Page 20 of Spirit Storm

“On the floor, maybe, but not⁠—”

“There is no health code violation, P. This isn’t a restaurant⁠—”

As if to prove my point, Somebuddy sneezes right over my half-full glass of cherry Coke.

I blink and peg Asher with a look. “You were saying?”

Asher scoops her off the table and sets her on the carpet next to her brother. "She didn’t mean to do that. She sneezes when she's excited. She knows we're planning to leave, and she’s not herself."

"And yet my Coke has been egregiously violated.”

He gathers my glass and stacks the dirty dishes onto the tray before carrying it toward the kitchen. “Hold please. I’ll pour you a fresh one.”

I look at the time on my phone and follow him to the island. “When Garrison said, ‘Be ready,’ do you think that means he’ll get back to us in hours? Days? I kind of wanted to go to Arcana to check on my sisters and ask Mica how things are going with the forge.”

Asher gives the dishes a quick rinse and slots them into the dishwasher. “Your sisters are fine, and Mica has only been working on the demon blade concept for three weeks. Give her space. She knows how important this is.”

“Three weeks for us. Three months for her.”

He closes the door of the dishwasher and leans on the island opposite me. “I still can't get my head around the compression of time inside magical pockets.”

“It’s mind-bendy, for sure. I just hope⁠—”

The sound of the front door opening sparks a round of barking. Both chihuahuas detonate from their respective positions and launch toward the front door at a speed that seems physically improbable for animals that small.

Nobuddy leads the charge, all four legs a blur, and Somebuddy skids on the kitchen tile so aggressively she hits the wall and bounces off without losing any momentum.

“It’s just me,” Wylder calls.

I head toward the foyer to meet him. “Pups, it’s just Wylder. Calm down.”

“They’re doing their job,” Asher counters. “Wylder could be a threat. Maybe he’s a shape-shifting demon here on Tharuzel’s orders and the puppers can smell the stench of char on him.”

I grab the front of Wylder’s shirt with both my hands and claim his mouth. There’s a moment of surprise, and then his hand grips the back of my hair as his arms pull me closer to his muscled frame.

Yeah, baby. I’ll never get enough of kissing Wylder Howe. And as the scent of pine and earth surrounds me, I relax into his hold.

I forget about Asher. About the point I was making. About everything except the way the world falls away when he’s got me anchored in his possessive hold.

As if he realizes I’ve lost the plot, he chuckles and eases back from the kiss. “Did I pass the demon shapeshifter test?”

I swallow and fight my way through the sexy haze I’m in. “Yep. Definitely the real Wylder.”

The dogs are still bouncing on their hind legs, pawing at the pant legs of Wylder’s jeans. “Hey, pups. You keeping the home front safe?”

They lick his hands with the deep professional gravity of security dogs thoroughly dedicated to their duty. Then he straightens. “Any word from Garrison?”

I sigh. “No. Nothing yet. We’ve packed our go-bags, but now I’m wondering if we sit around and wait, or if we can go to Arcana to check on things.”

Wylder unhooks the strap of his bag and drops it to the floor. “You are Poppy-Freaking-Hallowind. You send him a quick text that says, ‘Off to Arcana to check on my sisters. Ready at a moment’s notice.’ Then, you follow your regularly scheduled plans.”

Asher grins. “Confident, wise, and sexy hot in lounge pants. This one’s a keeper.”

I snort. “I think so, too.”

Wylder grins. “That I’m a keeper or that I’m sexy hot in lounge pants?”

I swallow, still a little unsettled from our kiss. “We’ll circle back around to that later. Right now, I want to check on Vi and Lily, reconnect with Mica, and get back here without causing any major incidents."