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I’d always been astonished at how quickly he could go from boyish wonder with a devil-may-care attitude to a powerful and sophisticated aristocrat whenever the situation called for it. I just needed to remind myself that there was a third side of him that I never wanted to risk seeing ever again.

With that in mind, I resolved to avoid him as much as possible.

At first, I was successful, though not in a way I personally would have chosen.

The Order of Eternal Night, the vampire cult that worshipped Mephistopheles, had attacked a safehouse for mages and other people with supernatural abilities in New Orleans.

Artavian brought me there to help heal the injured.

But when I heard that Sylvis was gravely wounded, I almost took off for Coeur d’Alene before Artavian assured me she’d been taken to the vampire clinic and they’d saved her life with a blood transfusion from Gabriel.

My mind spun with wonder that there were that many powerful witches, psychics, and telekinetics on Earth, much less in one city. Less than a decade ago, Earth had been so devoid of magic that it had killed me.

The owners of the safehouse, an organization called the Nightwatch Society, were very curious about me and didn’t try to hide it.

I deflected their questions, as politely as possible and asked my own.

Zareth and I learned that the mages targeted in the attack were water mages.

Another thing that would have to be discussed with the Conclave.

When I returned to the tower, I took refuge in hot bubble baths, books, and movies.

Then, suddenly, it was Thanksgiving. Lucian had the energy of an excited puppy when I took him through the portal into Coeur d’Alene. I silently cursed him for being completely oblivious to the fact that last time he and I were in this city together, he’d broken my heart.

I pulled the cell phone Xochitl had gotten for me out of my bottomless pouch and put it in my coat pocket.

Sylvis still wasn’t ready to tell her parents about vampires, magic, other worlds, and the fact that I was alive.

Aurora’s family had been told everything last summer, though only recently did they hear I was still alive.

I wondered if they’d still be at Silas’s house when Xochitl texted me that it was safe to come.

“Wow,” Lucian interrupted my inner thoughts. “Is that Lake Skeetshue?”

His awed look at the beach, the marina, and the Coeur d’Alene resort made me smile, though his words brought back memories of the glorious natural beauty the lake had when the tribe controlled this territory.

“The white people who took over renamed it Lake Coeur d’Alene, but yes.”

“Fates, it looks so different.” He slowly spun in a circle, taking in the buildings and lights of downtown, the resort and boardwalk on the lake, and the surrounding trees and mountains. “And I’m not sure if that’s for the better. Though all these lights and sculptures look interesting.”

“There will be even more lights,” I told him.

“Tomorrow, they do the Christmas lighting ceremony parade and all the Christmas lights come on downtown, including the North Pole display on the lake. And America’s tallest living Christmas tree—or at least it was when I lived here.

I wouldn’t be surprised if another state started decorating a taller one. ”

“I would love to see this parade and ceremony.”

“We’ll see how things go.” Truly, I wanted to see it too. Even though I hated winter, I loved Christmas. “I used to take Xochitl to the parade and lighting ceremony, along with frequent drives through the nicer neighborhoods to look at lights. Until she got ‘too old’ and ‘too cool’ for all that.”

Lucian chuckled. “I remember how distraught you were when Nik decided she was too grown up for the festivals you used to take her to when she was little.”

Before the past could rush in at me and make me sad, I changed the subject. “Would you like to walk on the boardwalk and see the North Pole display they set up on the lake? We could get some hot cocoa at the resort to keep our hands warm.”

“I’d love that.”

By the time we were out on the boardwalk with our steaming cups of cocoa, I felt my own buzz of childlike giddiness.

Something about Christmas lights, the legends of Santa Clause and his elves always made me happy in ways I never understood.

Perhaps it was because all of it made children so happy.

I wonder if Xochitl’s bond with cats contributed to some of her more morbid interests.

By the time we made it across the boardwalk and had admired all the giant North Pole light features on the lake, my phone buzzed. It was time to go to the McNaught house.

I led Lucian under the covered archway, out of sight of people on other parts of the boardwalk and most of the passing boats. Taking his hand in mine, I tried to tamp down a trill of exhilaration at touching him and focused on teleporting us to the castle on top of Cherry Hill.

The driveway was so full that I was grateful I hadn’t had to worry about parking, much less driving back down the icy hill.

Xochitl would have driven up here in her Datsun, Little Beast, I realized suddenly.

And back then, the car had been a beater.

Belated motherly worry washed over me a moment, making me laugh at how silly that was.

“A castle?” Lucian gaped at the McNaught’s home. “That doesn’t seem to match the other homes and buildings around.”

“Silas was a Scottish laird back in the Fifteenth Century. He was a seer back then and had visions of Akasha even before he became a vampire. When Del ordered him to move to Coeur d’Alene, he built this castle for Akasha because in his view only this would be worthy of his lady.

” I bit my lip to hold back a sigh at how romantic that was.

Aurora answered the door and gave me a wide grin. “Hi, Kerainne! I hope you’re prepared to be bombarded.”

As Lucian and I came in and took off our shoes, I sighed with pleasure at how warm it was inside. I only had a moment to admire the large blazing fireplace before Loretta Lee came barreling into my arms.

“Kerainne! I can’t believe you’re alive. I mean, I saw your body! It’s just so…”

“I know,” I squeezed her back. “I hope they told you why I couldn’t come back right away.”

“Aurora explained everything.” Both of us wiped tears from our eyes when Loretta drew back. “All of us parents—well, except for Beau’s mama, kept an eye on your baby while you were…gone.”

“I can’t thank you enough for that.” The tears were coming again.

“When I knew I wasn’t going to be able to make it in my last body, the only thing that kept my spirit going was knowing that even if the state turned Xochitl over to complete monsters, you and Mr. Lee and the Jagwolfes would be there for her as much as possible. ”

“Both of our families tried to adopt her.” Loretta wiped her eyes. “But our backward-ass state foster program wouldn’t allow it. I understand why they refused me—” she gestured at her gorgeous brown face— “But Sylvis’s parents are rich!”

Daniel Lee entered the living room and gave us both a knowing grin. “Probably because the Jagwolfes are atheists. You know the climate up here.”

“Mm-hmm.” Loretta shook her head while Mr. Lee and I shook hands. “Well, you’d better hurry. Xochitl made two plates for you and magicked them up so they’re as fresh as when we first sat down to eat.”

“Did you bring your baked mac and cheese?” Since Xochitl and I had no family, the Lees often had us over for Thanksgiving.

“You know it!” Loretta’s smile shifted from me to Lucian. “And this tall drink must be Lucian. I heard you’re a distant cousin of Sylvis’s?”

Lucian bowed. “Yes, my lady.”

Aurora’s mother laughed, though she kept flicking curious looks at me. “We say ma’am around here. But you can call me Loretta.”

The moment I reached the dining room, Silas and Akasha’s daughter, Kiara shouted my name at the top of her lungs and threw herself into my arms. Out of old instinct, I looked back at Lucian to see if he had that slightly jealous look he’d gotten back when Nik was young.

Instead, he smiled at Kiara and me with overwhelming warmth.

Silas was off in the kitchen washing dishes. Xochitl emerged with two steaming plates of food. I set Kiara down and dove into Loretta’s mac and cheese.

“I’ve missed this stuff so much!”

“Well, now that we know you’re alive, you’ll have to come visit more often. And of course you must come to Aurora’s wedding in June. She found the best venue!”

The table was so crowded that I didn’t think we would have fit if Sylvis’s parents had remained.

Aside from the Lees, there was Silas and Akasha, Xochitl and Zareth, Sylvis and Gabriel—who were definitely having a blooming romance—Aurora and Anthony, Beau and Artavian, Razvan and Jayden, Radu and Lillian, and even Nik and Del.

I sneaked a glance at Lucian and hid a smile of amusement at how overwhelmed he looked.

Razvan plopped down in a chair beside him and proceeded to talk his ear off. Lucian could only manage cheerful grunts as he devoured his meal like he’d been starved for days. Did they have anything like Thanksgiving or Harvest Feast in Luminista?

I didn’t think so, because even though the various clan territories had different climates, there was no such thing as one consistent growing season and one equal harvesting season.

Seasonal foods weren’t even a concept there when one could either create any food they wanted or easily acquire it from another clan.

Wine, dessert, and conversation flowed and I basked in the wonderful feeling of being with a happy family. My own family’s meals and gatherings had never been this cozy and boisterous. From Lucian’s bewildered cheer, it appeared that his hadn’t been either. I remembered how quiet his father was.