There was no way they thought this was a game. The nymphs tried to give off a benign impression, but they were sinister to the bone. If they could get away with attacking someone, they would. And I was providing them with the perfect excuse.
Kai simply stood there with his wings unfurled as acorns hailed on him. It wasn’t enough. At this point, I could have probably still claimed a smidge of innocence. That went out the window when I layered the acorns in the same magical resonance that I used to phase through objects. It sent them sailing right past his wings. The sound of him grunting as they hit his head again was very satisfying. Not as good as if I had punched him myself, but I doubted I would ever get the chance.
The nymphs hissed their amusement. They waved their arms at me in encouragement. Kai suddenly spun so that his wings became a solid disc. The momentum caused the acorns already in the air to scatter. I drew a circle around myself to protect against being hit by the ricochet. A flick of my hand and I sent them flying back.
Green angelfire created a wall between us. Black-and-blue hedge and bone magic pushed against it. We became locked in a battle of wills. He might be physically stronger, but I would be damned if I couldn’t hold out in a test of stubbornness.
Inch by agonising inch, I pressed the magic forward. Through the transparent layers of colour, I saw his top lip curl into a smirk. That smug jackass thought this was funny. I had half a mind to make the bougainvillea behind him come alive and yank his feet from beneath him. As soon as the thought left my mind, Kai’s angelfire disappeared. The abrupt withdrawal of power caused my magic to surge forward. My physical body staggered with it.
Instead of evading, Kai turned his shoulder and allowed the wall of magic to hit him. I had a second to retract the worst of the energy before I went tripping right into him. The bone magic brushed his aura. I inhaled sharply as my mind was flooded with images of fair-haired Nephilim, their faces crystal clear in my thoughts.
When Kai caught me, every muscle in his body was stretched taut. His heartbeat was rapid where my cheek rested over his chest.
Bone magic had the effect of dragging death to the surface. I was inadvertently making him relive the past that haunted him. I blinked and grabbed at every sliver of my magic that still clung to the air. Free of the memories that had plagued him for most of his early teens, Kai yanked me out of his arms. The world turned upside down.
“Hey!” He pressed me onto my stomach in the soft grass. My eyes flicked open to reveal a landscape on its side.
Kai shoved his knee into my lower back. He held my hands in place behind me. The pressure was only slight, but given out vast weight difference, I could barely move.
“Get off!”
He laid his palm over the nape of my neck and held my head down. I wanted to lash out. But if I did, I’d end up smashing my head against the grass. He knew I’d gladly trade hurting myself for a chance at getting back at him. That was why he was holding me still.
“You evoked shifter protection,” he said. His mouth was dangerously close to my ear. “Do you know what shifters do when they catch prey?”
I was going to rip his nuts off when I got free. He would regret ever coming near -
His teeth closed over the soft flesh just beneath my earlobe. The most sensitive part of my neck. He barely touched me, but it was more than enough. All thoughts of death and revenge receded as a lick of heat curled in my gut. It flared down my spine and made my hips lift involuntarily. His tongue traced over the spot where his teeth had been. I bit the inside of my cheek to stop from crying out.
His lips curved into a smile against my ear. “I’ll let you up if you promise not to attack.”
“Go to hell!”
“I can do this all day.”
“You won’t get that long, you jackass!”
I was going to headbutt him for sure. It didn’t matter whether it was physically possible. I was going to make him pay for hurting me and then making me want him again. The circle began as a thread of blue at the tip of my feet. It gathered enough momentum to almost reach my hip before Kai flipped me over. He pulled me up and sat down heavily. The rage in me flared as he hugged me to his chest. I wasn’t sure if I was angrier that he was so presumptuous or that he did it using just his right arm. That arm then curled around my waist, while the other one grabbed my wrists and held them together.
“I hate you so much!” I spat at him.
His green eyes softened. “I know,” he said. “I can feel it. I’m sorry, Blue.”
“Let go of me.”
“I can’t.” He dropped his forehead onto mine. “I don’t want to.”
“You...” I screamed in frustration. He jerked backward when I tried to headbutt him for real.
“You’re going to hurt yourself,” he said. He was trying not to laugh.
“So what?”
“So I’ve got the message. Loud and clear. You’re pissed. Don’t cut off your nose to spite your face.”
“Just wait until I get –”
He kissed me. The stupid jackass was kissing me. Why couldn’t I pull away? His tongue brushed my lower lip. My mouth opened at the same time my eyelids fluttered closed. My whole body reacted by sinking into him. And then that cunning presence that ensured my survival on the streets threw an image of Chanelle at me. She was standing on the bridge, her hand clasping Kai’s mother’s necklace at her throat.
My fist
