by Liz Schulte
I walked into the closet with the towel wrapped around me. I smiled at Holden’s neat closet, now somewhat cluttered with my clothes.
“You always look beautiful in the white one,” Holden said behind me.
I nodded, but didn’t look at him.
“You still mad?” he asked, slipping his arms around my waist.
I leaned back into him slightly. “Perhaps.”
“Would it help if I said I was an arrogant dick and I should have trusted you?”
At this, I did look at him. “It’s a start. What didn’t you trust me about?”
“What you were doing with Baker. I thought you had some trouble brewing and were keeping it from me.”
Only time would tell if he considered Maggie trouble. “You tried to cancel Christmas.”
He nodded. “I was wrong.”
“So it’s back on?”
“Everyone has been contacted.”
A laugh sputtered from my lips. They all probably thought we were insane. I kissed him, letting the towel slip. He groaned, his fingers digging into my flesh. I nipped at his lip and he kissed me back with the unreserved passion I was used to. He lifted me and my legs wrapped around his waist as his mouth left a hot trail down my throat, his tongue flicking over my pulse and in the hollow of my neck. My head lulled back to give him better access, and he sat me back down on the floor backed away, eyes dark with lust.
“No time for this. Get dressed. I want to show you something.”
Holden, much to my surprise, left the closet. “You know I can smite you, right.” I called after him and his laughter filled the apartment and covered me with goosebumps. I slipped on the short, white dress with a black belt and chiffon sleeves trimmed in lace. When I came out, Holden was standing by the door holding my red wool coat.
“We don’t have time to go out.”
He smiled; a charming smile that was impossible to say no to. “It won’t take long, I promise.”
I let him help me with my coat then slipped my cell into my pocket. We walked hand in hand through the flurrying snow that I had to blink out of my eyelashes. Holden swept me into his arms, lifting my feet off the ground, kissing me until I was breathless.
“You crazy man, what are we doing?” I laughed, not understanding what happened to my stoic boyfriend.
“You’ll see. Close your eyes.”
I did as he asked, letting him lead me several feet further. I heard a door open and soon we were inside. I didn’t wait for him to tell me to, I opened my eyes. It took a moment to grasp what I was seeing. The walls were covered in my photography. I walked through, clutching Holden’s hand, staring at the pictures. Secrecy was such a large part of our existence; I didn’t think I would get to experience this again. When I got to the picture of Holden and I that he found on my camera, I had to bite my lips, but a tear still snuck out.
“You did this?”
He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. “Merry Christmas.” I wiped away another tear.
The door opened with a cold burst of air. “We’re here,” Femi proclaimed. “Are you decent?” She charged in with her normal grace and larger than life presence. I laughed and hugged her after she deposited the packages in her hands on the table. “What was with all the last minute changes? It’s on, it’s off, and it’s on. Seriously people, make up your minds.”
“Don’t ask,” Holden told her.
I moved on to Sy, the handsome half-elf Femi insisted she wasn’t dating, and kissed his cheek. “Thank you for coming.”
He gave me a lop-sided grin. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“Selene!” I gave my newest friend, a gorgeous witch who was a bigger trouble magnet than me, a hug. “I didn’t think you were coming. Where’s—”
“He couldn’t make it. I’m Sy and Femi’s chaperone.” We both looked over at them standing close to each other while talking to Holden.
“Do you think they will ever take the plunge?” I asked.
A slow smile spread over Selene’s face. “I’ve never known a woman to resist Sy for long.”
Femi’s head whipped in our direction. “Don’t think I don’t know you are talking about me,” she called out. “It had better be about how awesome I am.” She winked at us.
The door opened again Baker came through with my mother and his arms full of the presents I wrapped.
My mother threw her arms around me and I returned her hug just as tight. When we pulled away, Baker was wiping tears from his eyes. I laughed through my own watery vision and hugged him too. Quintus wasn’t far behind.
“I’m glad to see you worked everything out.” He kissed me on my cheeks. “You look lovely.”
I squeezed his hand. “Thank you for coming.” Quintus and I hadn’t been quite the same since Juliet. I understood his actions, but it wasn’t easy to let go. We’d get back to normal—after all, we had forever to work on it. Several more of my guardian friends trickled in. Soon the gallery was buzzing with people I knew and loved and my photographs were on the wall. For a fleeting moment, I missed Juliet. This was the first show she had missed, though it wasn’t really a show.
“Do you like it?” Holden’s voice was in my ear.
“Like doesn’t even begin to describe it. It’s perfect. You have no idea what this means to me.” I hugged him tight.
I could hear the smile in his voice. “Good. You’re a hard person to buy for.”
I finally released him, but kept an arm around his waist and my head leaning against his shoulder as I looked around the room. My mom was laughing and talking to Baker and Sy. Femi was telling Selene and Marshall a very animated story. Quintus was talking to a small group of guardians and Holden and I were on the outskirts. It always seemed to work out that way. Perhaps that was one of the many reasons we belonged together. Warmth and love filled my heart until I felt like I might be the luckiest girl in the world.
“How on earth did you pull this off?”
Holden looked around, his face stoic but his eyes betrayed his happiness. “I had excellent motivation.”
— —
We got back to the apartment late. Olivia glowed the entire evening and I hadn’t thought about her gift to me even once. I never understood when she would say things like she didn’t want a present she just wanted me to be happy until tonight. I got it now. Seeing someone else light up because of your was gift enough. Her warmth and gratitude spilled over into everyone there, infecting them with contentment the way I used to do discourse. A day hadn’t gone by since I met her, then the quirky human girl with a penchant for trouble, that she hadn’t found some way to amaze me.
I sat the book with the shirt on the counter and Olivia had a mischievous glint in her eyes. “You didn’t say anything about your present.”
“It’s great,” I said and she laughed.
“I might have one more present for you. I thought this one was better opened in private.”
That had my attention. “Really?”
“Yep. Wait here.” She went into the bedroom and came back with a thin package. I sat on the couch and peeled up each piece of tape because I could tell the wait was driving her crazy and she looked lovely when she was frustrated.
“Holden. If you don’t open it already, I am doing it for you.”
I laughed and tore the rest of the paper away. It was a manila envelope. She watched me, biting her lip, as I pulled out two objects neatly wrapped in tissue paper. I unwrapped the first one. It was an old picture. I looked closer trying to understand why she thought I would want this when I saw him. I nearly dropped it on the floor. I could feel all expression dropping from my face I couldn’t help it. It was my natural reaction to emotion. Always containing. My fingertips were white from being pressed together and my breath was ragged in my chest.
I had never had a photograph of my brother. The technology wasn’t as readily available then as it is now. He was with people I had never seen, but he looked happy. I could nearly hear his voice in
my mind asking me to tell him a story. I tried to speak several times, but nothing came out. I clenched my jaw and swallowed.
“Holden?” Olivia sounded concerned. She ran her hand down my arm.
“It’s… where…” I let out a heavy breath. I really didn’t know what to say. “How?”
She reached down and eased the picture from my hands. “Too tight, you’ll damage it.” She sat it on the coffee table. “Baker had some free time and I had been thinking about what you told me. So I sent him to the college to look through the archives.” She looked at the picture again. “I am not entirely certain these were legally obtained, but…” She looked back at me. “Are you okay?”
“I’m… I was…” I shook my head. “I was shocked. I didn’t think… I didn’t know. I never looked.”
She smiled a little. “Look at the other one.”
I wasn’t sure I could take another one, but I unwrapped it anyway. This one was worse. It was a wedding picture. Good God she was trying to kill me. I cleared my throat, looking for anything to distract from the emotions. “The college had his wedding photo?”
Worry washed back over her. “Not exactly.” Her eyes slowly met mine. “Baker found her surviving family member and she had old photographs.”
I nodded, seemed reasonable, but I didn’t know why Liv was so nervous about it. I thought for a moment then it hit me. “It’s fine, Liv. It doesn’t bother me that Baker knows I had a brother.” I looked at the picture again. I kissed her softly and letting her feel my gratitude and love. “Thank you.” I set the picture on the table next to the other one and pulled Liv over to me, my mouth exploring hers.
“That’s not all,” she said against my lips. I pulled back slightly. “He got the picture from her great, great, great granddaughter.”
My heart did stop, everything did. Suddenly the past two days made perfect sense. This is why she was suddenly worried about whether or not I had a family. Half of me wanted what she said to be true and half of me wanted nothing to do with it. I sat back. Liv climbed onto my lap, her thighs straddling mine.
“Too much?” She forced me to look at her.
“Are you sure?”
“Pretty sure.” She ran the back of her hand down my cheek. “Do you want to meet her?”
“No. Don’t even tell me her name,” I said quickly. The less I knew about her the better. She was better off with me far away from her life. I needed think about all of this. Plan. The photographs of Thomas were more than enough. I hadn’t seen him since I found his body. I blinked away the image that still came too easily to mind. “Thank you. The pictures are… I still don’t have words. Thank you.” I pressed my forehead against hers, my fingers threaded through her hair. “The girl,” I shook my head again, “I’m not ready for that.”
“Okay,” she whispered. “But if you change your mind. She’s here.” Liv was determined to crack open my past and dig my heart out of the charred remains. If anyone could do it, she would be the one. She kissed me again and again until all thoughts of family were far from my mind and only she was left.
Sometimes you don’t know what you want or even what you need until you get it. I hadn’t wanted a family since my brother died, but now I had one with this crazy guardian who had a heart that was four sizes too big. Someday maybe the girl would become part of our family, or maybe she would go on living in blissful ignorance. Either way I knew one thing—the only thing that mattered—I had Liv and she had me, and that was never going to change.
Maybe Christmas wasn’t so bad after all.
Many authors claim to have known their calling from a young age. Liz Schulte, however, didn't always want to be an author. In fact, she had no clue. Liz wanted to be a veterinarian, then she wanted to be a lawyer, then she wanted to be a criminal profiler. In a valiant effort to keep from becoming Walter Mitty, Liz put pen to paper and began writing her first novel. It was at that moment she realized this is what she was meant to do. As a scribe she could be all of those things and so much more.
When Liz isn’t writing or on social networks she is inflicting movie quotes and trivia on people, reading, traveling, and hanging out with friends and family. Liz is a Midwest girl through and through, though she would be perfectly happy never having to shovel her driveway again. She has a love for all things spooky, supernatural, and snarky. Her favorite authors range from Edgar Allen Poe to Joseph Heller to Jane Austen to Jim Butcher and everything in between.
Books by Liz Schulte:
Secrets (Guardian Series Book 1)
Choices (Guardian Series Book 2)
Consequences (Guardian Series Book 3)
Dark Corners (Ella Reynolds Series Book 1)
Dark Passing (Ella Reynolds Series Book 2)
Easy Bake Coven (Easy Bake Coven Series Book 1) – Coming December 2012
Hungry, Hungry, Hoodoo (Easy Bake Coven Series Book 2) – Coming 2013
Pickup Styx (Easy Bake Coven Series Book 3) – Coming 2013
Dead Inside – Coming 2013
Frost’s Kiss – Coming 2013
The Ninth Floor – Coming 2013
Ember (Jinn Trilogy Book 1) – Coming 2013
Anthologies
Cupid Painted Blind
Once Upon a Midnight Dreary
Learn more about Liz and her books at
www.lizschulte.com/
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
About the Author