Page 71 of Destined to Fight

“Are ye afraid I’ll see ye naked? Ye forget I saw all of ye last night.”

Shit. Yep, she’d thrown that excuse away.

“Really, though, I’m fine. Just tired.”

“Aye, yer tired. Ye used yer powers a lot over the past few days, and then ye decided training for hours with Fabian would be a grand idea. Ye pushed it too far. Come get into the bath and eat something. I’ll tell ye what Connor found out.”

She perked up at that. New information always excited her. She got up and sleepily walked to the tub. Kade helped her undress and then steadied her as she crawled into the hot water. It wrapped around her like a blanket, comforting her down to the core.

Kelly couldn’t help the moan that escaped her as she laid her head back and closed her eyes.

A slight clank sounded as Kade set the plate down next to the tub. Stealing a peek, Kelly saw apple slices, cheese, and caramel, all laid out neatly on the plate.

Resistance was futile and Kelly grabbed an apple slice, dipping it in caramel before bringing it to her mouth.

“What did Connor learn?” she asked, unwilling to wait any longer.

Kade sat next to the tub and pulled his knees up to his chest.

“I dinnae ken if ye would call it learning anything. He found some old writings that talk of a bond between vampires and mages. What he found doesnae speak of any changes in eyes or bloodlust, but there has never been a bond between our races that I am aware of.”

“So, we have nothing.” Kelly couldn’t keep the negativity from her voice.

Kade ran his hand through his hair. “I dinnae ken. There has to be more behind what he found. Arcane have always kept things private within our races. Nowhere in our history books does it mention a bond between two races, especially not mages and vampires. Mages and warlocks have the greatest advantage against us in a fight, and we have never needed the help of another race to make things work. There has to be more to what he found.”

As much as she wanted to talk more about the mystery between them, Kelly was exhausted. It was true that magic took a lot out of her, and she’d been dumb to follow it up with hours of training.

To Fabian’s credit, he’d let her dig her own grave on that one. He knew she would hold on to her frustration if she didn’t work toward a solution. She’d definitely been able to let go of her anger. Now, she just had to find some strength before her dad got here.

“What time is it?” she asked Kade.

“Just about two.”

“Think you can entertain my dad for two hours while I take a nap?” She raised her brows at him with the question, giving him an overenthusiastic smile that said she wasn’t serious.

“Somehow, I dinnae think yer father would appreciate that.”

Kelly shrugged, and the water sloshed around her. “I guess I should get out then and get ready.”

Standing proved to be a challenge, so Kade helped her up and out of the bath, wrapping her in a towel. Then he carried her to the bed and grabbed some clothes before sitting down next to her.

“If I make a suggestion, will ye try to keep an open mind about it?” Kade asked, clearly being very careful with his words.

Too tired to be suspicious, Kelly nodded.

“Take some of my blood. It will have ye good as new, and then ye can enjoy the day with yer father.”

Now that she was more familiar with vampires, the thought of drinking Kade’s blood didn’t bother her as much as it had the night they met. The book she had read on vampires briefly described the healing properties of their blood. It just seemed gross, if she was being honest with herself. Who in their right mind wanted to drink blood?

Her face must have given her thoughts away because Kade did his best to reassure her.

“Ye dinnae need much, and it doesnae taste like normal blood.”

A chill ran through her. “The fact that we’re talking about the taste of vampire blood is ridiculous.”

Kade ran his hand through his hair again. “Will ye just try it?” He paused, searching for words, then added, “Look, ye may need it in the field if ye continue to be attacked. At least this way ye ken what to expect.”

He did have a point there. “Okay, fine. Nothing crazy will happen, right? I’ll just be good as new, no side effects?”

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