Page 25 of Winter Reckoning
The bad guy regrouped, cane overhead. As he brought it down, Nick caught it without effort. Wrestling it free, he snapped it in half, tossing it to the side. Before it hit the snow, it vaporized into ash. Only a few hours ago, he had been gentle, the exact opposite of the powerhouse in front of me. The confidence bordered on arousing.
“You can’t win,” Nick said, using the horned man’s words against him.
“I’ll be back,” he hissed.
He began to dissolve, but Nick grabbed him by the robes. It was the first time he expressed fear. Nick leaned in, almost close enough to kiss the man. His lip turned until he grinned. “No. You won’t.”
His hands glowed bright white while the air filled with the scent of cedar. A second later, the horned man exploded into a flurry of snowflakes. For a second, the park turned quiet. Was it over? Had we won? When Nick reached up, adjusting his hat, the sorrow had vanished from his face. This wasn’t the same man who had first opened the door for me.
Nick walked over, holding out a hand. He didn’t shimmer anymore. Pulling me to my feet, I saw the crowd. Phones had been lowered as spectators stood in awe. A moment later, the park filled with hundreds of tiny voices cheering. Wrapping an arm behind my back, Nick hugged me tight enough to make my ribs ache.
“I believe,” he whispered in my ear.
“Me too.” The realization shattered the image of walking into the horizon. This isn’t where Danny Frost vanished.
A little girl broke away from her parents and walked straight toward us. She stopped a few feet away and stared at Nick. Her bright blue jacket had fur around the cuffs and hood, almost hiding the wide brown eyes.
"Are you real?" she asked.
Nick smiled, his eyes locked on me. He nodded. “Yes.”
“He’s real!” She screamed it repeatedly as she ran back to her mother.
“Of course he’s real.” I spun about, searching for a certain spunky intern. I was about to ask if I had imagined it when a red bag landed in the snow next to us. Glancing up, Charlene had an identical red hat on. “How do you do this year after year?”
She hung over the side of an ornate red sleigh. I expected to see reindeer, but it appeared they had taken the night off. I should have been shocked that his plucky intern flew around in a magical sled. Not in Vanguard. This was just another Tuesday.
“Did you?—”
“All presents delivered.”
“What about?—”
“List checked twice like the manual said.”
“The elves?”
“They’ve been partying since midnight.”
While Nick had been trapped in his own misery, Charlene had stepped in as his proxy. The trips to the woodshed and her obsession with Christmas made sense. Well, no, nothing about this made sense. I had a thousand questions that needed answering. I had completed the mission, and protocol no longer applied.
“The cabin?”
“A wreck. That’s a you problem.” I had to chuckle at her sass. “I’m taking the next month off.” The sleigh took off, leaving a trail of snowflakes. “I need a raise,” she shouted before vanishing into the sky.
The park had filled with children gawking at the big man. Seeing the awe on their faces could warm even the coldest of hearts. I gave Nick an elbow to the belly. “Looks like you’ve got a fan club.”
He didn’t miss a beat as he picked up the bag. “It seems I have some extra presents.” I flicked my wrist, letting my powers drift along the snow. A moment later, a throne of ice appeared, ready for the one and only Santa Claus.
“Who’s been good this year?” The crowd raised their hands, cheering.
With the sack slung over his shoulder, he leaned in, giving me a kiss on the cheek. Did this mean I had shagged Santa Claus? I snorted at the thought. More importantly, I wanted to do it again. Maybe after we spent the night swapping stories about occupational hazards. I just assumed there’d be hot cocoa and a fire burning.
Who knew what the future held? There hadn’t been an epiphany or revelation, but I knew I didn’t want to fade into the nothingness. In a way, saving Nick had done the same for myself. I might be retiring from one chapter of my life, but with this handsome man winking at me, I suspected I had at least one more adventure in me.
I held up my gauntlet and tapped a few buttons. Mission complete.
EPILOGUE
