by Kristie Cook
She leaned up on her toes, pressing her chest against his. Their hearts beat in unison as they tried to gaze into each other’s eyes. She once again grabbed the bottom of her mask and lifted. It peeled slowly away, from chin to lips to nose to brow, and as it did, the music faded away. The lights dimmed. The sweet fragrance dissipated. The man whose face she didn’t know reached out for her, but his fist closed around nothing. His image wavered and swirled, becoming nothing more than a mist.
Jessie blinked.
Darkness engulfed her. She closed her eyes again, but the darkness remained when she opened them. Her gaze darted around as her mind re-oriented itself to her surroundings.
“Shit!” she groaned.
She was in her own room, wearing the same jeans and t-shirt she’d worn to work that day.
Chapter 4
Had it really been a dream?
“No!” Jessie snapped out loud, although there was no evidence to the contrary. No fancy clothes lay on the floor or hung in the closet. No sexy hair and makeup showed in the mirror when she stopped in the bathroom. No sweet smell lingered on her skin and no taste of cinnamon on her lips or tongue. And definitely no furry mask to be found anywhere in her apartment. She’d already torn it apart, trying to disprove what was so obvious: she’d dreamt the whole thing.
But it had felt so real.
She didn’t remember leaving the bar and coming home, but apparently she’d done just that. She glanced at the clock on her bedside table: 12:24. She’d slept right through midnight. How lame!
“Well, at least it had been a good dream,” she muttered, and she threw herself on the bed, hoping that if she fell asleep, the dream would continue.
No such luck. She did fall back to sleep, but her dreams were fleeting. Snatches of the faerie ball showed, as though her mind tried to grasp the beautiful dream but couldn’t bring it back to life. She woke up grumpy the next morning, glad it was a holiday so she could stay home by herself, drink coffee, and lose herself in a good book. She’d just snuggled under the covers with a mug in one hand and her ereader in the other when there was a knock on her door.
“Jessie, someone’s here to see you,” Sundae called to her.
Jessie considered not responding, pretending like she was still asleep, hoping Sundae—and the visitor—would go away. There was no one she’d want to see right now. Who would come to see her anyway?
Sundae knocked again. “Are you okay?”
“Um—” Jessie cleared her throat. “I don’t feel well. I think I’ve come down with something.”
The door burst open then. Jessie mewled with surprise.
“Sorry,” Sundae said, “but she wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. You know how they are.”
Jessie frowned at her boss and landlady, who stood in the doorway wearing her usual low-cut jeans and a tight sweater that showed off all her curves. Her straight brown, almost black, hair swung against her shoulders as she looked behind her. A small body pushed past her. A petite woman, smaller than even Jessie, with black and purple hair that hung far down her back, strode into Jessie’s apartment.
“I’m not the only one looking for you,” Becca, the faerie, said.
Jessie blinked. She looked at Sundae. The pack leader shrugged, but then a small smile lifted one corner of her mouth.
“Actually, I did hear something ...” Sundae said, but she didn’t finish.
“What’s going on?” Jessie demanded as she placed her mug on the nightstand and dropped her ereader to the bed. “Someone needs to explain!”
She couldn’t believe the faerie from her dream was standing in her very room now. She’d never even met Becca before, and here she was! And Sundae wasn’t surprised by it at all.
“I’m what’s going on,” said a familiar male voice that made Jessie’s stomach flip over. Sundae had stepped into the apartment and now Jack walked in, too.
Jessie jumped up from bed and immediately regretted it. She hadn’t bothered changing out of her purple and hot-pink striped pajama bottoms and tank top. She suddenly felt naked and vulnerable and wished she’d remained under the covers.
“I ... uh ... don’t understand.” She couldn’t help the stammer. She may have been in her own home, but she was completely out of her comfort zone. Jack was in her place! In her one-room place! In her bedroom, in other words.
“Does this, by chance, belong to you?” Jack asked, and he held up what looked like a dog’s head. No, a wolf’s, and only its face.
Jessie laughed, and it sounded a bit on the hysterical side. “Why would I have a wolf’s face?”
“It’s a mask,” Jack clarified.
Jessie’s brows pushed together. “Okay, a mask. You know what I am, Jack. I’d never—”
Becca, who stood behind Jack still, cleared her throat. “Well, yes, you would.”
Jessie looked at the faerie. “Yes, I would what?”
“You’d wear a mask like that. In fact, you did. Last night. At my party?”
The air seemed to suck out of her lungs again, but not because she’d flashed. Her reality was crumbling all around her.
“I ... didn’t go to a party last night.”
“Of course you did!” Sundae and Becca said at the same time.
“I saw you there,” Sundae said. “At least, now I know it was you. I kind of thought so, but the mask threw me. Never thought I’d see a cat wearing a dog mask.”
“Because I wouldn’t!”
“But you did,” Becca insisted. “I gave it to you, remember? And I told you that taking it off would ruin the magic. So when you removed it, we had to send you back here.”
Jessie plopped down on her bed and dropped her head into her hands. “So let me get this straight. I went to the faerie ball.”
“Yes. I helped you get ready, remember?”
“And I wore a wolf mask? That you gave me?”
“Yes.”
“And why on earth would you do that to me?” This last question came through gritted teeth. She was proud to be a cat. The thought of looking like a dog, even a wolf, freaked her out.
“I was told to,” Becca said. “Not my decision.”
Jessie was about to ask whose it was—if all of this was true and everything that had happened last night wasn’t a dream, it must have been Hell after her—but Jack stopped her by taking two steps closer. He stood in front of her now and knelt down to her eye level. He held not only her mask in his hand, but another as well. Red and black and silver metal.
“I think the wolf mask was for me, so I’d know you,” he said quietly. He looked down at the masks in his hand as he continued. “I wasn’t even going to go, but Gray got me to thinking when he said all the Amadis would be there. There was only one person I would want to see, but I’d been denying my feelings for months now. So I thought maybe if I went, I’d find the one I was really supposed to be with. I even said to myself, ‘I’ll know her when I see her.’” He paused and looked up at Jessie, and she felt the same pierce into her soul that she’d felt last night. “The only woman I saw was the one I’d wanted all along, and she was dressed specifically for me.”
Jessie stared at him for a long moment, blinking back the hope that insisted on rising, a tangible feeling growing in her chest.
“And you’re here because ...” The words came out in a whisper, her throat too dry to manage anything more.
Jack glanced at the masks. “Because it’s a New Year. A fresh start. Time for me to stop making excuses and to act on what’s right. And you’re right for me, Jessie.” She began to shake her head, but he pressed his hand against her cheek and stopped her. “I’ve known how right you are since that day I found you in the woods.”
“But I’m ... I’m a cat, Jack. This can never work.”
“Do you want it?” Sundae asked from behind Jack. Jessie had forgotten anyone else besides the two of them were still in the room.
“It doesn’t matter,” Jessie said. “Your pack—”
“My p
ack wants what’s best for each member,” Sundae interrupted. “And you and Jack are best for each other. It’s been clear to the rest of us for months. We’ve been waiting on the two of you to realize it.”
Jessie sucked in her bottom lip and gnawed on it as she looked at Sundae, then Becca, then Jack. His hand still pressed against her face, and his thumb stroked her cheek. She couldn’t believe her dream had come true! That it actually happened. And now the man she’d thought she could never have was on his knees in front of her, practically begging her to take him.
“Can I have that kiss I missed last night now?” he asked as he leaned in closer. He waved a hand behind him, dismissing the onlookers.
“My job here is done,” Becca said happily. “And yes, you do owe me. Both of you.”
She and Sundae disappeared, closing the door behind them, while Jessie flopped backwards on her bed.
“We owe the faeries now,” she groaned.
Jack climbed onto her bed on all fours and placed a hand on each side of her head to hover over her. He lowered himself to only inches above her.
“It will be worth it,” he promised before pressing his mouth to hers.
DESIRE
For our final story, we come back to Alexis and Tristan. On Christmas Eve, they promised each other midnight on New Year’s. But can they keep that promise? As with all of the stories in this holiday collection, this one doesn’t belong anywhere in the main series. It’s just a fun escape from your world and from theirs, as rife with war as it is. So read it with no other purpose but the pure enjoyment of it.
Chapter 1
Every inhabitant of the Amadis Island must have been out in the village tonight to ring in the New Year. A crowd of vampires, mages, and various were-creatures mingled together along the main business avenue and leaked onto the side streets, as well. A festive atmosphere surrounded the area with many laughs and cheers ringing through the air. Christmas decorations still adorned the quaint shops and cafes lining the road, and the village tree was brightly lit in front of the council hall at the top end of the cobblestone street.
This was where I stood, near the ginormous tree about halfway up the hill, my gaze sweeping the crowd for the sandy-brown head that usually rose above most others.
“Still can’t find him?” Blossom, the blond witch and one of my closest friends, asked from right next to me.
“Nope. Where could he possibly be?”
“You didn’t set a place to meet?”
“I didn’t expect to lose track of him!” I looked up at the bald man standing next to Blossom. “You’re sure you didn’t see where he went, Jax?”
The four of us had been walking along the main street together, drinking cider and chatting, when Blossom saw a shop of magical baubles and brews she wanted to check out. The guys stayed outside while we ducked in, and when we emerged, they were nowhere to be seen. We found Jax down the street at the pub, but no Tristan.
“Sorry, Princess,” the were-croc said. “Had to take a leak. He said somethin’ about needin’ to go soon when the clock rang eleven, but we chaps don’t need to hold each other’s hand like you lasses do. Maybe he meant go as in leave, though, because when I came out, he was gone. He’s probably lookin’ for you, Princess.”
I glanced at the clock on the council hall: 11:19. That’s plenty of time to find him. But when I reached out mentally to search for his mind signature, I couldn’t even find that. Where the hell could he be? I blew out a frustrated breath and at the same time, my eyes fell on a blond head, hair the color of straw, about twenty yards away.
Owen, have you seen Tristan? I asked him telepathically.
The warlock cocked his head to the side, then slowly turned until his eyes landed on me. “He’s not with you?”
He was, but now he’s gone.
He shrugged. “I know he had something crazy planned for the two of you, so I don’t know why he’d take off without you.”
I flashed down to him and put my fists on my hips.
“What do you mean?” I demanded out loud. I knew of no special plans for us, especially crazy ones. “What kinds of plans?”
Owen made an oops face. “Was it supposed to be a surprise? He didn’t sound like it. Said you two made plans last week. You’re sure you’re not forgetting something?”
I wracked my brain but came up blank. “Did he say where?”
“Not really. He just said I didn’t need to worry about protecting you tonight. He’d take care of it. Which, of course, makes me worry.”
I frowned. “Why would I need protection? We’re on the Amadis Island.”
“Exactly.”
My brows pushed together as I tried to mentally find Tristan again while also trying to figure out what he could possibly have planned. Obviously, whatever it was would not be here in the village because he was nowhere to be found.
“I’m going back to the mansion. Maybe there’s a note ... or he’s cloaked or something.” I flashed away, appearing in the foyer of the matriarch’s mansion on the other side of the small island in the middle of the Aegean Sea.
The large, stone house was unusually quiet, everyone back at the village participating in the New Year’s celebration. Flames danced in wall sconces, throwing shadows on the walls and grand stairs. Following my nose, I climbed the stairs and hurried down the hall of our wing to the end. Tristan’s mouth-watering scent lingered faintly in the air right outside our suite’s door. Maybe he’d had it cloaked and muffled so we could spend some alone time without anyone “hearing” me when my orgasms caused my thoughts to broadcast to anyone in telepathic reach. That was the only explanation for why I couldn’t detect his mind signature, although it meant the cloak would have to be awfully strong magic. And that meant Owen would have had to put it up. So he was in on this all along?
I threw open the suite door and inhaled. Then frowned. Tristan wasn’t here. His tangy-sweet scent of mangos, papayas, lime, sage, and a hint of man remained just as faint as it had been in the hallway. My gaze slid across the dark front room of the suite—empty—and then I moved into the bedroom and bathroom. Empty as well.
“What the hell, Tristan?” I asked out loud. My hand settled on my waist, and my fingers tapped out an impatient rhythm on my hipbone as I once again tried to think if I’d forgotten something. The sheer curtain in the doorway to the balcony blew inward, letting the moonlight shimmer in. The dim light fell on a small, white rectangle on the bed that I hadn’t noticed before but now couldn’t miss. It practically glowed with the moon’s illumination.
An envelope.
I jumped to the bed and snatched it up. My heart leapt with excitement when I saw my name in Tristan’s elegant scrawl on the front. A wax seal covered the tip of the flap on the back with a fancy, Old-English-like K pressed into it. My big, bad warrior could be so mushy and romantic. What had he done now?
My finger slid under the flap, and I very carefully broke the seal. Did he create some kind of fancy invitation? Or maybe he drew me something, a beautiful sketch of where he was? I pulled the card out, stared at the writing and frowned.
A single card. Flat. Four words, blood red on the shining white paper.
“Meet me at midnight.”
“Well, duh,” I muttered. “Of course we’d meet—OH!”
The realization smacked me upside the head. “Meet me at midnight.” Those had been his words last week, when we’d had some alone time on a private little island Christmas Eve. We had to come back to the Amadis Island much sooner than either of us wanted to, so we promised we’d meet tonight.
“I’m so stupid!” I shrieked at myself. How had I forgotten so quickly? Of course, the Daemoni attacks hadn’t stopped for the holidays—in fact, they’d increased seeing that Christmas was the time of year they hated most. We’d taken a short break to celebrate ourselves, but in the days since, we’d been crazy-busy with reports, debriefings, and strategizing.
Without further thought—midnight was fast approaching—I flash
ed to the edge of the shield over the Island, appearing in the middle of the sea. Then I flashed again toward Athens, to the tiny private island I’d found for our Christmas celebration. I appeared on the beach, and the island was completely dark. No candles floating in the water or lighting the beach. No light in the house either. Shit. Had I been wrong?
“I began to worry you’d stand me up.”
Chapter 2
Tristan’s voice filled my head as soon as I touched on his mind signature. I spun around, and my beautiful husband stepped out of the foliage near the French doors that led from the beach to the bedroom. Wearing khaki pants and a light-colored button-down shirt, he looked as sexy as ever. And then his mouth stretched into a smile, a sublime grin that made my heart flip and my knees melt just as much now as the first time he flashed it at me so many years ago.
I rushed to him and threw my arms around his neck. One of his hands clasped my waist while he held up a finger against my lips.
“I couldn’t get anyone out here to cloak or shield this island,” he whispered. “That’s why it’s so dark. I don’t want to draw the wrong kind of attention to this place.”
I nodded. He meant Daemoni attention.
“Yeah, well, as soon as you make my mental wall fall, everyone in a ten-mile radius will know we’re here,” I teased.
He gave me a sexy smile. “I hope we can get that far. We’ll just have to pay attention as long as we can and hope for the best. For now ...” He leaned in closer and pressed his forehead against mine. The gold in his eyes sparkled brightly, mesmerizing me, as our breaths mingled in the small space between us. His tongue swept over his lips, and my own couldn’t help but imitate. “For now, I’d be happy with a kiss at midnight.”