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Anna’s in the same black jacket she was wearing the night she called me a stray. I guess Christmas sweaters aren’t part of her seasonal rotation.

“Thanks for having us,” Anna says. “The cousins are jostling for rank. It’s unbearable.”

“Merry Christmas, Ellery.” Dominic follows Anna into the living room.

Nick tenses beside me, and I drag him down the hall with their coats.

Roslyn and Pete are already by the fireplace, disagreeing about the snowplow schedule. Luca and I are nibbling on sugar cookies when I see my name embroidered on a stocking next to Nick’s. There’s one for Marthe and Luca, and two more on the end for Mikel and Sebastian.

I find Marthe on the back porch sipping wine, taking a well-earned break from the kitchen.

“Thank you. For all of this, welcoming me into your family. It means a lot to me.”

“You’ve made my Nicky happy.” She pulls me into a hug.

“Can I ask something?”

“Sure, honey.”

“Why didn’t you take your Blood Rites?”

“Pie.”

I wait for the rest of it. There isn’t any.

“Key lime pie, to be exact.”

She smiles when she sees how confused I am.

“Once you transition, food doesn’t taste the same. All the flavor and intensity dull, and it makes you ill. The vampire blunts some parts while dialing up others. I’m fond of the human parts more.” She looks out at the snow before she goes on. “But Mikel and I loved each other fiercely, and it was right for us.” She reaches over and straightens the clip in my hair, and doesn’t ask for anything back. “There’s no rush to decide where you land on it.”

I’ve never thought about pie as a reason to stay mortal, and now I’m not sure I’ll be able to stop.

“Lunch!” Tess calls.

We head inside to join everyone at the long dining table. Marthe made her blood soup again for the vampire guests, while the rest of us have a spread that would make Ina Garten jealous. I find my spot between Nick and Luca, across from Tess and Dustin, and admire the centerpiece of spruce, rosemary, and dried red berries.

Nick produces a green knitted beanie with a pom-pom sewn onto it. Around the table, everyone’s pulling little gift bags out from under their chairs.

“What’s going on?”

I reach under my chair and find a bag with a beanie in a fuzzy wool the color of Nick’s eyes on a clear day.

“Roslyn makes them for everyone each year, and we horse-trade for the one we want the most. I think that one’s mine.”

He goes for the gray beanie, and I hold it out of his reach. “Not so fast.”

Nick makes a sad puppy-dog face. That’s a new one.

“I’ll trade you…this green one and a kiss,” he says, entirely serious.

“Done.” I hand over mine and await the rest of my deal.

“You drive a hard bargain, Ellery Ashford.” He leans in, pulls the beanie down over my ears, and kisses me.

Beside me, Luca hisses and yanks his hand back from the carving knife, a bright line of red welling on his thumb.

Across the table, Dominic’s fangs come down. He puts his napkin over his mouth and keeps talking to Pete about the generator.