Page 126 of Christmas Magic

More cries from the onlookers.

Cora gasped. Fred could just walk over and whack Lucian!

More flashes. She heard the clicks of cell phone cameras, too.

No. No!

Holding the hilt of his sword in one hand and the tip in the other, Lucian held the gleaming blade out to Fred, as though acknowledging the senior Santa’s victory in an old-fashioned ritual. Then, with a metallic clank, Lucian laid the weapon down on the street.

“I yield to you, Santa, Lord of the Elves,” Lucian called over the cacophony. “The noble Saint Nick who rules Coquina Castle.”

“Lucian,” Cora ground out. “Get. Up.”

Lucian remained kneeling. “His lordship’s devotion to honor is most admirable,” he said. “I realize now that he is far more worthy of you, Fair Maiden, than I ever could be.”

What?

She struggled to hold back a shriek. Lucian should still be fighting for her. He should be lovesick and hanging on her every word, not ignoring her.

A sinking feeling settled inside her.

His head tilted then, and he looked right at her. She reached out to touch his shoulder, to secure her control over him, but his stare sharpened with warning.

Oh, no.

The magic of the sprinkles had worn off.

He was no longer under her enchantment.

Lucian maintained eye contact with Cora until recognition entered her gaze.

She knew he wasn’t spellbound any longer.

“Milord,” Lucian called, staying on one knee. “Is my yielding agreeable to you?”

Flashes went off; someone was taking photographs, perhaps for the local media. With luck, the publicity would be good for both the historical society and Coquina Castle. Black Cat Antiquities, too.

“Well.” Fred cleared his throat. “I had not expected you to lay down your sword. That’s, er, very gallant of you.”

“If I may rise, milord?”

Savoring the delighted cheers of the crowd, Lucian waited.

“Yes, you can rise.”

He stood, leaving his sword on the ground. “Thank you, milord.”

“Er, sure thing.”

Lucian looked at Cora. While he kept his expression polite, fury and disappointment churned inside him. He had questions about the sprinkles and her interactions with Crow. Knowing her as he did, though, she was more likely to deny knowing the sprinkles possessed magic than to admit to her scheming. After all, what normal, non-Magical person would believe in magical sprinkles?

Better to act as though he had no idea she’d intentionally bewitched him. However, he’d use every device, contact, and bit of data available to him to find out exactly what had taken place and who had been involved. He owed that not just to those who depended on him to protect Cat’s Paw Cove, but to Molly.

He smiled at the older woman and Fred. “If I may, I would like to offer you both a special gift from the antique store.”

Cora appeared uneasy. “What kind of gift?”

“A peace offering, if you will.” Lucian picked up the boxes covered in holiday paper that he and Molly had wrapped at the shop before they’d rejoined Julius and Tim. He handed one box to Fred and the other to Cora. “Please. Open them now.”