Treasured Secrets (The Coveted Saga 1)

I got off the phone and walked over to Tallis. "I hate to ask anything else from you, but Iris wants to meet them. I told her I would ask you first." He looked at me and nodded. Then he walked inside. He came back out with his father.

"It should be fine for Iris to come. This alliance is important," Edmond answered, proving he was a bit of an alpha.

"Thanks, Mr. Verdan. I'll call her back."

I walked back down to the car and called Iris again, telling her the good news. When I returned, Edmond and Tallis were doing something to the side of the house.

I spoke with an inquiring tone. "What are you guys doing?"

Tallis was the one to respond, but he didn't look up. "We're putting up more of your protective crests. Bradbury's have strong magic, so the scent of their essences are very strong as well. The more we have, the safer you all are."

Their precautionary measures were admirable. It made me feel safe. I stared at them as they pressed their palms against the house, then I heard a sizzling sound.

"Are you burning something?" I couldn't smell anything. I could just hear the sound of something that sounded almost like bacon frying in a pan, just a little more subtle.

"It's cresting. It's something you'll learn to do when you get your magic. It is similar to burning, minus the fire. There are a lot of things you can do when you get your magic. It's something you have to see and do to really understand."

They finished up and then we headed inside to join Allaysia. She was preparing food and cocktails for the company. Tallis ran up some steps to go change. I wanted to change, too, but I had no clothes.

"You need any help?" I asked. I didn’t know how to cook, not on a conventional stove anyway. But I thought I could set the plates or something for her.

"Actually, could you stir this? I need to get the dessert ready to put in the oven."

She pulled me to the pan and put my hand on the handle as she handed me a large wooden spoon.

"Yeah… sure." I nervously stirred the pan that smelled heavenly.

It was soup - a deliciously enticing soup. I was so worried I was going to mess it up.

"Aria, if you're okay, I need to go finish getting ready. Could you take the soup off in about five or six more minutes?"

"Yeah, no problem."

I continued stirring. It was awkward. I worried about ruining her soup portion of the evening. Contemporary appliances made me feel a little out of my element. I had always heated soup out of a can on top of a fire. We had a wood burning stove back home, but it always made the hut so hot that we barely used it.

I felt like such a roughneck around here.

Tallis walked up behind me, surprising me a little. He was so close that our bodies grazed each other. Then he leaned into me, fully pressing his front to my back, as he reached over and put his hand on my hand, stirring the soup with me.

"You have to go all the way around the pan. It'll burn around the edges, otherwise."

His free hand was resting on my hip, and it just felt so right. I couldn't fight off the smirk as his head leaned over to the spoon and dipped out a bit to taste.

"It needs salt and a bit of pepper, too." He was off to the cupboard then. He added the extra ingredients and then dipped out another spoonful to taste.

He smiled big. "Perfect."

I giggled at his expertise in the kitchen. Then he took it off the stove. I leaned against the countertop and spoke lightly.

"How long do you think it will be before all the changers get here?"

He looked out through the giant glass windows in the living room. He stared at a flock of birds who were all perched on the porch railing. "Most of them are already here."

I was suddenly very puzzled by that. "I didn't hear any cars drive up."

Desmond walked in, pulling on a sleeveless shirt. "That's because they didn't drive." Then he pointed to the birds that Tallis had been staring at.

"Oh." My shoulders dropped slightly as I spoke somewhat comically. "Oh man. They are going to get naked."