Page 32 of Christmas Spirits

My prayer had worked. He came.

My gaze flew back to the body of Marc Anders, who had been freed from my hold, and was shoving past the curtain toward the stairs.

Reading the signs quickly, Elijah hurdled over the counter. At the same time, a gold spear materialized in his grasp, and he thrust the blade through the corpse’s back and chest. Right where its heart should be.

It reeled, growling fiercely, but Elijah flung the thing into the center of the store with little effort at all. It landed on its back, clawing at the floor like an animal caught in a trap.

Moving with lightning speed, he jumped into the air, spear raised, and plunged it into its middle, pinning it to the ground. No blood oozed, but why would it? The thing wasn’t alive. Instead, it snapped and snarled Elijah’s way. He held the staff firm, keeping it stuck in place.

“Fire!” Elijah bellowed, jutting his chin toward the burning candles. “It needs to be cleansed with fire!”

Arianna and I hurried to the ritual table and grabbed two white candles. Rushing over to Elijah, we quickly crouched low and touched the flames to Marc Anders’s waxy skin. As if it were made of newspaper, the body ignited in a burst of flame.

When it extinguished, all that was left was a black smudge in the shape of a body on the wooded floor and Elijah’s golden spear embedded in the middle.

He yanked it out and brought it back to his side, where it disappeared into thin air. “Is everyone okay?” he asked, his worried gaze scanning me over. Then Arianna.

The young witch gaped at him, never seeing a gorgeous, half-naked angel before. My reaction had been similar the first time Jade had brought him to my home. He was quite a sight to behold.

Turning toward Rhys, who was still laying wounded and bleeding on the floor, concern nudged me. The soft white of his aura was dimming by the second.

“Help him,” I said to Elijah. “Please.”

He needed to see his family and that grandson of his for Christmas. Hehadto.

Elijah nodded once, understanding, and went over to him. He scooped him into his arms like he was a child, and strode toward the shop’s front door. The moment he stepped outside, there was another flare of white light, and they were both gone.

The sound of Zach’s playful coos had me spinning around to see him and Laurence standing there. Completely safe. I let out a held breath in relief and hurried over to them. I took Zach from Laurence and kissed him all over his face, squeezing him close. Tonight had been a whirlwind. So much could have gone wrong. I could have lost them both.

Just thinking about it made my throat tight. I loved them both so much. What would I have done…?

As Laurence’s arm wrapped around my shoulders, tears sprung to my eyes. I pushed those heart-wrenching thoughts away and focused more on having them here with me now. Everything had worked out. We were okay.

Peeking over at Arianna, I saw her standing there shyly, unsure what to do. I held out my arm, gesturing for her to join us in our family hug. Smiling, she sprinted over, and I brought her in close.

Zach giggled, happy to have her in our little family.

I was, too.

Grandmother Abigail’s spirit held her hand over her heart and smiled our way. Her silent way was telling me she was proud of everything I’d accomplished and would always be watching over me. Now that I had fully accepted the power I had been given and wasn’t blocking myself anymore, something told me I’d be able to see her more often. This wasn’t goodbye.

“I love you, too,” I mouthed to her. Then, she turned around and walked through the shop’s closed door, disappearing.

In that moment, as I clutched them all close, I realized I couldn’t have asked for anything more than this—the ones I loved right here, nearby and out of danger. No other Christmas present could compare.

Christmas morning.

I’d had so many expectations for this day that when it finally came, my feelings toward it had shifted. Things like presents, cookies and milk, and holiday pajamas just didn’t seem to matter anymore. After everything we had gone through at Divine Magic with the poltergeist, I was happy to have the two men in my life with me, snuggling by the tree, watching the Hallmark channel, and drinking hot chocolate. Out the window, I could see flurries of snow beginning to fall from the sky, promising a white Christmas after all.

Since I hadn’t had time to buy Zach any gifts, he played with the roll of wrapping paper and sparkly ribbon on the floor, laughing at the crinkly sound they both made. The entire apartment smelled like roasted chicken, which was warming in the oven with some other side dishes I’d prepared for our late lunch get-together with friends. I had invited Arianna, of course, and had even extended the invitation to Sean and Elijah. Although I was pretty sure neither of them was going to make it. But I had made enough food, just in case.

Somehow—I’m not quite sure how exactly—I was able to get all my catering orders done for my evening deliveries today. And Laurence…he had taken his level one test with only one working hand and passed. With flying colors, he made sure to add, when he and Arianna had returned from the Council. Apparently, they had been impressed with his spellcasting while at a disadvantage, and I’m pretty sure his grin never left his face for a full twenty-four hours after. He even started talking to Arianna about starting his level two training right away, but after a stern talking-to from me, he resolved to startafterthe holidays.

I was proud of him. He was finally believing in himself, like I always had. And his new wave of confidence made me look at myself as well. Through this entire experience with the poltergeist, I’d discovered that I wasn’t just a Medium. I was the highest form of it—I was a necromancer. I could control the dead. My fear had blocked me from reaching my potential for so long, but now, it was undeniable.

And Rhys? We had all visited him in the hospital yesterday. He’d undergone emergency surgery to stop the bleeding and stitch him up, but he was recovering well. His family was flying in last night to spend Christmas with him in the hospital, which he didn’t seem to mind. He even gave me his number if I ever had questions about my new powers. He said that after he saw what I could do, he was happy to lend his help—free of charge this time.

After Elijah had dropped him off at the hospital, he hadn’t returned to Divine Magic, so my guess was that whatever he was doing with Jade and the Trials was important. I wished I’d had time to thank him, but I understood his reasons.

---