Page 79 of Riot of Autumn

I snicker. “Hey, maybe it made it through. We’ve been finding some clothes that should be fine after we wash them.”

“Small miracles, Rubes.” Her voice is raspy. I’m pretty sure she’s not talking about my clothes. Birdie kisses the side of my head, and leaves me to my room, but not before adding one more parting jab.

“It looks like the contents of your drawer didn’t make it. You might just have to have Ezra give you a massage instead.”

“I’m happy to oblige anytime,” Ezra says from the front of the house, where he shouldn’t be able to hear us. Damn shifter hearing.

I shake my head and look at my open closet door. Just like Ezra, and all the rest of my friends, I’ve been trying to work on my magic. So far, I can throw things with pretty good accuracy. By that, I don’t mean I hit a target. I mean that what I intend to throw is what gets tossed across the room. I’ve only accidentally sent a few plates soaring when I didn’t mean to. And one pizza that ended up in Davis’s lap. He wasn’t amused.

I’m also supposed to be able to summon objects, but that one has been harder to master. So, that’s what I’ve been focusing on today. I take a breath and clear my head. I picture the shirt Birdie was talking about. I don’t remember exactly where it is in the closet, but I imagine those busty ladies laying over the red sports car and send out a pulse of magic.

It works.

Sort of.

Instead of one shirt flying toward me, a half a dozen pelt me in the face and chest. I scramble to catch them, pleasantly surprised to see so many of my clothes that aren’t damaged. Looking down at the shirts, I can’t help but chuckle when I see what happened. Apparently, I have way more than just one shirt of big busty ladies.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing here?”

My head snaps around to the front of the house at Ezra’s shout. Who’s he talking to? I scramble out of my bedroom and through the house, emerging to find Anthony, Colton, Seraphina, and mother fucking Scott Marsten standing in my yard. Scott is our island’s dishonorable sheriff, and Lena and Rhys’s odious father. I drop my head back and groan at the sky.

Someone is going to get punched today.

Ezra, Archer, Lena, Miri, Davis, Rhys, and Zara are standing in a line, as though blocking the way to my house. The rest of our friends look on with wide and curious gazes. I move to Ezra’s side, dropping the shirts onto one of the bags near his feet. His arm automatically goes over my shoulders. I don’t miss the way Colton’s eyes track the movement.

Anthony, looking like a slick mother fucker in one of his business suits, is the one who answers. “We were passing by and wanted to share our condolences on your loss, Ms. Laurens. It doesn’t look like much is worth recovering.”

“Wow. That’s super thoughtful and doesn’t feel at all insincere.”

Scott snorts, his hand landing on the baton he always carries around. “What goes around comes around.”

Rhys is practically vibrating out of his skin, and Lena’s face is pale.

“That statement really doesn’t apply here. Since the only sick burns I’ve ever doled out are the verbal kind.” My fingers are itching to test out my magic. To take Scott and throw him halfway across the island.

“Perhaps it’s a good reminder that your life is fickle and fleeting. You really should learn to bow to your superiors and things would work out so much better for you.” Colton runs his hand through his hair, flipping it like he thinks he’s being filmed in slow motion.

Some of our other friends are starting to come closer. Birdie, Octavia, Ben, Julian, Skeeter, and his lady friend all form another line behind us.

“Scott Marsten, what on earth are you doing coming here to harass this poor girl? You’re supposed to be a leader on this island. Your poor dead mama would be rolling in her grave if she knew you were speaking like that to someone who had just lost everything.” Octavia shoves her way forward, stepping in between Ezra and Archer. Archer throws his arm over her shoulder, but she’s so short it’s more like he’s sort of resting it there.

For the first time in my life, I see a chagrined expression on the sheriff’s face. Octavia has that way about her.

“You should steer clear of these kids. They’re bad eggs and you’ll get drawn into their troubles if you spend any time with them.” Scott regains some of his authority.

Kids. Really?

Octavia harrumphs. “Oh, please. I know the difference between potpourri covered shit stink and a bouquet of flowers.”

I blink at her comment, both confused and somehow understanding exactly what she’s saying.

“This is a waste of time.” Seraphina sighs loudly, her dead eyes scanning over the remains of my house like she’s being forced to stand in a pile of garbage. “Just let the Duke deal with them and be done with it.”

“What fun would that be?” Colton grins. “Besides, don’t you want to admire your work?”

Heat licks up my spine and creeps up my neck until my face feels like it’s on fire. We knew it was them. Well, we guessed as much, but hearing Colton confirm that Seraphina’s magic started this fire sets off some trigger inside me. I’m sure he was right there at her side, enjoying every minute of the fire that destroyed my home, but in this moment, all my rage is directed at Seraphina.

Violence is never the answer. Except for right now. Right now, violence is exactly what needs to happen. I sprint across my lawn, but somehow Seraphina meets me in the middle. The surprised look on her face tells me it was not by her own choice. I’m pretty sure my magic just summoned her right to me.

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