Freya followed, her candle catching the flame from Esther’s. “The longest night is over. Let hope grow with the sun.”
Devon took the next candle, his accent adding a lilting music to the words. “May love guide us through any dark season.”
Finally, Brianna raised hers, eyes bright with mischief. “And may we never again time-travel ourselves out of twenty-first-century conveniences.”
That got a round of laughter—loud, messy, and perfect. Even Esther cracked a smile.
They feasted, they sang (badly), and when the last dish was cleared, they took their candles outside. The river babbled beyond the snow, reminding her of her family’s seemingly harmless walk the year before. Together, they placed their candles in the snowbank along the driveway. The flames reflected off the frozen drifts like tiny diamonds.
Freya leaned into Devon’s shoulder, and his arm slipped around her. “You know,” she murmured, “last year I thought I’d be celebrating Yule alone forever.”
He kissed the top of her head. “Never again, love.”
Freya closed her eyes and gave silent thanks to the Goddess. Whatever darkness came next, she would never face it alone. She felt the light inside her chest, full to bursting with warmth.
Behind them, the wards shimmered faintly around the cottage, catching the candlelight like a halo. The flames seemed to dance higher, feeding off their laughter, and the air hummed with gentle magic. Everyone simplybelonged. Freya felt it sink deep into her chest, as if the house itself sighed in contentment.
Later that night,Devon and Freya were curled up in front of their fireplace, mesmerized by the dancing flames surroundingtheir yule log. A lot had happened in a year. Devon and Freya had bought a fixer-upper down the street from Brianna and Esther. They were hand-fasted as well as legally married after Devon had returned to America for good. While studying American finance law, he became a home renovation MVP.
Freya lifted her head from Devon’s shoulder. “There’s something I wanted to tell you, but I promised I wouldn’t until later.”
He straightened and leaned back slightly, so he could see her face. “Later? Are you late?”
She chuckled. “No. Nothing like that. Our birth control is working fine.”
“Ah. Well, now my curiosity is piqued, so you’d better tell me what it is.”
She ran her finger over his leg, absently, adding a little magic to his previously healed suture line. “Do you remember the time your great aunt Elspeth wanted to talk with me alone?”
“You mean when you borrowed my phone and carried it into the ladies’ room to keep some kind of family secret from me?”
She chuckled. “Well, yes, but it wasn’t exactly a family secret.”
“What was it, then?”
“She said we were pretty much destined to be together. That our souls had found each other over many lifetimes. She didn’t want you to be influenced by that knowledge and asked me to let love grow, naturally.”
He let that sink in, then looked puzzled. “Why didn’t she thinkyou’dbe influenced?”
Freya shrugged. “I’m not sure. She said I was a healer in many of my past lives, and I often healed you. Maybe she thought I was already halfway there.”
He rose and used the fire poker to adjust the Yule log so it burned more evenly. “Maybe it’s because this time we healed each other.”
Freya smiled and nodded. “That we did.”
Devon set the poker down amongst the other fireplace tools and returned to his spot on the sofa. He was just about to kiss Freya, when someone started pounding on their front door. He groaned.
“I’ll get it. You just sat down.” Freya jumped up and strode to the door while the pounding continued. Through the glass pane, she recognized Brianna and opened the door wide. “What the...”
“Oh, thank the Goddess you’re home!” Brianna ran inside their living room and seated herself in the rocking chair before Freya could close and lock the door. “Oh, hi, Devon.”
“Are you okay?” Devon asked, eyebrows up.
“I’m not sure. The weirdest thing just happened.”
Devon deadpanned, “Welcome to Weird Central.”
“No. Listen… This old woman in a long green robe came to our door. She said she’s part of a supernatural coven that recruits witches with rare abilities. She said I was the one who opened the time portal last year.”
