Page 5 of Moonlight and Mischief
“I think our mom made some brownies. Do you want some?” Onyx asks. Their mother is our resident baker and makes the most incredible desserts.
Hazel nods enthusiastically.
Happy, I tip my head against Jasper’s shoulder. Onyx hands me a napkin with a thick chocolate confection, the top glossy and crisp.
“This is so mother-fudging delicious,” Hazel moans through a mouthful of brownie, causing me to snort. She holds it out and Slate takes a bite. My heart squeezes at the gesture. It’s what mates do, feeding each other. I hope someday I’ll have that.
The first bite of brownie is gooey and chewy and intensely chocolatey. “Yeah, this is a foodgasm for sure,” I murmur.
Jasper coughs on his own mouthful.
“Careful, don’t choke,” I warn. “You’ve had enough embarrassment today already.”
Clearing his throat, he argues, “Hey, I landed Onyx on his ass. Just because Slate beat me, it doesn’t mean anything. I was tired already.”
Smirking at him, I lick a smudge of chocolate off my finger.
“Dude, I took it easy on you,” Onyx says. “Hey, who do you think would win in a fight right now between me and Cedar? He hasn’t agreed to fight me in ages!”
“You guys are pretty evenly matched. It’s usually a toss-up,” Slate says.
I have to agree with him. Neither twin seems to have the upper hand since they are the same build, trained by the same father, and neither one is particularly motivated to take their combat training seriously.
“I think I’d need to see you guys go at it again,” I say, brows arching.
“It’s a waste of time. Any real opponents will have a different fighting style,” he says with a shrug.
Onyx scowls. “You sound like Dad.”
“At least sparring keeps us in shape,” Jasper adds, and I can’t help but notice the corded muscle in his forearm as he crumples his napkin and tosses it into the fire.
“I have a better question,” I interrupt. Time to lighten this conversation. Campfires are supposed to be fun! “My students were arguing about this yesterday. If you had to shift into any other animal, what would it be?”
“That’s easy, I’d be a bear,” Onyx declares, puffing up his chest.
Hazel gives him a knowing look. “No, I think you’d be a raccoon,” she jokes, her lips twitching.
“How about a tiger?” Onyx asks, pouting.
Fighting down giggles, I add, “Maybe a possum!” Jasper lets out a laugh and I turn to him, raising an eyebrow in question. “What about you?”
Jasper bites his full bottom lip, his eyes drifting upwards to the stars peeking between the branches. “Maybe something that can fly, like a hawk.”
“Oh, I love that idea,” I murmur. My fingers press into the rough edge of the bench beneath us.
“I’d be a goat.” Cedar states. Everyone stares for a moment.
Slate’s brows draw together as he cocks his head. “A goat?”
“Yeah, they’re helpful and they seem to always be having a good time.”
Hazel wipes away a tear from laughing so hard. “Yeah, that checks out.” She twists, cupping Slate’s jaw. “What about you?”
“No idea. What would you pick for me?”
“Oh, let me think.” She sucks her cheeks in. “How about a golden retriever?”
Onyx guffaws, nearly tumbling off the bench as he throws his head back.
