Page 20 of Seized By Magic

He gave a soft smile, then Theo called for his help.

“Let’s look.”

Sai took my hand, and we went to the new bathroom. It had an enormous soaking tub with jets and four seats that looked more like a jacuzzi than a bathtub.

“That seems excessive.” I pointed.

He chuckled. “You might like it if you start shifting. It will help with your sore muscles.”

That was a big if. We didn’t know what would happen now that we completed the bond. I couldn't think about what was coming. I had enough to distract me right now.

“That’s nice.” I admired the walk-in shower complete with not one, but two huge square rainfall showerheads and several smaller ones on the walls. “That’s going to feel like going through a car wash.”

“I can stand on the side and spray soap on you.”

I tensed, thinking he was turning this into something sexual, but when I turned, he had a goofy smile. “Maybe we can get some pool noodles and hit you with them for the full effect.”

I giggled and shook my head. “You would enjoy that too much.”

He shrugged. “Could be fun.”

“Holy shit. I want our bathroom to look like this,” Theo said as he stepped in.

“Me too,” Kaden admired the tub before coming over to the shower.

“He already made some adjustments,” Niall stated as he leaned against the counter. “He made each room a bit bigger, gave the four of us double beds, improved our bathrooms, and added a loft for a homework space above the living room.”

“A loft? How?” The ceilings were average height, maybe ten feet. There was no way any of them could fit.

“Come on.” Niall waved us out and pointed to the stairs in the corner of the living room. I hurried over first and climbed them to a platform with two wide tables like the ones we had in our labs. I could stand up straight with plenty of room over my head. “How?”

“Manipulating space,” Niall answered unhelpfully.

“I found it easier to not ask questions with this stuff. It works, and they understand. That’s what matters,” Theo shrugged.

“We can charm that area to be soundproof if any of us need a quiet place to study,” Niall explained as we came back down.

“What about the kitchen?” I pointed across the room. “There’s no grocery store nearby, so what’s the point?”

“The Phoenix Hall has its own staff of brownies who look after the residents. They’ll stock the kitchen if we leave them a list of what we’d like.” Niall held up a notepad that sat on the corner of the bar.

“That’s so convenient.” Not that I didn’t appreciate the meals at the dining hall, or that I planned on eating here all the time, but having the option for a home-cooked meal was amazing.

Mom’s recipes flashed through my mind. Should I make her pot roast, meatballs, parmesan chicken, or taco salad first?

“You can cook?” Theo’s eyes brightened.

“Yeah, I helped my mom, so I can make most of her recipes from memory, and anything else I can look up.”

“Don’t get any ideas,” Niall pointed at Theo. “She’s not our maid or chef or anything else to serve you.

“How did you get from me asking if she could cook to assuming I’d take advantage of her?” Theo challenged.

It was quite the jump, but Niall didn’t back down. “I’m stopping that thought process for everyone before we start. We are all equals. We’re all adults now, and that means we’re responsible for ourselves. No leaving dishes out for someone else to clean. If you don’t want to do that, go eat at the dining hall.”

“But the brownies . . .” Sai started.

Niall cut him off with a look.“Are not our slaves. Yes, they help with shopping and laundry, but that’s because we don’t have access to a store or the washing machines. Washing dishes, cleaning your bathroom, tidying your room, those are things you can handle.”

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