Page 102 of Tracking Snow

We do it the right way and we do it how Mother wants us to, Seven says, shutting it all down.

My jaw tenses. Closing my eyes, I try to push away those thoughts. I want to stay in this moment. I want them all to shut up. I just want to be here with Snow, pretending like this is all that matters.

I want to forget about last night. About finding Carolee. About our part in it.

And now Mother is asking for us to find her a mermaid. A rare creature that sticks to the deep seas, that we are likely never to find.

And I can’t tell if I’m glad of that or not. Because if we don’t find Mother a mermaid, we can’t be fixed, but after last night, that doesn’t feel so important anymore. Not like it has for our entire existence up until now.

"Hey." Snow’s soft voice has my eyes snapping open to meet her groggy blinks.

"Hey yourself."

She’s turned toward me, the sheets pooled at her waist, exposing her perfect, perky brown nipples to me. My stomach drops then bounces up as my throat dries with desire and emotion.

"We may have slept together, but we haven’t officially met," she says, waggling her eyes at me.

"Oh, right." I sit up as she does and stick out a hand. "I’m Five."

She looks down at my outstretched hand, white hair tousled from our sexathon. Her lips twitch as though she is trying to suppress a smile before she slips her hand in mine and gives it a firm shake. "Pleased to meet you, Five."

My heart flutters in my chest so intensely my face wrenches up for a moment.

"Can I make you pancakes?"

"Uh...sure," she says, as if I surprised her. "You cook?" She slips out of bed, and I resist the urge to pull her to me.

I shrug. "Of the Seven of us, I’m probably the one who enjoys cooking the most. Besides One, that is. Not that I’m the greatest at it, considering they rarely give me lead to practice. My magic is..."

Shut up, Five, Seven warns.

For real, Two agrees. Do not embarrass us.

Yes, it would be incredibly embarrassing, Six concurs.

Snow grabbed a shirt and missed what I almost said while slipping it on.

I sigh and shove down the explanation. Sometimes, I think everyone views my magic as worse than Seven’s.

"Or would you prefer French toast?" I offer, changing the subject and wondering if I need to pop out for ingredients.

"Chef’s choice," Snow says, smiling. Then she saunters over to me with a sexy sway to her hips before leaning over and kissing me. I pull her onto my lap, knees on either side of my hips as we lazily meet mouths.

The perfect pressure of her mouth, the caress of her tongue, all has my muscles loosening and relaxing until I’m a puddle beneath her.

She breaks away, all glassy eyed with swollen lips. "How about some bacon to go with?"

"No." I nearly bark the word and she stiffens on me, brow furrowing. "Err, I mean it’s just that I’m a vegetarian."

She cocks her head. "Just you or all the rest too?"

"Most of us," I say, a slight irritation creeping in.

After literally burning off the amount of energy I do, it requires a good source of protein, Four says, defending his position.

Plus pork products are too damn tasty, Two adds, completely unrepentant.

Snow’s lips quirk up in a smile. "I have no problem sticking with pancakes. I think I have all the stuff?" She stops herself, scratching the back of her head. "And I think we have some fruit we can put in or on them." She beams proudly.