And all in good time.
Zayn managed a half smile in his current state only, as he told me, “Well, I like it. It looks really cozy.” He lowered his gaze and murmured, “Something we need right now.”
I gave him a squeeze. “Come. It’s even ‘cozier’ inside.”
I released Zayn and Evira tightened her hold on him, walking him over to the porch, following as I led the way, a sweep of my citrine magic dropping the ward as we went.
I strode up the porch steps, opened the front door with a flick of my magic, ushered them across the threshold.
As they moved inside, starting to take everything in, I locked the door and re-erected the ward.
Then I observed their reactions.
Surprise was definitely at the forefront.
There was no cohesive color palette or single style of décor within.
That wasn’t what this home was about.
And ithadabsolutely been intended as a home.
Something I saw them both recognizing as they continued looking around with wonderful wide-eyed awed expressions.
Zayn walked to the brown leather couch. When it came to leather, black was my preference, but the brown gave a more homely feel. And it also paired with the cobalt-blue throws and cushions I’d adorned it with.
“Win’s favorite color,” he murmured, stroking one of the throws and marveling at the softness. A softness that came very close to that of Winter’s hoodies he was so fond of wearing.
The walls were a deep gray. Well, charcoal… Evira’s favorite color. There was a fluffy snowy-white oversized couch opposite the brown leather one that matched the one in Evira’s dormitory suite. I’d crafted a crystal coffee table that came close to the one also in her suite.
There were checked pink and black rugs covering the wooden floors—a touch of Zayn.
I had a fireplace without flame, as I’d left it to be filled with his magical Ifrit flame.
A wide bookshelf covered an entire wall and consisted of epic adventure stories like those Evira kept in her suite that she’d told me she and Torvek had read as children, tourist texts on various sites and landmarks of note through the supernatural world for Winter and myself, then some instruction volumes about sculpting for Zayn who’d demonstrated an interest in joining me in that hobby of mine. He couldn’t use the vibrational aspect, so those contained another way to go about it.
There were floor lamps nestled in the corners of the room, the lampshades a sleek black with chrome studs adorning them.
I watched as Evira and Zayn’s attention went to the many photos framed on the walls.
Photos of the four of us.
“Whoa, these… I took these,” Zayn exclaimed.
“Yes, any that you sent along to me, or via the Group Chat, I gathered for this display.”
“This is unbelievable, Vaxan,” Evira crooned, beaming over at me.
I smiled. “This is merely the living room.”
I led them through into the kitchen.
“Holy shit!” Zayn cried as he took in the ultramodern appliances, and the fact that the walls were fuchsia, the cabinets pink zebra-print. And it was spacious and highly conducive to him exploring his passion for the culinary arts.
I left him to bask in that for a while, before then taking them both upstairs.
I strode into the first room to the right, and smiled to myself as surprised gasps left them once again when they saw what lay within.
There was a jewelry-making station over in the far right corner, materials and equipment all set for Winter to resume his hobby of fashioning models of magical creatures from wire, warped metal, and various gemstones. He hadn’t engaged in that since being at Loxley as he’d been weighed down by so much else. But setting this up was me hoping he could sink back into that soon—once all of this was over.
