Burned » Kai Parker

14

Sleep hadn't come easily last night.

My magic had been operating in overdrive, trying to recover from its full-moon-induced exhilaration. Which meant plenty of wakeful hours, interrupted only by a few rare moments of actual shut-eye during the night.

I eyed the time on my phone resentfully, while sipping from a cup of cold tap water. It was nine in the morning on a Saturday; in October mind you, so the apartment was filled with chilled air that I'd let in from the open window overnight. It was the ideal setting for sleeping in, bundled by my comforter, but it wasn't happening today.

Just as I was about to start debating about what to toss together for breakfast with my fairly limited options, a series of three knocks cut through the silence.

I set down my cup and tiredly maneuvered toward the doorway so I could open it. The culprit hardly surprised me this time.

The witch was fully dressed in an AC/DC tee and a half-zipped hooded jacket with jeans, in stark contrast with my faded sunflower tee shirt and black joggers. Looking jolly as ever, too, which made me nearly gape in disbelief. Morning people were an anomaly that I had yet to crack.

He examined me from head to toe, with a small smirk dancing on his lips. "Morning, sleepyhead."

"Kai." I rubbed an eye lightly. "We don't start today, do we? I could've sworn you said Monday."

"Oh, I did. I'm about to head down to Ansel's and grab some morning fuel in pastry form, so just thought I'd extend the invitation."

I frowned. "Ansel's?"

"Best bakery in town," he chirped. My mouth instantly watered at the thought of freshly baked muffins and brewed coffee to rejuvenate after the taxing night prior.

I did have to pause for a moment, wondering when the hell Kai and I reached a point where inviting me to join him on a bakery run was called for. We weren't exactly friends, were we? But something was different now, slowly reshaping itself, and the final mold wasn't yet complete for me to evaluate thoroughly. Agreeing to train with him may have set a new wave in motion, one that imbued Kai with the natural confidence to knock on my door with ease. While I wanted to claim that I didn't like this progression, I couldn't lie to myself.

But that was way too much overthinking to go through at this hour, and my stomach was growling at the prospect of real food, so I dismissed it momentarily.

"How's the muffin selection?"

"Out of this damn world," he replied without missing a beat.

I hummed thoughtfully. "Okay. But I need to change first."

"What's wrong with this get-up?" He joked, gesturing at my pajamas. I rolled my eyes.

"So you can outshine me? I don't think so."

"You really think my outfit's that fancy?" He grinned. "I'm flattered. But I can always go in my pajamas, too, even it out a little. Granted, I do tend to sleep in my underwear, so-"

"No, it's fine, thanks for the shot at generosity," I cut him off, then promptly wanted to slam the side of my palm against my head, because Kai's casual comment resulted in the mental imagery of the man minimally dressed. I hoped to God he couldn't read the direction of my thoughts on my face.

I grabbed his forearm and dragged him over the threshold, all the way to the kitchen. "Wait here. I'll be a second."

"Yes, ma'am." He perched himself on a stool, leaning his elbows back against the counter.