Magitech Rises (The Exceptional S. Beaufont Book 3) by Sarah Noffke & Michael Anderle

Author:Sarah Noffke & Michael Anderle [Noffke, Sarah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: LMBPN Publishing
Published: 2020-01-30T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventy-Three

The Christmas cracker wasn’t a tradition Sophia was familiar with. Apparently, the guys at the Castle weren’t either since Hiker hadn’t allowed such festivities for the Dragon Elite.

She held her side of the cracker and gave Evan a challenging expression.

“I’m going to win this, Smalls,” he threatened.

“You get it’s more about the experience and less about winning, right?” she asked him.

He shook his head. “You have so much to learn, young’un.”

They yanked in unison, the cracker making a loud popping sound as it split apart.

Sophia was left holding the shorter side.

Evan held up the container that held his prize. “Winner!” He pointed in her face. “Loser.”

“So mature,” she said. She shook her head at him as he unfolded the paper hat he found inside the cracker and placed it on his head.

Holiday carols filled the living area, which was exquisitely decorated. The Castle had outdone itself after Hiker had allowed Christmas, filling up every space with flocked garlands and raising a tree covered in red and silver ornaments.

The House of Fourteen was usually incredibly decorated for the holidays, but it paled in comparison to this. Lights twinkled down the banisters of the stairs, and the smell of cinnamon and orange zest greeted Sophia’s nose at every turn.

“Well, how about a consolation present?” Wilder asked, handing Sophia a horribly wrapped medium-sized package.

“Thank you,” she said, blushing. She noticed his brown hair appeared windswept, although Lunis had said Simi hadn’t been out of the Cave all day. She didn’t know what Wilder was up to, but she couldn’t say she wasn’t desperately curious. “I didn’t know we were exchanging presents. I…” She looked around suddenly and grabbed a fork off a tray on a table. “I only got you this fork.”

He grabbed it, pretending to be in awe. “Fork? What’s a fork?”

She smiled at him. “I’ll teach you how to use it.”

He held it to his chest. “My first fork. I’ll treasure it forever. Now open your present, and I’ll teach you how to use it.”

Sophia laughed at the wrapping. “Did you do this yourself?”

“Hey,” he barked. “I can ride a dragon and fight a dozen men at once. I don’t need to be able to gift-wrap.”

She waved him off. “It’s good to be well-rounded.”

Sophia pulled off the paper and immediately knew why he’d had such a challenge wrapping her gift. Most people would have trouble wrapping a grappling hook. “How did you know I wanted this?” she asked, thinking immediately of Liv. Her sister had been the one to give her the idea for the gift.

“Because when you were trying to convince Hiker to let us have Christmas at the Castle, you kept saying, ‘If we don’t celebrate here, how am I going to get a grappling hook?’”

Sophia laughed. “Well, I was hoping he wanted me to have a grappling hook for missions and would give us Christmas for practical reasons.” She held the present to her chest. “I love it, though. Thanks so much. And I’d love lessons on how to use it.

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