The Christmas Curse (The Christmas Curse #1)

Chapter 5

Chapter Five

W hen Calyx was stressed, he baked, and he’d been stressed for weeks now, waiting for his brothers to come home. That meant that every nook and cranny of the kitchen was filled with gingerbread people, peanut butter cookies, and other assorted baked goods. Even now, he felt the itch to bake, but he told himself that he’d already used every container he could find in the house and that they should eat the cookies he’d already made before he baked more.

He stirred the hot cocoa in the pan and grabbed the closest cookie box from the counter. He opened it and slid it on the table, and Shelby instantly reached for it.

He grabbed a cookie and snapped off the gingerbread person’s head with one bite. Even with a cookie in his hand, he was still poking inside the box, and his eyes widened before he picked up another cookie.

This one had angel wings. Calyx had found the cookie-cutter on sale this summer, and he’d instantly thought of Shelby. This was the first time he’d used it, hoping that Shelby would come home and see the cookies. Now, Shelby was here, and so was Griffith.

Yancey was another matter entirely, as was Justin.

Calyx desperately needed to solve both these problems, but he didn’t know how. At this point, finding Justin and rescuing him from the underworld felt like it would be easier than convincing Yancey to give him another chance or to listen to him. Yancey had always been stubborn, so Calyx wasn’t surprised, but he’d hoped that a year away from their family would have changed him at least a bit.

Maybe it had, but right now, it felt like he’d changed for the worse.

“You made me angel cookies,” Shelby said, still staring at the cookie.

Calyx poured him a mug of hot cocoa and placed it in front of him on the kitchen table. “I was hoping you’d come home for Christmas, and I wanted to surprise you.”

Shelby placed both cookies on his napkin and wrapped his hands around the mug. He’d always felt the cold keenly, possibly because of his parentage. Apparently, angels didn’t do well in hot or cold weather.

“Well, you did surprise me,” Shelby said with a smile. “In more ways than one. What are we going to do about Justin?”

“I have no idea. I just know that he wouldn’t want to be stuck in the underworld.”

“Which is why we need to do something.”

Calyx glanced at Griffith, who was sitting at the table with Shelby, but hadn’t said a word. He was staring at something on his phone, and while Calyx wanted to ask what it was, he didn’t dare.

He hated that things between him and Griffith felt awkward. They’d never been like this, but things had changed over the past year. Before, they’d been as close as brothers, always getting in trouble together, always looking out for one another. Calyx didn’t know this new Griffith, though. He had no idea who Griffith had become over the past year, and finding out scared him a bit.

The front door slammed open, making all three of them jump. Griffith and Shelby reacted instantly, placing themselves in front of the kitchen door, and Griffith went as far as pushing Calyx behind himself.

“Who is it?” Calyx called out.

“Who the fuck do you think it is?” Yancey answered.

They relaxed, and Shelby slid back into his chair. He grabbed the cookie he’d started eating earlier and savagely tore off an arm before stuffing it into his mouth. It looked like he was angry at Yancey, too. It helped soothe something inside of Calyx to know that he wasn’t the only one, but he wasn’t sure if Shelby was angry for the same reason as him. He didn’t think so since Yancey hadn’t treated Shelby the way he had Calyx.

Yancey trudged into the kitchen as if he were going to his death. He scowled around, making what he thought of being there obvious. Calyx didn’t really care because his brother was here, and he was sure that together, they would find Justin.

His eyes widened when another man stumbled into the kitchen. He was tall, with broad shoulders and thick arms. His dark blond hair was cut short, but it was long enough to see a hint of curls. His blue eyes glinted as he looked around the room, and Calyx wondered what he was looking for.

“It looks like a normal kitchen,” the man said.

Yancey rolled his eyes and made a beeline for the coffee pot. It had been a few days since Calyx had seen him, and he winced when he noticed the bright colors all over the back of his hands and covering his entire neck. It had even started expanding to his ears.

“I’m sorry, who are you?” Griffith asked. He might have relaxed when he realized that Yancey was home, but with someone else in the picture, he once again appeared ready to defend Calyx. It wouldn’t be easy for him if the guy decided to attack. The man was built like a brick house, for fuck’s sake.

But even though he was big and looked like he could bench-press Calyx without breaking a sweat, the man’s smile was sweet as he held out his hand. “Travis.”

Griffith still looked suspicious as he shook Travis’s hand. “Griffith, and these are Shelby and Calyx. No offense, but can I ask what you’re doing here with Yancey?”

“He wouldn’t leave me alone,” Yancey grumbled.

“How do you expect me to do that when you look like you do?” Travis asked.

Yancey glared at him so hard that Calyx half expected Travis to go up in flames. It didn’t seem to faze Travis. He grinned at Yancey, pulled away one of the chairs from the table, and flopped down into it. When he peeked into the cookie box, his smile turned delighted, and he snatched a cookie. “Gingerbread people! Did you make these?” he asked, looking around the kitchen, clearly not knowing which of the three it would have been.

Calyx raised his hand and wiggled his fingers in hello. “I did. Do you want hot cocoa with that? Or I’m sure Yancey can pour you a cup of coffee.”

The guy bounced in his seat. “Hot cocoa, please and thank you.” He looked around again. “I was told a mage lives here, but I don’t see him. Is he going to come home soon? He’s really the only reason I’m here. Well, he and the half-angel. What does a half-angel look like? I sure hope they don’t look anything like their description in the Bible because that’s horrifying.”

Calyx blinked at the onslaught of words. “I’m a mage,” he said cautiously as he poured a cup of hot cocoa. “But you’re human. You’re not supposed to know about us.”

“I didn’t until Yancey got into a car accident.”

Calyx snapped his head toward his brother. “Car accident? What happened? Are you all right?”

Yancey grunted. “I’m fine. Travis is making it sound worse than it actually was.”

“Well, it was great. I opened your shirt, and you were all Christmasy.” Travis was beaming as if it had been the best day of his life.

Yancey’s scowl deepened, something Calyx hadn’t realized was possible. “And you thought it was a good idea to tell him about mages?” he asked Yancey.

“He kept asking questions, and I didn’t want him and his EMT partner to take me to the hospital. I didn’t have time to come up with something, so I told him the truth.”

“That his mage brother cursed him,” Travis declared. “And that’s supposed to be you. Why did you curse Yancey?”

“I didn’t do it on purpose,” Calyx muttered. “I just wanted him to come home for Christmas. I wanted all of them to come home for Christmas, but we’re missing Justin, and I don’t know how to fix that.”

Travis’s expression turned serious. “Yeah, Yancey mentioned something about that. What can I do?”

Calyx had so many questions and so very few answers. “You’re human. There’s nothing you can do.”

“I’m a first responder, so I’m quick on my feet, and I think outside the box. Surely that’s something you could use?”

“Even if you can’t, he’s not going anywhere,” Yancey warned Calyx, sounding both annoyed and fond at the same time. “I’ve been trying to get rid of him for the past few days, but wherever I look, he’s always there. He wanted to know more about you and the curse and all of that, so I agreed to bring him with me today. I’m pretty sure he would have followed me if I hadn’t.”

“You shouldn’t have told him anything,” Calyx pointed out.

“And you shouldn’t have cursed me and the others. Are we going to talk about how to find Justin, or can I go?”

Calyx sighed. Every time he felt he made a step forward with Yancey, he had to take two steps back. It was like a horrible dance that he wanted to be over.

But as long as Yancey was leading, there was no chance of that happening.

Griffith had no idea what to make of Travis or of the reason Yancey had brought him along, but he decided to go with it. Finding Justin and a way to get him out of the underworld was more important than worrying about one guy. Besides, it was clear that Yancey was annoyed at Travis, which, as far as Griffith was concerned, was entertaining. Yancey seldom allowed people to get under his skin, but a few managed, like Calyx—and Travis. Watching Yancey attempt to deal with Travis was going to be fun.

Before Yancey and Calyx had their fight, Yancey used to allow Calyx to mother him in a way no one else was allowed to. In Travis’s case, it looked like Yancey just let him ramble and answered his questions with grunts. He’d brought Travis along, though, so clearly, he was allowing the human to boss him around.

And wasn’t that a surprise.

“So, Yancey told me that your brother Justin is half-demon, right?” Travis asked before eating half of his cookie in one bite.

“That’s correct,” Griffith said. He couldn’t look away from the mess Travis was making.

Luckily, Travis swallowed before asking another question. “And he’s in the underworld?”

“As far as we can guess, yes. Calyx used a seeking spell, but he can’t find him, and there are only a few explanations for that.”

Travis nodded slowly and glanced at Calyx. Griffith was pretty sure that he was desperate to ask what those explanations were, but he didn’t. “I don’t know if this is a thing, but since he’s half-demon, couldn’t you just summon him or something?”

Griffith blinked. Summon him?

He turned to Calyx, who was gaping at Travis as if he’d never seen him before. To be fair, he hadn’t until Travis had barged into their lives five minutes ago, looking more excited than anyone should be in this situation.

“I mean, I don’t know if that’s how it works,” Travis offered. “Because I don’t know anything about your world. I didn’t even know mages existed until Yancey ended up under a car.”

“I didn’t end up under a car,” Yancey groused.

He was leaning against the counter, cradling a cup of coffee. He didn’t look bad with the Christmas colors on his skin, but Griffith would never tell him that. They looked like tattoos, albeit very colorful ones.

“The car certainly tried,” Travis said before turning his attention back to Calyx. “So? Can you summon demons? Or, in this case, half-demons?”

Calyx sucked in a breath. “I can’t believe I didn’t think about it.”

He sounded so angry at himself and so sad at the same time that Griffith couldn’t resist. He leaned forward to grab one of Calyx’s hands and squeeze it. Calyx gave him a grateful smile but didn’t keep his attention on Griffith for long.

“I can do a summoning spell,” Calyx said. “Considering Justin and I lived together for years and are close, it should be fairly easy. I just need a few ingredients I don’t normally keep in the house.”

“Then we’ll buy them,” Griffith offered. He didn’t know if they would have another possibility to find Justin and bring him home, and he didn’t want to waste this one. If they could summon Justin and get him out of the underworld, they had to do it.

Calyx looked slightly more relaxed when he smiled at Griffith. “You’ll come with me?”

“You expect me to say no?”

Once, Calyx wouldn’t have, but things were different now. Griffith wanted to hope they could have what they’d shared before the mess that had happened last year, but he understood why Calyx might be hesitant.

“The sooner I have the ingredients, the sooner we’ll get Justin back. I have no idea what happened to him, but it can’t be good, and I don’t want to leave him in the underworld any longer than he has to be.”

Griffith got to his feet, still holding Calyx’s hand. “Let’s go, then.”

Calyx came easily, just like he had when they were younger. Griffith told himself not to hope, but how could he not?

Calyx was used to doing these things on his own, so it felt odd to have Griffith in his passenger seat as he drove them to the shop where he bought the ingredients for his spells. It was tucked away in a back alley, and most people in town didn’t know it existed. The people who belonged to the supernatural world did, though, and Calyx was never surprised to find it crowded.

“Is it the same shop Caitlin used when she was alive?” Griffith asked as Calyx parked.

“Yeah. Lorna always asks about her.”

“She knows Caitlin’s a ghost?”

“I had to tell someone when it happened.” Calyx hadn’t had anyone else. His brothers had abandoned him. They’d been his only friends for most of his life, and when he’d lost them, he hadn’t known what to do. He knew Lorna well since Caitlin always brought him to the shop when she came to get ingredients, and she’d known Caitlin, so Calyx had confided in her.

“I’m sorry about what happened last year,” Griffith said.

“I know you are, but I don’t want to think or talk about it right now. I only want to focus on Justin.” Because if Calyx allowed himself to be distracted, it would take him longer to do everything, and he wanted Justin home now .

They exited the car, and Calyx relaxed almost instantly. During the holidays, the town looked like a Christmas elf had puked all over it. It was where Calyx got the inspiration for his curse. The town was transformed into a slightly tacky winter wonderland, with every inch decorated in vibrant shades of white, red, and green. Garland and lights adorned every storefront and streetlight, twinkling even in the daylight. The air was filled with the sweet scent of pine and cinnamon from the wreaths and garlands that hung around light poles. The smell of hot cocoa and roasted chestnuts lingered, tempting people to stop and indulge. Calyx wanted to, but he resisted the urge.

Christmas music played from the storefronts. The streets were bustling with people carrying brightly wrapped gifts and shopping bags, adding to the chaotic yet cheerful ambiance. Most of them were laughing or smiling, and Calyx wished he could join them.

There was nothing to smile about in their situation. Justin might be getting tortured at this very moment, and none of them would know.

Calyx had to stop wasting time.

He strode up to the shop, Griffith behind him. He came here at least once a week, so there was no hesitation in him as he pushed open the door. There were several people inside, some of them browsing, a couple talking to Lorna, so she didn’t come to him right away. She did wave at him, though, and he waved back as he peered around for what he needed.

The shop felt a bit like home. The shelves were stacked with jars and bottles of various sizes, each holding liquids and powders and carefully labeled. The shop was dimly lit, but it was enough for Calyx to see what he needed.

He moved around the shop as if it were his, bypassing the glittering crystals, shimmering potions, and twinkling trinkets. He ignored the books, too, but it was harder. He loved a good book.

He dumped all the ingredients he picked up into Griffith’s arms, relieved when Griffith didn’t argue. He had to be curious, but he didn’t ask questions. Calyx wasn’t sure what that meant. Maybe he wasn’t interested in Calyx and his life, or maybe he could tell how focused Calyx was and didn’t want to bother him. The only way to know for sure would be to ask, but Calyx didn’t think he could do that just yet. He was too scared of the answer.

Eventually, they would have to talk and clear things up. Calyx would have to do so with all of his brothers, but Griffith had always been different. For one, Calyx didn’t see him as a brother. They might have grown up together, but his feelings had been decidedly non-brotherly for years. That was why he was afraid of talking to Griffith. Griffith could destroy his heart and stomp the last bits of it into dust. Even if he didn’t do it on purpose, even if it hurt him to do so, he would reject Calyx if they didn’t want the same thing.

“I didn’t expect to see you so soon,” Lorna said as she came closer.

Griffith and Calyx stopped under a wide wooden arch that separated two of the rooms in the shop. The shop was massive, with rooms sprawling in every direction. There was everything a mage could dream of here, from cheap stuff to things Calyx wouldn’t even dare think about using for fear of ruining them.

“I wasn’t planning to, but it turns out that I have to summon a half-demon,” he explained.

Lorna wrinkled her nose. “That’s not good business.”

“I wouldn’t be doing it if that half-demon weren’t my brother, but he is, and I can’t leave him in the underworld.”

“I see. Well, you’re going to want some of this,” she said, reaching for a basket and picking up a deep red crystal. She dumped it into Calyx’s hands, and Calyx promptly turned to hand it over to Griffith.

His movement caught Lorna’s attention. She looked Griffith up and down and arched a brow. Calyx knew what she was seeing. It was what he saw in his dreams every night and in his daydreams every day. He loved Griffith’s freckles, his warm brown eyes, and his curly hair. He wished Griffith would allow it to grow out so the curls would come out, but Griffith had always found that messy, so it was cut short.

“And who is this?” Lorna asked.

Calyx couldn’t bring himself to tell her that Griffith was his brother, so he settled for something else. “This is Griffith, one of the boys Caitlin adopted.”

Lorna didn’t miss what Calyx hadn’t said, and her smile turned into a smirk. “Another brother?”

Calyx felt his cheeks flush, and he was careful not to look in Griffith’s direction as he answered. “Not exactly.”

Lorna’s smile widened. “I suppose that’s good since you’re standing under the mistletoe.”

Calyx’s head jerked up. Sure enough, there was a branch of mistletoe hanging from the arch. Calyx narrowed his eyes at the magic he could see around it. This wasn’t normal mistletoe. This was magical mistletoe, which meant he and Griffith were in trouble.

For some reason, Calyx appeared panicked at the thought of kissing Griffith. Griffith would have been offended if he hadn’t known that Calyx would have reacted this way with every one of their brothers. He wasn’t a particularly touchy-feely kind of person, although he did enjoy hugs and cuddles with Griffith. He certainly wouldn’t enjoy kissing Yancey, Justin, or Shelby, but Griffith had hoped that maybe he’d be different.

Griffith was a bit nervous. This felt like toeing the line a bit too closely. He’d managed to hide his feelings from Calyx for years, but every time he saw him, it became a tiny bit more difficult. Griffith wanted nothing more than to take care of Calyx, pull him into his arms and tell him that everything would be okay. He wanted to wake up with him in the morning, to cuddle on the couch at night, to watch bad movies and fall asleep in each other’s arms.

He wanted a life with Calyx, but it looked like Calyx didn’t even want to kiss him.

“We don’t have to kiss,” Griffith said. “It’s obvious it would make you uncomfortable, and I don’t want that.”

Calyx was already shaking his head. “You don’t understand. This isn’t just mistletoe. It’s magical mistletoe.”

Griffith had no idea what that meant. “It’s different than normal mistletoe?”

“It won’t let us go if we don’t kiss.”

Griffith blinked. It was the first time he’d heard about magical mistletoe, but he wasn’t a mage, so he wasn’t surprised. This wasn’t his area of expertise. “Okay, let’s kiss, then.”

Calyx watched him with wide eyes. “It’s not that easy.”

“Isn’t it? We need to kiss to be able to leave, so we’ll kiss.” Griffith didn’t know how much harder it would make his position, but it wasn’t like they had a choice. “Unless there’s something you can do about it with your magic?” Calyx didn’t want to kiss him, so this was probably the best way to go about it.

“That won’t work,” the shop owner said. “Magical mistletoe is resistant to magic, and it doesn’t respond well to spells. Something might explode.” She paused. “Including your head.”

Griffith turned wide eyes to Calyx. “I need my head.”

Calyx snorted. “I’m aware. I wasn’t thinking of using a spell. It’s too dangerous, especially for something so ridiculous. We just need to do it.”

He looked resigned and like he was going to war rather than about to kiss Griffith, but Griffith tried not to take offense. He couldn’t say he was happy about the fact that his first kiss with the man he’d been in love with for years would be in the middle of a shop with a woman watching their every move. It might also be their last kiss, so he wanted to make the most out of it.

He narrowed his eyes at the woman, who rolled hers and turned. She was already reaching for something on the shelf when Griffith turned back to Calyx. He was biting on his lower lip and looked like he might have bolted if it weren’t for the mistletoe.

“What happens if we just try to step away?” Griffith asked as he tried to do just that.

He couldn’t. It was as if an invisible wall had been erected around him when he wasn’t looking. He could only move so far, no matter how hard he tried.

Calyx waved at him. “That’s what happens.”

“Okay. Well, we have work to do and Justin to save. We should do this as quickly as possible and go home.”

Calyx nodded, but he still appeared nervous. There was no other way out of this, though, and since it was obvious that Calyx wouldn’t take the next step, Griffin took things into his own hands.

He grabbed Calyx’s arm and pulled him closer. Calyx squeaked and stumbled closer, and Griffith took the opportunity to wrap an arm around his waist. His other arm went up, and he cupped the back of Calyx’s head.

He leaned forward and kissed Calyx. Calyx sucked in a breath, sounding like he hadn’t expected Griffith to do it. He should have known better. He might not be aware of Griffith’s feelings for him, but he should know that when Griffith made a decision, he stuck to it.

He hadn’t intended for the kiss to become anything more than a press of their lips, but when the tip of Calyx’s tongue hesitantly touched his lower lip, he couldn’t resist. He groaned and opened his mouth, pushing his tongue out to meet Calyx’s. Calyx shuddered in his arms. Griffith tried to pull him even closer. They were still wearing their jackets, so it was a losing battle, but Griffith didn’t care. He needed more.

He wanted to climb into Calyx and live in his heart. He wanted them to kiss here, to kiss at the house, and everywhere else in town. He wanted to kiss Calyx forever.

Something crashed, and they jumped apart. Calyx’s eyes were wide and his mouth slightly slick, which made Griffith feel smug for all of a few seconds. Then, he realized that the kiss was over and that he wouldn’t have another opportunity, and his heart broke a little.

“Sorry about that,” the shop owner said as she picked up a metal tray. “I didn’t mean to bother you. Please feel free to continue.”

Calyx’s cheeks turned red, and he glared at her. “Lorna.”

“What? It’s not every day that I have two beautiful men making out in my shop. You know I’m single, Calyx. Let me live vicariously through you.”

“If you want to live through me, I’ll make sure to give you every single detail of my brother’s summoning.”

Lorna pouted. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it. Now, are you ready to finish shopping, or do you have more kissing to do?”

“I know what I need, so you can go back to your other customers.”

When Calyx stepped away from Griffith, he didn’t encounter the invisible barrier Griffith had felt earlier. He walked away from Griffith, leaving him to pick up the pieces of his broken heart. Griffith looked at Lorna, who was staring at him as if she were trying to solve a mystery. Her gaze was too knowing for Griffith’s comfort, so he shook his head and turned away, dumping everything in his arms onto the counter. He’d wait for Calyx outside. It wasn’t like Calyx needed him here, anyway. Hopefully, the cold December air would help Griffith get over what had just happened.

Something told him it wouldn’t. After all, he’d been in love with Calyx for years, and nothing had helped Griffith get over him yet.