Magic Games
Page 83
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.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
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 back in 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.
All she knew right now was that Riley was late the same night Kai was back in town. She hoped they hadn’t had a fight. It was unlikely Dal was tailing his boss 24/7 with a canister of compressed magic strapped to his back.
The doorbell rang. Sera’s first thought was that Riley had finally arrived. Her second thought was the realization that Riley wouldn’t have rung the doorbell. As she headed for the front door, she felt it. Him. His magic was simmering like a steaming teapot, rippling the air with subtle vibrations. It actually felt kind of nice—or at least it would have if she hadn’t been too busy looking for her knives to enjoy it.
“I could have sworn they were…” she muttered, tossing a boot aside. “Oh, that’s right. I put them in here.” She dug two knives out of the potted plant in the entryway, took a deep breath, and opened the door.
“What have you done to Riley?” she blurted out before he could say anything.
Kai gave her knives a bored look. “May I come in?”
“Answer the question, and I might not stab you.”
“To do that, you would have to abandon your position in front of the door. At which point, I would breach your defenses.”
Oh, he was challenging her, was he? A cool smile slid across her lips. “Not if I threw the knives at you.”
He shook his head. “I’m too fast. In fact, I’m too strong for you to have any chance of drawing blood, let alone stabbing me. Why don’t you just put those silly sticks away and talk to me like any reasonable person would?”
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.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
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 back in 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.
All she knew right now was that Riley was late the same night Kai was back in town. She hoped they hadn’t had a fight. It was unlikely Dal was tailing his boss 24/7 with a canister of compressed magic strapped to his back.
The doorbell rang. Sera’s first thought was that Riley had finally arrived. Her second thought was the realization that Riley wouldn’t have rung the doorbell. As she headed for the front door, she felt it. Him. His magic was simmering like a steaming teapot, rippling the air with subtle vibrations. It actually felt kind of nice—or at least it would have if she hadn’t been too busy looking for her knives to enjoy it.
“I could have sworn they were…” she muttered, tossing a boot aside. “Oh, that’s right. I put them in here.” She dug two knives out of the potted plant in the entryway, took a deep breath, and opened the door.
“What have you done to Riley?” she blurted out before he could say anything.
Kai gave her knives a bored look. “May I come in?”
“Answer the question, and I might not stab you.”
“To do that, you would have to abandon your position in front of the door. At which point, I would breach your defenses.”
Oh, he was challenging her, was he? A cool smile slid across her lips. “Not if I threw the knives at you.”
He shook his head. “I’m too fast. In fact, I’m too strong for you to have any chance of drawing blood, let alone stabbing me. Why don’t you just put those silly sticks away and talk to me like any reasonable person would?”
