She pushed up, to prove that she wasn’t a simpering female, and brushed off the dirt. She winced at the bruises and cuts. “I’m fine. I held my own, didn’t I?” Damn, why’d she have to add the question?
“You did.”
“We fought well together. I wasn’t a handicap.”
“No, you weren’t.”
And damn but she thought she saw pride in his eyes. “Any other information you’d care to share about creatures we might encounter?”
“Magick has no boundaries, no end. You would run screaming into the night if I told you everything about our world at once.”
“In other words, later. And you know what? At this moment, later is okay with me.”
He was already walking over to where they’d dropped their clothing. She followed, seeing his injuries. Nothing too serious, most having started the healing process within seconds. Beyond those bruises, he was breathtakingly perfect. He walked without shame or self-consciousness, his shoulders high, his ass tantalizing.
“Ruby?”
The sound of Nevin’s voice, filled with shock and a hint of accusation, floated from a distance. Where, she now saw, he stood at the gates watching her and Cyn retrieve their clothes.
She slapped her shirt against her chest. “Oh, great.”
“This is when the clothes shedding can be tricky,” Cyn said to her, pulling up his pants in one slick move. He moved in front of her, blocking Nevin’s view.
“Fire ants,” Cyn said to Nevin.
Ruby blinked. “What?”
“Fire ants all over us,” Cyn clarified to both of them. He shrugged. “Had to shed the clothing because there’s nothing worse than fire ants up the crack of your ass. Wouldn’t you agree?” Because he sounded so unruffled, and snapped his shirt out while seeming to inspect it, Nevin had no reason not to believe him.
“You’re good,” she said in a low voice before taking the opportunity to dress behind the shield of his body. “And I thought I was a great bluffer.” Not one logical reason for standing there in the Yard naked with Cyn, a man she’d met just the day before, came to mind.
“Yes, I am.”
She met Cyn’s gaze at those sultry words, feeling an answering spark in her eyes, and forced herself to look Nevin’s way. “Please, go.”
“I was just worried. What happened with the trouble?”
“This doesn’t concern you. And don’t come back until I call you.” Why’d he have to become industrious now? “I’ll explain everything…somehow,” she added in a whisper.
Nevin gave her a wounded puppy look before turning away.
In an even softer voice, Cyn said, “You have to cut ties with him.”
“I know. He could get hurt if something else waits to attack us here.”
“And having a Mundane in our lives is dangerous for us, too. Rule Number One.”
She bit her lip as she watched Nevin walk to his car. “I’ve complained ever since learning that I had to share ownership of this place with him. He couldn’t balance a budget if his life depended on it. But now his life depends on me cutting him loose, separating the businesses.”
“You care about him,” Cyn said, heading toward the office building.
“I do. He’s a stray, like I was once a stray. I have a soft spot for them.” She leaned down to pet one of the kittens that was crouched between two coolers. It hissed and ran away, sinking her heart. “Must be spooked because of the tulpa. Red, it’s okay. Come here.”
The cat was looking at her, its fur raised. Then it shot away and disappeared among the cola coolers. Her shoulders drooped. “Now the strays don’t even want me.”
“Don’t take it personally. Cats freak out around Dragon energy.” He smoothed his hands over his hair, then pointed to one of the Elementals hiding behind a hubcap propped up against the fence. “That one seems to like you. He was following you around the other day.” He curled his fingers in invitation, and the Elemental slowly emerged. “He’s a fire Elemental, like Allander.”
She knelt down as the creature with the red-tinged skin and large eyes took tentative steps toward her. “You said they don’t talk. How do you know Allander’s name?”
“Just pick a name. He’ll tell you if he likes it or not.”
She tilted her head. “Hmm. How about…Ziggy?”
It made a face that actually looked like a grimace. Cyn’s expression wasn’t as subtle.
“Fine. Fergus. How about that?”
The frown relaxed, and its eyes twinkled. Her heart lifted. She’d lost her cats, but maybe she’d gained an Elemental.