Page 47 of Tis The Season for Secrets
“You will, but we’ve got to wait a little while longer.” Will leaned back against the headboard with her. “Eloise is trying to lift the banishment for you, but she needs to get the council of Yule’s approval and Mason’s backing. He’s far more lenient than previous Klauses. Eloise is trying to convince him that you shouldn’t be punished for the mistakes made before you. Lyla is also on our side; I’ve explained everything to her, and she’ll help Mason see reason.”
“I hate the idea that my life could affect their relationship. Kevin told me Eloise had to wait for the legacy law, but I wish she had come to me herself.”
“She wanted to, but if the council found out she’d have been banished – and unlike me, there’s no place for her on the outside.”
Juliet didn’t like the idea of him sacrificing himself in her mom’s place either, but arguing with him when his mind was clearly made up was pointless.
“You don’t need to worry about Lyla,” he went on, “she’s had her own issues with the council, so she’s happy to help us.”
I wonder if that’s related to the lies she mentioned.“I understand that Eloise wants me to have a home here, but couldn’t she have settled in the outside with me?” Juliet asked, wondering what her life could have been if her mom hadn’t given her up.
“All she’s known is Yule. The village is its own isolated world. I might as well ask you to move to Mars. Being banished back then, she would’ve had no way to provide for you, no assistance from the guardians, and the Frosts would probably have used the Outside’s legal system to have you taken away from her.”
Juliet wished her father had defended her mom from his family. But she knew how ruthless her grandfather could be. Her dad probably would have been shunned and blacklisted if he’d tried.
“Why would the council protest me meeting her now? I haven’t done anything wrong. What if I talk to the council and convince them I’m not a threat? I can say I found the bell by chance and did all this alone.” Was all of this worth hurting so many people?
“Don’t even think about it. They’d inform your father about you violating your banishment. If he finds out you’ve got a belland the chest in your possession, he’ll do anything to get his hands on it.”
Juliet nodded, understanding that her father having that power wouldn’t be best for anyone.
“Do you mind that I said I was your girlfriend?” she asked quickly, trying not to sound like she was too invested in the answer. She’d avoided the topic out of embarrassment so far, but she did want to know how he felt about it.
“Depends,” he said quietly.
“On?”
“Whether you said it because you meant it, or you were just trying to protect us.”
“Can both be true?” Juliet whispered.
Will didn’t say anything. He pulled her in closer to his chest, and that was answer enough.
They drifted into a quiet moment. The weight of the day had clearly exhausted them both; they found peace in each other’s arms in the house of the very people they should be hiding from.
She glanced at Will, realising that their situation wasn’t any different from her parents’. “If the council don’t approve my return, you could be punished for helping me?”
She wasn’t sure how he’d suddenly got so close, or the room so hot.
“You’re worth any punishment. Now, can you please stop worrying, just for tonight?” he whispered, brushing his lips against hers.
A soft moan escaped her as he ran his tongue along her lower lip, grabbing her waist to pull her body flush against him, where she felt safe and warm.
“We shouldn’t. Someone could hear us,” she breathed half-heartedly between kisses, resting her forehead against his.
He sighed. “As much as I love hearing you scream my name, I think there’s been enough excitement today for both of us.”Closing his eyes, he pulled her close until there wasn’t an inch between them. “I missed this.”
He was right, and shewastired. Trying to put away the other big questions she had, Juliet remembered something else she was curious about it.
“What’s dust? Mason mentioned it when he picked me up with Kevin. I thought Santa’s workshop made presents?” she asked, running her fingers over his where they rested on her hip.
“You caught that?” Will mumbled, already half-asleep. “Dust is mined from the mountains that protect Yule. The rock has a magical essence that brings hope and luck to those who need it. That’s the gift that’s brought to the world every year.” He yawned.
Juliet studied his dark lashes as they rested on his cheek. She wondered if one day talk of magical rock dust and gifts of hope would seem normal to her. “So… Mason is Santa Claus?”
“A Klaus ensures the production and watches over the distribution of dust over Christmas. Your idea of Santa is more of a myth – I don’t think Mason would like to climb down millions of chimneys every year.” Will chuckled sleepily, clearly imagining the scene.
Juliet traced his lazy smile with her fingertips. “I suppose magic dust is much more believable than workshops of elves making presents,” she teased.
