“The candy canes were my favorite part.” I’d been silently reliving my entire date with Norm as we drove to the ball. It was evening, and we’d left ourselves just enough time to make it to the event.

“Was it?” Norm glanced over before returning his eyes to the road.

“I’ve never seen someone make candy from scratch like that. It was so cool. And I can’t believe Mrs. Nellow let me roll some out myself.”

“She liked you.” Norm rested his hand right beside mine. My other hand was busy petting Remington where he napped on a blanket on my lap. We’d planned to leave him back in Forest Ridge, but he’d insisted on making the trip with us. I hoped our plan to have Norm’s associate keep an eye on him while he provided security outside the ball worked. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to my mother’s cat. He was all I had left of her.

“She likes you. She told me she used to slip you extra candy when you were little.”

Norm laughed. “She did. She did it for Ryder too.”

“I can’t picture you two as little boys.”

“I’ll show you pictures sometime.”

“Oh, that I have to see.” I relaxed back against the seat. “So the candy canes were my favorite.” I was tempted to pull out the one I’d slipped into my small satin purse. It was a cherry flavored one. I loved peppermint, but the cherry flavored ones were delicious too. Despite how good it sounded right now, I’d save it for later. “I also loved the hot cocoa on the sleigh ride.”

“In other words, I should stick with sweets.” Norm squeezed my hand.

“The company on the sleigh ride was quite nice too.”

“Oh yeah? I kept you warm enough?”

“You always keep me warm enough.” My mind immediately went back to the evening before. We’d fallen asleep in each other’s arms, but we hadn’t had sex. My takeaway from the experience was my favorite way to wake up in the morning was with Norm’s kisses.

“After the ball we still need to decorate the new tree.”

“I’d like that.” I went over the list of ornaments we’d picked up at Mrs. Nellow’s store. My favorite one was the cat ornament that looked just like Remington. Well, Remington if he’d let me put a Santa hat on him.

“You look amazing.” He glanced over again.

“With a cat on my lap?”

“Yes, but without the cat too. That dress…” He trailed off.

“You don’t look so bad yourself.” Leif had been right. Norm looked amazing in a tux.

“Remember no matter what happens tonight, we need to stay together.”

“Oh, I remember.” Even if I wasn’t worried about some crazy person showing up, I would have wanted to stay close to Norm. “But I still don’t understand how we’re going to know what we’re looking for.”

“Whoever this is will find you.”

“How can you be so sure?” I trusted Norm, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t doubt his confidence.

“Because of the timing of everything. Your birthday holds some significance. Your twenty-first birthday did, and now your twenty-fourth does. Whoever this is, they will find you.”

I shivered.

“I’m here. I’m not leaving your side.”

“Good.” I wanted him with me for more than protection. The few days I’d spent with Norm made something painfully obvious. Trying to pretend my feelings for him weren’t something real wasn’t going to work.

I was in a daze as he parked the truck a few blocks away and gave over Remington’s care. Normally I’d have done valet, but that didn’t work when you had a cat with you.

I pulled my shawl tighter around me.

“I know I already said it, but you look beautiful.” Norm wrapped an arm around my waist as we walked inside under the elaborate garlands that hung from the two-story ceilings of the ballroom.

Inside the temperature was warmer, but I shivered with fear. There was something in that ballroom that meant me harm. No amount of dazzling lights or Christmas trees could hide that fact.

“Nancy. You really came.” Dad hurried over. He’d lost more hair, and his face had aged far more than it should have in just a few years.

“Hi Dad.” I waited, debating whether I was supposed to hug him or not.

He made the decision for me, pulling me into a hug I didn’t want to like, but it felt the way it always had. He released me and looked over at Norm. “I thought you’d be bringing Leif.”

“No. I thought I’d bring someone new this time.” I slipped my hand inside of Norm’s. “This is Norm.”

“Hello, Norm.” Dad nodded.

“Hello, sir. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Dad looked at our joined hands. “He’s not just a fill in plus one.”

“No, he’s not.” I smiled. “Not at all.”

“She’s even lovelier than I imagined.” A man wearing a black suit rather than a tux walked over. His eyes moved up and down my body in a way that sent fear and annoyance through me. Norm stepped in front of me slightly, and Dad tensed.

“Oh come on now, old man. You knew I’d be here. It’s why you had the ball.” His voice was cocky and cruel.

“No, I—” Dad’s brow furrowed as if he was confused.

The man in the dark suit laughed. “Oh wait, I forgot. You didn’t realize.” The cruelness in his smile cancelled out his otherwise attractive features.

Norm’s hand tightened around mine. “I know what you are.”

“Do you?” The man smirked. “Funny because I was thinking the same thing about you. I know that you are an unfortunate distraction. I will give you one chance to walk out of here alive, animal.”

Norm growled. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“You—” Dad pointed at the man. “You are the one who took my wife.”

“Good memory, old man.” The man grinned. “I was wondering when you’d remember. My spells can only last so long.”

“Spells?” I gasped. “You do magic?” Considering I was dating a shifter, the realization that there was magic shouldn’t have surprised me, but it did.

“Yes, my lovely. I do magic. And so do you.” He stepped toward me.

Norm growled.

“Fine. If you won’t leave, we will.” The man locked eyes with me. There was a flash of light. I couldn’t see anything. I blinked over and over. I was cold. My hand was no longer in Norm’s. I was in completely darkness.

“Want some light?” The man’s deep voice echoed through the room.

“What do you want with me?” I wrapped my arms around myself, willing myself to stay calm enough to figure a way out of this situation on my own.

There was a whoosh, and I blinked as a small flickering flame appeared. As my eyes adjusted, I realized the flame was coming directly from the palm of the man’s hand.

I gasped, as I made an additional realization. We weren’t in the ballroom anymore. Instead we were in some sort of storage room. There were boxes strewn all over and heavy dark purple curtains blocked out all of the windows.

“What this?” He held out the flame toward me. “This is just a simple spell. More of a parlor trick. You will be doing that in no time.”

“There’s some mistake. I’m not like you. I don’t do magic.” I wished I was dreaming, but I knew I wasn’t. There was something too real about this man and the bright orange flame in the palm of his hand.

“Yes, you do. Well, I should rephrase that: you can do it and I will teach you. It isn’t my fault that your family repressed your true nature.”

“My true nature?” I watched the flame dancing. It now looked like two separate flames dancing around each other.

“Here, take one.” He held out his hand.

“No.”

“Take it.” He scowled.

I shook my head, keeping my hands back.

Then my hand was forced forward by some invisible power. He tipped his hand over mine, and there was fire on the surface of my hand. It didn’t burn but watching it terrified me. I tried to shake it off, but I couldn’t.

“You can’t get rid of my flame. Just as you can’t get rid of me.” He grinned. “You’ve been marked as mine before you were born. When your mother refused to honor the bargain, when she chose to marry that human instead.” He scowled. “Such a waste. You aren’t as strong as she is, but maybe you will be someday. Maybe when I have enough time to mold you into your destined form.”

“Where is she?” I gave up trying to get rid of the flame for the time being. It didn’t hurt, and the longer it stayed there the less freaked out it made me. Other than the fact that the flame came from the frightening man, it felt natural enough.

“She will return as soon as you submit to me. That is a promise I can make. And I am not a warlock who makes many promises.”

“A warlock? You’re a warlock?” I spoke the unfamiliar term.

“What did you think I was?”

“I don’t know.”

“So innocent.” He reached toward me. I recoiled but not for long. I was frozen. I couldn’t move a muscle. He ran a hand over my cheek. “So innocent, but not for long. You got your mother’s beauty. You will make me a fine queen.”

Queen? I wanted to yell out but I couldn’t. He walked around me, running his hand over my shoulder, around to my back.

“I think we’ll get you a purple coronation gown. How does that sound to you?” His arms came around me from behind, coiling around my waist. He pressed up behind me, pushing his hardness against me. “I’ll take your silence as agreement. The coronation will be grander than ever before. Maybe we can even invite your animal friend. As a servant, of course. That’s the only way we let beasts into our castle.”

His hand slid up my rigid body. Something snapped. A rage brewed inside me, and I knew I was about to explode. Get your hands off me. I thought it with every part of my mind. An intense heat filled me before I was stumbling away from the warlock.

“Oh my. That was fast.” He grinned. “Is it really that easy to motivate you? If a little touch can do that, I can hardly wait to see what happens when you’re naked and on your knees.”

The rage filled me again. My hands balled into fists at my side. The flame was gone. “Where is my mother?”

“I already told you she’d appear once you submit to me.”

“And you think I’m going to ever submit to you?” I seethed.

“Yes. If you want your mother to live. Or your animal. Or that human father of yours. And let’s up the stakes.” He threw a flame at a purple curtain and it immediately set fire. “If you don’t want any of the innocent people at this ball to die.”

“Stop it! Put that out!” I had never known this kind of anger before. It was all encompassing, a physical sensation that flowed throughout my entire body.

“Submit to me.” He pointed to the floor directly in front of him.

“I am never submitting to you.”

He looked at me, his eyes dark as night. “I said submit.”

I felt a pressure, willing me to fall. My knees started to buckle.

“That’s a good girl. It will all be over soon.”

I went to close my eyes, but I couldn’t. He wouldn’t let me.

“That’s a good girl. I’m not going to hurt you. Don’t you want all the innocent people to live?” My knees made contact with the cold floor.

The temperature in the room rose as the fire spread from curtain to curtain. “We are right beside the ballroom. This fire will spread soon. But you alone have the power to put it out. Submit to me. You are almost there. Bow your head like a good girl. Grovel at my feet.”

An intense pressure weighed down at my back, and my neck ached as I fought against the push.

“Give in. Submit.”

I fought against the pressure.

He put a hand on the back of my neck. “I said submit.”

There was a banging sound from somewhere behind me followed by a shrill sound as something black leapt across the room.

The pressure subsided, and I stumbled to my feet.

The warlock struggled to pull a black mass of fur from his face.

I blinked a few times. “Remington?”