Rival Magic
Page 30
“So, who do I have to thank for this amazing dinner?” she asked as she scooped potatoes onto her plate.
“Dal did the cooking,” Tony said.
Sera looked at Dal. “I didn’t know you could cook.”
“Dal has many skills.” Callum grinned.
Tony cracked a smile. “For this particular skill, we can all thank the cooking class Dal took to flirt with that woman who shall remain nameless.”
“Why must she remain nameless? Was she so bad?” Sera asked.
“No, we just don’t remember her name.” Callum winked at her.
“Sadie,” Kai said.
Everyone looked at him. Callum dropped his face to his palm.
“I don’t think you’re supposed to remember other girls’ names in front of your lady,” Tony told Kai.
“I can’t help it if my memory is better than all of yours. And, besides, Sera knows I only have eyes for her.”
Kai took Sera’s hand, turning it slowly as he dipped his mouth to the inside of her wrist. His lips brushed across her skin, as soft as butterfly wings. A warm tingle trickled through her blood. Who would have known such an innocent kiss could incite such wickedness in her?
“As long as you kiss me like that, you can remember all the girls’ names you want,” she told him.
Kai leaned over to her, satisfaction snapping in his magic as he kissed her, on the lips this time. Sera grabbed the back of his neck, pulling him closer as she deepened the kiss. By the time she pulled away, she was feeling quite flushed.
“So much for not having to burn images from my mind,” Riley commented.
Callum grinned and gave him a friendly slap on the back.
“So, Dal,” Sera said. “What happened to your Sadie?”
“Alas, she was never my Sadie. She eventually dropped out of the class. I stuck with it, though. I found the subject fascinating.”
Tony lifted his glass to him. “And we all thank you for it.”
The rest of them lifted their glasses too, then drank.
“Did you ever see the woman again?” Sera asked Dal.
“From time to time. But she eventually moved away.”
“I’m sorry.”
Dal shrugged. He didn’t look terribly torn up about it.
“Cooking wasn’t the only class Dal took up,” Callum said.
“Oh?”
“Back during our first year of university, he joined the combat mage class.”
“Because of another girl?” Sera asked.
“No, because of a classmate’s dare,” said Dal.
“He thought Dal was some soft pushover because he was studying the healing arts.” Tony laughed at the memory.
Callum nodded enthusiastically. “Dal showed him a thing or two the first time they were partnered together in class.”
Dal smiled. “I might have neglected to mention to him that I’d been studying as a combat mage since I was six.”
Everyone laughed.
“So, you all went to the same university together?” Sera asked the commandos.
“Yes, and Kai too,” Tony replied.
Sera turned to Kai. “So that’s where you all met?”
He nodded.
“The four of us picked up quite a reputation at SFUMAS before we were through,” Callum said, mischief dancing in his eyes.
San Francisco University of Magical Arts and Sciences was Riley’s school. It was the best magic university in the country—some even claimed it was the best in the world.
“So do you have any good stories about Kai?” Sera asked the commandos.
Callum laughed. “Oh, do we ever.”
“I’m not sure he wants us to share them, though,” added Dal.
Kai gave them a hard look.
“She’s going to find out eventually,” Tony told him.
“Not if you don’t tell her.”
“Come on,” Sera pleaded. “Please, tell.”
“We promise not to laugh,” Riley said.
Sera looked into her brother’s serious face, then they both cracked up.
When their laughter had finally died down, Dal said, “There are so many good ones.”
“How about the one where he walked into the chemistry lab naked and—”
“Finish that sentence at your own risk,” Kai warned Callum.
Sera was shaking in her seat, barely keeping the laughter down.
“Careful, sweetheart, or I’ll tell them some of the stories about you.”
“I am obvious and blunt. I have nothing to hide.”
Kai gave her a look that made her blush from head to toe.
“I don’t know about that, Sera,” Riley said. “I could tell them stories about you. Like about that male fairy with the blue hair…”
Sera glared at him. “Don’t make me tell them about you and that wicked case of magic poison ivy.”
“Magic poison ivy isn’t that funny,” Callum commented.
“That depends on where you get the rash.” She stuck out her tongue.
Kai and the commandos howled with laughter. When the exchange of embarrassing stories was through, Tony turned to Sera.
“Maybe this would be a good time to go over the fiasco with the fairies you captured this morning,” he said.
The mood around the table grew instantly serious.
“They were Alden’s,” she told them all. “The whole family of fairies. I don’t know how he converted them all, but he did. We wouldn’t have even known about this if they hadn’t started killing humans with those beasts.”
“Dal did the cooking,” Tony said.
Sera looked at Dal. “I didn’t know you could cook.”
“Dal has many skills.” Callum grinned.
Tony cracked a smile. “For this particular skill, we can all thank the cooking class Dal took to flirt with that woman who shall remain nameless.”
“Why must she remain nameless? Was she so bad?” Sera asked.
“No, we just don’t remember her name.” Callum winked at her.
“Sadie,” Kai said.
Everyone looked at him. Callum dropped his face to his palm.
“I don’t think you’re supposed to remember other girls’ names in front of your lady,” Tony told Kai.
“I can’t help it if my memory is better than all of yours. And, besides, Sera knows I only have eyes for her.”
Kai took Sera’s hand, turning it slowly as he dipped his mouth to the inside of her wrist. His lips brushed across her skin, as soft as butterfly wings. A warm tingle trickled through her blood. Who would have known such an innocent kiss could incite such wickedness in her?
“As long as you kiss me like that, you can remember all the girls’ names you want,” she told him.
Kai leaned over to her, satisfaction snapping in his magic as he kissed her, on the lips this time. Sera grabbed the back of his neck, pulling him closer as she deepened the kiss. By the time she pulled away, she was feeling quite flushed.
“So much for not having to burn images from my mind,” Riley commented.
Callum grinned and gave him a friendly slap on the back.
“So, Dal,” Sera said. “What happened to your Sadie?”
“Alas, she was never my Sadie. She eventually dropped out of the class. I stuck with it, though. I found the subject fascinating.”
Tony lifted his glass to him. “And we all thank you for it.”
The rest of them lifted their glasses too, then drank.
“Did you ever see the woman again?” Sera asked Dal.
“From time to time. But she eventually moved away.”
“I’m sorry.”
Dal shrugged. He didn’t look terribly torn up about it.
“Cooking wasn’t the only class Dal took up,” Callum said.
“Oh?”
“Back during our first year of university, he joined the combat mage class.”
“Because of another girl?” Sera asked.
“No, because of a classmate’s dare,” said Dal.
“He thought Dal was some soft pushover because he was studying the healing arts.” Tony laughed at the memory.
Callum nodded enthusiastically. “Dal showed him a thing or two the first time they were partnered together in class.”
Dal smiled. “I might have neglected to mention to him that I’d been studying as a combat mage since I was six.”
Everyone laughed.
“So, you all went to the same university together?” Sera asked the commandos.
“Yes, and Kai too,” Tony replied.
Sera turned to Kai. “So that’s where you all met?”
He nodded.
“The four of us picked up quite a reputation at SFUMAS before we were through,” Callum said, mischief dancing in his eyes.
San Francisco University of Magical Arts and Sciences was Riley’s school. It was the best magic university in the country—some even claimed it was the best in the world.
“So do you have any good stories about Kai?” Sera asked the commandos.
Callum laughed. “Oh, do we ever.”
“I’m not sure he wants us to share them, though,” added Dal.
Kai gave them a hard look.
“She’s going to find out eventually,” Tony told him.
“Not if you don’t tell her.”
“Come on,” Sera pleaded. “Please, tell.”
“We promise not to laugh,” Riley said.
Sera looked into her brother’s serious face, then they both cracked up.
When their laughter had finally died down, Dal said, “There are so many good ones.”
“How about the one where he walked into the chemistry lab naked and—”
“Finish that sentence at your own risk,” Kai warned Callum.
Sera was shaking in her seat, barely keeping the laughter down.
“Careful, sweetheart, or I’ll tell them some of the stories about you.”
“I am obvious and blunt. I have nothing to hide.”
Kai gave her a look that made her blush from head to toe.
“I don’t know about that, Sera,” Riley said. “I could tell them stories about you. Like about that male fairy with the blue hair…”
Sera glared at him. “Don’t make me tell them about you and that wicked case of magic poison ivy.”
“Magic poison ivy isn’t that funny,” Callum commented.
“That depends on where you get the rash.” She stuck out her tongue.
Kai and the commandos howled with laughter. When the exchange of embarrassing stories was through, Tony turned to Sera.
“Maybe this would be a good time to go over the fiasco with the fairies you captured this morning,” he said.
The mood around the table grew instantly serious.
“They were Alden’s,” she told them all. “The whole family of fairies. I don’t know how he converted them all, but he did. We wouldn’t have even known about this if they hadn’t started killing humans with those beasts.”
