Chapter 9

The moment the barrier shattered, the air in the cabin turned freezing, as if the very life had been sucked out of the room. The door buckled but for the moment, held.

Holly’s heart pounded in her chest, and her hands tingled with the remnants of her magic, but it wasn’t enough to stop the darkness that surged in like a tidal wave.

“Morgana!” Holly shouted, every inch of her being alight with panic. “Demetrius!”

Alarm danced in Morgana’s blue-violet eyes, her hands still moving in an attempt to salvage the remnants of the spell. But it was too late. The dark energy that had been pressing against the barrier for so long had broken free, and now it was inside, twisting and coiling around the room like a living shadow.

Demetrius sprang into action, stepping in front of Holly as the swirling darkness closed in around them. His eyes flashed a silvery gray, and for a moment, Holly caught a glimpse of the ancient, powerful being that lived within him. He wasn’t just a broody, angsty vampire; he was a force of nature when he needed to be.

“Holly, get back,” Demetrius growled, his voice low and commanding, his body a shield between her and the door.

But Holly couldn’t move. Her eyes were locked on the sinister tendrils of magic that slithered under the door and across the hardwood, creeping toward her and Morgana with ominous intent.

Morgana’s voice cut through the howling wind and the rattling of the cabin walls. “This is it—the magic I warned you about. We need to contain it, now!”

Holly shoved down her trepidation and forced herself into action. The dark magic felt cold and wrong, like it didn’t belong in this world. It wasn’t just ancient—it was malevolent, and it was hungry .

With a surge of determination, Holly ignored her exhaustion, raised her hands, and began to weave another spell, knitting threads of magic the way she did yarn. Her magic flared to life, sparking at her fingertips as she focused on creating a containment field. Morgana joined in, their powers intertwining, but the darkness was fast—too fast.

Demetrius stepped forward, his fangs bared in a way that made Holly shiver. He was terrifying, and she was overjoyed they were on the same side. His muscles coiled as he prepared to fight the shadowy force. “This thing is going to keep coming. We have to stop it.”

“We’re trying,” Holly assured him.

The shadows twisted and shifted, forming into a grotesque shape that loomed over them, its dark form barely recognizable as human. It was as if the magic itself had taken on a life of its own, pulling energy from the very air around them. Its eyes, if they could even be called that, glowed with a sickly green light, and a low, guttural hiss filled the cabin.

“That must be the ghost of Christmas never,” Holly whispered, her voice tight with fear as she tried to pour more magic into the spell. She felt her strength waning, the energy required to hold back the darkness draining her faster than she’d ever experienced.

The shadowy figure let out a high-pitched wail, and with a sudden burst of speed, it lunged toward them. Holly’s heart lurched into her throat, and she instinctively threw up a secondary protective wall of magic, but the creature slammed into it with a force that sent her stumbling backward.

Demetrius caught her before she hit the ground, his vampire speed impressive. His touch was cold but steady, the contact giving her something solid to cling to in the chaos of the moment.

“We need to push it back,” Demetrius said, his voice low and controlled. “It’s feeding off the energy in the room.”

Morgana’s eyes were narrowed in concentration, her hands still weaving spells as fast as she could. “It’s ancient magic, and it’s been waiting to be unleashed. We have to force it back into the forest. That’s our only hope of containing it. There’s enough magic there to strengthen our spells.”

Holly gritted her teeth, getting back to her feet with Demetrius’s help. She wasn’t going to let this thing win, not here, not in her cabin. She could feel her magic burning inside her, but it was fragile, like a candle about to go out.

“We can’t let it spread into town,” Holly said, filled with new determination. “If it gets past us, if it gets down the road, Nocturne Falls is in danger, as is everyone who lives there. That cannot happen.”

Something dark and dangerous glinted in Demetrius’s gaze as he stared down the shadowy figure. “Then we’ll make sure it doesn’t.”

Without another word, Demetrius lunged at the dark mass, his speed almost impossible to follow. In an instant, he was a blur of motion, his hands gripping the shadowy tendrils of magic as he tried to wrestle the creature away from Holly and Morgana.

The shadow hissed, twisting violently in Demetrius’s grip, but he held firm, his fangs flashing as he snarled. Holly could see the strain on his face, the effort it took to contain something that was so clearly unnatural, so deeply malicious.

Holly’s hands shook as she poured the last of her magic into the containment field. She could feel the spell taking hold, but it wasn’t enough. The darkness was too strong, too ancient. She needed something more—something powerful.

“Holly!” Morgana shouted, her voice snapping Holly back to the present. “Use your family’s magic. You’re the only one who can finish this!”

Every doubt she’d ever had about her magic and her abilities came rushing back. Her family’s magic was ancient, protective, built to guard against threats like this. But she had never used it like this before. She’d always been too afraid to try. What if she couldn’t control it? What if it wasn’t enough?

It didn’t matter what the answers were. She didn’t have a choice. She’d never be able to live with herself if she didn’t try.

With a deep breath, Holly closed her eyes and reached deep within, calling on the magic that had been passed down through her family for generations. It stirred inside her, warm and familiar, an old friend, even if it was one she didn’t know as well as she would have liked. The power surged through her, charging into her veins with a bright, protective energy.

When she opened her eyes, her hands glowed with a pale, peachy light—the color of her family’s magic. She could feel the strength of it, the way it pulsed with life, with love, with protection. It was everything she needed to fight back the darkness. A sense of calm swept through her as though she’d been lifted above the chaos.

“Demetrius, hold on,” Holly said in a clear voice that somehow carried above the howling wind and the wailing darkness.

Demetrius nodded, his grip tightening on the shadowy figure as Holly stepped forward, her hands glowing brighter with each passing second.

Holly raised her hands, focusing all her energy on the dark figure. Her magic surged forward, wrapping around the creature like a net, pulling it back, forcing it out the door, away from the cabin, and toward the forest where it belonged.

The shadow screamed in protest, writhing and twisting as Holly’s magic wrapped it tighter and tighter. She still didn’t let up, even though her limbs began to shake. She pushed harder, forcing it back, inch by inch, until finally, with a piercing cry, the shadowy figure was sucked back into the darkness of the forest, disappearing into the trees like smoke.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Holly collapsed to her knees, the glow of her magic fading as exhaustion washed over her. She sank lower until her cheek pressed against the hardwood. Her heart began to calm, but her breath still came in short gasps. The air in the cabin remained cold, but the oppressive darkness was gone.

Demetrius shut the door, then was at her side, his hands lifting her, scooping her into his arms. “Holly, are you all right? Say something.”

Holly nodded, though her body felt like it had been hit by a freight train. “I—I think so.”

Morgana approached, her face pale but determined. “You are very powerful. That was … impressive. You contained it.”

Holly looked up at Morgana, her voice weak. She’d never felt so drained in her life. “Is it gone? For good?”

Morgana shook her head. “Not gone. But contained. We pushed it back into the forest. It’s weaker now, but it’s not defeated. We’ll need to keep an eye on it.”

Holly’s heart sank. So it wasn’t over. The dark magic was still out there, lurking in the woods, waiting for another chance to break free. But at least for now, they had stopped it.

She took a deep breath, her hands still trembling. She didn’t like the idea of keeping an eye on it, but she was tired. “We’ll deal with it when it comes. But right now, I need to rest.”

“Of course,” Morgana said. “We both do.”

“I can stand,” Holly told Demetrius.

He put her on her feet, his arm around her waist to support her, his touch gentle. “You’ve earned the rest, that’s for sure.”

As Holly leaned against him, the fire crackling softly in the hearth, she realized something. For the first time in a long time, she wasn’t facing life alone. She had Morgana, who, despite her mysterious ways, had come through. And she had Demetrius, her once questionable vampire neighbor, who’d not only stood by her side through it all but had put himself in danger on her behalf.

Together, they had faced the darkness.

And together, they would face whatever came next.