Just Like Magic: Discord Jones, #7

By Gayla Drummond

Discord is bored: She isn’t being assigned new cases because she’s been outed in the media, resulting in too close for comfort scrutiny. Logan’s suggestion of a weekend getaway sounds like the perfect remedy.

Three whole days of just the two of them and no responsibilities? Hell, yes.

When your boyfriend’s a shifter, the destination is guaranteed to be magical. And where there’s magic, trouble has a tendency to arise.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Katarr Kanticles Press
• Release date: Jul 18, 2016
• ISBN: 9781536508147

Gayla Drummond

Author and rescue advocate. Metal Dog. Adopt, don't shop!

Book preview

Chapter One

Argh. I hurt my finger, stabbing my phone’s end call button as Logan walked in. I just changed the damn number last week.

Guessing that was a reporter. He put the plastic bag on my desk and pulled out the top container. This is sweet and sour chicken.

I put my phone down. Extra sauce?

Extra sauce. He smiled while fishing out two condiment cups full of the syrupy, orange-red goodness.

You’re the best lunch-getter ever. It was the fourth day in a row we were having lunch in my office. I was basically grounded, though Mr. Whitehaven had called it a temporary benching, thanks to the combination of a nosey reporter’s exposé and an aspiring elven politician. Logan wasn’t grounded, but chose to hang out at the office with me anyway. Couldn’t ask for a better boyfriend, especially since he was willing to drive halfway across town to bring back lunch from my favorite Chinese place.

Officially, we were handling the oh-so-important job of installing and upgrading software on the company laptops. Unofficially, I was sick of staring at my office walls and on the verge of going completely stir crazy. The sad part was, the office was one of two places I was safe from eavesdroppers. The other was the clan territory, which had magical protections against intruders.

I wasn’t hiding out just from the human media, but from the supe media too. They had their own network, magical of course. Supe reporters were a hell of a lot harder to avoid, due to their various sizes and skills. Only two days before, we’d discovered that a trio of brownies had infiltrated my house.

None of the dogs had picked up on their presence, which meant we had no idea how long they’d been there. I’d learned more about brownies than I ever expected to, such as the fact that their scents changed to match their surroundings. That’s why no doggy noses had sniffed them out. Plus, they were tiny folk—four to six inches tall as adults—with an ability to blend into any surroundings that verged on complete invisibility.

The only reason we’d discovered the little spies? I’d thought I was losing my mind, because my household chores kept getting done, and I wasn’t the one doing them. The kicker had been how fast my carton of half and half was being drained. Brownies didn’t like messy houses, and they were addicted to cream.

It turned out they also couldn’t stand an unanswered riddle, even if it meant revealing themselves to the person they were spying on.

Thanks to Ronnie, my house was now also warded to prevent future invasions of the Two-legged Brownie Kind. Fortunately, I hadn’t been spending a lot of time there—at least not overnight.

I have a surprise for you. Logan offered me a fork and paper napkin before pulling out his own lunch. Smelled like Beijing beef. But it requires your agreement.

Do tell. Though usually not a fan of surprises—most often, they meant I gained new bruises, if not worse—I’d learned his surprises tended to be thoughtful, fun, or both.

First, he paused to open his food container, and yep, Beijing beef. I mentally patted myself on the back, ignoring the worry that my sense of smell was growing better because of my silent passenger, Cerridwen. I’ve made all the arrangements necessary, and I’m not telling you that to push for a yes. I am telling you so you can say yes if you want to, and not worry about anything.

Go on, Mr. Sayer. I added one of the little cups of sauce to my chicken.

It’s something we haven’t done before.

I’d just taken a bite, and narrowed my eyes at him while I chewed. Logan grinned. Not that kind of something, but I’m open to suggestions whenever you have any.

Did that mean he wanted me to be more adventurous in the bedroom? Crap, am I boring in bed?

No. When I widened my eyes, still chewing, he chuckled. No, I didn’t hear what you’re thinking, but you turned a little pink and then that tiny wrinkle showed up between your eyebrows. I guessed.

Damn, he was getting really good at reading my expressions. Or reactions. Both. I swallowed. You can make suggestions too, you know.

If any occur to me, I’ll share them. The surprise is a destination. Your agreement is necessary because it involves being gone for a few days.

I blinked. What, like a weekend getaway?

Exactly like a weekend getaway. Just you and me. He took a bite while watching me.

What about...

Logan hurriedly swallowed. Sunny and Tonya will take care of your pack, Radley and Kiernan included.

The latest, and youngest, additions to my pack had been named by Leglin. My hound had begged me to adopt the two pups during Kethyrdryll’s first adoption event. I’d caved, because Leglin seldom asked for anything, and also, puppies. I had no armor against wiggly puppies. Uh, they’re not fully house trained yet.

Logan sighed, probably thinking of his hallway carpet. It was the pups’ special indoor spot, and was currently covered in potty pads. I know. Tonya promised they would be by time we picked them up.

Okay, but what about...

Mr. Whitehaven has given the okay for us to take a three-day weekend.

I suspected any other what abouts I had would also be answered. Logan could be an extremely thorough planner when he had his mind on a specific goal. A whole three days of just us?

That is my plan. The question is, is it a plan you like?

Hm. I pretended to think about it for exactly five seconds. Three days with Logan, and no responsibilities? I love this plan.

I loved the smile that spread across his face even more.

Chapter Two

An early start the following morning left me yawning as we drove through the stone arch of the clan’s territory entrance. Logan glanced at me. He had arranged everything, to the point that all I’d had to do the night before was pack for myself. Feel free to take a nap.

I might. I covered another yawn and scratched away the beginning of an eyebrow itch. We’re on the road.

We are.

The road to?

He grinned. You’ll see when we get there.

Playing this close to the vest, huh?

Wouldn’t be much of a surprise if I were to tell you. But you can keep trying.

I took that as a challenge. How long of a drive do we have?

Not too long.

We were heading into Santo Trueno, not away from it. I sipped coffee from my travel mug. Are we going out of state?

Nope.

San Antonio? It was the closest big tourist draw, but my guess drew a head shake in response. Austin?

No.

He’d made certain I had packed my bathing suit. The weather was still cool enough I didn’t think I’d be using it for outdoor water fun. Plus, I knew we weren’t carrying any camping gear. In fact, we were in a sedan I hadn’t seen before. Our suitcases were in the trunk of the dark gray, late-model vehicle, and the windows were tinted as darkly as the law allowed. Whose car is this?

It’s one of ours. Logan moved, resting his forearm on the center console, conveniently placing his hand within holding distance. I took the bait, slipping my fingers between his.

My travel mug fit in the cup holder, and I covered another yawn. While I tried formulating more questions about our destination, the hum of the tires and soft engine rumble conspired to lull me to sleep.

Cordi, we’re here. Logan stopped stroking my cheek when I opened my eyes. Do you want to stretch your legs while I handle check-in?

Sure.

Okay, be back in a few. He left the car, and I blinked sleep from my eyes, looking around while unbuckling my seatbelt.

There were mountains visible through a break in the pine trees surrounding the parking lot. My mouth was dry, and a cautious sip proved my coffee was still warm. Warm enough that I checked the time on my cell phone as I opened the car door and exited. Huh.

Only a little over an hour had passed since we had left home. I glanced at the mountains again, furrowing my brow. Had we driven far enough to be in New Mexico?