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“I’ll get one.”

“Kahn, stop talking over the class.” Julius said mildly, not looking up from his note-taking. “Some of us haven’t found a girl yet, so we’re still trying to learn.”

Kahn kept looking at Randa. “Your number?” He prompted again.

“Why would I want you to have my number?”

“So we can talk.”

“Even when we talk in person, all you do is complain at me. Maybe I don’t want to hear you nagging all the time.”

“That’s fine. We can text.”

Randa rolled her eyes.

“Give me the first three numbers, at least. I can’t call you if I only have three numbers.”

“And then you’ll let me get back to my presentation? You’ll be satisfied?”

“Absolutely.” The best hunter in the realm smirked at her. “For now.”

Chapter Nine

She said he fairly frightened her, he was so superbly elemental.

Harry Leon Wilson

“Holy shit.”

Randa stoically ignored the woman’s breathless exclamation. She’d been hearing the same words off and on all evening, as humans entered the Wastin’ Away Bar and Grille and got a look at the Air Phases.

It didn’t surprise her that they were drawing stares. The five of them towered over the humans, their warrior bodies shown off to perfection in the tighter fit of their new clothes. With their long golden hair and dark eyes, they looked like champions from some gladiator war. And they were buying everyone drinks, as if money was just paper.

Which, to them, it was.

As a result of the Light Phases' beauty and largesse, the singles mixer was packed with women. Positively packed. It seemed like human females were texting pictures of the Light Phases to their friends, and their friends were racing to the bar to see them in person. Then texting pictures to their friends, who raced down to see them in person…

It was an insane loop of gasps and giggles and whispers of “holy shit!”

On the plus side, the Light Phases had dozens of lucky bachelorettes to choose from. Randa doubted they’d ever been so popular with the opposite sex. Respectable ladies in the Elemental realm would have crossed the street to avoid barbarians from a backwater kingdom. Here in Mayport Beach, the Light Phases were being treated like rock stars.

Unless they badly screwed it up, they could all try Phazing with multiple women, multiple times tonight.

Her eyes slid over to Kahn, who stood with his back against the wall and who was drinking beer straight from a bottle. (Gaia forbid, the bartender mix them a drink, because who knows what mysterious poisons it might contain.) He seemed uneasy about the entire situation. Not that Randa had been paying him any specific attention. Of course not. She also hadn’t noticed that he looked incredibly attractive, in a barbarian sort of way. Possibly, more attractive than any man had ever looked in the history of maleness.

Nope. She was merely chaperoning the Light Phases, and he was a Light Phase.

That’s why she knew Kahn had talked to exactly one woman and that conversation lasted eight seconds. He had asked what time the mixer was over. The woman had smiled flirtatiously and told him one in the morning, but he could leave with her right then if he wanted. Kahn had blinked in surprise and muttered, “no.”

Then, his eyes had slipped over to Randa. She’d arched a brow at him. He’d scowled and stalked off to get another beer. That had been twelve minutes ago, over by the pool table, on the left-hand side of the room, near the picture of Jimmy Buffett.

Randa had barely noticed the interaction.

She took a sip of her club soda. She wouldn’t have ordered anything at all, because drinks were expensive, but the bartender had insisted there was a two-drink minimum. She’d paid for both of them herself, which had put Kahn in a lousy mood.

Well, a worse lousy mood, anyway. He’d been glowering at people since they’d arrived. Grandmother Viola always said well-bred people suffered with a polite smile. It was why Randa had had a politely suffering smile fixed to her face all evening.

A petite redheaded girl had Rye cornered and wasn’t letting him escape. Everyone in Mayport Beach knew Tallulah Jayne Atkins. She had a lot of money and a lot of free time. She spent both partying nonstop. She liked drinking on the beach, wearing tight clothes, and dating a new boy every week.