Page 151 of Kai
“A truce? No.” I captured him in a hug that could’ve strangled a grizzly. “Peace, Javier. Sorry about the shit I gave you.”
“Wait. Do you like me now?” he asked as he drew back.
“Yes.” I smiled up at him. “I’m thrilled to see you again.”
“You’re fierce, Sorceress.” He bumped his fist against his chest. “Respect.”
“Kai needs help.” I braced my feet on the bobbing surface.“He’s wounded.”
“I got him,” Micah’s deep baritone announced as he offered Kai his hand.
“Tough day at the office?” Javier also moved toward Kai.
“Meh.” Kai shrugged as he clasped Micah’s hand and leaped over. “I’ve had worse.”
His legs buckled, and it took both Micah and Javier to catch him.
“Worse?” I rolled my eyes. “Bullshit. Is there a doctor on board?”
“Our corpsman is waiting inside.” Javier fitted his shoulder under Kai’s good arm.
“We’ll take him to Ferranti directly,” Micah added, grabbing the surfboard and tucking it under his arm as if it was nothing.
Kai started. “Cece was in the water for a while. She needs help more than I do.”
“She’ll have it.” A familiar voice came from behind me. “Go, King. I’ve got this.”
I spun to face Dashiell Dagger, tall, fit, and elegant, even in neon yellow. He lowered the hood of his wetsuit and stared at me with his deep-set chocolate eyes.
“Dash.” I swallowed a gulp of emotion. “You look like a yellow chick.”
He granted me one of his rare grins. “And you look like you’ve just been through hell.”
“That’s true, but I’m back.” I threw myself into his arms.
He caught me. His arms squeezed around me. He’d always been a guarded one, but as he embraced me, the same emotions that bubbled through me vibrated in his body.
He pulled back and looked me up and down. “I’m so glad to see your face. Are you okay?”
“A little bruised, and a lot tired, but thanks to Kai, I’malive.”
“You guys gave us a fright there at the end.”
“Believe me, the feeling is mutual.”
His smile lit his gaze. “Thena’s gonna be ecstatic to see you again.”
A few more lines etched the sunburst patterns at the corners of his eyes. A little more gray glinted in his salt and pepper hair than I remembered, but this didn’t surprise me. Dash’s first grays had shown up at the ripe age of twenty. I knew because we grew up together. The heavy stubble that covered his jaw spoke of long days and too many worries, but there was a lightness to him that had never been there before.
“Thena and Missy?” I asked, not letting go of his hands.
“Safe.”
“Affie?”
“Still looking, but we’ll find her, I swear.”
“Kai said you guys would,” I said. “I have information that will help.”
