So he smiled back at her. “I’m sorry I missed it. I was wondering what that stinky goo all over your boots was.”

Her smile faded, like she was embarrassed. He wanted to tell her not to be, that he could hardly smell it through her magic, but that would probably have freaked her out even more.

“Well, now I have vampire blood all over my clothes to go with the stinky goo,” she said, obviously talking just to curb her unease.

“Indeed.”

His pocket buzzed. He pulled out his phone and saw it was a message from Tony. There had been an incident in one of the labs, and some miniature tigers had gotten free of the building. They weren’t real tigers, just creatures that the researchers at Drachenburg Industries had bred. Their blood possessed unique qualities, among them the ability to raise magical defense.

The tigers were only the size of kittens, but they could leap really high. And their claws cut right through human flesh. Drachenburg Industries was surrounded by a high fence, so they were contained for now, but he had to go help Tony and the guys recapture them before this turned into a full-scale nightmare. He could just see the headline now: ‘Vicious experimental tigers escape Drachenburg Industries, go on killing spree through San Francisco’. Kai couldn’t let that happen.

He said, “There’s an emergency at the office. I have to go.”

“Kitten with a sprained ankle?”

If only she knew how close she was. He just smiled and said, “Goodbye, Sera.”

He left the house and ran, shifting into a dragon as he moved. That would be the fastest way to the office. As he flew over the city, he thought about Sera. He would hire her for this job. It was a sensitive matter, something he couldn’t trust just anyone on. She was an exceptional fighter and a strong Sniffer. She wouldn’t betray him. It went against the very fabric of her nature to betray. They would combine their magic and track down his threat, this force that could control the minds of mages like Finn. And along the way, he’d get to know her.

* * *

Kai could feel Sera waiting in his office. He’d hired Mayhem, asking specifically for her. He’d gone to them for the best. Simmons was a keen businessman, but he didn’t even know the gem he had right under his nose. He’d tried to sell Kai the services of his top mercenaries, combat mages with impressive ratings. People who obviously enjoyed the hunt. With those ratings, any of those mages could have held top positions working for the world’s most powerful magic dynasties, but they had chosen to hunt monsters instead. Mayhem certainly attracted its share of thrill-seekers.

But Sera was different. She wasn’t fighting because she was chasing thrills. She was fighting to support her brother. And to keep people safe.

Apparently, this badass mercenary had a weakness, though. Cookies. Kai had left some in his office. He could feel her magic—curious, hungry, so full of life, so sweet, so pure, so innocent. It was powerful, the likes of which he’d never felt before, and yet she was hiding it. Why? Serafina Dering was a puzzle. A fantastically curious puzzle. And he was going to discover her secret.

“Mr. Drachenburg, she’s waiting for you inside,” his assistant Gia said. Her penciled brows lifted. “She’s wearing a sword.”

“Thank you, Gia.”

Gia obviously disapproved of the mercenary in his office. She was human, enthralled by the magic of supernaturals, but she didn’t have any of her own. Sera was hiding her magic well. And she was pretending to be human. Gia couldn’t see the beauty of her magic. Even other supernaturals couldn’t. But Kai had a keen sense of magic, an appreciation for it. Sera’s was a fine wine, rare, sweet with a hint of spice, an extra kick that meant she didn’t go down easily. Good, Kai had no use for weaklings. He had a series of mysterious break-ins on his hands and someone who could control mages’ minds to track down. He needed someone strong. And he had a feeling Sera was a lot like him. Too stubborn to bend and wouldn’t go down without a fight—and she wouldn’t give up control of her mind so easily either.

He entered and saw her standing there. She was staring at the cookies like she was hungry. Her tongue darted out, sliding across her lower lip. The room was filled with expensive office stuff and rare paintings, but nothing in here was as unique as Sera. There was just something about her, about her magic. Kai wondered what it would feel like if she let it all out. He stared at her, imagining her unleashing her magic, that power flowing freely around her, stronger, more potent.

He snapped himself out of the trance she’d put him in. No one had ever enchanted him like that, not even those nymphs who liked to come around the office to try to lure him into their beds. Sera wasn’t even trying—in fact, she was holding back her magic with every shred of control she had—and he was absolutely spellbound.

She turned and saw him, freezing, panic streaking her magic. But she held her ground. As Kai closed the door behind him, she drew in her magic, trying to hide it. As though she could hide something so magnificent. He could have sensed her through layers of rock. He met her eyes and smiled.

“It’s too late for that,” he said.

He couldn’t help it. As her magic retreated, he held on to it. He had to taste her magic, had to feel it. There was something so intoxicating, so addicting about it. Even as he’d fought the tigers last night, his mind had wandered to her. Her magic. This morning, he had thought of little else. He’d counted down the hours until he would see her again. He’d worked out with the guys in the gym, trying to focus, trying to push thoughts of her out of his head. It hadn’t worked. The guys had wondered why he was so distracted. Kai wondered about that too. He hardly knew her, and thoughts of her swelled inside of him. It was as though she’d branded him with her magic.