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

  He and his closest friend were two of the eight remaining Firestorm dragons in existence, and the only ones lucky enough to have found lifemates. Now, Zareh had to figure out how this whole Christmas thing worked for the sake of his beloved Doe. The endearment suited her, even though it had started out as a diminutive of Jane Doe when she wouldn’t share her real name on their first meeting.

  Zareh pressed his lips together, gave the diamond band one last consideration, and handed it back to the sales associate with a small shake of his head. “Thanks for your time.”

  “Of which you’re running short on,” Alazar said, tapping his watch. “Stores close early today. Not everyone procrastinates, because they have other plans tonight. Dinner plans. Christmas Eve party plans. Drink spiked eggnog until you’re passed out plans.”

  Zareh scowled as they left the shop. Despite the chill in the Georgia air and the swollen gray clouds that promised a magical snowfall to start the Christmas holiday, his dragon’s blood kept him comfortably warm. He glanced up and down the street, noticing for the first time that Nocturne Falls was not bustling with the usual tourists dressed in Halloween costumes. Those who, like him, were busy pulling together the frayed ends of pre-holiday preparations wore festive Christmas attire, from Santa hats to elf shoes and everything in between. He also wasn’t blind to the true elves who came and went from Santa’s Workshop—the grand toy store housed in an austere warehouse a few blocks away.

  “Where to now?” Alazar asked.

  “I’m not sure.”

  “Ah, blind together.” Alazar fell in step beside Zareh, twisting to avoid barreling into a couple strolling down the sidewalk. “Insight please?”

  “You’re right. Doe doesn’t care for all the baubles and glamour. She likes simple. I’m going to stick with simple.” He shot Alazar a glance. “What did you get Ariah?”

  “A kitchen.” Alazar shrugged. “You know how she is. Pretty grounded and all. Not into the fluff.”

  Zareh snickered. “Certain the kitchen wasn’t for you?”

  “Nah. I’ve been teaching her how to cook. Her request, of course.”

  “I can’t believe you got her a kitchen for your first Christmas. Isn’t it a little over the top?”

  Alazar laughed. “Buddy, don’t go dissing my gift when you haven’t managed to get your lifemate anything.”

  Zareh detoured down Black Cat Boulevard and slipped into Delaney’s Delectables. The rich, sweet aromas of chocolate, candy, and other confectionary goodies filled the shop. Christmas music flowed from hidden speakers. A subtle scent of pine wound its way through the intricate sweetness.

  The shop exuded Christmas.

  As did the owner, in her floppy Santa hat bordered with thick white fluff decorated with holly and bells. He was vaguely surprised to find Delaney Ellingham working, her happy predisposition and holiday spirit on full display for the thinning flock of customers. She had hired a few assistants over the last few months, but still kept her hands and feet fully engaged in her business.

  Even on Christmas Eve, it seemed.

  Delaney handed the customer at the cash register a prettily stuffed bag, and her eyes lit on the newcomers. “Zareh. Alazar. What’re you two doing here? I thought you’d be enjoying the holiday with Kaylae and Ari.” Her smile stretched to her eyes.

  “Mr. Romance is desperate for a gift.” Alazar nudged Zareh with his elbow. “He’s a Christmas virgin.”

  Delaney laughed. Zareh managed a thin grin directed at his friend.

  “I’m flattered that you find my confections gift-worthy, Zar, but I don’t think this is what you’d like to give Kaylae for Christmas.” She lifted a small silver tasting tray from the cashier counter and held out the sample-sized sugar-dusted truffles. “Although she might enjoy these. They’re cocoa mint truffles with sugared peppermint dusting.”

  Zareh helped himself to a sample and popped it in his mouth. The chocolate melted over his tongue, releasing the fresh essence of mint. Definitely a combination his sweet Doe would moan over.

  “A dozen of those,” Zareh said without hesitation. Delaney gave him the smile of a satisfied proprietor clinching a sure-thing sale. “And the usual.”

  “Perfect.” Delaney disappeared in the back room.

  Alazar leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. “How’s the decorating going at the new place?”

  “Decorating?” Zareh snorted. “We’ve barely made a dent unpacking the boxes. There’s been no time to decorate. Besides, I’m not sure how to decorate for this holiday. I’ve never ventured about during this crazy season, let alone taken interest in these human traditions. It’s not something we ever celebrated in The Hollow. You know that.”

  Alazar’s eyes narrowed. “Kaylae hasn’t mentioned a tree? Ornaments? Lights? I mean, I dunno, Christmas stockings to hang over that ridiculously big fireplace in your new living room?” A sharp, exasperated groan left his lips. A rare wash of seriousness overcame his expression. “Pardon me for offering my advice, but I think you need to consider the holiday more than the gift at this point. This is her first Christmas without her father, without her old life. Her first Christmas with you, in your new home. Make it special. Memories are priceless gifts.”

  Zareh cocked a brow at Alazar, and clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “Almost six hundred years in the bag as friends, and this philosophical side of you continues to surprise me. What man has Ari dug up from the cave in the months you’ve been living in our homeland?”

  Alazar shrugged, winked, and pushed off the counter as Delaney returned with two boxes of treats. “The same one you’ve always known, brother.”

  The off-the-cuff response struck a chord with Zareh. His good-natured, funny—albeit with a sometimes misplaced sense of humor—friend had always managed to keep the majority of the Firestorm dragons in check before the war came to The Hollow, their precious homeland far from the human world. He had a talent for easing tense situations with his charm. When the Baroqueth slayers murdered his Keeper, Alazar buried his pain and guilt. It was only recently, when Ariah came into his friend’s life, that Zareh realized the lengths Alazar had gone to hide his pain and keep the rest of the dragon clan from unleashing fire when their tempers got out of hand.

  Being Firestorm, tempers were definitely quick to snap, especially when it came to the welfare of family and loved ones.

  “Dare I ask if you have any plans for Christmas Eve, Zareh?” Delaney asked as her fingers skated over the computer to ring him up.

  “Of course. He’s planning to spit a Christmas hog in his fireplace, apple in mouth and all,” Alazar said. Delaney’s eyes went wide before she burst out laughing. Alazar shook a finger at Zareh. “You made sure that hog wasn’t a werehog before you stuck it, right?”

  Delaney covered her mouth, eyes dancing as she tried to contain her laughter. Zareh rolled his eyes and shook his head.

  “Don’t pay a moment’s heed to this giddy fool, Delaney. There is no hog, no apple, and certainly no spit in my fireplace. However, one thing I don’t have that I hope you might be able to point me to would be a Christmas tree. And perhaps some decorations?”

  Delaney composed herself, dabbing at the corner of her eye, and cleared her throat. “There are a few shops along Main Street that may still be open and have some decorations left this late. As far as trees, you might get lucky at the live tree stand adjacent to Mummy’s Diner. They had quite a stock at the beginning of the week. Many locals seem to wait until the last few days to pick up the real ones.” Delaney shrugged. “Why, I don’t know. I love the smell of fresh pine in the house. Really brings the Christmas spirit home.”

  Zareh didn’t know why either. He was running partially blind when it came to the holidays, with a comedian as his wingman. Where he ended up all depended on the joke. He made a mental note to research all holidays throughout the calendar year to be better prepared for the next one.

  “Thanks, Delaney.” Zareh flipped
open his wallet. “How much do I owe you?”

  “Ten dollars even.”

  Zareh scoffed. “The real total.”

  Delaney smiled. “Merry Christmas, Zareh. Consider it my Christmas gift to you and Kaylae. She’ll definitely appreciate the chocolate.”

  Grumbling under his breath, Zareh fished out a ten-dollar bill and handed it to her. “Don’t make a habit of discounting me or I’ll have a word with Hugh.”

  “Oh, I can see the result of that now,” Alazar said, squaring his shoulders in perfect mimicry of Delaney’s vampire husband’s very proper posture and crisp British accent. “‘Darling Delaney, you mustn’t cheat Zareh out of paying full price for his purchases.’ To which Delaney replies, ‘Handsome Hugh, try my latest creation and let me handle my business.’”

  “Dear gods, grant me patience and strength so I won’t be tempted to spit and roast dragon this evening,” Zareh muttered, grabbing the two boxes of treats. Delaney laughed, accepting a hug from Alazar over the counter.

  Alazar clapped Zareh’s shoulder and headed toward the door. “Merry Christmas, Delaney. To you and your family,” he called back.

  “Behave, Al.” Delaney rounded the counter and gave Zareh a hug. “You, too. I know that no matter what, Kaylae is simply happy to have you.”

  “I hope she always feels that way.”

  The way things were going of late, he wasn’t as certain of that as he used to be.

  “A little more to the right?” Kaylae suggested. Her brows furrowed and she bit her thumb knuckle as she tried to gauge the exactly right position for the china cabinet in the living room. Ariah and Pandora flanked her, their heads tilted in opposite directions.

  “Um, Kay, I don’t think it’ll get any more centered than that,” Pandora said. “I used a measurement spell to get it exact. Perhaps it’s the slope in the ceiling that is throwing it off?”

  Ariah twirled a dark strand of her A-line cut hair between her fingers. “I think you should’ve stuck with the buffet instead of the cabinet and installed shelves against the far wall to display your china.”

  Kaylae dropped her hand and sighed. “I don’t even have china. We got the china cabinet because we had to have it for a formal dining room.”

  “Says who?”

  Kaylae cast a glower at Pandora. “Really? Who?”

  The two women stared at each other for a long moment before laughing. Ariah moved closer to the cabinet, her focus intent.

  “Why don’t we put it against the far wall? The ceiling angle is straight across and not sloped over that wall and the windows are far enough apart that the bulk won’t block them.”

  “Remind me again why the women are doing this work and not the men?” Pandora asked. She looked at Kaylae. “Want to give it a try?”

  “Sure. And if it doesn’t look right, I’ll make Zareh return it.”

  Pandora murmured a spell in a soft, wispy voice. The cabinet lifted from the floor and slowly floated over to its new location before settling down. Ariah clapped her hands as though they’d actually done the hefty lifting and folded her fingers against her chin as she contemplated it. Pandora released a low breath.

  Kaylae’s shoulders slouched.

  She didn’t like it against that wall either.

  Heck, she didn’t like it. Period.

  Gotta get yourself under control. It’ll be different in a few weeks.

  She loved the piece when they purchased it a month ago. Just like the dining table and the chairs. And the living room set.

  All of which bothered her now.

  Her stomach churned with frustration. “So, yeah. I think I’m done reconfiguring for the day. It’s Christmas Eve, I have no idea where my husband is, what we’re going to make for dinner, or how we’re going to celebrate this holiday, but whatever.”

  Kaylae flung an arm to encompass the expansive living room in her new home.

  “I mean, look at that. There’s nothing. Not a single Christmasy thing in this house. Closing on this place four days before Christmas, trying to move everything in and make it livable, much less festive, might have been taking on more than I could handle. I feel like I’m living in an impersonal cave.”

  Ariah’s brows rose, gold-laced brown eyes shimmering in the dim light pouring through the windows. “Honey, I live in a cave. This is not a cave.”

  Kaylae waved away her friend’s attempt to lighten her mood and slipped through the ginormous butler’s pantry into the even more ginormous kitchen. Acutely aware that Pandora and Ariah had followed her, she opened one of the wood-covered fridge doors and rifled through the odds and ends that made up her sparse food stock. No turkey. No ham. No trimmings or desserts. Nothing.

  She opted for a bottle of water and pulled two additional bottles out, tossing one each to Ariah and Pandora.

  Catching Ariah’s eye, she said, “Alazar’s home at The Hollow is certainly not what one would consider a cave. In a cave, sure, but not a cave. He’s made your home opulent and beautiful and warm and cozy. Everything this place is not.”

  Pandora’s brows wrinkled over her stunning green eyes and she chewed her lower lip, not saying anything. Kaylae sighed as she realized she’d inadvertently taken a jab at her friend. Pandora had worked closely with Zareh and Kaylae from the blueprint of the home straight through to the closing. This house was as much an investment for her as it was for Kaylae. She’d spent a lot of time ensuring that Kaylae and Zareh had the perfect home. It wasn’t her fault that Kaylae was having a difficult time settling in.

  Kaylae took a swig of her water, the cold liquid cooling her riled belly and her rising temperature. She was so over the hot flashes, too. They could stop anytime.

  “Pandora, that was no slight against you. I’m sorry. I’m just stressed out. We should’ve waited until the new year to close, that’s all.” Her throat constricted as she battled a swell of emotions. “It’s just that Christmas was always warm and special in my family. My dad decorated the house to the rafters. Christmas festivities started late afternoon Christmas Eve and didn’t let up until we passed out from exhaustion Christmas Day. It was a special time when the rest of the year posed challenges. Now that he’s…well…”

  Kaylae coughed, trying to clear the ball of emotion from her throat. Her eyes stung at the memories of Christmases past, when the trials of life were locked out in the cold while she, her father, and her uncle celebrated without reserve.

  A weight plowed into her chest. Her heart thumped hard. Over seven months ago, her father and uncle were killed protecting her. She never got to say goodbye. This was her first Christmas without them.

  But now she had Zareh. Her beloved lifemate. Her darling, tender dragon.

  Her hour-late dragon.

  Where he could be as four o’clock rolled around was beyond her, but his absence left her to simmer in her pot of growing frustration. She was beyond ready to commit some mayhem when he deigned to walk through the door.

  Swiping her forearm over her wet eyes and the chunks of dark waves that had fallen free of the messy bun, she gulped down half the bottle of water, let out a harsh breath, and shrugged.

  “I don’t want to keep you two any longer. Thanks for your help today,” Kaylae said, plastering on a fake smile.

  Pandora folded her arms over her chest. Ariah rested most of her weight on one leg, hip jutting out, fists on her hips, water bottle in one hand.

  “What?”

  “Do you think we’re leaving you alone on Christmas Eve? Not until Zareh returns,” Pandora said.

  “Damn right. Lonely holidays and I were intimate way too long. No one deserves to feel like that,” Ariah added.

  Despite the sadness, frustration, irritation, and confusion roiling inside her, Kaylae’s mouth quirked up. Ariah’s hardships were gut-wrenching and inspiring at the same time. The woman possessed a fierceness that balanced her vulnerability to a T. Alazar could not have been granted a more perfect lifemate had he begged the gods for one.

  Pando
ra tapped a finger in the air. Kaylae braced herself. She recognized that pinched brow, pursed lip look anywhere.

  “I have an idea. It’s too late to try and get Christmas lights from any of the stores, but I can probably work a spell to simulate the fairy lights that decorate Nocturne Falls. Oh, let me call Cole and see if he has some spare time before he picks me up to stop at the tree stand and see what’s left.” Pandora all but bounced on her toes—squeezed as they were into fashionable four-inch heeled pumps—and dug her cell phone from her pants pocket. “I’ll call my mother to see if she has any extra food items and—”

  “Hey, Pandora, wait. I appreciate the thought, but it’s Christmas Eve. You shouldn’t be here. You have Cole and Kaley, and your family to spend it with. Next year will be different for me, I know that.” Touched by her friend’s eagerness to help, she managed a genuine smile as Pandora’s excitement fizzled. “Seriously. I’ll have an entire year to plan a grand holiday celebration. I’ll make up for what’s been lost this year.”

  “I can’t possibly leave you here with nothing.”

  “I have a house and some food. Far from nothing.” She gave a small laugh. “Besides, I think all of the stress has taken a toll on me. I need to lie down for a little while and recharge.”

  After another ten minutes of convincing Pandora she would be fine, Kaylae walked her to the door, gave her a big hug goodbye and waved her off. She returned to the kitchen to see Ariah perched on one of the counter stools. The other woman’s beautifully strange dark eyes pinned her with a curious look.

  “What’s going on with you?” Ariah asked before Kaylae had a chance to speak.

  “Nothing. Been a hectic few days, is all.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  Kaylae rubbed a hand against the side of her face. “Really. Nothing but stress.”

  “Okay.” The other woman’s skeptical stare said otherwise.

  Kaylae leaned her elbows against the countertop, dropped her water bottle, and folded her hands together. “All right. There is something.”

  “I know that.”