Bramble Burn by Autumn Dawn

Author:Autumn Dawn
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance, magic, dragons, werewolves, elves, technology, monsters, urban fantasty, tree mage
Publisher: Autumn Dawn

The scent of coffee coaxed her awake. She sniffed, smelling bacon, too. With a yawn, she pulled on her pants, leaving Kjetil’s giant t-shirt on. Gilly was already gone, so she padded barefoot to the kitchen, raking her messy hair out of her face. If Kjetil was scared of her morning self, now was a good time to know.

“Good morning, Juni,” her mother said.

Juniper stopped dead, blinking as her mother got up from the kitchen table and gave her a hug. Pre-caffeine, she couldn’t parse why her mom would be here.

“Are you feeling well? You look pale,” her mother fretted. “Maybe you should eat.” She fixed a plate while Indris rose and kissed her brow.

“Daughter,” he said gravely, with a hint of warning. “It’s a good thing Kjetil told us where you were staying. We were worried.”

Gilly waved. “Hey, Jun. Did you know you talk in your sleep? You kept going on about rabbits. You were going to stab them with a carrot.”

Juniper looked at her oddly, until it dawned on her that Gilly was giving her an alibi. Suddenly the presence of her parents and her unhappy stepfather made more sense. She opened her mouth to defend herself when another woman handed her a cup of coffee.

“You like it black, right? My son said you like pastry, so I made caramel cinnamon rolls. My name is Carri, by the way. So glad to meet you.” Of medium height, she was slim, with intelligent brown eyes. With a youthful face and shiny brown hair, Carri could have been Kjetil’s sister. She wore a red blouse and jeans with cute red sandals and just enough makeup to play up her features.

“Thank you,” Juniper said. Finding the coffee was the perfect temperature, she drank half of it in one swallow, then looked right at Indris. “I didn’t sleep with him. You don’t have to kill him. Now, what’s for breakfast?” She sat at the table and tucked into the scrambled eggs and bacon with fresh tomatoes.

There was a short silence, and then Indris resumed his seat. “I’m aware. I reserve the right to kill him anyway.”

Juniper grinned. “I love you, too.”

Her mother cleared her throat. “What are your plans for the day? Kjetil explained about the park, but surely we can see it from the air? The elves might have cleared the area by now.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Juniper said, cheered by the idea of doing something useful. “I need to check on things anyway, and I need to make a new battery soon, just in case.”

“In case of what?” her mother asked suspiciously, knowing a little about what such things were used for. “I don’t like you living there, Jun. It’s dangerous. How are you going to raise a family there?”

“I don’t have a family to raise, Mom,” Juniper said testily. “I don’t need kids right now. I need to get the park cleaned up first and fulfil my contract.”

“Yes, but where will you live afterward? If you get married…”

“I believe this discussion is premature,” Indris interrupted.

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