Page 71 of Wynter

“That way we’re not paying rent on multiple apartments, and we don’t have to be apart,” Xavi adds, his cheeks flushing at the last bit.

“You don’t need to convince me.” I grin. “So Mini, until my rent runs out, my place is yours.”

“Did you hear that, Natey-Nate?” She ruffles the baby’s hair. “I have a surprise for you.”

“If it’s keeping him, that’s still a no go,” I tell her.

Mini snorts and reaches into her pocket. “This is Agent Tiptoe, Nate.” She holds the mouse up in front of the baby. “He helped us catch a thief.”

“You shouldn’t bring him near the baby,” Amber quickly steps in to intervene. “He needs to go to a vet and get all his shots.”

“Right.” Mini pulls her pet back, and her cheeks turn a blotchy red.

“Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you blush,” Amber says.

“Spell,” Mini mutters, her cheeks turning even more blotchy.

“You’d have to use one every day for that to work. How did you even afford that?”

“My mother.” The blotchiness hits epic levels. “She started buying them for me when I turned nine. She used to ship them to the academy, and then here, until…”

“I still can’t believe she disowned you because you couldn’t steal away my mate,” Amber snaps, and I realize Mini must have told her.

Mini reaches into her pocket, comes up empty-handed, and her eyes fill with panic. “I’m out of gum. Does anyone have gum?”

No one does.

“I need gum,” Mini whimpers, and her breathing accelerates. “It’s the only thing that helps.”

“With what?” I ask, but Xavi grabs my hand.

“She’s having a panic attack,” he says, and then he races into the middle of the room and turns into an ice block.

I glance at Mini, who whimpers as Agent Tiptoe scurries out of her hand. He races up her arm, settles on her shoulder, and nuzzles her cheek in a mousy kiss.

“What about a bubblegum-flavored drink? Maybe we could—” Amber starts to say, but then shifts into an ice block, too.

Mini gapes at the two ice blocks in the middle of the cafe, her breathing rapid and eyes wide.

“We learned a sweetening spell at the academy once,” Julian says thoughtfully. “I could probably make a unicorn hot chocolate taste like bubblegum.”

Which would give anyone a panic attack, but somehow makes Mini’s rapid breathing start to slow.

“Maybe I’ll just head to the apartment and pick up some gum.” I wiggle off Leith’s lap. “Or drive to the convenience store.”

“Puck,” Leith shouts, moving me out of the way before he ice blocks next to Xavi and Amber.

“Did they—are they—” Mini asks between rapid intakes of breath.

Then the cafe’s door chimes, and I half expect another ice block to walk in. Not an ice block with feet—that would be even weirder than the sight in the cafe—but definitely someone who could shift into one.

Instead, Ember waltzes inside with a pair skates draped over her shoulder.

“Are you making ice sculptures?” her gaze moving from Ice Block Xavi to Ice Block Amber and finally settles on Ice Block Leith. “Maybe you should take them outside before they melt?”

“They’re not actual ice blocks,” I tell her. “That’s just my friend and my mates.”

“You’re new in town, right?” Julian asks.