Curse of Christmas: A Collection of Paranormal Holiday Stories

by Thea Atkinson

  “Our Absolute Sire, Countess Dariah Dracul,” the Vampir introduced me to his lady friend after bowing to my husband and me. His ghostly form moved as though in slow motion when he gestured to us.

  The woman smiled as she glanced at Mathew instead, an evil gleam sparkling in her crimson eyes at the same time I recognized she wasn’t a Vampir but a Witch.

  “My pleasure.” Her voice lingered eerily in the glimpse of the future, and I witnessed her hand grip Mathew’s arm.

  The image of them swayed like a wisp of smoke when the Witch’s touch did something to his magic. Green energy rushed over Mathew’s hands like lighting, uncontrolled, and my husband’s eyes widened, seemingly electrocuted by his own power. His eyes rolled back as he collapsed on the stage, convulsing.

  “Mathew!”

  Blinking out of the dreaded vision, I saw Mathew pull back from our kiss, his expression becoming troubled when he noticed the strain in mine. “Okay, my kisses are not that bad,” he teased. “What happened?”

  “I just saw something.” I turned from him, frantically searching the crowd just as the music changed and the song from my vision began to play.

  “A glimpse of the future?” he asked knowingly, and I nodded. “What was it about?”

  “Let us take a moment now for each of you to personally introduce yourselves, and pledge your loyalty to the Countess,” Sebastian announced at the same time, motioning for people to form a line at the right side of the stage.

  My heart began to slam against my chest, and I continued to look for the Witch in my vision among the guests.

  “Baby, what is it?” Mathew insisted, bringing my attention back to him.

  Forcing myself to calm, I gripped his hand and brought him back to the throne, taking my place on it. “Just stand beside me and don’t let anyone touch you.”

  Confusion spread over his features, but he nodded. Straightening beside me, Mathew’s magic flourished to life, his runes and mint-green irises glowing as he became ready for anything that could happen, like the Slayer he was.

  “Absolute Sire,” the male voice brought my attention to the front, to find the Vampir Chancellor for Africa standing a few steps before me. He was alone. “It is an honor to have been chosen as part of your court, and to extend your supremacy into my lands. I vow to protect and continue to teach your way of life to my Vampiri and all new sired. Those of our race in Africa have been craving structure for too long, a family, and you have finally offered us one.”

  “Thank you,” I answered, accepting his pledge, and watched him bow to Mathew as well.

  “Nyvith Master.”

  Mathew slightly bowed his head, and we saw the Vampir Chancellor move on so the next person could meet with me.

  “Absolute Mother,” another Chancellor greeted, but it wasn’t the man from my vision. “It is an honor to swear devotion to you. Thank you for ending the tyranny the dynasties enforced on us.”

  “Thank you for your loyalty. Welcome to our family,” I offered, my gaze turning to the woman and girl standing beside him. The child couldn’t be more than twelve years old. “Is she…?”

  “Yes, she’s a Vampire like us,” the mother confirmed.

  “She was attacked and fed on by one of Charles Martel’s guards, then left for dead,” the father informed, jaw tightening with disgust. “My wife found her and nursed her back to health, but her transformation had already begun.”

  “I’m so sorry you had to go through that,” I offered to the girl, my heart squeezing for her. “I’m glad you are safe now.”

  “We adopted her and became a family,” the woman added with a heartwarming smile, turning to the bright side of the story. “We have taught her everything we remember from your father’s kingdom, and we are truly blessed that you are our Countess now.”

  “We will protect our family above all,” I swore, and they nodded, believing my words as true.

  The little girl pulled her mother’s arm, whispering something in her ear that made her chuckle. “My daughter, Camilla, has a few questions she’d like to ask, but I told her it is best not to bother you with such trivial things.”

  “Oh, that doesn’t bother us at all,” Mathew assured, grinning at the girl. “We would be glad to answer.”

  “Okay,” Camilla nodded excitedly, and I couldn’t help but chuckle. Her bright brown eyes glanced at me. “Is it true that you have more than one power?”

  “Yes. I have nine different abilities, like my mother had,” I offered, preparing for the next question, but her attention shifted to Mathew.

  “Is it true that you are part Vampire, part Fae, and part Wolf Shifter?”

  He crouched before her, lifting a hand and letting his magic flow through his fingers. “Don’t forget part Witch.” He winked at her, smirking, and her entire world seemed to stop.

  I knew the feeling.

  “Woah. And is it true that you are a Vampire Slayer?”

  “Yes,” he replied mysteriously. “But I only slay evil Vampires that threaten humans and our family, that is why I married the most beautiful of all.”

  Lips twitching, I rolled my eyes. “I guess I’m not as interesting as I thought. I only serve as arm candy.”

  Camilla’s parents chuckled while their daughter continued to ask my husband questions. “Is it true that you have Vampire wings and you can fly?”

  “Yes, I flew into the ballroom tonight. You didn’t see us?”

  She shook her head, sadness capturing her expression. “There were too many tall people in front of me.”

  “Well, you want to see them now?”

  “Yeah!”

  While my husband turned the throne stage into his own catwalk, and began to flaunt his Nyvith assets to his latest admirer, I looked beyond him to the dance floor, my eyes falling on Sebastian and DeLorean as they danced, passing Antoine and Zoe just like they had in my vision.

  Urgency filled me, but when I turned my attention to the front, the sweet family had left us, and a new couple had replaced them. “Our Absolute Sire, Countess Dariah Dracul,” the Vampir introduced me, and my eyes snapped to the woman beside him. Her crimson eyes twinkled with mischief.

  The Witch.

  I reacted.

  Pulling all gravity from around me in a split second, I jumped to my feet, thrusting the force at her with everything I had. It slammed into the Witch’s chest before she could touch my husband, sending her flailing back along with her Vampir friend.

  She didn’t go down without a fight.

  A hand lifted as she fell, shooting a green ball of fire towards Mathew. His wings blocked her attack, and as they reopened, his whip suddenly materialized in his hand. The fiery leather cord shot through the room, cutting the head off the traitor Vampir that brought the evil Witch to attack us, its green fire consuming what was left of his body on contact.

  Sebastian, DeLorean, and a few other Vampiri, ran towards the Witch, wanting to rip her to pieces for threatening us, but it was Mathew’s whip that slashed her back, blowing her against the wall.

  Gripping the wall with a wail of pain, she turned livid eyes on me, as though she hadn’t expected us to be so powerful, and threw a curse at us. A sphere of green fire slammed against her magical attack, rendering it useless, and she roared in ire, creating a portal to escape.

  The Witch rushed to cross it before Sebastian could reach her, but not fast enough to evade the second whip that hurled towards her. The end of Decebal’s weapon sliced the side of her face open, and she fell through the portal, her scream of pain and anger lingering in the air.

  “Son!” Decebal’s voice split the room and he ran towards us, and I whirled around to notice my husband’s wings had stopped the attack, but the Witch’s magic had somehow still affected him.

  He swayed on his feet, stumbling backwards, but Antoine’s arms caught him before he could hit the floor.

  “No!” I breathed.

  Chapter 4

  “I assure you, I’m fine,” Mathew prot
ested for the millionth time while Decebal continued to examine him. His father was the first Nyvith warrior created to fight evil Vampires, and as such, he had far more experience with their type of magic.

  “Stay still!” I ordered, walking out of the closet after Dove and Zoe helped me get out of the monster of a dress I wore, and I changed into a simpler one.

  Mathew grunted, but bit his tongue, remaining still on the bed while his father scanned him with his energy yet again, trying to make sure the Witch’s curse hadn’t hurt him.

  “Everything seems to be well,” Decebal finally answered, the magic going dormant in his hands as he turned to look at me.

  “I told you I was fine, I—”

  “Stop!” Decebal scolded his son, then glanced at me again. “We’ll have to monitor him to be certain he is in the clear. We still don’t know what kind of spell the Witch’s attack contained, or what her intention was against Mathew.”

  “I blocked it with my wings. There is nothing wrong with me.”

  “You lost consciousness, Mathew,” I argued, walking to stand next to Zoe. “Her magic affected you.”

  “Yeah,” Antoine huffed, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “If it hadn’t gotten to you, you wouldn’t be in bed, Sleeping Beauty.”

  “Don’t call me that...” Mathew warned, dangerously narrowing his eyes at our friend. “I’m a Nyvith Master. Don’t forget I can slay your pretentious French ass if I want.”

  Antoine snorted. “Tell that to your fat ass while I was carrying you up the stairs and laying you on the bed. I was half tempted to kiss you just to see if you would wake up.”

  They glared at each other something fierce, nostrils flaring, but then burst out laughing. “Okay, that was a good one,” Mathew admitted.

  “I know, right?” Antoine chuckled, sitting next to my husband on the bed.

  Zoe and I rolled our eyes. “Do me a favor,” Zoe asked. “Next time, don’t let your ex-boyfriend enter a bromance with your husband. Save us all the pain of having to witness this level of stupidity.”

  “I promise,” I grinned just as Decebal reached our side. “Thank you so much for checking on him and helping drive that Witch away.”

  “I’m sorry. I should have been here earlier. I might have sensed her among your kin and stopped her, but time passess so differently in the land of the Fae.”

  “Don’t beat yourself up. You arrived just in time.” My hand squeezed my father in law’s arm reassuringly. “It just happened so fast. Not even I could stop her, and I had a vision beforehand,” I admitted. “We did what we could, but she was determined to hurt him.”

  “The question is why?” he pondered.

  “Just have DeLorean search for her Witchy ass and burn her to hell and back,” Zoe huffed.

  “She’ll pay for what she did,” I assured, I wasn’t one to let things go so easily. “But I don’t want a war with the Witches right now,” I confessed. “I need my kingdom strong before we go after them.”

  “Maybe that is what she wants,” Decebal mused, and I made a mental note to reach out to Amorah, my Witch friend.

  “Can we return to the party now?” my husband asked, and we all turned to see him standing while Antoine fixed his bowtie.

  “Stay still!” Antoine protested.

  “Then stop trying to strangle me!”

  Even Decebal shook his head at them, and we stepped out of the room to find my father walking towards us.

  “Is everything okay down there?” I asked, fearing our first Christmas had been ruined by this disaster. “I worked so hard with Dove to plan this evening, I—”

  “You have nothing to worry about,” Tată assured. “DeLorean sent a group of his guards to recheck the perimeter, but the Witch was alone and there are no more traitors among our guests. Sebastian made sure of that.”

  That gave me peace of mind. Sebastian’s ability was Mental Supremacy; he could read and manipulate minds without anyone even noticing. If he said there were no more traitors, then I was satisfied.

  “It might still take a bit for those loyal to the dynasties to get used to our new way of life. It’s normal, we just have to be vigilant.”

  “Everyone is enjoying the spiked punch, and dinner is being served,” Anne confirmed, reaching us too. By spiked she meant the drinks had been infused with a dose of human blood to keep all Vampiri happy, and I appreciated that. “Are you guys ready to return to the party? How is Mathew?”

  “He’s fine. Should be out soon,” I assured. “He’s having a moment with Antoine apparently.”

  She and I chuckled while my father’s lips twitched. Everyone who knew them was amused by Antoine and Mathew’s bro love.

  “Just make sure he doesn’t use his magic for the rest of the night,” Decebal warned beside me. “It might be unstable from the encounter.”

  “I will. Go ahead and join your wife at dinner. We’ll be right there,” I offered, kissing his cheek, and he conceded, walking with Zoe and Anne towards the staircase to go to the dining hall.

  “This might be a good opportunity to introduce Ivas,” my father suggested. “It will lighten what is left of the dark mood, and I’m sure he’ll enjoy meeting new people.”

  “Great idea, Tată,” I agreed and turned to open the door. “Mathew, can you bring Ivas with you? It’s time for everyone to meet him.”

  My husband stopped his conversation with Antoine and nodded, opening the balcony. “Ivas, come here boy!”

  “Okay. Do you remember what you have to do?” Mathew asked Ivas once we stood outside the dining hall.

  “Faaamily…” Ivas answered, bobbing his head.

  “Yes, baby,” I replied, stroking his crest. “You are going to meet your new family.”

  “Now, just to make sure you don’t forget,” Mathew added. “Mommy is going to enter the room and call you. When you hear her voice, you are going to fly inside and glide twice around the room.”

  Ivas nodded once more, his eyes turning to me.

  “Then you are going to stop on one of the columns for a quick nap, then do one more fly around and come to our side. Okay?”

  “Baaaby,” he replied in acknowledgement and hugged me.

  Mathew and I exchanged a heartwarming glance, before I let my Gargoyle Shifter go, and I walked inside the room.

  Everyone’s attention shifted to us once we entered, and the stupid nerves returned, making me nauseous. I glanced around the room just in case, but I knew it was clear of Witches and traitors as promised by Sebastian, so I tried to let go of what had occurred, and enjoy myself.

  Nevertheless, a part of me worried that the Vampiri might look at Mathew differently after being attacked before their eyes. Our race thought of themselves as the most powerful, and I dreaded they would be quick to dismiss my husband. Yet, as their gazes followed our advance to our table, all I saw was admiration and respect for the way the Nyvith warrior had fought back.

  Many of the Vampiri here knew what my husband and his father were capable of because they had fought with us during the battle, but everyone else who had only heard rumors, now knew exactly who Mathew was, and that the Nyvith were not ones to be trifled with.

  The Nyvith were revered once more, and that brought satisfaction to my heart.

  Pride filled my chest, and I stole a kiss from his lips when he stopped to pull the chair for me to sit. Laughter rang around us, followed by some applause and playful whistling. He grinned, taking his place by my side.

  Grinning at the sea of joyful faces, my attention travelled towards the big open window near the door.

  “Ivas!” I called and saw everyone freeze in anticipation. Heads whirled, gazes urgently looking all around the room, waiting for the mythical Gargoyle to appear.

  Silence descended in the room until a loud roar split the air, and Ivas shot through the window. Gasps and applause suddenly inundated the dining hall while Ivas’ smooth form glided above us, making his grand entrance. Flying along the crystal chandeliers, he s
pun them with his fingers as he passed, making them twirl and send sparkles of light dancing over the entire space.

  People cheered, following his path with wonder-filled eyes and Mathew chuckled, kissing my cheek. “He’s a showman.”

  “That he is.”

  As practiced, Ivas stopped on one of the columns, gripping it with his claws and transforming to rough, grey stone next to it. He became a full statue that looked like it had been there for thousands of years. Silence captured the guests again, but it erupted into cheers when my sweet Ivas jumped from the column, swerving around the tables as his stony form turned to smooth, black leathery skin again.

  One of the things that made Ivas so special was that he was the only one of his kind. He had been nothing more than a masterfully carved statue on our bell tower thousands of years ago, symbolizing protection and strength for our fortress, until one day magic made him real so he would become my guardian and never leave my side.

  He had never faltered in his purpose.

  My smile grew when Ivas finally landed next to us, and everyone clapped, astonished by what they had just witnessed. “That was perfect,” I praised, caressing his cheeks and placing a kiss on his forehead.

  Ivas’ mouth stretched into his usually terrifying smile, rows of sharp teeth fully visible, and I chuckled. “Faaamily…”

  “Yes, Ivas. They are your family too, and they love you.”

  “Huuungry…” he whined, sitting between Mathew and I on the floor, and I made a face. He couldn’t really process food since he wasn’t actually alive—at least not in the way everyone else was—so when he called out hungry, he was actually ordering me to eat. It had become his new hobby.

  “You heard him,” Mathew settled, reaching for a plate and starting to pile up food for me.

  “No, I can’t.” I pushed the plate away when he placed it in front of me. “My stomach is still all over the place. These stupid nerves made a mess of my appetite. I knew something was going to happen. My gut was screaming at me. I can’t eat yet.”