Page 10 of Destined to Fight

Fabian chimed in then. “You two should take a break. After Kelly’s food arrives, I can explain most of the background to her. Kelly, I assure you Kade’s lack of understanding of your situation does not translate to a lack of compassion. He is just extremely inept at showing it.”

Kade huffed, and Kelly felt the slightest amount of his power pass over her. Fabian just shook his head at Kade and clasped his hands in front of himself, apparently back on guard duty.

Kade took to staring at his hands in deep thought, so Kelly made her way over to the couch and turned on the TV. 90 Days to the Altar came on, and she couldn’t bring herself to change the channel. A Russian woman was fighting with her American fiancé over family traditions and how to raise a child. Kelly couldn’t help but take comfort in the fact that this was one problem she didn’t have. Sure, making ends meet and getting the next meal was tough, but she didn’t have to make someone else happy or worry about whether he would appreciate who she really was.

Kelly had had many boyfriends over the past few years, and they all ended up leaving sooner rather than later. None of them were okay with her prowling the streets at night and looking for stories. Sure, they said it was about safety; women shouldn’t be out on the streets alone in the middle of the night, it was too dangerous. But when she offered to let them go with her, there was always a reason why it wouldn’t work out.

They said they loved her, they showered her with gifts, and they took her to nice restaurants. Eventually, though, they all started asking the typical questions: Are you sure you have to go work tonight? Why do you care anyway? Why do you think you can change the world? Why don’t you just go back to the newspaper? And so on…

Her last boyfriend, David, had backhanded her when she’d said she wanted to go chase her lead instead of spend a special night with him. She’d wasted no time getting the hell away from him. He’d come by the gym once after she left, only to be confronted by Dom. Kelly had never been more thankful to have Dom as a friend than she was in that moment. She still owed him for that; maybe she’d take him up on that beer this week and buy him a couple rounds.

A knock on the door announced the arrival of her meal, and she jumped up to make her way to the kitchen. Her stomach was growling and her salivary glands were in overdrive by the time Kade placed a plate in front of her. She’d never been so hungry in her life.

Kelly carefully slathered butter over each pancake and then smothered them in syrup. She was about to take her first bite when a thought came to her. “How did you know I like extra butter and syrup on my pancakes, and unsweet tea for that matter?”

“I told ye, I had ye followed,” Kade answered coolly.

“To the point that you know what I order on Fridays? You’re really something, you know that?”

“Me? Ye spied on me and my people, and ye planned to infiltrate our building to find out more about us so ye could expose us to humans, and I’m the idiot? Nae, lass, yer right there with me when it comes to being sneaky and calculating. Can we stop this shite and move on to more important matters? Ye never seem to tire of arguing, do ye?”

“I do not,” Kelly started, and then stopped. “Okay, you may have a small point,” she admitted, suddenly staring down at her hands.

Kade genuinely smiled at her. “Please, eat. Then we can talk Arcane things.”

He didn’t have to tell her twice. Kelly ate like it was her last meal, or maybe her first in a very long time. It had been ages since someone had offered her an entire meal. Sure, she got herself pancakes on Friday mornings before she turned in, and when she went to lunch with her dad, she had a full meal, but she didn’t let him see that she was hungry or he might start asking questions. She always ordered a salad to appear health-conscious and never finished the whole thing, just so he would think she was well-fed.

Kelly ate the entire meal, every last bite. As she finished, she grabbed a napkin and wiped her mouth, finding Kade and Fabian staring at her in amazement.

“What?” she asked.

Fabian spoke with a hint of humor in his voice. “I have never seen someone eat so passionately. It was not even a gourmet meal.”

“It was good, and I was hungry.” Kelly felt the blood rushing to her cheeks.

Fabian held up his hand. “I do not mean to embarrass you. I, for one, am glad you enjoyed the meal. It is rare to see humans truly enjoy things; they always seem to be rushing on to the next thing and cannot focus on the here and now.”

“Why didn’t you guys eat?”

Kade answered casually, “Fabian ordered food while ye were sleeping, and I typically refrain from eating um, normal food.”

Kelly almost pulled a facepalm. “Oh…right.” Of course he doesn’t eat normal food, Kelly—he’s a frickin’ vampire! her inner voice screamed at her.

“Lets go sit on the couch and talk.”

“You want to talk more than a gossiping high-schooler,” Kelly said with a laugh.

Kade didn’t appear to appreciate her humor. “I want to explain to ye what ye are so ye can make an educated decision about yer future. I dinnae live here, and I can’y stay in the US for much longer, as I have business to attend to.”

“If your other matters are so pressing, don’t bother with me. You can go. I’ll figure things out. Always have, always will.”

“Fuck, woman! Ye’ll drive me to the moon with yer attitude. I’ve taken mercy on ye in my building and possibly spared yer life, I brought ye back here and made sure ye slept safely, I’ve provided food for ye, and I’m offering to explain a lifetime’s worth of information to ye to help ye make what is possibly the most important decision of yer life. Can we please have a civil conversation? Despite yer apparent hatred for men, and my lack of knowledge when it comes to women, I am trying to help ye; I’m not the bad guy.” The exasperation was clear in his voice, and it made Kelly feel bad for being so defensive with him.

She sighed. “I’m sorry. It has been a long time since anyone has done anything for me simply out of kindness. Everyone always wants something in return or makes it clear that I am a burden, and I don’t want to burden you. I’ve caused you enough trouble.”

“As I’ve said already, I could have stopped yer plan long before ye made it to us. It’s nae trouble to feed ye and talk ye through a few things.”

Kelly didn’t really have anything to say to that, so she just got up and sat on the couch. Kade followed her and sat at an angle next to her with one knee folded on the couch and an arm over the back. Fabian also came over, but he sat much farther away on the other side of the couch.

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