Page 17 of Pointy Ears and Purple Glitter
Tynan waited until every detail was clear in his mind. Two roast meats – beef and chicken, because Tynan wasn’t sure what Malik would prefer. Crispy roast potatoes, because they were a personal favorite of his, and a steaming bowl of mixed vegetables. Plates, cutlery, a basket of bread rolls. Tynan wanted to be sure he thought of everything, and then he flicked his wrist in the direction of the table.
Yes!Tynan gave a silent fist bump. The coffee table had expanded. His magic clearly thought more space was needed for all the food, but it was all there. There were even a couple of napkins resting on the side of the table, waiting to be used.
“Yay, dinner,” Sparky squawked, flying over to perch on the edge of the table.
“Wait, what?” Malik stirred, sitting up and smiling as he looked at Tynan. Then his eyes widened, and Tynan realized he’d noticed the walls.
“I did it. My magic’s working! I got your walls back and there’s a roast dinner on the coffee table. Not one speck of glitter anywhere. I did it.”
“It smells amazing. So do you.” Malik held out his arm, and Tynan moved in for a cuddle.
“I hope you like roast,” he said, patting Malik’s stomach as he heard it gurgling.
“I’ll eat anything you make for me, my mate,” Malik said. “All you have to do is kiss me first.”
As if that was a hardship. Tynan tilted up his face, pushing his lips forward.
“Better be quick if you expect anything to eat. This bird is hungry. Who’s going to carve the meat?” Sparky asked, but Tynan ignored his feathered friend as Malik’s lips met his.
Chapter Eleven
Malik scrunched up his face as he heard the incessant beep of his phone alarm. For the first time in forever, he was not keen on getting out of bed, but as Tynan stirred, he quickly reached over to his dresser, shutting off the noise.
“It’s early, go back to sleep,” he murmured, as Tynan struggled to get his eyes open. “I’ll put the coffee on and will be out in the workshop when you’re ready to get up.” Brushing a quick kiss on Tynan’s forehead, Malik forced himself to leave the warm cocoon he had shared with his mate.
“I should probably get up, too.” Tynan grabbed Malik’s pillow and snuggled into it. “I have to find more leads about Hayley, Mrs. Cooper’s daughter.”
“Let me get the workshop open before Ian arrives and take care of a few things I didn’t get done yesterday, and when you’re ready, come on out to the workshop. I’ll order some breakfast for us and then we can do some poking around on the internet.”
“Ian won’t mind?”
“Ian loves everyone. You watch. Him and Sparky will be chatting like old friends before lunch.”
“Sounds nice.” Tynan’s eyes were already closed. Smiling softly, Malik quickly grabbed a freshly laundered set of overalls and went into the bathroom to get ready for his day.
Sparky perked up when he went into the kitchen. “We’ll have to start putting a cushion on the counter if you insist on sleeping there,” Malik teased in a low voice as he started setting up the coffee machine.
“I was in protection mode.” Sparky stood up and ruffled his feathers. “Someone had to be paying attention to what was goingon in that alley at the back of the building, and it wasn’t going to be you two.”
“That’s appreciated.” Malik yawned and ran his hand over his head. “But don’t lose sleep over it. My rhino keeps tabs on our safety around here, even if it doesn’t appear I’m paying attention.” He grinned at the perky bird. “Did you want anything for breakfast, or will you be off hunting for worms or bugs?”
“Not at this time of the day.” Sparky shuddered. “That gingerbread you gave me yesterday didn’t agree with me.”
“Are you sure it wasn’t the three roast potatoes you pecked to death?”
“It was the gingerbread, but the jam roll was particularly delicious and in the absence of fruitcake…” Sparky trailed off as if he expected Malik to suddenly magic some up.
“Tynan’s the one with magic, not me. I’ll cut you a slice of jam roll and put fruitcake on my shopping list.”
“I could go and threaten to peck Tynan’s eyes out unless he zaps me up some fruitcake.” Sparky peered around Malik, looking in the direction of the bedroom.
“Let him sleep,” Malik warned as he grabbed a couple of coffee pods and put them into his machine. “I’ll ask Ian if he’ll check if the local corner store has any when he gets in.”
“Hmm.” Sparky hopped closer. “This Ian works for you, isn’t that right? Is he going to accept a talking raven or do I have to keep my beak zipped when he’s around, because I’m telling you now, that might not be easy for me.”
“Ian? No, he’s not going to care.” Malik chuckled as he filled the coffee carafe with water. “He’s young. He’ll probably think you’re some kind of gothic parrot.”
“Parrot?” Sparky stretched out his neck and fluttered his feathers. “I’m not some mangy parrot with their bright colors and ridiculously huge beaks. Although, I could probably rock the gothic idea. The king of darkness…the haunter of dreams. Yes. Fine. He can think that. As long as he doesn’t expect me to say stupid things like ‘Polly wants a cracker.’ Ugh. Those birds have no self-respect.”
