CHAPTER 1
“Why, by the love of the Mountain, does Penelope believe it will take both of us to solve a simple problem of wayward magic?” Gabriel stomped up the steep incline that led to a cabin on the Darnuith mountainside, leaving steaming footprints in the deep snow.
“I don’t know, Gabriel. Maybe she thought the cool air would soothe that hot head of yours,” Raven teased, although it was clear from Gabriel’s answering scowl he didn’t find the same humor in the situation as she did.
“Goddess, the snow must be three feet deep,” Gabriel grumbled. “Why do I feel that Penelope simply didn’t want to break a nail? I don’t suppose you can Bippity Boppity Boop this away?”
Raven snorted. “Sadly, no. The snow and unpredictable weather are part of the Kingdom of Darnuith’s defense system and are, therefore, enchanted by the region’s most powerful witches. Nothing we want to mess with magically, unless you’re a fan of freezing to death under two tons of avalanched snow.”
“Damn pain in my ass,” he grumbled, and Raven hoped he was talking about Penelope and not her. It was hard to tell these days with his general and persistent state of grumpiness.
“Honestly, Gabriel, is it that much of a burden? Penelope is one of my best friends, and she’s never asked us for anything. It shouldn’t take us long working together. If you can’t find the space in that workaholic heart of yours to do something purely for personal kindness, consider it an act of political goodwill.”
Gabriel whirled to face her just outside the door to the cabin. “Workaholic heart?”
She stomped up to him until the tips of her boots touched his. “If the shoe fits.”
He opened his mouth to answer her, no doubt with some retort of his own, when they were both distracted by the door to the cabin swinging open of its own accord. Raven narrowed her eyes at it. The ornate carving on the front of the door depicted the knotted and bare branches of a tree in winter, the trunk bending to one side, offsetting the weight of heavy branches that grew within a circle she assumed must represent the moon. The door was beautiful, as was the cabin itself. Nestled in a winter wonderland, the log construction sported a polished wood exterior and a pitched roof frosted in snow and icicles that twinkled in the late afternoon sun. Its windows were four-paned, framed with lace curtains and delicate as candy-glass, iridescent where the light caught the edge just right, giving the place the vibe of a life-sized gingerbread masterpiece. At the back of the cabin, the upward trajectory of the terrain led to white-capped mountains that begged for someone to spin beneath the cloudless azure sky, singing of their beauty and majesty.
Penelope hadn’t explained exactly what was wrong with the cabin, only that a bit of mischievous magic was pestering the local population. Certainly, nothing seemed off-kilter about the cozy, fire-lit interior Raven spied through the open door. A massive feather bed filled most of the room, alongside a small table with an inviting bouquet of bright red blooms and a simplekitchen that ran the far wall, anchored by a potbellied stove. Multiple candles gave the place an almost sacred feel.
“It’s like a church at Christmas,” Raven mused. “Do you know it’s Christmas on Earth right now?”
Gabriel stuck his head inside the cabin as if he hadn’t heard her. “Did Penelope tell you what was wrong with it?” he asked gruffly. “Is it safe to go inside?”
“Not exactly. Safe, yes. She said it wasn’t dangerous, just ornery.”
“Ornery?” Gabriel harrumphed.
“Don’t tell me the king of Paragon is afraid of a little impish magic!” Pushing past him, Raven stepped inside, rubbing her upper arms and stomping the snow from her boots. “As for me, I’d rather face the magic than the cold.” Approaching the fire, she held out her hands to warm them, while Gabriel stewed just outside the door. Once he saw that the floor didn’t open up and eat her, he seemed to resolve himself to the task at hand and reluctantly stepped inside.
The door slammed shut behind him.
CHAPTER 2
Gabriel cursed, whirled around, and tugged on the door handle. “It won’t open,” he said, his tone flavored with annoyance and a drop of accusation.
Raven waved a dismissive hand in the air. “I’ve got it.” Drawing on her magic, she cast an unlocking spell on the door, but when she turned the knob, it wouldn’t budge. Worse, now that she was touching the cabin with her bare skin, she was getting a clear taste of its magic. She glanced back at the dark storm cloud that was her husband and tittered. “Oops.”
Gabriel’s hands landed on his hips, and a vein in his forehead pulsed like he might blow a gasket. “Explain.”
“This cabin’s magic isn’t exactly what Penelope described. It’s, um, not wayward so much as prescriptive.”
“What?”
A shimmer from atop the table saved her from having to say more because a red envelope popped into existence next to the flowers. Gabriel marched over to it and broke the seal. “Merry Christmas from all of us. Enjoy the accommodations. We are all in agreement that you need them,” he read aloud. He held the card out to her between two rigid fingers. “It’s signed fromPenelope and everyone else who loves you. What is the meaning of this?”
Raven turned slowly, taking in the overflowing bowl of fruit, the pristine cabin, the fresh flowers on the table, the roaring fire, and started to laugh. “I think our friends have given us a romantic night alone in this cabin for Christmas.”
Gabriel sneered. “Thoughtful, but incredibly untimely. I’m supposed to be meeting with Nathaniel about an issue he has with one of our interplanetary trade routes.” He tossed the card onto the table, his hand forming a fist. “Plus, I must address the Nochtbend lunar festival overlapping with Everfield’s celestial alignment celebration. If nothing is done, we’re going to have a bunch of drunk vampires chasing fairies. Pure havoc. Not to mention a thousand other things. I don’t have time for this, Raven.”
“Out of curiosity, how far down your to-do list is our relationship?” Raven removed and hung her coat on the hook on the wall before returning to the fire.
His brow furrowed. “You know it’s not about that. We have a duty to the kingdom. This—” He gestured madly around the room. “Whatever this is, it can wait.”
Gabriel crossed the room to try the door handle again, even resorting to bracing his foot against the wall.
Raven broke into raucous laughter. “My God, I know the honeymoon is over, Gabriel, but I never thought you’d resort to a dragon-shaped hole in the wall to avoid a night alone with me.”
