The Christmas Curse (The Christmas Curse #1)

Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

C alyx looked at the people gathered in the living room. Yancey was standing by the door as if ready to run should anything happen, while Travis hovered near him. Shelby was on the couch, leaning forward to get a better look at the circle Calyx had drawn on the floor. They’d had to move the carpet and the coffee table to have enough space, but Calyx had wanted to go big, just in case. He shouldn’t need it, but he was ready for any problem or trouble. He’d learned his lesson with the curse, and he didn’t want anything like that to happen ever again.

“Are we ready?” Griffith asked from where he was standing next to Calyx.

They hadn’t talked about the kiss, which was just as well. Calyx had spent the past two days hiding in his office, working on the spell and getting everything ready. It had taken longer than he’d expected because he’d needed everything to be perfect. If he wanted all his brothers with him for Christmas, this needed to happen now. More importantly, it had to happen now because Justin deserved to be free.

“I am,” Calyx told Griffith, careful not to look him in the eyes and focusing on his chin instead. “You should go sit down next to Shelby.”

“I’m not leaving you alone to face whatever comes out of that circle.”

Calyx could tell from Griffith’s tone that he wouldn’t change his mind. It was no use insisting, so instead, he decided to focus on doing his job.

Everything was ready. He just needed to pour magic into the circle, and Justin would return. Part of Calyx was terrified that he’d mess things up because he’d never summoned a demon, let alone a half-demon, but he knew Justin. They’d grown up together, and they loved each other. If there was anyone who could get him out of the underworld, it was Calyx.

He closed his eyes, focusing on the magic in the room. He’d lit candles and used herbs to help his focus because he knew he’d need a lot of it. The air smelled like sage, which was soothing because it reminded him of Caitlin.

He took a deep breath, then another, and reached out for the magic. It came easily because it was used to Calyx using it. They felt like friends, and for a moment, Calyx allowed it to play around. Sometimes, it felt like an old being, but other times, it felt like a child who was marveling at the wonders of the world. It was easier to control on those days, but Calyx knew how to do it even when it felt older.

He gently pushed the magic toward the circle and focused on Justin. It took a moment for the magic to find him, and as soon as it did, Calyx pulled .

It felt like a great weight to pull on by himself, but he forced himself to drag Justin closer and closer. He said his name out loud a few times, hoping the magic would help, and it did, but it seemed to be struggling, too. Calyx coaxed more of it into the spell, and finally, the circle he’d drawn on the floor opened like a portal. A hand appeared.

Calyx’s eyes widened when he didn’t recognize it as Justin’s hand. It was too big and tipped with black claws.

“What the fuck?” someone in the room muttered.

A head popped up next. Calyx already knew this wasn’t Justin, and he didn’t recognize whoever he’d summoned. The demon had long white hair tied back, which exposed his very long, pointed ears. Two black horns rose high from behind them, twisting toward the sky.

The demon’s eyes looked normal from a distance, but Calyx couldn’t help but notice the fangs that poked from under his twisted upper lip.

“Come on, stop wasting time,” a voice said from deeper inside the portal.

Calyx recognized Justin’s voice, and for a moment, he relaxed. That still didn’t explain who the fuck this demon was, though.

The demon finished climbing through the portal. Calyx had to look up, and up—and up—to see his face, but he never reached it. He stopped at the demon’s arms because the demon was clutching Justin against his chest.

Justin was being held bridal style, and he seemed to be enjoying it. He glanced around the room and beamed as he patted the demon’s chest and tried to wriggle out of his hold. The demon didn’t let him go.

“I told you,” Justin said patiently. “They’re my brothers. They rescued me from the underworld, and they’re not going to hurt me. Calyx isn’t going to tie me to him. It’s not like that between us.”

“You can’t know that for sure,” the demon grumbled in a deep voice.

“I can know it for sure. Calyx and I are already linked, but not through magic. He’s my brother, and I’d do pretty much anything he asked, even without a bond. Let me down. I want to hug him and thank him for what he did.”

Calyx had been avoiding Griffith, but now, he turned to him. “What’s happening?” he asked in a whisper.

“I have no idea, but it looks like you have a full-blown demon in the living room.”

Griffith had no idea what was happening, and he didn’t care. Whoever this demon was and whatever the reason he was there, he wouldn’t touch Calyx. He’d have to get over Griffith’s body first.

There was a distinct possibility that he would. Demons weren’t known for being nice. Griffith had never met any, but living with two mages and a half-demon, he’d heard enough stories. He was pretty sure that Shelby could defend himself, being half-angel, and while Griffith and Yancey weren’t as strong as a demon, they were shifters, so they could probably hold their own. Calyx could use his magic, but it didn’t work quickly, so he’d be the first to get hurt.

Not if Griffith had anything to say about it.

He placed himself between Calyx and the demon. Justin was still talking and trying to reassure the demon that no one in the room would hurt him. The demon didn’t look convinced and kept glaring around, which was kind of terrifying, what with the fangs and everything.

Griffith’s movement caught the demon’s attention. He turned toward him, and Griffith had to resist the urge to take a step back. The demon was massive, towering over all of them, even Yancey. His long white hair hung over his back, exposing his long, pointed ears. His horns were impressive, but they weren’t what worried Griffith the most. No, that would be the fangs and claws.

Justin reached out and patted the demon’s chest. “I told you that they won’t hurt me,” he insisted. “They’re my brothers.”

“You look nothing like them,” the demon grumbled.

“We don’t have to look like each other to be brothers. Stop it.”

Griffith gaped when the demon obeyed. Justin was only half-demon, so in theory, a full demon shouldn’t have a problem kicking his ass. The demon would be in trouble if they all attacked him at once, but for whatever reason, Justin seemed to care about the guy, and Griffith didn’t want to hurt him.

“What’s going on?” Calyx said as he pushed Griffith aside and stepped forward. “What happened to you, Justin? We were worried.”

Justin beamed at him and wiggled again until the demon finally put him down. “You brought me home.” He took two big steps and threw himself into Calyx’s arms, almost toppling both of them over. Calyx squeaked and hugged Justin back, and Griffith pressed a hand against Calyx’s back so they wouldn’t both go down. Calyx leaned against him. Griffith took a deep breath and prayed for patience.

Calyx was safe. They were all safe, even though there was a massive demon in the living room.

“I can’t believe you’re all here,” Justin said as he beamed around the room. “Even Yancey.”

He cocked his head and stared at Travis, who appeared to be vibrating. Was he really that excited? Or maybe he was scared. The guy was human, and as far as Griffith knew, he hadn’t known about their world until he’d met Yancey. He was probably terrified.

“This is so cool,” Travis breathed out.

Not scared, then.

“You’re new,” Justin said.

“Ignore Travis and tell us what happened to you,” Yancey ordered. “We thought for sure that you’d come home, but you were in the underworld. Why? You’ve never gone there before.”

Justin stepped away from Calyx and Griffith. Griffith didn’t miss the fact that he went back to the demon as if it was something he did naturally. He wasn’t afraid of the demon, and so far, the guy hadn’t done anything to hurt any of them, but Griffith would keep an eye on him.

“It’s a long story,” Justin said. “I need a shower and clean clothes. Maybe we can talk later?”

“Of course,” Calyx quickly said. “You can go to your room, and I’ll have something to drink ready by the time you’re done. We can sit down in the kitchen and talk.”

“That sounds great. You have no idea how long it’s been since I’ve eaten anything that didn’t make me want to puke.”

“I’ll grab cookies, too.”

Justin beamed and took the demon’s hand. “Let’s go. You can shower with me.”

“Are you sure we can trust them?” the demon asked.

Justin ignored him as he pulled him out of the living room. For a moment, everyone left behind was silent. Griffith turned his attention to Calyx, needing to ensure that he was okay. He looked a bit shaken, but it was probably because he’d never summoned a demon before.

That, and the fact that the demon who’d appeared with Justin was massive and looked like he could eat all of them for breakfast.

“Have you seen how gorgeous he is?” Shelby asked.

Griffith frowned. “Justin?”

Shelby glared at him. “No. His demon. I wonder where he found him. I want one, too.”

“Probably in the underworld.”

Shelby wasn’t amused and rolled his eyes. “I get that. I just don’t understand what kind of relationship they have. Justin never went to the underworld before, did he? He never told me about it, anyway. How long was he down there that he ended up so close to a demon?”

Calyx clapped his hands. “We’re going to find out as soon as they come back downstairs and we sit down to talk, so I better go get some hot cocoa ready.”

“I’m gonna need something stronger than hot cocoa,” Yancey complained.

“You can have whatever you want. Just tell me, and I’ll make it for you.”

It was sweet how Calyx was trying to be attentive, but he was overcorrecting. He didn’t need to apologize to them a dozen times or to make their favorite dishes. He’d already apologized for the curse, and they were all happy to be here—almost all. Yancey looked more relaxed, although Griffith wasn’t sure why. He also didn’t care. As long as Yancey didn’t try to bite off Calyx’s head, Griffith was happy.

Calyx vanished in the direction of the kitchen, leaving the rest of them behind. Griffith moved to join him, but he glared at Yancey first just so that his brother knew that he couldn’t vanish from the house just because Justin was back. Yancey rolled his eyes as if he understood. Maybe he did.

It was good to see that Yancey was softening up a bit. It wasn’t a victory, but it was a step forward.

Right now, that was all Griffith could ask for.

Calyx moved around the kitchen, stirring the hot cocoa on the stove, grabbing mugs, and putting out plates. It was almost Christmas, and all of his brothers were home. Calyx still had no idea what had happened to Justin, but it didn’t matter. Justin was safe, and they’d spend Christmas together.

Hopefully. Calyx wouldn’t put it past Yancey to run out on them as soon as he could.

But even if Yancey left, the others would still be here. It wouldn’t be the perfect Christmas, but it would be what Calyx had hoped for—decorations, cookies, Christmas movies, and family. It was a miracle everyone was here. Calyx hoped Yancey would stay, but he’d be fine even if he didn’t.

“Everything okay?” Griffith asked when he walked into the room.

Calyx almost dropped the box of cookies he’d just picked up. He didn’t know how to behave with Griffith after the kiss. It had been easy to avoid him while he was working on the spell, but he wasn’t anymore, so he didn’t have an excuse to stay away.

He nodded and put the box down on the table before opening it. “I’m just happy, you know? Justin is going to be here for Christmas, and whatever happened to get him to the underworld, he’s safe and won’t ever have to go back.”

“He would never have gone there of his own volition. I want to know what happened.”

“We won’t have to wonder for long. He’s going to tell us.” It would be a distraction from everything else.

Now that all of his brothers were home, Calyx could focus on making it the best Christmas ever. That meant adding more decorations to the house, finally putting together the Christmas meal, and finishing up with the gifts. He didn’t think any of the others had thought about buying presents, but that was fine. He’d bought enough for everyone. He hadn’t expected Travis and the demon, but he still had time to go into town and find something for them.

Calyx turned back to the stove to check on the hot cocoa, but a hand on his shoulder gave him pause. He sucked in a breath, torn between wanting Griffith to touch him more and wanting him to stop touching him so he’d stop freaking out.

“We’re all fine,” Griffith murmured. “You can relax.”

Calyx tried to do just that. He lowered his shoulders and shook them out, then smiled at Griffith. “I can try, but you know me.”

“Yeah, I do. Do your best.”

Calyx made an effort, but as soon as Yancey walked into the kitchen, his shoulders went right back up. He expected Yancey to leave and stay away until the designs on his skin vanished. He didn’t want to be here, and he’d made that clear.

Thankfully, Justin provided a welcome distraction when he waltzed into the kitchen, wearing his own clothes and looking like he was back where he belonged. His demon, on the other hand, very obviously didn’t.

Calyx pressed his lips together. It wouldn’t do him any good to laugh in the demon’s face.

“What is he wearing?” Shelby asked, sounding a little breathless.

Justin grinned. “I wanted to ask Yancey if we could borrow some of his clothes, but I’m pretty sure his answer would have been no. Besides, it’s not like they would have fit Mynor, anyway.”

Mynor—because the demon had a name, apparently—was wearing a pair of sweatpants that Calyx recognized as Justin’s. They stopped midcalf, exposing the bottom of his legs and his bare clawed feet. He was also wearing one of Justin’s t-shirts, which on Justin had been oversized, which was why Justin wore it to sleep. On Mynor, though, it was so tight that it would be a miracle if the demon’s biceps didn’t tear the fabric at the seams. It also stopped just above his belly button.

The clothes emphasized how muscular and big Mynor was, something Calyx hadn’t needed because the demon occupied about half the space in the kitchen. The clothes also made Mynor look more approachable because of how ridiculous he looked, which was a good thing.

Mynor snarled and exposed his fangs. Calyx sucked in a breath, wondering how dangerous the demon was. They didn’t know anything about him except that he was close to Justin, and Justin didn’t always realize that not everyone was comfortable with demons.

Justin reached back and patted Mynor’s chest. “Stop that. Everyone, this is Mynor. Mynor, these are my brothers.” Justin pointed at them in turn as he named them. “Shelby, Yancey, Griffith, and Calyx. I have no idea who that one is,” he added, pointing at Travis.

Travis didn’t look one bit intimidated as he rushed forward. “My name is Travis. I helped your brother when he was in a car accident a few days ago and found out about the Christmas curse.”

Justin cocked his head. “You’re human?”

“A hundred percent.”

“Interesting.”

“How is that more interesting than the fact that you were in the underworld and brought back a stray?” Yancey snapped. He glared at Travis when Travis inched closer to Mynor.

“Mynor isn’t a stray,” Justin told Yancey, his tone serious. “He’s a dear friend, and I’d like it if you didn’t dehumanize him like that.”

Yancey stared at Justin. Calyx was pretty sure that Justin had just shocked all of them. He didn’t usually stand up to Yancey. Yancey had a strong personality and was stubborn as hell, and most of the time, the rest of them let things go so they wouldn’t end up in a fight. Justin wasn’t letting things go this time.

Maybe it was something all of them should do more often.

“Sorry,” Yancey muttered. “But we were worried about you.”

“Why don’t we sit down?” Calyx offered. “We can have a snack and talk.”

It took a bit of shuffling around for all of them to find a spot at the table. Mynor didn’t sit, standing behind Justin instead. He leaned against the counter and glared at everyone in turn as if silently threatening them. The only time he stopped scowling was when he took a sip of his hot cocoa. When he did, a pleased smile unfurled on his lips.

“When I left last year, I decided to reach out to my mother,” Justin explained. “And I know what you’re thinking. I never cared about her before, so why would I do that? I don’t really have an answer beyond that I was curious. I wanted to know more about my father and the underworld. I mean, how did a demon meet a human and was with him long enough to have a child?”

“It happens more than you think,” Mynor grumbled. “There are a lot of humans who summon demons and have children with them.”

“I don’t know if that’s what happened because she never told me,” Justin said. “I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t for her to convince me to visit and to lock me up once I was there.”

“Why did she do that?” Calyx asked as he reached over the table for Justin’s hand.

Mynor growled, and Calyx snatched his hand back because he liked it attached to his arm and it looked like Mynor was about to tear it off and maybe beat Calyx up with it. Justin turned in his chair to glare at Mynor before grabbing Calyx’s hand and pulling it back on the table, squeezing it to the point of pain.

“I don’t know why she did it. I just know that she did. Well, she said something about her needing an heir and not wanting to go through pregnancy again, but I can’t believe that she actually wanted me to take her place as the leader of her territory. I’m only half-demon. I wouldn’t have any kind of authority.”

“So you were in the underworld willingly?” Calyx asked.

“Oh, no. I was definitely not willing. I mean, I went there to see her, but I wasn’t planning on staying for more than half an hour. She didn’t like that, so she stuck me in a cell. I don’t know if she was trying to scare me into saying yes to the heir thing or if it was a coincidence, but it was the same cell where Mynor was.”

Calyx was scared of the demon, and he would have said yes to anything Justin’s mother wanted to get out of being locked up with him. It seemed like Justin hadn’t been, though, because he was staring at Mynor with a fond smile.

“Oh my God, you’re sleeping with him,” Shelby exclaimed.

Justin’s smile grew. “Maybe I am.”

Calyx snorted. So much for Justin’s mother trying to scare him.

Griffith wasn’t one bit surprised to learn that Justin was sleeping with the demon. Of course he was.

“How does that work?” Shelby asked as he bounced in his chair. “Is he big all over?”

Calyx’s cheeks turned red, and he cleared his throat. “I don’t think that’s a conversation we should be having at the kitchen table.”

Shelby pouted. “Why do you take all the joy from me?”

“I’m not saying you can’t talk about it at all, just not here.”

“Maybe you should try it, too,” Shelby teased. “You could do with a good dicking down.”

Griffith narrowed his eyes at Shelby, but Shelby ignored him like he usually did. He’d always teased Calyx because he tended to be more shy and reserved than he and Justin. He’d never been mean, and Griffith was sure that Shelby would stop if Calyx told him to, but Calyx wouldn’t. He never wanted to be a bother.

“How long were you down there?” Calyx asked Justin, pointedly ignoring Shelby.

“I don’t know. What day is it?”

“It’s almost Christmas.”

Justin grimaced. “I went in the summer. Damn. I didn’t realize it had been so long.”

“Time passes differently there,” Mynor grumbled.

Justin wiggled his eyebrows. “And I was otherwise occupied.”

Griffith had a hard time imagining that Justin’s mother had let him do whatever he wanted with Mynor. She’d stuck both of them in the same cell for a reason, right? There was no way that reason was for them to get together. “Did you see your mother again after that first time?” he asked as gently as he could.

Justin shrugged. “About once a week. She tried to make me change my mind every time, no matter how many times I told her I wouldn’t. She said I could stay in that cell forever as far as she was concerned, and I think she meant it. She started coming less often after that.”

“I’m sorry things didn’t work out between you and your mother,” Calyx said gently.

Most of them didn’t have their parents anymore. It was why Caitlin had adopted them. Griffith wasn’t sure about Shelby since one of his parents was an angel, but he knew that he, Calyx, and Yancey were orphans. Justin still had his mother, but it sounded like it would be better if he didn’t.

“It doesn’t matter,” Justin told Calyx. “I already have a family, and you got me out of there.”

“I had to. We knew you were in trouble when you didn’t come home.”

“Do you have anything to do with this?” Justin asked as he pulled on the collar of his t-shirt to expose the swirling colors on his skin.

Calyx’s cheeks flushed again. “Maybe?”

“Tell me,” Justin ordered.

While Calyx did that, Griffith relaxed in his chair. He kept an eye on Mynor, just in case, but the demon seemed happy to sip on his drink and stare at Justin. Shelby was listening to the conversation, as was Travis, but Yancey kept eyeing the door. Griffith could tell what he was planning, and there was no way he would allow his brother to do it.

“You’re not going anywhere,” he hissed as he leaned closer to Yancey. He kept his voice soft so that the others wouldn’t hear him, but Calyx was too busy explaining things to Justin anyway.

“I don’t want to be here,” Yancey hissed back.

He seemed not to want Calyx to hear him, which wouldn’t be like him if he was still angry. If he were, he’d want Calyx to know how he felt. On the other hand, why was he behaving as if he was still pissed if he wasn’t? Maybe he felt that he needed to cling to his anger. Yancey had never been great with feelings, and he expected a lot from himself—not all of it good. He also tended to keep people at arm’s length, which was hard to do with Calyx. He was so sweet and nice that people almost always liked him.

“You’re staying until Christmas,” Griffith whispered to Yancey.

“What part of I don’t want to be here don’t you understand?”

“The part in which the curse was a mistake and Calyx apologized for it. The part where you were an asshole when you found out that Caitlin left him the house. He didn’t have anything to do with that. He didn’t want the house, and he still doesn’t if it means losing one of his brothers.”

“You do know that we can all hear you, right?” Shelby whispered loudly.

Griffith ignored him and glared at Yancey. Yes, he did know they were still in the kitchen with everyone else. He didn’t care. Someone needed to kick Yancey’s ass, and he was willing to volunteer to do it.

The tip of Yancey’s ears turned pink. “You don’t know anything about me,” he told Griffith.

“Maybe not, but it looks like you don’t know anything about Calyx . He’s been hurting for a whole year because of a fight that happened even though there was nothing he could do to change the situation. It’s like being angry at you because you have brown hair, Yancey. It’s ridiculous, and you need to get over it.”

“Even if I could, there’s no reason for me to stay until Christmas.”

“Maybe not, but we will,” Travis announced, his voice loud enough that everyone turned to look at him.

Yancey glared as if he wished he could strangle the guy. Travis either didn’t notice or didn’t care because he beamed at Calyx. “If it’s all right with all of you, of course. I wouldn’t want to impose.”

“You wouldn’t be. If you want to stay for Christmas, you’re welcome to. In fact, I’ll be happy to have even more people around.”

Travis grinned at Yancey. “See? We’ll both stay until after Christmas. Aren’t you happy?”

Yancey didn’t look happy, but clearly, Travis didn’t care.

Neither did Griffith.