The future wasn’t set in stone, wasn’t that what Noelle had told me? That our choices could change things. Nothing was pre-determined and we could change the shape of our paths. So, did that mean that visual of Fifi and Roy with their baby was something that might not happen? I figured it did.

  Roy and Fifi’s future was up to them to decide—just as mine was up to me. And for some reason, that thought brought a skip to my stride.

  My feet brought me to Main Street, and I figured I’d take a walk past my shop before heading home to finish dinner preparations. Maybe it was cheating, but in my mind, I was already playing around with some of the new additions I’d seen in my shop in the dreamscape.

  A gust of chilly wind and snow tickled the back of my neck, and I shivered as I stuffed my hands further down into my coat pockets. Under my fingers, something crinkled, and I frowned until I pulled out the candy cane that had been sitting on my pillow this morning.

  I had to laugh a little. As far as Christmas wishes went, this was kind of a tough one. Even so, I felt at peace with my decision, come what may. I knew I’d be saving both me and Marty a lot of heartache down the road, and I’d just have to take the consequences as they came.

  I stood on the sidewalk outside of Poppy’s Potions, under the twinkling Christmas lights, and tilted my head back to let the gentle snowflakes land on my cheeks.

  “Thank you, Noelle,” I murmured to the wind, and I wasn’t just referencing the candy cane in my hand.

  I’d never had anything from Sweeter Haunts that was less than delectable, and I figured I could use a bit of a treat, it was Christmas, after all, so I tugged the silky red ribbon free from the candy cane and started unwrapping it.

  With my head down, and my attention occupied, I didn’t realize there was anyone else on the sidewalk until I plowed head first into them.

  “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry! I wasn’t looking where I was going.” The words came tumbling out on automatic as I tried to jerk back. Somehow, the ribbon from the candy cane had gotten tangled around the other person’s hand, and I had to fight the urge not to yank it back in mortification. “Sorry!”

  “Poppy?”

  I jerked my chin up to stare into Andre’s surprised face. Heat flooded my cheeks as a blush climbed up from my neck. Of course, I couldn’t have crashed into just anyone, it had to be Alixandre Osmont, the focus of all my most confused and embarrassing thoughts.

  “H-h-hi,” I managed, sounding out of breath and flustered.

  He glanced down at his hand and mine and the red ribbon that was now decidedly wrapped around both of them. I frowned as I tried to understand how that was possible—how had the ribbon leapt from my candy cane and wrapped itself around Andre’s hand? Andre didn’t seem to be concerned with it though and, instead, rubbed his fingers over my left finger, where Marty’s engagement ring was decidedly missing. I’d taken it off as soon as I’d reached my decision and put it in the top drawer of my nightstand.

  “Will you look at that?” Andre asked as a little smirk caught his mouth—I wasn’t sure if he was referring to my missing engagement ring or the red ribbon that had wound itself around both of our hands.

  I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know how to act. All I could see was the slightly older version of him saying how much he regretted never speaking up, never telling me how he felt about me and more importantly, that he felt for me the same way I did for him. Doubt then rang through me as I wondered whether the vision was a true picture of the future, or just the wishful thinking of my subconscious?

  It was real, I told myself. You know it was real.

  One thing that was for sure—the attraction I felt for Andre was still firmly in place. The sense of rightness, of familiarity, as if some part of me had breathed out in relief to have our hands touching. It was a little embarrassing, really.

  And that darn ribbon still wouldn’t come untangled.

  Andre’s fingers tightened on mine, and he calmly unwound the red ribbon from our fingers before offering it to me with a smile. “Are you alright?”

  “I’m fine.” I took the ribbon with a shaky laugh and stuffed it back into my pocket, along with the candy cane. “Are you alright? I walked right into you kind of hard.”

  He smiled, looking so smart and dapper in his charcoal wool coat, his scarf folded around his neck. “I’m okay, thank you,” he said and his voice was a little sad. “Happy Christmas, by the way.”

  Something relaxed inside me at the sight of that smile, going warm and soft. “Merry Christmas, Andre. What brings you to Haven Hollow?”

  We hadn’t spoken after Thanksgiving night, after Marty had asked me to marry him and I’d said yes. I’d just assumed Andre had returned to Portland to tend to whatever business he had there and that he’d remained. Seeing him here now? Well, it was surprising to say the least.

  His shoulders rose and fell in an easy shrug. “I was feeling restless, and needed to clear my head.”

  “Me too,” I laughed. “But I meant—what are you doing in Haven Hollow? I haven’t spoken to you since—” I couldn’t even bring myself to complete the sentence.

  “Since you got engaged?” he asked with a strange smile.

  “Right.”

  Then he seemed to pause for a moment or so. “Are you… still engaged?” He glanced down at the missing ring from my finger.

  “That’s a complicated topic that I’d, um, rather not get into at the moment,” I admitted. I wanted to discuss this whole situation with Marty before I discussed it with anyone else.

  Andre nodded as if he understood and didn’t press the topic, which I appreciated. “As to why I’m in Haven Hollow,” he started and then cocked his head to the side as a light snow started to dust the two of us in gentle flakes. “I live here.”

  I couldn’t help my surprise at that. “You… you live here?”

  He nodded. “I do.”

  I frowned, not understanding how that was possible. “Then you bought a house?”

  “I did,” he answered with a quick nod. “Do you recall the one we toured together?”

  “The one just up the road?”

  He’d been looking into the farmhouse a few doors down from my own, and he’d invited me to go and take a look at it with him. It had been a gorgeous place, quite a bit bigger than my own, and in need of fewer renovations to boot, but I hadn’t thought he’d settled on it yet.

  Andre nodded, looking pleased. “I’m in the process of moving in.”

  I couldn’t help the sense of warmth that suddenly suffused me. And not only for myself. “Finn’s going to be over the moon,” I said with a big smile. “You know, he hasn’t said anything, but I noticed a new number on his arm the other day.”

  Finn had latched onto Andre quickly, seeing him as something of a cool, mysterious teacher, I suspected. It was going to be wonderful having Andre around to help keep Finn from burning himself out as he learned to be a Magician. Maybe between the two of us, we’d be able to protect Finn from himself long enough for him to grow into the thoughtful, kind-hearted, powerful young man I’d seen in my vision.

  And, if there were other reasons it might be nice to have Andre so close, living in the Hollow, then that was something I could think about later. A lot later.

  “He’s mastered another trick already?” Andre gave a low whistle. “The boy’s a prodigy. It’s not surprising, considering who his mother is.”

  The flush that had been finally dying down flared back to life, and I had to force myself not to duck my head like a school girl. “You give me too much credit.”

  One dark brow arched, but Andre’s smile never faltered. “I think you give yourself too little, but I’ll agree to disagree.”

  I wanted to ask him a thousand questions. They were burning at the back of my tongue; I didn’t even know where to start. Did he know anyone else in town? Did he have anywhere to go for Christmas? I couldn’t bear the thought of him alone, but it would look a little odd if I invited him to our house, especially given the state of my relationship with Marty.

  Before I could sort through the tangle of thoughts snared in my head, a particularly bitter gust of wind came tearing down the street and actually made me stagger forward a step to keep my balance.

  Wide eyed, Andre caught me before I went any further, and the press of his gloved hands on my arm was somehow warm, even through my coat.

  “This might not be the place to have a chat,” he said, a little ruefully. “I don’t suppose you have time to get a Christmas coffee and catch up a little?”

  I couldn’t help but recall that in the Christmas vision courtesy of Noelle, he’d asked something similar—asking to catch up after five years. Taking a deep breath, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and noted it was earlier than I’d thought it was. I had a bit of time before I needed to baste the bird, so I nodded, feeling pleased. “Sure, that sounds good.”

  We fell in step with each other, shoulders brushing as we walked. It felt good. It felt right. Like I’d been hobbling around, but suddenly I could take a proper step again.

  The strange sense of familiarity didn’t feel so worrisome, now that I knew there was a chance that Andre felt it too—well, from what he’d admitted to me in my vision, anyway. That deep sense of déjà vu had frightened me a little, when we’d first met. I hadn’t understood where it was coming from. I still didn’t, but it was one of those things that just felt less scary when it was shared.

  I tilted my head back to the sky, as the snow fell gently around us, flakes landing on my skin like little icy kisses. The whole day had been so perfect so far, that it felt a bit like I’d been given a gift.

  The wrapper in my pocket crinkled slightly.

  “Actually, I don’t think I’ll get a coffee,” I started, after we’d walked a few steps.

  “No?”

  I shook my head and smiled up at him. “I think today calls for a candy cane hot chocolate.”

  I laughed, the fog of my breath pluming on the air. “I’m in the mood for something festive.”

  The End

  ~~~~~

  Return to Haven Hollow in:

  Armed and Charmed

  ~~~~~

  Return to the Table of Contents

  ARMED AND CHARMED

  Haven Hollow #24

  (Princess Procedural)

  by

  H.P. MALLORY

  &

  J.R. RAIN

  Armed and Charmed

  Published by Rain Press

  Copyright © 2022 by J.R. Rain & H.P. Mallory

  All rights reserved.

  Ebook Edition, License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Armed and Charmed

  Chapter One

  I glared at the neatly lined wall of bottles behind the bar as they blurred in and out of focus.

  All of them were so orderly, it looked like someone had used a ruler to place them, no spilled puddles around their bases, and no built-up years of grime. It was like Haven Hollow’s Half-Moon Bar and Grill couldn’t remember it was supposed to be a bar as well as a grill.

  Just reading the labels, when they held still long enough for me to do it, set my teeth on edge with some of their cutesy names. Miss Maven’s Honey Mead?

  Who came up with this stuff?

  This place had nothing on some of the bars I’d frequented back when I’d lived in Portland, and even less on the ones I’d ended up busting as a cop instead of drinking at as a patron. I was sure as hell I’d never find someone at the Half-Moon pouring Absinthe over a sugar cube in a dirty spoon, no way.

  I wrinkled my nose, feeling irritated and uncomfortable—both of which seemed to have colored my mood lately. Well, ever since I’d moved to Haven Hollow.

  Sitting on the plushly upholstered stool at the polished oak bar made me feel like I had sand in my shoes. The place was just too rustic and charming, like this was Disney’s attempt at a tavern or something. Where were the sticky puddles on the ground? The mismatched glassware? The whole vibe was so wholesome, it was making me sick. How was I supposed to wallow in my own misery when it felt like cheerful woodland creatures could burst into song at any moment?

  I didn’t go to a bar to get put in a good mood. Hell, I didn’t even want to be in a good mood. I was here to try and forget that in a few short hours, my entire life was going to flip upside down and everything as I knew it would probably cease to be. One saving grace was that the Half-Moon didn’t have some ridiculous cutesy coo-coo clock, because if I had to listen to the seconds of my life ticking down, I probably would scream or break something.

  I lifted my glass, which was mostly empty other than some melting ice, and made little concentric rings across the bar with the condensation on the bottom. I knew I shouldn’t have been here at all. I should have gone straight home after work. But there was just so much going on inside my head, and unless I could get any of it straightened out, I wasn’t going to be any use to anyone, especially not my boys. The combination of alcohol and sleepless nights was already taking its toll on me. It felt like I’d had ten drinks instead of one.

  I just needed to stop in for a drink and a little ‘me’ time, before I had to go home and play the part of mom again. Luckily for me, my cousin Marty had gladly welcomed the opportunity to spend a little time with the boys so he was watching them while I drowned my nerves in a glass of rum.

  Down at the other end of the bar, Roy, the owner, caught my eye and raised a brow, motioning to the empty glass in my hand. I shook my head, indicating that I was fine and didn’t need anything else, and then took a sip of my melting ice water until he went back to whatever it was he was doing.

  Roy seemed like a good guy, and he kept things from getting out of hand in his place, which I appreciated because it meant less work for me.

  He was also a Sasquatch.

  A hysterical little laugh bubbled up in my throat at the thought, and I almost choked on an ice cube, which would have been ironic considering what I was—or what I was about to fully become...

  When I’d come to Haven Hollow to investigate my brother’s murder, and I’d found all his notes about a cult hiding behind the town’s squeaky-clean exterior, I’d expected the worst. Cain had been convinced there was something going on behind the scenes, in the shadowy back rooms, people manipulating things in Haven Hollow. Reading through his files, there were definitely events and incidences that didn’t add up, but the townspeople either pretended not to know what he was talking about, or politely stonewalled him.

  And then he’d died. And I’d come to town and started digging.

  Portland might not have been New York or Los Angeles, but I’d seen plenty of rough situations working there as a cop. I’d thought I’d seen everything someone could throw at me, but I hadn’t—not by a long shot. Discovering that Haven Hollow’s ‘cult’ was actually a collection of supernatural creatures hiding in plain sight and living their lives next to their human neighbors wasn’t even on my list of theories. There was no real grand conspiracy, not really. The local centaur ran an ice cream shop for shit’s sake.

  Finding a cult would have actually been better. All that magic mumbo jumbo piled on top of my ordinary, human problems was just making things unbearable.

  As to those ordinary problems? First and foremost, my ex-husband, Jonathon, had been dragging me through the courts for over a year and a half with one trumped up lawsuit after another. Apparently, he was getting his money’s worth out of his law degree by using it to make me miserable, which seemed to be his newest hobby. It was rich that he was so mad at me, when he was the one who’d been stepping out on our marriage for years with anything in a short skirt.

  All I wanted was to have a nice Christmas with the boys and their new dog, Snowball, but now it seemed that thought was right out the window. I put the glass down a little too hard on the bar, scowling as I realized that over the years, I’d pretty much named each and every one of my pets something that screamed winter. ‘Snowball’, ‘Wynter’, ‘Frosty’, ‘Avalanche’… Apparently, my subconscious knew about my condition long before I ever did.

  I shook my head.

  This was going to be our first Christmas in Haven Hollow, and Jonathon, while he’d been a total ass throughout the whole year, seemed really determined to ruin the holidays by serving me with yet another petty lawsuit. I was praying to whatever power was listening that my scumbag ex didn’t turn up in Haven Hollow, because I was pretty sure he wouldn’t live to regret it.

  That was the last kick in the gut Haven Hollow had decided to land on me. I’d gotten to find out that my entire life was a smokescreen for my ‘true’ identity. As far as everyone else was trying to convince me, I wasn’t really Taliyah Morgan, Chief of Police. I was actually Princess Olwen of the Winter Court of the Fae. A real and true fairy princess. I would have laughed if it wasn’t so infuriating.

  Learning the truth of my heritage early had broken the seal on my powers, and ever since then, I’d been changing. And not only physically, although that was a pain in and of itself. I had to wear a glamour now, a spell to hide my appearance, or the human people of the town (known as mundanes) might start asking some really difficult questions. Like: why are your ears pointy? Or, why is your hair suddenly white? Or what happened to all your wrinkles? Or, why don’t you look like a mom of two boys, pushing fifty, instead of a twenty-five-year-old model?

  That part was annoying enough, but I also had a ton of new powers to deal with, and they’d only been getting stronger the closer it got to the winter season. If Jonathon actually showed up in town now, I might just accidentally bury him in an avalanche if I got pissed off enough. And even if we hated each other, and even if he was a garbage ex-husband, he didn’t deserve to die.