Page 25 of Magic's Rise

“What?” Aghast, I smack his arm. “You put him in jail?”

“He was planning to run away with my mate.” His moss-green eyes meet mine. “It’s the least I could have done to him.”

My hands move to my hips. “Let him out this instant!”

“No.” Delight fills his eyes at the refusal, making me want to slap the smug expression off his chiseled face.

“He ran here from Silver Hollow, right?” Owen waits for my nod. “The cell has a decent bed, and Deputy Arden will bring him food. It will save him some money tonight.”

While I don’t like it, it’s not worth arguing.

“Now for your punishment.” Haut bends and catches me by the thighs, tossing me over his shoulder. His hand lands with a crack on my ass, making me yelp. “Bad puppy.”

Growling, I sink my teeth into his side, earning myself another spank.

“Oh, lemme in on this.” Tris double slaps my ass, then jumps back with a laugh when I kick at him. “You’re supposed to hold her legs down!”

I howl with laughter. “Stop! I’m sorry! I wasn’t really going to leave without saying anything!”

Haut palms my stinging ass cheek. “You weren’t going to steal Deputy Arden’s SUV?”

“Well…” The sting of a slap comes again, and I yowl. “Just for revenge! Revenge!”

“Oh, no, Ros looks jealous.” Tris paddles my butt. “You want in on this, too, don’t you, Mr. Fangs?”

“I’m fine watching,” he says, his voice rough. “That much blood near the surface of her skin is tempting, though.”

“Okay, stop playing.” Owen walks over to lift me down. “We have a lot to do if Rowe is leaving in the morning.”

My brows pinch together. “We do?”

“We do.” He kneels and holds out my abandoned shoe. “You have to pack and then speak to your magic teachers if you’re going to be skipping class.”

With a hand on his shoulder for balance, I slip my shoe back on. “Can’t you just write me a letter of excuse?”

He tightens my laces. “Nope.”

Haut gives me an evil smile. “After that, you need to tell Jesse that you won’t be there to judge the pie eating contest.”

“What? No!” I thrust out my wrists. “Lock me up, instead!”

Tris grips my shoulders. “If you’re lucky, he’ll only insist you taste test five more pies before we leave!”

My stomach gurgles in protest, and I try to crawl back up Haut’s body. “I can’t do it. Just spank me again instead.”

If I eat any more pie, instead of throwing out lightning, I’ll be throwing up apples and spice.

MY FRIEND, MY BUDDY

The scent of garlic and rosemary fills the air, but I can’t get excited for the combined culinary delight of the Shultz siblings while under fire from my friends and mentors.

Instead of just shooting off a text message like I wanted to, Haut had taken my punishment a step further and invited everyone over for dinner. With so many people in town, the seats at the local eateries have hour-long waits, so they all swarmed to our quiet abode to pass judgment.

“Rowe, I brought two different types of pie crust. I need you to?—”

“La la la!” Grabbing the stack of plates from Haut’s hands, I run for the back porch. “Busy now! Be right back!”

I almost trip over the cord that crosses the hall and leads out the screen door, but I deliver the dishes to the table without dropping them.

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