Magicorum Box Set (Books 1-5)

27. Chapter Twenty-Seven-1

27

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Bryar Rose

For a totally crap day, my night was filled with some pretty amazing dreams. Believe it or not, they all happened in the LeCharme elevator. This time around, the place felt quaint instead of old and creepy. And best of all? Knox was there, guiding me into kiss after blissful kiss. And since this was all a dream, we never had any awkward stuff like neck cramps or our teeth knocking together.

As dreams go, it was pretty awesome.

Sure, a few times I caught a wolf in the corner of my vision, but I ignored it, and the animal went away. That pretty much sums up my whole attitude toward my werewolf side at this moment. It’s there. It exists. But until I understand what is really happening to me, I’m not ready to fully embrace that side of myself. Who knows what that could mean?

When I wake up, I find that I’m still lying in Knox’s bed. After waking up in a strange tower yesterday, I can’t even begin to say how amazing it is to awaken the same place you fell asleep. The only negative is that I’m alone on the mattress. Knox himself isn’t cuddling me anymore. Not to be a whiny baby, but it’s a bummer. Even though Knox was atop the covers and everything, having him so close still made me feel so much warmer.

The good news is that Knox is still here. He’s snoozing away in a nearby armchair with his head lolled forward, arms folded, and legs kicked out in front of him. It doesn’t look too comfortable.

Knox opens his right eye. “Morning, Bry.”

“I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s my wolf. The slightest movement and he’s alert.” Knox stretches, and since he’s still wearing his rock star pants and fitted T-shirt, I’m really enjoying the view. Knox is ripped.

I realize I’ve been staring for too long, so I decide to turn my mind to something useful. “I’d like to go back to the LeCharme Building. I really want to get a head start on those papyri.”

“It’s Sunday. Maybe you should take a day off from magic stuff.”

My mind blanks. “And do what?”

“I have an idea.” His mouth winds into a wolfy grin. “You up for some fun?”

Fun. Me. And with a hot guy. This is really happening.

I do my best to try and act cool. “Sure, fun. I’m into you.” I smack my own head. Way to play it cool. “I mean, I’m into it. Having fun. That part.” Shut up, mouth.

“Good.” Knox nods to a door in the back of the room. “There’s a private bath in there. Should have shampoo and all that girly stuff. I tell the staff to keep it stocked.”

He stands and stretches again. This time, his T-shirt pulls up enough that I can see a sliver of bare skin along his belly. Knox catches me staring and gives me one of those sly smiles where his eyes crinkle up.

My stomach goes woozy. “I’ll just get ready then.”

“Sure. I need to let Alec and Elle know you’re up.”

My mouth falls open. “They’re both here?”

“They came by last night to check on you. Alec has some master plan for us and the papyri, and Elle…” He tilts his head. “She feels really bad about lying to you.”

“What lie is she worried about this time?” Elle’s a con artist, for crying out loud. She lies for a living. Still, it’s all for a good cause, so I try not to get caught up in it.

“The lie of omission. Not telling you she’s one of the fae.”

“Oh, that lie.” For some reason, waking up in the tower was less upsetting than confronting my best friend about her major lie of omission. Part of me wants to scream at her for an hour, minimum. But another part wants to trust her. Elle has covered my back more times than I can count. It’s against girl code to freak out before she’s told me her side of the story. And considering she came over last night, she definitely wants to tell her side.

I debate about going out right now to chat with Elle, but that’s the moment my stomach decides to growl at a volume that could break the sound barrier. I quickly set my hands on my stomach. “I need a shower and some food before I deal with Elle. Do you think you could let her know?”

“Sure thing, Bry.” He winks. “Besides, I need to shower, too. Mine is just on the other side of the wall from yours.”

“Oh.” Knox will be naked on the other side of the wall from me. That’s a lot of information. Not that I’m complaining.

“See you in the kitchen.” He saunters out of the room, and it’s like the energy level plummets or something. That must be his alpha wolf energy. It sure is magnetic, but I need to steer clear of it. I have some big decisions to make, like where I’m going to live and how I’ll earn money for stuff like food. I can’t let my mate attraction to Knox distract my focus.

Whatever happens next, I will never let my werewolf side dictate my life. It’s just a condition; that’s all. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I think that my normal life as a regular human could be closer now than ever before.