“WHAT DO YOU DO FOR CHRISTMAS?” I asked Killian.
We were waiting for Dec to show up with another box of shells. Killian was helping me learn to shoot my new gun. Killian and Sean had argued for hours over the right gun for me. Eventually Killian won the argument, and I got a bad ass new Sig Sauer P229. I hefted it in my hand and smiled like an idiot. I had a real gun! Unfortunately I couldn’t seem to hit anything with it. After two boxes of shells, I wasn’t qualified yet. Killian shook his head a lot but didn’t criticize. In my opinion, I was hitting things pretty well. Patiently, he kept pointing out that I was supposed to be hitting specific things, on purpose . . . not just anything that sat in the general direction I pointed the gun. Apparently those hits didn’t count. So Dec went to get another box of shells. I think he’s just trying to torture me. It’s freezing out here. I rubbed my hands together to keep my fingers from getting stiff. They didn’t seem to have that problem. Killian wore a sweatshirt but no gloves or hat. Whatever their biology, they didn’t seem to get cold . . . must be that extra energy they carried around. I rubbed my dripping nose on my coat sleeve and waited for an answer.
He wrinkled his nose, and replied, “Christmas? Are we really going to have this conversation?” His lips thinned in annoyance. I was a thorn in his side.
“What? You don’t celebrate? At all? Isn’t it like, your boss’ birthday?”
He choked on a laugh. “My boss? That’s rich. Is Jesus your boss? Is that why you celebrate Christmas?”
“Well, no. But . . . you guys . . . are . . . but, but, He’s Jesus!”
He threw back his head and laughed long and hard before finally settling back to his more dignified self. “Mica, the celebration of Christmas is a religious tradition for people. It’s part of a lot of different religions. We respect that—totally. But we’re not like people. We don’t observe any religious traditions or even human social traditions unless we have to for cover.”
“So you don’t ever put up a tree or anything?”
“No. It’s just another day for us.” His lips were still twitching with the urge to laugh, but he smothered them with the back of his hand.
I was about to say something else when Dec jogged over with the box of shells. Killian looked relieved. Casual conversation wasn’t his thing.
“All right, let’s try this again. Mica, use the sight to line up your target. I think you’re just pointing the gun but aren’t using the sight. Use it. That’s why it’s there.”
Okay, but what you don’t seem to understand is I AM using the sight . . . aloud, I simply said, “Yes, drill sergeant!”
An hour later, Killian and I were back in the farmhouse defrosting. Dec took off to get some food. I was a block of frozen girl parts. I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to move my toes again . . . I took off my boots and socks and cringed as the heat from the fireplace hit my frozen toes. God, this hurts! I leaned back in my chair and grimaced while things defrosted.
“What’s the matter with you?”
I cracked an eye, and whined, “My toes are frozen. Unlike you, oh glorious leader, I don’t have a built in heat lamp. My parts freeze if left in the snow too long.” On cue, another toe-curling slash of pain rolled through my foot, and I groaned while trying to arch away from my foot.
Crouching, he examined my poor white toes. For such a big man, he was surprisingly gentle. When he was done, he rested his hand on my ankle while he favored me with a sheepish smile. Was he actually chagrined? Huh. This was new. Did he have some human qualities, after all? He mumbled something under his breath and wrapped his big hands around one of my feet. As usual, his hand was unnaturally warm.
I yanked my foot away with a cry. “Ouch! Too hot, too hot! You’re making it worse!” I cradled my foot while breathing hard over the throbbing pain.
He snapped, “Oh, fine. Just hold still and I’ll fix it.” He wrapped his hand around my foot again. His hands were cooler this time. It was a nice try but didn’t make much of a difference. I was still gritting my teeth as the blood defrosted and flowed again. It ached all the way up my leg.
“Still hurts?” he asked with a puzzled frown.
Stifling another whiny reply, I nodded miserably.
His face lit with an idea. He dragged over a footstool and sat across from me with my feet in his lap so he could hold them both at the same time. He closed his eyes and concentrated. I was fascinated by the crease between his eyes. In spite of his generally prickly disposition, he really was a good-looking man. I guess his holier-than-thou attitude was partially earned . . . And he had beautiful strong hands, too. After a few seconds, his fingertips lightened to a faint gold. The shimmering illumination flowed slowly from his fingers and over my toes and feet. The change was barely noticeable, but I recognized it. In a minute, both of my feet were surrounded. He was concentrating completely on what he was doing. A bead of sweat trickled down one side of his face. This was a side of him I’d never seen before. I had no idea how much effort this took. I had a whole new appreciation for Sean now . . .
His plan was definitely working, and my feet were feeling almost normal again. With a moan of pleasure, I settled more deeply into the chair and rested my eyes while Killian worked his magic.
A shocked voice interrupted us. “Killian! What is the meaning of this?”
Killian jumped like he’d been scalded. His face flushed red, and he rushed over to greet our visitor. He was very tall and powerfully built with blond hair that rested on his shoulders. He wasn’t handsome. He looked like he was carved from stone. He had arresting features—strong cheekbones, a long straight nose, and vivid blue eyes. He carried himself like a general or maybe a king . . . hard to tell, and I wasn’t going to ask. I automatically tried to stand to greet him too. My feet weren’t working quite right after being abruptly yanked away from Killian. I had pins and needles and wobbled unsteadily when I stood up. I grabbed the chair for balance just as Dec appeared in the doorway with three bags of food.
The stranger demanded, “Who is this girl?”
Killian flushed a darker shade of red but answered quickly, “Sir, this is Mica Thomas. We’ve been helping her with some problems.”
“Who’s responsible for her? You, Killian? Or you, Declan?”
Dec stood ramrod straight and replied, “No, sir. Mica is Sean’s charge. He’s away for a few days so we were showing her some ways to protect herself.”
“Surely that’s not necessary? What kind of threat are you preparing for?” His imperious gaze landed on the footstool.
The butt-chewing went on for hours. I was not invited to attend. Thank God! I don’t know who that guy is, but he’s someone important. Dec almost had a stroke when he saw him in the living room. I’m pretty sure he would have disappeared immediately except that the new guy spotted him. I didn’t want to miss the juicy details so I was hanging around in Sean’s room. But geez, they’d been at it for three hours already, and I was getting bored and hungry. The delicious food went with Dec into the meeting, and I’m pretty sure no one was eating it. What a waste. My stomach howled in frustrated demand. I was about to get up to leave when Dec slipped into the room like a ninja.
“Spill it, Dec! What’s going on?”
“Shh! Not right now! Keep your voice down. Grab your things, and let’s get out of here. Hurry up!”
Now what? I jammed my feet into my boots. He was listening at the door while I grabbed my stuff. Are we running away? He grinned like a naughty little boy.
“Dec—” I started to complain.
“Hush! Do you want to get caught? Let’s bolt.”
We were tiptoeing through the back door when disaster struck. My phone rang. And kept ringing because I couldn’t find it in my purse . . . Dec looked like he wanted to strangle me. Oh, please go to voicemail and shut up! I was digging for the phone while Dec towed me behind him. We rounded the porch to the driveway and stopped dead. Correction—he stopped dead—I ran into him and then stopped dead. The still-ringing phone landed in
the snow.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Uh-oh. Killian did not look happy. He was directly in front of me, so close his chest was touching mine, and he was furious. I craned my neck to see his face, and yep, he was uber angry. His eyes were backlit with blue flame. If that wasn’t a big enough clue, the wave of heat coming off of him synched it for me. He was trying very hard not to kill me right then.
I took a step or three back and appealed to Dec for clarification. “I’m confused. What did I do?”
Killian dropped any pretense of humanity as his voice lowered an octave to an incredulous snarl that struck like a whip. “You? You just about got me fired! Do you know who that was? Your weakness nearly got me shipped to the other side of the world!”
I was stunned. I didn’t know what to say to any of that. He still had plenty to say, though. Before he could call me any seriously ugly names, Dec stepped between us. “Leave her alone, dude. This isn’t her fault.”
He clapped onto Killian’s shoulder to shove him back, and Killian threw him across the porch with one hand. My mouth fell open. Roaring with fury, Dec charged him from the side. They collided and flew off the steps to the yard. Killian landed in a pile of snow which promptly melted around him in a hiss of steam. Whoa! Dec rocketed to his feet to go at it again. Curses flew as fast as fists and feet. A spray of blood hit me in the face.
“Stop it! Both of you! What is the matter with you?”
They froze, bloodied fists raised in mid-punch. Dec had a cut under his eye that was bleeding all over his shirt, while Killian had a busted lip. Growling more insults, they exchanged threatening glances but stopped beating the hell out of each other. Idiots!
“Killian, I am so sorry you got in trouble because of me! You know, you have to know, I wouldn’t want that. I’d never do anything to get you in trouble! You can’t blame me for this . . . bad timing today. I know you got chewed out, but you’re still the boss here, right? If not, I’d think you’d be gone already, right?” I walked up to him and stood on my tiptoes to try to look him in the eye. “If it will make you feel better, I’ll leave and not come back. I’ll stay out of your way from now on. Is that what you need to hear?”
He stared at me for a minute without saying a word. His unblinking eyes scared me more than his anger. Finally, he whirled around and kicked a pile of snow. It disintegrated in a puff. He growled, “I really need to kill something right now. Dec, let’s go kill some demons.”
Dec tugged his shirt over his head to mop at his face. Peering over the bloody material, he asked, “Can I eat first?”
It was finally Christmas Eve. Mother Nature was into the Christmas spirit and had dumped a foot of snow all over the area. The sky was clear now, and a bazillion stars were sparkling above. I was standing in the driveway marveling at them and looking for one that was shooting around so I could wish on it. The snow came up to Domino’s belly, but she didn’t mind. She was bounding through the yard like a deer. Now she was rolling around in it. She was one weird dog. Is she making snow angels? I shook my head. That dog has lost her mind—no dignity at all. She stopped rolling around and gave me a dirty look. Oh, lighten up! It’s Christmas!
The whole yard was a Christmas card. Dad and Janet decorated the house with lights and a tree. It was very festive and bright. Janet’s touch, I’m sure. Dad just did what he was told. It was very nice. I sighed a little wistfully though. My mom and I used to decorate our tree together every year. I missed that fat old plastic tree. I missed her too. It’s hard to believe it’s been almost two years since she died. I still missed her a lot, but the pain was mostly gone now. I’ve learned to accept it and move on with my life. So many bizarre things have happened that I can’t remember having a typical life anymore. I don’t have the luxury of wallowing in the past or dreaming of the future. I have to focus on today. Finally! A star streamed overhead, and I quickly said my wish before it disappeared. I crossed my fingers for added support and went inside to eat Christmas Eve dinner.
Around 2 a.m., I woke abruptly from a dream. I sat up, blinking to clear my vision. The dream’s fuzzy edges were still teasing me. What was I dreaming about? I couldn’t remember anything but a blinding white light and a lingering feeling of doom. Strange . . . usually I remember my dreams. I couldn’t get the images back this time. I rolled over and spooned with the dog, pondering. As I drifted back into oblivion, something teased at my mind. Something I needed to remember . . .
Christmas day dawned bright and blue-skied. It was also freezing cold and windy. The wind howled through the trees; my cue to snuggle deeper into my blanket. It was too early to get up anyway. The clock said it was only 7:00. I groaned. Why, exactly, am I awake at this ungodly hour? I started to roll over again when I saw him in the doorway.
“Sean!” I practically tackled him to the floor. “When did you get back?”
He wrapped an arm around me, drawing me close to nuzzle my neck. “Just now, darlin’. Mmm, you smell good. Merry Christmas. I haven’t been to the farmhouse yet, so I can’t stay long. Killian is waiting for news.” He held me at arms’ length and broke into a huge grin. “Well, you’re a sight for sore eyes!”
“Hang on, I’ll be right back.” I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and cringed when I looked in the mirror. Oh my God! Who was this monster? My hair was doing its best to imitate a hedgehog, while my mascara was smeared under my eyes like a raccoon. Shit. I looked like Marilyn Manson. I thumped myself in the forehead. Ugh! Why, why, why do these things happen to me?
I reappeared with a shiny pink face, and my hair in a ponytail. I curtseyed for effect. “Better?”
He flashed that sexy smile of his, and said, “You know I’ve seen you looking much, much worse. You’re fine. Now come here and talk to me.” He patted the bed. Domino jumped up to curl up against him.
Since the dog stole my spot, I sat cross-legged across from him to drink him in. He needed a haircut. His hair was starting to curl up on his neck and around his ears. It made him look younger and somehow innocent. The shadow on his jaw was a few days old, and his eyes looked tired. They were still that vivid ocean blue, but they looked more shuttered than before. He didn’t hold my gaze very long and looked away. As before, he had a long scratch down one side of his neck and a blue bruise on one cheekbone. He’s been fighting again. Who this time? He seemed happy enough so it must have gone well. He wasn’t covered in ash so it must’ve been humans. Well, that seemed safer than fighting demons. I’m not sure what’s more bizarre to me—the fact that my boyfriend kills demons—or the fact that I just accept it as part of his day.
“I don’t have much time, but I want to share my news with you. I went to visit my mentor to sort some of this out. I told him about you—”
I interrupted. “Me? Did you tell him about us?”
“Very little. Only as much as I needed to. I’m pretty sure he already knows how I feel about you. There are very few secrets among us.” He grimaced at the idea of our business being on the street.
“Sorry, go on. I’ll be quiet.”
“He thinks you have a role to play in what we do, but you are not ready for what’s coming.” He held up a hand. “Yes, you’ve been doing some training, but you don’t know what you’re up against. Humans are one thing; demons are another. There’s a zero percent chance you could survive against a demon.” He smiled wickedly, and added, “And after hearing how bad your aim is, I don’t know if you’d survive against a human.”
“Hey! That’s not fair! I hit targets! It was freezing, and my hands were numb. I know I’ll be better when it’s warmer.”
He yawned with a groan, and said, “Maybe so, but we can’t control the temperature so you have to be able to aim in the cold. This is New York, you know. It’s cold here a lot.”
We talked for another hour or so before he stood up and stretched. He looked pale and more tired. We decided I needed some more training with the gun and a few other things. He still didn’t give me an
y details about their mission other than it involved demons, weapons, and possibly terrorists. Their mentors thought there were other players involved that were confusing the typical battle lines between Primani and demons. The Primani were still getting snatches of intel and didn’t have a clear picture yet. They were getting worried, though and stepping up efforts to track down informants across the east coast. There were more Primani in the area than before, but Sean didn’t know where they were working. He was given orders to hang tight here, keep eyes open, and be ready to move out with no notice. Oh, and keep babysitting me since no one knew what I was capable of yet. He was going to have to help me develop my abilities.
No wonder he was tired.
“Will you stay here and have Christmas morning with my family? I know it’s not your thing, but you just got back, and I’m not ready to let you go yet. Please stay.”
He started to shake his head and stopped. He yawned again, and said, “Okay, but I need a power nap first.”
An hour later, I struggled not to laugh as I watched his version of the power nap. He was lying on my bed looking like any normal person does when they sleep, with a small, but notable, exception—his body was outlined in his saol. It gave a whole new meaning to the power nap.
After Sean recharged his batteries, so to speak, we went to the main house for breakfast and presents. Dad was not especially happy to see us together so early in the morning.
Sean, as usual, had a great cover story. “My family’s from Ireland, and I was really interested in seeing how Americans celebrate Christmas. I hope you don’t mind, I sort of invited myself.” He finished with a totally disarming smile that had Janet flustered and running to the kitchen for fresh coffee.
Dad was less flustered but grunted his acceptance. We spent an hour passing out gifts, and oohing and ahhing over all the things we got. The kids were happily comparing loot and arguing over who got to use the new computer first. Trevor was bouncing up and down with his latest video game and wanted us to leave the living room so he could turn on the Xbox. He was being obnoxious and a little embarrassing. Janet and I were getting breakfast ready when I noticed my dad pull Sean to the side. Uh-oh, what’s this about? I tried to read my dad’s lips, but he was talking too fast. He looked serious, but not particularly angry. Still . . .
“Don’t worry, hon. Your dad’s not chasing him away. He only wants to be sure you’re safe. You know this was a hard year. He worries about you.” Janet shrugged. “Besides, your boyfriend isn’t exactly helpless.”
“Should I rescue him?”
She gestured between the two men. “Sean or your father?”
I saw her point. Dad might be all fatherly and stern, but Sean still looked like a mercenary even when he tried to seem harmless. I tried to see him from a father’s perspective. Um, yeah. The way he carried himself, plus the hard body and watchful eyes, would raise alarm bells in most people. Not to mention he was bruised, unshaven, and towered over my dad’s modest height. No wonder my father was twitchy. Sean seemed to be tolerating the attitude though. His expression was respectful, and he nodded occasionally. What are they talking about? I marched over to save the day.
“Okay, Dad, that’s enough of the third degree. Sean’s harmless!” I winked at my patient boyfriend.
Sean squeezed my fingers a little too hard. Maybe not so patient after all. He pulled my hand up and kissed it softly.
“Harmless, that’s right.” He smiled at my dad to reinforce the words.
Sean whispered in my ear, “I have to get back to the farmhouse. I can hear Killian yelling from here.” He tapped his ear for emphasis.
“I’m coming with you. Give me a minute.”
He waited impatiently by the door while I ran around giving everyone last minute Christmas hugs. My official story was I was spending the afternoon with his family. That was sort of true—the guys were family after all—we wouldn’t be celebrating Christmas though.
We were both quiet on the ride over to the farmhouse. I was thinking, and I don’t know what he was doing. He faced the road but seemed to be seeing much farther away. He was distracted by something. I didn’t want to add to it so I kept to my own thoughts. We pulled up to the house and parked. Someone had thoughtfully cleared snow off the sidewalk so I didn’t have to wade through it. The sidewalk was a weird color though . . . it was . . . blue. Huh? Without thinking, I stepped onto it, promptly falling hard on my butt, cracking my head, and then sliding several feet before stopping. I lay flat on my back, staring up at the indigo sky, watching pretty little sparkles float around my head. Why do these things always happen to me?
Sean hauled me to my feet. I swayed dizzily, but cried, “What did you do to that sidewalk? It’s solid ice!”
Killian appeared in the doorway, looking chagrined. “It’s my fault. I cleared the snow this morning.”
“Snow shovels don’t leave two inches of ice behind. What did you use, a flamethrower?” I joked.
He studied his feet and hesitated. “Something like that . . . I was in a hurry!”
Sean burst out laughing. “Dumb ass.”
Killian flushed. “Shut it, little brother! You weren’t here. I had to improvise.”
Sean doubled over with laughter, finally gasping between chuckles, “Whatever. Come on, love.”
After towing me across the ice to the porch, he stopped by the front door and waited.
“What are we waiting for? Let’s go in. It’s freezing out here!”
“Patience, sweetheart, Dec’s not ready for you yet.” He turned me around to face the yard and wrapped his arms around me. I leaned against him and warmed up. After a minute or two, the front door flew open, and Dec beamed at me. What were they up to?
He was vibrating with so much excitement that he was practically glowing. He nudged Sean aside and put his hands over my eyes. “Close your eyes!”
He spun me around until I was dizzy and laughing before he finally pulled his hands away with a flourish. “Ta da!”
I blinked. I blinked again and tears filled my eyes. “Oh, wow.”
Standing in front of me was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. A tree decorated with gossamer threads of gold, glittering with thousands of crystals, lit by pure saol. Waves of gentle heat floated from it, the very air hummed with energy. They made this with their own saols. For me. I swallowed the lump in my throat. In awe, I ventured closer and was immediately surrounded with an overwhelming feeling of peace. I reached out to touch the crystals, but my hand was shaking so hard I was afraid I would knock the tree over. Sean guided my hand to the tree. I brushed one finger over the brilliant crystals. My fingertip started to seep blood but didn’t hurt.
“Sean? What is this?”
Eyes shining with love, he caught my mouth in a long, lingering kiss, and said, “You’ll be okay, love. Go on now, find your present.” He nodded toward the tree again.
Nestled in between two branches was a small heart-shaped ornament. I started to reach for it, but Sean stopped me.
He picked up my bleeding hand, and said, “No, this one.”
I reached for the ornament, and it moved in my hand as I pulled it out of its hiding place. It wasn’t an ornament at all. It was a locket on a braided gold chain. I sucked in my breath. It was too beautiful to be for me. I blinked back tears again. When I looked up, Killian had joined us. The three of them surrounded me, their faces shining with hope. Then I understood. The heart wasn’t just moving; it was beating. I held it against my cheek to feel the rhythm of it.
Dec broke the spell. “Open it up. It won’t hurt you.”
It had two overlapping circles carved into each half of the locket. Three of the circles were filled with shiny golden drops. The fourth circle was empty. I gazed up at the faces I loved and everything was suddenly crystal clear. I touched the tip of my finger to the locket and watched in amazement as the tiny drop of blood filled the circle and turned to gold.
Chapter 17: Snowflakes and Bloodstains<
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Primani (Primani Series Book One) Page 17