A Castle Of Crystal

26. Holiday magic

"Sorry for the unexpected plus-one, he came into town last night and surprised us," Jules laughed as she pulled away from my Mom and must've taught him the proper way to greet people on Terra as he held his hand out for her to shake. They'd also gone shopping because he was in Terran clothes, a deep red shirt and a silky bomber jacket hugging his shoulders while he had jeans that were actually long enough for the extra-tall man.

"Asher Silverwood, it's a pleasure to meet you," he hummed, my Mom's eyes widening when she heard his accent, "I must say I adore all the lights, the house looks wonderful."

"Oh my, thank you," she laughed brightly and Nova looked to me as if to ask for permission before I gave her a subtle nod. The moment she stepped forward and glanced at my mother I realized she was wearing her real boots, not the platforms or heels and a more familiar smile spread across Mom's cheeks, "and you must be Nova, my God you are stunning. Stuck with the same hair color all these years?"

Nova's laugh chimed and I couldn't stop myself from grinning. "It suits me far more than my natural tone. I was surprised when Kane mentioned you still remembered me but thank you for inviting us over, this is our first real holiday in the states."

"I'm glad you could be here! With his Dad just passing I thought I was going to have an empty nest for a while but this was a wonderful surprise," she said warmly, "come on, take your shoes off, make yourselves at home. There's wine and eggnog in the fridge and dinner should be done in about a half hour."

Jules made herself right at home like she always did, letting Asher take her coat to hang on the rack while she knelt to greet Sassy and give her some scratches. I even heard her whisper an ausculto and the dog flopped right into her lap while her tail beat against the hardwood. Jude led Asher back to the kitchen after Mom before Nova approached me, a relived look on her face as I wrapped an arm around her shoulders to squeeze.

"That was scary," she admitted with a tiny laugh, "she really does remember me. I don't know why that's so shocking but it is."

"Might be the trauma I caused," I teased and she glared at me, "no squishy?"

"Look down."

I glanced to her hip and realized she had a bag, the same one she'd worn to my office, and as the flap shifted I watched with amusement as a tentacle with a face on the end slipped out to smile up at me. Nova seemed pretty pleased with herself and I couldn't help but laugh as I rubbed beneath it like you would a cat's chin before a happy gurgle emitted from the bag.

"Do those grow on the tree?" Scylla asked softly and I looked back to realize she was asking about the ornaments.

"No, they're decoration." I grinned and walked over, pulling a candy cane down and handing it to the tentacle while she bubbled. "Take the wrapper off and you can eat it."

"That'll keep her busy for a while, thank you," Nova laughed, reaching to brush my cheek just like she'd done yesterday. It was quite the opposite of Ravyn's touch, there was an immediate calm that radiated from her fingertips and I leaned into it again while she smiled. "Cure-all worked like a charm, no more bruise. Your chest feeling alright?"

"Everything's perfect," I assured her, reaching out to cup her earrings in my hand. They were little bell flowers with dangling stems that jingled when I released them. "I like these. Lavender looks good on you."

Her cheeks flushed, biting back her smile but failing miserably and I couldn't help but watch that pink ring press into her lip. "I was so worried you'd think I was too eccentric, you know. I don't dress like Terran girls."

"I thought you'd try and stay under the radar, honestly. Apparently being friendly and bright helped you hide even when you were right in front of me— and no, I don't think you're too eccentric. I think you're perfect."