by K. K. Allen
She shrugs. “That do-it-yourself website always has great ideas, then I improvise from there.”
My eyes widen in shock. “You’re telling me you did all of this without using your magic?” Trisha has a weakness for using her magic at inappropriate times, so I’m finding this hard to believe.
She giggles her infectious giggle. “Of course I used magic, silly. I just used that website for some ideas. Then I elaborated. We only had two days to create the set. Without magic, it would have been impossible.”
“We’re going to take photos,” Arabella calls to us. “Get your guy, and let’s go.”
I tug Alec along, happy to move through the crowd and check out more of the scenery. Arabella leads us to where Brett holds our spot in line. I admire the photography backdrop. A sheet of cracked sparkling ice covers the back wall, along with strings of blue lights that drip down to the floor.
When it’s our turn to get our photos taken, my friends and I pile in front of the backdrop. Alec’s arm snakes around my waist as he nuzzles my cheek, and a grin spreads across my face just in time for the photographer to begin snapping away.
A flicker of darkness from the rafters causes my eyes to drift in that direction, but I’m blinded by the overhead lights. I tear my eyes away and focus on the photographer, who directs us through a series of group and couple photos.
When we’re all walking out to the dance floor, I’m sure my eyes are playing tricks on me again, catching on another strange, shadowy movement near the dance floor. This time, the figure moves quickly—darting through the crowd then bending down and standing up as if he’s placing something on the floor. The crowd seems to part without paying it much attention, so I decide it must be someone working the event.
Oblivious to the distraction, Alec pulls me deeper into the crowd and begins to move to the music. I try to keep up with him, but he’s a much better dancer than I am. Apparently, my powers don’t afford me the skills of a professional dancer, which I find incredibly disappointing. Still, it’s hard not to have fun when the pounding music fills my veins and the colorful lights dance all around us.
I’m finally starting to loosen up when I spot another movement. This time, I catch sight of the tall, slender shadowy figure before I can second-guess myself. He’s moving slowly and deliberately behind the backcloth of the stage like he’s searching for something, causing me to freeze for a moment. Adrenaline whooshes through my blood, putting my entire body on high alert.
I’m not seeing things. My senses don’t scream at me unless there’s danger lurking nearby. And here we are, on the day of the winter solstice—an Enchanter’s event. It would make complete sense for Erebus to show up again today. It’s not like any of us believed he would be gone forever.
Alec leans into me, worry evident on his face. “Are you okay?”
I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to calm my racing heart. I shake my head, unable to speak or move. I need to get ahold of myself. I swipe my hand over the spot where my necklace usually rests. Then I remember again that I left it at home in my vanity drawer, for completely superficial reasons—I didn’t want the green emerald to clash with my outfit.
Flashbacks from my last encounter with Erebus replay in my mind like a flip book. The call I got on the radio that sent me toward the maze in a panic. The dread that filled me once I realized I had just entered a trap. The moment I saw Johnny’s beaten body tied to that tree. The deep hurt that overcame me when Alec revealed himself and stood beside Ava. The serpent slithering from Iris’s dead body before delivering one final message to me.
The images of that awful night have haunted me all this time, but it’s the feeling that seeped into my gut the moment I knew I was trapped in that maze that returns like a burst of light. I’m tuning into a threat now just as I did then.
With every ounce of certainty, I know something about tonight is off. I shiver with fear, questioning if Erebus is here to hurt more of my friends.
“Kat, you’re freaking me out. What’s going on?” Alec looks around then turns my head gently to face him, meeting my eyes as the music pulses around us.
I shake my head. “I don’t know. It could be nothing. I left my necklace at home so my senses are going crazy. And I keep seeing someone sneaking around here. He just went behind the stage and—” I swallow. “I just feel like something is wrong.”
His mouth twists as if he’s trying to understand what my words really mean, then his face relaxes. “Everything will be fine. Stay here, okay? I’ll be back.”
“I can come with you.”
“Stay here,” he says again, this time more forcefully. I can’t read his expression, but he seems to be worried too.
“Okay,” I agree, not wanting to waste any time arguing.
Alec ducks through the crowd until he finds Kaleb. I have yet to figure out their friendship. It seems they bonded over magic and their love for sports and music. Still, I find it interesting that Kaleb is the first person Alec goes to in a crisis. I watch them closely. Kaleb’s eyebrows shoot up, and he nods energetically before following Alec through the crowd and toward the back entrance of the stage.
Suddenly, the energy in the room changes. The music transitions into a moderate guitar beat, bodies adjust, and voices seem to quiet as they wait for the beat to pick up.
It’s as if I’m watching the scene unfold in slow motion. First, a few faces near me express bewilderment when their eyes catch something above them. Then gasps travel around the room. Like a domino effect, my peers recognize something is happening and begin to shuffle around.
He’s here.
Fingers point to the ceiling, and soon everyone is standing still, their faces illuminated by the blue and white lights around the room. Then the first shriek ignites.
Forcing my eyes up, I see what’s causing the commotion. Now it’s my turn to gasp.
This cannot be real.
What I thought were just balls of lights hanging from the gymnasium ceiling are actually layers of shimmering white balloons of various sizes. Layer by layer, they’re unleashed like snow, falling slowly, tauntingly, down toward the dance floor.
Giggles and shrieks fill the air as balloons of all sizes cascade around us until they are everywhere. Some have fallen to the floor, while others hang from short strings and remain suspended at different levels above our heads. Then it all hits me. There’s no Erebus. There’s no threat.
It’s just a prank.
A bubble of laughter escapes my throat as I take in the scene. If this isn’t a winter wonderland, then I don’t know what is.
The grin that pulls on my cheeks could shatter my bones. I’m fully aware that I must be the only stationary person on this dance floor, but I don’t care. I love watching the smiling faces of people moving in time to the techno beat. When I feel Alec’s arms move around me, my body reacts to the music too. I move my hips, and his grip gets tighter. I back up into him, and he leans into my neck and runs his nose from my collarbone up to my ear.
I giggle at the affection, something I normally don’t give into with Alec in public. But there’s something different about him tonight. Something infectious. Something… familiar. All my senses buzz to life. I remember this feeling.
Wait a second…
Almost as soon as I’ve released all the tension that racked me moments ago, I realize I let down my guard too soon. I turn around to find a tall man in a black suit. I don’t look up as far as his eyes, but I see the bottom of a black mask. Heat rips through me, and I squeeze my eyes shut as a familiar cloud of darkness hovers over me. As alert and alive as I feel in this moment, I’m unable to control the simple pace of my breaths as I’m locked under his spell.
I shake my head, hoping to rid myself of the sensation that has suddenly taken over every fiber of my being. I can feel myself drowning beneath my racing blood and pounding pulse. Without thinking, I reach out for something, anything, to steady myself. My hands land on a hard, sculpted chest. My fingertips burn and sizz
le at the touch, but I can’t pull my hands away. It’s like they’re glued to the blistering surface.
I don’t need to open my eyes to know this man who has such an intense hold over me. It doesn’t help that he makes no attempt to move. He just stands there, as still as a board, like he’s waiting for me to acknowledge him.
The muscles beneath his shirt flinch, causing my heart to jump. My mind screams for me to run in the other direction, but I’m paralyzed by his scent, which brings a flood of memories with it. I’m trapped in his gravitational pull, just like before. But I can’t bring myself to look up into the face of the man I’ve literally, and fervently, fallen into.
Am I dreaming?
So many thoughts and emotions keep me from looking up into the icicle gaze I know I’ll find. If I do, that means it’s real, and if it’s real, that means all these feelings will turn into guilt the moment I lay eyes on him.
As if he can feel my hesitation, he hooks an arm around my waist and pulls me closer. I make no move to resist as our bodies press together, his massive build dwarfing mine. I remember this feeling all too well. He always seemed to steal the air in all the space we shared. And just like before, wild flutters release from deep in my belly. I’m not sure I can handle the emotions running through me—like rapids at ultimate velocity. If I look up and see those piercing blue eyes, I’ll stand no chance against them, so I keep them closed.
I’m not sure how long I stand there, my fingertips digging into where they’re planted, before anger and guilt begins to seep from my pores. Months of deep sadness, intense fury, and resentment at the way he walked away wash over me like the wave on Fourth of July.
He starts to sway, and I don’t know why I sway with him. I’m like a damn puppet, controlled by her master when we both know I’m physically the strongest one between the two of us. But physical strength is no match for the emotional connection that chains me to this man like a prisoner in a king’s tower of lavish riches.
So we sway together, uncaring that our rhythm doesn’t match the fast song, and that everyone around us is jumping and thrashing around wildly, while balloons bounce among the chaos.
He grasps my chin gently and tilts my head up, leaving a blaze of fire on my skin. If my eyelids weren’t pressed together so tightly, I would be looking into his eyes right now. Just the feel of his breath on my face makes my inhalation skip through the air like rocks on a pond. Never in my life have I feared wanting something so much.
“I want to see you.” His deep voice comes out as just a whisper, but it rattles through me as if he spoke the words directly onto my soul.
My mind is spinning, my heart aching, but it’s like he’s just given me a pocket of air to breathe. My eyelids flutter open, and his desirous gaze surfs straight to my core. He’s really here.
“Johnny, I—” My words are choked by emotion. I’m unsure what I will say to him after all this time. Do I even know this person anymore? Does it matter? I’m with Alec now.
With a single beat, the band switches from the last chord of a techno tune to the first slow song I’ve heard all night. Of course. I should be dancing with Alec, yet here I am, in Johnny’s arms. All guilt aside, this is exactly where I want to be.
Our bodies react to one another, synchronizing without any effort at all, as we move to the cover song of “Heartbreak Anniversary” by Giveon. How appropriate.
Johnny slides his thumb up my cheek and brings his face closer to mine. I know what he’s doing. I’ve relived every kiss we shared enough to remember what this feels like. But things are different now, and I’m wiser. I thought what we had was the start of forever, when in reality, we never even had a chance to begin.
“Stop. I can’t do this.” I break apart from his hold although it tortures me to do so. As much as I’ve hoped and prayed for his return, we can’t share a moment like this. “Things have changed,” I murmur, my voice barely a whisper.
His eyes dim, like it’s me who just hurt him. “Please, Kat. I—”
“Please, Kat, what?” I want to scream. “Did you really think you could just waltz back into my life and expect us to pick up where we left off? Where have you been? Why didn’t you call?”
“It’s complicated, and I want to explain everything, but you should know why I’m here first. I’m afraid we’re running out of time.”
His words are like a slap in the face. I thought he was here to see me. To apologize for disappearing from my life like he was only ever just visiting. I straighten my shoulders. “Why are you here, Johnny? What was so important?”
His eyes move back and forth, as if he’s debating what to say before finally opening his mouth.
“What the hell is going on?” Alec storms angrily through a bunch of balloons, punching the last one in his fury to reach us. Kaleb comes up behind him, his eyes darting among the three of us, confusion evident on his face.
My heart continues to race, even after I’ve broken my hold on Johnny. Now it’s racing for a completely different reason. Alec is furious.
Alec and Johnny stare each other down. I imagine Alec is expecting an answer while Johnny contemplates giving him one.
“I’m talking to you, Pierce!” Alec shouts. “What are you doing here?”
Johnny fumes but doesn’t say a word. Instead, his chest expands and contracts in an obvious effort to calm himself down. He glances at me then at Alec, who snakes a protective arm around my shoulders, his gaze darkening as he puts two and two together. His jaw ticks, then he raises his eyes to level with Alec’s. “I found Erebus last summer, and I’ve been following him ever since.”
A chill sweeps through the air as Johnny mentions his name.
“Are you saying Erebus is here?” I’m unable to keep the shrill tone from my voice.
Alec pulls me closer. With gut-wrenching observance, I notice Johnny’s face transform from anger to sadness, then to something else I can’t quite distinguish. He looks between us and is silent for another moment before adopting a somber expression.
“I lost his host somewhere near the panhandle, but he was heading in this direction. I called Roy and asked if anything was going on tonight, and that’s when he told me about the Arctic Winter Ball.” Johnny looks around with a slow nod. “Figured he might stop by. We all know how much Erebus loves crowds”
That he does.
“What is he doing back here?” Alec fumes, and for a second I think he’s talking about Johnny. We all know Erebus is here for me. Whatever the energy source is, he wants it, and he thinks possessing me will lead him to it.
Johnny looks at me then back to Alec. His face softens. “We need to get Kat out of here. I’ve already talked to the Elders. They’ve set up a perimeter of Enchanters to keep everyone safe, and everyone else is at the Garden Theater.” He narrows his eyes on Alec. “You need to round up every Enchanter in here and get them next door. My first priority is Kat.”
Johnny reaches out to take my hand, and I yank it away. “I can take care of myself.”
Alec pulls me back a step and holds a hand up in a gesture that tells Johnny to stop. “You don’t know he’s actually here. We should take a second to think about this.”
Johnny tilts his head. “And you’re willing to take the risk?” His eyes dart to mine and lock there as fear bristles in my chest. “Because I’m not.”
Now my heart is pounding between my ears. Johnny could have stayed away. He could have called Rose from wherever he was to warn her. Instead, he came back. But I shove that gracious thought aside and glare back at Johnny.
“And who’s to say we’re safe listening to you?”
Johnny’s blue eyes flash with anger. “If Erebus is heading here, it’s not to play around, Kat. You think he’s spent all that time away just because? No. You better believe he’s been devising some crazy scheme to get you alone so that he can steal your body and take whatever it is he wants. We need to get you out of here. It’s not up for debate.”
His outburst pulls me bac
k down to reality. Demanding, broody Johnny—how I’ve missed his fiery temper.
“If you were in such a hurry, then why did you stop to dance with me?”
His gaze darkens on mine. “Guess I got caught up in the moment. My bad.”
A chill rips through me, and I have to tear my eyes from his stare, only to spot a glittery gold mask and a mane of long red hair approaching.
“Well, well, the showdown has finally begun,” Arabella says. “Good to see you again, Johnny.”
There’s a smirk playing on Arabella’s high cheekbones and pouty red mouth. How can she joke right now?
“Johnny came here to be a hero and take me away,” I snap. “He thinks Erebus is here.”
“Take her,” Alec says, ignoring me and focusing on Johnny. He’s obviously not happy with this situation, but he wants me safe as much as Johnny does. He looks at Kaleb and Arabella next. “We’ll stay and warn the other descendants, but we’re not going to the theater. We’ll stay to protect the Normals until we know it’s safe.”
The plan sounds okay, but something isn’t sitting well with me. It all seems too easy. If Erebus had a head start on Johnny, then he would already be here. I remember the chill in my bones from earlier, which I’d almost managed to ignore after the balloon extravaganza… then Johnny showed up. But what if my senses were telling me the truth? What if danger is already near?
Without wasting a moment, Johnny takes my hand, and I throw Alec an imploring look over my shoulder. He stands strong, appearing confident, but I know him well enough to know he’s worried about more than Erebus and who’s going to protect the Normals. For that, I feel guilty.
If I couldn’t feel the warmth seeping from Johnny’s strong hand into mine, I would swear my entire body had gone numb. He still has the same effect on me, even in the direst of circumstances. His mere presence overpowers my every natural instinct and rational thought.
With Johnny’s bodyguard-like frame in front of me, the crowd parts easily. I try to ignore the charge of energy between us as we head for the ring of ice, our escape. A cold chill breezes through the room, a perfectly timed draft.
