They knew me well enough to understand I wouldn’t leave Liam behind unless I had no other choice. My son might not know the truth about my world, but they did—and they knew I wouldn’t take him anywhere near something like this.
Nishi, Aurora, and Eve exchanged quick glances before they moved to put the ornaments in their hands back in the box. Nishi smirked. “I have a parcel I want to pick up there,” she said, her voice way too nonchalant to be believable.
“Me too,” Eve added, not bothering to elaborate.
Aurora didn’t even bother with an excuse. “I’ll go.”
Liam frowned, clearly picking up on the shift in energy. “I’ll go too,” he said, sitting straighter. “I can help.”
“No,” I said firmly, my tone brooking no argument. “It’s likely nothing.”
His eyes narrowed slightly, and I could almost see him piecing things together. “Then why is Carnell calling you to check it out? And why are they all going?” He gestured to the others.
I blinked, caught off guard by how quickly he’d latched onto that detail. Was our call earlier that loud? I’d have to be more careful. Forcing a calm smile, I said, “It has to do with a bounty I’m working on. Carnell likes to be cautious, that’s all.”
Liam stared at me for a long moment, and for a second, I thought he might push further. But then he sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Fine. I’ll stay in case a call comes in.”
“Thank you,” I said, relief washing over me as I grabbed my coat. “Tegan and Salima will keep you company. If anything comes up, call me.”
He nodded, though the crease between his brows didn’t entirely disappear. I turned to Nishi, Aurora, and Eve, who were already grabbing their coats and looking more than ready to leave.
As we headed out, I couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that Liam’s questions weren’t going to stop there. And the more curious he got, the harder it would be to keep him in the dark.
The car hummed quietly as we drove toward the Christmas Village, snow-dusted trees blurring past the windows. The festive lights strung along the road felt almost mocking, a cheerful contrast to the tension settling in the car like a heavy fog.
Aurora, in the passenger seat, broke the silence first. “So, how exactly are you planning to juggle the holidays, a murder investigation, and keeping Liam blissfully unaware that his mom fights monsters for a living?”
I tightened my grip on the steering wheel, glancing in the rearview mirror at Nishi and Eve sitting in the back. Both were watching me with the kind of curiosity that made me feel like a mouse under a cat’s paw.
“Very carefully,” I muttered, though the sarcasm even felt thin. “Liam’s smart. He’s already asking questions, and I don’t think I can keep deflecting forever.”
Eve leaned forward slightly, resting her arms on the back of Aurora’s seat. “You know he’s going to put two and two together, eventually.”
“I know,” I admitted, my voice low. “But the more he knows, the more danger he’s in. And it’s not just the supernatural world, Luke...”
Aurora winced, her sharp eyes darting to me. “Yeah. That would ruin him.”
“Exactly,” I said, exhaling slowly. “So, I keep lying to him, hoping it buys us some time. That’s the plan.”
Nishi snorted softly. “Solid plan,” she said, her tone laced with dry humor. “Nothing could possibly go wrong with that.”
I glanced in the mirror, but she smirked and went back to adjusting the kris knife clipped to her belt.
Aurora glanced at me sideways. “And your shifter emotions? You’ve got those under control, right?”
The question hung in the air, and for a moment, I didn’t answer. Then I nodded. “Things have been good since Glinda’s death,” I said, my voice unwavering. “Voss has been helping. We train once a week—more if I feel things slipping.”
Eve settled back in her seat, her expression thoughtful. “Good. Because the last thing we need is you losing it in front of Liam. Or in the middle of this investigation.”
“Noted,” I said dryly, though the truth of her words hit harder than I wanted to admit. The last thing I needed was for Liam to see that side of me—the part that wasn’t entirely human.
As the lights of the Christmas Village in Mystic Falls came into view, I straightened in my seat, forcing my mind back to the task at hand. Whatever had happened here, needed solving. And fast.
Because as much as I hated juggling lies and secrets, the alternative—Liam knowing the truth—was far worse.
We pulled into a parking lot on the edge of the Christmas Village, the car crunching over freshly fallen snow. I killed the engine, and for a moment, the only sound was the faint hum of Christmas music drifting from the speakers mounted on the streetlights. The village sprawled out before us, a dazzling explosion of holiday cheer that almost made my teeth ache.
Twinkling lights wrapped around every tree, lamppost, and railing, casting a warm glow that softened the edges of the snow-covered ground. Wreaths adorned with red bows and glittering ornaments hung on every door, and there was enough tinsel draped across the rooftops to strangle a reindeer—or ten. It was charming in the way only small, overly enthusiastic villages could be, but the cheer felt like a facade. Something dark had happened here, and no amount of cinnamon-scented baking could cover it up.
