Merry & Bright: A Christmas Anthology (Nocturne Falls Universe) Read online

  “Of course you do.” She loved Ariah like a sister, just as she loved Alazar as a brother. With sisterly love came sisterly aggravation. Ariah’s keen sensitivity to the feelings of others, particularly Kaylae’s, triggered a small bout of that aggravation, which she tried to ignore. She knew Ariah only wanted to help. “I haven’t said anything, and I think keeping it bottled up inside is driving me mad.”

  Ariah lifted her water to her mouth. “Bottling things up can drive a person crazy.”

  Kaylae knew her friend spoke from experience. She weakened. It would be so good to confide in someone. “Promise not to say a word?”

  After she swallowed her sip of water, Ariah capped the bottle and leveled her gaze on Kaylae. “You know me better than to have to ask that.”

  “It’s a secret.”

  “For how long?”

  Kaylae swallowed back the rise of bile in her throat. “For as long as I feel it necessary to keep it a secret.”

  Chapter Two

  Zareh stepped back and admired their handiwork. Alazar brushed his hands together as he finished hanging the last ornament on the tree, and came to stand beside him. For a long moment, the two of them took in the results of the work they had put into decorating the living room he and Alazar once shared as roommates.

  Twists of pine-and-metallic garland trimmed with a mixture of clear and multi-colored lights graced the mantel and doorways. Mismatched ornaments dangled from the boughs of the live tree, sparkling amidst the sparse foliage.

  The tree stand had run out of most of its inventory, but not all. He found a shop on Main Street that still had some decorations, and bought up their inventory. Santa’s Workshop bustled with last-minute shoppers and pre-Christmas preparations from the elves. Zareh liked the festive touch of falling snow inside the warehouse, but was disappointed to learn it was magic he couldn’t replicate at home. Well, so be it. The sky had begun to release its own snow on Nocturne Falls, and that would have to do. He settled for some nutcrackers, plush snowmen, and other toys he could use as decorations instead.

  Executing the decorating part?

  “Hey, at least we tried,” Alazar said.

  Zareh cringed at Al’s blunt statement. This was why he let Kaylae handle decorating the new house. He lacked any sense of design.

  He had to admit, the garland draped over the walls looked like a five-year-old’s artistic mess. They’d used nails to hang the stockings over the fireplace because he hadn’t thought he needed the holders one of the associates suggested.

  And that tree?

  “She’s going to hate it.” Zareh groaned, rubbing his eyes. “I hate it. It’s hideous.”

  “Zar, you’re on borrowed time now, so it will have to do. It’s almost five. It’s snowing and sticking. You told Kaylae you’d be back at the new place by three.” Alazar pressed his lips together. “I’ve already received a month’s worth of text messages from Ariah demanding to know where we are. I can only hold her off with the elusive responses so long. I think we’re on the fast track to creating a Christmas Eve disaster. I don’t want to be forced to sleep alone as a result.”

  Zareh winced at the thought of Kaylae trying to text and call his phone, which now rested at the bottom of a lake back at The Hollow. He had retrieved it after dropping it into the shallow water only to toss the worthless thing back into the lake when he realized it was fried.

  He had a gut-twisting feeling Kaylae wasn’t going to buy that excuse.

  “You’re so helpful in bad times.”

  “You know you have a friend in me.”

  Zareh growled. “Are you offering to be the main course?”

  Alazar smirked. “Now, now. Don’t get your tail in a knot. I had the foresight to know you’d be down to the wire tonight. That said…”

  He beckoned, and Zareh followed him into the dimly lit kitchen. He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed and booted toe planted against the floor. He hated the foul mood his poor planning and even poorer execution put him in. Kaylae didn’t deserve this, certainly not when he had more than enough time to plan, had he been more attuned to her quiet hopes.

  Unfortunately, his beloved lifemate’s mood as of late had kept him on his toes. He couldn’t understand what was bothering her, and she refused to talk about it, insisting, “It’s nothing, love.” Each time those words were spoken, he sensed the lie behind them.

  He tried to coax her to share, and failed. He tried to beg and earned nothing but a smile, a kiss, and the sight of his beautiful Doe’s backside as she disappeared into their bedroom. Alone. He tried to tread the edges of her mind, his dragon disconcerted by her behavior, and found himself shut out.

  He’d thought it was anxiety over waiting for their move, but then they closed on the house and she went hot to cold and back again without warning. He found her crying quietly in their new bedroom, but she adamantly insisted there was nothing wrong.

  He was lost. As close as she was, he felt her slipping away. The feeling of helplessness was more than maddening.

  So, he remained in the kitchen doorway, unwilling to hold his breath that anything could turn this night into something Kaylae would be excited about.

  Alazar opened the fridge doors, stepped to the side, and spread his hand to indicate the full contents. Zareh’s brows rose, as did he off the doorframe.

  “In a jam? Well, my friend. I brought ham.” Alazar snickered at his lame Dr. Seuss-ish joke. “And turkey, sweet potato pie, an array of vegetables, mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, rolls, you name it.”

  “What the heck?” Zareh asked.

  “I told you I got a kitchen for Ariah. We had a blast in it before heading here to unload the results. All I have to do is warm everything up, which shouldn’t take long, and we’ve got ourselves an amazing Christmas Eve dinner. Oh!” Alazar pulled a few of the platters out of the fridge and placed them on the island. “And I brought ingredients for breakfast in the morning. Got you covered, food-wise, brother.”

  Zareh had moved to the fridge by the time Alazar was through with his menu rundown, the knot in his stomach disentangling with relief. Maybe this wouldn’t be as terrible as he imagined. He only hoped Doe would forgive him for his lack of punctuality.

  “You never cease to amaze me, Al. I think I’m going to be in your debt for a while after this stunt.” Zareh stole a glance at his watch. “Think we can get the women and surprise them now?”

  Alazar closed the fridge as his cell phone vibrated audibly in the pocket of his jeans. He pulled it out and looked at the screen. Zareh didn’t need to hover to know Ariah had texted again.

  “Damn, bro. I think we’re both going to be in the cave tonight.” Alazar’s cheeks darkened as he rubbed a hand over his tied-back russet hair and let out a long breath. “Ariah’s pissed.”

  Zareh sighed. “Yeah. I’m not holding out hope Doe is letting this fly. These last couple of weeks have been tough on her.”

  “Well, let’s go get them before we both become the main course, and not in any pleasurable way.”

  “I can’t believe they’re ignoring us. What is wrong with them? Do they not know that we worry about them? And Zareh. He’s never late. He doesn’t know the meaning of late.”

  Kaylae slowed for the stop sign, the tires of her new BMW 1 series taking a moment to gain traction on the slick road surfaces. She wouldn’t be out in this weather looking for him if Zareh had come home when he said he would. Seriously, he couldn’t answer a damn text? Or twenty of them? Didn’t he know she worried about him?

  She navigated the snow-dusted roads through the swollen flakes that obscured her view. Her wipers did nothing but smear the heavily falling snow across her windshield.

  Despite her focus on the road in front of her—thankfully, it was deserted of traffic, since most people had enough sense to stay indoors, unlike herself—she didn’t miss Ariah’s increasingly obvious concern with each glance her friend threw in her direction. She might have taken her frustration to an unneces
sary level, considering the enemies of the Firestorm dragons and their Keepers remained elusive and at large. The Baroqueth slayers had been quiet for too long, especially as they knew Zareh and Kaylae remained in Nocturne Falls. The last time silence stretched like this, Alazar and Ariah became targets. Alazar nearly lost his life.

  Silence in the world of Firestorm was often a warning.

  Like silence among kids. You know all crap is going to the hands of destruction.

  Or so she heard from mothers she’d come to know in town. Silence was never a good thing.

  Including Ariah’s prolonged silence since leaving the house.

  Her friend had one leg curled beneath her on the seat, her scarf wound around her neck and chin, and a knit cap pulled over her stylish hair. Her eyes were as piercing as lightning bolts, belying her calm exterior. Kaylae learned real fast when they met that Ariah’s eyes spoke more than the words that came from her mouth. She could lance with a glance.

  Kaylae looked one way, then the other, trying to decide which leg of Main Street to scour first. After another moment of hesitation, she turned right and headed toward Howler’s—one of Alazar’s favorite haunts when he was in town—and in the general direction of Mummy’s Diner.

  “Tell me again why we’re driving around in the makings of a blizzard on Christmas Eve when this town has shut up good?” Ariah finally asked, turning her back to the door and her attention on Kaylae. “Honey, this is a little extreme. I’m sure they have a very good explanation for why they’re late.”

  “Sure. They’re building snowmen. They’re having snowball fights. They’re fighting off Baroqueth.” Kaylae sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly, hoping to calm her nerves. She really needed to get hold of herself.

  “Whoa, girl. You need to relax. Why don’t you pull over and let me drive, huh?”

  “I’m fine.” Kaylae tightened her grip on the steering wheel, holding desperately to her sanity. Ugh. What a Christmas Eve.

  They rolled up to Howler’s Bar and Grill and she scowled. Big surprise. The parking lot was empty, and a Closed sign wishing patrons a Merry Christmas hung in the window. She headed to Delaney’s sweet shop. No luck. Hallowed Bean was dark, except for twinkling fairy lights shining through the snow. Every shop she passed was closed for the holiday.

  Even the gargoyle fountain hot spot was quiet, the square empty of the usual tourist horde. Not a single person. The fake stone statue gargoyle was in place, the one Nocturne Falls used during the holidays or on any occasion when one of the real gargoyles couldn’t stand duty to entertain the tourists.

  Kaylae felt a touch on her shoulder and jerked away in surprise. Ariah lifted her hand in a sign of surrender.

  “Sorry,” Kaylae muttered, turning the car around and pulling to the side of the road. She threw the vehicle in Park once it faced the way they’d come and slumped in her seat. She tried to gather her emotions, the ones that seemed to be driving these irrational actions and filling her eyes with tears far too often lately.

  “Kay, listen to me. The boys are fine. You know if they weren’t, we’d have seen Cade or Syn or one of the other Firestorms. Someone would have come straight here. Maybe they went out of town to get some last-minute things and are taking it slow coming home. The roads aren’t pretty. And before you say anything about them not answering texts or calls, I’m sure they don’t want to be distracted on the road. And if they’re too far away, telepathy won’t work. So, why don’t we head back to the house and wait?”

  Ariah wrapped a hand tentatively around Kaylae’s wrist and eased her molded fingers off the steering wheel.

  “And that means I’m driving.” Ariah shooed Kaylae away from the steering wheel. “Come on. Out with you. I’m not sitting on your lap the entire ride home.”

  Kaylae snorted out a short laugh and shook her head. “Can always count on you to lighten the mood.”

  “I learned a thing or two from Alazar. I was more than ready to give up the dark and dreary after a decade of miserable living.” Ariah gave Kaylae’s shoulder a playful shove. “Out. Now. The snow is coming down harder and we still have to make it up that darn hill into your endless driveway.”

  Kaylae and Ariah switched seats, belted in, and Kaylae settled back to try and relax. She fought hard to keep her crazy emotions in check. Sure, it was the first Christmas without her father and uncle, and that was difficult enough. She knew deep down in her heart that Zareh was perfectly safe, but his persistent avoidance on this particular night hurt more than it made her angry.

  Despite Nocturne Falls’ commercial area being eerily quiet, Kaylae kept her eyes peeled for any signs of Zareh and Alazar. The wind had kicked up in a matter of minutes, sending whorls of white to blind their view. Ariah cussed under her breath as she leaned forward to peer out the windshield. Kaylae had to blink away the dizziness the swirling snow stoked. She glanced at the speedometer and sighed. At this rate, they’d make it home in time for breakfast.

  “Just an FYI, your expensive little piece here sucks in the snow.”

  “Zareh wanted to change out the tires yesterday, but we ran out of time.”

  Ariah’s nostrils flared. “Still, for the price tag on this machine, you’d think the thing would handle snow a little better.”

  “You seem to be handling it well.” Kaylae cranked up the heat and suppressed a shiver. “The car, that is. On that note, why aren’t you worried about Alazar?”

  “If I have to worry about Alazar, I’m in trouble. As far as the car, you do remember that hunk of metal I drove down here from North Carolina a few months ago? Yeah, I drove that in the snow.” Ariah snickered. “Not that this is much better, but there’s a bit more control.” She cast a glance at Kaylae. “They were on their own for centuries before we turned their worlds upside-down. They are fine.”

  Kaylae studied her friend’s delicate profile. The wisdom that often came from her mouth—or on the whip that was her tongue, if circumstances demanded it—was not lost on Kaylae. She was a year younger, but where Kaylae had been sheltered her entire life, Ariah swam with the worst sharks in the ocean. She knew ugly. Kaylae did not. At least to the degree Ariah knew it.

  “I think this holiday is a wash. We’ll do it right next year,” Kaylae said, resigned.

  “Aw, girl. Where’s your Christmas spirit? Don’t throw in the towel so early. It’s only”—Ariah glanced at the clock on the dashboard—“six.”

  “My spirit is curling up for a nap. It’ll keep me warm when I call it a night once we’re back home.” Her hopes of a sorta Christmas Eve went the way of the wind-blown snow. “Besides, I still have Christmas Day to spread that merriness.”

  The car fish-tailed more times than Kaylae could count. After a while, she stopped counting, trusting her friend’s skill behind the wheel—until they came to one of the first inclines leading up the hillside toward the residential areas of Nocturne Falls, and her new home with Zareh.

  She felt the back tires slip and the car roll back even as Ariah cautiously gave the engine more gas. Gripping the seat and the door handle, she glanced behind her. The snow was too thick to see anything out the rear window but the reflection of taillights against the pristine white.

  “I’m going to roll back and see if I can’t get traction enough to get up this incline. Hang tight,” Ariah said, laying off the gas and reversing the car down to level road. “How deep is the ditch on your side?”

  “I don’t know and I don’t want to find out tonight.”

  “Neither do I.” Ariah tapped the brakes as the car slowed in its roll. She threw the car in Park and climbed out.

  “What are you doing?” Kaylae asked.

  “Gauging the road, since I’ll be going it blind.” Ariah soon dropped back into the driver’s seat and pulled the door closed with an audible shiver. She turned off the headlights to cut the glare on the falling snow, left the parking lights on, and popped the car into drive. “Here goes.”

  Every muscle in Kaylae’s body ten
sed as Ariah pressed down on the accelerator at an even pace. The car moved forward, tires connecting with the pavement, and they began a promising climb up the incline. Kaylae counted each beat of her heart while she held her breath.

  Should’ve stayed home. What was I thinking? And putting Ariah in danger? Inexcusable.

  “Come on, girl. Come on,” Ariah whispered to the car. She flexed her fingers against the wheel.

  Kaylae closed her eyes as her stomach rolled.

  “Almost there.”

  “Good,” Kaylae breathed.

  Without warning, the back end of the car swung out. Kaylae’s eyes shot open. Ariah maneuvered the wheel, her expression as calm as her expert movement. The car jerked as the tires fought for traction. Ariah eased the wheel in the direction of the fishtail, but it didn’t help.

  “Damn it. I can’t get traction.”

  The front end began to slide to the left. Ariah tried to correct, fighting against slick road and gravity.

  “Oh, boy.”

  “Don’t say that,” Kaylae squeaked.

  “I can’t get control.” Ariah turned the wheel in the direction the car was sliding. The car turned, and kept turning until they faced downhill. The tires bumped over the low-running curb—the curb that separated the road from the small patch of grass beside the ditch.

  “Ariah!”

  “I’m trying!”

  Kaylae planted her feet on the floor, instinctively trying to apply the brakes. “The ditch!”

  “I know!”

  “Zareh!” As she let out the mental cry, Kaylae squeezed her eyes shut again, fingers digging into the seat and the handle, and braced for impact.

  Chapter Three

  “Doe? I’m home,” Zareh called out, slipping into the unnaturally quiet house. Alazar hung back on the porch, most likely trying to get in touch with Ariah. “Kaylae?”

  As he moved through the open, tall-ceilinged foyer into the living room, his skin tingled. Instantly, he knew Kaylae and Ariah were not anywhere in the big house, but even so, the residual energy of their essences was anything but welcoming.