by Ella Summers
“No. Not at first. But then he showed us his phone. It showed your location, one block over and many levels down. He was tracking you.”
“But…how?”
“He said he tagged you with an electronic tracker when you two spoke before your match.”
A memory faded in. Cutler touching her arm. So that’s what he’d been up to.
“So he’s not evil?” she asked Kai.
“Apparently not. Nor as stupid as he seemed.”
“Try not to sound so disappointed,” Cutler said.
Sera looked across the room. The man that stood there, framed in the open doorway, had Cutler’s face, but that’s where the resemblance ended. His blond hair, always molded into architected disorder, was combed back with clean precision. Rather than his usual silk shirt and hip-hugging pants, he wore a suit. It was the sort of suit Kai, an executive at Drachenburg Industries, would have worn—if Kai hadn’t had a scathing dislike for suits. Shutting the door behind him, Cutler crossed the room to stop in front of Sera.
“I’m happy that you’re all right,” he told her. There was none of the usual innuendo in his voice, and he wasn’t looking at her like he was mentally undressing her. “And I must apologize for acting like such an ass to you all those times.”
“Why were you…um, acting like an ass?”
The corner of his lip twitched. “I needed an excuse to be close to you, and playing the infatuated idiot was a good way to do that. Acting like a moron also throws people off. Keeps them from suspecting I’m a threat.” He winked at her, a touch of the Cutler she knew in that gesture.
“But why? What were you hiding? And why did you want to be close to me?”
“So I could watch you, Sera, as my mother instructed me to do,” he said. “You see, she is the commander of the Knights of the Occult.”
“I haven’t heard of them.”
“They’re a centuries’ old society of mages,” Kai told her. “Mages from many of the old dynasties are members.”
Cutler nodded. “We have all sworn to protect the supernatural community from ancient threats. Demons mostly, but every so often, something else from our past jumps up and bares its ugly teeth.”
“Alden,” she said, her voice a whisper. “The Grim Reaper.”
“After the recent fiasco with the Priming Bangles, we suspected something was amiss. We didn’t believe Finn capable of such things. He’s neither powerful nor devious enough to pull off something of that magnitude. And then mages broke him out of Atlantis.”
“Alden’s mages.”
“A few of the Atlantis prison guards are in his pocket,” Kai told her.
“We didn’t know it was Alden at that point,” said Cutler. “In fact, we didn’t find that out until I went down into the tunnels with Kai and felt that old power for myself. All we knew was that someone from the past was planning something big and that he was using Finn to do it. I was trailing a mage we suspected to be involved. It turns out he was involved. He got Alden all the pictures of you.”
“You were sitting close to him in the Magic Games audience?” she asked.
“Yes.”
She shivered.
“We had a few ideas about who he was working for. It never crossed our minds that it could be Alden.” Cutler paled. “In all the centuries, all the days of bloodshed and death, the Grim Reaper was the worst villain of them all. He was, as his name suggests, the personification of death itself.”
“Yes,” Sera agreed. The memory of her time in those nightmare tunnels was seared into her consciousness.
Kai squeezed her hand. Relaxing her clenched teeth, she turned her head and smiled at him. His eyes flashed, and one eyebrow cocked up at her.
“In any case, I’m glad you made it through,” Cutler said briskly. Then he patted her shoulder and turned to leave.
“He’s not what I thought,” she said as Cutler slipped out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Leaving her alone with Kai. Kai and those eyes as deep as the ocean itself.
“No, he’s not.”
Kai slid across the sofa toward her with liquid ease. He flipped her hand over. Lifting it to his lips, he kissed the underside of her wrist. Heat electrified her nerves, flushing her skin with heat.
“Bad dragon,” she said, slapping his hand away.
A grin twisted across his lips, sexy and slow, like he was savoring every second. “I was worried about you.”
“And you’re not used to that? Worrying about someone?”
His smile faded, and his hand tightened with possessive unease around hers, like he expected an attack on her at any second. He looked ready to jump in and take a bullet for her. It was the most erotic thing she’d ever seen, and his next words were like dark chocolate icing on that devil cake.
“No, I’m not. Not like this,” he said.
Chuckling softly under her breath, she climbed into his lap and rested her head on his chest, hyperaware of the hard muscle pressed against her cheek. She reached up to trace a finger along his jaw. She was playing with fire and knew it, but she just didn’t care. A deep groan rumbled in his chest, sending a wave of delicious vibrations down her neck.
“You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.” His words brushed against her lips; his hands massaged her back in slow, deep circles.
She smirked at him. “You’re just saying that because you want into my pants.”
“Yes.” His voice dipped lower—and his hands too. “But that doesn’t mean it’s not true.”
“Mmm.” She nipped at his lower lip. “You’re not so bad yourself, dragon breath.”
“I prefer Sexy Shifter.”
Heat scorched her cheeks. She pulled back and met his eyes. “Where did you hear that?”
“You were muttering in your sleep.”
Shit.
A sleepy chuckle buzzed in her mind.
We have got to talk about you putting ideas into my head. And words into my mouth.
Her dragon didn’t respond, which was just as well. Kai was already giving her an odd look. She didn’t need to add to his suspicions by having conversations inside her head right in front of him.
“Sera—” He dropped his hands. The heat in his eyes faded.
Was Cutler back? She turned, then froze. No, not Cutler. Riley and Naomi. Her fairy friend’s eyes danced with delight. She was barely holding back a happy dance. Riley, on the other hand, looked like someone had just died. Guilt flooding her, Sera climbed off of Kai’s lap and scooted as far away from him as she could. Oh dear God, she hadn’t just been straddling him when her brother walked in. This was a dream, a far inferior one to their earlier rendezvous in the field of daisies. That one had been devoid of witnesses or humiliation.
“So glad you’re awake, Sera!” Naomi said brightly.
She was the only person in the room who wasn’t acting awkward. Well, maybe except Kai. Nothing ruffled his feathers—err, scales. He met Riley’s narrow-eyed stare, a challenge in his eyes. Riley pulled something out of his pocket, something that looked like one of his magic bombs. If Sera didn’t get between those two soon, they were going to blow the plane out of the sky. She rose, her bones popping in protest. Couldn’t the boys have waited until they were back on the ground before having their shoot-out? She was too tired for this nonsense.
Naomi glided across the room with balletic grace. She caught Sera by the hand, pulling her back down to the sofa. Except Naomi was now between her and Kai. Riley relaxed noticeably. Kai shot Naomi an irate look but said nothing.
“How are you feeling?” Naomi asked Sera, wrapping an arm around her.
“Alive. Mostly,” she added with an amused grunt.
“Kai told us about what happened. And Cutler. Wow. Didn’t see that one coming.” Her eyes twinkled with tiny golden lights, a perfect match to her glittery eyeshadow. “He looks hot in his Knight of the Occult suit, by the way.”
“Don’t tell me you hit on Cutler.”
Naomi grinned. “Wh
at can I say? I have a weakness for a man in uniform.” Her gaze slid over to Kai. “Speaking of which, I’m curious to see your threads.”
He arched a single eyebrow at her.
“I heard you were in the military. And played with tanks.”
“By playing with tanks, he means tanks shot at him, and then he threw hissy fits and knocked them over in a fit of rage,” Sera told her.
“Knocked them over? The soldiers?” Naomi asked.
Sera shook her head. “No, the tanks.”
Naomi winked at Kai.
“So I don’t think there’s a uniform for that,” Sera said. “He was in dragon form.”
“Oh, honey, it’s the military. There are always uniforms,” Naomi drawled, the words sliding off her tongue.
Kai glared back at her like he wanted to shoot her out of a tank. She winked at him again.
“So Cutler tracked me?” Sera said quickly, before she had to stop another shoot-out.
Riley had drifted over to Sera’s side of the sofa. He was leaning against the window, giving Kai the stink eye, which Kai was pretending to ignore. Sera decided to ignore them both.
“Mmm-hmm,” said Naomi, watching the drama show play out with a strange fascination that was bordering on excitement. “Cutler led them to the abandoned subway station. By then, they were close enough that Kai was able to hone in on your magic and find you.”
Sera looked at Kai. “You could find me through all that iron?”
“Your magic has an entirely unique flavor.”
Riley stiffened at the mention of ‘flavor’.
“What about the Magic Games?” she asked Kai. “Since we’re here and not still in New York, I hope that means Blackbrooke didn’t insist that he keep testing me until I broke.” She glanced out the window. “Or should I be worried that we’re on the run and are very likely to be bombed out of the sky.”
“You shouldn’t be worrying about anything,” Riley told her. “Between the Games, the vampires, and Alden, you’ve had enough on your plate. You need to let us take care of things for once.”
“Agreed,” said Kai.
Naomi bobbed her head. “Yep.”
“I can’t help but notice that you didn’t actually answer my question,” Sera said. “If we’re expecting an attack, I need to know about it.”
“We’re not,” replied Kai. “Duncan wasn’t happy that you withstood his tests, but you completed all your matches. And you fought monsters outside of the pit—to save him and other members of the Magic Council, no less. He agreed you’ve done enough fighting for him to complete your magic levels assessment.”
Bullshit. She’d seen the look in his eyes when he’d promised her he would break her. That was a man who wouldn’t simply back down.
“How much did you pay him to get me out of additional testing?”
“You followed all the rules,” Kai said. “You completed all the matches. He can’t just make you do more.”
“He can do whatever he wants. The Council has given him a lot of power.”
“Duncan was grateful to you for saving him from the vampires. The Council was grateful too.”
Sera gave him a hard look.
“Fine. Ok. I might have bribed him a little.”
Sera sighed. “I hope it wasn’t too much.”
“It’s not anything I can’t afford to pay.” Evasive again. Kai owned a jumbo jet. He could afford a lot of things.
“So less than the cost of a skyscraper,” she teased, thinking back to their battle in the Empire State Building.
His eyes flashed. “Yes.”
“Ok.” She looked at each of them in turn. “What about Alden? What is the Magic Council going to do about him?”
Riley picked up the remote, switching on the large television. He flicked to the Magic Channel. Bright text headlines played over a montage of images from the Games, the underground tunnels, and a few distinguished members of the Magic Council. ‘The Grim Reaper Returns’ was one of the juicier headlines. It sounded like a blockbuster movie sequel.
“The Council wanted to keep this all under wraps, but there were too many witnesses. Too much evidence,” Kai said.
“They shouldn’t want to hide this,” replied Sera. “If people don’t know about Alden, how can they defend themselves against him when he comes? Look at how easily he seduced all those mages, whispering sweet lies while hiding in the shadows. We need to shine a light on him, to remind people why he was entombed to begin with. Otherwise, he’ll just keep corrupting and recruiting people.”
“Is that what he tried to do to you?” Riley asked.
“Yes. He got inside my mind. Showed me things…” Her gaze drifted over to Kai. “Horrible things. He finds out your worst nightmares, twisting them into something a hundred times more awful. And then he uses them to break you.”
“But not you?” Kai asked.
“I’m too stubborn,” she joked, her smirk wobbling.
Riley snorted as Naomi’s hand squeezed her shoulder. Kai just watched her, his face completely neutral.
“It hurts,” she said in a soft whisper. “When he’s in your head. You feel every punch. Every cut. Everything. Most of all, it’s the fear. It gnaws at you from the inside. I think…I think he feeds on that fear. It makes his magic stronger.”
“That’s what the legends say,” Kai said.
He stared at her, wonder in his eyes. They sang to her in sinful promise. His magic caressed hers, ruthless and sensual. It was a bold move for him, even knowing that neither Riley nor Naomi could sense magic. He was essentially feeling her up in front of them. The man was wicked to the core.
“Yes, well…” Sera cleared her throat, batting his magic away, even though she wanted nothing more than to grab it and rub it all over her.
She was so doomed.
Kai’s eyes smirked, like he knew what he’d done to her and liked it. “We’ll figure out how to deal with Alden. He was defeated before, and we’ll do it again. But for now, Sera, you really need to rest. You’ve been fighting nonstop for weeks. We have a couple hours left in the air before we land in San Francisco. Take a nap.”
“Ok,” she agreed, spreading her blanket over herself.
Before she could even close her eyes, Riley had swung around the sofa. He was staring down at Kai. “We need to talk.”
“Yes,” Kai said, standing. He nodded toward the door that led to the next room. “There.”
Sera sighed. “Wait.”
They’d made it halfway to the door, but at that word, they stopped and turned to face her.
“Promise not to kill each other,” she said.
“Really, Sera? Just what kind of people do you think we are?” Riley demanded with an impatient grunt.
“We’re not barbarians,” Kai told her.
She shot them a cool glare. “Just don’t fight. Not up here.” She fluffed up her pillow. “I’d hate to have to parachute out because the two of you blew a hole in the plane.”
Riley glared at her. “Funny.”
“I’m not going to blow a hole in my own plane, Sera,” Kai said with strained patience.
She pulled the phone off the side table and dialed. “Dal?”
“Hey, Sera. Feeling better?”
“I’m fine. Thanks,” she told him. “So, Kai and Riley are headed your way to ‘talk’.”
“I see,” he said slowly. “And you want me to break it up if things come to blows?”
“Yeah, blast them with some of that compressed magic in the extinguisher on the wall.”
He chuckled. “Sure thing.”
“Thanks.” She hung up the phone and glared at them both, daring them to challenge her.
They dared.
“Dal doesn’t take orders from you,” Kai told her, anger simmering just below the surface.
“Maybe not. But he’s not going to let you blow up the plane.”
“She’s mental,” Riley said to Kai.
“Why are you looking at me? She’s
your sister,” replied Kai. “But, yes, she’s crazy.”
“Oh, good. You two have finally agreed on something,” Sera said with a wry smile. “You’re making progress already. Now, take your drama and get the hell out of this room so I can get some sleep.”
They exchanged long-suffering glances, then left. Naomi scooted to the side of the sofa that Kai had left vacant.
“So, you want to talk about it?” she asked, balancing her chin on her knees.
“Those guys?” Sera snorted. “No. Not at all.”
“I thought Riley wanted you to date Kai.”
“Yeah,” she said, closing her eyes. “But since when have men ever made sense?”
She dozed off to the melodic jingle of Naomi’s laughter.
29
Magic Games
It was pizza night, and Riley was late. Sera glanced at the wall clock.
“What could be keeping him?” she wondered aloud.
Her stomach growled, voicing its concern as well.
It’s not that Riley wasn’t ever late—in fact, he often got so caught up in some magical experiment or another in the lab that he lost all track of time—but it was pizza night. It also just happened to be the night that Kai was coming back to San Francisco. Not that she was keeping tabs on his schedule. Nope. Not when he couldn’t even be bothered to call her.
She wasn’t upset about that either.
It had been just over a week since they’d returned from New York. Whatever had transpired between Kai and Riley in that other room on the plane, no one was talking. Kai because he’d flown back out that same day—and not bothered to call her since (nope, still not upset about that!). The commandos had gone with him, so she couldn’t grill them. Cutler had been in the room too. Since she was still on leave from work, though, she hadn’t had a chance to ask him. Sure, she could have walked into Mayhem on the pretense of using the gym, but she didn’t feel ready to be around all those people again. To answer their questions about the Magic Games. And about Alden.
As for Riley… Well, she didn’t know why her brother wasn’t spilling the beans on what he and Kai had discussed. The plane had still been in one piece when she’d woken up, so she assumed that they hadn’t been fighting—or at least that Dal had blasted them with the compressed magic in time.