He gives a pleased grin. “We did indeed.”
Magic swirls around us, and a tightness releases, making me feel like I can breathe more freely as another strand of the wish swap dissipates.
A thrill goes through me at everything I’ve accomplished this evening. I’m one step closer to understanding my magic, one step closer to breaking the wish swap spell…
And one step closer to discovering if what I have with Rune is real.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Rune
The other children at the pumpkin carving competition told the pups all about the costumed fun of Halloween, so the next morning, their mother and I hear nothing but endless whining complaints about wanting to go, too.
I give up and use my human phone to call Autumn. “We have a situation.”
“What is it?”
Instead of answering directly, I step into the living room and hold out the phone so it can pick up Astrid’s constant refrain of “I want to trick or treat!” and Agnar’s “Me too! Me too!”
Pressing it to the side of my head, I retreat to the relative calm of the kitchen. “Did you hear that?”
She chuckles. “I couldn’t miss it.”
“I’m not prepared for a costumed excursion,” I growl. “Can we buy something today?”
“Everything’s going to be seriously picked over, but I have an idea,” she says. “I’ll call you back.”
I pace the kitchen, circling the island in agitated laps. I’ve heard the humans talking about Halloween, but they all know what it means, so there were never any details. It wasn’t until yesterday evening that I even realized there was a costume component.
Not having the right materials to let my niece and nephew experience one of the most important human customs feels like a failure on my part. I despise failing.
We’ve been making good progress with the pups, but Riselda will have to go back to her pack responsibilities in Faerie soon, and I want to give them the full Halloween experience before their visit ends.
My phone buzzes, and I answer.
“Good news,” Autumn says. “I’ve got costumes for all of you.”
Relief loosens my muscles. “Thank you.”
“I’ll come over at six and we can go trick or treating together if you want.”
“I’d like that.” Spending time with her will be nice.
Fuck me. Spending time with Autumn when she looks like this isn’tnice.
It’s torture. Pure, unadulterated torture.
A red and black corset cinches her waist and pushes her breasts so high they threaten to burst free from the top. The hem of the skirt skims the top of her thighs, so full the slightest gust of wind threatens to lift it, exposing her sex to anyone’s view. White hose cover her legs to right above the knee, drawing my eyes repeatedly to the glimpses of freckled skin they leave naked between them and the skirt. A satiny red cloak hangs from her shoulders, doing nothing to cover her.
“What is this?” I grit out.
“Do you like it?” Autumn does a twirl in my entryway, and that skirt flies up just enough to make me growl.
Likeis definitely not the word that comes to mind.
“It’s a costume I had from a few years ago. I’m glad I can still fit into it. It’s Little Red Riding Hood.” She looks at me expectantly, her beautiful green eyes lined with black in a way that makes them even more alluring. Her lips are painted a deep red to match her dress.
The color makes me long to kiss her, to see those red lips wrapped around my cock. I have to lock every muscle in my body rigid to keep from grabbing her and throwing her to the hardwood floor.