Page 35 of Riot of Autumn

“How did I end up living at the party house?” Davis grumbles as he opens the front door to Wild Cottage, Miri’s family home.

The place is a little Mad Hatter, a bit Victorian elegance. I’m sure Archer would know the exact architectural terms for what style the house is built in, and what era each arch and turret comes from, but not me. The term cottage is totally misleading since the place is huge inside. I’m pretty sure the house is magicked, so the outside looks like a witch’s small castle in the woods in some children’s fairytale. Then when you walk inside, there’s a huge foyer with a sweeping curved staircase, a massive library, a game room, large kitchen, and a conservatory. That’s just the main floor.

“Having six people over to your house isn’t really a party. Sorry to break it to you, Davis.”

My cousin grunts in response and holds the door open, ushering me, Zara, and Rhys inside. From the collection of vehicles out front, it looks like Ezra and Archer are already here. I’m sure Lena came with Archer, so the crowd is all gathered for the night.

“We’re in here,” Miri calls out from the kitchen, even though Davis is literally leading us in that direction. Maybe Miri’s afraid he’ll wander off into another part of the house, so he doesn’t have to deal with all of us. There’s a good chance he still might bail tonight.

Miri’s kitchen is the stuff of dreams. If I actually cooked. The kitchen looks like it was lifted out of the twenties with the white farm sink, the large butcher block island, and the black-and-white checkered tile floors. It’s quirky and big enough for us to all gather without being completely on top of each other.

On the far side of the kitchen are French doors that lead down into the conservatory. Miri grows all her own herbs, flowers, and junk that she uses in all the stuff she makes for her store. And now all the magical potions she’s been cooking up for us.

Archer and Ezra are rummaging around in the fridge looking for something to eat. Ezra and I catch each other’s eyes for a beat before I look away like a giant chicken shit. Even that one brief glance is enough to tell me he looks fucking delectable tonight. He’s wearing a pair of worn jeans and a fitted t-shirt with David Bowie from Labyrinth on the front. I want to steal it.

Archer still has on his fancy dress clothes, but he’s ditched the suit coat. His white button-down shirt has the sleeves rolled up, showing off the ink on his arms. Lena is sitting on a stool at the huge center island, gently flipping through the pages of a book. Her long black hair is pulled up into a high ponytail and she’s wearing her black-framed glasses. Her dress is a forest green fitted tank dress that ends below her knees. There’s a small slit up the back and that has to be the only way she can walk because it’s so tight.

“You’re looking very pin-up librarian tonight.” I grin at her as I slide onto the seat beside her. Zara stays standing, leaning over the counter to look at the book Lena’s thumbing through. Lena raises a brow at me and cracks an imaginary ruler against her palm.

“And you’re rocking the Cyndi Lauper vibes.”

I look down at my black and red leather bustier and the knee-length red skirt that twirls out in a circle when I spin and nod. She’s not wrong.

Ezra opens his mouth like he’s about to say something shitty, but snaps it shut with a frown. The watered-down smile he gives me almost makes me jerk back. What the hell is that about? I tip my head at him and drum my fingers on the counter. Is he going to be all weird now after what happened at the Smithe house?

“What’s wrong with you?” I frown at him.

Ezra shakes his head, his eyes darting around the room. “Um, nothing. I’m just sitting here, Ruby,” he says with a benign shrug that makes me irrationally irritated.

Why is he being…nice. Why isn’t he picking a fight? I don’t like it. Is this his way of ghosting me? He thinks he can lotion up my butt with his jizz, then be weirdly nice when he’s never that way with me.

My eyes narrow. He rarely calls me Ruby. Not that I like when he calls me Cube, but still. Ezra’s avoiding looking at me, and it’s really pissing me off. Normally, we would have had at least two arguments by now. I blame my discomfort, and the stress of not knowing what’s going on between us, for what pops out of my mouth next.

“Ezra peed his pants when he was nineteen,” I blurt out.

My nostrils flare as Ezra whips his head around to gape at me. I see the split second of indecision in his eyes before that glint I’m used to sparkles there instead.

“Ruby peed her pants, too.”

“Okay, I’m going to need this story,” Archer says.

“I was drunk and laughing so hard because you pissed yourself.” I lean forward. Resting my elbows on the counter, I incline my head as if to say, game on.

“I was drunk too, and the only reason I peed is because you punched Chad Liggens in the gut, and he threw up all over Cadence Bunchen. I couldn’t stop laughing.” Ezra mirrors my movements, his forearms resting on top of the island as he leans in.

For a split second, I forget that I’m trying to get a rise out of him and chuckle at the memory. Then I remember that Ezra is acting all polite and proper. I straighten my shoulders, ready for war, but Ezra cuts me off before I have time to lob my next bomb.

“Ruby wrote a fangirl letter to Robert Pattison after she watched Twilight fifty-eight times.”

“When I was twelve.” I huff, exasperated. Why did I even tell him that? “Ezra wrote him one after he watched Batman last year.”

“Really, Ez?” Davis cringes at Ezra. He looks disappointed. I bite down on my lips to keep from giggling like an evil villain.

“No, not really. I did not.”

I can’t help it. I start laughing again and this time Ezra’s the one who narrows his eyes.

“Ruby ate dog biscuits for like six months because she thought they were cookies.”

---