by Angel Leya
“I got the sushi!” Jesse said as he burst through the door.
“Okay. What is going on here?” Oberon asked.
Kenzie tentatively raised a finger. “Sorry. I asked Jesse to fetch my peace offering.”
Jesse growled. “I’m not a dog.”
Kenzie pat him on the head. “You’re so cute when you’re upset.”
Jesse pretended to bite at her hand, and she snatched it away.
“And I asked Kenzie’s friends to be here for this,” Trevor volunteered. Helena and Lenore shot him looks of astonishment. “Hey, I figured she should at least be able to see them if she was going to be pushed out of the school.”
Oberon sighed. “No one’s getting ‘pushed’ out, as of yet.”
Kenzie looked to June and Leya and Jesse. “Is it true? Are you all still my friends? Even after everything?”
June took Kenzie’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Friends stay together, even when one of them goes off on some crazy Christmas scheme and ends up creating a magical Grinch.”
Leya’s hand was on her shoulder a moment later. “And we forgive each other when we say stupid stuff.”
“Hey, is anyone going to take this sushi? Because I’m starting to get really hungry.” Jesse licked his lips, his face registering shock as Leya gave him a light punch in the gut. “What?”
Kenzie grabbed the bag from his hand and gave it to Helena. “Consider this a truce. I’d like it if we can at least be civil towards one another.”
Helena looked down at the bag in her hands, then back up at Kenzie. Lenore had an almost hopeful look on her face, and Kenzie shot her a half-smile.
“Fine. Truce. But don’t expect us to become besties or anything,” Helena shot back. She whipped her hair over her shoulder and made to leave, but Oberon cleared his throat, stopping her in her tracks.
“I’m going to need your account of where that video came from and how you managed to get it on the Dome projector.”
Helena reddened, dropping her head. “Yes sir.”
“I’ll let it slide this time, but I prefer no one refers to me as sir,” Oberon said, his gaze settling on Kenzie. “And you’re welcome to stay. But I’ll need your renewed commitment to the safety of the magic you use in this school, and I expect you to help out with repairs.”
Kenzie nodded. It seemed fair enough. Generous, even. “Absolutely. Thank you.”
Oberon nodded. “Now, if you’ll all get out of my office, I’ve got some work to do. Oh, except Helena ad Lenore. I’d like to discuss the details of the video further. Maybe we could do it around a plate of sushi.”
The group murmured their assent and filed out one by one.
Kenzie was the last to leave, sending Oberon a grateful smile and respectful nods to the mer before closing the door behind her.
June, Leya, and Jesse all surrounded Kenzie, enveloping her in the best group hug ever. After a hesitant moment, Trevor joined the bunch. The only one missing from their happy reunion was Wes. But maybe he was still somewhere recovering. Who knew what kind of damage being an imp had done to him? Or if he still wanted to be her friend.
“I’m so sorry, guys,” Kenzie said, her eyes welling, though with happy tears this time.
Leya pulled back. “You better be,” she said, though laughter danced in her eyes.
“I was a total maniac and a jerk,” Kenzie added, but June stopped her there.
“We said you were forgiven. You don’t have to keep apologizing.”
Kenzie nodded, too choked up to speak.
Trevor caught her eye. “Good job in there, Candy Cane.”
“You too, Santa.”
Kenzie smirked as Trevor sauntered down the hall.
“Candy cane?” Leya asked, raising a brow.
June smirked. “Actually, I’m more interested in Santa.” She giggled.
Kenzie shook her head. “It’s a long story.”
Jesse slung an arm over her shoulder. “I’d say we have time.”
Kenzie rolled her eyes and sighed, but she was smiling, too. It felt so good to have her friends back.
She would help repair the school and do whatever else needed to restore Oberon’s confidence in her and start earning the trust of the school. She didn’t know how, but having friends around her who she could trust was a great place to start.
Chapter 26
A familiar voice called to Kenzie as she helped with an early morning cleanup the next day. She’d been at it all night, but she didn’t want to stop until the work was done. Or she couldn’t stand anymore.
“Where is she? Is she okay?” It was Mom, and Kenzie turned to see Gram with her. Ren was heading their way, a smile on his face, and Mom’s shoulders relaxed a little. Her gaze found Kenzie a moment later, and she rushed over, wrapping Kenzie in her arms. “Oh, my baby. I came as soon as I heard. Are you okay? No broken bones?” Mom lifted Kenzie’s face by her chin, moving it this way and that to better examine her.
Kenzie rolled her eyes, but let Mom continue. “It’s good to see you, too. I’m fine, thanks.”
Mom sighed, her hand dropping away. “What happened? All I heard was there was an incident at the school. Ren refused to elaborate.” She shot him a glare.
Ren held up his hands. “It was a selkie situation. I didn’t want to kitsune all up in your business.”
Mom lightly punched him in the arm. “Not funny.” But she was smiling, and Kenzie smiled too, despite feeling the weight of her loss of Wes so much more keenly in the light of her mother’s happiness.
“Is there anything we can do to help?” Gram asked, giving Kenzie’s arm a good rub.
“We’re just cleaning up and seeing what needs to be repaired,” Kenzie said. A lot of the work had been completed in the hours following the event, but there was still plenty of work to be done.
It was still so strange to think she’d cursed Wes to be the helper. Or anti-helper, since it was performed on a creature far too smart to simply obey orders. Yeah, Kenzie was definitely going to be adding notes to that page. As soon as Oberon let her have the grimoire back.
“You lovely ladies can come with me,” Ren offered, giving Mom a wink. “Once we’ve got the details hashed out, we can all just follow the Lita.”
Mom smirked. “Isn’t that the way it always works.”
Ren pecked her on the cheek. “And as long as I’m in charge, it always will.”
Mom gave Kenzie a long look. “Would you like to come with us?”
Kenzie shook her head, looking back at the sleepy classmates and teachers wandering around, working together. “Thanks, but I think I’m right where I belong.”
Mom nodded, and Gram gave Kenzie’s shoulder a squeeze. The trio left, and Kenzie watched as Mom’s hand slipped into Ren’s. It was sweet. Weird, but sweet. And it made Kenzie both happy and sad. Would she ever find a love like that again? Maybe.
Or maybe not.
Kenzie turned back to her work. A loud hiss came from one of the students. He shook his hand and looked back at the spot, then began sucking on his finger.
Kenzie made her way to where he stood and held out her hand. “May I?”
The student—one of the nagas if she remembered correctly—looked at her with narrowed eyes.
“I’d like to help.”
He eyed her for a long moment, then nodded, giving her his hand. The cut didn’t look too deep, but he winced as she stretched the finger out. The blood still made her want to gag, but she closed her eyes and placed her hand over the spot.
“Leasheth’asa,” she said, and the spell flowed through her to stitch the skin back together. She used the sleeve of her shirt to wipe away the blood when she was done, then rolled it up to keep it away from her skin.
The guy looked at her, a measure of respect in his eyes, and he nodded before turning back to his work. Kenzie looked around, realizing she’d drawn the attention of the entire group in the Dining Hall. And that group had grown from cleanup crew, to students looking for food
. Kenzie reddened and turned back to her work.
“Hey girl. You wanna make out later? I promise to bite.”
Kenzie groaned as one of the were guys approached her. “Yeah, thanks, but I think I’ll pass.”
“Aw, come on,” he said, drawing closer.
“I believe she said no,” came a familiar, granola voice that made her heart stutter. A warm, strong arm draped over her shoulders, feeling sort of like an anaconda as it wrapped protectively around her neck. But Kenzie didn’t need to breathe, she was just happy to be in his arms again, if only for a moment. “And for the record, she’s mine.”
Kenzie’s wide-eyed face snapped in Wes’s direction. Did she just hear him right? Wes’s gaze remained forward, flinching only for a moment as she turned. Her hope started to dim, as the dude ambled off, grumbling, and Wes still didn’t move.
Finally, Wes let out a long breath and released her, taking a step backward, his eyes on his feet.
“I’m so sorry,” Kenzie whispered. She cleared her throat. “I’m glad to see you up and about. How do you feel?”
Wes nodded. “Fine, I guess. Still tired, and the last couple of weeks are . . . a bit of a blur.”
Kenzie’s head bobbed in agreement as silence hung between them again. “So, I’m sorry, by the way.”
“Yeah. Yeah, you said that.” His eyes squinted as he stared even harder at his shoes.
Kenzie stuck her hands in her pockets. “If there’s anything I can do to make it up—”
Wes held up his hand, closing his eyes. “Just . . . give me a moment. Please?”
Kenzie held her tongue, wondering what was coming next. Was it not enough that he broke up with her? In public? Was he doing it again? Could he do it again? She wanted him back, but she wouldn’t push him. She’d done enough pushing this season. Maybe that had been her problem all along—getting so caught up in her own agenda that she ever stopped to think how it was affecting others.
“I’m sorry,” Wes said, still staring at his feet.
Kenzie’s brows furrowed. “For what?” Her eyes darted around the room. Yep, they had an audience. “Aonrúgh,” she said under her breath. Yeah, whatever conversation they were about to have, she wanted to keep it between her and Wes. Good thing she had magic for that.
“I should’ve come to you when I started having problems. I should’ve been more open about my struggles. Being here, among shifters, with you . . . it’s not always easy. I grew up thinking that you all were wrong. That all you did was harm real people, unsuspecting victims. And then I was bitten and became one of you, and it tore me up, wanting to survive, feeling like I was an abomination.”
“Wes, you don’t have to—”
“No. I want to. I need you to know.” He ran a hand through his granola hair, ruffling the edges. “And then there was you. I thought we had this great connection, but then I couldn’t read your mind. I mean, I know it’s lame, but it felt like maybe our connection wasn’t real. Maybe . . . maybe you didn’t feel about me the same way I felt about you.”
“Oh, Wes.”
“And then mer-boy shows up and starts spending all this time with you, and I thought, maybe you’re just realizing the truth, that we don’t belong together.”
Kenzie shook her head. “Is that why you didn’t come to my house for Thanksgiving?”
Wes snorted. “That and your mom hates me.”
Kenzie wrinkled her nose. “She does not.”
Wes shrugged. “But that’s besides the point. The point is, I’m sorry I’ve been such an ass, and if you want to be with Trevor . . . I just want you to be happy.”
Kenzie almost cried with relief, and Wes’s eyes opened wide as she flung herself at him.
“I don’t want Trevor, you idiot. I want you. The connection we have—had . . . I don’t want anything else.”
Wes slowly wrapped his arms around her and squeezed tight, burying his face in her shoulder. His body shook, and Kenzie wondered if he was crying. “I thought I’d lost you. I thought I’d lost the best thing to ever happen to me. I can’t believe you want me over that flashy fish.”
Kenzie pulled back, looking him in the eyes. “Never. I’m in love with granola, and boy, you better not leave me again. Especially not for any hot, vexing teachers.”
Wes smiled, his eyes glistening. “Bah, she’s hot, but she’s nowhere near as crazy as you are.”
Kenzie’s brows raised. “And that’s a good thing?”
Wes nodded, leaning forward. Kenzie put a hand to his chest to stop him. “No more secrets. There’s something I need to tell you.”
Wes nodded again, growing sober.
“I did kiss Trevor. Once. It’s part of the reason I know I’m completely in love with you. If that’s going to be a problem—”
“Only if he tries to kiss you again,” Wes growled, and his lips crashed into hers, his hands threading through her hair. Kenzie returned the gesture, feeling like they were just finding each other. It felt so good, knowing Wes was still hers. She’d never let that go again.
The bond between them twanged, tight and bright, as if it had never snapped. Who knew? Maybe it hadn’t. Maybe it had held on by a thread, waiting for the day it would be renewed. They were destined for each other, a match for the ages, a love that might even compare to Leif’s love for Gemma. But no matter what, she didn’t want to give it up again. Sure, she was still young, and maybe even stupid, but she and Wes were forever, whatever that looked like.
Kenzie finally pulled back, breathless and at a loss for words. What else needed to be said? That kiss said it all.
“Scrioságha,” she said, and the air around them erupted into hoots and applause.
“Bite her!” some guy called.
“Yeet!” shouted another.
Kenzie shook her head, and Wes chuckled. He leaned in and whispered in her ear, “They’re just jealous they don’t have their own sexy selkie.”
Kenzie reddened, laughter shaking her shoulders. She nudged Wes in the stomach.
Jesse, June, and Leya waded through the crowd, holding wicked looking guns. Even Juliet trailed them, hand in hand with Nik. The group smiled as the students parted, and air stilled, as if waiting for something else to explode.
“Mr. Suzuki sent a little Christmas gift,” June said, lifting her gun.
Kenzie’s eyes widened, a smile curling her lips. “No. He didn’t.”
Her friends all nodded. Wes glanced at Kenzie, confusion written in his brows. “What did he do?”
“Christmas cannons!” Kenzie squealed.
Jesse aimed at the doorway to the Dining Hall and pulled the trigger. A volley of ammo shot out, peppering above the archway with lights and tinsel.
“That. Is. Epic!” Kenzie squealed, and Wes gave her hand an appreciative squeeze.
The crowd erupted into applause again, this time without the catcalls.
“Time to par-tay!” Jesse said, throwing the gun over his shoulder. It went off, this time pointed at the ceiling. Jesse ducked, and the crowd took a collective gasp. A spattering of lights and tinsel dangled from the ceiling, a smattering of debris raining on their heads. Jesse sheepishly looked around.
Kenzie gently took his gun. “Maybe we should leave this in the hands of someone a little more skilled.”
Wes took it from Kenzie’s hands. “Yeah. Like me.”
Kenzie shook her head, but she was smiling. If this wasn’t the best Christmas ever, she didn’t know what was. She had her friends—all shifters and all backing her up—in the most fantabulous decorating party ever. Not to mention she had her boyfriend back.
Wes tugged on her hand. “What do you say we go deck the halls?”
Kenzie nodded, and he led her out, the rest of her posse following behind. For almost being the worst Christmas ever, this was turning out better than she could’ve ever hoped.
Epilogue
The day before everyone left for Christmas break, Kenzie was greeted by heavy-handed decor and snow. It seemed Re
n had fixed the machine. Christmas music played over the PA system, which happened to be through their tablets, and therefore optional and designed not to interfere with classes. Though classes were more party than learning that last day. After all the resistance the school had put on, seeing everyone getting into the Christmas spirit lit Kenzie’s own holiday fire. From the looks on the faces of the other students, she wasn’t the only one who felt that way.
Wes met Kenzie after English class, and they headed to lunch together, hand-in-hand. It was so great having her boyfriend back. He was sweeter than ever, and the fact that he was coming home for Christmas with her was the best thing yet. They’d even gone shopping together to pick out a few last-minute items for Mom and Gram and even Ren. Yes, life was sweet.
When they reached a bend in the hall, Wes stopped and pulled her to the side. “Do you think you could do something for me?”
Kenzie cocked a brow. “Probably?”
“Do you think your magic could take care of this.” He held up his fist, the back of his left hand toward her, leaving his hunter tattoo on display.
Kenzie took his hand, rubbing the spot. She didn’t hate the tattoo. She understood where it came from, but also understood it set him apart, and it would make him stand out if he ever ran into another hunter topside.
“Are you sure?” Kenzie asked, meeting his eyes.
“Yes.” There wasn’t even any room for doubt.
“Okay, let me try this. Leasheth’asa,” Kenzie breathed. It wasn’t a perfect spell. It was only meant to heal skin, but a tattoo might qualify.
Kenzie forced all her will into her magic. She watched in awe as the dots and dagger faded from his hand, until only his sunny skin remained. “I . . . I think that did it.”
Wes turned his hand to see, taking in a long breath as he stared at the spot where his tattoo used to be. “It’s really gone.”
“Yeah. How do you feel about that?”
Wes shrugged, plunging his fist into his pocket. “It’s good, really. I have other plans for that hand that don’t include a sordid past.”
Kenzie chuckled. She slipped her arm through the crook of his elbow, and they continued toward the Dining Hall. “So, what are those other plans?”