"Thank you."
"Any time. I'd hug the shit out of you, if you weren't so sensitive."
"I'm sure a hug wouldn't sound nearly as horrible if I weren't."
I grinned, and she slipped her hands into the extra-long sleeves on her shirt as we walked back inside.
We found Darius making coffee for everyone. There were decaf lattes waiting on the countertop for me and Mer, and he winked as he slid them over to us.
Niall took my hand, and my magic chilled out immediately.
Damn, that felt good.
"Everything okay?"he asked.
"Yeah. I'll explain after we're done with the magic."
Larson announced, "We're all ready for the spell."
Merrily carefully sat in a large, cushioned chair set up next to the table. She was there as backup, not to power the magic.
Darius dropped into the chair Lars waved him toward. Larson sat beside him, and I sat next to Lars, with Niall taking the seat beside mine. Our hands remained connected as Larson held out both of his own palms.
"Has everyone said their prayers and goodbyes?" Larson checked.
Rob grimaced. "Here we go again."
"Lars," Niall growled.
Larson flashed his brother a grin. "I was joking."
"Let's get on with it," Darius drawled.
Larson wiggled his fingers to remind us to give him our hands. He had redone the black polish on his nails, still aiming to soften me up apparently.
I set my hand in his.
Darius did the same.
"Breathe. This is going to suck," Larson warned, before the orb that was the spell started to glow brightly. I watched it closely, waiting for the intense drain on my magic as it started up.
The sudden yank definitely had some kick to it, as it set in and started draining my energy, but it was much weaker than it had been the last time.
"What's the verdict? Is it going to try to kill me again?"I asked Niall mentally.
"Nah, we should be good this time."He lifted our intertwined hands, kissing my knuckles lightly."Where should I paint you naked for our seventh anniversary? We haven't used the hot tub."
"I'm thinking we drive out to some place in the orchard."
Niall lifted an eyebrow."And risk the wolves finding us?"
"Since when are you afraid of being caught with me? Your twin brother literally walked in on us fucking."
"We don't talk about that."He poked my side lightly. The gesture was playful."Alright. The orchard it is. We'll bring you something to sit on, and we'll text the Alpha to make sure the wolves stay away from us."
I started to get a little dizzy as the spell on the table burned brighter. Darius clenched his teeth. Larson let out a slow breath.
Rob walked to the nearest window, peering up at the sky. "Holy shit, it's working."
