Christmas Lights

by Yolanda Sfetsos

  "There are several things I need to do, but first I want to get rid of Carabia,” she answered with a small nod. Her legs felt so nice under the thin material that covered them.

  "What are the other things?"

  "Well, I'd like to free my cousins.” Natala stopped to sigh. She pushed her fingers through her short shaggy hair and sighed again. “It's not as complicated as I'm probably making it all seem. You see, imps are easily controlled and overpowered by the demonic. Almost everything in the Underworld is scared of the demons. They don't earn respect. They demand it with fear and oppression. When Carabia took us into his legion, he had a very powerful demonic sorcerer with him. He taught Carabia how to encase my kind into stones and crystals, if the need arose."

  "Why would he do that?"

  She shrugged. “Demons are very twisted creatures that thrive on chaos and do much of their evil doings right here, among the humans. Sometimes they need a sneaky imp to do their dirty work. There's no better way to keep them under their control than to encase the slaves into something they can carry in their pocket. Carabia just so happens to know the virtues of all precious stones and herbs."

  "Wait a second,” Noel said, raising a hand.

  She stopped to meet his gaze. His blue eyes were a shade she'd never seen before. Imp and demon eyes were usually of the dark kind. She found Noel's eyes utterly beautiful. The way he looked at her was almost hypnotic. She was positive she could spend an eternity just gazing into them.

  "Are you trying to tell me that this demon, Carabia, somehow encased you and a bunch of imps inside those Christmas lights?"

  She nodded.

  "But, they're just lights. Not precious stones.” His brow was furrowed as he struggled to make sense out of what she was telling him.

  This time she had to shake her head. “No, you're wrong there. They may just look like normal lights to you because you're looking at them through human eyes. Those globes were made of a particular precious stone mined in Carabia's caves. I know because I've had to serve my fair share of time there."

  The color in his eyes seemed to darken. A series of wrinkles appeared on his forehead. Was that concern for her? Was he getting angry at the thought of someone treating her that way? Surely she was looking into it a little too much.

  "So how did he get you stuck in a string of Christmas lights that wound up inside a box in a human store anyway?"

  By the tone of his voice, she could tell he'd probably been itching to ask that question for a while.

  "Ah, I'm not sure what it was that Carabia wanted to achieve this time. All I know is that there was a powerful being he wanted to defeat, and we were to be the bait,” Natala answered with a shrug. “He was after someone not quite human that passes himself off as one. But before we could breakout under Carabia's call, I watched through the globe and saw the old man entrap him along with us. Then we were placed somewhere dark, for a long time in a magically-charged sleep of nothingness. I don't know what happened in between."

  "How did you wake up and bust out of there then?” Noel avoided her eyes now, his gaze pinned to the bed.

  "I think it's because of something you did."

  "Me?” He lifted his head and looked at her wide-eyed. “I'm just an average guy with too many problems."

  "The fact that we ended up under your possession has to mean something."

  "This man that defeated Carabia, what did he look like?"

  She thought for a moment. Even between the long sleep of darkness, she could see his face clearly. Could still remember the friendly face and care he took to package them away safely.

  "Well, he was an old man with wiry white hair and glasses at the end of his nose. He was short and walked with a limp,” she said. Every detail was inside her head—clear as if he were in the same room.

  "Was he wearing green and red?"

  She nodded.

  "Did he have a beard?"

  "Yes, a bushy beard. Why?"

  "I think the man that saved your life is the same man that sold the lights to me,” Noel answered in a whisper.

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  Chapter Five

  He couldn't believe it. Natala had just described the old man behind the counter. The man with red cheeks and the jolly belly laugh, without the belly. He remembered thinking how much the old man looked like Santa Claus, and had to bite his tongue to keep from saying so. He'd been pretty insistent about Noel buying this specific box of lights. Now that he thought about it, he'd even referred to Noel by his first name.

  At the time he'd just assumed his nametag was still pinned onto his uniform. Now that this was coming to light, he really couldn't be sure.

  "Did he give you a name?"

  Noel shook himself out of the reverie. “A name ... ah, no. I don't think so, but the store was called Nick's Trinkets."

  "Was this the first time you went into this store?” The last word was spoken in a strange tone, as if she'd never heard of one before. Surely they had stores in the Underworld.

  "Yes, and come to think of it, this was the first time I've ever bothered to buy anything for Christmas.” He scratched his head and stood up. Noel paced the room from one side to the other. “Now that we're talking about it, there was this strange feeling I got when I walked past it. Almost as if I was being urged to step inside."

  Natala stared at him. He tried not to let that distract him from his line of thought.

  "You probably were."

  "So what're you saying? That this old man wanted me, out of all the guys in this world, to stop by and buy these specific lights from him?” It just didn't seem to fit into the grand scheme of his life. That would mean there was something special about him. Something that, for one reason or another, made him stand out enough to be singled out by a magical creature. He'd only ever been singled out with dark moments.

  Natala nodded. “Yes, I would say exactly that."

  "Then I need to go back to speak to this man."

  "That may not help."

  "If I take you with me, he'll have to speak to me.” Noel was convinced the old man would help.

  "I won't be able to leave the house,” Natala whispered as she smoothed the covers out on top of her.

  "Why not?” He frowned at the revelation.

  "As long as Carabia is connected to me, I'm still under his control. I can't move if he can't.” The sadness in her voice made his heart wrench.

  At that moment he knew he had to help her break the circle of slavery. No matter what he had to do, Noel was going to help break her loose. And since the Internet helped open his eyes a little more, and he knew he wasn't dealing with some petty monster, he knew where to start.

  "That's okay. I'll go on my own."

  "Noel, really, I don't want you to put yourself in any danger.” She made a move to get out of the bed.

  He stepped forward with both palms raised in front of him.

  "No, Natala, please get some more rest. I won't be in any danger where I'm going,” he said with a confident smile. Somehow, he had a feeling that whatever was meant to happen would all unleash itself on Christmas Day. He looked at the alarm clock on the table on the other side of the bed.

  It was seven o'clock on Christmas Eve, plenty of time to walk the few blocks to Nick's Trinkets, with plenty of summer daylight to spare. “You need to rest, or have something more to eat. There are also fresh towels in the bathroom next door, if you'd like a shower or a bath."

  She seemed to recognize bath. He couldn't help but smile, and feel his pulse quicken at the thought of her being completely naked in his spa.

  "Okay, I'll stay here ... but please be careful."

  "And you be careful with the demon. I promise I won't be long.” On total impulse, Noel closed the distance between them, leaned over and planted a quick kiss on the top of her head. Her hair smelled like smoke and flowers. It had a dizzying effect on him. When he pulled away he found her staring at him with a dumbstruck look on her face that she tried to
hide by shifting her position on the bed.

  "Yes, I'll be careful,” Natala whispered.

  "Good.” Noel turned away, and left the room knowing she was still watching him. He headed out into the corridor and paused in front of the linen closet. He waited for the demon to react but there was nothing, not a single sound from the other side. As much as he hated to leave her here on her own, he had no doubt Natala could do more against the trapped demon than he could. Up until she'd magically appeared in his living room, Noel hadn't witnessed anything quite as amazing and beyond factual explanation.

  Is that how humans lived most of their lives? Never knowing there was more to the world than their own mediocre existence? He'd lived years saddened by the streak of bad luck life had dealt for him, but he'd never been forced into slavery.

  He wasn't trying to belittle all the bad stuff he'd lived through, but certainly realized there was always someone worse off.

  "I won't let you have her again,” he whispered to the closed door.

  That got the demon's attention. He slammed against the door and the symbols around the doorframe lit up.

  This time, Noel didn't jump because he truly meant it.

  This Christmas, he was going to allow himself a gift.

  * * * *

  Natala's body jolted when she heard the bang against the door echo inside the room. Something inside her brain pounded in sequence to each sharp sound. It was the demon. Carabia was restless, probably trying to use whatever means he could to escape from the clutches of the wards she'd laid out against him. If it wasn't because they were all trapped beneath the roof of this house, he would've found a way outside already.

  When she heard another door open and shut, she leaned back and pushed further into the pillows behind her. The spot on her head where Noel had kissed her was like a beacon. A pulse that throbbed and kept all her attention glued to it.

  Why was she feeling this glow inside her stomach and flutter within her heart? She'd been as tough as nails for as long as she could remember, even before the demons came to the Wilds and decided to capture her kind for their own devices. There'd never been a single soul able to tame her wild spirit, even though several tried back when the imps roamed free as civilized beings.

  A true blood female was often sought out by many males, all wanting to be the one to capture her heart. But none ever did. They were too arrogant, too nice, too annoying, too weak—there was always a reason to turn them down. The truth was she'd never found someone that ignited a spark inside her.

  Until now ... but she didn't want to think about that at the moment. What were the consequences for falling in love with a human? Seconds after being released from the light globe, all she'd wanted was to release her cousins from their prison as well. But the presence of Carabia muddled everything. He wasn't supposed to be here. Yet, if Noel was on his way to see the person that had somehow entrapped the demon inside the same string of lights, then it explained why he was here ... but not why he was the only other prisoner able to roam free.

  That was a mystery she hoped to soon figure out.

  For now, she was going to try to relax for a while and take Noel's advice. Natala had a feeling it was only a matter of time before she would have to face Carabia. There was something inside her that told her this was it—her destiny was within her grasp. There were too many demons to challenge in hell, but she could conquer this one.

  Natala pushed the soft material off her body and stood up. Every muscle in her body felt rigid, much worse than when she'd collapsed in a heap. She hadn't counted on how the long hibernation would affect her limbs. Still, it was nothing that more rest and a good bath wouldn't fix.

  She noticed the face of a woman inside a wooden frame on a tall piece of furniture to her left. Natala wasn't sure of the names of many of the things she'd spied inside Noel's house, but it all looked similar to the furnishings she'd known as a true blood.

  She moved closer to inspect the face of a woman with long dark hair. Some of it curled around her thin face, while the rest sat in front of her shoulders and past where the picture ended. She was pretty with dark eyes and a wide smile that showed off her perfect white teeth. Who was this woman?

  Natala's heart sank when she moved to the right and saw the same woman with her arms wrapped around Noel. They were both smiling. He stared at her like she was the only woman in the world for him.

  It was the same man that had offered her shelter and food. The one driving her mad with this confused state inside her body. But there was something different about him in this picture. There seemed to be more life in his face, and his eyes looked so much younger.

  She closed hers for a second and released a heavy breath.

  It was her own fault. She should've known that a man so kind and with such good looks would already be attached to another female. Natala had to stop the distraction and focus on what was important here. Matters of the heart would only result in pain because at the end of the day, they were each very different creatures.

  She opened her eyes and headed out into the corridor to work out how to take a bath the human way. As she entered the corridor a little further, her skin crawled.

  The violation of Carabia's gaze on her skin made a shiver race down her spine. He knew she was here. He was also very angry.

  It's only a matter of time, he whispered inside her mind.

  "No, you're finished this time, Carabia."

  You filthy little imp. I'm going to squash you with my foot as soon as we cross paths. And take the power from you that belongs to me!

  She shook her head. She was only imagining this, wasn't she? Natala took another step into the tiled room and looked at the open window. A beam of light danced on the floor beneath.

  "You're wrong Carabia, about a lot of things."

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  Chapter Six

  Noel walked down the street and for the first time in his life felt like whistling. He looked down at his wedding finger, and noticed that the sun had done its job at coloring the white mark that had announced he'd once worn a wedding band.

  It took him a few years to remove it, but knew the only way to let his wife rest was to remove the physical item. Not the memory and mental image of their time together, just the token. It was stupid to delude himself into thinking that if he kept the gold ring on, her memory would remain real.

  The only way for Nancy to stay real for him was to never forget her. Until today, he'd honestly thought that would include staying away from other women. Now he realized the reason he'd stayed away from other women was because he just hadn't been interested. Noel was a hard man to please in the female department, so he was very surprised at the way Natala made him feel inside. She was a gorgeous petite thing. Noel could honestly lose the entire night just thinking about the way her hair always seemed to fall over her forehead. Or the way the strange outfit sat on her body. Though as attracted as he was to her looks, it went much deeper than that. There was a spark between them, a certain comfort he rarely felt with others.

  Right now, if there was any chance of them ever being together, he had to help her clear up this mess.

  And he definitely had to get that demon out of his house! The thought made his skin crawl with disgust. So much for being introduced to the paranormal one bit at a time. He'd been dumped in the deep end. Now he had to somehow swim over to the shallow end with Natala in tow.

  When he looked up, Noel noticed he'd walked past the blocks faster than ever before. A sense of urgency could do that to a person, he supposed. He turned his head away from the sun that was still in the sky. It had dropped lower but was still high enough to warm his skin.

  There it was, to his right side.

  The store he'd purchased the Christmas lights from was now a boarded up abandoned mess. Newspapers had been stuck to the glass door from the inside. There was only one window with a small space left uncovered. Several pamphlets had been dumped on the doorstep, and someone had stuck a
poster for an upcoming movie on the side wall.

  "What the hell?” he whispered as he ran a hand through his hair and took a step forward. He cupped his hands around his eyes and tried to look inside, but it was impossible with the amount of paper stuck from the inside.

  Noel dropped his hands and wiped the grime on his jeans.

  What was he supposed to do now? How could a store that had been as flashy as any he'd ever wandered into before and been filled with activity last week now be nothing more than an eyesore on this street?

  He sighed and turned around to leave. What was the point of hanging around?

  I just wanted to help her, he thought to himself. He'd have to find another way. Maybe if he told her the truth, and admitted that he'd wished for companionship this Christmas seconds before she appeared, it would help.

  Noel turned back the way he'd come. He took the first step forward before he caught movement from the corner of his left eye. His heart was beating fast. Surely it was just his imagination. There wasn't light where there'd been nothing seconds before, was there?

  He turned his face and shook his head in amazement. There it was. No newspapers or rubbish on the ground. It was the same store he remembered, with the candy cane name above the door—Nick's Trinkets.

  As much as he wanted to step inside, something held him back. None of this made any sense, didn't feel real at all.

  "Are you going to stand there looking like a stunned mullet all day?” a familiar voice called from inside.

  Noel took a deep breath and released it very slowly. He took one step at a time toward the open glass door. He distracted himself by gazing at the small train set in the window, as it raced around a fake snow-covered mountain. The chuga-chuga sound filled his ears as he stepped into the store.

  A sense of happiness and safety buzzed around his body, a detail he hadn't noticed before. His eyes wandered everywhere, to see if he noticed anything out of the ordinary—magical. But everything looked like standard Christmas toys. All a little too old-fashioned, but ordinary toys nonetheless.