“He’ll be writing her love letters from prison now,” I said, although I was fairly certain they’d be returned to sender. “That reminds me. Something good came out of all this.” I reached under my pillow and produced a small package wrapped in colorful paper.
“A present for me?” Bryn asked, as I handed it to her. “What is it?” She unwrapped the paper to see the wooden carving of an owl. “Wow. It’s awesome. I love it. Where’d you get it?”
“Handmade by a talented but misguided satyr,” I said. Luke would now be carving his pieces under the watchful eye of local law enforcement. He was now serving probation for his involvement with Barton. I’d made good on my promise, though, and bought his collection, courtesy of my aunt. Hopefully, the money would keep him out of trouble.
“Look, Icarus,” Bryn said, holding the carving up for inspection. “We’ll paint it white and it’ll look like you.”
“There are others, but I sent them to my aunt since I couldn’t bring back her half of the sword,” I said. I’d lied and told her it had been destroyed during the fight. “She likes collections and the gods know she has plenty of room to display them. I figured she’d enjoy them.”
“Well, I’ll display mine right here,” Bryn said. She set the owl on her desk. “Thank you, Dani. It was very thoughtful.”
I looked at the other girls. “He didn’t have any cats, or I would’ve gotten more.”
Mia laughed. “That’s okay. The owl is cool enough and we can all admire it.”
Bryn clapped her hands once. “Okay, who’s ready for dessert?”
I laughed. “You just finished dinner.”
“Exactly. What comes after dinner?” she asked. “Dessert!”
“I’ll go,” Mia said. “I saw pie.”
Cerys was back on her feet. “I’m always up for pie.”
“I’ll stay here,” I said. “I need to catch up on sleep.”
“We’ll bring you back a slice,” Mia offered.
“That’s okay,” I said. “I’m not hungry.”
The door closed behind them. I’d just about dozed off when a knock on my bedroom window jolted me. Peter’s face loomed on the other side. I used my wand to open the window.
“What are you doing?” I asked. “Can’t you use a door like a normal…Forget it.”
Peter climbed over the windowsill, and knocked over two of Cerys’s rocks in the process. “I like the element of surprise.”
“It’s not a surprise when you do the same thing over and over.” I sat up and moved to the edge of the bed.
Peter grinned. “And yet you still jumped.” He surveyed the room. “Where’s everybody else?” Clementine hissed from her spot on my desk. “Yes, I see you there, pretty lady.”
“My roommates are grabbing dessert from the cafeteria,” I said.
He joined me on the edge of the bed. “You didn’t want any?”
“Wasn’t in the mood,” I said.
“Not in the mood for sweets?” He felt my forehead. “Are you sick?”
I hesitated. “I ate too much dinner.”
Peter seemed to sense my mood. “What’s wrong?”
I wasn’t sure I wanted to have this conversation, but I decided to go ahead. “Are you still upset with me about the consecration?”
Peter frowned. “Upset with you? No, never.”
Relief washed over me. I’d been so worried that I’d disappointed him. “I’m sorry I put you in that situation. I don’t know what I was thinking. I’m glad you talked me out of it, though.”
“I knew you’d see yourself through it, princess,” he said. “You just needed a little nudge in the right direction.” He swung his legs back and forth. “So our friend Mr. Crow told me something interesting.”
“Oh? What’s that?”
“Well, he said you talk in your sleep.”
“I know,” I said. “I was there when he told us, remember?”
“Yes, but you weren’t there when he told me some of the things he heard you say.”
My brow wrinkled. “Like what?”
Peter threaded his fingers through mine and rested them on the bed. “Like the fact that you have feelings for me.”
“I said that in my sleep?” I glanced at Clementine. Is this true?
I’m afraid so. Believe me, I wish you had better taste.
“I was dreaming, Peter…” I began.
“Of me,” he finished for me. “You were dreaming of me, princess, and all the delightful ways you could express your feelings for me.”
I groaned. “I doubt it was that specific.”
“How about this?” Peter suggested. “I’ll sleep beside you tonight and listen to everything you say. I’ll let you know what I find out in the morning. Give you a full report.”
I punched his arm. “You’re not sleeping with me.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Ever? Or just tonight?”
I decided to change the subject. “How’s your mom taking the news about Barton? I guess she was upset.”
“To put it mildly.” He grinned at me. “There was one good thing to come out of it, though.”
“What’s that?”
“I told her she could meet you.”
“What?” I sputtered. “Peter, why would you do that?”
He flashed an innocent look. “What’s the problem? We’re friends, right? My mom loves to meet my friends. Home-cooked meals for everybody.”
A home-cooked meal actually sounded nice. “How far away does she live?”
Peter appeared elated. “Seriously? You’d come?”
I thought of the crow’s advice and felt myself relenting. “You traveled with me to Vegas and the mist world. The least I can do is travel to your mom’s house for a visit.”
“Dinner at Mom’s won’t be nearly as exciting as those places, though,” he said. “No raging banshees, Elvis vampires, or ethically-challenged Valkyries.”
I squeezed his hand. “Promise?”
“We’ll have a barbecue,” Peter said, his enthusiasm growing. “I always bring a side dish. She likes potato salad. That’s a Terrene dish. We’ll have to think of something for you to bring.”
“It’s a barbecue,” I said. “We already know the answer.”
He gave me a curious look. “We do?”
I straightened my shoulders. “I’m Danielle Montrose Degraff. I bring the fire.”
Passion smoldered in his blue eyes. “You sure do.”
Also by Annabel Chase
Thank you for reading Outfox, the second book in the Sentry of the South trilogy. If you enjoyed it, please consider signing up for my newsletter here http://eepurl.com/dsug5j and receive 2 FREE short stories-one set in the Spellslingers world and one in the Magic Bullet world. You can also like me on Facebook.
Outbreak, the final book in Dani’s trilogy, will be out soon!
More urban fantasy
A Magic Bullet series:
Burned
Death Match
Demon Hunt
Soulfire
Paranormal cozy mysteries
Starry Hollow Witches series:
Magic & Murder, Book 1
Magic & Mystery, Book 2
Magic & Mischief, Book 3
Magic & Mayhem, Book 4
Magic & Mercy, Book 5
Magic & Madness, Book 6
Spellbound paranormal cozy mystery series:
Curse the Day, Book 1
Doom and Broom, Book 2
Spell’s Bells, Book 3
Lucky Charm, Book 4
Better Than Hex, Book 5
Cast Away, Book 6
A Touch of Magic, Book 7
A Drop in the Potion, Book 8
Hemlocked and Loaded, Book 9
All Spell Breaks Loose, Book 10
Spellbound Ever After
Crazy For Brew, Book 1
Lost That Coven Feeling, Book 2
Spellslingers Academy of Magic
Outcast, Warden of the West, Book 1
Outlast, Warden of the West, Book 3
Outfox_Spellslingers Academy of Magic Page 19