“I wasn’t sure you’d like it,” Bill said. He scratched at the back of his neck, his eyes on my little brother. “But I found it the other day when you were over talking with Gracie about tying knots the proper way for the project you two are doing in science and figured you might be interested in it. It was mine when I was your age. There’s all kinds of notes in the margins about things too. Spending time in the woods used to be one of my favorite things when I was younger.”
“Really?” Angela eyed him. “I’ve taken you hiking before and all you did was complain.”
“I did say when I was younger.” Bill grinned at her.
“Thanks, Mr. Ryan,” Cooper said. He flipped through the worn pages. “I like it a lot. Can’t wait to read through it.”
“I’m glad you like it.” Bill scratched at his neck again. “If there’s anything in there you need help figuring out or you want some company while you’re out in the woods let me know. I’d be glad to help. It would bring back old memories.”
“I’d like that. Thanks.” Cooper grinned, and I knew he’d be taking Bill up on the offer soon.
“Eli, you’re next,” Mina said. She nudged me with her elbow.
I lifted the box in my lap and turned it over so I could pick at the tape to unwrap the gift. This had come from my mom. I could sense it. Once the box was unwrapped, I lifted the lid off and spotted my dad’s pocket knife nestled in some tissue paper. I picked it up, feeling the familiar weight in my hand. Memories of my dad using it flashed through my mind. The time he’d used it to pick a splinter out of my finger and I swore he’d cut my finger off. Him using it to cut fishing line time and time again.
Mina’s hand squeezed my thigh again. “It’s beautiful,” she said.
“Yeah. It was my dad’s.”
“He would have wanted you to have it,” Mom said.
“Thanks, this is the best gift ever.” My gaze drifted back to it.
God, I missed him.
“Okay, Tate,” Mina said. “Why don’t you get your gift and I’ll get mine.” She stood to grab hers from under the tree, again saving me from being the center of attention. This woman, she understood me more than anyone ever had.
“All right.” Tate grabbed his present from under the tree. “Ladies first.” He nodded to Mina to open hers first.
She did. It was a pair of fuzzy toe socks. They were gray with black polka dots, and I knew she would love them.
“Do you like them?” Micah asked. “I didn’t know what to get you, honestly. I figured you wear shoes, so you must like socks and those ones seemed kinda cool.”
“I love them, Micah,” Mina said. She flashed my little brother a smile. “Thanks.”
“Okay, my turn!” Tate held up his gift. Something inside it shifted around, making noise. “Not sure why someone would give me beans but okay.”
He tore at the paper and revealed a Ziploc bag of jelly beans. The quirk of a smile twisted at the corners of Mina’s lips, and I knew she was the one who’d gotten them for Tate. I also knew those were probably not typical jelly beans from the look on her face and the energy of mischief rippling off her.
“Oh, jelly beans. Cool.” Tate opened the bag and reached in to grab a handful. “I was thinking it was like dried beans or coffee beans. Jelly beans are good though. Thanks, whoever got me them.” He looked to our little brothers, clearly thinking one of them had given them to him without realizing our brothers had already revealed who they’d shopped for.
Tate popped a handful of jelly beans in his mouth and chewed. When his eyes watered and a disgusted look passed across his face, I knew I’d been right to think something was up with those damn jelly beans.
“How do they taste?” Mina asked.
“I’m not gonna lie,” Tate said. His face scrunched up. “They taste horrible.”
“Figures. They’re flavors like vomit, dog food, grass, toothpaste, and other gross things.” Mina laughed so hard tears formed in her eyes.
Tate ran to the trash can and spit the nasty beans out. “Oh, that’s awful. Horrible. Gross. And yet I’m so impressed. You really got me.”
“I want to taste one,” Jonas said.
“I dare you to eat a handful,” Micah said to him.
I glanced at Mina. “That was a good one. I’m glad you didn’t draw my name.”
“Trust me,” she said. “Those beans would have only been for Tate regardless.”
Tate passed the bag around and everyone tried one, even Gran. Laughter flowed through the walls of the trailer and I felt my chest warm. I was finally a part of a Ryan family Christmas and I loved it.
8
“I have loads of white Christmas lights I didn’t use this year,” Mom said. We were still at Gran’s. After everyone opened their gifts, the conversation shifted to mine and Mina’s wedding somehow. “You could use them. We could string them up in the trees through the woods. Maybe make a path to the lake?”
“I really like that idea.” Mina pulled out her cell and tapped out a note to herself.
Gran clapped her hands, gaining everyone’s attention from where she stood in the kitchen. Everyone grew silent and shifted to look at her.
“Cookies are out of the oven. Once they’re cooled, we can decorate them. In the meantime, everyone should grab a plate. There’s lots of food in here so no one should leave with an empty stomach.”
No one wasted time getting in line. We were all starved. As I was making my plate, I came to something that looked like marshmallows with fruit mixed together.
“What’s that?” I asked Mina. “Some kind of fruit salad?”
“Sort of. It’s a Ryan family holiday staple. It’s called ambrosia. It’s Gran’s family recipe. She makes it every year. You should try it. It’s good.” Mina scooped herself a heaping portion.
“What’s in it?”
“A lot of things. Fruit, some marshmallows, nuts, and whipped cream.”
“What kind of nuts?”
Mina cocked her head and flashed me a smirk. “Does it matter? I mean it’s got marshmallows and cherries in it. Doesn’t that make up for the nuts?”
“Not if it’s walnuts. I hate walnuts. Almonds too.”
“It’s pecans.”
“Well, in that case, I guess I’ll try it.”
After everyone made a plate, we sat around the trailer and ate. I glanced around, feeling as though this was how today should be—happy and light, not weighed down by thoughts of the other side and ghosts from the past.
Once everyone finished eating, Gran put the food up to make room for decorating cookies. Mina helped her. Gracie and Angela too. My mom offered, but Gran wouldn’t have it. She said she was a guest and that meant she wasn’t lifting a finger.
“Everyone, come get one.” Gran held out a cookie sheet filled with gingerbread men. “You don’t have to decorate it, but you have to eat it. I don’t want any cookies left behind. Lord knows I’ll eat every last one and I don’t need sweets.”
Everyone got up to grab one. As we were all decorating them, or eating them in Tate’s case, my mind dipped back to thoughts of how to resolve the ghostly situation. I couldn’t help it.
“You should come tomorrow. It’ll be fun,” Mina’s mom said to mine from beside me.
The Christmas wreaths!
Tomorrow, a few of the pack members would be making Christmas wreaths. While I still didn’t know what was causing the other side to become unstable, I did know one of the best ways to protect the pack without telling everyone what was going on would be to add protection herbs into everyone’s wreaths.
My gaze drifted to Gran. I needed to talk with her privately.
Thirty minutes passed before I was able to speak with her without suspicion from anyone else. I caught her attention while she was forcing a second cookie on everyone. I was in the kitchen, tossing my napkin in the trash when she held another out to me.
“Here, eat this last one,” she insisted.
“Thanks.” I took it from
her but didn’t take a bite. “Can I talk to you for a second?”
The corners of her lips twisted into a smirk. “I’ve been waiting for you to ask. I’ve known something has been going on for a few days. It’s in the air.”
“What is?”
“Trouble.” Her eyes flashed as she said the word.
I should’ve known she would have been able to pick up on something. Mina had always said Gran harbored a keen sense of intuition. I’d seen it in action once or twice before, so what she said didn’t come as a surprise.
“You’re right. While I don’t want to give specifics at this point, I was wondering if it would be possible to weave some protection herbs into the wreaths tomorrow?”
“I think I can do that. Sure. I have some leftover angelica around here somewhere. That should work. The flower is white, so it should blend into the wreaths nicely.”
I knew I could count on her. “Thank you.”
“Not a problem.”
When she stepped away, I felt eyes on me. I knew who they belonged to without having to seek them out—Mina. Gran wasn’t the only Ryan who had a strong sense of intuition.
I risked a glance at her. Questions swirled through her eyes, and I knew the second we left this party, she would bombard me with them.
9
“What was that all about?” Mina asked.
We’d barely made it out the front door of Gran’s trailer and down the steps before she started in on me. I knew her questions were coming though. Still, that didn’t mean I’d figured out how to answer them or how to deflect them.
“What was what about?” I asked, playing dumb.
She released a huff of air. I didn’t have to look at her to know she’d also rolled her eyes. “Don’t play dumb with me, Eli. What were you talking to Gran about so secretly?”
Could I say it was about her Christmas present? Would she buy it if I did? It might buy me enough time to be able to figure out what was going on with the other side.
I licked my lips. Nope. Saying I was talking about her present wouldn’t be good enough. She’d see right through the lie.
“Nothing. I was thanking her for helping with the Christmas wreaths tomorrow,” I said without looking at her.
It wasn’t really a lie. It was more of an omission. I had thanked her for her help with the wreaths, just not in the way I was insinuating to Mina.
She was staring at me. I could feel her eyes soaking in my facial expression. Did she buy my reason?
We passed the Bell sisters’ trailer. Holiday music filtered from their place along with the sound of them singing. I wondered how their night of bingo had gone. When our trailer came into view, Mina still hadn’t spoken.
Until she spotted someone leaning against the back of my truck.
Mina’s feet faltered. So did mine. I stepped in front of her, my wolf snapping front and center to protect her at the sight of Regina.
“No,” Mina breathed. Her hand shot out to grip my arm. The pressure from her fingers kept me where I was instead of flying forward to take on the ghost from our past. “Regina? It can’t be.”
My heart beat triple time inside my chest as I watched a wicked grin twist into place across Regina’s face at the sound of her name. My wolf paced inside me. He wanted out, but I wasn’t sure what good setting him free would do. How were we supposed to fight a ghost?
“How is she here?” Mina whispered. “She is here, right? You see her too?”
“Yeah, she’s here,” I said. “I’m not one hundred percent on the how part though.”
Before either of us could say another word, Regina vanished.
“Oh, crap! Where did she go?” Mina released her grip on my arm and spun around behind me. I could tell her wolf was about to surface. The scent of fur was in the air, as was Regina’s cheap perfume.
I ran a hand through my hair and exhaled a long breath. “I don’t know. Let’s get inside. I don’t want to talk about this out here where anyone can hear.” I glanced at Mina. She looked freaked. Rightfully so. “I guess I should get you up to speed.”
Her eyes snapped to me. “This isn’t the first time you’ve seen her?”
“No.”
I started toward the trailer with Mina trailing behind me.
“Was this what you were talking to Gran about? Why didn’t you say anything to me?” Mina asked. I could hear the hurt in her tone.
I motioned for her to start up the steps to our trailer and then followed closely behind her, chewing the inside of my cheek. How could I explain myself without upsetting her more?
I couldn’t. No matter what I said she’d be pissed. I guess I didn’t blame her.
“Yeah. Sort of. I wanted her to add some protection herbs to the wreaths tomorrow. I figured it would be a good way to protect the pack without them knowing what’s going on.” I closed the front door behind me. Mina stared at me. I flashed her a smirk. She wasn’t feeling it. I could tell when her eyes narrowed and she folded her arms over her chest.
“How long?”
I knew what she meant.
“Not long. A few days. I first saw her the night I proposed to you. I didn’t know it was her then though, but the next night, when Glenn was waiting to speak with me, I knew it had been her.”
“Did he see her too?”
“Yeah. He saw her on the steps to his place.”
“How is this even possible?” Mina tossed her hands up. “Regina is dead and gone. Why are we seeing her ghost?”
I ran a hand through my hair again, hating where the conversation was going next.
“I talked to Julian about it earlier. He thinks it has to do with the other side, that it might be unstable again.” I paused, allowing the words to sink in. “Have you talked to Ridley lately?”
“No. I mean, I haven’t talked to her in a few days, but I’ve talked to her sort of recently. I planned on wishing her a merry Christmas and telling her about our engagement.”
“Maybe you should text and see if she’s okay.”
“Yeah, I could do that.” Mina pulled out her cell and tapped out a message. “I hate bothering her on Christmas Eve though.”
“I know, but the other side being unstable is the only reason Julian and I could come up with that might explain why Regina is here.”
“There. I sent her a text wishing her a Merry Christmas Eve and asking how she’s been.” Mina set her cell on the kitchen counter. “What if Regina isn’t the only one here? What if there are others who’ve escaped the other side too?”
“I’ve thought about that as well. There’s no way to know for sure. All we can do is hope this all has something to do with Ridley and that the Caraways know how to fix it.”
Mina’s phone chimed with a new text. She picked it up and swiped her thumb across the screen.
“It’s her,” she said. “She says she’s sick with the flu.”
Did that mean when Ridley got sick the other side became unstable because of it?
“That could be why the other side is unstable,” Mina said, following my train of thought. “Should I ask if they’re aware of things?”
“No. I think you should tell her you hope she feels better soon, and I’ll try to get in touch with her aunt.”
Mina’s thumbs flew across the screen as she tapped out a new message to Ridley. I sent Rowena a message, asking when we could speak in person. I knew it was the holidays, but this was important. It didn’t take long for her to reply, letting me know I could swing by the inn tomorrow afternoon.
“What did she say?” Mina asked.
I crammed my cell into my back pocket. “She said to come by the inn tomorrow at two.”
“Do you think she knows what’s going on?”
“It’s possible. I’m sure we’re not the only ones being harassed by a ghost from our past.”
Mina glanced around our trailer, as though searching for Regina or anyone else waiting to scare her. “Yeah, I doubt it.”
This was exactly what I
hadn’t wanted to happen—her being afraid and our first Christmas together to be ruined.
“Do you want to open one of your presents?” I nodded to the tree. Maybe opening one would get her mind off things. At least for a while anyway.
Mina flashed me a smirk. “Sure. Do I get to choose which one?”
“Absolutely.”
I followed her to our tree and tried to guess which present she’d choose. There were only two, but it was still fun to guess. When she picked up the largest of her two presents, I smiled. Deep down, I’d known she’d pick that one. I was glad though because it would help keep her mind off things the most.
“Aren’t you opening one too?”
I shrugged. “Sure. Why not?”
I grabbed the gift closest to me and followed Mina to the couch. Moonshine was right on our heels. She hopped up on the couch and nudged her way between us.
“She should get to open one of her presents too,” Mina said. She scratched behind Moonshine’s ears.
“It would be fair.”
“I’ll get her one after we open ours.” Mina glanced at the gift in her lap. My palms grew clammy because I had no clue if she would like it. “We should open them at the same time.”
“Okay.”
Mina counted down from three and then we both tore into our presents. Moonshine grabbed a piece of the wrapping paper and shredded it like we both knew she would. Neither one of us bothered to get it from her. She wouldn’t eat it; she just got a sense of satisfaction at having torn it to tiny pieces.
Before removing the last of the wrapping paper on my present, I paused to watch Mina unwrap hers.
“This is the box to your new boots,” she said. Her brows pinched together.
“It is.”
She lifted the lid off, and I noticed her eyes widen at the contents inside.
“Eli, we said two gifts each.” She tipped the box so I could see the multiple things I’d crammed inside. “You broke the rule.”
Moon Vowed (Mirror Lake Wolves Book 8) Page 5
