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“
What colour
are you using for this tree?” Ember asked her.

“
All silver
decorations. It will go well with the red walls. I have the ribbon
somewhere,” Cora muttered as she searched the many bags at her
feet.

“
What colour is
the ribbon?” Tabitha inquired, helping to search the
bags.

“
Red,
obviously,” Cora laughed.

“
Not obvious,
because you said it was going to be silver,” Ember
teased.

“
We can’t blame
baby brain,” Tabitha added. “You need to eat some fish.”

Cora stopped
searching the bags and stared at Tabitha before laughing.
“What?”

“
Fish, it is
brain food.”

Ember was
grinning as her hands balanced on her hips. “Tab, you amaze me with
your useless knowledge.”

Tabitha
chuckled. “Thank you...but I’m right. Eat more of it!”

“
I knew what I
meant from what I said,” Cora sighed. Why were her words so
muddled?

“
Hey, Cora!
What are we doing with this tree?” Jack called.

“
Do you think
it is wise to leave the men to decorate the tree on their own?”
Ember cocked her head to the side in question. Her hair was pushed
high on her head onto a bun as several strands eagerly caressed her
face. She smiled knowingly, because the men could not handle
this.

Cora sighed,
“You’re right. Damn it.” Cora walked into the living room and
stopped short. How had they managed to do that?

The
decorations, the bags, the lights, they were all strewn in every
direction whilst the men tussled with the tree. Already, Cora
spotted some of the baubles had been smashed.

“
Oh my,” Ember
gasped as she stepped beside Cora.

“
Right,
everyone! Out!” Cora shouted, even though she couldn’t help
smiling. “The men can do the roof decorations.”

“
Roof
decorations?” Eli asked, looking baffled. “Are we putting a tree up
there too?”

Ayden laughed,
“No, but judging by the look on Cora’s face, she has another place
in mind to stick it.”

“
Jesus, Cora,
it’s cold outside!” Clay moaned.

“
Man up and
wear more clothes!” Ciaran joked.

Cora stood,
letting them have this stupid conversation between them.

“
Where are the
ladders?” Ayden asked.

“
You don’t need
any ladders, you have Jack. Now out.” Tabitha pushed the men out of
the room.

“
See, this is
why the women should do all this in the first place,” Eli
muttered.

Cora smiled as
they exited out of the conservatory doors. “Right, Tab, can you
take this one?”

Tabitha
smiled. “Of course.”

Cora and Ember
set to work on the tree in the dining room. Cora could see that the
men were more useful outside. Jack had levitated, holding the now
twinkling lights whilst Eli adjusted the voltage, which Cora was
sure he shouldn’t be doing. She expected something to happen. Ayden
was pointing where they needed to put them. Clay and Ciaran were
wrestling around Ayden and the lights. Cora giggled. At least they
were outside causing trouble, but she loved her family, despite
their annoying ways.

“
How about some
food for our hard working men?” Ember suggested.

“
Food?”
I have to cook? I haven’t even used the oven
yet,
Cora panicked.

“
I will be
right back.” Ember smiled and closed her eyes. Ember’s body sighed
and then it started sliding to the floor.

Cora dropped
the bauble that she held in her hand and rushed to aid Ember. Cora
cursed as she caught Ember and laid her gently on the floor just as
the bauble smashed next to her.

“
Where did she
go?” Tabitha asked, pointing at Ember as she walked into the
kitchen.

“
I have no
idea.”

“
What happened
to this?” Tabitha pointed yet again, but now she pointed to the
smashed bauble.

“
I threw
it.”

“
I leave you
alone for a few minutes,” Tabitha sighed. “I have
finished.”

Ember popped
back into the kitchen carrying two steaming pizzas. “Oh, you caught
me! Thanks, that saves the bruises tomorrow.”

“
Does she
always exit her body so abruptly like that?” Cora muttered so only
Tabitha could hear.

Ember placed
the pizzas on the side and then left again.

“
Only when she
wants to scare people into catching her,” Tabitha
laughed.

Ember
reappeared placing two more pizzas on the side. “Courtesy of a
little pizzeria in southern Italy.” Ember closed her eyes and woke
up on the floor.

Cora shook her
head and walked to the conservatory door. “Food is ready!” she
called and then listened to the loud thuds as the men scrambled
down from the roof for the food.

*

Everyone
happily munched on their pizza around the new table. From this
vantage point, they could admire the beautifully decorated tree.
Cora also noticed that Clay had a small cut under his left eye.
Men’s definition of playful wrestling was completely different to
what women believed. Cora smiled and shook her head.

“
Well, isn’t
this nice!” Tavish sneered as he suddenly appeared at the
table.

Cora jumped in
shock whilst the men rushed into action. How long had he been
there? The front door opened. That could only mean Alastair was
here. Cora shot a glance at Tabitha and quickly stood. Putting her
hand to mouth dramatically, Cora rushed past Alastair in the
hallway.

“
Wait,” he
snapped.

“
Cora has only
just managed to hold down that pizza!” Ember snapped. “Having your
right hand man jump at her made her feel ill!”

“
Well done! The
lack of eating can’t be good for the baby!” Ciaran bellowed for
good measure.

That did it.
Alastair glared at Tavish whilst Ember pushed her up the stairs.
With the bathroom door shut, Tabitha turned and started her
concoction of ingredients.

“
Wait,” Cora
whispered. She had to stop this; she couldn’t take that potion
yet.

Ember had
stopped lifting up her top. Tabitha was staring at her. They could
hear the men exchange heated words downstairs.

“
Cora, we have
to do this,” Tabitha insisted.

“
I don’t think
he wants the scan. Cathella would have entered by now,
surely.”

“
I don’t think
it is something we can risk,” Ember told her.

“
I don’t want
more of a bump over Christmas. Please...” Cora pleaded.

Tabitha looked
at Ember and then back to her. Ember nodded. She was easier to
persuade than Tabitha.

“
Okay,” Tabitha
conceded. “We don’t have to work on the bump, but I need you to
take the potion. I will only make the effects last 24 hours. If he
wants to hear a heartbeat at the moment, it won’t have one. We need
to fix that.”

“
Thanks.”

Ember nodded
and headed out of the bathroom, leaving her with
Tabitha.

“
I wouldn’t
thank me yet, you haven’t drunk it.”

She sat down
on the closed toilet lid and waited. She hadn’t told Tabitha or
Ember this, but she didn’t want the bump to grow any bigger at the
moment. She was afraid Jack wouldn’t find her sexy... and they’d
yet to do the deed.

It was strange
to think about the bump and the fact that she was still a virgin.
Finding the time was hard and she feared the bump would get in the
way. She couldn’t tell Tabitha this. It felt like telling your mum
you wanted to have sex with your boyfriend. It was even stranger
that Jack was her fiancé and they hadn’t...

“
Here, drink
this.”

Tabitha passed
her a drink that looked as appetising as blended sprouts, baked
beans and vomit. It already looked like vomit so it would
definitely do something to her. Tabitha left her to it. She choked
on the drink and felt her stomach complain as soon as the liquid
hit it. Why did this fake pregnancy have to be so God damn
real?

Jack’s voice
was the loudest as she walked down the stairs and towards the
kitchen. “What right do you have to just walk into my house! And
you, you git! You can’t just pop up in here!”

“
You can’t just
come to that decision and then tell us,” Tabitha
snapped.

“
What
decision?” Cora asked as she walked into the room.

Please, please
don’t let it be looking at the bump.
She
swallowed, the sickly feeling already creeping upon her.

Her coven was
stood on guard. The women were pushed back by the men; Cora could
see that it wasn’t through their own choosing. The men were
furious, each of them pushing into Alastair.

“
Alastair, do
you care to explain yourself to Cora?” Clay leered.

“
A huv come tae
the decision that Christmas is important, an emotional
time-”

“
And we all
know why!” Jack boomed.

If Alastair
had helped them in the beginning, her mother would still be here.
Everything would be different.

“
A will be
spending it here, wiv yer.” Alastair nodded, like this was the end
of the discussion.

“
I don’t think
so,” Cora scoffed, believing this to be a joke.

“
Christmas is a
time for family-”

“
Which you are
not!” Cora spat.

Alastair
shrugged his shoulders. “A’m staying.”

“
No, you are
not!” Cora bit off every word as she felt the potion slosh around
at the top of her stomach.

“
I don’t think
you are helping matters, Alastair,” Ciaran interjected.

“
And whit has
it got tae do wiv yer?” Alastair sneered.

Cora saw the
challenge dance in Ciaran’s topaz eyes. “I’m invited, you are not,
that makes it my business.”

“
Ciaran is
family.” Cora nodded.

Alastair
glared at Ciaran. Cora could see him fighting with what to do about
this.

“
Jack, I
suggest you step aside with Ember. We wouldn’t want you fighting at
Christmas. It has already been a trying year for you,” Ciaran
commented.

Cora watched
as Ember nodded at Ciaran and steered Jack out of the room. Their
trust in Ciaran was absolute. This left them alone with Alastair
and Tavish.

“
I’m not
staying here, looking at that!” Clay blew up as he made a move to
leave the kitchen.

“
Yeah, I need a
drink,” Eli agreed.

Ayden nodded,
choosing to stay with Cora as Clay and Eli made their way to the
door.

“
You!” Cora
said, pointing at Alastair. “Stay here. Do not move.”

Cora walked
past the two of them heading to the living room. Clay and Eli
walked back in. Cora looked at them in puzzlement.

“
Alva is
outside, keeping guard,” Clay air quoted the latter
part.

“
We weren’t
going to leave with the three of them here.”

Cora sighed
and flopped down on the sofa. Her head swam with ideas on how they
could do to get rid of the Scottish coven. Why had Alastair thought
this would be okay?

Ciaran walked
into the room, closing the door behind him. “I have a plan. It is
all in hand,” Ciaran said with a wicked grin.

9

MIND GAMES

Ember released
Jack the moment their feet touched the ground. Jack took a deep
breath, travelling that way always made his head spin. He looked
down at his body, wriggled his fingers and toes. Just in case
because he knew what it felt like. Ember laughed at him.

“
I’m just
making sure, Ember.”

“
Hmmm...”

Jack looked
around and recognised the cobbled street, it looked busy again. He
shivered, feeling the harsh whip of wind. Jesus. It was colder here
than at home.

“
We need to
find Flynn,” Ember said as she walked to the end of the alley and
towards the thrum of music and slurred mumblings of the
drunk.

“
Where do we
find him?” Jack asked as they weaved their way around groups of
people crowding the street.

“
Ciaran didn’t
mention where...” Ember faltered.

“
If I remember,
Ciaran didn’t speak any words. He suggested I leave the room, not
travel to Dublin.”

“
Ciaran nodded
at me,” Ember stated.

Jack shook his
head. “You have a strange way of communicating.”

Ember smiled.
“Usually when someone nods they need help from someone, I put two
and two together, and unlike you, I come up with four.”

He couldn’t
respond to that because Ember was right.

Luckily, they
weren’t stopped by any naked members of the Irish witch community,
and the castle tower soon came into view. They walked across the
car park and approached the door. Ember moved to open
it.