CHAPTER ONE

Illusion

SERA WAS LATE. Ok, so that wasn’t anything new. When your life consisted of hunting misbehaving monsters across the city of San Francisco, punctuality took a backseat to survival.

But this time she didn’t have an excuse. She hadn’t spent the morning fighting mages doped up on magic. Nor had she spent the afternoon explaining to those naughty nymphs for the one-millionth time that it was not cool to lure unsuspecting men into their houses for a little fun followed by a dose of post-coital memory wipe. She hadn’t even spent the evening breaking up vampire bar fights. She was still on leave from her job at Mayhem, the city’s oldest mercenary guild. Instead of scrubbing blood and monster guts out from under her fingernails, she’d spent the past half hour staring blankly into her closet. Her first official date with Kai was tonight, and she had no clue what to wear.

I think he’d appreciate these, her dragon half said, projecting an image of a black lace bra and panties into her head.

And what do I wear over the lingerie? Sera asked.

Nothing of course.

You’re not helping, she said but put on the black lacy things anyway.

The doorbell rang. She could already feel him—his thick, potent aura that resonated with ancient magic. It crackled at Sera’s skin, turbocharging every nerve in her body, flooding her in a hot deluge of liquid lightning. She shuddered.

“Stop that,” she muttered to Kai’s magic, slapping it away with her own magic.

His magic smirked. Yes, smirked. Sera could hear him talking to Riley in the living room, his tone conversational and calm. He was feeling her up with magic at the same time he debated the best magical method for breaking through iron bars with her brother. The man had no shame.

Neither do you, her dragon chuckled. You’re standing here in your underwear, fantasizing about more than just his magic.

Am not.

Are too. Don’t even try to lie to me. I’m in your head, remember?

“Nosy dragons,” she grumbled under her breath, grabbing her fanciest pair of jeans from the closet. She paired it with a crimson tank top that hugged her curves, then pulled on her boots. The merry song of dragon laughter ringing in her mind, she opened the door.

Kai stood with his back to the kitchen bar. He was dressed in his usual jeans and dark t-shirt, his arms folded across his chest. Every muscle in his body was built for one purpose: to deal damage and a lot of it. He was strong but flexible, powerful but agile. He had the constitution of a mountain and the willpower of a rock climber. His magic pulsed out from him in a hard, heavy rhythm, like the beating wings of a dragon. Sweet and spicy, it crackled in cinnamon swirls across her tongue.

Riley stood opposite him, beside the dining room table. “A corrosive mixture is the way to go. If mixed right, it will break through those bars without a sound.”

“Too slow,” replied Kai. “A wind spell is how you do it. Or, if the bars are specially reenforced, a dragon punch.”

“And how will you use elemental magic or shift into a dragon if the iron is impairing your magic?” Riley asked.

Kai snorted. “Impaired? Who are you calling impaired?”

“The iron doesn’t keep a mage from using magic,” Sera told Riley. “It just gives them a headache if they do.”

Kai turned, his blue eyes lighting up with electric magic when he saw her. In one smooth sweep, he pushed away from the bar and glided over to her. “Sera,” he said, handing her a single rose. “You look stunning.”

She looked at the dark rose. It matched her shirt perfectly. “How did you know I’d wear this top?”

“I didn’t.”

She smelled the rose. A sweet, seductive smell wafted up from the velvet-soft petals, making her head swim. Magic.

“But I was hoping you’d remember that I like it,” he added with a sly smile.

She had. But there were two other tops she seemed to remember he also liked. That had been the whole problem.

“I like this one the best,” he said, his caress a ghost of a whisper as his finger traced down her side.

Sera closed her eyes and leaned into him, allowing his magic to wash over her.

From the other side of the table, Riley cleared his throat. Kai dropped his hand, and Sera took a step back. She gave Riley an apologetic—and embarrassed—smile. Kai, on the other hand, didn’t look sorry or embarrassed. He held her gaze, his eyes burning into hers.

“If you’re going to sleep with my sister, just don’t do it here,” Riley told him calmly.

“Of course not. I wouldn’t want her to feel too self-conscious to enjoy herself.”

Sera gaped at them both. It seemed the two of them really had worked out their issues. Riley hadn’t been happy with Kai when he’d found that he was with Sera. Not because he objected to that. He was just pissed that Kai hadn’t told him about it. Men could be such drama queens.

“Nice to see you’re sharing again,” Sera told Kai as they walked toward the front door.

Kai plucked her jacket from its hook and moved behind her to slide it over her arms. “Not everything, sweetheart,” he whispered into her ear, his words heavy with suggestion—and magic. “I haven’t told him of my master plan.”

“And what is your plan?”

A smirk quirked at the corner of his lip as he opened the door for her. “It’s a surprise.”

A surprise, huh? Sera eyed the sword hanging on the wall. To bring or not to bring? She already had a bundle of knives tucked inside her purse. Surely, she didn’t need a sword too, right? What were the chances that they’d be attacked during their date?