The Viper's Nest (Kit Davenport #4)(23)

Giving him a tight nod, I wandered into the kitchen where I could see Christina talking to River just outside. It was a coincidence, if anyone asked, but the amusement rolling off Tyson said he knew full well what I was doing even if I was in denial myself.





9





Kit





The next morning, I was pleasantly surprised to find when I came down for breakfast that Cole and Vali had already left for their day together.

“Seriously?” I asked, still half asleep as I took my coffee from Wes, then perched on Caleb’s lap when he tugged at my waist. “I know I won that bet, but I thought the stubborn fuckers would have to be forced out the door.”

“We all take paying off bets very seriously, love,” River murmured, pulling up a chair at the table and pushing a plate of pancakes towards me.

“Also,” Wesley added, “Vali seemed really keen to go out with Cole.”

Lifting my coffee to my face, I covered a smug smile. I just bet he was keen.

“So what are they doing with their day?” I asked, both curious and a little sad I wouldn’t get to keep an eye on them... bonding.

“Dragon stuff,” Caleb answered me, stealing a pancake from my plate and cramming half of it in his mouth before I could snatch it back. Could have been worse though; at least he wasn’t stealing my coffee.

“Dragon stuff?” I repeated, washing down my own mouthful with sweet, glorious caffeine.

“Uh-huh,” Caleb murmured, trying to take my mug from my fingers and earning a bite on the hand from me.

“Caleb, I made you your own,” Wesley snapped at him. “Quit stealing Kit’s.”

River clicked his tongue to shut them both up and effectively gained my attention again as he watched me like a predator with gorgeous, golden eyes.

“By ‘dragon stuff,’” he explained, “Caleb means they’ve gone out into the woods to work on their shifting and their magic. If anyone can help either of them practice and master their new abilities, it’s each other. That was a smart choice of a bet reward, love.”

“Thanks.” I beamed, finally having done something right. It felt like everything I was doing was wrong lately. “So, what’s in the cards for us today?”

“You have more magic training with Austin—and Caleb, if he feels like helping out. Wesley and I are going to have a chat about this situation with Director Pierre and what to do about it.” River placed his teacup back down on his saucer and—wait, what?

“Are you... drinking tea right now?” I asked, both fascinated and amused at the stereotypical British thing to do.

River just rolled his eyes and stood from the table. “When you’re done with breakfast, Austin is in the den waiting for you. He’s in a mood too, so probably best you get down there.” He threw me a wink that either said good luck or just kidding or, hell, it could have even been nice rack because I hadn’t bothered with a bra before coming to breakfast and my nipples were hard as ice cubes through my thin tank top. Either way, I was still too sleepy and not yet caffeinated enough to probe further into it.

Caleb had slipped into my bed when he got back from magic lessons smelling like smoke and herbs and had been surprisingly forthcoming about his night. No details on the lesson or his teacher, but at least he’d opened up about how he was feeling with his progress. Despite the late hour, I hadn’t wanted to stop him, but now I was tired as hell and about to face another gruelling day with Teacher-Austin.

“Guess that’s my cue, too,” Wes murmured, packing up his dishes and smacking a quick kiss on my cheek. “Good luck; don’t kill anyone.”

From Caleb, that would have earned a snarky remark back, but from Wes it seemed more like a genuine concern.

“I won’t kill anyone,” I muttered a bit sullenly while Wes dropped his dishes into the kitchen sink then followed River out of the room, leaving Caleb and I alone.

“Seriously?” I demanded as I reached for my coffee and found it gone from where I’d left it. “You have your own!”

Caleb grinned a cheeky grin and licked his lips, taking another sip from my cup. “Yeah, but yours tastes so much better. Besides, you didn’t even notice I’d personalized your mug for you.”

Now that he pointed it out, it was a much larger mug than the rest of the guys had been drinking from, and there was something printed on it…

“Move your hand so I can see, dope,” I prompted, and he obediently handed the cup back to me.

On one side, Kit’s Koffee Kup, and on the other, Zero Fox Given, except with a little cartoon fox instead of the word.

“Cal, I love it! It’s like that first one you got me... but better.” I placed it carefully down on the table and snaked my arms around his neck to kiss him. Given I was already in his lap, it was an easy task.

“You’re welcome, Kitty Kat,” he murmured when I eventually released his lips. “And I magicked this one so it won’t break if you pitch a fit with it.”

“So thoughtful,” I snickered, but secretly, I thought the extra work to make it break-free was almost as awesome as the cup itself. Caleb was being seriously awesome lately. “So does that mean you’ll come and help in magic class? Austin is less likely to shank me if you’re there as a witness.”