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“You can’t ask how many people they’ve killed as the second getting-to-know-you question.” Randa interrupted.

“Third?”

“You don’t need to ask it at all.” Why was this hard for them to understand? “Odds are a human woman in Mayport Beach hasn’t killed anyone.”

All five Light Phases frowned in startled dismay.

“They haven’t killed anyone?” Julius repeated, as if maybe he’d heard her wrong.

“The Queen of the Light House has always been a warrior. My mother would haunt me from the afterlife if I let someone soft and useless carry her mantle.” Rye looked genuinely troubled. “This crop of females could be lacking. Maybe we should search some other town, where natural feminine bloodlust is sated.”

“Mayport is the spot where Elemental DNA is most present in the human population. Ty’s been studying it. This is your best chance to find Matches.” Randa insisted.

“Have you killed anyone?” Kahn asked out of the blue.

Randa’s mouth dropped open. “I just said we didn’t have to practice that part!”

“I know, but you’re aware that I’m an Elemental and I’m aware that you work at the police station. It now seems like an appropriate getting-to-know-you question for us.”

“It wouldn’t be appropriate for humans, though. Why are you practicing ‘getting-to-know you questions’ on me that you wouldn’t ask a human?”

“Because I want to get to know you.”

She gazed into his dark eyes.

Kahn gazed back.

“I… almost killed someone once.” Randa heard herself say. “When I’d just turned ninety-three, I froze a man with my powers. He deserved it. Afterwards, I debated whether or not I should finish the job, but…” She trailed off. “My powers aren’t very strong. And he ended up freeing himself, without me ever making the decision.”

“What do you think your decision would’ve been?”

“I think I would’ve killed him.” She whispered.

Kahn clearly had more questions, but he didn’t push her. “So you’re a warrior, then.” He declared. “Maybe the only one in this town, from what you’re telling us about the weak humans.”

She scoffed. “I’m hardly a warrior. I can’t fight Saxon by myself, can I?”

“You don’t need to. That’s why I’m here.”

Once again, Randa was completely out of things to say. She could only stare at him, wide-eyed and a little panicked by her own instincts. When Kahn was kind to her, she had the horrible impulse to get closer to him. When had she ever wanted to be close to anybody? What was happening to her? Was she losing her mind?

Kahn slowly smiled, as if coming to a decision. “So that’s settled.”

“What’s settled?” She got out faintly, losing track of what they were even talking about.

“You. Us.” He waved a finger in a quick circle to encompass the six of them. “We all agree, right?” He glanced towards the others and they nodded. “See?” He looked back to Randa. “It’s settled. You’ll never fight anyone by yourself. Not ever again.”

It was a crazy thing to say. She didn’t believe it for a second. …Except something inside of her melted forever towards the incorrigible, uncivilized Light Phases.

Damn it.

She refused to let them upset her life and her plans. It was too big of a risk. …It was just difficult to remember that when a certain grouchy asshole was smiling at her.

Steeling her resolve, Randa very deliberately turned away from Kahn. “Next up on our presentation,” she clicked the spacebar, “how to ask a woman for her contact information. Social media is obviously a great way to connect with humans, but the internet can be confusing. …Especially for you, I’m guessing. For tonight, we should stick to phone numbers.”

“What’s your phone number?”

Randa wasn’t about to tell him. “It doesn’t matter, since you don’t even have a phone.” Human smartphones were becoming a fad with Elementals, but the Light Phases weren’t a group to follow trends.