by Bailey, G.
“What happened?” I ask, sitting on the bed as Mason opens the box. He slowly tips the contents onto the bed before sitting next to me. I tug the cardboard box onto the floor and pick up three baubles that look fine and add them to the box. Mason doesn’t say much as we get to work going through the broken ornaments, and by the time we are done, there are only about ten of them that are fine to hang up. Mason chucks the broken ones into a bin in his room. “You don’t have to tell me what happened, you know that? I was just curious.”
“It’s not my story to tell, Sia,” he explains to me. “Just know Alex hates Christmas, and he has good reason. Last year he got drunk, and it’s just complicated.”
“Okay, thank you for explaining,” I say, and he smiles at me.
“We want to tell you everything and nothing all at the same time,” he softly tells me, and before I can ask what that means, he picks up the box and walks down the stairs.
* * *
“And there is the last one. What do you think?” I ask, waving a hand at the tree. Christmas music is softly playing from a radio Liam found that plays CDs, we all have hot chocolates, and the tree is finally done. Alex is moody, as usual, but after what Mason said, at least I understand the reason why a little more than I once did.
“It looks like a Christmas tree,” Alex answers before either Liam or Mason can. Liam just laughs and stands up, coming to me. He takes my hand and spins me around before tugging me to him.
“Dancing?” I find myself questioning exactly what we are currently doing.
“Why not?” Liam answers, and I chuckle. I see Alex walk off, Mason following after him, but I don’t let it bother me as Liam makes me laugh. He spins me around, making goofy faces, and we are both just happy for a long moment. The song changes to a more romantic one, and Liam holds me close this time, swaying with me. “Ana, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”
“Do you say that to all the girls, Liam?” I joke, loving how he looks down at me. A strange tension fills the room as I find myself staring at his lips, and he stares right back at me. The music seems to drift into the background as I become hyper aware of Liam’s hands on me, the way he holds me so close to him.
“Actually, just you,” he softly replies, and before I’ve really thought about it, I lean up and press my lips to his. He actually freezes for a second, and I wonder if I’ve made a mistake just before he kisses me back. Liam slips his hands into my hair, tugging me against him harder as his tongue slides into my mouth. I grip his top tightly as he picks me up, and I wrap my legs around him as he sits on the sofa. Just as Liam’s hands are skimming the skin on my back under my top, someone knocks the door three times.
“I will get it,” I nervously say, climbing off Liam’s lap, feeling my cheeks burning red. I pull the door open to see Hugh waiting outside, his arms crossed.
“May I come in?” he asks just as Shadow gets to us and pushes past Hugh as I let him in.
“Hugh is here,” Liam shouts up the stairs, moving to my side as I close the door after Hugh walks in. Alex and Mason come down the stairs, and they both look mad.
I have a feeling they are mad at me, but I don’t want to touch that subject. My lips are still burning from Liam’s mouth on mine, and I feel like even looking at Mason and Alex when they make my heart pound is a betrayal of some kind.
“Another wolf is suspected missing. We need you three to take your familiars out and search. The other familiars are getting too frightened to leave their homes, and we need to find who is doing this,” Hugh states, placing his hands on his hips.
“We will take turns staying with Ana—” Liam starts off.
“I will stay with Ana,” Hugh interrupts, and without thinking about it, I take a step back to Liam’s side.
“No,” Liam speaks first, and the room gets tense as he places his hand on my back.
“Why doesn’t Raine stay with me? We are safe together, I’m sure of it,” I suggest to ease the tension.
“My daughter is a skilled fighter, and it would be best, if you feel more comfortable with her protection,” Hugh actually agrees.
“I also have Shadow. He would never let anyone touch me,” I counter.
“Of course,” Hugh replies, but he doesn’t seem to believe it all that much.
“I don’t like this,” Alex snaps.
“It’s one night. I will be fine with Raine,” I tell them, and they stare at one another, doing that silly agreement thing I don’t understand.
“I will get Raine and come back.” Hugh leaves, and I smile tightly at them.
“It will be okay,” I say.
“Not if another wolf is missing, Ana,” Liam replies a little too harshly.
“I think I’ll wait for Raine in my room,” I tell them, heading for the stairs. “Good luck finding the wolf.”
“Ana, wait,” Liam calls after me, but I don’t. It’s too new and complicated to talk about, especially in front of the other two guys I can’t help but feel something for.
Where is my sister for advice when you need her?
It’s too cold for swimming.
“Guess what today is?” Alex drawls as I finish cleaning up my cup of tea.
“A day you’ve decided to not be an asshole for once?” I innocently ask, and he glares at me as I laugh. “I’m just kidding. What is today?”
“Training. Get your ass ready to go, we will be driving today as it’s quite far to the lake.”
“The lake?” I question, but of course, Alex doesn’t answer me as he walks away. I quickly get changed into leggings, a crop top and a black fleece jumper before putting my boots on. I spot Shadow in the woods as I get into the passenger seat of Alex’s Jeep, and he drives off. After heading down the main road, Alex drives us off-road, and the Jeep bounces around as we head down the off-road path for a long while. Eventually, the prettiest lake I’ve ever seen comes into view, covered in thick ice with a little island in the middle with a few trees. Alex stops the car right outside and smirks at me.
A devilish smirk.
“What exactly are we doing at the lake?” I question.
“As we had to miss a few lessons, we are picking up the fucking speed of this training,” he growls.
“You are a little crazy, you know that?” I ask.
“All the best ones are,” he whispers back with a sexy grin. I shake my head, chuckling a little as we get out of the Jeep, and I follow Alex over to the edge of the ice lake. I glance behind us just as Shadow comes to my side, pushing his furry shoulder against me.
“You two need to follow me. No bullshitting on the lake, just run to the middle,” Alex says, and before I can tell him he is insane, he is running full speed across the ice. I take a deep breath and run after him, slipping a few times. I look back only once to see Shadow easily running behind me, looking ready to catch me if I fall over.
Which is a real threat, considering the ice is so easy to slip on. I all but fall onto the island on the other side as Alex laughs. Shadow jumps off the ice and lands at my side, lying down next to me.
Alex sits at my side and whistles. I follow his gaze as Ki-Ki slides onto the ice, and it cracks. She falls into the water, and I stand up in shock, only to see her jump through the ice a little bit away. She keeps diving in and out of the ice until it’s all smashed to pieces and back to water until she slithers out the water on the other side and waits.
“Now get us back, Tassie,” Alex demands with a cocked eyebrow.
“How the hell am I meant to do that?” I question. “And I can’t swim!”
“Change Shadow into something that can swim or fly. Your choice,” he replies, like I should have just known that.
“You’re insane. The last and only time I did that, Shadow passed out,” I remind him.
“Always happens the first time. The second won’t be like that,” Alex explains. “Now get on with it. I’m fucking bored.”
“You suck,” I snap, crossing my arms.
“
I like girls that suck, if you’re offering,” he counters. Asshole.
“Urgh!” I shout at him and walk away, knowing Shadow is following me into the small path of tall trees. I pause in the middle and softly smile at Shadow.
“I have an idea what you could change into, but I’m worried about hurting you,” I explain as he walks up to me, pushing his head against mine, nearly knocking me over. I get the sense he trusts me and it’s going to be okay. “Are you ready then?” He nods once at me and walks away a good distance in the clearing. I take a deep breath and close my eyes, imagining the bond between me and Shadow like a line. I open my eyes first this time and grasp the purple glowing line before spreading my hands wide, the webs of purple power appearing. Without thinking on it too long, I imagine the animal we need, and I clap my hands together. The clap rings in my ears as a sphere of glowing energy travels down the line and slams into Shadow. The power looks like an explosion of energy around him, blocking him out completely for a second before he changes into a giant turtle. The turtle has a big black shell, and its eyes are Shadow’s without a doubt.
“Good job, a turtle is impressive,” Alex says behind me.
“Good for me, not for you. You can swim back,” I snap at him, and he chuckles as he walks right up to me. My back hits a tree as he stops so close to me, his chest pressing against mine as he reaches a hand up, picking up a strand of my hair. I feel frozen as a blank of wood as he leans closer, his lips brushing against my cheek, and I close my eyes from the pleasure it causes.
His touch causes.
“I don’t mind getting wet. See you on the other side, my beautiful Tassie.” He moves away from me almost urgently, and I watch him walk right up to the edge of the lake before he dives right in. I run to the edge of the lake as he swims across, never once stopping. He crawls out the other side as my turtle glides into the lake, and I take a cautious step onto his back. It’s all going well until about halfway when my foot slips, and I scream as I fall off Shadow and straight into the freezing cold water. I gasp on instinct, taking a mouthful of the cold water into my lungs. The cold makes me feel like I can’t move as I struggle and look up to see something purple glowing above me. An arm snakes around my waist, pulling me up to the top, and I gasp for air the second I can. Alex pulls me onto the shore and pats my back as I cough out all the water I swallowed before I fall back onto his chest. He lifts me up effortlessly as I see Shadow is back to his normal wolf form over Alex’s shoulder. Alex sits in his Jeep, still keeping me on his lap as he turns the car on and blasts the heating. It takes a long time before I can shakily say a single word.
“Th-an-k y-y-ou.”
“It was my fault, I’m sorry,” he replies, and I look up at him, finding his eyes on me. Did Alexander really just say sorry? “Don’t expect me to ever say that again. Now stop looking at me like I’m a god, even though I am one, and rest. Once you’re warmed up, I will drive back.”
“You’re not a god, Alexander,” I mutter, curling up into a ball on his lap, feeling him holding me close. “A god knows when to stop talking.”
To my surprise, he laughs, a deep, sensual laugh that relaxes me even more.
Maybe Alexander isn’t all that bad.
Christmas with my new, a little complicated, home.
“Merry Christmas!” I happily shout as I come down the stairs, seeing the tree all lit up in the corner and lots of presents underneath it. Some of them we are going to drop off around town for Estelle, Raine and others later on today.
For our familiars, we went out last night and hid lots of fun surprises for them in the woods. Everything from juicy bones to soft teddies for Ki-Ki. Apparently she likes to cuddle them until they pop. Then roll in the fluff. It’s weird if you think about it, which I tried not to. After hours of walking around the shops this week, I finally found the perfect present for the guys, even if it did empty out my bank balance after I bought a secondhand car for Estelle off a guy in town who was selling it for a good price. Under different circumstances, it would have been the perfect car for me, but I can save up again, because it was the right thing to do. She was pretty mad when I turned up with it, but that’s what my savings were there for.
An emergency.
Either way, it made me feel a lot better to not owe Estelle anything, and I know she needed her car to get into town, even if she said she was okay walking.
Alex, Liam and Mason are all grumpy in the morning as usual as they come down the stairs, but they perk up a little when they see how excited I am. It’s kind of sweet, considering the tense couple of weeks we have had. Two more wolf familiars have gone missing, and every day, I worry that Shadow and I will be next. The guys are out hunting the entire empire daily instead of working, and I have all but hidden from them since the kiss with Liam and everything that day.
“I’m just going to put the turkey in the oven so it can slow cook and then sit for the day. Be right back,” I tell the guys, knowing I need to get it started.
“I can’t believe we are having an actual roast dinner tonight. You’re a goddess we didn’t know we needed, Sia,” Mason tells me, and it makes me blush as I head into the kitchen. After putting the prepared turkey in the oven and making sure everything is in order for later, I head back into the living room. The guys are sat around the tree like kids, and I sit in the middle of Liam and Alex as they all wait for me.
“I guess I’m opening my present first?” I suggest.
“We would really love it if you did,” Mason says and hands me a small rectangular box. I don’t have a clue what it is, and I rip the red wrapping paper off and see a plain DVD box. I open it up to see a DVD inside, but there is no label.
“I don’t get it,” I question.
“It’s why the TV and DVD are up here,” Liam says, taking the box from me. I did think it was strange that Alex and Liam carried the TV and DVD player up here last night, but I assumed it was to watch a movie today. Liam puts the DVD on and starts it up, and I feel all the guys’ eyes on me as the video of my sister starts to play. It’s clear this was taken recently, and as Phoebe starts to talk, tears well in my eyes.
“Hi, Annie! I miss you so, so, so, a million times so much! I’ve actually been sleeping in your bed since you left, but now it doesn’t smell like you anymore.” She pauses to get her voice back, and I wipe some tears away. Phoebe has cut her hair a little shorter. It now falls to her upper shoulders, and she has some Christmas tree slides clipped in the side. The small living room of my old home is all decorated for Christmas with everything I loved to put out every year. “Anyway, we got a letter and a return address thingy to make this DVD so you can see it. Bethany told me in her texts that you got a big wolf as a familiar and that you are super happy. I wish I could see you to know if that’s true…but…but I know you love animals, so you must be happy. I have a gift I made for you, and I’m going to keep it until I see you soon. It will be soon, right?”
“Yes,” I answer her as she stares at the screen, and my voice cracks. Tears openly fall down my cheeks as Phoebe cries, and Grandma Pops comes into the screen, wrapping an arm around her.
“Don’t be silly, you know your sisters would never leave you. Anastasia will be back soon, and so will Bethany, you will see. Now say goodbye for now and wish Anastasia a merry Christmas,” Grandma Pops suggests, and Phoebe nods her head, lifting away from Grandma Pops’s shoulder.
“Bye-bye, sis. I really miss you and love you, and Merry Christmas. I can’t wait to give you the biggest hug ever!” Phoebe shouts the last bit, and I laugh through my tears.
“Goodbye, dear. I am so very proud of you, and I love you,” Grandma Pops says to the camera, moving a little too close. The video cuts out as they wave goodbye, and Mason wraps an arm around me as I calm myself down and wipe my eyes.
“I don’t know how you did that, but it was the best Christmas present I’ve ever had,” I admit, and they all smile at me.
“It wasn’t easy, but we have our ways. We sent a lett
er to Bethany, but knowing the college mail, it could have gotten lost,” Liam explains.
“You never know, there might be a DVD on the way from her too,” Mason offers.
“Maybe,” I say with a big smile, and then I remember they haven’t opened their gifts. “I feel like my gifts are terrible now, but you should have them.”
“I’m sure they aren’t terrible, and even if they are just socks, I will be thankful as you are cooking dinner,” Liam says as I pass him and Mason their green wrapped gifts.
“Agreed,” Alex adds in as I pass him his present. They open them at the same time, and I wait as they look at the keyrings they have. Alex has a snake made from wood with tiny gems going down the tail, Mason has an eagle made from silver, and Liam has a gold fox.
“I saw that none of you have keyrings for your keys. I know they aren’t much, but—”
“I fucking love it, thank you,” Alex interrupts me.
“Same here,” Mason adds and leans over, pressing a small kiss to my cheek. My cheek feels like it burns as I shakily nod at him. Liam grins at me as he offers me a hand and tugs me into his arms, wrapping them tightly around me as he whispers in my ear.
“Thank you, it’s perfect, and I will keep it forever.”
Forever seems like a long time…and somehow it also seems like the perfect word for this Christmas.
The past always hurts the most.
“It was never an argument, considering who you are,” a familiar voice speaks as I blink my eyes open to the purple room full of smashed glass, and smoke flows into the room with every breath. I can’t see the people arguing, just their silhouettes and their voices. I step closer to see the woman in a purple dress. She is turned away from me, so I can only see her blonde hair and slim figure. “The fact you dare to come in here and beg is pathetic. Get out.”
“Give her to me, please.” I know that voice. I run forward, coughing on smoke, and just as the edges of my vision turn black, I see Alex on his knees in front of the woman, looking broken as he utters one more word. “Please.”
