by Deanna Chase
“Try to have fun. You could be our elf on the shelf. You’d be adorable in striped socks and pointy shoes.” Katrina’s eyes twinkled down at me from her towering height of five foot six. I rolled my eyes. “Short jokes and crowds. Merry Christmas to me.”
“You know we like you…about this much.” Leslie’s hand hovered around the top of my head. I sighed noisily. “Last one, I promise.” She grinned.
“Life’s too short to be this serious all the time,” Jessica said with a wink. “We only tease the ones we love. Okay, what’s next on the list?”
Tonight’s shopping trip had pretty much been dedicated to preparing for the December solstice party. All month, there had been wassail, clove spiked apples and oranges, branches of evergreen, and sprigs of holly by Enchantment’s door to invite good fortune into the shop. Oh, and of course, mistletoe—Katrina’s insistence. It was warm and inviting and doing exactly what the girls wanted it to do—draw in traffic and potential coven members.
“Um, just a yule log, but we aren’t supposed to buy it. Technically, it should be given to us,” Leslie said.
Soft wide flakes of snow began to drift down over us. The hot guy across the street still stood there, smiling in our direction. I glanced at the girls, wondering briefly which one he had a thing for and how long it would take him to work up the courage to come over. It hadn’t taken long for them to fit into this town. The store was embraced by the community. I shook my head. Of course it was. And it all meant it would be that much easier to grow the coven—something that interested me very much.
Jessica shrugged. “If we don’t get one, we can take one out of the store’s inventory. So we’re done?”
“Except for our Christmas present shopping. Oooo, I have a great idea. Let’s do a secret Santa with each other.” Katrina smiled widely. “Who wouldn’t want more presents?”
“Count me out,” I said immediately. I didn’t like presents, surprises, or anything like that. I still wasn’t sure how I got roped into this shopping trip. They had insisted, saying Yule was a time to be with family and friends, but really I think they were just trying to include me—nice, but completely unnecessary. Coddling was a waste of time. I didn’t care if they did things without me. I wasn’t going to cry myself to sleep or anything. They were friends with each other. I was the outsider. It was fine. I wasn’t really buying into the mother earth witch thing anyway.
“Sure,” Leslie said. “I already have a great idea.”
“It will be too easy to figure out who’s giving them to you,” Jessica said. “I’d rather just buy the present and be done.”
“You guys are party poopers. Fine, no secret Santa.” Katrina pulled her coat tighter around herself. “It’s getting so cold. Let’s go home. I’ll finish shopping tomorrow. Frost would you mind covering the store for me?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Working in a shop surrounded by innocent people was basically asking for disaster. The mental picture of living that life wasn’t hard to complete. I’d be sitting in the shop letting people browse, because no one likes to be harassed, and someone would tap my arm to get my attention. Next they’d fall over dead. That was how it worked. It wasn’t slow or painful, but the end result was irrevocably death, followed by fear from all those who were supposed to be closest to me. I shook my head. I’d just stick with being a bounty hunter where people hardly ever cared if accidents happened. It was better for everyone that way.
Katrina nodded. “But you will do the group meditation, right? The sabbats are important.”
“Of course she will,” Leslie said. “That’s why she’s here.”
“Let’s go home. It’s cold as hell out here,” Jessica said.
I followed the girls to the house they rented from Selene, who happened to be the queen of the fae. Life was entirely too easy for some people. Want to change your life on whim? Sure, why not? After all, someone will give you money to open your dream business and rent you a great house for next to nothing. It was hard not to be envious. Things never worked like that for me.
The house was warm and inviting, but I didn’t remove my hat or gloves. I sat in the chair furthest away from them, crossed my legs, and launched into my plan. “Okay, my idea for the celebration is to bring in potential coven candidates and some of our Abyss friends. That way we can test potential recruits and see exactly how connected they are to the magical world.”
Jessica frowned and arched an eyebrow. “Exactly who were you thinking of?”
Of course the Abyss would be an issue for her. Of all of them, Jessica had actually gone through some things. She was more grounded and reserved than they were, which was good for the entire coven.
“Just our friends.” Katrina pulled out a list from her back pocket. “I thought we’d invite Selene, Cheney, and Bella, of course, plus Sy, Femi, Lily, Lorelei. And maybe Olivia and Holden and their family?”
I had no objections to the list, but there were a couple noticeable absences: Sebastian and Corbin. I wouldn’t have minded having Corbin there. I needed at least one other person who thought the whole party was as pointless as I did. There had been a brief moment when I thought Corbin might actually like me. Not the nice version of me, but the actual me. However, life happened and I hadn’t seen him since the last time we fought alongside one another, and I may have crossed a line in vampire/necromancer etiquette. Seeing if that was true might prove less awkward in a group setting than if he were to, say, show up to kill me. “What about Corbin?” I asked.
Jessica made a face. “I don’t think he’ll come if Selene is there.”
I nodded. How could I forget he was still completely hung up on the beautiful fairy queen and probably would be for the rest of eternity because nearly everyone who met her fell madly in love with her? “Right.”
“Can we really leave Sebastian out?” Leslie asked and Katrina glared at her. “I know you guys aren’t exactly on speaking terms, but…” She shrugged. “He’s been through a lot with us. All of us.”
Katrina closed her eyes. “Fine. I’ll add him. Now as for the witches to invite, this is who I have: Gretchen, Shawna, Larra, Rolayna, Debbie, and Dora. That’s a lot of girls, isn’t it? We need to add some men to the list. Magically inclined doesn’t really matter. Just to balance things out.”
“Oh, there are a few who come into the store,” Leslie said. “I’ll have to check the mailing list. And I’m sure we all know at least a couple people to invite.”
I concentrated on my hands.
“Pretty sure Kat knows more than her share,” Jessica said.
Katrina threw a pillow at her. “Whatever. As for the meditation, we’ll do it and light the Yule log on the twenty-first. That’s in two days. Leslie reviewed the meditation spell, and we have everything we need except everyone needs to bring their own talisman to take with us.”
“Take with us where?” I asked.
I bristled when they smiled and exchanged glances. It wasn’t my fault I hadn’t been doing this as long as them.
“Basically, we’ll set up the Yule altar and make a protection circle. We’ll call to the elements and ask the goddess to guide us, then we’ll each give thanks for our blessings and start the meditation, during which we’ll gain clarity about our futures. When it’s over, we have to each write what we saw in blue ink on parchment paper. That will be added to our talismans and kept for the coming year to keep your third eye more open and receptive. The final step is adding our visions to the Book of Shadows.”
The others worked on the list of people to invite while I took in what they said. It was hard to say which part I should worry about first: the giving thanks, sharing my vision, or asking how to make a talisman. A dull ache started at the base of my skull.
“Do you have any ideas for your talisman, Frost?” Leslie asked. “I’m going to use a locket my grandmother gave me. I could help you find something if you want.”
I shook my head. “I already have something.” It was completely
untrue, of course, but surely I could find something. A scarf maybe…
“Great.” Katrina grinned. “What is it? It needs to be something very personal to you. Something you know inside and out.”
“I said I have it.” My words were more clipped than I would have liked and I massaged my temples. It was definitely time to get out of there. “I’m getting a headache. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” I started for the door, grabbing my coat.
Just then there was a knock. I suppressed a sigh as I opened the door. There was no one on the porch. Stepping outside, my foot hit a package. A light snow was falling, pretty and serene. It caught in my eyelashes as I trotted down the steps and looked for the person who had knocked. By the time I turned back to the house, the rest of the coven was on the porch. Jessica had the package in her hand.
“What is it?” I asked, coming a couple steps toward them.
Jessica held it out to me. “It’s for you.”
I stopped. “No one knows I’m here.”
Katrina plucked off the card. “To Frost Darkmore. Come home.” She looked at me. “Frost isn’t your last name? I don’t know why I thought it was. . . .Frost Darkmore sounds like haunted house—”
Leslie coughed.
“Er, sorry,” Katrina added. “Where are you from?”
“That’s not my name.” The words slipped out automatically and my lungs threatened to collapse. It had been ages since anyone had spoken Darkmore out loud. “I had my name changed when I was eighteen. I’ve lived everywhere.”
I took the card and read it to myself, then rubbed my forehead between my eyebrows. Come home. Like to where I lived now or somewhere else? I looked out over the empty night toward the sound of the ocean and watched the snow fall.
“Maybe the present inside holds a clue,” Leslie said.
I took the small package and tore off the silver wrapping paper, waiting for the attack: bees, poison gas, whatever. Drawing in breath, I lifted the top off a small box. Inside was…tissue paper. I removed piece after piece until I found a key on a long chain.
“What does it go to?” Leslie asked.
I wiped the melting snowflakes from my forehead. I honestly had no idea.
“Maybe there’s something else.” Jessica peered into the box from the step above me.
I narrowed my eyes. “Did you leave this?”
Jessica laughed. “Me? No. I was inside with you. Last I checked I can’t transport or do anything remotely magical. Maybe you have an admirer.”
And now they were patronizing me. I dumped the rest of the box out on the ground. It held nothing else.
“It should be easy enough to narrow down the sender. Who did you know back when you were Frost Darkmore?” Leslie asked.
There wasn’t anyone, at least not alive.
“Maybe you told someone. Is there anyone you’re close to?”
I stared at the key. It looked like a skeleton key. But whose house and why give it to me? An icy wind whipped around me and there was a clatter on the porch. We all turned toward the noise. A broom had fallen over.
“Hello?” Katrina called, wrapping her arms around herself. “Maybe we should go back inside.” She shook her head. “Something’s in the air tonight.”
2
I rolled around in bed most of the night, unable to think about anything other than the stupid key. It was going to drive me crazy. Someone knew where I was and more about my past than I had ever cared to share with anyone—maybe even more than I knew. How was that even possible?
I threw an arm over my head with a sigh. It was four-thirty. I was supposed to meet the coven at eight a.m. for breakfast and decorating, or some bullshit like that. But all I wanted to do was hunt down what this key opened and who sent it to me. There was no way I’d be satisfied until I knew.
Giving up on rest, I got out of bed and paced the floor in my room at the inn. I snatched the key from the desk and stared at it. One little hunk of metal formed into a skeleton key and I was losing my mind. But at least it was silent here and I could think. At the house, the coven battered me with questions, most of which I couldn’t begin to answer. What little I actually knew about my birth parents stayed closely guarded. The scraps of information were mine alone to do with as I pleased. Other people’s opinions didn’t really matter because they didn’t live my life.
The girls tried to talk me into staying at the house, probably for my own safety, but even though they were well intentioned, they overwhelmed me. One on one was so much easier. Or no one at all. That was the easiest. I wanted to be part of their group, but I also needed space. I had to give them credit for trying to respect that even if they couldn’t understand it.
The first thing I did when I got to the inn was call my neighbor in Chicago to check on my apartment. It was fine. Nothing was happening there. I had lived in five homes and six group homes before I was twelve and finally ran away for good. I couldn’t even pinpoint which house the note was talking about.
I slipped the chain over my head. The key fell heavily against my chest. A link to the past I was still trying very hard to overcome. The snow came down in heavy sheets, making the colors of the Christmas lights blur, and the street was completely empty. This little town was so peaceful at night that I actually felt sort of calm here. I didn’t have that gnawing worry that I would accidentally touch someone—though that may not have been a good thing. Vigilance was important. On the other hand, though, maybe living a little closer to the coven would be beneficial. Yes, it would put me further away from the Office, but being closer to the coven might work in my favor in the long run. I’d have to talk to Sy about how to get bounty assignments without coming in.
An icy handprint formed on the window in front of where I stood. I watched the frost web across the width of the palm and up into fingers, though no one was on the other side. I touched my finger against it softly, and it almost seemed to ripple. I snapped my hand away and the next instant it was gone. I poked the window again, but nothing happened. I shoved my fine white hair out of my face and squinted out of the dark window. Only dreamy lights and fat snowflakes were out there.
Life was never normal around the coven.
It looked like my hiatus was over. I braided my hair into a long straight plait, looped a rubber band tightly around its end, then pulled on an oversized black sweater, tight gray jeans, combat boots, and a hooded gray scarf. I slipped on one of my black leather gloves with a sigh, leaving the other hand bare, and grabbed my coat.
Something had been lurking outside the girls’ house when I got the package and it was here now. Enemies were never in short supply in my life. Vampires made it their mission to kill all necromancers and catching bounties endeared me to very few. Whatever was stalking me either moved extremely fast, like a vampire, or was invisible—something that seemed I impossible in this weather. The snow would catch on the form, at least hinting at a shape.
The frigid air hit hard as I stepped outside and headed to the sidewalk in front of the inn, so no one inside would hear me. “I know you’re here,” I said conversationally into the night. Though it was faint, the pull of the undead tugged on me just behind my belly button. My shoulders relaxed. I wouldn’t have to kill anything tonight that wasn’t already dead. If it was a vampire, it was an old one that had learned to mask itself, or it was something I hadn’t encountered yet. “Come out, come out, wherever you are. I’m not afraid of you.”
I readied my own magic to force it to reveal itself, when an all too familiar voice piped up.
“Well, that is a relief.” Corbin stepped out of the shadows with a smirk and came toward me fast. “How is my favorite puppet master this fine evening?”
I took two involuntary steps back. Remember the thing I said about vampires wanting me dead? Well, up until now this particular one had made an exception in the trying to kill me department. Not because he loved me or anything so prosaic; he did it for Selene. But they had since cut ties and all bets were off. To make matters worse
, that thing I did the last time I saw him, how I worried I’d crossed the line? It was taking control of his body without his consent. It wasn’t my fault though. I only did it to displace the dark witch who had already possessed him. But viewed in a certain light, I had intruded and who knew how he felt about it? “Are you going to try to kill me?”
He tugged the end of my braid. “Love, if I wanted you dead, you wouldn’t be here to ask the question.” He leaned in slightly, making my stomach tighten and my lips press together.
I focused on his chest so I didn’t have to look into those eyes that ate away at my soul and inhibitions—not that the chest was much better. Unable to resist touching him, I trailed my finger down his stomach. Corbin may have never had feelings for me, but sadly I couldn’t say the same thing. I cleared my throat. “Oh? You’re pretty sure of yourself.”
He pulled me closer and his lips grazed my temple. “Perhaps I wanted to see you.”
I fought off the softness trying to creep in and backed away again. “We both know that’s not true. What do you want?”
His lips pursed as he nodded. “It could have been fun to pretend though, don’t you think?” His dark eyes glittered even in the shadows.
“No.” It could have been confusing. It could have been heartbreaking. It could have been humiliating. Fun, however, wasn’t a word that immediately came to mind. “Selene isn’t here yet.”
Pain lined his forehead at the mention of her name, betraying what he was hiding. Obviously, I hit the mark. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest. Of course it was Selene. Disappointment, at least, wasn’t a new sensation. “I thought you were done with that.”
He gave me a level look. “I am.”
My laugh sounded hollow even to me. “Yet here you are, for no explicable reason, just before the coven’s December solstice celebration that Selene will be at…with Cheney and Bella.”
