A Very Mystic Christmas

by Belinda Boring

  “Jasmine …” I was getting cold again; and as much as this was fun, I knew there’d be hell to pay if she got sick. It didn’t matter that those types of things just happened; my father would blame me, for sure.

  “Please.”

  And with one look, I let her go.

  “Okay, one more.”

  ****

  Why can’t I say no?

  Climbing up a nearby tree, I carefully gripped the trunk before reaching for the branch above. I’d assumed when Jasmine said she had one more wish; we would simply look up at the sky and be done with it. But, when she explained that what she wanted was extra special, I pushed aside the need for warmth. In her childlike faith in magic and Santa Claus, Jasmine bravely told me she believed that if she actually gave a star to Santa, it practically guaranteed she would get whatever she asked for.

  “Be careful, Mason. Don’t fall.” Her voice filtered up from the ground and a quick glance told me she hadn’t moved from her spot by the large roots. Worry etched her features and her hands were clenched into fists by her side as she watched me climb.

  “I’ll be okay, I promise. Does it matter which star I catch?”

  “I don’t think so.” She didn’t sound too sure.

  I knew there was no physical way I could do what she asked. I’d learned at school about meteor showers and that stars were actually balls of burning gas. But how could I explain that to Jasmine and not crush the hope that made her so precious? If she wanted a star, I would get her one. Even if it was the rough rock I’d quickly picked up before clambering up the tree.

  “I think I’m almost high enough.” Just a few more branches and I was confident she’d be convinced. I tentatively stepped onto a thick limb, testing my weight before fully committing. Daniel and I had hurt ourselves climbing trees plenty of times over the years, and the memory of each injury swirled around in my mind as I ascended. I’d sprained my ankle, broken my arm, and even cracked ribs, performing lesser feats than this; and while I loved my sister, I also didn’t want to get in trouble. Sure enough, I stepped wrong and the branch beneath my feet cracked loudly, threatening to snap.

  “Mason?” Fear laced her tone.

  “I’m all right. In fact, I think this is good enough. Any star, right?” I patted my pocket to make sure I still had the stone.

  “I changed my mind. I don’t want one.”

  “Give me a second, Jasmine. I think …” I pretended to reach out, my hand firmly grasping the above branch. “Just a little further … yes!”

  “What?” I could practically hear the tears in her voice.

  “I got it. One star coming up. Watch out as I come down.” As gracefully as I could in the dark, I dropped to the ground, a huge grin on my face. Jasmine didn’t speak a word; instead, she threw herself at me, wrapping her thin arms tightly around my waist.

  “I was so worried,” she whispered, her body trembling.

  “No need to be. See? Your big brother is the best.” Opening up my hand, I revealed the rock.

  “You are the bestest, ever! I love you.” Scooping up the prize, she hugged it to her chest, swaying side to side with happiness. “Thank you.”

  “Anything for you. Now, what was so special that you needed a star?” Jasmine chewed on her bottom lip again, like she wasn’t sure whether she should say. “It’s okay to share, remember?”

  Staring down at her palm, she stroked it faintly with the tip of her finger before letting out a brave sigh. “I want Santa to make Daddy be nice to you.”

  I didn’t say a word. I couldn’t. Here I’d thought she’d wish for something for herself; but, instead, her wish was for me. I thought she was too young to see how things were between Dad and me; but even at five years old, she knew that sometimes it wasn’t fun being her brother.

  “I love you, Jasmine. Thank you.”

  “I want you to be as happy as me.”

  “With a sister like you, how can I not be? Come on, let’s go home and get back to where it’s warm. You’re cold.” I didn’t give her a chance to argue or to see the tears welling up in my eyes at how much the wish in her heart meant to me. With a gentle pull on her hair, I grinned. “Race you home!”

  I shared many more memorable moments with Jasmine as we grew older and closer. Many times she tried sheltering me from my father’s anger, but none of them stood out as much as that one winter’s night.

  The night we wished upon a star.

  Candy Cane Oreo Cookie Bars

  Ingredients

  For the Cookie Base:

  1 cup unsalted butter, softened

  1 cup granulated sugar

  1/2 cup light brown sugar

  1/2 tsp salt

  2 eggs

  1 tsp vanilla extract

  2 cup all purpose flour

  1/2 cup dark chocolate unsweetened cocoa powder

  1 tsp baking soda

  15 Candy Cane Oreos, crushed

  1 1/2 cup red and green chocolate chip morsels (or use semi sweet)

  For the Topping:

  1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk

  2 Tbsp unsalted butter

  12 peppermint candy canes, crushed

  Instructions

  1. Beat butter and sugars until creamy, using a mixer. Add in salt, eggs and vanilla. Slowly add flour, baking soda and cocoa, until combined completely. Fold in crushed Oreos and chocolate morsels (batter will be thick).

  2. Press into a parchment paper lined 15x10x1 baking sheet. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 15- 20 minutes, until soft in center and cooked on outside (adjust according to own oven). Remove from oven (will set while cooling).

  3. While baking, heat condensed milk and butter in a small saucepan on medium heat. Stirring constantly with a whisk, add white chocolate to warm milk mixture. Remove from heat and stir until smooth (about 2 minutes).

  4. Pour over cooked cookie bars and sprinkle immediately with crushed candy canes. Allow to set (about 30 minutes). Cut and enjoy!

  Hot Chocolate

  Submitted by Brenda Lunt

  Ingredients

  1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

  1/3 cup sugar (a little more if you like it quite sweet)

  1/3 cup boiling water

  4 cups milk

  1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

  1/2 cup light cream or half-and-half, optional

  Whipped cream, marshmallow crème or fluff, or mini marshmallows, for topping

  Preparation

  In a saucepan, combine the cocoa and sugar. Stir in the boiling water and cook, stirring, until simmering. Simmer for about 1 minute, or until sugar is dissolved. Add the milk and vanilla and continue heating until it just comes to a simmer. If desired, add the cream or half-and-half. Pour into mugs and top as desired.

  Sweet Potato Casserole

  Submitted by Stephanie Shaw

  Ingredients

  CRUST

  1 cup brown sugar

  1/3 cup flour

  1 cup chopped nuts (pecans preferred)

  1/4 cup butter (melted)

  SWEET POTATO MIXTURE

  3 cups mashed sweet potatoes (can use canned to save time, just drain)

  1 cup sugar

  1/2 teaspoon salt

  1 tsp/ vanilla

  2 eggs (well beaten)

  1/2 cup butter, melted (1/2 cup)

  Directions

  1. Combine brown sugar, flour, nuts and butter in mixing bowl. Set aside.

  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  3. Combine sweet potatoes, sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs and butter in a mixing bowl in the order listed. Mix thoroughly.

  4. Pour mixture into buttered baking dish.

  5. Sprinkle the surface of the sweet potato mixture evenly with the crust mixture.

  6. Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to set at least 30 minutes before serving.

  “Are You My Angel?”

  With Vlad

  It didn’t matter what I thought or how many times I tried, I was a complete failure as a vampi
re.

  “What’s the matter?” A breathy voice asked, a mixture of desire drowning in excitement. It was always the same at these clubs—wannabe vampires, paranormal groupies, and girls wanting to skate the thin line between the mundane and dangerous. The leggy blonde I had pushed up against the wall, in the deserted alley behind Club Bite, was just one of many. It hadn’t taken much to convince her to take a walk with me. A wink, a softly spoken flirtation, and she’d all but panted on the spot.

  The sound of her heartbeat drumming within her chest as she licked her lips nervously made me grin. I may not have the swagger of my Uncle Devlin, but I did okay. I still had game. And, after my quick dalliance tonight, I’d be brimming with the addictive rush that came from feeding.

  Sometimes I went with the moment and invited them back to my place for a little something-something, giving them the full “creature of the dead” experience. Not tonight, however. If I couldn’t even seal this simple deal, there was no way in hell I was going to continue the embarrassment.

  I was Vlad, vampire and heartbreaker to those who frequented the popular freak clubs. It was bad enough that, since my own conversion, I’d struggled with an identity crisis, of sorts. If word got out that I also had … performance anxiety when it came to sinking my sharpened fangs into the necks of the willing, I’d never live down the ridicule Devlin would shower upon me. That was the last thing I needed.

  I could hear the mocking already—impotent, bite shy, broken, an embarrassment.

  “Sssh,” I whispered softly, as I took in a slow breath and brushed my lips faintly over her pulse point. It wasn’t as if I was trying to cure cancer. I’d drunk from the source countless times before, the process was simple. Insert teeth into skin and swallow the delicious blood as it fills my mouth. A child could do it; so why was I still standing here, my body pressed against her firm one, hesitating each time my teeth grazed over her supple flesh?

  She tilted her neck more, exposing that subtly beating artery, teasing me. Hunger exploded within me as my fangs punched through my gums, once again. Need caused my mouth to water, the heady scent of her hair so intoxicating it caused me to harden. The moment was primed and ready—all that was lacking was me.

  “Have you changed your mind about me, Vlad?” Monica, or Melissa, or whoever she was, asked. With the panic and disappointment crashing over me, her name wasn’t a priority. Pain sucker punched me and there was no disguising the abrupt groan that escaped me. The sound should’ve been one of pleasure and satisfaction, not one of frustration. Unless something happened quickly, I couldn’t linger here. I needed to feed in a bad way, my mind already beginning to cloud from the hunger I’d been denying.

  It was all my fault for thinking I could do this myself. My pride had sent Devlin away when he’d offered to bring a delivery of blood bags. I thought he was looking for a chance to remind me of how pitiful I was, of how many times he’d had to clean up my mistakes. There was nothing wrong with wanting to be an independent vampire, right? Surely I could figure out the basics and quit relying on him.

  Or so I thought. So, I was wrong.

  Sighing against her throat, I rested my hands beside her head on the wall. “Seems our plans have changed, Mon Ami.” Women liked it when I spoke a foreign language to them and I hoped it would soften the blow I was about to deliver.

  “What?” Her tone sounded less drugged with sexual yearning and more like someone waking up from a dream and realizing their wish wouldn’t be coming true. Blondie had been eyeing me all night and I was pretty sure this wasn’t how she expected our encounter to end. “You don’t like me?”

  “Of course I do, baby.” I substituted the endearment to hide that I’d forgotten her name. “There’s nothing I’d love more than to bury my teeth into you now, and take you with me later tonight.”

  Her willingness to please and not ask questions had pretty much guaranteed a ride on the Vlad train. Again, I wasn’t my uncle, but I did okay. There were never any complaints the next morning. Thankfully, my performance crisis hadn’t spilled over into that department.

  “Then why won’t you bite me? Show me heaven, Vlad. You promised.” She closed her eyes and brushed a few stray strands of hair away from her neck. My mouth watered again, but nothing. Even as I sucked on her sweet flesh, my tongue trailing back and forth in preparation, nothing happened.

  “I’m sorry, Monica.” I took a wild stab in the dark.

  “My name’s Melissa,” she retaliated, clearly upset. She pushed me backward with her hands on my chest; hurt filling her eyes seconds before the tears appeared.

  “Don’t cry, love,” I whispered, cupping her face with my hand as my thumb traced her cheekbone. “I’m not myself, tonight. It’s not you, it’s me.”

  My comment was meant solely to comfort her, to soothe the rift building between us. Instead, it lit a fire inside her as her jaw clenched and she stepped out of my touch. “It’s not me, it’s you? Are you kidding me?”

  It was my turn to be confused. I knew I wasn’t always the smoothest of guys, but I didn’t think I warranted the anger dripping from her words. “Please,” I crooned, attempting to reconnect with her. She slapped away my hand and shoved her finger in my face.

  “Don’t ‘please baby,’ me. You think because you’re a vampire that you can treat a girl like this? I don’t put up with bullshit lines like that from human guys. What makes you so special that you think I’d accept it from you?”

  Her cheeks flushed a brilliant shade of red and her eyes twinkled from indignation. I couldn’t help it. I instantly hardened, my desire for her no longer just for her blood. She was a spitfire—feisty in the way she stared me down, demanding answers. If it weren’t for the fact I needed to feed, I would’ve taken her right then and there—lifting her short mini skirt to reveal another piece of heaven.

  “I can explain. I seem to be having some trouble at the moment.” I meant to explain that, for reasons unknown, I couldn’t complete the bite we both wanted. Hoping she wasn’t as experienced with my kind as others, I thought that my honesty about having a bite aversion might actually endear her to me and diffuse the hostility I sensed brewing within her.

  The scorn and look of derision told me I was wrong. Whoever said the word “‘assume’ makes an ass out of you and me” was right. She didn’t see my vulnerability as adorable. The brisk laughter bubbling out of her spoke volumes. She thought I was a joke.

  “You’ve got to be kidding, right? I come here every weekend, hoping to catch the eye of a supernatural, and you’re the one I land with? Are you even a vampire or was that a lie?” She rolled her eyes and pulled the end of her ponytail back over her neck, hiding her pressure point from me.

  “I assure you, I’m a vampire.” I flashed my fangs, again, but it didn’t impress her.

  “Whatever. My friends were right. I should’ve listened to them when they said to ignore you. Here I thought I’d be having the time of my life; but instead, I’m standing here with a loser.”

  Muttering under her breath, I let her leave. Anger rushed through my veins, the fire igniting my hunger. I was tempted to prove just how much of a vampire I was—to rip at her throat until I bathed in her rich blood, but that wasn’t who I was. That much I knew. I might not have found my place in the world I was living in quite yet, but I knew I didn’t want to cross that line.

  “I’m so sorry,” I called out after her, ashamed of myself.

  It was no wonder people thought I was lame, a poor excuse for a creature. I knew that everyone whispered behind my back: I heard the names, the laughter, and despite all my best efforts to show them I was more, it always came back to this.

  I was a failure.

  As a human.

  As a vampire.

  Not wanting to remain a second longer in the alleyway, with the dull thumping from the music inside the club echoing, I pushed away from the wall and left. There was nothing more to do but find an alternative. I needed blood and I needed it, now.

 
; I just hoped I didn’t completely suck at the substitute either.

  ****

  Emerging from the elevator, my choice of floor had been completely random. St. Juliana Hospital was surprisingly quiet as I approached the swinging ward doors, my sole purpose to locate some blood. My gut told me I’d have a better chance of finding it down in the emergency room, but with that course of action came a higher risk of exposure. I didn’t doubt my ability to compel whoever questioned my presence, but I did worry about being discovered by so many people that it caused a scene.

  The more secluded the floor, the quicker I could get in and out.

  There was a laminated sign on the wooden door, informing visitors they needed to announce their arrival before they would be permitted entrance. Security was obviously tight in this facility and I was tempted to leave and just call Devlin. It would mean suffering through his comments and disappointment, but at least it would be easier.

  I clutched my hand around the phone in my pocket. Hell, I didn’t even know if he was in town right now. I vaguely remembered him saying something about an Enforcer assignment, but I’d kind of tuned him out. As the King’s most trusted confidante and enforcer, Zane often sent Devlin away to mediate and investigate matters within the various supernatural communities. Devlin was forever reminding me how his time was valuable, that he was important, and that I needed to figure some of my problems out myself. Releasing my phone, I took in a deep breath. I could do this. I didn’t need him holding my hand.

  “Can I help you?” A voice came from behind me. Turning, I found a male nurse impatient to get past me. I scrambled to think of a good excuse for hovering outside the ward and not pressing the button on the intercom.

  “Actually, you can.” Smiling, I took a step closer, capturing his attention as I gazed deeply into his eyes. “You’re going to let me through those doors and then forget you saw me.” What was the point of trying to sweet-talk my way in if I could just compel him? Glancing down at the official name badge attached to his scrub’s shirt, I added, “I appreciate your assistance, David.”