Sera brushed through her hair. She put it up carefully into an elegant twist. She didn’t usually bother with anything more complicated than a ponytail, but today was special. As she put the finishing touches on her hair, Kai walked up behind her. She glanced at him through the mirror as he set a necklace over her neck. It was beautiful, a white gold chain drop pendant with three…holy crap.
“Are those diamonds?” she asked.
He closed the clasp of the necklace. “Yes.” He met her eyes in the mirror, his stare hard, as though daring her to try to reject his gift.
She didn’t. She merely kissed his fingers and said, “Thank you.”
He dipped his chin, his magic rolling off of him like a delicious cologne, spicy and masculine.
She couldn’t keep herself from teasing him a little. “You know, this necklace costs more than everything I own.”
“Well, I did warn you that you weren’t a very good mercenary,” he replied.
She snorted.
He turned her around, looking her over. “You look beautiful.”
“Thanks. You don’t look so bad yourself.” She straightened the collar of his shirt. “Even though you’re ignoring the dress code.”
He was wearing jeans. They were fancy, egregiously-expensive designer jeans, but they were still jeans. Kai hated wearing suits. He said they restricted his movements too much. And that the jacket cuffs caught on fire too easily when he was shooting fireballs out of his hands.
Sera knew no one would bat an eye when Kai showed up dressed like this at the graduation ceremony of one of the world’s most prestigious magic universities. He showed up at Magic Council meetings dressed like this. People were used to it. And most of them were too scared of him to comment on his wardrobe.
They walked into the living room, where the commandos were already waiting. They were dressed like Kai, though each of them had a sword. Kai was good with a sword, but he preferred not to carry weapons on him. He said his magic was all the weapon he needed—and besides, swords and knives just got in the way when he needed to shift.
Dal smiled at Sera. “Good morning.”
The others echoed him.
Sera grinned at the salami sandwiches they were eating. As Callum tossed Kai a sandwich bag, Sera slipped into the kitchen to make herself a proper breakfast.
Callum looked past her at all the boxes of granola in the otherwise sparsely-populated pantry. “Hey, Kai. The Magic Food Shop’s organic living department infiltrated your kitchen while you weren’t looking.”
The commandos chuckled. Sera pulled out her strawberry-vanilla granola box, and Callum watched her with fascination as she poured her granola and milk into the bowl.
“Do you actually eat this stuff?” Callum asked Kai.
“Of course not,” he replied. “There’s no meat in it.”
The commandos laughed.
“The Magic Food Shop obviously wasn’t thinking about a dragon’s dietary needs when coming up with its granola offerings,” Sera said, smirking at him.
“Obviously.”
Sera sat down at the bar, digging into her cereal with hungry enthusiasm. It felt great to be here with Kai and the guys. So fun, so normal. As though nothing had changed. As though things would always be exactly as they were now. She began to wonder if everything she’d overheard last night had been just a dream.
On the other hand, Tony kept looking at her chest. No, he wasn’t checking her out. He was looking at her new necklace. Maybe last night hadn’t been a dream, and he was wondering if this was Kai’s way of wooing her. Was it?
No, Sera decided. Kai hadn’t said anything to her, and he always said what was on his mind. Except… Was he afraid she’d freak out? And would she? Argh! Thinking about this was making her go crazy.
“Sera, are you all right?” Dal asked.
Everyone was looking at her.
She put a big smile on her face. “Fine. Just anxious that something will happen at the ceremony.”
It wasn’t a lie. Not entirely. She was anxious about the ceremony. Alden was fixated on her, and he had to know she’d be there today. Larger portions of the city’s supernatural community would be there to see their sons and daughters, cousins and grandchildren, graduate.
After they’d finished their breakfast, they all headed downstairs, taking the elevator to the garage, where they piled into Kai’s tank. Kai drove. Sera sat next to him, so preoccupied by what she’d overheard last night that for once she didn’t even notice his crazy driving. When she glanced back at the commandos, Tony winked at her.
She turned back around quickly so he didn’t see her blush. Her face was an open book. Maybe he knew that she’d overheard them talking. He was a Seer. His magic allowed him to get a complete mental picture of everything within a short distance. Furniture, magic, people—he saw it all. Could he have seen her at the door? She really shouldn’t have eavesdropped. She shifted her weight uneasily.
When Sera got uneasy, her mouth started running. It was like it was attached to her emotional equilibrium. The faster her pulse pumped, the more she shot off her mouth.
“I see you’ve reinforced your tank,” she teased Kai.
“I’ve had Callum install a few features to make the car less susceptible to attack,” he replied. “But its defenses are still not adequate to classify it as a tank.”
“Kai, you should show Sera your real tank someday,” Callum told her.
“It’s a bit of a detour, parked at my parents house near Cologne.”
“Are those diamonds?” she asked.
He closed the clasp of the necklace. “Yes.” He met her eyes in the mirror, his stare hard, as though daring her to try to reject his gift.
She didn’t. She merely kissed his fingers and said, “Thank you.”
He dipped his chin, his magic rolling off of him like a delicious cologne, spicy and masculine.
She couldn’t keep herself from teasing him a little. “You know, this necklace costs more than everything I own.”
“Well, I did warn you that you weren’t a very good mercenary,” he replied.
She snorted.
He turned her around, looking her over. “You look beautiful.”
“Thanks. You don’t look so bad yourself.” She straightened the collar of his shirt. “Even though you’re ignoring the dress code.”
He was wearing jeans. They were fancy, egregiously-expensive designer jeans, but they were still jeans. Kai hated wearing suits. He said they restricted his movements too much. And that the jacket cuffs caught on fire too easily when he was shooting fireballs out of his hands.
Sera knew no one would bat an eye when Kai showed up dressed like this at the graduation ceremony of one of the world’s most prestigious magic universities. He showed up at Magic Council meetings dressed like this. People were used to it. And most of them were too scared of him to comment on his wardrobe.
They walked into the living room, where the commandos were already waiting. They were dressed like Kai, though each of them had a sword. Kai was good with a sword, but he preferred not to carry weapons on him. He said his magic was all the weapon he needed—and besides, swords and knives just got in the way when he needed to shift.
Dal smiled at Sera. “Good morning.”
The others echoed him.
Sera grinned at the salami sandwiches they were eating. As Callum tossed Kai a sandwich bag, Sera slipped into the kitchen to make herself a proper breakfast.
Callum looked past her at all the boxes of granola in the otherwise sparsely-populated pantry. “Hey, Kai. The Magic Food Shop’s organic living department infiltrated your kitchen while you weren’t looking.”
The commandos chuckled. Sera pulled out her strawberry-vanilla granola box, and Callum watched her with fascination as she poured her granola and milk into the bowl.
“Do you actually eat this stuff?” Callum asked Kai.
“Of course not,” he replied. “There’s no meat in it.”
The commandos laughed.
“The Magic Food Shop obviously wasn’t thinking about a dragon’s dietary needs when coming up with its granola offerings,” Sera said, smirking at him.
“Obviously.”
Sera sat down at the bar, digging into her cereal with hungry enthusiasm. It felt great to be here with Kai and the guys. So fun, so normal. As though nothing had changed. As though things would always be exactly as they were now. She began to wonder if everything she’d overheard last night had been just a dream.
On the other hand, Tony kept looking at her chest. No, he wasn’t checking her out. He was looking at her new necklace. Maybe last night hadn’t been a dream, and he was wondering if this was Kai’s way of wooing her. Was it?
No, Sera decided. Kai hadn’t said anything to her, and he always said what was on his mind. Except… Was he afraid she’d freak out? And would she? Argh! Thinking about this was making her go crazy.
“Sera, are you all right?” Dal asked.
Everyone was looking at her.
She put a big smile on her face. “Fine. Just anxious that something will happen at the ceremony.”
It wasn’t a lie. Not entirely. She was anxious about the ceremony. Alden was fixated on her, and he had to know she’d be there today. Larger portions of the city’s supernatural community would be there to see their sons and daughters, cousins and grandchildren, graduate.
After they’d finished their breakfast, they all headed downstairs, taking the elevator to the garage, where they piled into Kai’s tank. Kai drove. Sera sat next to him, so preoccupied by what she’d overheard last night that for once she didn’t even notice his crazy driving. When she glanced back at the commandos, Tony winked at her.
She turned back around quickly so he didn’t see her blush. Her face was an open book. Maybe he knew that she’d overheard them talking. He was a Seer. His magic allowed him to get a complete mental picture of everything within a short distance. Furniture, magic, people—he saw it all. Could he have seen her at the door? She really shouldn’t have eavesdropped. She shifted her weight uneasily.
When Sera got uneasy, her mouth started running. It was like it was attached to her emotional equilibrium. The faster her pulse pumped, the more she shot off her mouth.
“I see you’ve reinforced your tank,” she teased Kai.
“I’ve had Callum install a few features to make the car less susceptible to attack,” he replied. “But its defenses are still not adequate to classify it as a tank.”
“Kai, you should show Sera your real tank someday,” Callum told her.
“It’s a bit of a detour, parked at my parents house near Cologne.”
