Curse of Christmas: A Collection of Paranormal Holiday Stories
Page 48
“So that’s where you ran off to. I was beginning to think that you were bored,” Merry said with a forced laugh.
Holly dropped Sage’s hand, indicating with a tilt of her head that he should head inside and partake in the festivities, “Of course I wasn’t bored! Look, is there enough time for the two of us to talk before Jolly Old Saint Nick turns us reindeer back into our animal forms?”
The elf looked over her shoulder, as if trying to gather her thoughts, “I’m not sure, let’s go check the time. Because you know how much I am dying to find out about you and Sage.”
Merry turned on her heel and headed into the shop were the male shifter had disappeared, Holly on her heels. The female shifter wanted to clear the air before she had to return to living on four legs because she couldn’t imagine having to wait a full year to explain to her best friend about the situation with Sage. Both women looked at the clock hanging on the wall, noting that the shifters had fifteen minutes before they were expected to be in the barn to meet Santa.
“Come with me. I know where we can go for some privacy so we can talk,” Merry stated as she moved up the stairs.
Holly followed, hoping that the perky little elf was as forgiving as she led everyone to believe and their friendship was tighter than some guy.
Merry stopped and pushed open a door on the left of a long hallway.
Sweeping her right hand in front of her, she stepped back, “After you. And this had better be good.”
Holly took a deep breath and then crossed the threshold, “That depends on what your definition of good is.”
Merry closed the door behind them and sighed, “Holly, had I known you were into Sage I never would have come on to him. God! You guys were just laughing about my crush behind my back, weren’t you?”
The shifter walked to her best friend and placed her hands on her shoulders, “Of course not! Sage wasn’t even aware of your crush until this year, I promise. As for my being into him, I wasn’t aware that I was attracted to him until last year, when I saw him standing across the barn in his naked splendor.”
The elf moved out of her friend’s grasp, her head hanging slightly, “So? Tell me everything then.”
Holly walked to one of the overstuffed chairs and had a seat, “It was amazing, Mer! I never knew how pleasurable sex could be, but I have absolutely no regrets about what experimentation he and I had tonight. I only wish we had more time for exploration before we get back to being deer.”
Merry smiled softly, “Yes sex is amazing, with the right partner and it certainly sounds like you’ve found your mate.”
The elf suddenly jumped to her feet, all woes forgotten, “I have an idea! Why don’t we go talk to Santa and see if he will give you his blessing to get married? That way you can be together even when you are in your reindeer forms!”
Holly’s eyes were shining as she leapt to her feet, “That’s a fantastic idea, Mer! Let’s go talk to him now.”
The girls rushed out of the room and ran down the stairs intent on finding Santa before the midnight hour.
“Why are the reindeer heading to the barn already? Is it time?” Holly wondered aloud as they slowed their pace.
Merry shrugged, “I don’t think so. But I guess we’re about to find out. Oh my gosh, I hope we aren’t too late! I would really hate for you to have wait another year to be married to your mate.”
Thoughts of having to wait another full year to be with Sage filled Holly’s head, and she couldn’t bear the thought. As the shifter and elf came into the barn, they noticed that the shifters were already beginning to take their places in their stables. Holly nodded at Flash, who had been appointed to be one of the reindeer leading Santa’s sleigh this year. He had been informed by the jolly fat man that he was going to be taking his father’s place at the head of the sleigh. Rudolph had chosen that year to finally retire because he felt his son was ready to take on the legacy.
Holly was genuinely excited for him. She couldn’t wait to take to the sky and lead the sleigh, but she wasn’t ready for that just yet. Merry tugged on her hand, pulling her out of her jumbled thoughts. The elf pointed down the line of stables to Sage’s, showing the shifter that her lover was already where he needed to be, waiting for Santa to arrive and turn him back into his animal form.
“Santa isn’t here yet, Mer. But I think I need to head to my stable and wait for him to arrive. Will you talk to him for me? See if he will give us his blessing to perform the mating ceremony?” Holly asked as she walked slowly to her stable across from Sage.
The elf nodded, walking with her friend to her home, “Absolutely, Holly!”
The clearing of a throat brought everyone’s attention to the entrance to the barn, showing Santa’s shadow, “Well, well, well. It looks like we are missing Frost and Icicle. Does anyone know where the two of them might be?”
“They were in the woods behind the workshop last time I saw them, Santa,” Flash stated, his voice booming throughout the barn.
As he mentioned where they had been, the two shifters in question came running into the barn looking flustered. Santa smiled at the late comers, waiting patiently for them to get into their stables.
“Ah, now that we have everyone here, we can begin. It is time to return to your animal forms and I understand that a year is a long time not to be able to stretch your legs and be human. But I have an announcement concerning this. Mrs. Claus and I have been talking and have decided to extend your time in your human forms to include Christmas Eve. Of course, nine of you would need to be exempt from this because you will be helping me deliver gifts to the good little girls and boys in the world but starting this year we will be rotating the nine reindeer. Every year will be a new set of nine. This year’s nine will be Flash, Icicle, Frost, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Ivy, Kringle, Midnight, and, last but certainly not least, Bell.”
All of the reindeer cheered, excited to finally be able to fly in the night sky. Sure, it was a huge responsibility to ensure that Santa made it around the world in one night and to keep him safe, but it was one they had all been training for since they could walk.
Santa held his hand up, waiting until the last cheer died down, “I have another announcement that I would like to make. We will be having a mating ceremony when I get back from my yearly run. I know, I know, it’s been a long time since we have been able to perform one of those, but this year is very special. Two of my dear shifters have discovered each other and the fact that they have been matched to be mates since birth. Besides, we need to start bringing some young ones into the fold.”
Santa stepped into the barn, a knowing smile on his face as he walked down the aisle of stables, “Holly and Sage, are you ready to be mated?”
Holly gave Merry a shocked look before turning to look at the shifter standing across from her.
“I am!” Sage shouted, tripping over himself to get to his mate.
Holly laughed, looking up at her mate, ready to start the life she was meant to live.
A Very Changeling Christmas
Featuring Luna and the Pack
Samantha Bell
About A Very Changeling Christmas
“When you grow up being shipped from foster home to foster home, Christmas doesn’t exactly make you feel warm and fuzzy.”
Luna is a Changeling with a difficult past who found love with her four shifter mates. Together she, Seth, Maddox, Chase, and Jasper make up a unique pack with dreams of helping other lost shifters in need.
When an empty house and the impending holiday season bring back painful feelings for Luna, Chase decides to give her a Christmas she’ll never forget and prove to her that holidays can be joyous if you’re willing to open your heart.
A Very Changeling Christmas features characters from Crooked Changeling but can be enjoyed independently from the main series.
Chapter 1
Luna
The world outside looked like a scene from a Hallmark Christmas movie. (Not that I ever watched those trashy things
, I swear…Ok, maybe once or twice, anyway.)
The snow was thick and fluffy, covering everything in sight. The forest in the distance was veiled in thick sheets of snow, the evergreens rising high and creating a stark contrast compared to the flat farmland around them. The roads hadn’t been plowed and probably wouldn’t be for a while. Good thing Jasper had an SUV, or we’d be stuck here until Spring.
Not that being snowed in with my pack of delicious men would be a bad thing. We’d been together for a few months now, and we were still obsessed with each other’s bodies. We were like hormone-drunk teenagers, except with the experience to actually be good at what we were doing.
I looked over my shoulder at the two double beds we’d moved together to make one big mega-bed. Jasper, the timber wolf shifter, Seth, the alpha jackal shifter, and Chase the coyote shifter, were all still asleep. My fourth mate, Maddox, the red wolf shifter, was probably out for a morning workout in the shed out in the back. Even after a snowstorm, he was up at five a.m. sharp.
I shivered and pulled on a cardigan over my pajamas. I was no morning person, but I was starting to work myself into a better sleep schedule. When I used to live on the streets, I stole shuteye whenever it was safe to do so. Now everything was different. Life was so much better now that I’d found my pack.
I padded downstairs quietly so as to not wake my men.
“Good morning!”
I heard Maddox before I saw him. He was blending some sort of protein shake that looked far too green for my taste. “Hey,” I said, sitting down at the kitchen table, trying to ignore how the wood was close against my butt.
“Sleep well?” Maddox asked with a grin that made his eyes sparkle. His red hair was touseled and still damp with sweat. He slid a cup of coffee over to me.
“Fine, once you let me sleep.” I took a sip of coffee.
Maddox smirked. “You love it,” he said.
“I do. I so do,” I said, remembering the toe-curling orgasms that seemed to be in never-ending supply these days. The coffee warmed me through, chasing away the shivers that had followed me since I got out of bed.
I tipped my head to the window. “You didn’t go out in that, did you?” I asked, meaning the waist-high snowdrifts that settled around the old farmhouse we’d taken over.
Maddox shook his head. “Nah, even I’m not that crazy. Just an hour of cathentics in the living room.”
“Just an hour,” I laughed.
Maddox lifted up his shirt and clenched his abs, giving me a perfect view of the deep v shape that lead down to his manhood. “I do it for you, darling.”
I squirmed a little in my chair. “You’re such a tease.”
Maddox set down his spinach protein shake and wandered to my side of the table. He leaned in and kissed me gently.
I kissed back, harder, and letting my tongue flick against his lips.
Maddox moaned against my mouth, cupped my cheeks, and devoured our kiss. The beast inside of him reared up, eager to claim me right here in the kitchen. He pulled me close, and I felt his hardness through his athletic shorts. “Luna,” He growled.
I broke away for air and noticed Chase coming down the stairs.
“Don’t let me interrupt,” Chase said with a wink. While Maddox had the football captain look going on, Chase had more of a surfer aesthetic. He was lanky, but fit, with long dirty-blond hair. He was cute and sexy at the same time.
“Want to join in?” I asked.
“I’d normally say yes, but I have a bunch of stuff to get done today,” Chase said.
Maddox and I blinked with surprise. Chase? Stuff to do? Had I woken up in an alternate universe?
“Come again?” I asked.
“Heh, that’s what she said,” Chase chuckled. “But, seriously, yeah, it’s Christmas Eve, and we haven’t even decorated.”
“Oh,” I grimaced. “I didn’t even realize it was almost Christmas. I don’t really like holidays like that.”
Chase looked genuinely hurt. “Oh,” he said.
Guilt struck me. “Not that I’m against it or anything,” I added quickly to spare his feelings. “It’s just that growing up in foster homes didn’t really make Christmas something to look forward to, y’ know?”
Chase smiled. “All the more reason to make it special now that you’re with us.”
“Maybe,” I said. I didn’t want to hurt him. I just wasn’t a crazy Christmas person like some people were.
Chase pulled a scrap of paper from his pocket. “I already started a list,” He said. He showed it to Maddox. “We need to get a tree.”
Maddox shot an “I’ve-been-cock-blocked” glance at me and started humoring Chase.
I snuck away from the pair of them and went back upstairs to hopefully grab a shower before the rest of the house woke up. Was it really Christmas Eve? I thought to myself as I walked to the bathroom.
I passed the spare room and paused at the doorframe, peeking into the room that we’d prepped with four twin bunk beds. The beds were all empty, reminding me of the goals that the Pack and I had set when we ran away from Woodlock’s Home.
Ever since we’d settled here, we’d dreamed that we would have the time and resources to house lost shifters. We could take in anyone, those who needed a place to stay and recoup, or those who needed help getting away from abusive packs. Unfortunately, as soon as everything was ready, Winter hit hard and fast. Now, we’d need to wait before we could start scouting wayward shifters properly.
I walked past the room with a rawness aching in my heart. I remembered how Christmas always used to make me feel different. Unwanted. I couldn’t carry that my whole life. I needed to keep looking forward. Knowing that one day, I’d be the one able to help wayward teens, that was what helped me keep going.
Chapter 2
Chase
I waited until everyone was awake before springing my plan on them.
“Hey, Seth,” I said as nonchalantly as possible.
“What do you want?” Seth asked around a mouthful of toast.
Damn, he read me like a book. He always did. That’s why he was our alpha.
“Well,” I said. “It’s Christmas tomorrow, and we haven’t got a tree yet.”
Seth looked up at me through his dark eyelashes. “You know I was raised with a family that didn’t celebrate Christmas,” he said. “I don’t exactly count down the days.”
“Why not?” Jasper said with a mock-pout.
“Whatever, I wasn’t asking for your sake,” I said. I gestured upstairs, where Luna was still in the shower. She always took really long, hot showers. “It was for Luna.”
Jasper perked up. “You mean we should decorate for her?”
“Yeah,” I said with a nod. “I know she had a rough time before she met us. Wouldn’t it be nice to celebrate our first Christmas together properly? You know, with a tree, and cookies, and gifts.”
Seth frowned. “Have you seen the snow outside?”
Jasper cut in to rescue my plan. “My SUV can take that, no problem,” He interjected. “Seriously, I think it’s a good idea.”
“I dunno,” Maddox said from the kitchen. “It might bring back bad memories,” the wolf shifter warned.
“All the more reason to make Christmas fun,” I said. “We can replace those memories with good ones.”
Seth sighed. “I’m not sure about going out this soon after a storm.” He leaned back and looked from Jasper to me.
I nudged Jasper, and we both put on our best puppy eyes. “Please, Seth?”
Seth rolled his eyes and looked away. “Ugh, I hate it when you guys do that. You’re a bunch of kids.” He sighed and thought for a moment. “Fine, you can go. But bring me back some beef jerky while you’re out.”
“Yes!” I pumped my fist in the air.
“I suppose I should go with them, so they don’t hurt themselves,” Maddox said. He was the second-in-command. It was his job to fill in when Seth couldn’t.
“We’re not kids,” I said.
“Right, rabid reindeer,” Jasper snickered.
“I’m being serious. So go and come back quick,” Seth said.
Jasper drove his SUV through the thick snow with surprising ease. Maddox sat sprawled out on the back seat, reading a book instead of babysitting like he was supposed to. That suited me fine.
The country roads were icy and snowy, but we managed to get into town easily enough. The plan was to load up on some food, grab a present or two for Luna, and then find a nice tree to bring home on the way back.
I was jittering with excitement. I loved Christmas. My family life had always been sort of hit-and-miss; coyotes aren’t exactly known for their tight bonds like other shifters, but I still loved the holidays.
The small town was quiet, but a few last-minute shoppers were walking around. The main road had a small grocery store, a florist, a thrift store, and a few privately owned boutiques. It was charming, like a scene from a Christmas card.
“Ok, here’s the plan,” Maddox said, kicking into boss-mode the moment Jasper found a parking spot. “Chase, you get the gift. Jasper and I will grab the food.”
“What about the tree?” I asked.
“There’s a stall on the outskirts of town; we can get a tree there,” Jasper said, gesturing the way we came.
“Yes,” I nearly squealed.
Maddox shook his head at me. “Try to contain yourself, ok?”
Maddox and Jasper went off to the grocery store, leaving me to explore the rest of the small shopping district.