Page 117 of Magic's Rise

Magic still crackles around us as we lie gasping, and Tris kisses the back of my neck. “You should know that I’m not leaving your side for at least a week. I don’t care how much Haut huffs and puffs.”

“I’ll do more than huff and puff if you two don’t get into the shower!” Haut yells, making us jump. “Dinner is almost ready!”

Tris rises onto one elbow and turns toward the open door. “Stop being a creepy, perverted eavesdropper!”

“Hard to ignore the headboard knocking against the wall for…what was that, Tris? Five minutes?” Haut taunts.

“Don’t be mean,” Owen says.

“Thanks, Owen, that’s why you’re my favorite!” Tris calls back.

“It was at least five and a half minutes,” Owen adds, and his laughter rings through the house.

I giggle, and after a moment, Tris joins in.

It’s good to be home.

Flames crackle in the fireplace as we gather in the living room after dinner. Ros sits behind me, his nimble fingers braiding my detangled hair while Haut and Tris recount our adventures in Silver Hollow. A sense of contentment spreads through me, warmer than the cup of cocoa I cradle, my heart full to be back with my family.

“You should’ve seen Aspen hobbling around the entire time, using this stick that Levi got for him out of the woods!” Tris laughs, wiping tears from his eyes. “The big and powerful mentor, taken down on day one!”

“He did figure out the solution for their barrier.” Haut tries to look stern while his eyes twinkle. “And Elana would have been more of a handful without his second circle status intimidating her.”

“I’m taking bets on how long she remains the leader of that coven.” I sip my hot chocolate. “Now that they know more options are out there, her days are numbered.”

“We should go back in a year and see what’s happened to her,” Tris says.

“No!” Haut, Owen, and I yell at the same time.

Amid our laughter, a knock sounds at the door, and everyone freezes, the cozy atmosphere evaporating in an instant, replaced by tension.

“Who could that be?” I peer toward the door, my heart pounding.

“Probably just someone who missed the blessing.” Tris’s brow furrows. “I say we ignore it.”

“Agreed.” Owen settles deeper into the couch. “No more opening the door to uninvited guests.”

The knock comes again, more frantic this time, and Ros’s eyes widen as he rises to his feet. “The heartbeat outside is familiar.”

Curiosity piqued, I follow him to the door, despite Tris and Haut’s protests.

When Ros opens it, a disheveled figure stumbles into the foyer, and it takes a moment to recognize Zane with blood matting his red hair.

Panic surges through me as he grabs my arms, desperate and pleading. “Rowe, I need sanctuary. The council is after me… and my mate.”

My gaze shifts past him to the porch, where a woman stands on the threshold, her face pale and blood splattering her clothes. A familiar black squiggle on her arm catches my eyes. The sign of a witch who has killed with magic.

As I struggle to process what’s happening, my heart races and my limbs tingle with a sense of change in the air.

“Zane, what did you do?” I ask, my voice shaky.

“Nothing! I swear.” Desperation etches his features. “I’m calling in my favor, Rowe. Save my mate and our unborn child.”

“Child?” I repeat, stunned.

I teeter on the edge of something big, but there’s no real choice to make here.

“Okay.” Stepping back, I motion for the woman to enter. “We’ll do everything we can to help.”

The end…for now.