Page 61 of Magic's Rise

“No, I thought I’d crawl into bed with you and grabbed the bags on my way in.” Tris rubs his arms and shivers. “It was scary being all by myself.”

Haut rolls his eyes. “Poor, baby.”

“Hey, be nice. We almost died last night.” I wiggle the rest of the way over Haut and tumble off the side of the mattress.

Springing to my feet, I hug Tris. “I’ll sleep with you tonight, so the bad guys don’t get you.”

Tris cuddles me close. “You’re the best, sparky.”

Behind me, Haut growls. “Keep giving me that smug look, and I’ll give you something to be afraid of.”

“He’s so mean. Comfort me, Rowe.” Tris gropes my ass. “I’m even more scared now.”

The growl rises in volume, and Haut throws back the blanket.

“Do you smell breakfast?” Tris releases me to open the door. “That’s definitely coffee brewing. I’ll just pop back over to my room to get ready. Toodles!”

Shivering, I hug my elbows. “Now I’m cold.”

A big, warm body presses up behind me, and Haut turns me in his arms, tilting my head back. Light fingers graze over the lump on my face. “The swelling has gone down. How’s your head?”

“Still on my shoulders.” I wince at the gentle pressure. “Kind of wish it wasn’t, though. Chop it off?”

“Never.” He bends to press a tender kiss to my forehead. “Do you want to shower?”

Since I took one after dinner last night, I shake my head. “Too much hassle to deal with wet hair.”

He rubs his scruffy cheek against mine. “Okay, dress while I take a quick one.”

As he grabs his bag and heads into the bathroom, I heave my suitcase onto the end of the bed and pull out clothes. I’m not sure what we’ll be doing today, but it will involve some interaction with nature, so I choose thick blue jeggings for warmth and a crimson-colored sweater so no hunters mistake me for a deer.

Is that a thing around Silver Hollow? Better safe than full of holes.

I sit on the edge of the mattress to unravel my braid and brush a bit of oil through my curls to tame the frizz. Haut steps out of the bathroom in a pair of black sweatpants and a T-shirt. By now, the smell of bacon drifts under the door, and I hurry past him to clean my teeth.

The sound of the door opening comes from the other room, followed by Tris’s voice. “Stop growling. My toothbrush is in here.”

My BFF appears in the doorway, and Tris joins me at the sink, digging out his toothbrush from the toiletries bag. Water from a recent shower darkens his sandy-blond hair, which he had brushed back from his handsome face.

Golden-brown eyes meet mine in the mirror, and he smiles, toothpaste drooling out of his mouth. “See something you like?”

Nodding, I rinse and set my toothbrush next to Haut’s on the counter. “A slowpoke who will be last to the bacon.”

“Hey!” His garbled shout follows me out of the bathroom.

I grab Haut’s hand and pull him out into the hall. “Quick! To the bacon!”

“Don’t run.” Haut tightens his grip to slow me down. “No jostling your head.”

“It’s not the first time my brain has been scrambled.” I release his hand to go ahead without him, but he catches my fingers in an iron vise. Whining, I strain to escape him. “Bad puppy, there’s bacon.”

“Werewolf house.” He drags me backward to walk by his side. “Stranger danger.”

“Sucks to be you!” Tris shoots past us and skids around the corner of the hall on sock-covered feet. “Bacon, get into my belly!”

I slap at Haut, but the man is made of stone. “You better save me some, sparky!”

Pace frustratingly normal, we follow our noses to the dining room, where we find Levi and his bond mates already eating breakfast. Tris sits beside Levi, holding a platter piled high with bacon and sausage.

---