But the peace of Highgarden held, despite the heavy feel to the air, leaving Brandon strong and feeling refreshed as he stepped out into the yard. He was dressed warmly, in a hoodie and a light jacket, though the cold couldn’t touch him any more. The yard was covered in clean white snow and the sky was clear and cloudless. A few scattered snowflakes fell, promising more for later, and the woods were a winter wonderland. He could almost forget that he had a date with death in less than a week.
His parents were on his mind more than usual. This was his first Christmas without them. And more than likely his last. It left him feeling hollow and lonely. He missed them terribly and the holidays only made it worse. Walking out to the little rock bridge, he leaned against the side and let his mind wander from his parents to Claire. He was having dinner with her tonight, along with her parents, and that made the day seem a little bit more bearable.
Pushing away thoughts of death and curses, Brandon took another long look at the snow covered forest before going back inside to get ready for the day.
Claire sipped her hot chocolate and watched the other patrons of the Lumberjack as they went about their Christmas Eve morning routines. It was crowded, with people showing up in dribs and drabs, but not uncomfortably so. She liked the bustling activity. It made the earlier horrors seem like they were long finished, instead of ongoing. She glanced at her phone where it lay on the table and sighed. She wanted to call Brandon, just to hear his voice, but was afraid it would seem needy or even kind of stalker-ish.
It still freaked her out a little, how much she cared for the strange boy from Highgarden, but she was getting used to thinking of him as her boyfriend and not just her best friend. The thought still gave her a goosey feeling of butterflies in her stomach.
Sighing, she was about to leave when Tuesday Jones slid into the booth across from her and said. “As I live and breath, is it the young Claire Moody that I see before me?” She smiled brightly at her and said. “Happy Christmas Eve! I’m loving that eyepatch!”
Claire smiled and said. “Why, thank you, Miss Jones. And a happy Christmas Eve to you!” Her eyepatch was green with a grinchy yellow eye painted on it. She was dressed Christmasy as well, in a holiday hoodie and knee high snow boots. She took in the tattooed woman’s own outfit and said. “Aren’t you cold?”
Tuesday looked down at her tee shirt and shrugged. “Nah. I’m a hot blooded wench. What are you doing here on Christmas Eve, girl? You should be home, putting up your tree and watching Rudolph on TV.”
“Our tree’s been up since right after Halloween.” Claire said, wrinkling her nose. She had decided that she liked Tuesday Jones quite a lot in the days since they first met. The older woman didn’t act like other people her age. She never treated Claire like a child or like she thought of her as a dumb kid.
Tuesday laughed and said. “Your parents do that too? I thought mine were the only ones.” She leaned forward and her grin turned playful. “Though, if I’m being completely honest here, I totally love putting the tree up early.” Both young women laughed. Tuesday flagged down a passing waitress by name and ordered a hot chocolate of her own. When the waitress was gone, she leaned her elbows on the table and raised her eyebrows, saying. “So spill it. Why are you here, instead of at home with your folks?”
“Well, actually, I was going to pick up a couple of last minute presents for my boyfriend, but the only music store in town is closed for the holiday.”
Tuesday shook her head and her smile was crooked. “Shit, why didn’t you say something sooner? Let’s go”
“You don’t have to do that.” Claire said, waving the offer away. “It’s not that big a deal.”
“Poppy cock, I say! There are certain perks that come with being the owner. Let’s go.” She hopped up, snagging the steaming mug from the returning waitress and gave the startled woman a bright smile. “We’ll be right back, Flo. Don’t let anybody have our booth.”
Claire followed her out of the diner, her expression at the same time amused and worried. She said. “You realize that you just walked out with your drink, right?”
“Yup.” Tuesday led the way across the street, skirting a fire hydrant and chuckling. “It’s okay. The owner knows where I live.” She already had her key out as they reached Vinyl Gods and had the door open in one smooth motion. She took a moment to deactivate the alarm before turning the lights on and waving for Claire to come in. She said. “Go crazy.”
Claire followed her around the shop, smiling at the other woman’s Puckishness as she perused the store’s selection of music, movies, and swag. She paused on a selection of statues, all of different comic book and science fiction characters. They were highly detailed and expensive. She really liked one of the Batman villain, the Joker, and his girlfriend Harley Quinn. Tuesday saw her eyeing it and said. “Tell you what. I’m giving you a, one time only, new friend discount. You can have it for half price.”
“I can’t let you do that.” Claire said. She hooked her hair behind her ear and shook her head at the look of consternation on the other woman’s face. “You barely know me, I would feel weird about it.”
Tuesday arched her eyebrow at her and pursed her lips in thought. Then she grinned. “How about you work off the cost? Come in and work part time for me on the weekends? We need an extra pair of hands around here and I think you would fit in quite nicely. Then we can just call it part of your employee discount?”
Claire didn’t answer right away. She was about half convinced the woman in front of her was out of her mind. There was no other explanation for why she was so intent on being Claire’s friend. It was that or she had a crush on her. Claire picked up the statue and hefted it, pretending to think long and hard about the offer, then asked. “Why are you doing this? Being so nice to me, I mean? You don’t even now me?”
Tuesday’s smile slipped a little and she sighed. She gestured for Claire to follow her to the register, where she rung up the statue for half the displayed price and carefully wrapped it up and bagged it. Setting it on the counter in front of Claire, she said. “That’s a hard question to answer, Claire.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because I’m not sure myself.” Tuesday scratched her head and shrugged. “I just get these feelings sometimes. I call them my magical intuitions because they almost always turn out to be important. And the magic is telling me that you’re a unique person. Plus, Madge likes you and she doesn’t like just anybody. So, what do you say?”
Claire might have laughed except for her own strange experiences lately. It was becoming apparent that there was far more going on in Matheson than just evil curses and armies of monsters in the woods. Pulling her money from her front pocket, she paid for the statue and said. “Well, I don’t know much about magical intuitions or being unique, but you’ve got yourself a new employee.”
Tuesday hooted and put her hand up for a high five that Claire returned with a grin. They laughed and goofed for a few more minutes before locking up the shop and heading back to the diner. As they crossed the street, snow began to fall, slow and lazy from the cloudless sky. Claire wanted to be happy at the sight of the snow, that it was going to be a true white Christmas, but it made her nervous instead.
Better if it had been rain.
The rest of the day passed slowly for the town of Matheson. People ventured out to enjoy the winter weather. Kids broke out their sleds, careful to avoid secluded or hidden places, and the sound of laughter could be heard for the first time in a long while.
The police continued to patrol, intent on getting through the holidays with zero loss of life, but there were no hunts planned for the next few days. Chief Teague felt the hunters deserved a brief respite to enjoy some down time with their families. It wouldn’t do the town any good if the men protecting it burnt themselves out or got themselves killed due to exhaustion.
At Highgarden, Gerrick and Brandon kept to themselves, each keeping the holiday in their own way. Brandon spent the day acting his
age, something he hadn’t been allowed to do in what seemed like centuries. He played video games online with Mike and his other friends from Washington, while drinking egg nog and eating junk food. Though their voices were coming through his Xbox’s headphones, it still almost felt like old times. For a little while, he was able to forget about his new and terrible life and pretend like he was a normal boy. It was the best present he could think of to give himself.
Gerrick stayed in his office most of the day, composing a letter. He started and stopped the letter a dozen times, discarding multiple drafts before ending with one that was as close to what he intended as he could make it. Once the letter was finished, he used the rest of the day to take care of chores that he hadn’t been able to get around to doing. Tidying up the house and the grounds while checking and re-checking Highgarden’s defenses.
It was late afternoon when Gerrick knocked on Brandon’s open bedroom door and stepped into his room. Brandon was stretched out on the bed, watching National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation on TV. He glanced up when Gerrick entered and asked. “What’s up?”
Gerrick glanced at the TV and shook his head. Foolish invention, good for very little. Except, perhaps, for the weather and what passed for news these days. He said. “Claire’s mother just called to invite us to dinner.”
“Really?” Brandon sat up, suddenly interested. He used the remote to mute the TV and looked at Gerrick. He said. “What did you say?”
“I told her that I couldn’t make it.” Brandon started to protest, but Gerrick cut him off. “But that you would be pleased to attend.”
Brandon smiled and shook his head, meeting the older man’s gaze. “You could go too, you know? It wouldn’t hurt you to interact with normal people, for once in your life.”
Gerrick’s lips quirked and he said. “Dinner is at 5. Dress nice and don’t stay out all night, if you can help it.” He started to leave, then stopped. He met Brandon’s gaze and said. “Have fun. And be careful.”
After he was gone, Brandon closed the door and hopped in the shower. Letting the water refresh and invigorate him, he thought about the present for Claire nestled safely in his closet and smiled. He could almost forget the deadline, less than a week away, and the very real possibility this was the last Christmas Eve he would ever have.
Chapter 33
The Moody house was brightly lit, the decorations more elaborate then all the other houses on their street. The Christmas lights twinkled and music played from the base of the big inflatable Santa and his reindeer perched on the peek of the big house. The night sky was heavy with clouds, rolling in from the South. Flurries of snow fell most of the day, fighting with an icy mist that threatened to become rain, but the air was clear by dinnertime.
Brandon parked on the street in front of Claire’s house and got out, checking himself real quick in the rear view mirror. The Lincoln was like new after spending more than two weeks in the shop, but Brandon was still nervous driving it. He didn’t think about the evil surrounding them all or what would happen when the New Year came. Instead, he focused on making this the best Christmas that Claire would ever remember.
Especially since it would probably be the only one they would have together.
Claire must have been watching for him because the front door opened as he approached the house and she came outside to meet him. At the bottom of the front steps, she came into his arms and hugged him as hard as she could. He hugged her back, taking in the feel and the smell of her for as long as he could before pulling back and smiling into her upturned face. Her eyepatch tonight was a soft pink, decorated with a small kitten face. Her hair was done up in a different style than she usually wore and she was wearing a beautiful dress that brought out the green in her eye.
“You look so beautiful.” He said, taking her completely in. Leaning forward, he planted a soft kiss on her parted lips, stealing her breath. She leaned against him, deepening the kiss, and touched his back lightly with her fingers. He wished the kiss could last forever, but they had to breath eventually, so he pulled back and smiled against her lips as he said. “Merry Christmas.”
Claire’s smile matched his own. She traced his lips with a series of tiny little kisses before she finally stepped back and said. “Merry Christmas.”
Sitting at their dining room table, watching the Moodys as they laughed and behaved the way that he and his parents had used to, Brandon felt a sudden stab of nostalgia. He ached for his mom and dad, for the familiar sights and smells of his old life. The betrayal and anger from before seemed like a pale memory next to the longing he felt for them. Forgiving them for keeping him in the dark about so many things was easy. He met Claire's green eye more than once during dinner and felt his love for her swell inside of him until it seemed like it would burst from his fingertips. Every time she caught him watching her, she would blush and smile.
Claire’s mom saw some of those surreptitious by-plays and the glances she sent Brandon's way made him feel uncomfortable. Not because of any anger or disapproval in her eyes, though there was a little of both. It was the considering look that made his skin crawl the most. As if she were weighing him on an invisible set of scales and hadn’t decided which way she felt about him. He ignored those looks as best as he could.
After dinner, Claire walked Brandon outside. Her dad made it clear that Brandon was more than welcome at their house Christmas morning. Her mom was just as insistent that he come over. Making him promise, before letting him leave. He promised, more to make them happy than any other reason. It would be awesome to spend the day with Claire.
Out on the front porch, with the front door closed behind them, Claire fell into Brandon's arms, kissing him. The kiss was longer than the earlier one and made his heart race. The girl in his arms was a soft and delicious weight that he could carry all day. The thought of not spending the rest of his life with her was torturous. What would she do when he was gone? Would the Curse leave her alone, once Brandon was dead? Would not having the name of Merryweather protect her? There had to be some way to guarantee her safety in the likely event of his death.
Pulling back, Brandon felt tears threading their way down his cheeks. When had he started crying? Claire reached up, touching the moisture on his cheeks, and said. "It has to be hard. The first Christmas without your mom and dad? I can’t imagine what you’re going through." She hugged him, pulling him tight against her. He felt her heart beating hard against his chest. She said. "I love you so much, Bran. I'm so sorry."
Brandon rested his face against her neck and breathed in the scent of her. He hated hiding things from her. He wanted to tell her everything, to warn her about what was coming. To give her all of his secrets and to hold her and love her until the last breath was torn from his body. More tears threatened to come, but he closed his eyes and willed them away. He said. "I love you so much, Claire Moody. Merry Christmas." From his pocket, he pulled out a narrow velvet box and pressed it into her hand. He blinked away tears and said. "I couldn't think of what to get you. I hope you like it."
Claire opened the box and gasped. She looked up at Brandon, her single green eye shrink wrapped in tears. Light from one of the nearby windows glittered on the diamond pendant nestled inside the velvet box. "Bran, I don't know what to say. It's amazing."
"Just say that you like it." Brandon said.
"Like it?” She wiped at her eye with the back of her hand and her smile split her face. She kissed him again. “I love it." Taking the teardrop shaped pendant from the box, she let its chain dangle through her fingers and tried unsuccessfully to keep her hand from shaking. There were tears in her eye. Taking the necklace from her trembling hand, Brandon made her turn around and hold her hair out of the way while he closed the necklace's clasp. Bending forward, he softly kissed the nape of her neck. Claire shivered and turned to peer up at him. She looked beautiful. The diamond was teardrop shaped and set in a finely worked silver backdrop.
It reminded Brandon of a rain drop.
&nb
sp; Stepping into his arms, she rested her head on his chest and sighed. She said. "I love you, Brandon Merryweather. Forever and always."
"I love you, Claire." Brandon swallowed the lump in his throat and forced back the tears still trying to form. "Forever and always."
Their goodbye lasted longer than either anticipated, the better part of an hour, but when Brandon finally pulled himself away from her arms and her hungry mouth, he stopped and met her green eyed gaze and smiled. He said. "Everything's going to be all right, you know."
Claire smiled. "I know." She moved to the front door, allowing him to step back, and stopped. She touched the pendant, lying in the soft hollow of her throat. "I love you. Will I see you tomorrow? We can watch the Christmas parade together, if you want?"
Brandon smiled again, feeling soft inside for the first time in a long while. He said. "I'd like that. Good night, Claire."
"Goodnight, Bran." She went inside, waving before she closed the door.
Brandon stared at the door for a long moment before leaving.
Sha'ha'Zel watched Brandon leave the girl's house and repressed the urge to cross the street and lay waste to the Moody home. His fingers, all twenty of them, itched to kill the girl, to taste her blood. But the magic binding him was too powerful to ignore. Not for very long, at least, and not without painful repercussions. The girl was safe. For as long as the conditions of the duel held. But once Merryweather was dead, he would end the girl. The satisfaction would be blunted because Brandon wouldn't be alive to witness it, but it would still be worthwhile. He would just have to make sure the young man knew what was in store for his lady love.
Slipping into the shadows, he moved toward Highgarden. Despite his murderous thoughts, the Curse still thought of itself as a creature of honor and, whatever Merryweather thought, he would make sure that Brandon and the girl lived to see the new year. Then, after they were both dead and gone, Sha’ha’Zel would finally be allowed to meet his ancestors.
Fire And Steel (The Merryweather Chronicles Book 2) Page 33