kai asked the commandos.
They closed around him as one smooth, coordinated unit.
“We brought him back to his hotel,” Tony told him.
