Midnight before Christmas

by Renee George

  Table of Contents

  Excerpt

  Midnight Before Christmas

  Blurb

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Epilogue

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  Note from Renee George

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  Excerpt

  “I get it. I see your little giantess. I might have broken all the rules for her too.” Destan wiggled his brows.

  Max growled.

  “You’re too easy, bro.”

  Eustan cleared his throat. “It’s nine o’clock. We only have a few hours to get our shit together.”

  He picked up a large black duffel bag from the floor. He set it on the small dining table. The unzipped bag revealed guns, knives, grenades, flash bangs, and three swords.

  “Jesus,” Rachel said, craning her head around Max to get a better view.

  “Okay,” said Max. “Weapons covered.”

  “Wasn’t sure what we’d need, so I just grabbed as much variety as I could.”

  Destan slapped Eustan on the back. “You are the model of efficiency.”

  “Let’s make a plan.’

  Rachel put her hand out and smacked the table. All three men startled.

  “I’m going alone.”

  “No,” Max said gently. “You’re not.”

  She fisted her hands, seething at Max’s betrayal. “You promised you wouldn’t fight me about this. I can’t risk my family.”

  “I never promised.”

  “You nodded.”

  “Not a promise.”

  “It’s really not,” Destan said.

  “Shut up,” Max and Rachel said at the same time then turned their hard stares back to each other.

  Rachel put her hands on her hips, feeling ridiculous and hopeless as she faced off against a guy a foot taller than her, and had the added advantage of being someone she was definitely falling for.

  Eustan interrupted the deathly silence. “Why don’t we all agree that Max won’t let you go in without him, and we aren’t going to let Max go in without us.” He held out his hands. “It will make the planning stage much quicker.”

  Rachel crossed her arms across her chest. “Fine.”

  “Fine,” Max agreed.

  “Whatever,” Destan quipped.

  Eustan waved his hand dismissively. “Just saying.”

  Midnight Before Christmas

  Midnight Shifters, Book 5

  Renee George

  Published 2016 by Book Boutiques.

  ISBN: 978-1-944003-09-8

  Copyright © 2016, Renee George.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Book Boutiques.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, locales, or events is wholly coincidental. The names, characters, dialogue, and events in this book are from the author’s imagination and should not to be construed as real.

  Manufactured in the USA.

  Email support@bookboutiques.com with questions, or inquiries about Book Boutiques.

  Blurb

  When Max Gray is sent on a secret mission to Minnesota, the dragon shifter blows his supernatural cover to rescue champion figure skater Rachel Campbell. Even though Max must investigate other worlder vigilantes to insure his queen’s safety, Max can’t resist Rachel. Their passion is hot enough to melt glaciers. But when Rachel’s parents are put into deadly jeopardy, they must work together to save both human and other worlders in time for Christmas.

  Previously Published

  (2015) A Very Alpha Christmas Anthology

  Chapter 1

  His black hair, cut short on the sides and messy long on top, highlighted his unusually bright eyes. Over six feet tall and built like a linebacker, he’d have stood out in any room. When he shed his winter coat and placed it over his stool, Rachel Campbell’s stomach performed a double axel followed by a camel spin into a death spiral, moves she was all too familiar with. After all, she was the featured figure skater for the Super Celebrities of Ice tour. The tour had ended mid-December, which meant she’d had zero excuses for not going home for Christmas. But it didn’t mean she couldn’t get drunk with her best friend first.

  “Here you go, Rachel,” said Dawson Lars, the owner of Lars’ Bar. He handed her two Silver Lake Ice Teas, a local version of the classic cocktail.

  “Thanks, Daws.”

  “It’s good to have you back.” He smiled, his hazel eyes crinkling at the edges.

  He was a pleasant man in his early forties. Tall, thin, with blond hair like many of the men in Silver Lake, Minnesota, a town predominantly settled by Norwegians.

  Rachel smiled at him politely. “Thanks.”

  She took a long, deep sip of the lemony drink, maneuvered her way through the local crowd, and back to her table.

  “Oh my God, Ray-ray. Do you see that hunka-hunka at the bar with the dark hair, the chiseled jaw, and gorgeous eyes? He is divine.” Her best friend Callie smoothed her voluminous blonde hair then nudged Rachel’s shoulder. “I’d totally hit that.”

  Instead of screaming, “Mine!” Rachel forced her expression to stay neutral and passed Callie the second drink. Friends since middle school, Callie had always been a bit of a horn-dog. It had nothing to do with desperation. She was one of the most beautiful women Rachel had ever seen, models and actresses included. Callie just liked men… of all shapes, ages, and variety.

  In the past, Rachel focused on training and winning championships, so she’d never fought with Callie for the attention of any guy. Callie, who looked like a tall, warrior princess with big boobs had tried figure skating, but she’d never had the same passion for it as Rachel did.

  At times, Rachel envied Callie’s Amazonian beauty. Unlike her friend, Rachel had been saddled with thick thighs, wide hips, short legs, and a small chest. But her build made her powerful and gave her a low center of gravity. Perfect for explosive jumps on the ice, not so perfect for attracting men.

  “He’s cute,” Rachel said with a shrug. No way was she going to let her friend know how he made her heart race. Callie might not have been competitive about figure skating, but she was certainly competitive when it came to men.

  “Do you know who he is?”

  Rachel shrugged. “I just got back, girl. How am I supposed to know? Have you seen him around before?”

  “First time.”

  The man turned toward the center of the barroom and swept his gaze over the tables and booths. His eyes connected with Rachel’s for an instant and her insides went slushy. Oh, man. He could thaw an iceberg. She smiled, trying for cool confidence. He quirked a brow, then swiveled back around in his seat and sipped his beer.

  “Are you okay?” Callie asked.

  “Uh…yes,” Rachel said. “Why do you ask?”

  “You were smiling like a constipated baby.” Callie tilted her head sideways at Rachel. “You sure you’re okay?”

  “Yes. Jeezus.” Great. She’d tried to look confident, but had only managed to appear gassy. No wonder he’d looked away. “I need another drink.”

  Callie laughed. “Especially if you’re going to explain to your parents why you’ve been back in town for two days and you haven’t been home.”

  Rachel sighed. “I can’t take Mom criticizing my failures at the World Championships last year. I’m too old for competition.”

  “So
old. Twenty-six. You’re practically a dinosaur.”

  “In the skating world, you betcha.” She smiled as her Minnesota accent crept in. You could take the girl out of the north, but you couldn’t take the north out of the girl.

  “If you hadn’t tried to land that quadruple toe, triple lutz, and double salchow.”

  “I landed that with one foot.”

  “That’s not what the judges said.”

  “The judges were assholes.”

  Callie smiled. “You really should have won.”

  “Hellz yes.” They clinked glasses and drank up.

  “Look, Ray,” her friend said, exchanging one painful subject to another. “I can understand freezing your mom out, but what about your dad?”

  “He lets Mom walk all over me. I think that bugs me even more than her behavior.”

  “Well, tomorrow you deal with them. Tonight, we drink!” She raised her hand and gestured to the waitress lifted her glass and showed two fingers.

  The first drinks they’d had earlier had been strong, and the second one was already making Rachel feel fuzzy and warm. A third would probably put her under the table. She didn’t protest, though. If she were going to face the parents in the morning, she’d need some liquid courage tonight.

  * * * *

  Max Gray sipped his beer, unconcerned by most of the crowd. He’d been sent by his father to Silver Lake, Minnesota to investigate an anonymous tip that the Children of Caledon, a fanatical terrorist group had formed a faction in the small town. His cousin Benie and her husbands, the Triune of Caledon, were the rightful rulers. Yet, supporters of King Garrick continued to cause trouble. The man was dead, and still he made life hell for everyone.

  Max knew well the cruelty of Garrick. When Max was barely seventeen, he’d been captured and tortured. Frustrated by Max’s silent refusal to give up his family, the barbaric king removed Max’s tongue so that he would never talk again. Luckily, one of Benie’s husbands, Ian Arent, a mad scientist of sorts, had figured out a way to give Max back his tongue.

  Yet, he still had to beg Father for this solo assignment. Max needed to prove once and for all that he was just as tough, just as capable, and just as good a shadow warrior as his brothers. He needed his father to see that he was equal to Destan and Eustan.

  When his gaze landed on the beautiful and familiar-looking brunette with dark brown eyes, he didn’t linger. He felt a strong pull of desire toward her, and that confused him. No matter. He was here to discover who or what in this town was working against the crown. His father had instructed him explicitly not to engage with the targets. Observe and report. No matter how much Max wanted to be in the thick of the action, he wouldn’t disobey or disappoint Father. Not again.

  He’d heard rumors of strange activity at the bar and in the nearby area, but in the two nights he’d been here, he’d neither witnessed nor sensed any abnormalities. He wondered if the tip had been real or if someone had called it in just to throw the Shadow Warriors off the scent. His gaze wandered to the curvy, petite brunette with hips that could explode a volcano and eyes that pierced his soul.

  His cock grew hard just thinking about her.

  Fuck, he was in trouble.

  * * * *

  A man stumbled over to their table. Oh, God. Not him. Thomas “Tommy” Ritter was broadly built across the shoulders with narrow hips and long legs. She’d known him since elementary school, and he’d been a jerk since day one.

  “Hey, Cals.” He leaned over and gave Callie a kiss on the cheek then spared a glance for Rachel. “What are you doing back in town? I thought you doing some big time show.”

  “I’m back for Christmas with the folks.”

  He leered at her. “While you’re here, I’d love to show you some real moves on the ice.”

  Tommy was the star of the town’s amateur hockey league. There were some who thought he’d go pro after high school, but he hadn’t had the guts to escape small town life.

  Sometimes Rachel felt sorry for him, but not tonight. He peeked down Callie’s blouse and then raked his gaze over Rachel’s hips. He was so damned skeevy.

  “Go away,” she said.

  The smile slid from his face. “You’re still a bitch, Rachel.”

  “Come on, Tommy.” Callie’s voice was strained. “Leave her alone. She’s not in the mood.”

  A salacious grin returned to his face. “I can help your mood, baby.”

  “You sure can,” she said sweetly. “By disappearing.”

  “Rachel,” Callie warned.

  She ignored Callie and made a shooing motion. “Buh-bye.”

  Tommy grabbed her by the shoulders and yanked her to her feet.

  “Hey!” She tried to kick him, but he held her so tight she could barely move. Cold fear zipped up her spine. For a split second his eyes seemed to change color from green to red then back to green. “Get your paws off me, creep!”

  “Watch your mouth ice princess.”

  “Tommy!” Callie smacked his shoulder. “Put her down!”

  “Shut up, Cals. This ain’t about you.”

  “Is there a problem?” growled a low male voice.

  Rachel, wide-eyed and trembling, turned her head. Tall, dark, and brooding from the bar stood close enough that she could feel the heat from his skin against her shoulder. Up close, his eyes were the lightest shade of gray she’d ever seen. The man’s intimidating gaze pinned Tommy’s.

  “Release her.”

  Tommy let go of her and the momentum sent her careening into Callie. Her friend grabbed her and steadied them both.

  He winked at Rachel. “I’ll catch you later.”

  The ominous way he said “catch” made Rachel shiver. Tommy had always been cocky, but now he was downright scary. She rubbed her arms to alleviate goose bumps.

  “Are you all right?” the dark-haired man asked.

  “Yes, fine.” She watched Tommy stop to talk to a man she didn’t recognize, and then leave. That douchebag was just one more reason on a long list of reasons she hated visiting home.

  Callie thrust her hand out to the new guy. “I’m Callista Waithe.” She leaned forward to give him a nice view down her low cut blouse. “My friends call me Callie. You want to be my friend?”

  The man took Callie’s hand and gave it a brief shake. “I’m Max. Nice to meet you.” He hit her best friend with a beaming smile that created deep dimples in his cheeks. After, he turned the full force and charm of that handsome face on Rachel. She damn near swooned. “And you are?”

  “Rachel Campbell.”

  “Ooo!” Callie said. “Drinkies!”

  Her bestie took drinks from the barmaid’s tray. She handed one of the tall glasses to Rachel.

  “Here you go, Ray-ray.” She clinked their glasses. “To being home.”

  Rachel turned toward Max, but the gorgeous man had simply vanished. She swept her gaze around the room. Gone. Damn it.

  She slumped back into her chair and mumbled, “To being home,” before taking a long sip of the tartly sweet drink. Without enthusiasm, she added, “Yay me.”

  Chapter 2

  By Gods, the short beauty was gutsy. The way she’d stood up to the bully named Tommy had been oddly sexy. He was supposed to be keeping a low profile. But when the man grabbed her, Max couldn’t stop himself from intervening. His father wouldn’t have approved of him stepping in on a bar fight, but something about the lovely brunette had been so familiar, important. When he’d gotten close enough to touch her, it had taken all his willpower to keep his hands to himself.

  Then he’d remembered her.

  The woman was none other than “Frosty” Rachel Campbell, a silver medalist in the last two World Winter Games and a three-time world champion figure skater. She had a reputation for being cool on and off the ice.

  Danger, the crazy kind, rolled off Tommy in waves. He was a predator. But was he an other worlder? A Child of Caledon? Maybe.

  Thinking of the mission, Max followed him out of the bar.


  The earlier snow flurries had turned into a freaking blizzard. Max pulled his coat up around his ears. He ducked behind an old truck and observed Tommy join a group of men huddled near a luxury SUV. The huge flakes of falling snow made it impossible to get a good look at any of them. When they disbanded to different areas of the parking lot but didn’t get into any vehicles, Max went on high alert.

  For the longest time, nothing happened. He couldn’t keep his mind off a certain feisty woman. It had been a long time since Max had held such a beauty in his arms. Too long. Another pained memory surfaced. His first and last real crush had led him into a deadly trap. His father killed her for it, and Max never forgot the lesson. Don’t trust your dick, he told himself. He shook his head. With Rachel, it was more than lust. She had an indescribable allure.

  Was she other? Would she know about his kind?

  After another thirty minutes passed, the storm finally died down to a light dusting. The tiny flakes reflected moonlight as they sifted to the ground. The front door of the bar opened, and Rachel, pale and sweating, stumbled out into the parking lot. When Tommy jogged toward her, Max resisted the urge to intervene. Unless she were in real danger, he couldn’t risk blowing the assignment. His father had named his group of agents “shadow warriors,” not “in-your-face warriors,” and if Max didn’t get this right, he might be an “out-of-a-job warrior.”

  * * * *

  Rachel swayed as the cold air blew across her hot, hot face. The third cocktail had slammed her really hard after just a few sips. She’d started to feel light-headed, and the inside of the bar had taken on a dream-like appearance. Callie had gone off to flirt with some young stud in a dime-store cowboy hat, so Rachel was on her own. She needed fresh air. She inhaled deeply, smiling as the snowflakes melted on her face. The snow was the one thing, other than Callie, that she really missed about Silver Lake. The freezing temperatures invigorated her. They always had. Her head cleared a little as her core temp lowered, but she still couldn’t seem to concentrate. So, when someone took her arm and led her further out into the parking lot, Rachel didn’t fight.