Since I hadn’t had time to buy Zach any gifts, he played with the roll of wrapping paper and sparkly ribbon on the floor, laughing at the crinkly sound they both made. The entire apartment smelled like roasted chicken, which was warming in the oven with some other side dishes I’d prepared for our late lunch get-together with friends. I had invited Arianna, of course, and had even extended the invitation to Sean and Elijah. Although I was pretty sure neither of them was going to make it. But I had made enough food, just in case.
Somehow—I’m not quite sure how exactly—I was able to get all my catering orders done for my evening deliveries today. And Laurence…he had taken his level one test with only one working hand and passed. With flying colors, he made sure to add, when he and Arianna had returned from the Council. Apparently, they had been impressed with his spellcasting while at a disadvantage, and I’m pretty sure his grin never left his face for a full twenty-four hours after. He even started talking to Arianna about starting his level two training right away, but after a stern talking-to from me, he resolved to start after the holidays.
I was proud of him. He was finally believing in himself, like I always had. And his new wave of confidence made me look at myself as well. Through this entire experience with the poltergeist, I’d discovered that I wasn’t just a Medium. I was the highest form of it—I was a necromancer. I could control the dead. My fear had blocked me from reaching my potential for so long, but now, it was undeniable.
And Rhys? We had all visited him in the hospital yesterday. He’d undergone emergency surgery to stop the bleeding and stitch him up, but he was recovering well. His family was flying in last night to spend Christmas with him in the hospital, which he didn’t seem to mind. He even gave me his number if I ever had questions about my new powers. He said that after he saw what I could do, he was happy to lend his help—free of charge this time.
After Elijah had dropped him off at the hospital, he hadn’t returned to Divine Magic, so my guess was that whatever he was doing with Jade and the Trials was important. I wished I’d had time to thank him, but I understood his reasons.
Wait until I told Jade about everything that’d happened. She was going to flip.
Beside me, Laurence shifted uneasily. Since I was leaning on him on the couch, I sat up and turned to him. “Everything okay?” I asked him. “Was it getting uncomfortable?”
“No. It’s just…I have a present for you,” he said.
My eyes widened. “A present? But we told each other no gifts for us this year.”
I had kept my side of the promise and hadn’t gotten him anything.
He smiled sheepishly. “Yeah, I know, but I couldn’t help myself.” He wiggled so he could get his good hand into his pocket. Suddenly, something outside the window beeped loudly.
I stared at him, confused.
Again, a horn beeped, sounding like a car on the street below.
Or…a van.
“What!” Excitement spiraled through me as the realization hit. Slowly, he pulled out a set of keys and held them between us. I gaped. “You didn’t…”
He handed me the keys and nodded toward the window. “Go, look.”
I did, almost tripping over the blanket that had been wrapped around my legs. At the window, I stared down at the street in front of my store and saw a white work van parked there, its lights flashing when I pressed the lock button down again. It beeped loudly, too.
“Oh my God, Laurence! How did you—I mean, the money? Rhys!” I spun around to see him standing there, a smile on his face.
“I’d been putting some money aside with every paycheck, figured this was where it needed to go. Toward your dream,” he said.
I didn’t know what to say. It was too big of a gift. Too generous. How could I accept it?
Then, a bit wobbly, he dropped to his one knee and produced a small box from behind his back.
My heartbeat galloped instantly. Was he going to… Really?
“And this… is my dream,” he whispered. “You are my dream.”
With a flick of his fingers, he opened the box to reveal a beautiful solitaire engagement ring. “Will you…?”
Before he could even get the words out, I flung myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck and squeezing tight. We both teetered over, falling onto the ground together.
“Ow! Ow! Ow!” Laurence cried. I scrambled to my knees and helped him up, realizing he had landed on his broken wrist.
“Sorry,” I said. “I guess I was a little too excited.”
He grinned. “Is that a yes then?”
“Abso-freaking-lutely.” I let him slide the ring onto my finger before I grabbed the sides of his face and kissed him hard. Behind us, Zach clapped his little hands and giggled.
The doorbell rang.
“That must be Arianna,” I said, my head still in a tizzy from the unexpected proposal. “I’ll get it.”
I hurried down the steps to open the front door, giddy with excitement. The moment I turned the handle, the door swung open, revealing a shivering and visibly cold Arianna. Behind her, the snow was now coming down in drifts, with thicker flakes, already sticking to the ground.
She jumped inside and tugged off her hood. “Did he do it yet?” Gaze dropping to my hand, she spotted the ring and squealed with delight. “He did! I can’t believe he found the balls to actually do it.”
“Wait, you knew about this?” I asked.
She snorted. “Knew? It was all he could talk about for months. Was so nervous, he almost threw up last week.”
“Hey!” Laurence’s voice boomed from the apartment. “Don’t tell her that!”
Arianna shrugged, pulled off her coat and snow boots, and put them on the designated hooks and rug near the door. Then, she bolted up the steps.
“Where’s my little Zach-attack!” she called as I closed the door and went to follow. I heard Zach’s happy giggles at her arrival and smiled, my chest warming. He really had taken to her, and honestly, so had I. She was a good person—a good friend. I would have to tell Jade thank you again for bringing us together. When she got back.
I got halfway to the apartment before another knock on the door sounded.
“I’ll get it,” I yelled up to the others before spinning around and trudging back down. When I opened the door again, I was shocked to see Sean, Wyatt’s son, standing there with a large casserole dish in hand.
“Sean! I didn’t think you were going to make it. Here, let me take that from you.” I took the dish and gestured for him to join me in the entryway. Snow clung to his shoulders and hair, but he brushed it off before stepping inside.
“Careful with that,” he said, peeling off his layers and hanging them by Arianna’s things. “Bottom’s a little hot still.”
“You didn’t have to bring anything,” I said with a smile.
“I know, but it’s really nothing much. Just some canned tuna fish, pasta, peas, and breadcrumbs. It was something my mom used to throw together for every holiday, so Pop and I continued the tradition after she died. I thought that maybe… since…”
My heart clenched for him. This was his first Christmas with both his parents gone. It was one of the reasons I had invited him—and Arianna—to this lunch get-together. No one should be alone on Christmas.
“It smells great,” I said. “I hope you weren’t expecting to have leftovers.”
That won me a smile from him.
“Thanks for including us in your family tradition.” I tilted my chin toward the apartment. “Everyone’s already upstairs. Why don’t you get settled in, and I’ll get the table set.”
He nodded and climbed up the steps two at a time. I followed behind him.
Out of curiosity, I turned on my enhanced necromancer vision and noticed Sean’s aura was a beautiful, swirling cobalt blue.
Arianna and Laurence had explained to me that once I’d taken over the ritual and tapped into my new power, my eyes had changed. Like Rhys’s, my iris became lost behind a cloudy whi
te film. A freaky thing to witness, they’d said, but luckily, it had gone away the moment my eyesight switched back to normal. It wasn’t permanent.
Good thing, too, because I didn’t want to scare Zach or any of my customers.
After blinking and switching my vision back, I set Sean’s dish on the table and walked into the kitchen to check on the rest of the food I had warming in the oven. Nothing crazy, just some honeyed carrots, mashed potatoes, and roasted chicken. All things I had prepared the night before.
In the small living space, Sean walked over to Arianna and held out his hand. “I’m Sean,” he said with a shy smile.
She looked him up and down, unimpressed. “Oh, so you’re the one they were going to ask for help instead of me,” Arianna said. “Some farm boy?”
“Hey,” Sean shot, glancing down at his plaid shirt and jeans. “I’ve never been on a farm in my life.”
Even though she bounced Zach in her arms as she spoke, her words weren’t playful. “Oh, I’m sorry. I meant to say hillbilly.”
“Arianna.” I glared at her, confused by her nastiness. “It’s Christmas. And Sean’s our guest.”
“Yeah, what’s your problem?” Sean bit back at her.
She huffed. “I just expected more from a human who claims to know all about supernaturals, is all.”
Sean was about to argue, but Laurence walked between them and took Zach from Arianna’s arms. “Quit it,” he told her and gave her a stern look—a Dad look—and my heart fluttered. It was hard to believe that he was now my fiancé, and soon I’d be spending the rest of my life with him.
Crossing her arms, Arianna plopped on the couch and turned her attention onto whatever was playing on the television.
Sean glanced my way with a puzzled look, but all I could do was shrug. I wanted to say “Kids, huh?” but figured that probably wouldn’t be the best thing to say, since he was also a twenty-something year old. Not to mention that it’d make me sound like an old lady.
Laurence offered Sean one of the beers from the cooler. He gladly accepted. When Arianna waved for one, too, he tossed one her way. She caught it with ease, twisted off the top, and eased back into the cushions. Laurence and Sean exchanged looks before striking up a conversation about Sean’s next semester in college and the classes he was taking.
Another knock on the front door sounded, one only I seemed to hear. Not wanting to disturb them, I crept back down the stairs.
I opened the door.
Standing there on my stoop was the breathtakingly handsome guardian angel again. Elijah.
“Oh!” I gasped, surprised to find him at my door. But it was Christmas, after all, and we were spending it with friends. I wasn’t going to send him away. “It’s cold out there. Why don’t you come in. We were just about to—”
Above, footsteps sounded.
“He’s back…” Arianna called down the stairs to us. “The shirtless hunk with the spear.”
“You know this guy?” Sean asked her, sounding to be at the top of the steps, too.
I didn’t turn around. I couldn’t peel my gaze off Elijah. Something wasn’t right. I could feel it in my bones.
“Of course I do,” Arianna and Sean’s conversation went on without us. “Do you?”
“He appeared in the middle of my house out of nowhere and then walked off with Jade. Wouldn’t even let her tell us what was going on.”
“If you’re here for food, come up because it’s getting cold!” Laurence’s shouts followed. He must have turned on the stereo because Christmas music suddenly played in the background.
Elijah ignored them all, only stared at me, his weighted gaze full of worry.
“Elijah,” I started, my throat tight. “Why are you here?” Because suddenly I was doubting it was to try Sean’s mother’s tuna casserole or watch holiday movies.
“It’s Jade,” he said, his words clipped with urgency. “She’s missing.”
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No one can cheat death. Not even a reaper... But she'll sure as hell try.
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About the Author
Harper A. Brooks lives in a small town on the New Jersey shore. Even though classic authors have always filled her bookshelves, she finds her writing muse drawn to the dark, magical, and romantic. But when she isn't creating entire worlds with sexy shifters or legendary love stories, you can find her either with a good cup of coffee in hand or at home snuggling with her furry, four-legged son, Sammy.
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Reaper Reborn Series
Death Wish
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Death Deals
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Till Death
Christmas Spirits: A Holiday Novella
Halfling for Hire: A Short Story Collection
Pinelands Pack
Howl
Bite
Devour
Shifter Origins
The Hunt
The Curse
His Haven: A Victorian Vampire Romance
Eternally Yours: A Vampire Romance
Soul Kiss
Kat Parrish
Chapter 1
Ripley had warned me that Parker was going to be at her party but I came anyway. I’d even bought a new dress for the occasion—expensive psychological armor for what I was afraid was going to be an arduous emotional battle. And even though I normally didn’t wear much makeup, I’d gone full Kabuki for tonight’s event, right down to the false eyelashes and the contouring.
I knew it was pathetic, but my shaky self-esteem needed shoring up. I wanted to look hot. I wanted him to see what he was missing and I wanted to show him I was doing just fine without him.
I’d spent hours fussing with my hair.
Wear it up? Wear it down? Straighten it? Curl it?
Shave it all off?
I’d finally decided to just let it air dry to bring out the natural waves I usually kept under tight restraint. I wore my hair in a French braid at work and pulled it back in a ponytail the rest of the time. At night I piled it in a messy bun just so I wouldn’t wake up with a mouthful of hair.
Wearing my hair down just wasn’t my usual style.
But I’d worn my hair down for Parker.
He’d liked running his fingers through it while he talked dirty to me. That had always felt good—like his fingertips were generating little electrical sparks that were hotwired straight into my crotch.
But Parker also liked to pull my hair. Hard.
And not always during sex when the endorphins were flowing. Sometimes he’d just grab a handful in his fist and pull me to him in a show of possessive dominance that had an ugly tinge of sadism to it.
I’d told him I didn’t like it when he did that, but he’d just laughed. “Sure you do,” he said and pulled harder, sometimes so hard I thought he was going to yank my hair out by the bloody roots.
That should have been my cue to dump him, but instead I made excuses for him. It’s just sex play, I told myself. Don’t be such a prude. Don’t be such a baby.
Deep down inside, though, I knew that Parker liked the hurting more than the sex and I didn’t like knowing that I knew that and still stayed.
Thinking about the months it took
me to finally break away made me rethink the wisdom of coming to Ripley’s party. Of seeing Parker again. My relationship for him was just as addictive as my brother’s need for pain killers…and just as destructive.
The closer I got to Ripley’s condo, the more I just wanted to turn around, drive back to my apartment, microwave some hot chocolate, and download some holiday movies.
It was tempting, but I hadn’t missed one of Ripley’s Christmas parties since our freshman year in high school and I wasn’t going to let the thought of running into my ex scare me away from this one.
Ripley’s one of my oldest friends and her parties are epic. But I couldn’t help but wonder why she had invited Parker after all I’d told her about the way he’d treated me.
She’d once dated Parker’s brother, but that relationship had long since faded into the rearview and Jared wasn’t still in the guest rotation. So I had to wonder why Parker was still around. Maybe sisterhood isn’t as powerful as I liked to think.
I didn’t like thinking about that.
I shouldered my way past a little knot of smokers in Ripley’s tiny courtyard and pushed open the door to her condo. I loved her place. She’d bought it with the money from a recurring role on Grimm, and rented out the spare bedroom to help pay the mortgage now that the show was off the air.
Curse of Christmas: A Collection of Paranormal Holiday Stories Page 30
