Page 41 of Treasured Secrets
"It's cresting. It's something you'll learn to do when you get your magic. It is similar to burning, minus the fire. There are a lot of things you can do when you get your magic. It's something you have to see and do to really understand."
They finished up and then we headed inside to join Allaysia. She was preparing food and cocktails for the company. Tallis ran up some steps to go change. I wanted to change, too, but I had no clothes.
"You need any help?" I asked. I didn’t know how to cook, not on a conventional stove anyway. But I thought I could set the plates or something for her.
"Actually, could you stir this? I need to get the dessert ready to put in the oven."
She pulled me to the pan and put my hand on the handle as she handed me a large wooden spoon.
"Yeah… sure." I nervously stirred the pan that smelled heavenly.
It was soup - a deliciously enticing soup. I was so worried I was going to mess it up.
"Aria, if you're okay, I need to go finish getting ready. Could you take the soup off in about five or six more minutes?"
"Yeah, no problem."
I continued stirring. It was awkward. I worried about ruining her soup portion of the evening. Contemporary appliances made me feel a little out of my element. I had always heated soup out of a can on top of a fire. We had a wood burning stove back home, but it always made the hut so hot that we barely used it.
I felt like such a roughneck around here.
Tallis walked up behind me, surprising me a little. He was so close that our bodies grazed each other. Then he leaned into me, fully pressing his front to my back, as he reached over and put his hand on my hand, stirring the soup with me.
"You have to go all the way around the pan. It'll burn around the edges, otherwise."
His free hand was resting on my hip, and it just felt so right. I couldn't fight off the smirk as his head leaned over to the spoon and dipped out a bit to taste.
"It needs salt and a bit of pepper, too." He was off to the cupboard then. He added the extra ingredients and then dipped out another spoonful to taste.
He smiled big. "Perfect."
I giggled at his expertise in the kitchen. Then he took it off the stove. I leaned against the countertop and spoke lightly.
"How long do you think it will be before all the changers get here?"
He looked out through the giant glass windows in the living room. He stared at a flock of birds who were all perched on the porch railing. "Most of them are already here."
I was suddenly very puzzled by that. "I didn't hear any cars drive up."
Desmond walked in, pulling on a sleeveless shirt. "That's because they didn't drive." Then he pointed to the birds that Tallis had been staring at.
"Oh." My shoulders dropped slightly as I spoke somewhat comically. "Oh man. They are going to get naked."
Desmond burst out into laughter as he doubled over and rested his hands on his knees. He bent down and started tying his shoes, still laughing as he did so. Then he looked up and spoke with the same comical tone I had carried. "Did I scar you for life, Aria?"
"Pretty much." I shot him a playfully mean look with a slight grin.
Tallis smiled as he spoke reassuringly. "Don't worry, Aria. They've got clothes. They'll change after everyone gets here. They just prefer being in their animal forms. It makes them feel safe."
Tallis knew I really was worried about seeing more than I wanted to again. He took my hand as he led me away from the kitchen. He took me up the stairs to the second floor. He smiled as we entered a bedroom.
It was a charcoal gray color with lighter gray squares painted all around the room. A very large king-size bed was draped with a brilliant pale blue comforter with a charcoal trim. He had so many pillows. They were everywhere.
There was one wall of windows, and the other walls were littered with pictures of various countries from all over the world. He had been absolutely everywhere, it seemed. I found myself feeling slightly intimidated.
His tone was warm as he spoke to me. "This is where I am when I'm not keeping you safe."
His iridescent white shirt was unbuttoned slightly, showing off his navy blue T-Shirt underneath. His dark denim jeans were tailored to fit him perfectly, not too tight and not baggy at all. I hated baggy pants. I was glad he didn't follow that trend.
