Page 78 of Riot of Autumn

“This is way cooler than flying or having dinner appear at the snap of your fingers.”

Ezra makes a chuffing noise that’s the equivalent of a massive cat’s laughter.

“Okay, let’s see if you can change into something else. What about a dinosaur? That would be so cool. Wait, maybe don’t do it on your patio. You’ll smash the thing to pieces.”

Panther Ezra makes a raspy purring sound and walks off his patio and onto the stretch of grass that eventually morphs into sand from the beach. There’s another long moment of waiting before that shimmer of magic hits me again and this time, holy fuck, Ezra transforms into a massive T-Rex.

As soon as my brain catches up with my eyes, I burst out laughing because he’s bright purple.

“Oh my God, did you think about Barney when you were thinking about dinosaurs?” I’m laughing so hard now, I can barely breathe, looking at the massive purple dinosaur with fangs bigger than my arm. I should be terrified, but I know it’s Ezra in front of me.

Barney-Ezra opens his mouth, and a roar comes out that rattles the windows and makes all the hair stand up on my arms. I stumble back a few steps, my face frozen.

Magic washes over me again and Ezra’s back to his human form, sweating and shaking a little as he steps closer to me. “Fuck. I was just trying to speak, and that was the sound that came out. Sorry, Cube.”

Ezra pulls me into a hug. I don’t even have a chance to lift my arms, so they’re trapped at my sides.

“Your dick is on my hand,” I mumble into Ezra’s chest.

He pets my head like I’m the one who was just an animal. “I know. Shhh. Just let it happen.”

I push him away with a snicker, grinning up at him. “That was crazy. Are you okay?”

He’s still trembling, but there’s a huge grin on his face.

“It was a lot more work to force the shift into something particular. Before the crow and the wolf just sort of happened. That took a lot of concentration and pushing my magic into a specific form. I’ll be fine after I eat something.”

“I take it back. My sandwich superpower is still in first place.”

27

RUBY

“This is the worst party ever.” I wipe away a bead of sweat as I stare at my destroyed house.

We’re here to go through my stuff and figure out if anything is salvageable, or if it’s all garbage. It feels like half the town has come over to help, even though it’s not really necessary. In fact, there are too many people here to actually fit inside the house, so half of them are milling around on the lawn eating, drinking, and socializing.

Besides my close group of friends, my grandma Birdie is here, along with Tecia and Jericho, and Skeeter and the lady friend he’s been staying with. Most of Archer and Lena’s activities committee are here, including Ben and Julian Smith, and Octavia Beauchamp, who brought her own chair and is supervising with a mixed drink in her hand. She’s chatting with Murray, Ezra’s assistant, who is also apparently here to observe only. Greta, one of Rhys’s employees, is mixing drinks for everyone, which is both awesome, and possibly a bad idea.

Several other townies have dropped by to offer help, and to check if I need anything. It’s an oddly humbling experience. I never thought I’d be grateful to lose my home, but seeing all these people show up for me, to help me, is overwhelming. I knew my friends had my back, and Birdie obviously, but the others don’t need to spend their free time helping me out. It’s another shift in my psyche that has slowly been happening. I wouldn’t say I’m ready to toss my hair and shout out that I’m worth it, but I’m willing to acknowledge that to some people, I am important. That’s a huge step forward for me.

“Birdie’s in your room, near your nightstand.” Ezra drops a kiss on my cheek as he walks by holding a garbage bag full of something. I really hope it’s clothes.

His words hit me. Shit.

“Uh, Birdie, don’t look in the drawers. I have very sore muscles and I keep my massage supplies in there.”

A few snickers ring out as I hustle back into the blackened house. We got the all-clear from the fire department to come in yesterday, but I’m still careful as I move through my living room and into the bedroom. The frames of the rooms are all still standing, thanks to Davis and Emric’s quick work to douse the flames, but almost everything is burned to some degree.

The smell makes my nose itch; damp campfire and chemicals from whatever the firefighters used to put out the fire.

Birdie is standing just inside my bedroom, taking in the ruin with a heartbroken expression on her face. She hugs me to her side without looking at me when I come to a stop next to her.

“Oh, Ruby. I’m so sorry.” She rubs my shoulder, her warmth and love pouring out of her.

I squeeze the hand on my shoulder as we stare at the melted remains of my bed. “It’s just stuff, Birdie.”

Birdie sighs. “Very true. I’m just sad that your band t-shirt with all the bikini-clad girls with huge boobs burned up.”

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