In the end, my friends and I had gotten the job done.
My phone dinged with an incoming text. I stopped walking while I fished it out of my crochet shoulder bag. I figured it was my mom with a dinner update, but the text was from Noel. When I opened it, a picture appeared of Noel, Dante, Ashley, and Joss squeezed together in front of a Christmas tree with bat ornaments hanging from the branches. Noel and Dante wore red and green party hats. Dante was lifting a carton of eggnog while Ashley pinched her nose beside him in disgust. Joss’s face was a bit blurry, like he’d been shaking his head when the photo was taken, but even he looked unabashedly content.
Noel had typed: Happy holidays from your friends in the Far North.
I smiled at the photo and held it up for Fane to see. He took one look and chuckled.
“Glad they’re enjoying their holiday.”
I typed back: xox
As soon as I’d returned the phone to my bag, it dinged again. I pulled it back out to read a new text from Noel.
Wish you were here, suckers.
I chuckled and put the phone away.
“All right, Mr. Manners. Let’s go back and help my mom and grandmother in the kitchen.”
“That’s the holiday spirit,” Fane said with a smug smile.
At least I knew there would be no cookie decorating. The only thing I cared about was spending time with loved ones.
As we headed back down the beach toward the car, I could feel my heart lifting—my whole spirit soaring above the horizon, free as a bird.
I never imagined I’d make it to this point. There were too many times I feared I’d never escape the agency. The worst moments were when I’d thought I wouldn’t end up with Fane or that something bad would happen to my family or friends.
A fresh wave of emotion rolled over me. My feet stopped in the sand. My throat tightened as I looked out over the ocean.
When my eyes found Fane’s, he raised his dark eyebrows. His blond mop of hair was messy on top of his head, giving him a sexy beach-boy look at odds with the goth guy I’d first come to know in Anchorage.
“I wish I could bottle this moment up and keep it with me forever,” I said, my voice thick with emotion. As my hand slipped up my thigh to the opening on my bag, Fane caught my wrist and held it gently.
“You can’t photograph a moment like this,” he said softly. “You have to commit it to memory.” His hand brushed against my waist, leaving tingles in its wake. “Take a look around you. Do you see it? Do you hear it? Can you feel it?” Fane’s voice carried like a sigh over the sand.
The ocean waves whispered in my ears. The light, warm Florida breeze caressed my bare skin. Knowing my friends and family were safe filled my heart with the purest joy. Having Fane beside me meant the world.
I slipped my arm around his waist and hugged him against me.
“Yes,” I answered. “I’ll remember this moment always.”
Thank you to all the diehards who stuck by Aurora’s side through thick and thin!
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For more urban fantasy by Nikki Jefford, check out the Spellbound Trilogy. Book one is FREE in eBook.
Hiding her powers was never a problem for seventeen-year-old Graylee Perez. Not until her diabolical twin sister decided to go on a rampage that could expose them all or get someone hurt.
To add to the aggravation, coven reject Raj McKenna catches Gray performing a complex spell and is convinced they would make a powerful couple. He can delude himself all he wants. Gray has sworn off dating warlocks, especially delinquents who play with fire.
But even Gray’s mysterious death won’t deter Raj, not after Gray is brought back from the great beyond. Only she’s not truly back. Her body’s still six feet under and she’s on borrowed time. There are forces threatening Gray’s existence and a powerful wizard willing to help . . . for a price. Gray doesn’t know who to trust or how long she has left before she vanishes for good, but she’s determined to stick around no matter what the cost.
Download your free copy HERE.
Other Books by Nikki Jefford
Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter
Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, Vol. 1)
Northern Bites (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, Vol. 2)
Stakeout (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, Vol. 2.5)
Evil Red (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, Vol. 2.6)
Bad Blood (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, Vol. 3)
Hunting Season (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, Vol. 4)
Night of the Living Dante (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, Vol. 4.5)
Whiteout (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, Vol. 5)
True North (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, Vol. 6)
The Spellbound Trilogy
Entangled (Spellbound #1)
Duplicity (Spellbound #2)
Enchantment (Spellbound #3)
Holiday Magic (A Spellbound Christmas story)
True North (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, Vol. 6) Page 29