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Tana’s high-pitched squeal had the potential to shatter eardrums Jezzie thought as she visibly recoiled. Her cousin’s excitement was infectious as she jumped up from her seat and bounced around the dining room.
“Calm down, girl. Anyone would think we hadn’t done this a time or two already, damn. Plus, you need to rest, remember?” Jezzie paused to look around the room. “Has Uncle Micah eaten already?” she added.
“I think so. That or he ate in his room. Leraie left this morning. Apparently they had something super important to discuss and Dad’s going to be locked up in his rooms for a few days working on whatever it is. Leraie said we need to leave him be. She’s set the barrier up around his wing so we don’t bother him with our fun. How boring is that?”
“Hey, look at it this way, Ta, we can watch all the sexy men movies we want to on the big screen without his complaining . . . that’s gotta be a bonus, right?” she gave Tana a cheeky over-exaggerated wink as she watched the cogs turn behind her cousin’s eyes at the possibilities of unsupervised girl time.
Sure they were adults, but this was Uncle Micah’s house, so you had to follow Uncle Micah’s rules . . . most of the time, anyway.
They finished breakfast in silence. Well, Jezzie did. She ate so fast Tana joked she was either starving, going through a growth spurt, or Nithe must have really gone to town last night. Jezzie almost choked on her eggs at her final accurate guess and Tana crowed her victory and cheered that at least someone in this mildly wretched place was getting some.
As per usual Tana trounced Jezzie in her three-hour-long game, crushing her defenses to keep the princes safe from her retribution. So what if Jezzie didn’t try too hard? It wasn’t about winning. Jezzie had learned a while ago it was more about giving Tana’s frustration, anger, and complicated love/hate emotions an outlet.
Going for a swim had been lovely and relaxing, followed by lunch, facials, a mani-pedi, and making some caramel fudge to go with their popcorn and movies later that night.
Relaxing in the hot tub with a glass or two of wine was a perfect way to ease some aches and pains. Tana’s expression had become drawn and pinched as the day had worn on. Jezzie added some healing herbs and oils to the water to ease her discomfort before they’d hopped in. She was thankful she had as she watched her cousin’s features relax and her limbs sink further into the warm water. Jezzie herself felt renewed in ways she hadn’t thought she’d needed until the magic of the herbs and oils started to take effect.
“Gosh, J Bear, this feels sooo good. Whatever you did to the water, it’s amazing,” Tana all but moaned.
“I know, right? Thank the heavens for Aunt Rai Rai. Every time I even scraped my knee as a kid she’d stick me in a warm bath of this. It was her cure for all kinds of aches and pains. I hope she’s okay. I know she will be, because she’s Aunt Rai Rai, but she’s also not going to just give up on trying to find me. Neither will Mom.”
“Enough of the maudlin retrospection and downers. The night is young, we are beautiful, and before we get to dinner and snacks we need to pick our guilty pleasures of the evening while we sip this divine wine and bask in the warmth of this witchy brew. I was thinking either a Resident Evil marathon or as many episodes of The Witcher as we can fit in. I’d toss a coin to my witcher, alright. Just to see it bounce off his perky backside and have Henry turn and raise his eyebrow at me. Woo.” Tana fanned herself as they both devolved into giggles.
Jezzie had to agree with Tana. There was something about the man that could get a damn nun’s heart racing.
“I don’t want to say no to Henry, but I kinda want to escape reality for a while, and we can pretty much find those kinds of monsters on our doorstep anytime we want. Maybe not Henry,” she winked at Tana. “But I have Nithe and my mystery men, and there are five very handsome, very available, and very eager princes up for the taking. Even if only for a spin or two.”
Jezzie watched Tana’s face closely. The heated blush that swept up her neck and across her cheeks as her pupils dilated, the guilt that pinched her previously parted lips. The emotions rolled off her in waves, one after another. She was so conflicted it felt like torture, and Jezzie regretted poking the bear.
“How about we watch an episode or two of grimed-up-good Henry, followed by two girl’s night classics?” Jezzie said, bringing them back on task.
“Thelma and Louise and Grease?” Tana asked.
“Well, yeah . . . but if you want something else I’m totally on board. We can see what we feel like after those and go from there.”
“Why would I want to pick anything else? I mean, Brad Pitt and Danny Z? Seriously?” Tana bounced around and sent water and wine sloshing over the rim of the tub.
“You’ve got problems, Coz. You seriously need to get laid, for one,” Jezzie laughed.
“Tell me about it . . . J Bear.”
Tana exaggerated a wink and tossed back her wine so fast she choked a bit, sending them into another round of carefree hilarity.
Four hours, three bowls of popcorn, a plate of fudge and an undisclosed number of bottles of wine later, they were dancing around the home theater room singing at the top of their lungs and busting out all the moves when a shrill wail filled the air.
“Someone’s here. Someone who shouldn’t be,” Tana gasped, instantly serious as she dove for the remote and turned everything off.
Jezzie reached out immediately to Nithe. Not that the alarm had ever gone off on him before. Leraie was also here, she could sense her, but the same went for her. No alarms rang out for the five of them. So who, or what else, was here?
Babe? All good with you?
Yeah, just gaming with the guys and having a few drinks. You okay? Need me to come back? Worry threaded through his response and slithered into her system.
Nope, all good. We seem to have some visitors. I can sense Leraie’s here, though, so I’ll keep you updated. Love you, Jezzie rushed to reassure him.
Love you too, a stór.
The warmth of his love settled the raised hairs on her nape and kick-started her brain.
