Page 95 of Heart of the Light Kingdom

Second of all, Tallulah Jayne was one of the craziest people Randa had ever met, maybe even topping one or two of the Fire Phases. Rye’s date was all decked out in gold sequins, wearing the hideously expensive sapphire necklace he’d given her, and talking nonstop about herself. Rye’s non-humanness wasn’t weird to her, since she now believed she was psychically attuned to the universe, so she referenced the supernatural. A lot.

Which brought them to the third problem: Dr. Ashley. She was sitting beside Julius, with the look of someone gathering “bad date” anecdotes for her autobiography.

Julius continued to believe that she was underage, so he had requested a kid’s menu for her. (Because of course he would understand that concept, but not how paper towel dispensers worked.) Randa had rushed to explain it was just a cultural misunderstanding, but Ashley seemed to think Julius was insinuating she was fat and needed tiny portions.

She might’ve walked out right then, except Tallulah Jayne had asked Rye what tanning options were available on his “vampire home world.” Ashley seemed so perplexed by that sentence, she forgot to leave. Instead she remained there, listening with a kind of morbid fascination and probably wondering if she could have them all committed.

And then finally there was problem number four: Kahn.

If Randa was being honest, her new Match’s presence was the primary reason for her nervousness. Simply having a new Match --a genuine Match-- was surreal. A part of her wanted to grab onto him and never let go. Another part wanted to renounce him and run for the hills.

The part that wanted to grab hold was much louder.

She wanted to stay. Kahn wanted her to stay.

He’d been so excited to make that deal where they’d promised to support each other. Afterwards, they’d spent the whole afternoon together. He’d stayed in the kitchen with her while she baked Gion’s birthday cake, interrupted her work on police station files, and sent her eight thousand texts. She’d kept him from stealing the frosting, protected her laptop from his “improvements,” and responded to all his flirty messages. Randa had never had so much fun.

It felt like Kahn wanted a real partnership. Like, he wasn’t just after a picture-perfect Match. Like, he wanted Randa and no one else. It was the same way she wanted Kahn and no one else, although she wasn’t about to admit that, yet. It was too soon.

It gave her hope for the future, though.

First they needed to forge a stable foundation, of course. And have rational discussions about their goals and expectations. And figure out how to deal with the actual Phazing part, because physical intimacy was daunting.

And of course she needed to scour her purse for snacks, so he didn’t starve.

Ashley’s uneasy gaze flickered between the three Light Phases. “What is it you gentlemen do for a living?” She asked, as if she strongly suspected mafia ties.

“You can’t ask about our jobs.” Julius counseled. Fully convinced that he was babysitting, he’d assumed the role of a wise and patronizing mentor. “We ask you about your job. Then, you ask where we’re from and we say the Amazon. Then, we don’t tell you about our Elemental powers.” He glanced at Randa. “Did she not see the slide presentation?”

Kahn rolled his eyes. “It turns out that you suck at taking notes, Jules.”

A waiter came over, thankfully preventing Julius from answering. Randa blinked when she recognized him. “Steve! I forgot you worked here.”

“Yeah, my sister just promoted me from busboy.” The teenager puffed out his chest. “It’s a really big deal. My new computer is practically paid for, now.”

“I’m so proud of you.” Randa mentally added another ten percent to the tip. He deserved it for working so hard.

Kahn didn’t agree. He scowled at Steve. “Do you just follow my Match around town?”