Page 22 of Sleigh Bells and Dragon Spells

“What? I’m simply observing that their magical signatures complement each other beautifully. Rather like fire and starlight.”

Briar felt Falkor’s magic stir at Luna’s words, his power brushing against hers like a warm caress. She hadn’t noticed before how their magic seemed to reach for each other, creating little sparks of golden light where they touched. The sensation was intoxicating, like sipping mulled wine on a cold night.

“Speaking of sparks,” Kade said, with a tray loaded with cinnamon rolls and fresh coffee, “remember how we met?” He smiled at Celeste as he set a roll in front of her. “Your earth magic and my wolf nature shouldn’t have mixed, but somehow...”

“Somehow it was perfect,” Celeste finished, smiling up at him. Her hand reached for his, their wedding rings catching the light.

“Some magics are just meant to find each other,” Sayer said, sharing a meaningful look with Fia. “Even if one party is... reluctant at first.”

“Even if one of them is ridiculously stubborn about it,” Bram added, earning a playful swat from Tabitha.

“Speaking of stubborn,” Reed turned to Falkor, “how are you finding our little town? Besides the obvious attractions?” His gaze flickered meaningfully to Briar.

“It’s... not what I expected,” Falkor admitted. His free hand moved to the back of Briar’s chair, his arm a warm presence behind her. “The community here is unlike anything I’ve encountered.”

“That’s what happens when you let people in,” Ellie said gently. “They surprise you.”

“Sometimes in the best ways,” Reed added, pressing a kiss to his wife’s temple.

“Speaking of surprises,” Tabitha interjected, “are we still on for girls’ night tomorrow?”

“Absolutely not,” Bram rumbled immediately, echoed by several other male voices.

“The storm—” Reed began, his protective instincts clearly flaring.

“Could break again like today,” Ellie finished, determination in her voice. “We can’t put our lives completely on hold.”

“It’s too dangerous,” Roarke insisted.

“We’ll be together,” Sera pointed out reasonably. “Multiple witches, all capable of defending ourselves.”

“Not to mention,” Luna added with that serene smile that suggested she knew more than she was saying, “I’ll be hosting.”

TWENTY-THREE

The men exchanged looks, clearly unconvinced. Briar felt Falkor tense beside her, though he hadn’t spoken. Under the table, she gave his hand a gentle squeeze. To her delight, he responded by lacing their fingers together, his thumb continuing those maddening circles on her palm.

“How about this,” Fia proposed, “We’ll postpone until after the storm is gone. But then, no arguments.”

“That’s reasonable,” Sayer agreed, and gradually the others nodded.

“Fine,” Kade sighed dramatically. “But I expect payment in baked goods for this concession.”

“You always expect payment in baked goods,” Celeste laughed, kissing his cheek.

Briar watched the easy affection between the couples around the table—how Sera unconsciously leaned into Lark’s touch when he brushed her hair back, the way Fia and Sayer seemed to communicate without words, the protective stance Bram took whenever Tabitha moved. Each pair had their own love story and journey to this point.

“They make it look easy, don’t they?” Falkor’s voice was so low only she could hear it.

She turned to find his face closer than expected, close enough to see the flecks of amber in his eyes. “Nothing worth having comes easily,” she replied softly.

Something flickered in his expression—vulnerability, maybe, or hope. His thumb brushed over her knuckles in a gesture that felt almost like a promise.

“Agreed,” he agreed, his gaze dropping to her lips for just a moment. “But sometimes the challenge makes the reward sweeter.”

The air between them crackled with possibility, and Briar leaned closer, drawn by the magnetic pull between them...

A crack of thunder outside made everyone jump. The storm clouds were rolling back in, purple-black and threatening.

---