“Cutler sure fits the bill for crazy,” she pointed out.

“Hmm.” He grabbed his phone off the table. “I think I’ll have a chat with Cutler.”

“It’s just an idea. He could have nothing to do with Finn,” she said. “Maybe he’s just engaging in normal stalker behavior.”

“As opposed to criminal mastermind minion stalking behavior?” He looked up from his phone. “If this is your way of dissuading me from talking to him, it needs work.”

“Just promise me you won’t open your chat with Cutler by tearing his arms off.”

“Of course,” he said. “I never open interrogations—er, chats that way. You can’t start by going straight for the big guns. You need to build up to it.”

“Kai!”

He snickered. “Kidding. I don’t tear people’s arms off. You let me worry about Finn and Cutler. You concentrate on the Games.”

Sera’s phone buzzed beneath her butt. She grabbed it and flipped the case open—and immediately wished she hadn’t. It was another message from Finn. She showed Kai the picture on the screen, one of her fighting the vampires in the Empire State Building last night.

A moment later, her phone exploded.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Black Magic

SERA STOOD UP, looking at the broken remains of her phone strewn across the living room. Then she turned to Kai, gaping. “You blew up my phone,” she said quietly.

“I apologize,” he said. At least he looked guilty about it. Mostly just fire-breathing, devastation-wreaking angry, but also a little guilty. “I’ll get you another one.”

She plucked the melted SIM card from the ground. “I’ll need another one of these too.”

He swiped a few things across his phone screen, then looked up at her. “You’ll have a new one before we leave the hotel.”

“This happens a lot, doesn’t it?”

“On occasion.”

Yeah, right. It probably happened every time he lost his temper. Dragons were a moody bunch. And yet, she couldn’t resist teasing him.

“How many phones have you gone through this month?”

“One or two.”

She poked the fire again. “I’ve had the same phone for years.”

“I find that surprising considering your hobbies.”

“Verbal sparring with dragons?” she muttered under her breath.

“I heard that,” he said. “And no. I meant your other hobby: hunting down monsters.” His eyes hardened. “Without magic.”

“Hunting monsters isn’t a hobby. It’s a paycheck. And it was magic—your magic, to be precise—that broke my phone. Not a monster. My phone survived many years of my magic-free monster hunting lifestyle. What it didn’t survive was my new lifestyle with a certain dragon-shifting mage.”

“So I’m part of your lifestyle.” His magic grinned. Yes, grinned. Magic could grin, even if its master was stingy with the smiles.

“Yes,” she said.

She could have denied it, but that wouldn’t have been fair to either of them. He was a part of her life now, as much as Naomi was. The question was, could she trust him? She’d known Naomi for years, and she still hadn’t told her that she was Dragon Born. It wasn’t exactly a prime conversation starter. In fact, it was more like a conversation ender. And then, ten seconds later, agents of the Magic Council would storm the room.

“So, as someone who is an acknowledged part of your life, you wouldn’t mind if I’m concerned for your wellbeing?”

“I guess not,” she said slowly, wondering where this was going.

“Finn is stalking you. He’s obviously obsessed with you.”

“He’s not my type.”

“This isn’t funny, Sera.”

“No,” she agreed. “But there’s nothing we can do about Finn right now.”

“I have already done something. I’ve called in some extra security to protect you.”

“Like bodyguards?”

He nodded.

“That’s not concern,” she told him. “It’s meddling. With a side helping of jealousy. What are these bodyguards supposed to protect me from? From someone taking a picture of me? Finn hasn’t done anything more than that and send creepy stalker messages.”

“Yet,” he said. “I don’t like it. Finn is up to something. The first thing he did after breaking out of prison was start stalking you. And Cutler, whether or not he’s working for Finn, is insane himself.”

“I thought I was supposed to worry about the Games, not Finn or Cutler. Your words. Not mine.”

He nodded. “Precisely. Which is why I’m sending some of my guys to guard you. So you don’t have to worry about those stalkers while you’re busy with the Games. For once, don’t be stubborn. Let someone take care of you.”

“Your security guys should be taking care of Blackbrooke and the Magic Council mages. The vampires are targeting them. No one is targeting me. All I have are two weirdos annoying me with sleazy messages.”

“Sera—”

She plopped down on the sofa beside him. “I’ll be fine.”

“What if you’re wrong? I can’t just leave you unprotected.”

“I’ve been fighting monsters since years before I met you. I assure you I can take care of myself.”