Before I know it, Lello is shrieking with joy and throwing himself at Red and Jade. The tension in the room dissolves as laughter and chatter fill the space again.
I look over at Monty, who’s watching the scene unfold with a satisfied expression. He catches my eye and gives me a small nod, like he knows exactly what I’m thinking.
This is Christmas, I realize. Messy, chaotic, imperfect, and absolutely perfect.
That night, as I tiptoe into my bedroom at silly o’clock. I find Monty waiting for me. Sitting in bed, reading a book in the soft glow of the lamp.
He looks up at me and smiles. “Good catch up with Jade?”
“The best!” I beam. I’ve made the most of every minute because they need to go back into hiding at dawn.
Monty holds the covers open for me and I slide in with a happy sigh and snuggle up to him.
“Thank you so much for today. It was so very thoughtful of you to arrange it.”
“My pleasure,” Monty rumbles as he kisses the top of my head.
Warmth tingles through me. “You’ve had so much on your mind lately, what with becoming a duke, and Laurie…” I trail off. I really don’t have the vocabulary to explain how amazing Monty is. It is probably useless to try.
“About that,” he says.
I lift my head up to look at him and give him my full attention.
“I have a plan I want to run by you.”
I nod.
Monty takes a breath. “It involves threatening my mother that I will go to the Paranormal Council with everything I know about her cult, if she doesn’t hand Laurie back. And if she doesn’t bite,actually going to the Council and offering my intel in exchange for their help in finding Laurie.”
I let out a low whistle. It is a risky move. A very risky one. But definitely powerful. It might just work.
“For the second part,” I say as my mind mulls it over. “You’ll need some assurance that the Council won’t just arrest you, and that they can keep you safe from the Revivalists.”
Monty nods in thoughtful agreement.
Suddenly, I’m scrambling up to a more upright position as an idea takes hold of me.
“Ask them to pardon Jade as a goodwill gesture!” I blurt out in excitement.
It is not a wild request. The Council seem on the verge of it anyway. I know that Carter has been negotiating with Council members about it. And Gray is working on creating amulets that will stop the fey from being able to talk to Jade, or any of their descendents. The groundwork has definitely been laid.
Monty’s blue eyes sparkle. “Two birds, one stone. What a marvelous idea!”
My heart skips and my stomach flutters. “You’d really do that?”
“Of course!” says Monty, with pure guilelessness in his eyes.
Oh my poor heart. It is going to give out in a minute. Monty truly is so utterly wonderful, I could burst. He makes me so happy. I need to give him something in return.
With that thought in mind, I start to burrow under the covers and crawl down the bed.
“Where are you going?” Monty asks in confusion.
“To give you a thank you blow job,” I say happily.
Monty inhales sharply. “Oh gosh. Is that a thing?”
“It is now,” I smirk.
