Page 7 of Destined to Fight

“Back to my hotel. After I get ye healed ye can get some rest, then we can talk, and ye can decide what ye’d like to do.”

Laying her head against the window, Kelly replayed the night’s events in her mind. It seemed so silly that they all led to her riding in this car back to a hotel with a ridiculously handsome vampire. Even worse, she wasn’t scared or worried at all about what would happen to her. Nope, her twisted mind had decided it was totally normal for a person to find themselves in a room full of magical people, for one of said magical people to declare himself her protector, and then to ride off into the sunrise with the protector, a vampire, and a guy with a really weird name. Jesus, she was going to need lots and lots of therapy.

Just as the therapy bills began to add up in Kelly’s mind, the car pulled up to a hotel that looked like it was exclusively for royalty. Fabian got out and came back to open her door. He held his hand out. “Are you capable of walking?” he asked in his sing-song voice.

“Yes, thank you, I think I can manage.” Kelly unbuckled her seatbelt and took his hand to steady herself as she got out.

Kade was by her side immediately, making her jump. “Seriously? I don’t need two of you hovering over me. I can walk!” She slapped at his hand as he reached for her.

He looked at her in complete confusion, then glanced at his hand as if it was growing an extra finger, then looked back at her. “I was just trying to help ye.”

“I appreciate your kindness, but I am tired and it has been the weirdest fucking night of my life. You can’t just move at the speed of light, offer me your hand, and expect me to fall into your arms. You are far from the comforting presence you seem to think you are.” Her words were strong, yet she felt anything but that. Kelly wanted desperately for him to hold her and make almost every part of this strange new world disappear.

The right side of his mouth curved up again in that half smile she was getting to know so well, and he held up his hands as if asking for a truce. He then held out one arm. “After ye, lass.”

Fabian silently took the lead, and Kelly followed with Kade close behind. Fabian’s blond braid was long, ending just above his lower back. Two long swords crisscrossed on his back, the hilts sitting just above his shoulders. She hadn’t noticed them before, but then again, she had not walked behind him until now. The weapons contrasted with his black dress slacks and midnight-blue button-up shirt, but he made it work. They passed by quite a few people as they made their way up to Kade’s room, but no one did a double take at the swords.

The elevator seemed to take forever to reach the floor, but Kelly was thankful to be riding in the mechanically controlled box instead of running up the stairs like a madwoman. When it reached its destination, the doors slid open to reveal a large foyer with a set of gold double doors in each of the three surrounding walls. As if gold doors weren’t fancy enough, the walls were solid white marble adorned with gold accents. Kelly cringed; this was way too uppity for her taste.

Fabian used a key card to gain entrance to the doors directly in front of them, then held the doors for her and Kade as they entered. He closed the doors, locked them, and made his way around the hotel room in what appeared to be a security check as Kelly stood in awe. She figured they were on the top floor of the hotel. The room spread out from one end of the floor to the other, with windows bordering it almost entirely. There was a large dining table prepared with twelve settings just in front of her, a full kitchen to the left, and to the right, a sitting area, complete with a black leather circular couch sunk into the floor, a fire pit in the middle of it, and a huge TV hanging from the corner.

“All clear, sir,” Fabian announced as he went to stand guard by the door.

“Thank ye, Fabian.” Kade turned his attention to her then. “Let us go sit down.” He gently placed his hand on the small of her back and led her down to the couch and gestured for her to sit. Grabbing a remote, he hit a button, and the TV came on in the corner.

“I’ve noticed ye like background noise. I hope ye don’t mind.”

Mind? She minded that he’d been watching her for months, but it was too late now to argue with him. “Sure, whatever,” she said, dismissively. “I’d really just like to get some rest if that’s okay. Is there a blanket around? I’m fine curling up right here.”

“Aye, I do mind. Ye’ll sleep in the bed.”

She opened her mouth to protest, and he cut her off, “I won’t bother ye or lay with ye. Ye’ll have yer privacy. The couch is no place for a lady. Let me heal ye, and ye can turn in from there. Fabian will also stand guard in the room should I have to leave. Ye will be safe, ye have my word.”

“Fine, but I don’t know how you plan to heal me. It’s just bruises. I’ll heal in time.”

There he went with the crooked smile again. He looked at her gently, and his hand reached out as if to touch her chin, then he stopped himself and brought it down to his knee instead. “Ye have much to learn about the Arcane world, and I will teach ye in time, but for now, it is enough to tell ye that most of us are immortal and our blood has healing properties. By taking just a few drops of my blood, yer aches and pains will be gone when you wake up from yer wee nap.”

Kelly couldn’t help but laugh at him. “Not that I don’t believe you, but there is no way in hell I am drinking any of your blood. Just…no. Eww.” A shiver overtook her body just thinking about it.

His face hardened just a bit. “I will not have ye suffering needlessly when ye can be good as new in a few hours.”

“You’re exhausting,” Kelly said, trying to maintain her even temper. “I am not suffering needlessly, nothing is broken, and I’ll sleep just fine. You should know from having me followed that a bed or a couch is quite a few notches above what I normally sleep on, so you can take comfort in that. If you want me to go lie in the bed, fine, but I refuse to drink your blood, Dracula.”

Kade let out the slightest chuckle. “I do not believe he would appreciate ye calling me by his name.”

That made her pause. “He’s real?” She realized she probably didn’t want to know right now. “You know what, never mind, please don’t answer that. Where is the bedroom?” Following her statement with the hardest stare she could muster.

“Will ye please just…”

Fabian cleared his throat loudly from the door. Kelly and Kade both turned to look at him, and he gave the slightest shake of his head. Kelly wondered if something was wrong with him for a moment, but he gave Kade the same stare she had probably given him a moment ago and slowly moved his head back and forth ever so slightly.

Kade took the hint. “Right then, I’ll show ye to the bedroom.”

He stood and offered his hand to help her up. Exhaustion overpowered her strong will, and she took it. Kade’s eyes wandered over her as she stood, and he held her hand a bit too long after she was upright. His expression was slightly pained as his eyes met hers and his other hand came up to gently touch her cheek and forehead, making her breath catch in her chest.

“I’m so very sorry I hurt ye,” he said ever so softly.

“You didn’t hurt me.”

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