Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 78745 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78745 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
“Okay, okay,” I reply, feigning a dramatic sigh. “Pick a card, any card.” I fan the deck out in front of her.
“Jeb pick a card,” Jeb says, swooping in out of nowhere. He flies at my hands, snatching a few cards with his beak. “Jeb’s card.”
“Jeb, give that back,” I say, holding my hand out.
“Jeb’s card.”
“Can you make him give the card back?”
Briar laughs, like this is the funniest thing in the world. “Jeb, why don’t you give Orion back his cards.”
“No, Jeb’s cards.”
Briar smiles at me, shrugging her shoulder. “Well, there you have it.”
I glare at the bird. “What are you going to do with that card?”
“Jeb magic.”
I shake my head, shuffling the rest of the deck I still have in my hand. “Briar, and only Briar,” I say, looking right at Jeb, “pick a card.”
Briar laughs, plucking one from somewhere in the middle, eyes flicking to it before pressing it tight against her chest so I can’t see. “All right, what now?” she asks, a playful grin tugging at her lips.
I shuffle the remaining cards with a flourish. “Just slide it back in the deck,” I instruct, holding the fan open again. She does, and I lose the card in the shuffle, or so it appears. In truth, I have a control on it—years of practice with a break at a certain point in the deck.
She leans forward, watching intently as I cut and riffle, sending the cards flying in a neat arc. One final snap and I spread them on the coffee table, face down. With a showman’s flair, I flip the exact card she chose.
“No way!” she gasps, eyes lighting up. “How’d you do that?”
“A magician never tells,” I say, biting back a grin as I gather the deck.
I shuffle the cards once more, looking over at the bird. “Do you want to choose another card?”
Jeb bobs his head. “Jeb’s card.” He chooses another from my hand, and Briar helps him.
I shuffle the cards again, letting the two of them place it back in the pile. I shuffle, and then show the card to the pair of them.
She laughs, shaking her head. “I can’t believe you also do this in addition to, you know, shooting bad guys and punching things.”
I raise an eyebrow. “I don’t just shoot bad guys and punch things,” I say, feigning offense. “Sometimes I tackle them, too.”
She snorts, then tilts her head, curiosity dancing in her expression. “Have you ever wanted to be a full-time magician? I mean, it seems like something you love.”
My hands go still around the deck. It’s a question I’ve asked myself plenty of times. “I do love it,” I admit. “There’s a rush in performing, in watching people’s faces light up with wonder. Being a bodyguard is… important, though. It feels good to protect people, keep them safe. But if I had to pick? I guess... magic,” I say, shrugging.
Just as the words leave my mouth, a flutter of feathers interrupts. Jeb swoops in, landing on the coffee table with a triumphant squawk. Before I can react, the little thief snatches a few cards in his beak and hops off, flapping around as though showing off his prize.
“Hey!” I exclaim, lurching forward to reclaim my deck. But Jeb squawks louder, flapping his wings out of my reach.
Briar bursts into laughter, practically doubling over. “Jeb, you scoundrel!” she manages through her giggles. “Give those back!”
“Jeb can talk,” the bird insists, muffled by the cards he’s holding.
I glare at him, half amused, half exasperated. “Sure, you can talk. Can you listen?”
Jeb hops onto the armrest of the sofa, dropping one card in his haste. I scramble for it, then try to lure him in with a gentle motion. “Come on, buddy. You can’t just steal a magician’s tools.”
Briar’s laughter ramps up another notch as Jeb cocks his head. “Steal a magician’s tools!” he mimics, voice surprisingly clear. Then he sputters some incomprehensible squawks, like his own form of laughter, and flutters down to the coffee table again.
“Should I grab some crackers as a bribe?” Briar suggests, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes.
“Anything to get my cards back,” I grumble, though I can’t help but smile at the absurdity of the moment. Compared to the danger circling us outside these walls, this silly scenario feels like a gift.
Briar heads to the kitchen and returns with a little dish of seeds and nuts, holding it out for Jeb. He eyes the offering, bright curiosity in his gaze. Dropping the cards, he bobbles over for a snack, giving me just enough time to snatch them up.
I breathe a sigh of relief, checking them for damage—only a few bent corners, nothing permanent. “Trouble-maker,” I mutter under my breath, but there’s no real heat in it.
Briar sets the dish down on the table, then looks at me with a grin that sends warmth straight to my chest. “Hey, at least he’s entertaining. Maybe you could incorporate him into your act?”