“I’m reasonable.”

“You answered the door bearing weapons,” he pointed out. “Albeit pitiful ones.”

She crossed her arms against her chest, careful not to stab herself. That would have sure looked menacing. “You still haven’t told me where Riley is.”

He expelled a martyred sigh. “He got tied up.”

Sera narrowed her eyes at him. “When you say ‘tied up’…”

“No, I don’t mean literally. Jeez, Sera! What kind of monster do you think I am? Riley told me he’ll be late.”

“You talked to him?”

“Yes.”

Her body relaxed a bit. “In civil tones?”

“No, we snarled at each other like a pair of rapid dogs.” His eyes hardened into blue diamonds. “Of course we spoke in civil tones. He invited me to come over for dinner. He said he’d be running late and asked me to pick up the pizza.” Kai held up a stack of pizza boxes.

“Oh.”

She hadn’t even noticed the pizza boxes. That just went to show that rage was blind. Or was that love? Her heart thumped in her chest. She told it to be quiet, then tried to come up with something witty to cover the dull silence.

“Is Riley busy working late in his lab?” she asked. Ok, apparently witty wasn’t on the menu today. She was too hungry for witty right now.

“No, he’s busy flirting with a girl,” Kai said, amusement flashing in his eyes.

Well, if they were talking about girls, then maybe they’d made up after all. What had they been fighting about anyway? She had a sinking feeling it had to do with her.

“Now may I come in?” he asked her.

“I’m still thinking about it.”

“You said if I answered your question, you’d let me in.”

“No, I said if you answered my question, I might not stab you. Big difference.”

“Sera,” he growled.

She chuckled.

“Your pizza is getting cold.”

She lowered her knives and scrambled out of his path.

“Thank you,” Kai said cooly as he passed, magic crackling off his lips. He walked over to the dining room table and set the boxes down. Then he turned and gave her an expectant look.

Oh, right. Manners. “How have you been?” she asked.

“Busy. I’ve spent the last week in Magic Council meetings, and it’s made me downright cranky.”

“Really?” She grinned. “I hadn’t noticed.”

“Cute, Sera. Real cute. But might I remind you that you’re the one who answered the door armed.”

“I knew it was you.”

“I see.” Kai leaned his arms back against the table, and didn’t say anything more. He must have been waiting for her to clarify her stupid comment.

“You just left. I… I don’t know what I thought. And then you didn’t call me.” She shifted her weight uncomfortably. She was not that girl. “Whatever. Just forget it.” She looked away.

“Sera.”

She busied herself brushing down a wrinkle in her pants.

“Look at me.”

She glanced up at him through lowered lashes.

“I have been doing nothing but sitting in meetings and sleeping—though there was precious little of that—for the past week while the Council hit their heads over the table trying to figure out what to do about Alden. A lot of ideas were thrown around but nothing workable. We would still be sitting there right now, going in circles. Do you know why we aren’t?”

“Because you got fed up and killed them all in a fit of rage?”

“No.” He licked his dry lips. “Though I did fantasize about doing just that once or twice during the week. The only reason we’re not still sitting in that room is because I told them this was all pointless until we had more intelligence. Which we’d already sent our spies off to collect before the end of the first day. And then I got up and left. Others followed.”

“I bet they were glad to be going home.”

“I was glad to be going home.” He took her hands, his thumbs tracing small circles across the insides of her wrists. “To see you.”

She smirked over the furious pounding of her own heart. “You’re addicted to my sarcasm, I tell you.”

“I’m addicted to you.” His fingers caressed her cheek. “Do you even know what you’ve done to me?”

“Made you tell off stuck-up Magic Council members and recklessly storm out of meeting rooms?” She leaned into him, sliding her hands down the rigid muscles of his stomach. “Clearly I’m a fantastic influence.”

His mouth brushed her cheek. “I’m not sure my colleagues on the Magic Council would agree,” he growled into her ear. His hands traced burning rivers down her back.

“Screw the Council,” she breathed, melting under his touch.

“I wanted to talk to you,” he said, his lips caressing hers.

“Oh?” Desire scorched her body, piercing and pulsing through her. One word was all she could manage.

“Actually, you wanted to talk to me.” His kisses slowed. “About yourself.”

“Oh.”

A memory tore through her. Kai’s face was contorted with disgust as he spat insults at her. Abomination. Vile creature. She shook off Alden’s illusion—his trick—but she couldn’t shake the pain. And she couldn’t shake the feeling that he was right. Kai had grown up believing that the Dragon Born were sin incarnated. Every supernatural had. To them, she was an abomination. And abominations were slaughtered.