Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Yule Be Magical
by
Sara Bourgeois
Chapter One
I woke up to the sight of Thorn and Jeremy putting Azriel in handcuffs. “You’re arresting him?” I asked as I rubbed my eyes.
Mom and Dad were there helping me to my feet. Dorian, Viv, and Reggie were all there surrounding us too. “What is going on?” I asked as I leaned against my mother. I felt healing magic seeping into me from her, and from the tiny kitten rubbing against my ankle. Meri was there purring furiously.
“We’re taking him in for conspiracy to commit murder,” Jeremy said. “I should say that I’ll be taking him in unless I can get another deputy to do it. Give us a few minutes, Kinsley, and we’ll get this all out of your hair.”
“Thorn?” I asked.
“I don’t want to hear it, Kinsley. We’re arresting him,” Thorn said sharply. His words stung, and he barely looked at me. I hadn’t asked him to arrest Azriel. Hadn’t even made the hint of the suggestion, but something about Thorn’s posture and the strain of his jaw told me he was upset. Not just because my former husband, and father of the baby I carried, had crashed our wedding. He seemed to be angry at me, but I had no idea why.
Thorn’s accusation was followed by the sound of a sharp barking. Suddenly, something was at my feet pawing frantically at my dress. Meri stiffened and then ran out from under my train. He didn’t go far, but it was obvious he didn’t want to get pawed and clawed by the little Pomeranian begging for my attention.
Tangerine.
“Oh, my gosh, Tangerine,” I said and scooped the little dog up. “I’ve got you, baby.”
“I’ll take the dog,” another deputy said.
“Over my dead body,” I hissed and held Tangerine close.
“Kinsley, don’t be ridiculous. Give my deputy the dog. He can take it to the pound,” Thorn said.
“I’ll repeat myself, then. Over my dead body,” I said.
Thorn let out a heavy sigh and rubbed the back of his neck. “Come on, sweetie.” His voice had suddenly changed back to a more soothing tone.
“I’m keeping the dog,” I said. “Azriel, do you want me to keep Tangerine for you?”
These were the first words I had spoken to him in a long time. What felt like forever, actually. Seemed like there should have been more to it than that, but it was what it was.
“Please, Kinsley,” he said, and my heart skipped a beat at the sound of him saying my name.
“There you have it,” I said. “I’m keeping the dog. No one is taking her to any pound.”
“I can handle all of this,” Jeremy said to Thorn. “Why don’t you finish up what you came here for? Get back to your wedding.”
“We can’t finish the ceremony with me not knowing this monster is behind bars,” Thorn said, and then he turned away from all of us to address the crowd. “I’m sorry, folks. The ceremony will have to be postponed. Kinsley and I will make an announcement when we’re going to try this again. Please stay and enjoy some cake.”
“Thorn, you don’t have to do this,” Jeremy almost sounded like he was pleading. “You guys are almost done with your vows. Just stay and finish the ceremony. I can handle Azriel. Don’t do this.”
Thorn didn’t respond to him. He just said, “I’ll call you later,” to me, and then grabbed Azriel by the shoulder.
I stood there dumbstruck as he shoved him toward Jeremy’s cruiser. What had just happened? After begging me to marry him, had Thorn really just walked out of our wedding?
“Did he really just walk out on the wedding?” Dorian whispered. “Like, for real?” His sentiment echoed mine.
“You have got to be kidding me,” Reggie practically snarled.
“Are you all right?” Viv asked. She’d made her way over to me.
“Can you get me out of here?” I asked. “Can any of you get me out of here?”
My cheeks began to burn with embarrassment as I realized that everyone was looking at me. Tears stung my eyes, but I wasn’t sure exactly why. I saw Azriel cast one last look at me over his shoulder before Thorn shoved him into the cruiser, and the dam broke.
“Pass cake out to anyone who wants it,” Viv instructed one of her employees who was standing nearby. “Time and a half for working, yeah?”
“Yes, ma’am,” the girl said.
“Okay, who is coming with us?” my mom asked the group of friends who’d quickly closed ranks and formed a tight circle around me. It was a huge relief to be blocked from the prying eyes of the crowd.
“We all are,” Reggie said. “We’ll meet you back at the house.”
My Dad gave her a nod, and then all of them walked me to my parents’ car. My friends only disbanded after Dad helped me into the back seat. I still had Tangerine tucked under one arm when Meri jumped up into my lap. The dog immediately began licking his head enthusiastically, but Meri didn’t say a word. He just put up with the onslaught of doggy affection and even purred against me. That magical humming kept me from losing my mind on the drive home.
The sight of Hangman’s house, my real home since I was born, should have calmed me. Instead it spiked my anxiety into overdrive.
It should have been Thorn and me arriving home after being married. He was supposed to carry me over the threshold, and the we could begin planning a honeymoon.
We still hadn’t decided on that aspect of our marriage. Our options were to go while I was pregnant or wait until after the baby was born. If we waited, we’d be waiting a long time. I couldn’t fathom leaving the baby even for a week right after she was born.
She…
It hit me as Dad pulled into the driveway that that was the second time I’d thought of the baby as a girl.
