“Not fair,” Neve said to her husband. “I just got Breac. You’re going to have him for a while.”
Talin grinned, his silver eyes mischievous. “Then let us stay.”
“Nope,” River said before Neve could.
Neve sighed. “She’s right. You two have to go. But you can leave Breac.”
“I think it’s better if he comes with us,” Kyran said as he caught Talin’s gaze. His friend gave a barely discernable nod.
“We’ll leave you girls to it,” Talin said as he walked to his mate and gave her a soft kiss. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
Neve rolled her eyes. “You would do anything and everything.”
“Exactly,” Talin said with a flash of a smile.
Kyran kissed River before he and Talin returned to his home. He rubbed his hands together. “It’s time to get started.”
“Started?” Talin said as he set Breac down once the boy spotted his toys again.
“The girls might have a plan, but so do I.”
Talin straightened. “Now I’m intrigued.”
Kyran held up a hand as he called the others. One by one, the Reapers arrived. The only one missing was Aisling. As much as Kyran hoped she would come, he knew that as long as she searched for Xaneth, she wouldn’t. No one knew why Erith allowed Aisling to track Xaneth, but none of them questioned Death.
Kyran looked around at the room, his gaze moving from Baylon, Fintan, Daire, Eoghan, Cael, Bradach, Dubhan, Cathal, Rordan, Torin, and Balladyn. “Most of you already know that River is planning a holiday dinner party. The girls want it to be a surprise for us. That gave me the idea to surprise them, as well.”
Dubhan crossed his arms over his chest. His long, black and silver hair pulled into a queue. “I’m game. What are you thinking?”
“River misses Earth and all that goes along with this season. I have a feeling she isn’t the only one,” Kyran said.
Fintan ran a hand through his long, white hair. “Aye. Cat misses it, too.”
“Sorcha also,” Cathal said with a nod of his black and silver head.
Kyran looked at Daire, Baylon, and Eoghan, all of whom nodded that their mates felt the same as his. “Even those who aren’t Halflings lived on Earth long enough to know the holiday season. We’ve been so wrapped up in our duties and fighting enemies that we’ve forgotten about those who gave up everything to be with us.”
“Do you have a plan?” Cael asked, a smile on his lips.
Kyran wrinkled his nose. “Not exactly.”
Baylon and Daire started laughing, elbowing each other.
Fintan gave them a withering stare before looking at Kyran. “We need to think about what humans do during this season.”
“What we need is to know what the girls are doing so we don’t do the same thing,” Kyran said.
Everyone looked at Cael.
He rolled his eyes at them and then bent to lift Breac, who was tugging on his pant leg. “I’ll see what I can find out. Don’t expect much.”
Kyran rubbed his hands together again. “We need to make a list. We don’t have that long, and we’re going to have to work while the girls are together. I don’t want them to know anything.”
For the next hour, they passed Breac around, taking turns feeding and playing with him as they thought up ideas that Kyran put into a list. This would be the best holiday River ever had.
Chapter Three
The walls reverberated with conversations and laughter. Erith gazed around the room at the women who had become her family. For eons, she had watched others, longing for friendship and sisterhood.
And now, she finally had it.
She had been surprised and delighted when the invite had come, asking her to join the planning session for the holiday party. Though, she had to admit, she wasn’t sure she fit in. She kept telling herself to relax. Erith finally understood the term fish out of water.
River let out a whistle to gain everyone’s attention. The room quieted instantly as everyone turned to her with expressions of interest and excitement. Erith found her lips curving into a smile, her anticipation palpable.
“I’m so happy to see all of you here,” River said. “There’s a lot to do, and not a lot of time to do it.”
Fianna chuckled. “Good thing there’s a few Fae and a goddess among us. We’ll get it all done. Don’t worry.”
There was a round of laughter as heads nodded and many glanced in Erith’s direction.
River licked her lips and scooted to the edge of the sofa cushion, a pad of paper in her hands. “I know we all enjoyed the party at Dreagan last year. I don’t know if the Dragon Kings will have another one, but I thought it would be good if we did something for our family.”
“Stop,” Jordyn said in her Scots brogue as she wiped at the corner of her turquoise eye. “You’re going to make me cry.”
Ettie, who sat beside Jordyn, nudged her with a shoulder and said in an Irish accent, “Trust me. We’ll all be crying at some point.”
“This is a great idea, River. Thank you,” Maeve replied. The Light Fae bowed her head of black hair with its silver accents in gratitude.
Catriona sniffed loudly and glared at Maeve with her green gaze. “Bloody hell. Should we just cry now and get it over with?”
Erith laughed with the others. It warmed her heart to see so many Halflings and Fae together. Her family. She had kept the Reapers from falling in love for so long, but then she realized that some things couldn’t be denied. She was delighted that she had set aside that rule because look what she had now. She would do anything for her Reapers.
And she would do anything for the mates and little Breac, too.
Anything.
They were her family.
“Okay,” River said to get everyone back on track. “We need to come up with an aesthetic.”
Sorcha shoved aside her auburn curls and shrugged before saying in an Irish accent, “It’s your party. You get to choose.”
“I agree,” Thea, another Irish Halfling, replied.
One by one, they nodded in agreement.
Erith was surprised to find River’s eyes on her. She grinned at the Scottish Halfling. “Your party, your colors.”
“But this isn’t about me,” River argued. “It’s about all of us.”
“This year, you pick the colors. For the following years, we’ll vote,” Erith offered.
Light Fae, Kyra, quickly said, “I love that idea.”
“Perfect,” Neve replied and turned her head to River, who sat beside her. “It’s decided. You pick.”
River twisted her lips. “Um…okay,” she said hesitantly. “We could use traditional red and green. Or there’s red and white, blue and silver, red and silver, silver and gold, burgundy and gold, green and–”
“Which one do you like the best?” Breda asked, her Irish accent thick.
River sighed, and then a slow smile spread over her face. “White and gold with red accents.”
There were oohs and aahs at her choice.
With that decision made, it seemed to propel River. “I’d like this to feel as festive as it can. Neve showed me an amazing spot today on one of the mountains. There will be lots of snow to complement everything.”