Page 27 of Magic's Rise

Mel, Aspen, and Abony bring in the rear with glasses and bottles of wine.

Tris licks the crumbs from the pie plate as he takes a seat, and I claim the chair beside him, with Owen on my left.

Jesse ignores my mate to lean past him. “Rowe, what’s wrong with the pie judging contest? Did Mrs. Smith file a complaint? Because I know she’s been passing around samples of her pies for the last month.”

Better to just rip off the Band-Aid.

I take the sparkling pear juice that Abony passes me, grab the fork from next to my plate, and stand.

The gentle ting of metal against glass quiets the conversation, and all eyes turn to me. “We have an announcement.”

“Adventure!” Tris shouts.

I kick him. “Not yet.”

“Sorry, got ahead of myself.” He grabs a piece of hot garlic bread and shoves it into his mouth. “Go on.”

“First of all, I want to thank everyone for their hard work on the festival.” I smile around the table. “You all have done a wonderful job. Without your efforts, we wouldn’t be able to take in all these new people in such an excellently organized way. It shows how special Hartford Cove is, and how big of an impact it makes to the paranormal community.”

Abony covers half her plate with salad. “Stop buttering us up and get on with it.”

Chuckles rise from the others as they fill their plates.

“So, the thing is, Hartford Cove isn’t the only special town.” I shift from foot to foot before pressing my leg against Owen’s to steady my nerves. “There’s another one called Silver Hollow.”

The announcement draws surprised murmurs, and Aspen leans forward. “Is it nearby? How did you find out about it? Is it just like Hartford Cove?”

“It’s a couple of states away. About two days driving time. It has a different mix of paranormals, but basically the same. Like…super similar.” I take a sip of my sparkling pear juice and resist the urge to sneeze when it tickles my nose. “So similar, in fact, that they have a protective barrier that’s failing.”

“Oh, no, that’s not good.” Mel pulls out her cell phone. “Does the council know? Do they need help?”

“They do…” I take a deep breath. “They actually asked me to come take a look, and I agreed.”

“But, you’re not trained.” Aspen shakes his head, his blond bangs sweeping forward. “They should get assistance from professionals.”

“They don’t trust the council.” I grimace at Mel. “Sorry.”

“No, I get it.” She sets her phone down. “I guess we can go take a look after the festival.”

“That’s the thing.” With another deep breath, I spit out the rest. “I’m leaving in the morning and will be gone for a minimum of five days.”

“What?” Jesse shouts. “You’re going to miss the pie contest!”

Shock fills Aspen’s voice. “We can’t abandon the others to run the stall on their own!”

“What about the blessing before the run?” Delilah asks with soft reprimand. “There are so many wolves who came just for that.”

“Right.” Announcement made, I drop into my seat. “So, let’s figure out how we can make this happen with the least impact to Hartford Cove.”

The last person filters out the door, and Haut closes it before glancing back at me. “Why don’t you head to bed. We can clean up the mess.”

“Are you sure?” I feel bad that I don’t cook and rarely do chores.

“Yeah.” His gaze moves past me. “I’ll join Tris and Ambros back on the porch to finish off the wine.”

“Okay, goodnight.” On tiptoes, I pull him down to kiss his cheek. “See you in the morning.”

Turning, I find Owen lingering near the stairs, and he holds out his hand to me. “I’ll help you pack.”

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