Nightfall (Devil's Night #4) - Penelope Douglas Page 0,156

and headed to the kitchen, immediately pulling out the butter, eggs, sugar, and all the other ingredients I had memorized from when Grand-Mère had me do the baking after she got too weak. She loved the smell in the house and wanted it to be part of my memories, so that when I inhaled the scent of sugar cookies or banana bread, I’d remember the happy times with her and my mom.

After pre-heating the oven, I dug out a couple of pans, a bowl, and began mixing the ingredients, stirring them into glossy, chocolate heaven, the smell reminding me of most of Octobers after a morning at the farmer’s market, while my dad raked the leaves outside.

I placed both pans in the oven, took an apple out of the bowl on the counter, and ate it, waiting.

The kitchen warmed, filling with the rich smell, and I could feel the hairs on my arms rising as my stomach growled.

“What the hell is that?” I heard Micah finally say down the hall.

I beamed inside but bit back my smile, hurriedly spinning around with my oven mitt as the timer went off. I pulled one of the pans out of the oven.

Setting it on the cooling rack, I stuck a knife in the middle and pulled it out, making sure it was cooked all the way through.

Micah entered, followed by Alex and Rory, and Micah’s gaze locked on the pan, climbing up on the counter like a cat and sexy crawling right for the sweets. He inhaled deep, closing his eyes. “Is that…?”

“Brownies?” Alex finished for him, gawking at me.

“You’re making brownies?” Rory asked.

I shrugged, pulling out a fork and handing it to Micah, but he just loomed over the pan and dug in with his fingers, hissing at the hot confection before gobbling it.

Rory’s mouth fell open, and I knew he didn’t want to want it, but he did. He plucked the fork out of my hand and dug in, both of them hogging down the brownies with no manners and zero control.

I mean, geez. It wasn’t like they couldn’t make them at any time. The ingredients were all here.

Quickly, I cut out a piece before they ate it all and slid it onto a plate just as Aydin, Will, and Taylor strolled in, the scent drawing their attention.

I handed the plate to Aydin, feeling Will’s eyes on me as he hung back by the door.

Aydin held my gaze, pleased, and he tried to take the plate, but I pulled it away, playing a little.

He laughed and grabbed it, immediately digging in.

I shot Will a look and turned around, shutting off the oven and reaching inside again.

“You should’ve put walnuts in them,” Rory said.

I turned around, showing him the second pan, the surface dotted with fucking walnuts.

Micah stopped eating, staring at the other pan with chocolate covering his mouth and teeth.

He reached for it, but I pulled it away. “I need help with the chandelier first.”

Rory hooded his eyes, but I could see the smile there, because he knew exactly what I was doing, and I won.

If he wanted brownies with walnuts, then…

He sighed. “Micah? Taylor? Help me out, please?”

Their shoulders slumped, but they went, leaving the room with Rory and heading back to the ballroom.

I cut two slices out of the new pan.

“Wendy and The Lost Boys,” Aydin mused.

“And that makes you Peter Pan?” I asked.

He chuckled as I handed one slice to Alex and pushed the other plate over to Will.

But Will shot out, slapping the plate and the pan, sending them both flying onto the floor.

Every muscle in my body went rigid as they crashed and broke, the dessert splattered on the floor.

I darted my eyes to his.

“This isn’t Neverland,” he said, coming up to the island and glowering at me. “If it were, you wouldn’t be here. Grown-ups aren’t allowed.”

My stomach sank a little, but I didn’t blink, even though my eyes screamed to.

Spinning around, he charged out, and Alex hesitated a moment, throwing me an apologetic glance before finally going after him.

Aydin watched me, but I didn’t give him a chance to insert himself. Turning around, I dug the bowl back out of the sink and began mixing ingredients again, keeping my hands busy, because that was the only distraction I had.

I got it. You don’t fit, so stop posing.

No surprise here. It didn’t bother me.

It felt like Aydin wanted to say something, but it was time to put his lesson to the test. Nothing happened to