Chapter 35
THIRTY-FIVE
T he bell above the door of Sunrise Diner chimed as Thora pushed inside, drawn by the promise of food. Morning sunlight streamed through the wide windows, bathing the checkered floor in golden light. The scent of bacon, pancakes, and fresh coffee wrapped around her like a warm embrace.
She chose a booth in the corner, back to the wall, with clear sightlines to all exits—habits of a lifetime that kept her alive in her profession. A waitress approached with a coffee pot, but before she could order, a familiar voice called across the diner.
“Thora! Over here!”
Bryn Maxen waved enthusiastically from a booth near the window, her honey-blonde hair catching the sunlight. Thora hesitated, instinct urging her to maintain solitude, but Bryn was already sliding out of her seat.
“Cancel that order, Margie,” Bryn told the waitress. “She’s with us.” She hooked her arm through Thora’s, ignoring her stiffness. “Come on, we’ve got room.”
Before Thora could protest, she found herself pulled toward Bryn’s booth where two other women sat. One was Kalyna Foxworthy, the fox shifter who’d tried to break their magical tether, her copper-red hair piled atop her head in an elegant twist. Beside her sat a petite woman with a bobbed auburn haircut and mischievous hazel eyes.
“Perfect timing,” Bryn declared, pushing Thora into the booth before sliding in beside her, effectively blocking escape. “We’re just ordering breakfast.”
“I didn’t agree to join you,” Thora pointed out.
“Details.” Bryn waved dismissively. “You need breakfast, we need breakfast. Logical solution—group breakfast.” She grinned. “Besides, don’t you want to know what’s in that fancy envelope that came for you?”
Thora narrowed her eyes. “What envelope?”
“We’re being rude,” the woman with the bob cut in, extending her hand across the table. “I’m Lucella Wilmot, Kalyna’s assistant at the library. You must be the famous Thora who tackled Artair Maxen in the town square.”
“Word travels fast,” Thora muttered, reluctantly shaking her hand.
“In Enchanted Falls? Honey, if you sneeze on Main Street, someone on Willow Lane will say ‘bless you.’“ Kalyna smirked, stirring sugar into her tea. “So, how’s freedom treating you? Still finding bear fur on your clothes?”
Heat crept up Thora’s neck. “The tether broke this morning. End of story.”
“Mm-hmm.” Kalyna exchanged a knowing look with Lucella that made Thora’s fingers itch for the knife strapped to her thigh. “That explains why my magical aura detector kit lit up like Yule fireworks when I passed Artair’s cabin this morning. Powerful shifter magic.”
“Whatever happened in that cabin—” Thora began.
“Oh my goddess, something did happen in the cabin!” Bryn squealed, bouncing in her seat. “I knew it! Grandma Eira sensed it too—she’s already planning the honey ceremony.”
“There will be no ceremony,” Thora growled. “Nothing happened.”
“Your pupils say otherwise,” Kalyna observed with clinical interest. “They dilate approximately 42 percent whenever Artair’s name comes up.”
“They do not.”
“Just did it again. Forty-three percent that time.”
The waitress—Margie according to her name tag—approached with a coffee pot, saving Thora from whatever retort might have escaped her lips. “What’ll it be, ladies?”
“Blueberry pancakes for me,” Bryn chirped. “Extra syrup.”
“French toast with strawberries,” Lucella ordered. “And another pot of tea for the table.”
“I’ll have the veggie omelet,” Kalyna said. “Extra toast.”
All eyes turned to Thora. “Black coffee,” she muttered. “To go.”
“She’ll have the lumberjack special,” Bryn corrected. “Extra bacon.”
“I don’t recall asking for a food interpreter,” Thora said after Margie departed.
“Trust me, Mo’s lumberjack special is life-changing.” Bryn leaned toward her conspiratorially. “The secret is in the maple syrup. He infuses it with magic from the Enchanted Falls waterfall. Makes everything taste like your happiest memory.”
“That sounds like a violation of several magical ethics codes,” Thora said dryly.
Lucella laughed, a musical sound that somehow eased the tension at the table. “It’s not actual memory magic. The water from the falls enhances natural flavors based on the diner’s mood. Completely harmless.”
“Unless you’re in a terrible mood,” Kalyna added. “Then everything tastes like cardboard.”
“Speaking of moods,” Bryn segued smoothly, “an interesting envelope arrived at the main house for you this morning.” She produced a cream-colored parchment envelope sealed with a tiger paw in gold wax. “From the Tiikeri pride.”