Spellbound

Original Edition: Forty

"No! No more pancakes, Soren," I said, laughing as he placed one more on my plate. I was on the verge of busting at the seams, and he wouldn't quit feeding me.

"Just one more." He sat at the barstool next to mine at the counter. "I like that face you make when you take the first bite. It's like you have a little piece of heaven in your mouth."

"Your cooking is really good." I cut a piece, slathered it in syrup, and popped it onto my tongue.

The bedroom door on the other side of the suite opened, and Archer stepped out. His dark hair was combed away from his face and the sleeves of his baby blue button-up were rolled to his elbows. "Don't fall for that line, brother. She enjoyed my cooking as well."

I rolled my eyes and dropped my fork to the plate with a clatter. "Oh, please. You were taught by the same woman, so it's not like it's that big of a stretch, Archer."

He made his way into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, scanning the shelves. "From the sounds of it, Soren and I do a lot the same way. I could hardly sleep with all the noise coming from his room."

It was all I could do to keep my scoff to myself. Archer wished he were as incredible as Soren at making me feel like the only woman who has ever existed. And he might've achieved it if he wasn't so self-centered.

The muscle in Soren's jaw ticked, and he set his fork down. "You're walking a fine line right now, Arch. Show the woman some fucking respect."

"Or what?" Archer closed the door, opened the orange juice he'd selected, and drank straight from the carton.

"Or I'll wipe this floor with your ass."

Archer shook his head and rolled his eyes. "It's a shame she didn't fall in love with you either and that the transfer of ownership papers will be signed tomorrow. I bet you thought you were so close to going home."

"I am home." Soren's cheeks turned a bright red that trailed down his neck.

"What new adventure will you be off to, Gem? Maybe next time you can find a set of vampire triplets."

Anger boiled in my belly, but I remained calm when I said, "I don't know who you think you're talking to, but it's really none of your business what I have planned." I smirked as I took a sip of orange juice from Soren's glass, as mine was empty and I'd not be drinking out of that carton again. "I know what you're going to be doing, though."

Archer raised an eyebrow. "And what's that?"

I inspected my fingernails and pushed my cuticles back before saying, "Good luck getting Raven to fall for you, buddy. I'm afraid that's going to be a lost cause."

He crossed his arms and leaned against the counter. "Are you saying that your cousin is smarter than you or that you think I'll make the same mistake twice? All I needed was a couple more weeks with you, and you would have been eating out of my hand."

Soren jumped to his feet and kicked his chair back, causing it to crash to the floor. "Get the fuck out."

"This is my god damn house! She can get out!"

In four long strides, Soren stood face to face with Archer. "Hazel would be appalled by the way you're acting."

"Don't bring Hazel into this! She knew how important this was. She understood that I'm suffocated to death in this hotel. You're so fucking narcissistic, Soren. I bet you thought she did it for you, but she did it for me. This is meant to be my out!"

"You can have the fucking out! Go make Raven fall in love with you but stop belittling the woman I...care about because you didn't get what you wanted out of her."