Visions

Chapter 15

Jasmine and I headed to Magpies after we dropped off Emma at her house. My shoulders relaxed a bit more with every mile that separated me from her.

Ah, an afternoon with just Jazz. No Emma. No visions. No worries.

"I'm not doing that again," I said. "She can meet Cheyenne if you want, but no more Dakota."

"So weird how he liked her instantly," Jasmine said.

"Like he'd been hypnotized."

We walked into Magpies, put in our drink orders and nabbed our favorite table by the window.

"Well," Jasmine said. "She didn't lie about being good with animals." She kind of grimaced. "But I don't really want her to meet Cheyenne."

"Oh, so I'm not crazy?"

"I wouldn't go that far."

"Ha ha."

The barista called out our drinks, and I went up to get them. When I turned around, Kai stood there, staring down at me.

"Excuse me," I said as I tried to scoot past. I had nothing to say to him after he ruined me at the pow wow.

He held out the pipe bag I'd dropped at his feet. "Your work," he said in a low voice. "It shows honor."

I glanced at the bag but didn't take it. Hadn't expected him to say that. Nothing came out of my mouth until my anger surged back up. "Too bad you didn't figure that out a couple days ago. You lost me at least a thousand dollars. And I'm trying to buy a car."

His dark eyes held mine. "Maybe I was wrong."

"Maybe?"

He stepped toward me. "You make it hard to apologize."

"Is that what this is?" I blinked a few times. "Well, don't hurt yourself." Yes, I was being a brat, but I'd spent a whole day humiliated while he basked in my misery.

He shoved the pipe bag at me. "Just take it."

I wagged my head. "I don't want it."

"Leave her alone," Luke's voice said from behind Kai.

Great.

A party.

Luke knew nothing about what happened at the pow wow. And he needed no more reason to want to fight Kai.

Kai slowly looked over his shoulder. "This is a private conversation."

"Which is over," I said as I tried to squeeze past him.

Kai placed his hands on either side of the counter and blocked me in. "Not yet."

I was pinned against the counter with a hot cup in each hand. Luke's face told me he was going to come undone. I shook my head at him. Don't do anything stupid. But he grabbed Kai's shoulder. I never saw Kai move, but all of a sudden Luke was pinned against the wall in the narrow hallway. "Don't," Kai said through his teeth.

Luke twisted out of Kai's grip. The two stood nose to nose while everyone in the café stared. My heart beat high in my throat. I didn't want Luke to hurt Kai. Although Kai had moved amazingly fast.

I set the drinks on the counter, squeezed between them and pressed my hands against their chests. "Stop it," I whispered. "Take it to your dojo or whatever." Warmth seeped up my arm from Luke, but from Kai, a crackling energy.

"Stay. Away. From her," Luke said under his breath. Luke's eye twitched and I could almost hear Kai's teeth grind as they stared each other down. The aggression they were barely keeping in check was kind of scary.