Page 27 of Monster's Delight

We crossed the moonlit foyer in silence. At the entrance to the southwestern boy’s wing, I stopped Hazel with a hand. “You’ll have to stay here. This will take some time.”

Concentrating my energy on my fingertips, I thought hard about the improvement I wanted to make to the hallway floor.

This floor is too hard. Make it bouncy, like a ball.

Magic didn’t have to rhyme, it just needed a purpose and a will to shape it. I stepped into the hallway before pointing at one corner.

I could feel the spell anchor and nodded in satisfaction before walking the width of the hallway to the other corner. I set a second anchor and then started off down the hall, keeping my fingers pointed at the join where wall met floor.

A third anchor in the corner by the window, a fourth in the last corner, and then I returned to the foyer pointing at the opposite wall.

I was almost back at the foyer when a door opened behind me. I ignored it. If my concentration was broken now, I would lose the entire spell.

Fortunately, whoever it was didn’t interrupt me, and I returned to my first anchor, magically tying the end of the spell to the beginning.

I bounced the last step onto the solid foyer floor and exchanged high fives with Hazel.

“I’m going to let you two talk,” she said, backing away from me with a wink.

Suddenly, I knew exactly who had opened their door.

I closed my eyes.

What does he think of me?

Would he be angry?

Amused?

Impressed?

There was no point in delaying the inevitable, so I turned around, trying not to be too dramatic about it.

Aiden grinned at me. “Improvement to the building? Not bad. The boys are going to have fun with this in the morning.”

“How did you know?” I was trying not to get distracted, but failing miserably. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, displaying a tattoo of a stylized flaming sun over his left pectoral. His plaid pajama pants were slung low, his hip bones and happy trail peeking out and begging me to get a closer look.

His grin faded. “That is not a quick conversation.” He bounced a little as he walked toward me, until suddenly, he was on solid ground and less than an arm’s length away. “Can we meet up tomorrow? There are some things about me that you need to know.”

I was unable to look away from his eyes, entranced by their depths and the fire within. “I think I’m drunk,” I whispered. “Because I see flames.”

“You might be drunk, but you are not mistaken.”

“I’m not? What do you mean?” It took me a moment to realize what that meant. “You’re a monster?” I asked.

“Is that so hard to believe, witch?” His lips quirked up in a smirk.

I shrugged. “I’ve never met one. Knowingly, I mean. But my grandfather’s best friend and roommate was one.” I was still staring deep into his brown eyes, mesmerized.

“Do you want to see?”

The flames in his eyes grew until the brown was no longer visible and the iris was bright red. Fire licked across his skin enticingly. I found myself leaning forward, wanting to trace their paths with my tongue and fingers.

Suddenly the fire went out, and as I blinked the brightness from my vision, I saw two sharp-looking horns vanishing back into his hairline.

“Why did you stop?” I pouted.

“I didn’t want to burn you,” he said, touching my cheek gently for a moment.

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