With the breeze, I am surrounded by the sounds and the smells of the ocean. I walk out onto the veranda and look around me. The house is built in the sand. Standing on large stilts, the house is raised to protect it in case of storms. The ocean is a little bit away from the house, but it is visible. Large patches of foam line the sandy beaches. Gulls fly around looking for any pieces of food. On the left side, the veranda opens up into a gazebo large enough to fit six people. Lights wrap around the circumference and cascade down all eight posts. This reminds me of the gazebo my mom and I used to go to at home.
Leaning against the railing, I take in the view before me. It appears that we have our own secluded beach. There doesn’t seem to be anyone nearby. I hear the back door open and know who it is before he even speaks. “It’s beautiful out here,” I tell him.
Large arms wrap around my waist from behind. I lean back into his arms, finally letting myself enjoy the security I feel with him. “Yeah, it is. When I was little, my parents and I would take little day vacations to the coast, and we’d just sit along the beach all day, swimming, having a picnic, and playing in the sand. The water was always cold though.” I arch my head up and watch Colton. He smiles as he relives the memories.
“There was one time when my family went out to Ogunquit Beach for a day. David and I swam for a while before we got tired. Boys never tire.” He is staring out at the waves with a small smile on his face. “David fell asleep in the sand, so I went around and collected all the small rocks that I could. I spelled out the word loser on his chest with the rocks. He was asleep for so long that he got sunburned around the words. He was so mad when he woke up. It was hilarious. I got in trouble though, but I know it was just for David’s sake. My dad gave me a high five when he wasn’t looking.”
“I wish I had siblings growing up. Someone to unleash all my inner evil on,” I say.
“Now you’ve got a big family you can unleash it on,” he chuckles.
“Oh, and I plan on doing just that.” I giggle.
Resting his chin on top of my head, we both look out at the ocean, listening as the large waves crash into the shore. As the ocean breeze caresses my skin, I feel myself start to relax. So much has happened lately, it feels nice to just sit back and forget about it all for a moment. Watching the small gulls sweep down and land on the moist sand is soothing. I love being surrounded by nature of any kind.
“Just remember that I’m on your team,” Colton says while tightening his arms around my waist. Because of the fringes on my shirt, I can feel his hands on my skin. His fingers are playfully moving the dangling strings. Thankfully, he has a hold on me, because I’d probably be a puddle on the ground right now.
“I have eighteen years to make up for. There are no teams, buddy.”
Two hours later, we decide that we need to train. Colton is starting to feel better, and I really need to release some magic. Changing into my usual outfit, I skip downstairs with Emma. The guys are already ready. I don’t know where we are going to train. It looks like the backyard is completely covered in trees and sand isn’t stable enough.
“We’ve got to get you some new training outfits,” Colton says when I walk into the living room. I glance down at my black form fitting top and yoga shorts.
“What’s wrong with these? Do I look fat or something?” I hear the guys snicker behind me. “I do look fat, don’t I? You know I was never comfortable wearing these, but that’s all Claire bought me.”
“Ryanne, you don’t look fat,” Colton says while grabbing my hand and following Tom outside. “Just the opposite actually.”
“I’m too skinny? I always thought that I needed to lose a couple of pounds.” I hear Liam start laughing behind me. I turn around and look at him. He looks down at the ground, trying to hide his laugh.
“The outfit is very tight, Ry.”
“Your shirt is very tight too, Colton,” I point out.
“I’m not surrounded by a bunch of girls.”
“Neither am I,” I say. I don’t understand where he is going with this conversation. Liam is having trouble walking because he is laughing so hard. I glance behind me and see Logan and Larkin also laughing. Bragden is shaking his head. Emma is talking quietly to David, oblivious to this conversation.
Colton sighs and shakes his head at me. “Oh, never mind, Ryanne.” Instead of asking him what that was about, I turn and face Tom.
“The owners of this house are also mages. They don’t know who we are, and they don’t know about Ryanne. They just know that we’re using their vacation house for a couple weeks. They needed somewhere to train, so they cleared an area in the forest and built a training center. It’s basically a larger version of the attic.”