She had taken his hand and pulled him into the woods where they gave in to their desires once more. Erith grinned because she knew her dress would likely be ripped for a third time later tonight. And she didn’t care. How could she when the love of her life stirred such emotions within her?
Cael’s hand halted when River stood and tapped her glass with her fork to get everyone’s attention. Cael winked at Erith, a promise of pleasure in his smile before he focused on River. Erith took a deep breath and did the same.
“First, I wanted to thank everyone for their help,” River said. “I had a vision, but this turned out so much better.”
There was a round of applause with Bradach whistling loudly with his fingers. Breac stirred in Erith’s arms before settling back to sleep.
River’s eyes were bright as she glanced at Kyran before saying to everyone, “The night isn’t quite over. There are a few presents beneath the tree.”
With just a thought, each present was set before its Reaper. Erith had made sure Balladyn had a gift, too.
“Before you open them,” River hastily said, “I would like to make a toast to the one who made so much possible. Erith.”
Erith’s lips parted in surprise. Her eyes misted as she saw everyone lift their glasses to her. She blinked back tears as she took her flute and lifted it in reply.
A chorus of, “Hear, hear” followed.
As soon as the toast finished, Erith watched as some Reapers like Talin, Daire, and Cathal tore into their gifts like excited children, while others like Cael, Eoghan, and Balladyn carefully peeled back the wrapping as if they were afraid of breaking something.
Erith’s attention was torn between Cael and Balladyn. Thankfully, the two were seated across the table from each other. Cael got his gift open first. He took out the crystal sphere with a purple flower suspended in the middle.
When his eyes met hers, she explained, “I picked that flower from the field where I first saw you in battle. I’ve kept it all these years because it’s so special. It’s part of where my love of purple comes from. From the very start, I knew you were special.”
“You’ve had my heart from the first moment I saw your face,” he told her. “I’ll treasure this always.”
She reached for his hand and squeezed.
Balladyn then lifted the lid from the box and pulled out the orb. On one side was him as the legendary Light Fae Warrior dressed in the uniform of a Queen’s Guard. On the other, him when he was King of the Dark. It was only when he held it just right that the two converged into one picture, showing him the Fae he was now.
His gaze lifted to hers and held for a moment. Then he placed a hand over his heart and bowed his head in thanks. His eyes returned to the orb, staring at it. She hoped it would help him reconcile who he was. He had been the best of the best, and he had been the worst of the worst, but through it all, he had managed to hold onto the most precious parts of himself. He had the potential to do so much more. She wanted him to know that his coloring didn’t define who he was. That was why she had offered him a position with her Reapers. Balladyn had more than earned it.
“I think he likes it,” Cael whispered as he leaned close.
Erith hoped so. They were going to need Balladyn in the coming months. His past deeds could hold him back—or he could finally break free. She prayed it was the latter.
With the presents open and the others beginning to mill about the room, Erith thought they might be going outside to enjoy the stars and the light from the moon glowing off the snow-capped mountains.
“Wait,” Cael said.
She frowned and realized that the Reapers were halting their mates, too.
Kyran got to his feet and rubbed his hands together. “I didn’t realize until River told me how much she missed home that I’ve neglected a few things. We’re Reapers, and we have many duties. Thanks to Erith, our family is safe here. But when we go off to fight, we leave them behind. We’re so focused on our mission and taking out our enemies, that we forget who is here waiting for us.” He looked down at River and took her hand. “Don’t ever hesitate to remind me that you have needs that must be addressed. You wanting a party for all of us got me thinking.”
“Always a dangerous thing,” Fintan declared in a deadpan voice.
There were chuckles and laughter.
Kyran waited until that died down before he said, “The others and I have a surprise for all of you.”
River’s eyes widened. “Really?”
“What?” Erith asked as she swung her head to Cael.
Cael merely smiled and stood, holding out his hand.
“We’re going as one!” Kyran called.
Everyone got to their feet and moved into a cluster away from the table. Balladyn took Breac from her, the child limp in his arms. Erith gave Cael a questioning look.
He shook his head. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
“Ready?” Kyran asked.
A round of agreement filled the air.
In the next instant, the group was out in the night, standing in a forest aglow with thousands of lights. Erith saw the winding path and the decorated trees, and the tears that she had been holding back threatened once more.
“Oh, Cael,” she said.
“Happy holidays, my love,” he replied as he took her hand and began leading her up the path.
Chapter Seven
River was so shocked that she couldn’t move. How had she not known Kyran had been up to something? Because she had been so absorbed in getting the party ready. All the while, he and the others had been thinking about them.
She was vaguely aware of couples separating and walking the path. River saw the first tree and smiled. When she spotted the second, her feet came to a stop at the sight of the peacock feathers and the coloring of the tree. Her eyes took in the brightly painted peacocks, the ribbon, and the other beautiful ornaments.
“Merry Christmas, baby.”
She jerked her head to Kyran. It took her a minute to realize what his bright smile meant. “You did this?”
“Aye. This is your tree,” he said proudly.
She tried to halt the tears, but they fell onto her cheeks. “Oh, Kyran. It’s beautiful.” River threw her arms around him and held him tightly. “I love you so much.”
“I love you, too.”
River pulled back to look at the tree once more. She walked around it, finding new ornaments each time she searched. It was obvious that Kyran had put a lot of thought into each decoration. He had surprised her in the most special way, and she couldn’t be happier.
Once she had looked her fill of her tree—which took some time because she couldn’t tear her eyes from it—she and Kyran walked hand in hand along the path, looking at the other trees. Each Reaper had crafted a tree that matched their mate. It was such a unique element, and it touched all the women deeply. The cold air billowed past River’s lips as she breathed, but she wasn’t chilled. That was the great thing about being with someone with magic.
The path sloped gently upward. She tried to look ahead, but Kyran wouldn’t let her. They wound through the forest, commenting on the decorations and the individualism of each tree. It wasn’t until they got to the black fir with the red ornaments that she found herself crying once more.