The soft hum of a mana lamp—which was basically a lamp with a glowing mana stone inside it—buzzed somewhere in the background, casting a cozy amber glow over the Vaise mansion's living room.
Raven was on the couch, his legs lazily stretched out on the coffee table, one arm looped around Clara, who was sipping her tea like a Victorian ghost, the other half-pinned under Siris—who was still clinging to him like a possessive octopus in hibernation.
Her faint snores alternated with occasional sleep-mumbling that sounded suspiciously like, "Kill... cute... squirrels…"
But Raven believed that she was saying, "Kill anyone who tries to harm the cute little squirrels..."
Selena, elegantly lounging on his lap, her back pressed in his chest, was calmly munching on a cracker with jam, looking oddly regal despite the crumbs on her face.
