Darkest Powers Bonus Pack 2

“No, I like this kind. You know I do and—”She stopped as I held out the bag.“Your real gift,” I said.She looked in. Grinning, she pulled out a penlight, a Swiss army knife and a purse-sized can ofmace.She sputtered a laugh. “This is . . .”“Practical?” I said.“In my life, it is definitely practical. But I was going to say thoughtful.” She smiled up at me. “Themost thoughtful gift I’ve ever gotten.”“And the most completely unromantic? Simon almost had a heart attack when I showed him. Hemade me get the chocolates, as a backup.”“I’m sure he did. Which I suppose explains why I ended up with you instead.” She rose on tiptoesagain and put her arms around my neck. “Because buying me gifts to keep me safe? That’s my idea ofromantic.”I bent and kissed her, lifting her up, then lowering her to the grass behind the tree.“Chloe!” Tori shouted from near the house. “Chloe!”I glanced over. “Think it’s urgent?”“Only if saving Tori from boredom is a life-or-death situation. She was trying to get me to goshopping with her before we ducked out. I say we make a break for the forest.” She pointed to the bag.“We have survival gear. And chocolate. We can stay out there for a while.”I grinned, scooped up the bag, and we raced off to explore our new forest. Or something like that.