Page 37

The kitchen was even nicer than the rest of the house. The fridge was hidden by the cabinets, the appliances gleaming stainless steel and high end. Rook had only been a few weeks which meant the magistrate didn’t hold back on funding the renovations.

Is this where our tax money really went? This town was amazing, but it was our blood, sweat, and tears that made it amazing. There were plenty of repairs to be had and not enough funds according to the magistrate.

Funny how that worked.

Magic bubbled along my fingertips and I took a few breaths to swallow down my annoyance. When the spark went away I focused back on the task at hand.

As expected, the popcorn was right where he said it was, along with every popcorn salt flavor and topping imaginable. Did I just stumble onto Rook’s guilty pleasure?

“Too many options?” His smooth voice asked from right behind me.

”Shit,” I almost shrieked as I jumped up and almost hit him in the face with the bag I had just grabbed. “After the night we had, you think that was wise?”

He was still laughing when I finished my question, “Maybe not, but it made me laugh.”

“What if it activated my curse? How would we explain that to the magistrate?” I asked, still half-upset that he scared me.

Rook placed a hand on my shoulder and was about to speak when there was a knock on the door.

“Merrick?” I asked, hopefully.

“Unless it’s my brother. He is a fast runner,” he said as he left me standing in the kitchen.

I unwrapped the package and made sure that I placed it in the microwave on the right side. Nothing was relaxing about the scent of burnt popcorn. That shit lingers for hours.

Just as I closed the door and pressed the popcorn button there was a cough behind me. I bit back a smile as I turned to take in my beta. His big frame was filling the doorway and, like usual, his eyes were cast down. We had to break him of that.

He was allowed to take up space, especially in this town.

The moment I laid eyes on him I was moving. I rushed over and threw my arms around him for a moment before pulling back and giving him a once over.

“Rook gave me the rundown, I should be the one checking on you,” he mumbled and pulled me back to him. “Why would someone shoot at you?”

“Did you see the giant chickens in the backyard?” I jokingly asked in a sad attempt to change the subject.

“That was you?” he questioned, this time pulling back to look me in the eyes. The tension had bled out of his shoulders at least.

“In my defense, they were normal sized to start with,” I answered before we both started to crack up.

“And good thing, too. She sneezed one into existence on my head. A turkey-sized one would have hurt my neck,” Rook added as he walked in.

“Oh, you’re anything but boring, aren’t you?” Merrick asked me, his eyes still dancing with laughter.

“You like it,” I teased. He leaned down and gave me a sweet kiss, his smile adorable and lopsided as he pulled away.

“I do.”

“So, you saw something in the mirror?” Merrick asked as the microwave beeped. I pulled the popcorn out before answering as Rook gathered the salt and toppings.

“Yes,” I admitted. “Rook stopped by just as I was freaking out. He recognized my neighbor since they’re brothers and we rushed over right before the gunfire started.”

Merrick’s eyes widened. “So, the mirror predicts death?”

“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “With everything happening I didn’t look again.”

Then I realized that wasn’t all that happened.

“Oh, and Dorian, my neighbor?” I hedged.