When Constellations Form (Light in the Dark 4)

“Please,” I beg, holding my hands below my chin. “I’ll be forever in your debt.”

He sighs, but I know it’s done in an effort to cover his laugh. “Fine,” he agrees. “But you owe me.”

“I’ll make it worth your while. I know tricks.” I wink and smile widely.

He chokes on a laugh. “Tricks, huh?”

“Oh, yeah,” I say breathily. “They’ll blow your mind.”

He smiles and backs away. “Looking forward to it.”

I hear him bound down the steps and it isn’t long until the security system dings, alerting me that the door has been opened.

I hum along to the song while I work on putting away some of Xander’s things in the dresser. We have a large enough closet for the both of us, but he says he prefers his things in the dresser, so who am I to deny him what he wants?

Okay, let’s be real, he probably doesn’t like how my clothes and shoes take over everything. It’s not my fault they have a mind of their own and like to form an avalanche.

My phone vibrates and I stop what I’m doing to look at the text.

Nova: We’re bringing Prue home. Do you need anything before we come?

Me: Thank you! We’re good!

It doesn’t take me long to finish putting all of Xander’s stuff away in the dresser and then I decide to go back to the bathroom to start organizing there. I know it’s going to take me forever to put my stuff away, so I need a change of scenery before I tackle that beast, even if it is the bathroom.

Luckily, our bathroom is beautiful. The floors and counters are a shiny white marble that gleams when the sun hits it. There’s a walk-in shower, a huge bathtub, plenty of counter space, and a separate area for the toilet.

There are a couple of boxes I haven’t opened full of bathroom stuff, so I do that and sit on the floor so I can organize everything into little piles so it’ll be easier to put away.

I start with the rest of the towels. They’ve gotten jostled in the boxes so I end up having to refold them and the cloths. But I refuse to put them away haphazardly.

While I work, I think about how I want to decorate—different colors I want to incorporate, among other things.

I get the towels in order and then decide to start on our medicine kinds of things.

The door alarm system beeps, and a moment later, Nova calls out, “Hey! We’re here!”

“I’m up here!” I call back.

I hear Prue’s collar shake as she goes running through the house toward the sound of my voice.

I stand and hurry to meet her. She’s quick, though, and bounds into the bedroom. I bend down and open my arms and she jumps onto me.

“Prue!” I shriek. “I’ve missed you, girl.” I hug her to me as she licks my face.

I hear Nova on the steps and look up to her entering the room. “I think she missed you,” Nova comments.

“I’d say so. She’s going to freak when she sees Xander. He’s her favorite.” I rub her face and kiss her nose. “It’s okay, he’s my favorite too.” I laugh when she licks my nose. “How was she?”

“She was a perfect angel. We loved having her.”

“You guys need a dog,”

She snorts. “Jace can handle a dog for a week, but I don’t think I can convince him for longer.”

“Aw, come on, he’s such a softy when it comes to you. He’d so give in.”

It’s true too. He acts all broody and tough, but one bat of Nova’s lashes and the guy turns to mush. It’s really quite comical.