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

  He’d never seen a look of such raw panic cross Kaylae’s face, even when they’d faced their enemies, and it didn’t sit well with him.

  “You told me she liked ham, Zareh.”

  Zareh scowled. “I think you need to go back to what you were doing, Alazar, and let me handle Doe.”

  To the fire with counting.

  Zareh took off after his lifemate. If she was ill, he needed to know. She’d been through enough these last couple of weeks. He didn’t want what remained of tonight to go the way of the toilet.

  The sound of the toilet flushing greeted him as he reached the bathroom door. He didn’t hesitate to knock on the closed door.

  “Kaylae, what’s the matter?”

  “Nothing. I’m fine.”

  He gritted his teeth. Lies and more lies. It seemed Doe had something big to hide from him. Something that was starting to put a rather infuriating wedge between them.

  Was she regretting their bonding? Regretting their unbreakable promise to each other? The mood swings, the tears, the lies, the secrets.

  He wouldn’t be able to live with Doe resenting him, but living without her was unthinkable.

  “I think this is a little more than nothing, love.”

  “Stress. Still shaken up about the car.”

  Zareh dropped his head. Another lie.

  He listened to her wash her hands, spit a bunch of times, and turn off the faucet before pulling the door open. Zareh scrutinized the pallor that had taken over her face, leaving her skin tinged with gray. Her eyes sparkled with moisture. Her lips were red and irritated.

  She smiled wanly, and he bristled, unable to continue with the farce.

  “What’s going on?”

  A faint crease formed over her brows. “What do you mean?”

  “I think we both know what I mean. Let’s quit the charade. What are you hiding from me?”

  Zareh tried to put a slight edge of command into his voice, but he couldn’t muster the strength. All he wanted was his Doe back. Her trust in him. When had she stopped trusting him?

  He crossed his arms over his chest, silently noted the slow drop in Kaylae’s gaze, followed by a defeated dip of her head. Her fingers knotted together at her waist. He listened to the quickening of her heartbeat and the shortening of her breaths.

  Against his mind, he received splattered flashes of colors and muddled thoughts that made absolutely no sense, but the tension in each flash was undeniable.

  “Did the Baroqueth threaten you?” If those damn sorcerers were using his woman as a tool against him, it would take more than an edict from Cade, the Firestorm leader, to hold him back from his revenge.

  Kaylae sighed and shook her head. “It’s nothing like that.”

  So she was hiding something.

  Zareh unfolded his arms and rested his hands on Kaylae’s slouched shoulders. He stroked the sides of her neck with his thumbs, hoping his touch would relax her enough to confide in him.

  “You know that I will never leave your side. I will never abandon you for any reason. Whatever it is you hide, know we will face it together. You’re the breath in my lungs and the blood that flows through my heart. I need you, love. Tell me what I can do, what I must do, to have you back, happy and content.”

  Kaylae tilted forward to press her forehead smack center in his chest. She said quietly, almost too low to hear, “I’m scared.”

  Those two words shredded him to pieces. He pulled his lifemate into his arms, his body, and held her in his protective embrace.

  “Sweetheart, what are you scared about? The Baroqueth? The house? What can possibly scare you to this extent when I protect you?”

  “Zareh, I really don’t want to have this conversation in the bathroom doorway.”

  “I’m willing to forget the bathroom for a better understanding of what’s been going on that you can’t trust me enough to talk to about.”

  Kaylae jerked upright, her beautiful multi-hued blue eyes wide. Her lips worked silently until she cleared her throat. “Why would you think I couldn’t trust you?”

  Zareh lifted a brow. A deep red flushed her cheeks.

  “You two lovebirds doing okay?”

  Zareh rolled his eyes to the ceiling, then turned to flash Alazar a tight smile. His dear friend forewent his usual casual expression for one of true concern. His gaze slipped to Kaylae, lingered for a moment, then returned to Zareh. The small exchange put Zareh on the defensive.

  He glanced at Kaylae. “We were just returning to the dining room. I hope the table has been spared any inappropriate servicing?”

  Alazar snorted. “I have more class than a dining room table, brother.” He shook his head. “At least when it’s about to be used for dining purposes.”

  Kaylae stifled a small giggle behind her hand. Zareh wiped the images Alazar placed in his head away and motioned with an outstretched hand toward their evening meal.

  “After you.”

  Zareh kept a half step behind Kaylae, observing every inch of her from head to toe. His lovely Doe. His body ached and his mind twisted. He would let this go tonight for the sake of enjoying the holiday. They faced enough mayhem day-to-day. Tonight and tomorrow didn’t need to be part of the complicated, and dangerous, life of a Firestorm dragon and his beautiful Keeper.

  As they arrived in the kitchen, Zareh noted the slight stiffening of Kaylae’s shoulders and heard the audible swallow as her gaze slid over the food. He stepped up beside her and caught her lowering her hand from her stomach.

  Her face had paled again.

  “Wine, love?”

  “Um, no. Water. Water will be…fine.”

  She swallowed a few more times on their way to the dining room table, where he pulled a chair out for her. Ariah’s sharp gaze landed on Kaylae from her seat across the table, concern flashing in her gold-laced eyes.

  Zareh ignored the exchange and went to help Alazar in the kitchen.

  Despite the calm, easy movements that came naturally to his friend while in the kitchen, a strange unease seemed to keep his back a tad straighter.

  “Did Ari tell you anything about Doe?” Zareh asked under his breath.

  Alazar shot him an unreadable glance. “Mouth is sealed, even if I did know.”

  “Thanks a lot, brother. Where do your loyalties lie?”

  Alazar dished out a side of rosemary potatoes, clinking the serving spoon loudly against the plate. He lifted the full plate and shoved it toward Zareh with a bright smile.

  “Merry Christmas Eve, brother. Feed your woman.”

  Zareh scowled, waiting for Alazar to finish preparing a second plate before he returned to the dining room to serve Kaylae and Ariah. He made a trip to the kitchen for drinks, his plate, and settled at the table with Alazar.

  Unfortunately, with each bite of food, his appetite went the same way as his beloved lifemate just a short time ago.

  Right down the toilet.

  Chapter Six

  “I don’t think you should wait until tomorrow, Kay. He looks like he’s about to lose his skin to scales and go all fire-shooting.”

  Kaylae nodded, turning away from the sickly image reflected in the mirror to face Ariah. Her friend’s eyes glowed with sympathy, her delicate face etched with worry.

  So far, she’d done nothing but ruin Zareh and Alazar’s endearing attempt to make Christmas special for her and Ariah.

  Her heart swelled to near bursting with emotion, but her body allowed little time for her to show any love and appreciation before throwing her into an unwarranted mood swing or worse.

  She just finished worse. Again.

  “Perhaps Zareh and I should go home so we won’t ruin your evening.”

  Ariah shoved her playfully. “You two go home and our evening will be ruined. So, you’re staying. Just…don’t wait.”

  Kaylae nodded again.

  “Hey, listen. Nothing about this Christmas is anything you or I might have expected, but it has been the best so far. Look at us. We have me
n we love and adore at our sides. We have their love in return. We’re together, the four of us. The guys cooked and decorated—”

  Kaylae arched a brow. Ariah laughed.

  “Okay, so it’s pretty bad—”

  “But the effort is admirable.”

  “Completely admirable. And so sweet.” Ariah sighed, a smile lighting her face. “Zareh wanted to do everything to make you happy. He knows you’re hurting with the absence of your father and the uprooting to the new house right before the holidays. He tried hard, Kay. He deserves to relax tonight.”

  Wise words from her friend in a time when she struggled to straighten out her thoughts. Ariah and Alazar were perfect together. The balance, the wisdom, the fun-loving go-with-it attitude. Where they were equals, Zareh was Kaylae’s foundation. Her strength and protection.

  “Okay. Let’s get this night on the right track.”

  After a few minutes to freshen up and make herself look presentable—again—Kaylae and Ariah returned downstairs. Zareh stood in front of the fireplace, a hand braced on the mantel, and stared into the flames. Every few seconds, a flame would lick toward him as if drawn, but immediately sink back into the orange-yellow blaze. The glow cast his face in a breathtaking creation of sharp and rough edges in shadows. His dark hair fell over his cheek, his eyes obscured by the thick strands.

  Faint gray curls of smoke curled out of his nostrils with each exhale, giving away his strong emotions.

  Kaylae moistened her lips, absorbing the waves of tension and careful control pouring off her dragon.

  “At last, you’ve decided to stop primping and preening and return to us.” Alazar edged by Kaylae and Ariah, holding a tray with four cups of eggnog. He jutted his chin toward the cup set a few inches away from the others. “That’s yours, Kay.”

  Kaylae mustered a grin and accepted the beverage, but didn’t dare take a sip of the rich drink. She took a second cup and saucer, and brought them to Zareh. His half grin failed to impress her as he took the offering from her hand.

  “We can retire early. You’re not feeling well,” he said softly, his sharp gaze watching her closely. Kaylae shook her head.

  “I’m feeling fine.”

  His eyes narrowed.

  “So, my understanding from Zareh is that it was Talius’s tradition to open a single gift on Christmas Eve?” Alazar asked. Kaylae looked at him, settled on the sofa with his ankle resting on his knee, eggnog on his thigh, and his arm loose around Ariah’s shoulders. Her friend was tucked comfortably against his side.

  Kaylae smiled. “Yeah. We’d all open one gift before we went to sleep, and the rest in the morning.”

  There were no presents beneath the precious Charlie Brown tree, but presents didn’t matter to her. The man beside her was all that mattered. Zareh Lutherone. She wanted for nothing as long as he was in her life.

  “I think Kay should be the first to give Zareh a present,” Ariah said, her brows rising. “Right, Al?”

  Alazar smirked. “Oh, yes. I couldn’t agree more.”

  Zareh cast the floor by the tree a glance. “There are no presents to give, so I’m not quite sure how this exchange is going to occur.”

  “The gift isn’t beneath the tree, silly,” Ariah said.

  Kaylae rolled her eyes and placed her eggnog on the coffee table. “No, it’s not.”

  Zareh didn’t speak, confusion darkening his green eyes.

  Kaylae faced him, tucking a wave of hair behind her ear. Heat spread up into her cheeks from her neck, the fire only a few feet to her right amplifying the sudden warmth that struck her. Nerves rattled for no reason. Why would she be nervous?

  Because you’re scared.

  There would be nothing easy about this. Nothing at all.

  “I, well, I was going to wait until morning, but Ari talked sense into me.”

  Zareh’s gaze cut to Ariah. Alazar’s hand tightened on Ariah’s shoulder and his lifemate winked.

  Kaylae let out a short breath and squared her shoulders. “I know I haven’t been myself lately, but you need to know it has nothing to do with you.”

  “Oh, boy. Here it comes,” Alazar taunted. Zareh’s lip curled in a scowl.

  Kaylae caught his face in her hands as he turned to glare at Alazar, diverting him back to focus on her. She held him steady, gazes locked.

  “I love you, Zar. More than anything in this world, or any world. I exist because of you, and I feel terrible for the way I’ve treated you lately. I had no idea why I was acting the way I was. None.” She rethought that. “Well, I speculated, but I refused to believe it until yesterday.”

  “What happened yesterday?” Zareh asked, his voice soft, gravelly, breathless.

  “I went to the clinic for some blood work to make sure I wasn’t sick with all the junk going around.”

  Zareh frowned. “You’re not sick, are you, love?”

  “No. At least, not the way you mean.” Kaylae leaned forward, pressing onto her toes, and brought her mouth close to his ear.

  “Our line is going to continue, Zareh.” She squeezed her eyes shut. These darn tears were really getting old. “Your baby grows inside me.”

  Ceramic shattered. Kaylae gasped and jumped back, staring at Zareh. He looked dumbfounded, his hands empty, his cup and eggnog casualties on the wooden floor.

  For the first time since meeting Zareh that fateful afternoon at Howler’s over seven months ago, she witnessed her dragon tremble. When he reached for her face, his fingers shook in the tender grip along her cheeks.

  “You…you’re…”

  Kaylae nodded, pressing her lips together to hold back the sob that pushed up her throat and resigned to the tears that spilled down her cheeks.

  “Pregnant,” Zareh whispered. A crease formed on his forehead and he tilted his head toward the sofa. “Did they know before me?”

  “I threatened her if she didn’t tell me what was wrong with her. But, if it’s any consolation, she only told me a few hours ago,” Ariah said. “Alazar dug around in my head and happened on the information when we got to the house.”

  “I wasn’t supposed to know until now, but I don’t like it when Ari is all tied up in deep thought and concern.” He kissed his lifemate’s temple. “Not when I’m trying to kiss her into oblivion and she’s preoccupied.”

  Zareh shot Alazar a short glance. “Is that how the dining room table was spared?”

  “Pretty much.”

  “What are you talking about?” Ariah interjected.

  “You don’t want to know,” Kaylae said, lowering Zareh’s hands from her face and leading him away from the mess on the floor. A surreal glaze coated his eyes and faint tremors continued to tease his fingers. She almost felt bad for him.

  “Oh, I think I do.”

  “Zareh thought you and I did a little pre-dinner dance on the table,” Alazar said. Ariah choked on her eggnog, a thin dribble of the drink streaming from the corner of her mouth. Alazar dabbed it away with a napkin from the tray. “Yeah, that’s what I said, too.”

  Zareh took Kaylae by the waist, circling her until she faced him, flush against his body. He brushed the hair away from her eyes, tipped her chin up, and captured her lips in a sweet, gentle kiss.

  “We’re going to have a baby?”

  Kaylae smiled against his mouth, loving his innocent wonder as he spoke into her mind. “Yes. We’re going to have a baby.”

  Zareh’s arms tightened around her as his tongue swept through her parted lips in a kiss that weakened her knees. Heat filled every cell of her body, the familiar craving for her dragon conquering her queasy stomach. She pressed up on her toes, arms wrapping around his neck. She played with the silky ends of his hair until Alazar’s exaggerated throat-clearing cut through the moment.

  Zareh gave her bottom lip a gentle tug as he ended the kiss. Kaylae sighed, savoring the flavor of Zareh’s mouth against her lips, and tucked her head beneath his chin.

  “You said you were scared. Are you frightened about the ch
ild?” Zareh asked, his voice a caress along her mind.

  “I’m scared because the Baroqueth are still out there, hunting us. It isn’t about you and me anymore. It’s about you, me, and our child. I fear for our child’s safety in this world.”

  Zareh kissed the top of her head and whispered, “There is nothing to fear. No harm will ever befall our child.”

  “You’re a Keeper, Kaylae. You are lifemate to a Firestorm. That child will be the most protected child in this world and our own,” Alazar said, all humor gone from his voice. “Fear for nothing.”

  “He’s right, love.” Zareh nuzzled the top of her head. “You have nothing to fear and every reason to be joyous.”

  “You know, you could sell that humungous home and come back to The Hollow.”

  “Alazar.”

  “It’s just a suggestion.”

  Kaylae smiled. “For the moment, I like Nocturne Falls. It’s a place of firsts for me. The place I learned who I was, what I was, and where I fell in love.” She looked up at Zareh as she said the last part. He grinned. “Yes, I would love to move to The Hollow, but for now, I want to enjoy this town and what we have built. What we are building.”

  “Anything you wish, Doe.”

  “I wish one more thing.” Kaylae leaned back to smile toward Ariah and Alazar. “I wish for us to have a very special Christmas from this moment on.”

  “I don’t think that’s going to be a problem,” Alazar said, pushing to his feet. “I’ll get more eggnog.” He scrunched his nose. “And a rag so your klutz of a man can clean up his mess.”

  “I think we need some Christmas music, don’t you?” Ariah reached for her iPhone. She pulled a portable speaker from her purse and plugged it into the phone. “Time to get jolly.”

  “I don’t think anything can make me any more happy than I am right at this moment.” Zareh pressed a kiss to Kaylae’s forehead. “I have my beautiful lifemate by my side and the future glowing in her eyes as it grows in her belly.”

  “Oh my, such a romantic.”