Page 28 of Destined to Fight

“Says you, Warrior.”

“There you go again.” She shook her head at him, trying not to smile.

Heels clicked from a distance, moving closer quickly. A blond woman walked by the dining hall, clearly deep in thought, and almost disappeared until Kade called her.

“Asta, my dear, please join us.”

The clicks stopped just as she went out of sight, and she poked her head back into view. “Sir?”

“I did say please. Dinnae make me beg.”

“Oh, um, I have a few more things to do before the end of the day,” she said, smiling at Kade, looking at him with hunger, like any sane woman would.

Kelly couldn’t blame the girl, but that look instilled a pang of jealousy in her gut that wouldn’t go away.

“You and I both know you can take the time to eat. Come, meet Kelly, and sit with us.”

Asta hesitated, then shrugged and gave in. She walked up to Kelly and held out her hand. “Hi there, I’m Asta, you must be Kelly?”

Kelly took her cold hand and shook it, noticing she shook hands like a real person, not some helpless girl. It was refreshing. “Yes, nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too, I’m Asta, Kade’s assistant.” Asta chose a seat at the side table to Kelly’s left.

Kade took his seat between them, and a waiter suddenly appeared with two plates, placing them in front of her and Fabian. Another entered, bringing large glasses to Kade and Asta.

Kelly stared down at her plate, wondering if she’d be able to eat even half of what was on it. She was sure there was enough food for three people, with prime rib, potatoes, green beans, and rolls. Her mouth was watering just looking at it, and it smelled amazing.

Then she made the mistake of looking at Kade, who held a ridiculously large wineglass in his hand.

“Is that…?” She couldn’t finish the sentence.

“Aye, ye’ll have to get used to it, lass.”

“Right.” She quickly looked away and tried to focus on her food. Normally, the perfectly cooked prime rib would have been gone in seconds, but she’d been well fed lately thanks to Kade, and the thought of him drinking blood was, well, gross.

Kelly tried to calm her stomach and will herself to take a bite of the glorious meal in front of her. Then it occurred to her that no one else was eating. Or drinking. She looked up to see them all staring at her.

“Ladies first,” Fabian said, an amused smile on his face.

She gave him a look that said payback would be a bitch and forced herself to take a bite. The meat was the best she’d ever had. “Wow, this is amazing.”

Kade smiled, seemingly pleased with her satisfaction.

Everyone else at the table began to eat and drink, taking the spotlight from her.

“So, Kelly, where in the US are you from? I was born and raised in Colorado,” Asta said.

“I’m from Dallas. What brought you all the way to Scotland?” It seemed strange that Kade would choose a girl from Colorado for his assistant.

“Oh, it’s a long story,” Asta said. “I’ll tell you one night over a glass of wine.”

Kelly wasn’t usually one for the typical girl’s night, but she didn’t want to be rude. “Sounds great.”

The rest of dinner went by without much meaningful conversation. There was small chitchat and banter, but that was all. Once she got over the fact that Kade and Asta were drinking blood out of wineglasses, Kelly ate more than she’d originally thought she would.

When everyone was finished, Kade walked Kelly back to her room.

He leaned against the doorframe after she entered the room. “Try to get some rest. I ken the time is off, but ye need what ye can get. The potential mentors will be here tomorrow, and Fabian will start working with ye on self-defense.”

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