“Oh, right. The window. I opened it because I was overheated.”
“Are you running a fever?”
“No, just stayed in the hot water too long.”
“Well, it’s freezing. Didn’t you say the latch was broken? Let me take a look.”
Oh shit.
I let go.
The snow isn’t nearly as soft as it looks from twenty feet up, and when I hit, my feet slip on the icy crust and I fall onto my back. I lie there for a few seconds, listening to Haven’s window close above as I determine if anything’s broken. I don’t think so, and I lumber to my feet.
I glance up and lock eyes with Talon through the kitchen window. Surprise flashes across his face, quickly replaced by that infuriating smirk that says he knows exactly why I just dropped from the sky.
Luckily, he seems to be alone. Unluckily, that smug grin spreading across his face tells me I’m about to get roasted for this later.
“Don’t say anything,” I growl, knowing with his shifter senses he can hear me, even on the other side of the thin pane of glass.
Talon cocks an eyebrow, giving a pointed look at the ceiling above him where Haven’s room is before glancing back at me. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
I groan, brushing snow off my inside-out shirt. Next time, I’m using the damn stairs.
Twenty-Two
HAVEN
I couldn’t be happier knowing my parents are safe and sound, but that doesn’t stop the twinge of disappointment that twists in my chest when I come downstairs to find my mom cooking pancakes instead of a bare-chested dragon shifter frying bacon.
“Where is everyone?” I ask as my mom plops two warm pancakes on my plate.
“Oh, they’re around,” she says. “You’re the last one up. I think Becks and Talon went to check the perimeter, making sure the cabin still hasn’t been discovered, and Locklyn is out on a walk with your father.”
“Is that safe?” I ask, alarmed. “I mean, isn’t he still recovering?”
She sits down at the table next to me with a cup of coffee. “It’s fine,” she says, unconcerned. “The doctors said that he needs to get up and move around. He just has to take it easy. And besides, Locklyn’s with him. I’m sure she’s making sure he’s not overdoing it.”
“Hmm,” I say, and shove a generous portion of syrup-soaked pancake into my mouth.
Well, since Locklyn is with him, I’m sure he’s just peachy, I think, snark seeping into my self-talk.
“Are you all right?” my mom asks. “You’re kind of quiet.”
“Yes, of course. Just thinking. And eating.” I hold up my fork, loaded with another bite. “Thanks for breakfast, by the way.”
My mom starts to say something, then the front door bursts open and Becks and Talon pour back into the cabin. Neither one of them is wearing a coat, which is crazy to me because the temperature has to be below freezing.
They’re chuckling about something, but I don’t miss that Becks looks distracted, his gaze scanning the room until it lands on me. He gives me a warm smile.
“Up before noon. I’m impressed,” he says.
“Hey, I do not sleep in that late . . . often,” I add under my breath.
“You ready for another day of training?” he asks.
I put down my fork. “I didn’t expect to keep training with everyone back together.”
“No rest for the weary,” he quips.
