Oriana and the Three Werebears by Tia Fanning

their security would hold, and that he was probably being paranoid, but he didn’t want to risk it. She wouldn’t know how to counter an intrusion if one should occur. At least if she was in the office, he or his brothers would be around to monitor, and could take action if necessary.
    He was about to close down the laptop when a reply popped up from Jordan.
    Lnch rdy. Ori hngry? I brng 2 rm?
    Ori sleepn , he sent back.
    U hngry?
    U & Jon eat. I go bck 2 offce 2 wrk.
    Shutting the laptop cover, Jack gathered the headphones and the power cord and left the room, giving Oriana one last glance before quietly closing the door.

* * * *
    With her feet curled up under her, Oriana sat on the couch in the living room while Jonathan cleared the dining table and washed dishes, and Jordan wiped down the kitchen and prepared for their upcoming “movie night”. She had tried to help, but the guys wouldn’t hear of it, ordering her to rest while they finished up.
    Jack hadn’t even bothered to come to supper, and was still hiding in the office.
    Don’t take it personally, Jonathan had said when she inquired why the eldest brother wasn’t sitting down to eat with them. Jack’s just a workaholic.
    She had nodded her concurrence, but didn’t believe that was the reason this time.
    Stifling a sigh at Jack’s obvious attempt to avoid her—again, Oriana snatched the throw from the back of the couch and covered her lap, trying to ward off a chill. According to the virtual window, it was dark. She had slept most of the day away, and would have still been sleeping had Jordan not roused her for dinner. She had requested to eat at the dining table with the rest of them this time rather than take a tray in bed. To her surprise, Jordan had agreed.
    Despite the mild discomfort of sitting on a hard chair with a sore bottom, which she had proudly endured without complaint, it had been a fabulous dinner—pot roast, homegrown vegetables, fresh baked rolls, and apple pie for dessert. And the company was as amazing as the food. It was the most fun she’d had over supper in a long time.
    Since Jack had confiscated the laptop, they told her she would have to watch TV and play video games in the living room. Honesty, she was secretly grateful for this. She was sick of being stuck in her room.
    In the end, they had decided to do a movie night, complete with popcorn, candy, and root beer floats. Oriana wondered if Jack would join them.
    Jonathan and Jordan came in with the treats in hand. After placing everything on the coffee table, Jonathan grabbed blankets and turned out all the lights while Jordan inserted a movie into the
DVD
player. When ready, they both scooted her into the middle of the couch then plopped down on it, one on each side of her.
    Jordan pressed the remote and the movie started. Opening credits appeared on the large screen, scratched out in sharp red font, and eerie music seeped out from the darkness and enveloped her, courtesy of the surround sound speakers.
    “Oh, no, not a horror flick,” she bemoaned, sinking deeper into her blanket. “I hate scary movies.”
    “Why?” Jonathan asked as he grabbed the bowl of popcorn and stuck it on her lap so they could all reach it. “They’re so much fun.”
    “Because they’re scary . I’ll probably spend half the movie with my hands over my eyes.”
    “You don’t have to be scared,” Jordan offered. “It’s not real.”
    They grabbed fistfuls of popcorn and shove it into their mouths.
    “I know it’s not real, but seriously, you don’t want to watch these kinds of movies with me. I’m a screamer.”
    Jonathan started coughing violently.
    Oriana snatched his root beer float off the table and thrust into his hand. He drank while she rubbed his back. When he pulled the glass away from his lips, she asked, “Are you okay?”
    With watery eyes, he nodded as he continued to cough into his fist, trying to clear his throat.
    “He’s fine,” Jordan assured her, his attention