Zach grinned at her. “That’s what I need.”
Kiera felt her heart flip. That grin. Dang.
She immediately recognized what it was, of course—pure adrenaline. But that didn’t make the flip any less strong. But it wasn’t throw-me-over-your-shoulder-and-take-me-to-bed adrenaline. It was throw-me-over-your-shoulder-and-carry-me-out-of-here adrenaline. This guy had come striding confidently through the dust and confusion and had freed her. Of course she was projecting feelings of affection and attraction on him.
But adrenaline-fueled fantasy or not, that grin was lethal. She even felt a little dizzy looking at it. And nauseous. Kiera frowned. No, not nauseous from his smile. Just…off balance. Or dazed. Or something.
Zach squeezed her hand, and she took a deep breath. She really loved his hands. When he’d held on to her and when he’d run them up and down her arms, she’d felt reassured. His touch had been warm and steady, and she’d needed it in those moments. He’d known exactly how to make her feel safe in the midst of the chaos, and it was definitely working now too. Zach was a big guy. Well, big in the over-six-foot, big-hands, big-feet, big-grin way. He had a wide chest and shoulders, but his stomach was flat, his legs long, and his butt tight…
Kiera frowned. When had she had time to notice his butt?
When he squatted next to Sophie to help lift her up.
Kiera was not going to analyze what kind of friend that made her.
As they moved deeper into the convention center, there was more of everything—more mess, more people, more noise, more problems. Kiera crowded close to Zach. So what if it was a shock reaction? Being close to him made her feel better.
Zach stopped next to another man in uniform. “Where do we start?”
“Anywhere,” the other man said grimly.
“Got it.” Zach tucked Kiera closer to him. “Stay close, okay?” he asked her.
She nodded. “Absolutely no problem.” When she’d been standing alone, the ambulance driving off in one direction and Zach walking away in the other, she’d felt so discombobulated. She was really not herself at the moment, and he was the only steady thing around her.
Zach glanced from side to side. “We don’t often manage such a huge scene, but I promise we don’t need superpowers or capes to get our jobs done.”
Yep, that calm assurance was definitely sexy.
“Your uniform is kind of a superhero outfit, though,” she said.
He looked down and grinned. “Yeah?”
“It tells people that you’re here to help and gives them a sense of comfort.”
He seemed a little surprised, but he said, “Well, I’m glad to hear it.”
“And you saved me with just a pocketknife,” she said, trying for a lighthearted tone. She felt his hand tighten around hers.
“Yeah, we’re just regular guys.” He paused. “Okay, really awesome, strong, and smart regular guys.”
She smiled. “I won’t argue with any of that. You’re making me feel better.”
She cringed even as the words were barely out. That sounded clingy. She blamed the whole one-of-us-could-have-died-today thing. But the big, solid body moving against hers wasn’t helping. She wanted to cling to him. Her head hurt, and it still felt as if the room were spinning at times. She needed something to hang on to. Or someone.
“Well, that’s definitely pumping up my ego. It’s not every day I get to rescue a beautiful princess.”
Don’t let that get to you. He’s placating you. He’s just flirting to keep you calm.
He tugged her around the stretched-out legs of a couple of people already being tended to. “I’m guessing you take care of most of the mass disasters that occur in your kingdom, though, right?”
“We don’t have mass disasters,” she said, completely straight faced. Maybe if she tapped into Kirenda a bit, she’d make it through the rest of this without sounding pitiful. She might sound crazy, considering Kirenda was a fictional video game character, but crazy was preferable to pathetic. “But I do lead troops into battle when necessary.”
“Battle, huh?”
“Yep.”
Princesses in Leokin weren’t just figureheads. Kiera had made sure of that. Of course, when her friends Pete Candon and Dalton Sagel had first come up with World of Leokin in a dive bar just off campus six years ago, she’d never imagined the guys would eventually turn those scribbled notes and beer-infused ideas into the fastest-growing video game franchise in history. But they had, and they’d used all of Kiera’s beer-infused input too. Which meant that even though she was a princess, she got to participate in a good battle once in a while. Lopping the head off a troll or two was a great way to work out pent-up frustration. Even if their heads did grow back during the next full moon.
Zach grinned. “You probably don’t even need to unsheathe your sword to get most of the opposing army to surrender,” he said.
“Why do you think that?”
“Unless all the men in bordering kingdoms are stupid, they’d want to be captured by you.”
Oh, he thought he was so smooth. Kiera fought the smile that threatened. As far as diversions went, he was pretty good.
“I’m not their type.”
“No? I find that hard to believe.”
“The trolls would rather feed me to their dragons, and the centaurs on our eastern border only mate with their own kind.”
Zach studied her for a moment as if trying to decide if she was messing with him. Then he said simply, “Glad I’m not a troll or a centaur.”
Yep, definitely smooth.
He was playing along. That was nice. But she kind of hated feeling like a little kid he needed to play along with in the first place.
Still, maybe thinking about how everyone in Leokin got six lives as long as they lived them with virtue and honor was better than thinking about how her friends were at the hospital right now.
Zach stopped next to a tall man sitting with his back against a wooden booth that had survived the collapse. He was easily in his sixties, with a long white beard that was clearly real. He was clutching one arm with the other and was very pale.
Zach dropped Kiera’s hand and squatted next to the man. “Sir? I’m Zach. I’m an EMT. Can I help you?”
The man looked up but seemed to have some trouble focusing. “My arm.”
“Did something hit you or did you fall?” Zach asked, opening his bag and pulling out a blood pressure cuff.
Kiera stood to the side, hugging her arms across her body, watching. She felt a little cold without Zach right against her, and yet there was a definite heat from watching him do his EMT thing. He had a deep voice, and he kept it soothing and calm as he checked the man over for injuries.
The man didn’t answer. He was staring past Zach’s shoulder.
“Sir? Can you tell me what day it is?”
“The attack came out of nowhere,” the man mumbled. “We weren’t prepared.”
“Sir, can you look at me?”
The man wore a floppy black hat that covered most of his skull, and Kiera realized that any head injury would be hard to assess with the hat in the way. Zach reached up to remove the hat, but the man jerked away.
“You cannot touch a sorcerer of Relmand.”
Relmand. One of Leokin’s allies. Kiera grinned. Of the two of them, Zach might be the all-knowing healer, but this man needed a little geek first. She was definitely a little geek. “Your Greatness, I have word from the king.”
Zach pivoted so quickly that he almost fell over. Kiera ignored him, not wanting to smile or, worse, feel like an idiot, as she knelt at the sorcerer’s feet and addressed him.
The man focused on her, and something changed in his face. He went from overcome to earnest in a flash. “You are from Leokin.”
“I am,” she said with a nod. “We were also caught unaware. But our king fights alongside yours to defend our kingdom, and they have enlisted the help of these men to tend our fallen.”
She felt Zach staring at her. She knew it was in part the lilt she’d added to her voice and probably also that she was gazing back at the man in black as if all the things she was saying were real and…not crazy.
“These men are sent from the king?” the older man asked.
“They are,” Kiera assured him.
The man looked at Zach. “They don’t look like much.”
Kiera smiled quickly but hid it before the man looked back at her. “Sir, I—” she started.
But then Zach said, “Our powers are well hidden so the enemy doesn’t capture us and use us on his side.”
Oh my God. She had to work to not stare at him, mouth hanging open. He was going along with this? In character even? Really? Why? And how could she not like him now? Emotional trauma or not, she might be in trouble here.
Kiera was completely composed—on the outside, anyway—by the time the older man looked back to her for confirmation.
With the man’s head turned, Zach did take the opportunity to inspect the back of his neck, but Kiera knew that Zach needed to see everything that was still covered as well.
“Sir, can you tell me what the date is?” Zach asked again.
“It’s day three of the great battle,” he said. “We’re going on the eighth hour.”
Okay, well, it was day three of the convention and about eight hours since the doors had opened that morning. She gave Zach a quick nod.
Zach actually shook his head. Did he think she was weird? It didn’t matter. The injured man was the priority. In fact, the weirder Zach thought she was, the less likely it was that he’d keep flirting and charming her. And that was a good thing. Because hot guys who didn’t know anything about Leokin or wizards or any of the other things she adored were firmly and forever off her to-date list.
“You need to rest,” she told the older man. Kiera moved closer and put a hand on his shoulder. He let her guide him to a supine position on the floor, and as she did, she slipped his hat from his head and laid it on his stomach. “He has everything you need,” Kiera said, gesturing to Zach. “Your care is in his hands. As ordered by the king,” she added.
Kiera met Zach’s amazed gaze. And winked at him.
Why did you wink at him?
His eyes went hot as a grin stretched his mouth.
Oh, that’s why.
* * *
Suddenly Kiera was on her feet and backing away. Zach frowned. She couldn’t leave. Zach started to stand, but the man chose that moment to say, “The Leokinese are a beautiful people.”
Um…yes, they were.
Zach got back to work, but he kept track of Kiera out of the corner of his eye, grateful she hadn’t gone too far.
Ten minutes later, the man had passed all the general assessments. He had a huge bump on his head but he was otherwise fine. Then he started talking about wizards.
“So you have wizards in your world?” the man asked him.
They did. They played basketball in Washington, D.C.
“Yes.”
“Ah.” The man nodded. “A well-trained wizard can be an asset to any kingdom.”
“Are they different from you and other sorcerers?” Zach was proud that he didn’t even look around to see if his buddies were within earshot to hear that question.
“In our world, wizards are made—through study and training—while sorcerers are born,” he said.
Well, Wizards on the courts in D.C. didn’t get there without study and training, that was for sure. “I would say it’s the same for us,” Zach told him.
The man gave him a big smile. “Then you are fortunate.”
“Seems you are too,” Zach said, leaning back on his heels. “Minor cuts and scrapes, no indication of internal bleeding, no fractures.” He grabbed a cold pack from his bag, snapped it in the middle to mix the cooling chemicals, and pressed it against the bump on the man’s head. “But you’re going to need to have your head checked.”
The man gave a low chuckle. “My kids have been telling me that for years.”
Zach grinned at this first glimpse behind the veil. “I wouldn’t seek treatment for anything but this lump,” he told the older man sincerely.
He meant it. The man wasn’t doing anything but enjoying a few hours in a world that made him happy. He wasn’t hurting anyone.
“Thank you, Zach,” the man said, holding the cold pack to his injury. “You’ve been very kind.”
Because of Kiera. He was kind and caring to all his patients, but he knew that without her he would have grown frustrated with this guy’s role-playing, and no way would he have gone along with it. Zach glanced over to where Kiera was standing, watching them.
“Um…” He forced himself to look back to his patient. “I’m going to put you down for transport to the ER. But it might be a bit. There are others who will be more critical.”
The man nodded and reached under his robe. “I’ll just call my daughter. She can take me.”
At the sight of the cell phone, Zach smiled. “I didn’t realize Relmand had cell service.”
“It’s spotty in the woods and over the Calanthe Mountains,” the wizard said, grinning. “But if you stay in the villages, it’s not bad.”
Zach laughed and got to his feet. “It was nice to meet you.”
“You too. Go to your princess.”
He wanted to do exactly that. More than he should. He headed in her direction, and when she saw him coming, she gave him a big smile that sent his heart thudding against his ribs.
“How’s our wizard?” she asked.
“Sorcerer,” Zach corrected without thinking.
She lifted an eyebrow. “Very good.”
“You were testing me?” He wanted to reach out and pull her closer. He gripped his bag tighter instead.
“Maybe a little.”
There was a twinkle in her eyes now that had nothing to do with the sparkly eye shadow surrounding them. And he decided that they were more the color of rich chocolate brownies. One of his favorite things.
“He called his daughter on his cell phone for a ride to the ER.”
“Ah.” She looked pleased. “That’s good.”
“Thanks for your help back there.” He moved a few inches closer. “That was pretty great.”
“No problem. Escaping reality is a specialty of mine.”
His first reaction to that was Damn. He lived very firmly in the real world. His second reaction, however, was surprising and went along the lines of role-playing and costumes in the bedroom.
He cleared his throat and gave her a grin he was sure worked in any universe. “Reality can be good.”
She looked up at him with a thoughtful expression. “That has not been my general experience.”
He had to admit it hadn’t always been his either, and he was tempted to see what it would be like to spend more time escaping the real world with Kiera. Even if it would lead to an evening of her regaling him with stories of quests for hidden treasure or something. Because being regaled by Kiera seemed like a hell of an idea suddenly. And yeah, maybe regaled meant something different in his world.
“You okay sticking with me for a little longer?” Not only had she been helpful, he was enjoying having her around.
She took a deep breath. “Yes.”
“Great.”
It didn’t take long to find someone who needed him. Zach knelt and immediately started his assessment on a woman with a bloody foot, but he glanced up. It was always a good idea to keep an eye on other people at a scene. If one of them fainted and fell, they could turn into another patient quickly.
Kiera looked pale.
“Kiera,” he said sharply, “sit down.”
She plopped to the floor on her butt. She was still staring at the woman’s foot. Clearly the warrior didn’t do well with blood. Real blood, anyway.
“Hey,” Zach said to her softly, but firmly.
Kiera looked at him.
“Gorgeous and kick-ass, right?”
Her eyes widened slightly as she processed his words. Then she nodded and pulled in a deep breath. “Right.”
“Are you Felicity Smoak?” Kiera asked the woman as Zach began his assessment.
The woman turned her head toward Kiera with a small smile. “Yep.”
“I always liked Felicity the most of all of Oliver’s women,” Kiera said.
They chatted about what Zach surmised to be a television show called Arrow while he determined the woman had no other significant external injuries. He started to clean the wounds on her ankle and foot. She needed to get to the hospital to be assessed for internal injuries.
“So I’m clearly missing out by not watching Arrow,” he commented. If he could get Kiera snuggled up next to him on the couch, he might just be willing to turn his TV away from ESPN for a night. Or two.
Then he shook that thought off. He didn’t have time to be cuddled up on the couch for anything or with anyone. The last thing he needed was another woman in his life to worry about. The amount of concern and protectiveness he’d already felt for Kiera was more than he needed to take on for anyone outside his own messed-up family.
“Felicity Smoak is an ally and love interest of millionaire playboy Oliver Queen, aka Arrow,” Kiera said. She turned to the other woman with a smile. “And you look just like her.”
Zach carefully began splinting and wrapping the woman’s ankle, and she sucked in a quick breath and gritted her teeth.
Kiera leaned in. “Did you watch The Flash? I love how they did the crossovers with Arrow.”
The woman opened her eyes and smiled at Kiera. “I did. I was so happy it got renewed for another season.”
He finished wrapping her up and radioed for transport as Kiera distracted her. A few minutes later, he helped load Felicity into the back of a rig. As they drove off, he turned to Kiera. He might not have time to watch TV with her, but he was impressed and intrigued by her, and he liked to think it was about more than her breasts. And the dress that showed flashes of smooth, toned legs. And the way her hair fell down her back in silky waves that made him itch to touch. And the sword that was surprisingly sexy. “Thanks again for the help.”
“My pleasure.” She frowned, seemingly puzzled by that. “It was nice to be able to help.”
He smiled. The hero thing was addictive. He knew well. “I have some more work to do.”
“Yeah, you’ll be here for a while.”
“Do you…” He cleared his throat. “Would you stay?” he asked. “I know nothing about Arrow. God knows what else I’m going to run into here.” He wanted her to stay so he could keep an eye on her and make sure she was okay. At least that was part of it.
She laughed and nodded. “I can stay.”
They worked together for the next hour and twenty minutes. She helped calm a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle while Zach splinted his arm. She talked about some Ryan Reynolds movie with a teenage girl wearing a T-shirt that read “Save a broom, ride a wizard” while Zach cleaned a deep cut around her eye. She talked Batman sequels with a man with a significant crush injury to his leg while Zach started an IV and gave him a shot of a painkiller while waiting for the ambulance. Zach helped start an airway, hooked up three more IVs, and cleaned more cuts and scrapes than he could count. And all the while, Kiera was there, talking to the patients, handing Zach supplies, and generally just making everyone feel better.
Maybe especially him. Big disasters were tough on the first responders and rescue workers too. There was no rest while patients were still in need. There was no break. And there were higher odds of not being able to help some victims. Zach didn’t deal well with not being able to help people.
Kiera looked exhausted and still a little pale as he walked with her toward the front of the convention center an hour and a half later.
“How about I let you tell me all about Princess Kirenda over dinner?” he heard himself ask.
Why had he done that? He didn’t have the time or energy to date anyone. Too many other people in his life needed his attention right now.
But he did have to eat.
And eating while listening to Kiera go on and on about…whatever…would be better than eating and not listening to Kiera go on and on. As long as he could be sitting close enough to smell those candied flowers and maybe touch that gold skin and start inching that emerald-green dress down a little farther—
“And you’re going to tell me all about the brachial plexus and how the tibia and fibula connect?”
He pulled his gaze from her cleavage to her eyes. She knew the brachial plexus?
“I read books,” she said to his unasked question.
He moved closer and dropped his voice. “Well, I can tell you about any body part you’re interested in.”
He saw the interest flare in her eyes, whether she wanted him to or not.
The corner of her mouth curled slightly. “Is that right?”
“Absolutely.”
Zach watched Kiera consider the invitation for a few seconds.
“I should warn you,” she finally said. “I’m immune to charm.”
“You got a shot or something?” he asked. She amused him. He couldn’t help it.
“You’re right. More likely it’s an allergy,” she said thoughtfully.
He felt his mouth quirk. “An allergy? To charm?”
“Yeah, my stomach feels a little funny.”
He gave her a slow grin. “Oh, those are butterflies, Princess. And that’s a good symptom.”
* * *
Kiera gave a little huff of laughter. Which was amazing after the day she’d had. She’d never seen anything like the convention center. Her head was throbbing, and she felt a little woozy, as if she could sleep for the next fourteen hours straight. Plus she was worried about Maya and Sophie. But she’d felt as if she’d truly helped a lot of people today. She’d bonded with people over her interests in World of Leokin and comic books and superheroes before, but today that bond had felt…important. It had helped some people through a pretty horrible experience.
And she’d met Zach.
Which was noteworthy. Because he was right. Those were most definitely butterflies. And she hadn’t felt butterflies over a guy in forever.
But Zach’s grin said that he’d fully expected her to have butterflies around him. That should annoy her. Instead it made the damned things swoop and swirl even faster.
She was responding to cocky.
She never responded to cocky. Anymore.
Confidence was attractive for sure, but there was a difference between cocky and confident. A subtle but definite difference.
Zach Ashley had both. Not to mention the hero thing. But she’d bet nine and a half out of ten women got a few butterflies because of the hero thing. That wasn’t a concern so much as it was something to be careful about. She wouldn’t let herself get too caught up in the way he could clean and bandage a wound with sure, steady, strong hands, all the while smiling and joking and putting off this air of I’ve-totally-got-this.
Especially because he was also alarmingly good looking. Denying that would be like denying that the North Star was in the northern sky.
But he didn’t know wizards from wombats. He didn’t know anything about Arrow. He couldn’t have picked Felicia Day out of a lineup of kick-ass gamer girl redheads.
There was no way she could think for two seconds about even having dinner with him. Not to mention developing a completely over-the-top, blushing, giggling, butterflies-in-her-stomach crush on him.
She’d been there. So been there. And had no desire to go again.
Plus she was twenty-seven years old, for God’s sake. Blushing and giggling and butterflies were in her past. She was a mature, intelligent, professional woman. Who dressed up as a warrior princess on the weekends.
She sighed.
At one time she would have downplayed her interests and laughed it all off so that Zach didn’t think she was weird. But she’d done that once and had still gotten her heart broken. She’d then spent a period hating herself for trying to change for someone and then hating herself for hating herself for that.
She wasn’t going to change for anyone ever again.
Including the hot hero who was really cute about not knowing anything about wizards but who had played along with a scared, hurt old man anyway.
“I can’t,” she said. “But thanks.”
“You can’t?” he frowned. He probably didn’t recognize a woman turning him down for…anything.
“My two best friends are in the hospital. I have to go check on them.”
She did. She’d been trying to put Sophie’s and Maya’s injuries out of her mind so she wouldn’t freak out or break down and be no good to anyone here. But the truth was, she had no idea how they were.
“Holy shit.” Zach was staring at her. “You’re right. Fuck. I can’t believe I forgot that.” Then he grimaced. “Sorry about the fuck. And the holy shit. And forgetting.”
She smiled. “Not offended. And don’t worry about it. You’ve been preoccupied.”
His eyes roamed over her face. “Yeah, I have. But maybe not by what you think.”
Goose bumps danced up and down her arms. “Anyway, I should get to the hospital.” Besides, the idea of food made her queasy.
“You definitely should,” he agreed. He grabbed her hand and started toward the front of the convention center again.
“Where are we going?” Kiera asked.
“I’m getting you to the hospital.” With the hand not holding hers, he pulled his phone out and started swiping his thumb over the screen as he walked.
Well, that would be a way of extending their time together without it being a date. Or whatever dinner would have been. He hadn’t let go of her hand yet, and he still didn’t when he paused just inside the conference center’s doors.
He pulled her around to face him. “I confirmed that Sophie and Maya were both taken to Mass General.”
“You did?”
“Texted a buddy in the ER.”
“Oh, great. Thanks.”
He reached into his pocket and tugged his wallet free. He did let go of her then to pull a twenty from it. He handed it over, and Kiera’s cheeks got hot again. He was giving her money for a cab. Damn. She suddenly didn’t want him taking care of her. She didn’t want him to see her as just another person he was being paid to help.
“I’ll pay you back,” she said quickly. She did need it. Or she’d have to walk to the hospital.
“I was hoping you’d say that.” He gave her a grin. “That means I’ll get to see you again.”
Okay, he was a hot guy who saved lives and had a grin that made her tingle. Big deal.
“No, I can mail it. Just give me your address.” She reached for the money.
He pulled it back out of reach. “I’d rather have a personal delivery.”
She couldn’t meet his eyes and focused on his collar instead. She wasn’t a mess—she really wasn’t—but in spite of her warrior princess outfit and her sword, she knew she’d come across that way today. Hell, her outfit and sword—spray-painted foam board, of course—probably made her seem even more pitiful, like someone who could be tough only when she was pretending to be someone else.
“It’d be better if I mailed it,” she said again, finally lifting her eyes to his.
He frowned slightly and handed her the twenty. “Okay, I’ll text you my address. What’s your number?”
She couldn’t help it. She smiled slightly. He was smooth. “Nice try.”
“Then I’ll give you my number. You can text me for my address, and I’ll text you back. But that seems less efficient.”
“Probably the easiest thing would be to mail it to you at work,” she said.
“You don’t know that address.”
“I can look it up.”
Finally he gave up with a shake of his head. “What am I missing here? I’d like to see you again and thought you’d feel the same way.”
She swallowed her pride, which wanted her to say, “Nope, don’t feel the same way, thanks all the same,” and told him the truth. “I like you. You made today…not horrible.”
Okay, part of the truth. He’d made today pretty damned great.
He gave a quick laugh. “Not sure I’ve ever had a woman describe time with me as not horrible.”
She could imagine.
“I just…” Dammit. She took a breath and blew it out. “I’m a geek, Zach. I love to cosplay. I game every single night. All of my friends are into this same Comic Con stuff. I go to every Marvel movie on opening day. I read fantasy and sci-fi. I spend ninety-eight percent of my time on the computer—both for work and pleasure. I’m addicted to TableTop and Felicia Day is my idol.”
Zach looked at her for a long moment. Then, just as she thought he was going to say, “Yep, you’re right, this will never work” or even “What the hell is TableTop?” he reached up, cupped her face between the two big, capable hands that had been helping and healing all day, and pulled her in for a kiss.
No, not a kiss, Kiera corrected herself three point two seconds later. The. Best. Kiss. Ever.
It was not a meeting of lips. It was a full contact we-were-made-to-do-this fusion.
It literally made her head spin.
And then her legs got a little wobbly.
And the next thing she heard was, “Kiera!” just before everything went black.