Page 40 of Fallen Star

Elias stands, dumbfounded, staring at his fiancé. "What the hell was that?" he asks, though he doesn't look mad, just amused.

Iris squints her face as the music falls silent. All eyes are on her.

She looks around and sighs. "Oh, alright. If you must know. This," she says, gesturing to the bits of mistletoe scattered on the rugs, "is my third fear."

Elias nearly doubles over laughing. "This? A bit of a plant? This is what the greatest Hunter that ever lived is scared of? Oh come now, you must tell us why. This is too rich."

"Yes," Ari says, having laughed so hard tears are streaming down her face. "Please, Iris. Share. This must be good."

Iris rolls her eyes, tugging her emerald green dress into place and tucking her dagger back into its secret spot, then sits back down. "Very well. As some of you know, I fear only three things. Spiders," she says, shivering. I knew this of course, after her reaction to my story about the spiders in the tomb. "Being buried alive," she continues, and this is news to me, but come on, who wouldn't be terrified by that?

"And mistletoe toe," she concludes, to a few hushed snickers from her audience. "The reason for my first two fears are fairly obvious and are associated with traumatic experiences. Well, so too is this. Allow me to set the stage. It was the winter of my thirteenth year. I was a socially awkward newly minted teen who was more interested in swordplay and ways to kill and maim than in boys. But my best friend was a gorgeous succubus who couldn't help but attract all manner of creature to her. Male or female, it didn't matter. Everyone loved Callie. That year, Uncle Sly hired a decorator to deck the Black Lotus in the most spectacular holiday trim, and that included copious amounts of mistletoe hanging from every bloody doorway. It was really overkill if you ask me."

Iris pauses to sip from her refreshed wine glass, then continues. "At any rate, I was not interested in partaking of the mistletoe kiss. But Callie collected her share and more that season, and seemed hell-bent and determined that I too experience the wonders of said kiss. Since I had no desire to attract a male for this experience, she decided to use her charms for evil, and attract one for me. It was the night of the Solstice, and the Lotus was packed with revelers getting drunk on expensive liquor and enjoying the entertainment my uncle provided. On that fated night, a boy about my age approached me, and seeing that I was not, in fact, standing under the mistletoe, but was rather studying the room for emergency exits in case shit hit the proverbial fan, he deliberately bumped into me, thus knocking me under the doorframe. Now that I was standing under the mistletoe, he then proceeded to jam his tongue so far down my throat I was convinced he was going for my tonsils. I froze, initially paralyzed by the experience, the shock of it all, as his drool ran down my lips and face, and bits of his undigested dinner made its way into my mouth."

This elicits a few groans from everyone listening, and Iris crinkles her face and takes another drink. The rest of the table does as well. I'm sensing a new drinking game coming on.

"It gets worse, my friends," Iris says, grimacing. "So much worse. Once my instincts kicked back in, I freaked the hell out and kneed the kid in the groin, then prepared to body slam him into the wall, only when he doubled over from pain, he also bit down. Hard. So hard in fact, that he bit the tip of my tongue clean off."

I wince at the image and take another drink. So does Iris. So does everyone. Elias isn't laughing anymore and looks rather nauseous at this story.

"So, there I am, my tongue gone, blood gushing out of my mouth, as this prick rolls around on the floor crying, my tongue still between his teeth, when Uncle Sly runs over and is about to eviscerate the boy, until Callie intervenes and explains what she did. I was sent to the healer and spent Christmas regrowing my tongue by drinking the most vile potion you can imagine four times a day for four weeks. Callie was grounded for the same duration, and no underage boys were allowed in the Black Lotus for a good six months."

"What happened to the boy?" Elias asks.

Iris shrugs. "Never saw him again. He was either banished or too traumatized to ever return."

Elias takes Iris's hand and squeezes it. "You've had shit luck with men my love. Lucky I came along when I did."

She laughs and swats at him, but I can see the love in her eyes. In fact, there is so much love in this room. Ari and Fen are talking quietly together, their faces pressed close, hands in each other's. Asher and Varis laugh at a joke I'm not privy to, they're affection for each other clear. Kayla and Tavian have stolen more than one kiss that I've seen so far.

It feels good to be surrounded by this energy, and I reach for Dean's hand, giving it a squeeze. His piercing blue eyes land on mine, melting me to the core. A flush of heat surges in me and thoughts of what we will do later burn in my mind.

I realize then I've had enough time to myself. "Hey," I say, scooting closer to him.

"Hey yourself," he says with a grin.

"Is that offer still open?" I ask.

"Which offer might that be?"

"To live with you."

His eyes widen, and as an answer he pulls me into a kiss that makes all other kisses pale in comparison.

It takes all my self-control not to grab his hand and retreat to somewhere more private to see where else that kiss might go. "Is that a yes?" I ask, my lips still touching his.

"That's a yes."

I lean into him, and he holds me as we watch acrobats perform where the orchestra had been, enjoying the rest of the evening with our friends and family.

Later that night, while the candles burn low, we all crowd around the Christmas tree and exchange gifts. As we do, Iris comes to sit with us. "So, what does the future hold for you two lovebirds?"

I glance at Dean and shrug. "I'm not sure. But I'll be spending more time in Inferna, it appears. Since it looks like I'm moving here."

"And I've got a lead on a new dig site in Egypt," Dean says. "Where Akhenaten's staff might be. It's said to contain the power of the sun god, Aten, and has been attributed with powerful magic. What do you think? Want to partner up and find some hidden treasure?"

I smile. "Only if you'll reconsider your stance on museums."

He rolls his eyes. "We'll talk about it."

Indeed we will, I think, as the gift giving continues. I don't know what our future will hold, but I feel certain we'll face it together. Whatever it is.

**THE END**