Page 38 of Magic's Rise

Levi climbs out of the back, his tall frame unfolding from the cramped confines of the van with a grunt. “I think I preferred running as a wolf between our towns.” He combs his fingers through his tousled hair. “This is the longest I’ve ever spent confined in a vehicle.”

Haut studies the taller man. “You’re welcome to give us directions and go ahead on your own.”

Levi slaps his cowboy hat against his thigh, as if ridding it of dust, but doesn’t put it on. “Now, that wouldn’t be very hospitable of me.”

Tris slings an arm around my shoulders. “We at least get dibs on which bed we’re sharing.”

Together, we head into the hotel, Tris’s body heat seeping through the thick fabric of my sweatshirt. I lean into him gratefully. Despite it only being a little past seven o’clock, the air holds the metallic tang of snow.

The warmth of the lobby envelops us, fighting back the chilly night. We make our way to the front desk, where a tired-looking clerk greets us with a forced smile.

“Checking in?” Her hands hover over the keyboard.

Haut leans against the counter, his dark-brown hair falling across his forehead in charming waves. “Reservation should be under Haut. Two connecting rooms.”

Her gaze sweeps over him, and she noticeably perks up as she accesses the information. “We have you in 212 and 214 on the second floor.”

She codes our keycards, her fingers brushing over Haut’s as she passes them over. “Let me know if there’s anything else I can help you with.”

I bristle at her flirtation. “Soap.”

Her attention shifts to me in confusion. “Excuse me?”

“He needs soap. Lots of it.” I grab his arm and tug him close. “For his hands.”

“Oh, I see.” Color floods her cheeks. “Our hotel provides complimentary toiletries in the bathrooms, but if you require more, I’ll send some up.”

Faced with her professionalism, I feel a bit like an asshole now and jerk my chin toward Aspen and Levi. “They might be interested.”

Aspen clears his throat. “No, I’m good.”

Levi just winks at her, which makes her blush harder.

Haut holds up the keycards. “Where is the elevator?”

She points to a short hallway past the reservation desk. “We have luggage carts available if you’d like one.”

I tug on Haut’s arm. “We need a luggage cart.”

His brows arch. “Do we?”

Eagerly, I nod and release him so he can go fetch my chariot.

“Can I trust you to behave while we bring in our suitcases?” The question comes with a stern stare at both me and Tris.

“Yes, Daddy,” we say in unison.

Haut shifts to face the receptionist, who is now tomato red. “I guess we’d like a luggage cart.”

As she vanishes into a back room, Aspen lets out a long sigh and turns to Levi. “They are always like this, so please warn your people to expect utter chaos.”

“Nothing wrong with livening things up a little.” Levi dips his head at us. “We’re used to wrangling pups.”

The receptionist returns, rolling a flat-bottomed cart with golden arches. “Here you are. Enjoy your stay.”

With another stern stare at me and Tris, Haut takes it from her, and the three men go out to collect our stuff.

The second the doors close behind them, out of earshot, Tris turns to me. “We’ve trained him so well.”

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