Page 36 of Frost and Felines

"Should?" Kieran arched his eyebrows.

"Magic isn't an exact science." She shot him a look. "Unless you'd rather I didn't try?"

"No, dear. By all means, show me what you can do." He grinned, enjoying the way her cheeks flushed at the endearment.

Mallory moved to the first corner, kneeling to press a crystal into the frozen earth. The wind picked up, swirling around her like a cocoon as she whispered words in an ancient language. Lightning flickered in the clouds above, responding to her call.

Kieran's breath caught as he watched her work. Power radiated from her in waves, wild and untamed. His tiger purred in appreciation. This was what a real witch looked like - not the manufactured perfection of Vivian Simmons, but pure, natural force.

"The anchors will trigger defensive strikes if they detect hostile magic," Mallory explained as she placed the second crystal. "Lightning, wind gusts - nothing lethal, but enough to discourage them."

"Remind me never to get on your bad side." Kieran followed her to the third corner, staying close enough to catch her if she stumbled in the deepening snow.

"Too late for that." But she smiled as she said it, the kind of smile that made his heart flutter.

When the final crystal was placed, Mallory stood in the center of the building's shadow. She raised her hands, and the wind roared to life around them. Lightning split the sky, connecting with each crystal in a blinding flash before sinking into the ground.

"There." She lowered her arms, swaying slightly. "That should hold them off for a while."

Kieran steadied her with a hand at her waist. "That was incredible. You're incredible."

"It's just magic," she mumbled, but he could see the pleased flush in her cheeks.

"No," he said softly. "It's not 'just' anything, it's who you are. And it’s remarkable."

Before long, the inn's kitchen filled with the sweet aroma of vanilla and cinnamon as he measured ingredients with mechanical precision. His movements were sharp and tense, lacking their usual fluid grace. Every few minutes, his gaze darted to the windows, searching for any sign of Gregory's interference despite Mallory's protection spell.

"You're going to break that measuring cup if you grip it any harder," Mallory said softly, placing her hand over his. The touch sent warmth through his skin, easing some of the tension in his broad shoulders.

Charlotte looked up from her bowl of cookie dough. "These snickerdoodles have survived three generations of Strikers. They'll survive whatever those two try to throw at us."

"Your grandmother would be so proud," Amy added, rolling dough balls in cinnamon sugar. "Though maybe not of how you're mangling her recipe with all that brooding."

Kieran growled low in his throat. "I'm not brooding."

"You absolutely are." Mallory bumped his hip with hers. "And you're getting flour everywhere except in the bowl."

She was right - a fine dusting of white covered his black t-shirt. His tiger bristled at being called out, but the playful light in Mallory's eyes made it impossible to stay irritated.

"Whatever happens tomorrow," she continued, her voice pitched just for him, "I'm not going anywhere. We'll handle it together."

The simple statement loosened something in his chest. "Thank you. For everything."

"Don't thank me yet." A mischievous smile curved her lips as she flicked a pinch of flour at his face. "I haven't shared all my secrets."

Kieran blinked, surprised by her playfulness. Then he grinned, slow and predatory. "Oh, it's like that, is it?"

Before she could retreat, he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her against him, thoroughly dusting her sweater with the flour from his shirt. Her shriek of laughter echoed through the kitchen.

"Children," Charlotte scolded, but her eyes sparkled with amusement. "The cookies won't bake themselves."

"You started it," Kieran murmured in Mallory's ear, loving how she shivered at his proximity.

"And I'll finish it too." She twisted in his arms and dotted his nose with cookie dough.

The kitchen dissolved into chaos after that - flour flying, dough being stolen, and laughter bouncing off the walls. Kieran's heart swelled watching Mallory throw her head back in genuine joy, all traces of her usual reserve gone. This was who she really was under all those careful walls - bright and beautiful and free.

Kieran paced around his suite late that night, his tiger restless. Mallory's scent still clung to his clothes from being near her earlier, making his heart race. He paused at the window, watching the snow drift past in the darkness.

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