Page 68 of A Dagger of Twisted Starlight

“I think you’re hotter.”

That was likely a bunch of bullshit, but I liked it… and maybe it wasn’t? I think he did genuinely think that. For someone who didn’t exactly have the highest self-esteem around, it was nice to hear. Especially coming from someone as flawless as the naked man currently next to me.

“Come on,” he said, moving his arm from underneath me. “Let’s go shower and come back to bed.”

“Why are we going to shower?” I asked. I rolled over and onto his lap, my hands on his still-flushed chest. “We’re just going to get dirty again.”

“Oh, you’re naughty.”

“And still extremely horny.” I leaned down and kissed him, which quickly evolved into more. We didn’t get much sleep that night, but it didn’t matter. Who needed sleep when you were having the best night of your entire life?

Over and over and over again?

Chapter 28

Breakfast in Bed

Xavier

Bacon sizzled on the pan.Lily sat at my feet, bumping one of her horns into the side of my leg. She looked up at me with those permanent puppy-dog eyes of hers. I couldn’t resist. I grabbed an already cooked piece of bacon and gave it to her, nearly losing a finger in the process.

“Don’t tell Caleb or Madds,” I said. She scarfed the greasy piece of meat down in one bite. Her tail wagged as she sat back down and reloaded her puppy gaze.

“Nope, I’m not going to keep falling for it.”

As if she understood, she gave him another bump with her horn and stood, sauntering over to the column of morning sunlight that streamed in from the skylight. Bambi had already claimed her piece of the warmth, but our favorite saber-kitty didn’t mind sharing. Lily curled up next to her, the two of them closing their eyes in bliss as they kept me company in the kitchen.

Footsteps sounded from the hall. My little brother entered,holding a book in one hand and his phone in the other. “Making breakfast for everyone?” Warrick asked. He sat down at the small kitchenette table set against the smooth red stone wall.

“There’ll be enough, yeah. Want any eggs, or you good with toast and bacon?”

“Toast and bacon is perf, thanks.”

“What are you reading?” I asked as I turned down the heat before transferring the last slices of bacon onto a large plate.

“Just this new dark romance series I found. Lots of kissing and sleeping together with a dash of stabbing. Not each other. At least not yet.”

I chuckled, bringing over a plate of bacon and fresh toast for my brother. I set it on the table. The potted fern next to him appeared to tilt in his direction, as if it were stretching for a couple of rays of fresh sunlight. “Is it good?”

“Yeah, very. Helps keep my mind off everything.” He took a crunchy bite of the toast. “I’m supposed to be finding out if I got accepted to Wynwood Academy in a couple of days.”

“Oh shit, that soon? I thought there was still more time.”

“Nope. Should be any day now.”

Wynwood Academy was a school made for supernaturals, sitting in the center of Central Park and housing students from all around the world. It was where Marvels went to learn the most advanced spells, fae went to learn how to harness their innate abilities of emotional control, shifters went to learn how to truly master their forms, and vampires went to learn how to be the best of their species. Dragons went too, of course, although they made up the smallest percentage of the student body. There were even some non-supernaturals who—againstall odds—made it through the admissions process and got to rub elbows with some of the most powerful beings in the world. Warrick had always wanted to go, but there was never any guarantee. He worked his ass off, making sure he always finished at the top of his classes and building up that resume. He had taken four years off after high school so he could volunteer and intern at various different organizations, all with a focus on helping those who needed help the most. His application had to have been the shiniest out of the bunch.

“Well, I’ve got no doubt you’ll be getting in,” I said, giving him a shoulder squeeze.

He smiled up at me. “I hope so.”

“I get it. That kind of anxiety is rough. I felt it waiting for my test scores, but you’re way smarter than me. I’m sure you’re in.”

“Thanks, X.”

I went back to the countertop, wiping down the pale pine wood and setting the wet towel down on the farmhouse sink. I made up two other plates. “Alright, I’m going to bring this back to Blake. We’re still having that family meeting in a few hours, right?”

“Yup. I think Claire found something.”

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