Merry & Bright: A Christmas Anthology (Nocturne Falls Universe)

by Fiona Roarke

  She cried out, clutching at her heart. She fought for air and took huge gulps of oxygen to fill her lungs, but it didn’t seem to be enough. It didn’t register that Kearney had gotten on his knees, holding her tight against his body while she resisted. She could hear him speak but couldn’t make out what he was saying through the excruciating headache.

  His voice broke through the muffled barrier.

  “Breathe,” he commanded. “Just breathe!”

  After several minutes of his soothing instructions, Kaia calmed down enough to seize control of the rhythm of her breathing. She slumped forward and buried her face against his chest. Her cheeks were wet with tears but she gathered the strength to push away.

  She couldn’t look at him directly. When she regained her voice, her words came out raspy and barely audible as she confirmed, “I am Saoirse.”

  “Let me get this straight.” Keke stopped her pacing and took a seat across from Kaia at the table. She made hand gestures as she spoke. “Kearney was married, but his wife betrayed him with the best friend. Then the jerk abandoned her and she threw herself off a cliff. After that, Kearney met you and you’re really her?”

  Kaia was impressed her friend had said that all in one breath.

  Stasia placed three mugs of tea on the table during Keke’s long-winded recap. She snatched the two mugs up and returned to the kitchen.

  “Where are you going?” Keke called after her.

  A few minutes later Stasia came back with an opened bottle of whiskey and two shot glasses. “I figured we needed something stiffer if we want to try to decode that mess of a story.”

  She slid Keke the tea and gave Kaia the alcohol before holding hers up in the air. “Sorry Keke, you’re on an extended alcohol hiatus.”

  “No offense taken.” She lifted her mug.

  They all clinked glasses and drank up.

  Kaia shoved her empty cup at Stasia. “Hit me again.” She was in the mood to forget the truth. It was funny how she’d searched for answers all these years and now that she knew, she was more lost than ever.

  “This isn’t a bar, y’know.” Keke smirked.

  “It is tonight.” Kaia jiggled the glass. “Drinks all around, bartender.”

  Stasia shook her head and refilled the order. “Why don’t you go over the story again? At least I’ll understand your version.”

  Keke frowned but leaned in to listen to Kaia’s rehashing of the complicated tale. During their discussion, she’d consumed more alcohol than she thought she could handle. Somehow Stasia appeared to hold her liquor too well.

  Kaia heaved a sad sigh and the heartache resurfaced. “There are still things I’m not really clear on. There’s something missing in the story Kearney told me about Saoirse.”

  “You are Saoirse,” Keke corrected.

  “Right.” Kaia nodded. “I forget. I’m her—his adulterous wife.”

  Stasia shook her head. “Before you put a label on yourself, you need to gather the facts. I agree that the story seems like there’s something missing.”

  “It’s strange that I remember a lot of things, yet I feel like two completely different people. Who is the real me? Which life do I live? Even though I’ve recovered most of my memories…it still feels surreal.” Kaia shook her head in disbelief. “I’m still shocked at the fact that I’m a freakin’ Fae! It might take some time to absorb that particular revelation. Not to mention the fact that Kearney is a wizard and we had an arranged marriage to keep the peace between worlds—but that’s a whole other can of worms!” She suddenly felt the anxiety and pressure building as the facts gradually sunk in. “There’s so much I need to do now that I know who and what I am.”

  Stasia pulled out a chair and sat. “Fae or not, this is really about you and Kearney. There’s plenty of time to take care those things later.”

  “You lost your memories, and not once have you used your Fae magic, so there’s no way any of us would have known.” Keke crinkled her nose. “Besides, everything came at you all at once, which can be overwhelming. You simply need to give yourself time to absorb and heal,” she said lovingly.

  Kaia let out a frustrated groan. “In my heart. In the very core of my soul…I love him,” she professed.

  “I know, sweetie,” Keke reached over and patted Kaia’s hand.

  Stasia suggested, “Maybe it’s time you finished Kearney’s painting. That could be the unfinished business you have.”

  Keke wiped a tear from her face. She sniffed and said, “I agree. The answers will be revealed now that you have your memory back.”

  “It’s true about the saying, ‘ignorance is bliss’. At least when we both didn’t know who I was, our relationship was really, really good.”

  “It will be again.” Stasia gave her a confident smile. “Just as the gift you provide others, you must also allow your true heart and dearest wishes to surface.”

  Keke stood up gingerly, her hand rested on the round belly. “I’m totally in agreement with Yoda over here. I don’t think you’re a cheater, and I bet my sweet stash of uni-dust that it’s the—,” she used air quotes, “‘supposed’ lover that did Saoirse in.”

  “What if you’re wrong and it’s all true?” Kaia drained the last of her small glass. She was really feeling the potent liquid make its way through her system. Instead of numbing the pain, she was hit with nostalgia and longing. How could she have loved Kearney so much and betray him? Her intuition told her it didn’t ring true.

  “It’s always the lover,” Keke insisted.

  Kaia pushed out of her seat and stood facing the women. Her hand balled tightly in a fist at her side. “You’re right. I’m not going to wallow in defeat. That’s not my thing. I’m going to get to the bottom of this!” Her finger shot up in the air and she swayed from the effects of the hard liquor.

  “If you’re not careful, you’ll be landing on your bottom,” Keke whinnied then snorted.

  “That was actually a funny one this time,” Stasia commented but she didn’t even crack a smile.

  Keke lightly rubbed her stomach and gave the reaper an incredulous look. “Are you ever going to be normal?”

  “Nope.” Stasia glanced at her watch and let out a quick breath. “I’d love to stick around, but I’ve got to blackmail a prospective employee in eleven minutes and eleven seconds.”

  “Wish I could do your job. Seems less complicated.” Kaia blew out a puff of air. She was troubled over being branded with the scarlet letter. The pounding in her chest validated what she was feeling. She bellowed out her thoughts, “I am NOT a cheater!”

  “Now that you’ve established what you’re not, why don’t you go paint?” Stasia pointed in the direction of the empty room that led out to the garden at the back of Keke’s house.

  She gave the woman a crooked smile. “I—I’m just a wee bit tipsy.” She squinted, demonstrating with the use of her thumb and index.

  Stasia eyed her meaningfully. “That’s the best time to create. When you’re at your most vulnerable.”

  She knew the reaper was correct. Losing her inhibitions would make her open up to the visions. Perhaps she hadn’t grasped the information because she’d been guarded. In the recesses of her mind she knew who she was and that was the key to the actual truth.

  Thankfully Rock had moved all her stuff over to the spare guest bedroom and the unfinished room housed her temporary art studio. Kaia had chosen to leave when the tension mounted after her confession. Kearney had been confused and furious at the news. How could she blame him? In his mind, she’d been dead and now that she wasn’t, he needed time to readjust. Just as she did.

  Now that they were apart, she had a chance to sort out the memories that were partially restored. There were crucial fragments missing and she needed to locate them in order to salvage the relationship between her and Kearney.

  Snatching the whiskey off the table, she drank straight from the bottle, swallowing the rest of the contents. Grinning from ear-to-ear, she was elated to discover
her mission.

  Kaia was determined to capture Kearney’s heart and win back her husband!

  Chapter Six

  The sun crept up over the horizon and soft light filtered through the oversized French doors. Kaia had been working non-stop to finish the painting Kearney had commissioned from her. From the start, she knew his loneliness. She lived it. The yearning inside of her had transformed just as the darkness of the night flowed into a new dawn, the images took on new shapes and deeper meaning. She leaned in close, her nose almost touching the piece and she made one final loving stroke with her pinky across the surface. Her heart no longer lost within the shadows of the past.

  Sitting straighter in her chair, she gazed at the completed canvas with new eyes. Not caring that the tears continued. The guilt had vanished and was replaced by sympathy. The beautiful and haunting faces staring back at her provided a powerful conclusion she was now ready to face.

  “There are two sides to every story,” she murmured below her breath.

  Kaia felt her courage waver, but she succeeded to knocked loudly on the door. She waited nervously on the porch and was prepared to stand there as long as it took for Kearney to give her a chance to speak. She didn’t have to wait long because it swung open and the expression on his face was masked. Unreadable.

  They stood for a few seconds without speaking.

  “I was on my way to see you,” he volunteered, slicing through the tension.

  Even though his clothes were disheveled, hair tousled, face unshaven, Kearney was the handsomest man she’d ever laid eyes upon.

  “Can I come in?”

  “Yes. Yes, of course.” He pulled the door wider and she walked in carrying the large wrapped gift.

  She took a few steps in and stopped. Her eyes landed on the canvas propped back against the unlit fireplace. Her hand flew to her chest, stunned and happy all at once.

  “I’ve been an idiot,” he admitted. “All those years I thought you’d betrayed me. Maybe that was my way of keeping your memory in my heart forever. Believing you weren’t going to be in my life was painful. It also gave me a reason to live—so I could find you now.”

  Kaia was too choked up to say anything. She handed him the present and he took it with trembling hands.

  She clasped her hands in front of her. “I finished it for you.”

  He gripped the item as he talked. “I’m sorry, Kaia. I should have believed in you. In us.”

  She shook her head and took a step toward him. “No. I’m sorry I couldn’t remember.”

  Kearney set the package aside and hugged her tight. “Oh, darling. I don’t care in what century or what name you go by, you’ll always be my wife.”

  Tipping back her head for a good look at him, she was overjoyed by his words.

  He bent his head and pressed his lips against hers, whispering, “I love you. I always have. I always will. Wizard’s promise.”

  “I love you so much, Kearney.” She kissed him back with all the emotions in her heart. “Fae’s promise.”

  “I’m a lucky man to find the love of my life twice in one lifetime,” he proudly announced.

  Kaia nipped at his chin, planting kisses along his jaw and his hands slid to her hips. He picked her up, her lips never leaving his while she wrapped her legs around his waist. He carried her to the bedroom and laid her down. Their kisses more fervent, more urgent. Her body lit up as she clung to him. He tasted even sweeter now that she knew she belonged to this amazing man. They were stronger now and there was nothing that could ever come between them again.

  He pulled off her sweater and she returned the favor. Her hands grazed over his toned abdomen, gliding up his muscled arm. She wanted to touch all of him to memorize everything about him. He was real and she was never going to let him slip through her fingers again.

  In the next moment, they were both flinging clothes across the room, hastily stripping off every piece of fabric in their hand’s way, until their bodies met. Skin-to-skin.

  Kearney cradled her head as he kissed her against the mattress. “I wanted you so badly the first moment you offered me herbal tea.” He laughed. “The tipping point was when you were in that red number. Trust me; I took a heck of a lot of cold showers after that.”

  “You’ll never have to take another cold shower again.” She traced a finger along his lower lip and he shivered.

  “You’re killing me, lass.”

  Her lips curved into a seductive smile. “You have me now.”

  “Aye, that I do, Kaia.” He gave her a quick peck on the lips. “And…you have all of me. Forever.”

  They took their time rediscovering each other. Exploring and pushing the limits of how much love they could share with one another, making up for lost time. This was their beautiful beginning and they were able to heal all their wounds together.

  Many hours later, they sat on the sofa comparing the two paintings side-by-side.

  The original was unfinished but it was an exact duplicate of the one Kaia had made for him. Before she had arrived at his doorstep, Keke had given him the aged artwork. She’d found it in the attic and remembered how she’d come to possess it. When the two women had become friends, she’d found the art in the dumpster at Kaia’s studio. She’d kept it and it wasn’t until her room was used as a studio that she thought to return it. That’s when she noticed the uncanny resemblance to the man on the canvas. It was Kearney’s face all along. Even before Kaia had met him, she’d always carried her love for him in her heart.

  The memory loss never could erase her feelings for him.

  He’d matured mentally and spiritually so he was never truly angry with Kaia. He knew it was directed at himself and his inability to protect her. The separation allowed them to fall in love all over again. It wasn’t an arranged marriage that ended in tragedy. This time around, it was an organic love that blossomed between two good people. Growth and wisdom taught him about forgiveness and taking chances. Happiness was on the other side of fear. There would be no more searching.

  Kearney could honestly say he’d never planned on leaving Kaia. A love so strong couldn’t easily be discarded. He needed space to do some soul searching so he could have a fulfilled life with her in it. In this century! His dearest wishes had come true. The proof was the woman he held in his arms.

  “You know I would never cheat on you. It was Deaglan who murdered me.”

  He stroked her hair as she recounted the tale again. “Aye.”

  “In his jealousy over you, he couldn’t understand why I didn’t want him. He poisoned me and covered it up with a story he wanted to believe. Saoirse died that day, it’s true.” She sat up and took his hand. “What we had was not the love I longed for. Right now, this is what I’d dreamed it would be. Just you and me.” She raised his fist to her lips and kissed his knuckles. “We’re free to choose who we want, yet we chose each other all over again.”

  Kearney gave her a tender look. “I guess we always knew the answers.”

  “What happened to that asshat, anyway?” Kaia frowned angrily.

  He reached over to smooth the creases on her forehead. “The ‘asshat’ that was Deaglan got his just desserts. His wife stuck a dagger through his heart when she discovered his infidelities.”

  “I can’t deny that sounded almost satisfying. He deserved a slow, agonizing ending for the century of pain he inflicted upon us.” She raised her finger to her throat and pretended to slice across it.

  “You’re scaring me, lass.”

  She laughed. “I’ll show ’em not to mess with a Fae who’s married to a wizard.”

  “On that note.” He got up and dropped to one knee. “Let’s do it right this time around. Be mine. Make me the happiest man on earth and marry me, lass.”

  “Is that a question or are you telling me?” A fat tear rolled down her face.

  He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out mistletoe. He shook his head and shoved it back into his pocket, fumbling for the ring. “Will you marry
me, Kaia Wyntir?”

  Kaia sprung up and held out her hand to him. “The anticipation was killing me,” she teased.

  He slid the object on and she peered down at him with an enormous smile. “Yes! I’m all in!”

  Kearney grabbed her and kissed her with all the pent-up passion stored inside. She matched his kisses with equal emotion. When they finally separated, her expression made him pause. “What’s the matter?”

  She gnawed on her lower lip. “Um, wait until you meet my grams, Morrnah.” Kaia shivered. “You’ll have to get through her to get the girl.”

  He signed, “Is there never a dull moment with you, love?”

  “How boring would it be without a little adventure here and there?” She grabbed his hand and gave him an innocent look before leading him toward the stairs. “Let’s start practicing now.”

  Kearney wasn’t a fool.

  He waggled his brows. “I could use lots and lots…and lots of practice.”

  The End

  A Dragon’s Christmas Mayhem

  by Kira Nyte

  Chapter One

  Zareh Lutherone turned his hand over, admiring the stunning sparkle of the diamonds along the gold band. The sales associate waited patiently behind the counter, her eyes glittering almost as brightly as the diamonds in anticipation of a solid sale.

  Alazar Brandvold sidled up to Zareh and leaned an elbow on the glass display case. “Two things, my friend. One, Kaylae isn’t a jewelry girl and, two, you really shouldn’t have waited until Christmas Eve to buy her a gift.” His signature smile spread across his mouth as his eyes glowed with a contented love Zareh understood completely.