The Twilight Before Christmas by Christine Feehan

know what happened last night, but I sure as hell don’t want Kate facing anything like that again.” His gray eyes smoldered with something dangerous as he looked at Kate. “I didn’t like the way the fog seemed to be attacking you.”
    Sarah gasped. “What do you mean attacking her?”
    “Nothing came at me,” Kate denied hastily. “Really, Sarah, it was just throwing Christmas decorations around and Matthew was actually hit a few times. I was never touched.”
    Sarah looked at Matt steadily. “Why did you think it was after Kate?”
    “I stepped in front of her to protect her. The wreaths were thrown, but not very hard in the beginning, yet when Katie began to talk to it, whatever it is, the Christmas wreaths were thrown much more forcefully and with greater accuracy.”
    “Were you hurt?” Kate looked suddenly anxious, coming up on her knees on the bed to look at him. “Libby’s the best at healing, but Sarah… .”
    “I’m fine,” Matt said, but wished he didn’t have to admit it. She looked incredibly beautiful leaning toward him with her hair tousled and her eyes enormous with concern for him.
    “Kate—” Abbey stuck her head in the room—“Gina over at the preschool says something’s wrong, and she needs you. I could hear the children crying in the background. I told her you weren’t well, but she said it was an emergency. She said she needed your help. I’ll go if I absolutely have to go.”
    Abbey was clearly apprehensive about going in Kate’s place. Matt looked at Sarah. “What does Kate have to do with the preschool?”
    “Haven’t you noticed Kate has a gift for calming people with her voice? She’s able to bring peace to even the most distressed person or situation,” Sarah answered.
    “Is that what your lives are like? People need you, and it doesn’t matter if you’re tired or not, you just go to them.”
    “We were born with certain gifts, Matt,” Kate said. “We’ve always known we were meant to serve others. Yes, it isn’t always easy, and all of us have to have ways of protecting ourselves but when we can help, we have to go.”
    “How do they know to call you?”
    Sarah smiled. “You were older than us, Matthew, ahead of us in school, so you really weren’t around when our talents began to develop. I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors, but you didn’t witness what we could do the way other people in town did. Jonas has always connected with us in some way, so it was easy enough for him to believe.”
    “Kate?” Abbey prompted.
    “I’ll go. Give me a few minutes to shower and have a cup of tea.”
    Matt followed her to the bathroom door. “I don’t like this, Kate. You look fragile to me. I think Sarah’s right. You need to stay home.”
    Sarah’s eyebrow shot up. “Did I say that?”
    Kate rubbed a caress along Matt’s stubbly jaw right in front of her sisters, then closed the bathroom door on his startled expression. When he turned around, Sarah and Abbey were grinning at him. “She doesn’t listen, does she?” he asked.
    “Not very well,” Sarah agreed. “Kate may be quiet about it, but she goes her own way and does what she thinks is right.”
    “Do you have another bathroom so I can clean up really fast?”
    Sarah grinned at him. “I even have an extra toothbrush. You’ve got that look in your eye when you look at her.”
    He followed her down the hall. “What look?”
    “You look at her like you can’t wait to kiss her,” Sarah said. “A toothbrush is definitely in order.”
    “Does she have something against the Rangers?” Matt asked, remembering the small sigh from the night before. It had haunted him most of the night.
    Sarah pushed open a door to a powder blue bathroom. “Of course not. Why would you think that?”
    “No reason. Thanks, Sarah.” Matt didn’t want to think about that strange little sigh of Kate’s. She wasn’t the type of woman to react that way unless she had a reason. He’d ask her about it later. He