by R. E. Butler
Mrs. C sat on one of the couches in the common room, and SC sat next to her. Jack and Vaughn sat on a nearby couch, facing the leaders of their city.
“So I don’t know why we need to talk,” SC said, “but my mate is wonderful and smart, so I’m sure it’s in your best interest.”
Jack smiled. “What’s up?”
Mrs. C linked her fingers with SC’s and smiled brightly at Jack and Vaughn. “I volunteered to go to the human world and bring Declan’s mate, Ellie, home after she was finished working at the flower shop. When we walked outside, I felt compelled to go to a tavern across the street. Once inside, I knew exactly why I was drawn there, and it involves the two of you.”
“Us?” Vaughn asked.
She nodded and touched the space over her heart with the fingers of her free hand. “I felt with my magic that you will both meet your fated mates at the tavern. Whether it’s with people who work there or patrons, I’m not sure, and I wouldn’t want to try to sway you one way or the other with who I think it might be there. But I will say this: my magic sparked so hard within me when I walked into the tavern that I thought my hands would burst into flames.”
Jack’s mind went blank for a moment and his beasts all rose within him, pushing him to hurry to the human world and find his mate. “You’re serious?”
“I’ve never been more serious in my life.”
SC hummed and looked at his watch. “There are about two hours until NPC closes. You two have a decision to make.”
“What?” Vaughn asked.
“Whether you’re going to go to the human world to stay for the year and find your fated mates, or whether you’ll stay here and wait until next Christmas,” Mrs. C explained.
Jack’s beasts roared in dismay. “I’m not sticking around here. No offense.”
“Me either,” Vaughn agreed. “I think my beasts would tear through my skin if I said I wouldn’t go.”
SC chuckled. “I’m not surprised. The question is what to do about your living arrangements and work.”
“I have that handled,” Mrs. C said. “Ellie has an apartment near the tavern. I’ve had the security team send a message to the landlord asking to allow you to sublet her apartment, and they’ve already set up cell phones and bank accounts for you. The tavern is closed for the day, but it’ll be open tomorrow evening at five.”
“We’re just supposed to go to the tavern?” Jack asked.
Mrs. C said, “Yes. The owner is named Holly, and she’s expecting you.”
“Why?” Vaughn raised a brow.
“Because she has job openings for a bartender and bouncer. It’s just her and her sister Ivy working at the tavern, and she said she could use a hand. I told Holly about you two and said you’d be there tomorrow night to meet with her.”
“Sounds like you two will have jobs waiting for you.” SC grinned.
“I’ve never touched anything but beer,” Vaughn said. He glanced at Jack. “Do you know how to bartend?”
“I can make a few cocktails, and I’m sure there are apps to help with that kind of thing. Hopefully Holly won’t mind a learning curve.”
“I think she’s pretty desperate for help,” Mrs. C added. She and SC stood and she smiled at the two males. “We’re going to miss you.”
Jack and Vaughn stood, accepting her hugs and handshakes from SC.
“We’ll hold your sleigh team positions until you make a decision,” SC said.
“Pack your things and head to security. They’re waiting to outfit you for your trip.”
“Thank you doesn’t seem like a strong enough phrase,” Jack told them. “This is amazing.”
“Yeah,” Vaughn agreed. “I feel the same way.”
“Off you two go,” SC said. “And good luck.”
Mrs. C and SC disappeared as they transported to their home.
Jack stared at the place where they’d been for a long moment, his mind still reeling from the news that Mrs. C had found a location for their fated mates.
Vaughn nudged him. “Ready, man?”
“Fuck yes.”
They raced to the stairs, taking them two at a time until they reached their floor. Jack stopped at his door and said, “I need to stop at my folks’ before we go.”
“Yeah, my mom would kill me if I didn’t say goodbye before I left for the year.”
“Fast packing, short meetup with the folks?”
Vaughn glanced at his watch. “Thirty minutes, we meet back here?”
Jack nodded. “You got it.” He opened his door and rushed to his closet, grabbing a duffel from the shelf and filling it as quickly as he could, pulling clothes off hangers and emptying his drawers. He called his parents to make sure they were up and asked to stop by for a quick visit. Normally he went on the Christmas Eve run and then came home and slept for a good chunk of the morning before heading to their home for their Christmas Day meal.
“We’re up,” his dad said. “Mom’s making cinnamon rolls.”
“Thanks, I’ll be right over.”
Taking a look at his watch, he noted the time, then transported to his parents’ home. A fire crackled in the fireplace, and the scent of cinnamon and sugar filled the air. He followed the sound of low voices to the kitchen where his parents, in their traditional matching red pajamas, were talking at the table.
“Merry Christmas, Jack,” his mother said as he kissed her cheek.
His dad stood for a hug, slapping him on the back. “How was work?”
“Great.” He pulled out a chair and sat, accepting a cup of coffee from his mom. “I have some news.”
“Good, we hope,” she said.
“Very good.” He told them about Mrs. C’s premonition for him and Vaughn and their future truemates.
“Oh that’s wonderful news!” his mom exclaimed. “We’re so happy for you, even though we’ll miss you terribly.”
“As soon as we get settled in the apartment, I’ll contact you so you’ll have all my new information. We’ll be able to stay in touch.”
“Thank goodness for technology,” his dad said.
“Do you think you’ll come home next Christmas?” his mom asked, her voice wistful.
His heart panged. “I really don’t know, Mom.”
His father grasped her hand and gave it a squeeze. “Whatever happens will be right for you and your truemate. We’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you, too.” He’d miss everything about NPC. He’d never lived in the human world.
“What will you do about shifting?” his dad asked.
“We’re going to use a cabin that belongs to one of the shifters who lived in the human world for a few years. He accidentally shifted in front of a human, and she turned out to be Declan’s truemate. They’re all up here in NPC now for good, so the cabin is empty and ours to use when we need to.”
“Just be careful,” his mom urged.
Jack finished the coffee and set the empty mug in the sink, then hugged his dad and kissed his mom.
“We love you,” his mom said.
“I love you both, too,” he said.
With a final wave, he transported back to his room, picked up his bags, and walked out to the hallway. A moment later, Vaughn joined him with two bags.
“Ready?” Jack asked.
“More than ready.”
Chapter 3
Ivy pulled a chair off a table and set it upright on the floor. Her sister Holly was busy in the kitchen, emptying the dishwasher and turning on the oven and fryers for the coming night. While Ivy set the main room to rights, she hummed a tune that had been running through her head for the last few days. She wanted to set it to lyrics and turn it into a song, but she wasn’t feeling inspired. She’d recorded the tune with her keyboard so she didn’t forget it, and now she was just trying to come up with the right words for the song.
Poetry was in her veins. Her father had been an English teacher and had published several poetry books before cancer took him when she was in high school. S
he’d turned several of his poems into songs in tribute to him.
Holly, like their mother, had a knack for business. The bar had once been their uncle’s, and he’d sold it to Holly for pennies on the dollar when he was ready to retire. Ivy had followed Holly to the bar with the band she’d formed in high school, Strands of Ivy.
That, however, was a distant and mildly painful memory. The band had split six months earlier, when she found out her boyfriend, Brett – drummer and backup singer – had been cheating on her with their keyboard player, Sally. Brett had called Ivy some unforgiveable names and smeared her online, then ran off with Sally and Donnie, the bass player.
Under other circumstances, she would’ve expected to bury herself in a few gallons of her favorite ice cream and go on a rom-com movie marathon until her heart was healed, but she hadn’t had even a moment to mourn the end of her band and relationship. Duty called. She was the only live entertainment for the bar, and no matter how her heart had cracked with the actions of her band members, there were patrons to sing for several nights a week.
Her gaze tripped up to the stage which she’d be on by herself later that evening. It was the day after Christmas. There was a time in her life when she would’ve wasted a Christmas wish on having her band back or finding fame before things had all gone to hell, but that was behind her now.
“What are you looking so serious for?” Holly asked as she carried a tray of salt and pepper shakers into the room.
Ivy set the final chair on the floor. “Remember when Mom said we got one Christmas wish each year?”
Holly smiled. “Yeah. I never did get that pony. And I spent every freaking Christmas wish on one.”
Ivy and Holly had followed their mom’s directions to the letter every Christmas Eve, writing their wish on a piece of paper and tucking it into their stockings. Even when they’d known Santa wasn’t real, they’d kept up the tradition, but their childish wishes for toys and pets had morphed to more serious dreams. Holly for her bar to be successful. Ivy to find a new band to perform with, and to finally have the time to get back to teaching kids how to play musical instruments. With all the work Ivy put in for Holly, she’d had to cut her teaching time by more than half. She hated disappointing the kids, but there was a finite amount of time in a day, and a girl had to sleep at some point.
“What made you think about wishes?” Holly asked, drawing Ivy back to the present.
“I didn’t make a wish this year.”
Holly’s hand froze with a salt shaker in midair. “Why not?”
“I don’t know. I just realized I didn’t. Maybe I got tired of the pretending. I thought… well, I’m not sure what I thought my life would be like at this point, but this isn’t quite it.” She waved toward the empty stage. It had been a dream at one time, but now it felt like a cage.
“I’m sorry, you know. I just… I messed up with the contractor and now our finances are a disaster.” Holly let out a deep sigh, and Ivy could feel the depth of the burden she carried.
“It was an honest mistake,” Ivy said. And it absolutely had been. Holly had scrimped and saved every penny until she had enough to remodel the patio, wanting to draw in a new crowd once the weather warmed up. The contractor had started out well enough, but one day he’d simply closed shop and turned off his phone, disappearing with the money and leaving the patio in shambles.
With the money gone, Holly was unable to pay for the help they needed to run the bar, so Ivy’s nights were filled with serving alcohol and food to patrons, and a few nights a week on the stage. Just her and her guitar, or her keyboard if she felt like changing things up.
Ivy wrapped her arm around Holly and drew her close, resting her head on her sister’s shoulder like she’d always done when they were kids.
“Things will work out,” Ivy said, more confidently than she felt.
“Oh? You find a wad of cash stuck under a table or something?”
“Nah. Just a feeling.”
Holly hummed and glanced at her watch. “About time to open up. Do you think those two guys that lady told us about are going to show?”
Ivy had only caught a glimpse of the woman in question. She wore a thick wool coat, and had dark hair and green eyes. There was something very sweet about her, and also oddly familiar. She’d told Holly that she was sending two of her husband’s workers to take over the bartending and bouncer jobs that had been vacated recently by two less-than-trustworthy men.
“Maybe,” Ivy said. She finished setting up the chairs and then helped Holly with the rest of the side work that needed to be done before they opened the doors. Not that the day after Christmas was a banner sales day, but she expected them to be busy regardless.
“I promise that some way I’ll figure out how to make your dream come true,” Holly said.
“What dream is that?”
“Not being here every night.”
“Yeah, but you’d miss me too much, and then I’d feel guilty.”
“I’m the only one allowed to feel guilty. You gave up so much for me.”
“That’s what sisters are for.”
Holly looked wistfully through the glass doors that led to the ruined patio. “If I didn’t say thank you, I hope you know how grateful I am for all your help.”
“I know. You’re my best friend, Hol. We’ve got each other’s backs. Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to try to figure out the lyrics for a bit before we get too busy.”
“You could write a song about me,” Holly said as she walked to the front doors. With practiced ease, she flipped on the Open sign and unlocked the front door.
Ivy walked up the steps at the side of the stage and sat down behind her electric piano. After turning it on, she opened the book she’d toyed with the tune in, filling the pages with the music in her head. She clicked the mechanical pencil three times to get a decent lead and placed it next to the book, then touched the keys gently, the first few strands of music coming across sweetly and clearly.
The front door swung open and Ivy turned her attention to the doorway, watching as two men stepped inside. They wore thick coats and winter boots, with stocking caps pulled low on their heads and dark gloves covering their hands. At first glance, the two men were broad shouldered and handsome. But then one of them tugged off his cap to reveal carelessly tousled golden hair. He pulled off his gloves and rubbed a hand through his hair a few times, but it seemed to make his hair messier and sexier.
Everything about the blond man spoke to Ivy in a way she couldn’t really explain.
He stuffed his cap and gloves into his pocket and smiled at Holly, who was running a dust mop across the floor. “Hey. I’m Jack, and this is Vaughn. We’re looking for Holly. Clarise sent us.”
The moment Jack spoke, his voice a deep timbre that shivered over her skin, Ivy knew something special had just happened. She wasn’t a believer in love at first sight, but how else could she explain the crazy desire she was fighting to run to him and find out if his lips were as kissably full as she thought they were?
Her fingers slipped from the keys, and the jarring notes that followed snapped her back into awareness. She was ogling the guys who had come to help them out.
Well, not both of them. Just Jack.
Just. Jack.
Chapter 4
Jack and Vaughn transported directly into Ellie’s old apartment. Jack exhaled as he set his bags down, then walked to the wall to turn on the overhead light. A ceiling fan powered to life, the blades turning slowly as the lights brightened the family room. A navy-blue couch sat in front of a coffee table, with a matching end table on one side. A flat-screen TV hung on the wall.
The kitchen had a table and two chairs, with white Formica counters and white appliances. The cabinets were still stocked with Ellie’s dishes, the drawers holding her silverware and cooking instruments. She hadn’t been able to bring everything with her, so aside from leaving her furniture, she’d left behind everything that wasn’t personal.
Jac
k followed Vaughn to look at the bedrooms, only one of which held an actual bed. The other was empty, save for a small desk and chair.
“Think any stores are open today so I can pick up a bed?” Vaughn asked.
Jack smiled. “I thought we’d have to play cards to see who gets the furnished bedroom.”
“Nah.” Vaugh shook his head. “I don’t mind the smaller room. And if there aren’t any stores open today, I’ll take the couch.”
“At least the apartment is bigger than the rooms in the barracks.”
“We’re still sharing a bathroom, though.”
“You know what I hope?” Jack said as he returned to the family room to pick up his bags.
“What?”
“That we find our fated mates really quickly, and one of us can move out and get a place with our mate. I can’t imagine it would be good to have two females in this apartment. There’s just not enough room.”
“That would be nice. I’m definitely tired of being alone.”
“Me, too.”
After unpacking, they searched online for local furniture stores but couldn’t find any that were open. They did find a grocery that was open until noon, so they used Ellie’s car to go there and shop for food. He was thankful that the security officers who had been in charge of setting up the apartment for them had managed to return Ellie’s car from where it was parked at the cabin that Tom and Neve had shared. They’d also had the foresight to bring Tom’s old truck as well, so they had two vehicles between them.
The next morning, they met with the apartment owner and signed the lease. The hours passed quickly, and before long it was time for them to head to the bar to meet the owner, Holly. A fresh layer of snow had come in during the day, blanketing the town with sparkling white. It was strange being in a town where the sun was shining during the day, since they had six months of darkness at the North Pole.
Jack stopped the truck in front of the bar and said, “Ready to see if Mrs. C was right?”
