Merry Christmas Plans
Jackal’s fingers thread through mine, our hands resting on one of the Sea Wench high-top tables. Pickles is in my lap, and I give him a pet with my other hand, well aware that the basset hound is now sizable enough that he’s a bit too big for my legs but not wanting to put him on the floor.
We’re watching a light dusting of snow settle on the sand, a rare sight in Carolina Beach.
“This is the perfect time to have a beach-view bar,” Ji-hwan says to Starla as she and Brody arrive at the tables with trays full of cocktails. These are warmed, part of a special menu for the winter season.
“It’s a rarity. We can go years without snow, and most of that isn’t as early as Christmas,” Starla informs the Were before passing him his warmed drink. It smells like apples and cinnamon.
Ji-hwan takes a deep inhale, then takes a long sip. A contented sigh escapes.
“Just wait until I tell Never about this concoction. She’s going to want to visit again.”
The Were is already back at her vampire mansion and in possession of my necklace.
I no longer need it, and after Hugh expressed curiosity, I agreed to let them have it.
An easy payment to offer in exchange for their help, when I’d just as soon never see it again.
It still glows, and there’s the possibility it could still hold magic.
While I’m not totally certain of his motives, I did tell her about Arloc and that the vampire might be able to provide insight about the jewelry’s capabilities.
“If it can, I know a magic-stripping witch. It’s possible we could take the councilman’s power and put it in here. A fitting punishment, don’t you think?” she had said.
I’ve decided to follow Starla’s lead. So long as the councilman isn’t free, the punishment the Magikai or others choose for him is something in which I don’t want to be involved.
“That Were is a sucker for a tasty cocktail,” Ji-hwan says, bringing me back to the present.
“Does she craft them herself?” Starla asks.
Jackal chuckles.
“Hardly. She has a rather cantankerous bartender friend named Elios who does it.”
Starla taps her chin.
“Sounds familiar. Met a man with that name at a bartending conference once. Although, he was pretty old and wrinkled. Ran a dive bar out in California, as I recall. I remember being shocked at his appearance, because I could sense he was magical.”
Ji-hwan spews his drink, and Brody brings over a towel to wipe the table clean.
“Watch it!” the red wolf warns.
“That’s him! That’s Elios!” Jackal says, all excitement.
Ji-hwan chuckles.
“Not that you’d recognize him now.”
“What do you mean?” Starla asks.
The two just look at each other conspiratorially.
“Come visit again and see for yourself.”
“Maybe I will. I’ve been thinking I could use some more of Never’s training.” Starla holds up her hand, letting sparks show.
Her electroshock is no stronger than before, but she’s started feeling hints of something else.
Now, when she stands up to a misbehaving patron, there are consequences.
Little bits of immediate bad luck that befall the targets of her ire.
It hasn’t come on all at once, but it’s almost as if a bit of cursing power is flowing into her, little by little.
She undecided on how to handle it.
The least I can do is let her have the holidays to settle into her new reality.
We watch the waves and snow outside the bar.
Starla shivers, and Exos stands to wrap his wings around her, blocking a bit of the breeze.
“I know all you shifters are more than comfy here, but this winter weather is not made for witches of the beach,” my best friend says.
“I think I can help with that!” Keegan joins us, placing a tray of popcorn on the table. He’s come up with a new concoction for the winter season. The sugary sweet seasoning tossed over the popcorn makes it addictive.
He hauls a chair across the floor so that he’s seated in front of the witch. Then, he lets his skin crackle and shift until there are lines of lava flowing through it. I can see steam in the air above his arms.
Starla sighs, sinking back against Exos’s chest.
“Much better. Have we discussed how you are not paid enough?”
Keegan chuckles.
“No, but I’m happy to have that chat. I’ve also got some ideas about community events and ways to keep things going in the off-season.”
She smiles.
“I love it, and I am happy to discuss the ideas. In the new year? But the raise, that can go into effect right now. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and all that.”
Keegan smirks.
“Sounds good to me.”
“You’re staying on permanently, then?” Ji-hwan asks the volmander.
Keegan nods.
“I like the beach. When you’re not getting kidnapped, it’s a nice place. And when there is trouble, you guys are the people I want to be around.”
“They do grow on you,” Ginny calls out, entering the bar alongside Shanell and Grammy Pearl.
The witches are all bundled up in fluffy coats.
“A rousing endorsement,” Jackal says, lifting a glass.
“Hear, hear!” Brody calls, lifting his own in response. Ginny makes her way over to him, and he puts an arm around her shoulders and pulls her close.
I hate that I missed whatever led to that relationship, but I’m thrilled to see them both so happy. Ginny and Starla have also begun spending more time together, which makes me feel better about an idea I still need to discuss with Jackal.
The hyena shifter stands, clearing his throat.
“Everyone, an announcement!”
They all watch him, and I see Starla’s features tense, wary of any big news being shared in her bar.
He drops on his knees, then bows at Starla’s feet.
“You, Starla, are the strongest witch I know. And the winner of our bet.”
She lets out a deep laugh, the rest of us who witnessed their little wager joining in.
“Do I want to know?” Shanell asks as she takes a seat.
“Be grateful that you didn’t have to hear me declare that witches drool,” Starla responds.
Jackal makes his way back over to me.
I lean into the hyena shifter, and I can feel his chest rumble as he laughs.
What if he hates my idea? What if everything falls apart because you changed things?
Deep breath in, deep breath out.
I have a plan, and I know it’s what I want to do. So long as Jackal agrees.
“There’s something I’d like to ask you,” I start.
Jackal pulls me tighter into an embrace.
“Anything.”
I chuckle.
“I haven’t asked it yet.”
“Doesn’t matter. Anything. Well, unless you’d like to revive your recent engagement. I don’t think I could make that happen.”
Not unless he wants to try calling a god and getting us a ticket to the Underworld. Claude sealed his own fate when he came at me and Jackal defended me. I can’t be sorry about it, and I’m endlessly thankful my mate was there for me.
We figured out later that Claude had only resisted my song because he’d been unconscious while I’d been using it, rousing just in time to see the rest of us exiting the beach.
The biggest issue it caused is an inheritance one. Councilman Taylor has been relieved of his holdings, and while the Magikai are sorting out what was obtained illegally, the councilman had a tidy number of items and properties that have already been cleared to go to his heirs.
Claude is gone. Lillian has disappeared for the moment. Likely a wise move.
That left, and leaves, Starla.
She doesn’t want anything connected to her father, but nor does she want Lillian to get it, which is what will happen if she relinquishes the fortune and the other witch can be located.
I know she’s been debating what to do with it for over a week now.
With a shake of my head, I focus back on my mate.
“I was wondering if, well, I wasn’t really able to get a fair shot at it the first time, and it really is a lovely place.
Not that here isn’t lovely. It’s my home, and ultimately I want to come back here.
But it’s months until the busy season. For now, I thought that maybe.
I mean, I’d like to go if you’d want to—”
“Mate, are you asking me to go back to England with you?”
I nod, not trusting my words. I’m stumbling over them trying to express myself.
“Yes. I am trying and failing to ask you that. But if you say no, I don’t want you to worry that I’ll hold it against you. I know we put your family at risk, so if you’d rather not go back, or if you’d rather go visit alone, I understand.”
He gapes at me.
“Given what we’ve all been through, I expected you’d want to stay here in your cottage with your dive company and Pickles.
I would love to take both of you back to England.
You know Lottie got her own puppy for Christmas, and I think Pickles would love a pal.
It would be a thrill for me to be able to show you around.
Not just the Lake District, but everything the UK has to offer.
We could take in the lochs of Scotland, although if we see those you may never want to leave.
The hustle and bustle of London, along with the food scene.
The architecture around Oxford. Then of course there’s the Welsh countryside. Some amazing hikes out that way.”
He begins to smile, enthused at the idea.
I stare at him. This man who was falling for me before I ever knew it, and who I was falling for before we’d ever met in person.
Who has supported me as I learned how to enter the more dangerous parts of the supernatural world.
Who provided help, and support, and connected me to some amazing people without ever acting superior.
He’s had my back the entire time. With Pickles. With Leon. With Councilman Taylor. With my mother and my chaotic brother and my intrusive thoughts. He’s let me make my own choices and fight my own battles, never making me feel belittled or cast aside. But always there if I needed him.
Like with Claude, and so many other things.
“I will warn you that on the plane I am liable to remind you more than two or ten times to ensure your seatbelt is firmly fastened. You know, just in case there’s an emergency.
I’ll probably ruminate on things like whether I’ve made a good impression on people, while being able to easily move on from emergencies, say if we get jumped by supernatural bandits and have to fight our way free. ”
He grins.
“I will happily be there to reassure you, or if you feel you’re getting stuck in a loop, to help you ground yourself. It is a privilege.”
I sigh, looking at the ground.
“There’s just one big issue left, then.”
“What’s that?”
“Who is going to tell Keegan that his favorite dog is once again leaving him?”
Jackal kisses the top of my head, and I laugh.
“You’ll really come, then? And not because you think it’s what I would want?” he asks.
“I truly want to go. I’d like to see your world as well, and get to know your family better when we’re not in the middle of some mission. Although, if you do have some open cases I may also have developed a bit of a taste for investigating. Not the fighting, necessarily, but the detective piece.”
I can’t see him, but I can picture him grinning.
“I can manage all that. I even have a solution for Keegan.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. He expressed a desire to have his own dog, but he was worried about the whole fire thing. Well, there are still several animals we rescued from Leon’s who are in a supernatural foster situation, waiting for their permanent homes.”
“And?” I press.
“One might just happen to be a dog that barks flames, and who does not catch fire. Which apparently the foster found out when the dog leapt into the fireplace on one of the first cold nights this winter. The dog is fine, although I’m guessing he nearly gave the foster a heart attack.”
I grimace. I can only imagine.
“He’d be perfect for Keegan,” I say.
Jackal nods.
“How do you think he’d feel about a Yorkie?”
The others express enthusiasm when we tell them our plans.
“You’re going to have so much fun!” Ginny says.
“Don’t forget you’re on the other side of the road if you drive,” Ji-hwan advises me.
Jackal pulls Keegan aside to tell him about the dog, and I see the volmander’s face quite literally light up as he breaks into a grin.
Brody sighs.
“Another dog behind the bar. He’d better be as cute and well-behaved as this little spitfire.” The red wolf shifter reaches down to scratch Pickles behind his ears.
“I’m proud of you, Leena,” Grammy Pearl tells me before wrapping me into a hug.
The evening is basically perfect.
“What about the rest of you?” I ask.
Shanell shoots Grammy a side-eyed glance.
“I will be retiring, but I’ll immediately be taking up another post.”
“Oh?”
Grammy grins.
“I will be stepping down as coven leader but remaining at the house to support the witches with my seeing abilities. This will give me more time with my beloved granddaughter—and to take on any other fun jobs that come my way.”
Her eyes sparkle, and I have no doubt she’s already foreseen some of these jobs.
“You want to do that? More work?” Starla asks Shanell.
The witch nods.
“I’ve done my best to keep CB safe, and I want to do the same for the supernaturals around me. I think Harold would approve. He wanted a family, and he had one whether he knew it or not. I won’t take mine for granted.”
We make a toast in honor of the fallen centaur, then fall back into chatting about plans.
“I’ll be opening my own law office in town,” Ginny volunteers. “Brody’s pack is going to come help with construction.”
“They may specialize in cars, but they’re very handy, and they’re excited to meet my mate,” the red wolf says, dropping the massive piece of information casually into the conversation.
We’d all speculated, but the official announcement is met with cheers and whoops as Ginny blushes and Brody hugs her.
“I’ll be headed back to the vampire mansion, but don’t think you’re rid of me. When summer hits, I expect a private dive tour,” Ji-hwan says.
“Deal. You may not be alone. Thomas has already texted me to take me up on my offer of a swim partner.”
Not to mention Cannon and Malcolm, who have shared that they plan to host another event here this summer. When I return from England, it will be to a crowd of friends and family. My heart is full.
“Wait. Shanell, with you gone, there won’t be any supernaturals in the local police departments. Isn’t that dangerous? What if there’s supernatural crime? How will we intercept it?” I ask.
There’s a sound of a throat clearing, and I look to see Exos.
“It may have involved some forged papers, and the irony of that illegal activity is not lost on me, but I will be ‘transferring from another precinct’ as a detective. I’ve decided to stay in Carolina Beach permanently.”
“He can say it’s for the job, but I think it’s for a certain sexy, bar-owning witch.” Starla winks, placing a hand on the gargoyle’s arm.
The drinks are refilled, and a round of Dirty Santa begins. The evening is filled with laughter.
My thoughts are still there, insisting that everything good could crumble. But I know that with my loved ones by my side, I have the support to handle whatever comes my way.