Sunshine: Tales of an Assassin

Chapter Seventeen

***Katrina's POV***

    I woke to noises in another room and my pounding head was trying to make sense of what my senses were picking up.  I'd happily kill an army for some painkillers and a cup of coffee, but that would have to wait while I figured out what was going on.  I was still dressed fully, that was a good thing, though I didn't recognize the room I was in, though it looked to be like one of the ones at the center, similar to mine but different.  Two muffled voices, male, that was all I could tell through the pounding in my head and I wondered if it might just be a mercy to bang my head on the wall until I was out cold again.

    I edged out of the bed, creeping as quietly as I could towards the door, evidently I hadn't been quiet enough though as the voices paused, and I waited for my chance to get some revenge on whoever decided this was a good prank.  I heard the door opening and just as soon as a hand came into view I released a smallish charge of electricity into their body, enough that it should have been able to drop them, but instead all I saw was a slight tremor run though the skin I could see.

    "Be careful who you do that trick to, little gem, some of my kind may take it as you trying to flirt with them."  I looked up and saw Kai's silver eyes that held a hint of mischief to them, and before I could send a larger wave through him, he held up a large coffee cup in front of my eyes, distracting me and making me reach for that.  "I hope I got it right and you enjoy."

    Still not happy, though at least I knew now partly where I was, I grabbed the coffee giving him the stink eye until I could take a sip, fighting hard not to weaken as the coffee was in a word perfect.  I took another sip savoring it, but still contemplating giving him another zap just because I was still hurting and I wasn't in my room.

    He turned without saying another word, and headed back into the living room area, which I followed for lack of anything else to do at this moment, but I was surprised to see that Nathanial was here as well, stacking some blankets and pillows on a futon.  What the hell had happened while I was out of it?

    Kai was lounging on the couch, drinking from another cup, watching me cautiously now, while Nathanial was looking at me like I grew a second head while I was sleeping or something, shouldn't I be giving those looks to them right now?  This was taking too much thinking and that hurt, so I just went back to sipping my coffee, finding a chair where I could keep my eyes on both of them.

    "Feeling better after your rest?"  Nathanial asked, his eyes drifting to Kai and apparently taking note of his cautious behavior.

    "If waking up in a strange room, with two others that I barely know and a pounding headache is better, then yes."  Sometimes I wished I had the shifter ability to growl at people, instead, I had the gift of snark and a sarcastic mouth.

    "Where is the headache exactly?"  Kai asked, "I may be able to help reduce the pain if not get rid of it completely."

    I'd do just about anything to get this to stop, and while I still wasn't happy, he had brought me coffee and did seem to want to help me.  I pointed to my head in general and groaned a little. "It all hurts, I've never had a hangover in my life but if this is what they feel like I can understand why people hate them."

    Kai nodded slightly and stood coming closer to me, his hands out, and while I made no move to stop him for the moment, I also didn't take my eyes off him as he moved behind me.  His hands were cooler than that of other shifters I'd met, but as they rubbed and massaged my scalp down to my neck and shoulders, taking the pain of the headache with them, I could only groan in relief.

    "Katrina?"  Someone, I think Nathanial said it, but I wasn't paying too much attention.  A heavy sigh followed "Sunshine?"

    I raised my head enough to look at him, Kai still working his magic on me, and while the headache was gone, frankly it felt so damned good I wasn't going to mention it and chance him stopping at the moment.

    "What?"  Well, that was close to a growl, or a snarl.

    "Geeze, now I see why I was warned about you and coffee in the morning, nevermind, drink some coffee and when you are less likely to bite my head off, we need to tell you about something."  I glared and took another sip of my coffee, feeling a tiny bit bad, a trickle of pain and almost fear coming from somewhere making me regret, slightly, being so snappy.

    I was actually almost done with that cup, when Nathanial stopped massaging me, and took my cup from me, heading towards the kitchenette where I saw him refilling my cup before bringing it back to me.  He settled down where he had been on the couch before, and oddly, Nathanial settled on the same couch, both watching me.

    "Sorry, didn't mean to snap, and thank you for the coffee and making the headache go away.  And sorry for zapping you earlier."  I looked away from them and took a sip of coffee.

    "Oh she zapped you?  Saw her do that to a witch, it was actually very entertaining from my side.  Seems she didn't go after you as much, or...."  Nathanial trailed off.

    "My kind have a higher tolerance to that for the most part."  Kai stated.

    "What is your kind?  Not to be rude, I've felt the energy of lots of others, but yours is different.  You feel like almost like a shifter, but not quite."  Yes I failed the s****l harassment courses as well as the HC programs about how to be pc when dealing with others, asking one what they are ranks right up there with asking a woman her age or her weight, it was something you just didn't do, unless of course you are me.

    "I, little gem, am a dragon.  I can shift from dragon form, to a human form, which is why I may have similar feel, but am not an actual shifter."  I thought this over for a moment, my brain trying to comprehend that I zapped a dragon and he didn't squash me for that.

    "Well, now that she is actually talking, and apology accepted, we were trying to take you to your room first last night, but something seemed off, and rather than risk anything while you were out cold, we thought it was better to bring you here."  Nathanial commented dryly, and I winced a little, I can respect and appreciate that they were trying to do the right thing, and I was my normal snarling self.

    "Never said I liked people in the morning, or morning in general.  However I suppose I should show some appreciation and take you towards food, shouldn't I?"  I was almost done with this second cup of coffee, and I was actually starting to feel hungry myself, two birds, one stone, seemed like a plan to me.

    "That would be appreciated, little one, but I think we would both rather you get dressed in something else before taking us to get some food."  Nathanial's eyes darkened slightly, looking me over, and I realized that I was still wearing my little bondage dress.

    "Changing will be easy if someone brought my bag from yesterday here."  Kai nodded pointing to the corner where my bag was resting, and I rummaged through to find the clothing I'd warn yesterday, not the most classy thing ever, but seemed I had little choice here, I did do a sniff test on the shirt, not coming back quiet as clean as I wanted.

    A blue button up shirt was suddenly in my line of sight, and I looked up to see Kai holding it out for me.

    "If you should run into a certain person today, it may reduce her ammunition slightly if you were wearing a different shirt.  I've more and I'd rather not listen to her as much as possible today."

    "Thank you."  I took the shirt, and my jeans from yesterday and borrowed his room again to change, enjoying the silky feel of the material as I dressed, though I felt odd at the same time borrowing clothing from a dragon.  Then again, given the fact that I'd chatted with Nathanial's rather over protective panther yesterday, perhaps borrowing clothing from a dragon today was par for the course.  Maybe tomorrow I'd be trading recipes with a wolf, or singing karaoke with an angel?

    All I knew is that my life that was once rather dull, assassinations aside, was getting it's own make over and I wasn't sure what the heck to do to stop it, or if I even wanted to stop it.