Page 110 of Cam's Treasure

The Mistvale clan was big, loud, full of chaos. But it was also warm, welcoming, and full of love.

Interacting with them, it was no surprise Cam and Micah were such kind, wonderful people. Who wouldn't be, growing up around such good people?

"How are you doing?" Micah asked as he leaned against me, a small smile on his lips as he glanced around. I didn't think he even realized he was smiling, but it was enough to tell me how much he loved everyone. Despite the strain around his eyes, the slight furrows on his brow from keeping his shields up, he was happy to stay here because to him, spending time with these people was worth the headache that would come later.

I hoped Cam would soon figure out how to use his powers to help Micah, because I hated seeing him in pain.

"I'm good. What about you? Did the headache start already?"

Micah shook his head, giving me a smile. "I'm fine. Don't worry."

Why didn't I believe him?

"Okay. But you'll tell me if it gets to be too much?" I asked, and he gazed at me for a moment before nodding.

"Ember's getting praised for his food by Noel. That's as good as winningMasterChef," Micah said, pointing toward the food tables where Ember and Noel were chatting with wide smiles on their faces while Cam watched, snacking on one of the pastries Ember had made.

"Noel's picky about food?"

"Not picky. Particular, maybe? He has good taste, so anything below average is inedible to him."

"I get the feeling you know this from experience."

Micah winced, though his eyes danced with humor. "Cam and I spent a summer with Noel trying to learn how to cook. It... didn't end well."

"What happened?" I asked, my curiosity getting the best of me.

"Well, Cam accidentally started a fire while trying to make something. Then he panicked and shifted into his dragon form...and destroyed the cabin we were practicing in."

I... hadn't expected that.

Then, Micah sent a few 'snapshots' of the incident through the mental link, and I started laughing at the image of a giant purple dragon dancing around in a too-small cabin as fire blazed in a corner and Noel watched on in complete horror.

A glance at Ember and Cam told me they'd seen the snapshots too, and even without context, it was funny enough that Ember seemed to be holding back laughter while Cam aimed a scowl Micah's way that he replied to by blowing Cam a kiss.

"You've sure had a lot of adventures," I said once I'd stopped laughing, and Micah smiled.

"We have. And I'm sure we'll have many more in the future. All four of us."

"I think you just made sure Ember will never teach Cam how to cook. And if he does, he'll probably buy some place in the middle of nowhere to do it at."

Micah chuckled, nodding in agreement, and then we were joined by Oliver, a sweet, cheerful cat shifter who really wanted to know what it was like to be a selkie. Apparently, he'd been trapped in his cat form all his life until he met his mate, and he loved learning about all the different kinds of supes.

Conversation flowed between us, and then someone else joined the chat. People came and went, and by the time the skyhad darkened and all the food was gone, I felt like I'd talked to everyone there.

Since there were so many of them, I'd taken to trying to memorize their names and faces in the hopes I'd remember them later when they sent a message in the group chat.

I thought I had most of them down, like Devon. Blue-black long hair, light blue eyes, bobcat shifter. Or, Rhiannon, dark hair, blue eyes, warlock.

Once we got home, I was going to jot down as many of them as I could remember in a notebook, at least until I knew them all well enough that I wouldn't need it.

Just before it was time to leave, a loud growl rang out above the chatter of conversation, and I jumped, my eyes going wide.

Weirdly enough, no one else seemed worried, and I glanced around, searching for my mates. I could see Micah and Ember in the center with Rebba, the alpha of the pack, and a few others, but Cam was nowhere to be found.

At least until there was a shriek, before a familiar form rushed through the crowd, a large brown wolf that smelled strongly of vanilla close at his heels.

"Caleb, Caleb," Cam chanted as he ran backward, his arms raised up in surrender. "I didn't use glitter this time. Or even a stinkbomb. Noel loves cookies—I bet he'll love your new scent."

---