Sleigh Bells and Dragon Spells (Whispering Pines #8)

Chapter 23

TWENTY-THREE

T he men exchanged looks, clearly unconvinced. Briar felt Falkor tense beside her, though he hadn’t spoken. Under the table, she gave his hand a gentle squeeze. To her delight, he responded by lacing their fingers together, his thumb continuing those maddening circles on her palm.

“How about this,” Fia proposed, “We’ll postpone until after the storm is gone. But then, no arguments.”

“That’s reasonable,” Sayer agreed, and gradually the others nodded.

“Fine,” Kade sighed dramatically. “But I expect payment in baked goods for this concession.”

“You always expect payment in baked goods,” Celeste laughed, kissing his cheek.

Briar watched the easy affection between the couples around the table—how Sera unconsciously leaned into Lark’s touch when he brushed her hair back, the way Fia and Sayer seemed to communicate without words, the protective stance Bram took whenever Tabitha moved. Each pair had their own love story and journey to this point.

“They make it look easy, don’t they?” Falkor’s voice was so low only she could hear it.

She turned to find his face closer than expected, close enough to see the flecks of amber in his eyes. “Nothing worth having comes easily,” she replied softly.

Something flickered in his expression—vulnerability, maybe, or hope. His thumb brushed over her knuckles in a gesture that felt almost like a promise.

“Agreed,” he agreed, his gaze dropping to her lips for just a moment. “But sometimes the challenge makes the reward sweeter.”

The air between them crackled with possibility, and Briar leaned closer, drawn by the magnetic pull between them...

A crack of thunder outside made everyone jump. The storm clouds were rolling back in, purple-black and threatening.

“Oh, yes,” Falkor said, glancing out the window, “I’ve done some research, going through old tomes and dragon-spell books. I haven’t found anything specific to this situation. But I’ll keep looking.”

“Thank you, Falkor. That’s all we can ask for,” Reed said as he scooted his chair out and stood. “Everyone should get home before it hits full force again.”

As they all prepared to leave, Briar noticed how the couples naturally gravitated toward each other—Fia tucking herself into Sayer’s side, Tabitha letting Bram wrap his coat around her shoulders, Sera and Lark’s hands finding each other without looking.

“Let me take you home,” Falkor said quietly as they stepped outside. His hand still hadn’t left hers.

“My shop isn’t far?—”

“Please.” The word held more meaning than its single syllable suggested.

Briar looked up at him, at the way the gathering storm made his golden eyes seem to glow. “Okay,” she said softly.

As they walked through the darkening streets, Briar nestled closer to his warmth. The storm might be returning, but something else was growing stronger too—something that felt remarkably like faith, and maybe even love.

And when Falkor pulled her just a little closer, his magic wrapping protectively around them both, Briar smiled. Sometimes the greatest lights were born in the darkest storms.