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“We’re likely dealing with a strong witch,” I reassured her. “Magic has such a wide range of abilities, so it’d certainly be possible.”
“Did it feel like they’re coming here soon?” Levi asked Quinn. She shrugged, picking at her sweater.
“It’s impossible to tell. This one felt sooner than the last vision, but there wasn’t a battle in this one, just that one guy,” she explained. The smell of something burning had the conversation dying off as they frantically jumped back to cooking. The mood in the room had certainly tanked. I noticed Jude and Nolan calming their mates, a duty they were lucky enough to share. My hand went to Farren’s thigh, and her shoulders unclenched as she offered me a small smile, but worry was still etched in her eyes. It had been there since dinner last night, and I wished I could make it go away, but there were too many unknowns knocking at our door for anything we said to truly make a difference. At least we’d have a huge distraction in the coming weeks as West renovated the hotel. Tonight was more than just updating the coven, or at least it was supposed to be. Tonight was meant for one evening of fun before the hectic days started.
“So, what’s the plan after dinner?” I asked, hoping to let go of the heavy stuff for now.
“I have a stack of games, playing cards, and we’ve got movies,” Quinn said, pointing her spatula at the dining table. She wasn’t kidding about games. There were at least ten of them.
“Wait, do you have scary movies? I love them, but I hate watching alone and haven’t had anyone until now,” Farren said. Watching her light up like this was everything. Her eyes sparkled, and her smile was bright, and I’d be damned if I didn’t feel my heart squeeze in response.
“Scary movie it is,” Quinn said, her smile soft as she took in her friend’s excitement.
“Oh gods,” Jude groaned. “I’m such a baby with these.”
“Don’t worry! I’ll hold you,” Quinn promised, dropping a kiss on his lips as she danced by with a serving tray. “And on that note, dinner is done.”
Kane and I started clearing away the games as they loaded up the table. They’d whipped up a buffet of pasta, breadsticks, a few homemade pizzas, and a salad bowl big enough that it could fit a small child inside.
“This looks amazing,” Farren said. “Thank you.”
“Our pleasure,” Draven said. “Also, don’t drink the black bottle of wine unless you like the taste of blood.”
“Noted,” I laughed, snagging the white wine at our end, pouring myself and Farren a glass, then passing it further down the table.
Conversation stayed on easier topics like their upcoming store and the changes West and Kane were already planning. By the time the food was cleared and Farren insisted we do the dishes, we all felt at home together. It was something I never really thought I’d experience with anyone outside my coven. It felt so normal even though none of us could be considered that.
“It’s weird, isn’t it?” Niko asked, bumping my shoulder with his.
“What is?” I was so lost in thought that I nearly dropped the plate I was drying.
“Being happy like this,” he explained. “We still have stuff to worry about, but that’s not all we are. We have Farren now, and we have friends, a great town… normalcy.”
“I’m just afraid it’ll be ripped away,” I admitted. The vulnerability in my voice bothered me—I had this innate need to be strong, but Niko had a way of stripping away the layers and forcing me to face my insecurities. It was exactly why we considered him our leader.
“We’ll make sure it isn’t,” he said, his voice hard and determined. “I’m no longer living for anyone other than us, and I’ll put my life on the line to protect our future.”
“We all will,” Kane said from behind us. I spun around to see him, Levi, and Farren all standing there, looking just as determined.
“And we’re not alone. By the time this comes into play, I have a feeling we’ll have a strong brood and an even stronger town. Emberwood is our home, and no one will jeopardize that,” Farren said fiercely.
“Gory, haunted, or demons?” Quinn yelled from the living room, oblivious to our conversation. We all chuckled, and Farren rushed off to help.
We let the conversation drop as Draven and Nolan came in to make huge bowls of popcorn. Clearly, movie night was their thing since they had an array of popcorn seasonings and individual containers set out on the table.
When I sat down with my jalapeño cheddar popcorn, I pushed aside all my worries and focused on the here and now.
“What’d we pick?” Levi asked as he settled in, kicking his legs over Niko’s lap. Farren had curled into Kane’s side, and I was in the middle of the giant sectional. Quinn and her coven had thrown every blanket and pillow they could find on the ground and settled in together.
“It’s about a haunted asylum and a nurse that’s there to help transport patients from the facility so they can close it for good,” Nolan summarized.
“Oh gods,” Jude whined. “If there are creepy children whispering or singing, I’m going to run to my room to watch a Disney movie.”
“You’ll be okay,” Quinn assured, repositioning so she was practically laying on top of him. He sighed happily and squeezed his mate, but the moment the beginning scene started, I swore I heard him whimper.
We were all so enthralled that no one spoke. The movie was surprisingly good. The storyline was detailed, and the flashbacks and horror scenes were so well done. As we watched the nurse walk down the hallway, the lights turning off one by one as she started to run, I saw movement in my peripheral. Turning, I stared out the window for a moment but didn’t see it again.
Something dropped from the ceiling in front of her, the loud noise filling the room with gasps and high-pitched screams from Jude and Levi, who apparently didn’t handle creepy well either.
