Chapter
One
Snowflakes drifted downlike feathers of a Fallen, blanketing the ground in white. As if there were any plumages left after falling.
Lore rolled his taut shoulders, ignoring the urge to release his wings that had been caged too long, as he stared through the window of Michael’s minuscule study?—
“Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way…”The melody drifted to him from somewhere in the castle.
Humans. He didn’t understand them or their joy for this time of year.
The door opened, and he turned. Kira stumbled to a halt at seeing him, a small tree covered in gleaming tinsel and baubles clutched to her chest.
“Lore.” A grin appeared, two indents marring her cheeks. “Why are you in here all alone? Join us. We’ll teach you some carols.”
With a little hum, she set the tiny tree in the middle of Michael’s desk and clicked a switch. Lights within the branches blinked in a rainbow of colors. She angled her head and studied the odd little plant. “This does cheer up the Arc’s study, don’t ya think?”
He had no opinion at all.
“See ya.” With a little wave, she glided off.
His gaze shifted to the garden and the darkening evening, hoping Michael would get there soon. He had a new job that needed his attention?—
“Darn it, Aethan, I said I’m fine. Let it go, please.”
Lore frowned at hearing his student’s frustrated voice and glanced at the shut door.
“That’s because every time I try to talk to you, you shut me out,” the warrior growled. “What’s going on, Echo?”
“I’m just a little tired, okay? I’ve been studying most of the day.” Lore lifted an eyebrow at that. He hadn’t given her much work recently, just to go through the scrolls with the runes. “Everyone’s waiting for us.”
Another low growl drifted as their footfalls faded.
Putting them out of his mind, his gaze fell on the decked-out tree, winking happily on the desk with its merry colors. Laughter erupted, the song growing louder. He glanced back at the door. What was it about this celebration that caused so much excitement among the females?
Lore found himself following the singing and laughter down the long corridor to the back of the vast castle. As he approached the huge double doors, he opened them with a thought?—
And stepped into chaos.
Shiny streams of paper littered the floor. Several boxes lay open, displaying colorful, glimmering balls. A massive tree took up space in the corner with similar globes hanging from its branches.
“Lore!” Kira beamed. “You came!” She flipped back the dangling, fluffy white ball on the pointy red hat she wore and waved him over to where she and Echo, along with Blaéz’s mate, the librarian, were seated on the floor, rifling through several boxes.
Nothing dimmed the bubbling female.
“Don’t you know he doesn’t celebrate Christmas?” Echo taunted, seeming to have gotten over her earlier upset. No sign of her mate. Her bicolored eyes glittered as brightly as the baubles on the tree. “Loosen up, Lore. No need to be a hardass all the time. It’s the season to rejoice. Come. Have fun!”
Indeed. His student was prone to daydreaming, which made teaching her about her ancestors a challenge.
However, it wasn’t his job to question the Powers That Be about why this former human would possess the powerful gift of a Curantii. Not when she had the most potent of all bloodlines flowing through her veins—that of the long-annihilated Watchers.
Lore strolled to the window, away from the chaos, the wide openness outside calling to him?—
“Nate!” Echo shrieked, the high-pitched tone hurting Lore’s sharp hearing. She darted across the enormous living room, and her already messy black hair, which appeared as if chopped with an axe, jumped like a live mop.
“You’re here!” She threw her arms around her brother. The tall, dark-haired male had started life as a human, then morphed into a demon only to be reborn as an angel.
Long lost siblings finally reunited.
