11 An Ashthorne Christmas
The scent of fresh coffee and something sweet lingers in the air as I pad barefoot into the living room.
The massive Ashthorne Hall Christmas tree glows in the corner, branches heavy with glass ornaments, tiny ribbons, and twinkling lights that make the whole room feel warmer than the crackling fireplace ever could.
Underneath, the presents spill so far out onto the rug that they’ve had to push the coffee table back just to make space.
Dakota is curled up on the arm of the couch, grinning over the rim of her mug, chatting with Maeve, who sits next to her.
Jace, Luca, and Noah are sprawled around in varying states of alertness—Luca somehow looks like he stepped out of a catalog despite it being early, Noah’s hoodie is inside out, and Jace… well, he just looks like Jace.
Lucian is by the fireplace in a dark sweater, coffee in one hand, surveying the scene like he’s seeing a different kind of battlefield. One he actually enjoys.
Max, Preston, and Derek stand around him. Savvy is talking with Brenda. Adrienne enters the room with a mug of coffee for herself and hands the other to Brenda.
“Finally,” Luca drawls when he sees me. “We were about to start without you.”
“You touch anything with my name on it, I’ll break your fingers,” I warn, curling up in the open spot between Maeve and Jace.
Noah smirks. “She’s festive this morning.”
Lucian clears his throat. “Since we have a full house this year…” His gaze passes over each of us, lingering on me for a beat longer than the rest. “I want to start by saying—it’s good to have you all here.
This family,” he gestures vaguely at the group, “isn’t bound by blood alone. You’ve all earned your place.”
For a moment, no one says anything. Then Maeve breaks it. “Now open the damn presents before I combust.”
The first gift Lucian slides across the floor is to Maeve—something small, wrapped in gold paper. She tears it open, gasps, and pulls out a silver charm bracelet with tiny gemstone drops. “Oh my god… thank you.”
Dakota gets a gorgeous new coat from Lucian, and she squeals in excitement, jumping up to try it on.
When my turn comes, Lucian sets a flat, velvet box in my lap. I open it to find an oval-shaped gold locket. It’s covered with delicate, ornamental engraving.
“It’s beautiful,” I whisper.
“It was your Grandma Gracie’s,” Lucian says simply. “It’s been in the Ashthorne family for generations.”
“Thank you.” I cross to Lucian, giving him a hug.
Maeve squeezes my arm under the blanket as I settle back beside her. Jace is watching me with something unreadable in his eyes.
I hand Maeve a small, neatly wrapped package first. She tears into it and finds charms inside—silver, with tiny charms shaped like a book, a sunflower, and a little crescent moon.
Her smile blooms instantly. “Iz… this is perfect.” She throws her arms around me so hard I nearly spill my cocoa.
When she pulls back, she immediately starts attaching the charms to the bracelet Lucian got her.
I look over at him and he shoots me a wink.
Next is a box for Brenda, who’s been sitting quietly beside us in a chair with a warm smile. She unwraps it to find a soft cashmere scarf in a deep forest green, the exact shade of her favorite sweater.
“Oh, sweetheart,” she says, voice wavering. “This is lovely.” She leans over to hug me, and I feel Maeve’s hand squeeze my knee in silent thanks.
Savvy opens hers to find a custom leather-bound notebook. She runs her hands over the smooth leather then the thick pages. She hugs me tightly while thanking me over and over.
Max gets a travel notebook. He bounces showing it to Lucian like a kid at a toy store.
Preston receives a high-end fountain pen. I felt lame handing him the box, but when I see the appreciation in his eyes, I’m relieved.
Derek opens his and finds custom watch straps. Different dyed leather to fit any occasion. He smiles and kisses the top of my head in thanks.
Adrienne tears at the golden wrapping paper with a polite smile. Finding a pair of earrings that Dakota helped me pick out.
Luca opens his to find the sold out exclusive The Riven Altar poster and t-shirt set. “How did you get this?” He gasps. “Thank you, pretty girl!” He presses a sloppy kiss to my cheek. Jace shoots him a glare.
Noah gets a new aluminum keyboard base along with new switches and keycaps. One’s he’s been eyeing for weeks. “Thanks, Iz.”
For Dakota, I got her a digital photo frame, so she can constantly circulate different pictures in her room.
“I love it!” She squeezes me tightly.
When I hand Jace his, he raises a brow like he’s trying to guess what’s inside.
He peels back the paper to find a leather-bound edition of The Art of War.
I’d found the rare copy in a small bookstore.
His lips quirk, and there’s something warm in his eyes as he flips through the pages. “It’s perfect.”
Lucian’s is last. I get up and hand him the small box. “Yours,” I say, suddenly wondering if it’s ridiculous.
He eyes it with mild suspicion, then opens it. Inside is a bottle filled with sand.
“I have a matching bottle,” I say quickly. “It’s from the beach you took me to when we first landed in California. To mark the start of all the rest of our days out. You’ll have to come up with a souvenir for the next one.”
Lucian’s gaze drops to the bottle again. He turns it in his hand. His jaw works just slightly before he sets the bottle back inside and closes the box with care. “Thank you, Gracie,” he says, reaching out to hug me. He squeezes me and kisses my hair before letting go.
Across from us, Maeve is beaming, and Jace’s eyes are on me in that grounding way he has. I take my seat back next to Jace and the room starts talking again. Jace leans back, a faint smirk tugging at his lips as he reaches for a flat, rectangular box from behind him.
“This one’s for you,” he says, holding it out. “And no—it’s not jewelry, so don’t start guessing.”
I take the box and shake it lightly. Whatever’s inside doesn’t make a sound.
Suspicious.
I peel the paper back slowly, revealing a black leather photo album with my initials embossed in gold on the cover. My fingers trace them before I lift the cover.
The very first page holds a single printed photo, slightly creased at one corner. I blink, trying to place it. We’re all there—me, Jace, Luca, Noah… and Tex.
We’re standing in the middle of one of the Guild training rooms, flushed and sweaty, our shirts damp and clinging.
My hair is a messy knot. Luca is on one side of me, his arm slung over my shoulders, winking.
He looks so photogenic, it's unfair. Noah grins next to him with Tex at the end.
And Jace—Jace is on my other side, looking at me.
I don’t remember this moment being captured. And yet… here it is.
My chest tightens painfully, the edges of the photo blurring until I blink hard. I run my thumb over Tex’s grin, over the frayed edge where the image meets the paper.
“I thought…” Jace’s voice is careful. “You should have all the moments. Even the ones you don’t remember. And there’s room for more.”
I swallow hard, forcing a small smile as I meet his eyes. “Thank you,” I whisper, and it means so much more than those two words can hold.
By the time the last scraps of wrapping paper have been shoved into a trash bag, the coffee’s gone cold and the fire’s burned down to a lazy glow.
Someone suggests hot cocoa, and ten minutes later we’re migrating toward the home theater, each of us balancing steaming mugs topped with an unreasonable amount of whipped cream.
The theater is ridiculous. Floor-to-ceiling velvet curtains, plush reclining seats, and a screen so big it could probably double as a billboard. A Christmas movie is already queued up—something Dakota calls “mandatory holiday viewing.”
We settle into a loose sprawl, half in the recliners, half on the oversized couches that take up the back of the room. I end up in the corner of one couch, legs tucked under me, my cocoa warming my hands.
Jace drops down beside me with a low grunt. He doesn’t say anything at first—just shifts until his arm is behind me, pulling me into his side. I go willingly, letting his warmth sink into me.
Luca claims the recliner front and center like it’s his throne, tossing popcorn into his mouth with precision.
Maeve curls up cross-legged on a couch recliner with a blanket, Noah stretched out behind her with one arm draped over the back of her seat like he’s keeping watch.
Dakota takes a single recliner on the side with a large fluffy blanket draped over her legs.
The movie starts with cheesy dialogue and snow-covered scenery, but the only thing I’m really aware of is the slow rhythm of Jace’s breathing. Every so often, his thumb brushes against my shoulder, a tiny, grounding motion that makes my chest ache in a way I can’t explain.
Halfway through, I lean into him fully, my head resting against his chest. His arm tightens around me instantly, like he’s been waiting for me to give in.
The scent of his cologne is faint but familiar, mixing with the smell of cocoa and popcorn, and I close my eyes for a beat just to capture the moment.
“Comfortable?” he murmurs, low enough that only I hear.
I hum.
He makes a quiet sound that might be a chuckle, then tilts his head so it rests lightly against mine. We don’t need to talk. Not right now. The warmth of him, the movie’s soft glow on our faces, the muffled laughter from the others—it’s everything.
The long dining table at Ashthorne Hall is all warmth and glittering light—gold-rimmed china, the deep green of holly garland, the soft glow of candles reflected in crystal glasses.
The air smells like roasted turkey and cinnamon, the kind of scent that feels like it should belong to some perfect holiday memory.