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The lights had been extinguished, the candles glowing across the gold and red floor as holiday garlands of evergreens, ht,of the staircase behind me

The dance floor was still nearly e with her brother

Hanging back, I folded ether Okay, okay I didn’t hate him I couldn’t hate anyone who loved her

He dipped her back and twirled with her, and she s her arms around him as he went faster and faster

I s them

Nearby, Rika danced with Jett, both of the Jett with the steps Her black gown stretched with the s

Will’s daughters, Indie and Finn, twirled around the couples, pretending they were ballet dancers, the black feathers in Finn’s hairmy stomach sink a little at the memory Seemed like yesterday Banks and I were in the ballroo Damon’s mother, dressed in her black feathers, host A chill ran up my spine

“Kai?” someone said

I looked behindwith both hands

I reached for her, guiding her to me “Yep, here,” I said “Did you smell me?”

How else would she have known it was me?

She laughed, joining oooood”

I s my eyes back to the ballroom My son had disappeared, and Ivarsen had joined his brothers, running past us toward the dining room and the sweets, no doubt

Headlights approached outside, guests starting to arrive

“Octavia doesn’t want to go to the lock-in tonight,” Winter told me

“Then Mads won’t go, either”

“Nope”

Which hy she was telling ht away or took part in the revelry of the festivities, the kids would go have their own adventure at the theater Until ht, anyhen they could come home and open presents

Winter had done a beautiful job,this time of year special She loved Christmas but always felt the day was bittersweet, because it meant the season was pretty much over We started our festivities on the solstice now, happy to enjoy that we had days of joy still ahead of us

“She’s a very lucky kid,” Winter said “Lots of people who dote on her”

I nodded, seeing a shadow on the second floor Mads had retreated to his hideaway again

“She’s an adventurer,” I replied “Mads isn’t He can live vicariously through her”

“And she loves that she can drag hiets upset with her Her brothers are…not so flexible”