Sera met up with Naomi on her way to the tiny kitchen corner in their suite. Her friend was still wearing pajamas, but she looked more awake than Sera felt.
“Did they pound on your door too?”
“No, but the pounding on your door was loud enough to wake the dead.” Naomi wrapped her arm around Sera’s shoulder. “How do you feel?”
“Like one of the dead.”
“I’ll bet.” Her mouth kicked up into a smirk. “You look like one too.”
“Thanks.”
“A good breakfast will perk you right up. Your boyfriend brought over some granola for you.”
“He’s not my boyfriend.”
“Uh-huh, sure.”
Sera looked toward the suite’s kitchen corner—or rather, away from the knowing sparkle in Naomi’s eyes. “What kind of granola?”
“Strawberry vanilla.”
“That’s my favorite,” Sera said.
“And Kai Drachenburg knows it.”
Naomi didn’t say anything more. They’d reached the kitchen corner. Riley and Kai were already eating breakfast. Her brother’s was a bowl of cereal, and the dragon’s was a roll stacked full of salami.
“I shouldn’t be surprised that a dragon eats meat for breakfast,” Sera commented, sitting down beside Riley.
Naomi took the free chair beside her, which put her dangerously close to Kai. Rather than cower before him like basically every other supernatural, she gave him an impish wink.
Kai’s gaze remained locked on Sera, like he had her caught in the cross hairs of his rifle. “Perhaps you’d prefer if I’d flown out to the mountains to catch myself a fat sheep or goat to eat?”
Sera blinked. “I hope you’re not serious.”
“Of course not,” he said, taking a sip of his coffee. “Sheep and goats are far too small. I prefer cows.”
“You’re messing with me because you know my brain’s all wacky from not sleeping well last night,” she said.
Kai handed her a bag of upscale granola. The bag was pale blue with a gold bow and a label that told her it had come from the expensive organic magic shop inside Magic & 8th Avenue.
“Bad dreams?” he asked as she poured granola into her bowl.
“I had a dream about you,” she said.
Riley’s spoon clinked against his bowl, Naomi’s bagel paused in front of her mouth, and even Kai stopped eating. All three of them were staring at her.
“About you and Finn,” Sera amended. “At Alcatraz. He was using the Priming Bangles on you.” She cringed. There was no need to mention the flesh-chomping magic or Kai’s screams. She was trying hard to forget it herself.
Kai set his coffee cup down. “Sera, the Priming Bangles are where no one will ever find them.”
“I know.”
“And now that I know Finn’s true nature, he won’t be able to gain the upper hand again.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”
She pulled out her phone, swiping to Finn’s message before handing it over to Kai. As he read, his magic lashed out, electrifying the air. Ice crystals crackled across the screen.
“When did you get this?” he asked, low and deep. Pure fury burned in his eyes.
Sera grabbed her phone and brushed off the frosty crust with the sleeve of her sweatshirt. “Last night. Right after I got back here.”
“You should have called me over the minute you got his message.”
“And then what?” she said. “Have you watch over me all night long?”
“If need be.”
“I can take care of myself. I’m not afraid of Finn.”
“Your nightmares suggest otherwise,” Kai said cooly. “The Magic Games start this afternoon. You need to be rested. Your mind needs to be rested.” His phone buzzed. He looked at the number. “I need to take this call. Eat quickly, so we can start our training session on time.”
As he walked off, Sera stared into her bowl. She felt the urge to not eat, just to show him he couldn’t tell her what to do. But no one won in that scenario. Besides, the delectable scents of vanilla and strawberries were a temptation she couldn’t refuse.
“Stupid controlling dragon,” she grumbled between bites of granola. It tasted even better than it smelled. The sweet flavors exploded on her tongue. The subtle, tingling aftertaste of fairy magic lingered on her tastebuds. It was the best granola she’d ever had.
“Kai’s just doing this because he’s worried about you,” Riley said. “He cares about you. And you care about him.”
Sera looked up from her granola.
“Oh, yes,” Naomi agreed. “You can see it in the way she looks at him.”
“And how is that?” Sera demanded.
“Like you want everyone to leave the room so you can jump his bones.”
Sera rested her chin on her hands and smiled. “Don’t you have to get ready for work?”
“Yes. Sadly.” Naomi took a final bite of bagel, then rose from her chair. “You can borrow some of my clothes if you want. I have a great pair of pants that would show off your butt.” Then she winked and disappeared into the bathroom.
“She’s a one-way ticket to trouble,” Sera commented.
“Maybe.” Riley grinned. “But she’s right. I know about what happened in that tower on Alcatraz. You can pretend you don’t have feelings for Kai, but we both know that’s not true.”