First Christmas

by Erzabet Bishop

  “Oh well, I guess I’d better get back to my party preparations. Wouldn’t want to forget to…I don’t know…maybe rearrange my sock drawer before they show up.”

  “Ugh. You’re incorrigible.” Sonia got on her hands and knees and shuffled under the tree to find the package in question. Moments later, she held the shiny, red paper-covered box in her hand and brought it back with her.

  “Now, open it.” Fae sat back up, folding her legs beneath her.

  Sonia grumbled and did as she was asked. The paper was slick under her fingers. She let her hands roam along the seams and tried to peel back the tape without ripping it.

  “Oh, my Goddess, give me that.” Fae scowled. “You just rip it. Like this.” She grabbed hold of one end of the paper and tore, leaving the wrapping hanging off in tattered pieces.

  “Hey!” Sonia pouted. “I was getting there.”

  “So is Christmas, and, at that rate, it’s going to be here before you even get past the first piece of tape.”

  “Mean…” Sonia rolled her eyes and stared down at the ravaged package in her hands. She tugged the torn wrapping off and considered the box sitting there.

  “Open it.”

  “Okay, okay.” Sonia lifted the flap on the cardboard box, revealing two smaller boxes within. She reached inside and picked up the larger one.

  “You can open them both, but what do you want first? Naughty or nice?”

  Sonia blinked, indecision eating at her. “Naughty.”

  Fae grinned. “Good. Open that one.”

  Sonia lifted up the lid on the glossy black box. Buried within a layer of tissue paper was a wooden paddle, her name painted on the wood of the business end.

  “Oh, my God.” Sonia stared at the paddle with wonderment. She and Fae had been exploring impact play, but to have a paddle of her own… Tears prickled behind her eyelids, and she gave Fae a wobbly smile.

  “Do you like it?” Fae moved forward and took the instrument from Sonia’s hand.

  “I love it.” She wiped a tear, reaching over to place a kiss on her lover’s lips.

  “Well, I figured we could try out that nifty song about Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and see whose was brighter—his glow-in-the-dark nose or your ass after I swing in a little holiday cheer.” Fae swung the paddle.

  Sonia giggled. “You’re terrible.”

  “Yes, but you love me.”

  “I do. I really, really do.”

  “Good.” Fae’s eyes sparkled in the dim light. “Now, open your other present.”

  Sonia reached into the bag and scooped out the smaller black velvet box. “What is it?”

  “Open it, silly.”

  “You…” The little black velvet box sat there patiently waiting. Small, it loomed large in Sonia’s mind. It had to be jewelry. Nothing else looked like that. In the past, men had tried to offer her trinkets in exchange for her love, but none of those offers had been true. Not really. Just bribes for a physical bout of succubus-induced bliss.

  This was. It was real, and for a moment Sonia’s hands shook as she moved to pull apart the hinged box. The sparkling lights of the tree illuminated the diamond engagement ring as it winked against the black velvet. The trembling in Sonia’s hands increased, and the tears she had been holding back let loose with a torrent of want and need. “Fae…” she choked out.

  “I…”

  “You don’t like it.” Fae had moved away and was standing by the window, looking out at the street. “I can pick out something else if you’d rather.”

  “No! Yes. I mean, I love it. Come over here, please.” Sonia wiped her eyes and opened the box again, just to make sure she hadn’t imagined it. She picked up the white gold and diamond ring and slipped it on her finger, dropping the box to the floor. The fit was perfect.

  “Why do you do that? Don’t run away from me.” Sonia sniffled and swallowed, her voice wobbly and full of emotion.

  Fae stared at her with large eyes. “I couldn’t stand it if you said no.”

  “So ask me, then.”

  “Will you marry me?” Fae knelt next to her, a careful expression on her face when she saw the closed box on the floor next to Sonia’s feet. “We’ve only known each other a short time, but I can’t imagine a day going by without you here in my life. A night without you in my bed. A family without you in it.”

  Sonia held up her left hand, the diamond glittering as bright as any star. “Yes. Oh, yes.”

  Chapter Three

  “There’s nothing you could give me that could top this.” Sonia wriggled the fingers of her left hand and rubbed her backside, wincing at the heat that still rolled beneath her skin.

  “Hmmm. I don’t know. That Santa is full of surprises.” Fae winked and laid out the last of the party favors on the table next to the door.

  “Yeah, shiny red things.” Sonia shuddered and rubbed her sore ass.

  Fae laughed. “I hope you’re ready.”

  The doorbell rang, and a steady stream of demons and humans Sonia had seen around town paraded into their home. It was the holidays, and she knew Fae would be pleased, but Sonia was more used to social situations happening outside of her home and not in the middle of the living room. It was something she was working on. She loved Fae, and sharing the holidays with her friends was important to her.

  Sonia backed up against the wall and tried to pretend she was part of the scenery. Always, she had been on the outside looking in. She’d always felt awkward in large groups, especially during the holidays, like some part of her realized she was severed from the light and couldn’t figure out how to find it again.

  “There you are!” Monty came through the door and lifted Sonia into a bear hug. The demon was smiling, his eyes shimmering red. A large, Nordic blond man in a reindeer sweater joined him on the left.

  “Howard, how do you put up with this guy?” Sonia gasped as Monty let go and her feet touched the floor once more.

  “Easy. He makes a killer eggplant parmesan.” Howard winked, and his lips curved into a smile, revealing a hint of fang.

  Monty grinned. His eyes narrowed as he picked up on the sparkling rock hanging from Sonia’s finger. “Something I should know, kitten?”

  Sonia giggled. “Yep. She popped the question.”

  “Oh, honey.” Monty pulled her into another hug. “I’m so happy for you both.”

  “Thanks.” Sonia’s reply came out muffled as she pulled away from the demon’s chest.

  “Have fun, kitten. I need to show Howard the tree. He wants one and can’t decide on colored lights or white.”

  Sonia chuckled and turned her gaze onto the room. The party was in full swing. Laughter and holiday music filled the air with joyous frivolity. She fingered the ring and sighed. It was perfect. Jellybean romped from guest to guest, begging tidbits of food, and Fae was in her element. Dressed in her leather pants and a red, sparkling tank top, her lover was radiant. She flourished as more and more people showed up.

  Sonia drifted toward the hallway, ambling toward the stairs to the roof. It was irrational, but she needed to be by herself for a bit. She’d always been this way, alone in a crowd. It wasn’t that she was unhappy, but she was restless.

  She pushed the door open and stepped outside onto Fae’s cultivated rooftop garden. It was a space that Sonia came to whenever she felt like a fish out of water.

  The weather had been mild for December, but a storm was brewing in the distance. The scent of snow bit into her skin, and suddenly, the blue sleeveless dress she wore wasn’t enough to keep the chill at bay.

  The sigil on her arm sizzled to life, and the door to the roof opened. Magic was in the air, a winter’s kiss on the horizon.

  “There you are.” Fae made her way across the garden and smiled. “Too much holiday cheer?”

  “No, I just needed a minute. It’s been a pretty intense day.” Sonia sat down on the stone bench and winced. Her bottom was still sore, but it was a pleasant burn.

  “Do you want me to sit
with you?”

  “I don’t want to take you away from your guests.” Sonia smiled. “I just want to watch the stars.”

  Fae nodded and bent down to place a kiss on Sonia’s lips. “We’re about to start the white elephant gift exchange. Come down when you’re ready.”

  “I will.”

  The door closed, and Sonia was once again alone with the elements. A flake of snow drifted down, singular in its majesty. She captured it in her hand, the icy radiance melting upon contact with her skin.

  “That’s how I feel.” She whispered her words to the heavens. “Like I’ll burn with the heat and never, ever cool down enough to just be.”

  One after another, flakes of snow began to fall. Clouds covered the moon, and the snow began to fall in earnest. Sonia sat, letting the flakes pelt against her body. One after the other they melted. She lifted her hands once again to the gray and tempestuous sky, and one last perfectly crafted flake drifted into her hand.

  The sound of sleigh bells echoed through the night, and the merry sound of a deep belly laugh resounded through the sky. Out of the corner of her eye, Sonia thought she saw…no. It couldn’t be. Santa was a myth. Wasn’t he?

  Sonia looked down at the flake in her hand. Instead of melting, it began to change. Cold blue fire burst from the crystal of icy radiance and began to twist and shape it into something else. Something…other.

  “Goddess.” Sonia laid the throbbing ball of blue fire on the bench and backed away, uncertain what to do. Her sigil flamed on, power itching across her skin.

  The ball of fire grew, and suddenly, the light went out, leaving a white furry object still and silent in its wake.

  “Oh…” Sonia padded carefully toward the bench and knelt down, gingerly touching the creature and turning it over. A small, furry, canine face, eyes bright with winter fire, looked back at her. The little dog whined and cuddled against her hand, a tiny mop of white fur that half glittered in the white glare of the security lights.

  “Well, I’ll be.” She cradled the little pup against her breast and crooned. Her vision clouded with happy tears as the puppy snuggled into her warmth.

  She lifted the tiny snow beast into her arms and brought her inside. Fae was waiting in the hall, watching her come back down the stairs.

  “Who’s that?” Her brow arched upward.

  “It seems the heavens thought I needed someone else to care for.” Sonia grinned.

  Fae laughed. “I thought I heard Santa’s sleigh up there.”

  “What are you up to?” Sonia growled, suddenly suspicious.

  “Of all the things in heaven and earth, never ask. Just accept the gift of family.” Fae kissed her, drawing an irritated yip from the puppy in Sonia’s arms.

  “It seems like Snowball there doesn’t like getting squished between us,” Fae quipped.

  “Snowball… I like it.” Sonia eyed her lover. “You didn’t have anything to do with her, did you?”

  “Now, why would you ask that?” A dimple crept into Fae’s mischievous smile.

  Sonia shrugged. “I don’t know. You’re always full of the darndest surprises.”

  “Merry Christmas, baby.” Fae drew Sonia’s hand to her lips and pressed a kiss against it.

  “Now, let’s get back to the party. Jellybean will be waiting to meet her baby sister.”

  Sonia pressed a kiss to Snowball’s tiny, furry head and smiled.

  “Oh yeah, Perry’s here,” Fae snarked as she headed back into the fray. “He’s in the front room playing Twister with what’s-her-name, and she’s kicking his vampire ass.”

  “Charley! Her name is Charley.” But, nevertheless, a grin settled across her face. The night was somehow fuller, as the furry creature in her arms shifted and got more comfortable, her little puppy mouth opening up in a yawn, only to close again quickly.

  “I love you, little one.” Sonia stood in the doorway and watched her friends play in front of the sparkling Christmas tree. “We’re home.”

  Read the other books in the Sigil Fire series:

  Sigil Fire

  Written on Skin

  Glitter Lust

  Stay tuned for the next installments in the Sigil Fire Series

  The Violet Hour: Coming in 2020!

  Turn the page for a taste from

  Sapphic Holiday Cruise

  A Lesbian Holiday Collection

  A Taste Of

  Sapphic Holiday Cruise

  About

  This collection contains four of Erzabet Bishop's sizzling lesbian novellas. These stories are packed full of romance and lady love.

  Season’s greetings from USA Today bestselling author Erzabet Bishop!

  Join her as she whisks you away on a holiday cruise filled with romance and sexy times on the high seas. Meet an alluring pirate vixen, a boudoir photographer, and more with stories that are sure to make your season merry and bright.

  A Letter To The Reader

  Haven’t you always wanted to take a cruise? The endless buffets? The possibility of romance on the high seas? Chocolate sculptures and Broadway style shows?

  Journey with us as we ride some enchanted waves and find second chances and holiday romance hidden within the branches of a sparkling Christmas tree.

  May your holiday season be merry and bright.

  Hugs and hot cocoa,

  Erzabet Bishop

  Excerpt

  Erin Chapman stared out at the crowd, and her insides tightened. “Why did I let you guys talk me into this?” The tiny black wrap dress rested high on her thighs, hugging every curve. Her fingers fluttered along the bottom of the skirt, unconsciously pulling at the hem. The new four-inch black heels wobbled.

  For a second, Erin remained afraid she was going to topple over. She shifted her weight anxiously, resting her hands on the table as she waited with Jace for Nolan and the girls to show up. She listened to the pulse of the music, a lively upbeat version of “Jingle Bells,” and it made her smile.

  Her friends meant well bringing her on this weekend cruise, but she wasn’t really in the festive mood. They’d been good to her in her first foray into college and the big city. Just a year ago, she’d been trying to get into schools and obsessing about how to break things off with Dylan, her fiancé.

  So get over him already and move on with your life.

  “Why don't you sit down?” Jace patted a stool next to his at the tall, silver bar-style table.

  “They shouldn't be too much longer.”

  Erin laughed. “Are you kidding? Somebody I know made this skirt so short, I'd be advertising my wares before my backside even made it to the top of the stool.”

  “Spoilsport.”

  Erin rolled her eyes and tugged at the fastenings, making sure the dress stayed secured tightly, yelping when she saw the ties had almost slipped apart. Oh, god. That's all I need.

  Jace slapped at her hand, a cross expression on his face.

  “Girl, you’d better not wreck that dress. I have to turn that in for design class next week.” He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. “You’re divine. Go with it.” His boyish features sported a shock of sandy brown hair and a muscular form that would have given the football players back home in Tyson's Grove a run for their money.

  “I realize that, Jace.” Erin smiled sheepishly. “I'm just not used to wearing something this um...short.” Erin brushed her long black hair out of her eyes and tucked it behind her ear. If she’d been thinking more clearly and hadn’t been so freaked out by tonight's last-minute invitation, she would have pinned it up or something. Now it was just going to be in her eyes all night. She gave a mental sigh and watched the crowd move to the music, envious of their fearlessness.

  “You're doing me a favor. I want to see my new project come to life. Three years of fashion design, and I am going to get this one in the school show this semester.” He brandished his cell phone, and a bright white light strobed outward.

  “Jace!” Erin threw up her hands and slugged him in the ar
m. “Quit it!” Stars flickered behind her eyes as the flash momentarily blinded her.

  “Nope.” He grinned. “You're my star attraction tonight.”

  “I thought I was.” Nolan stepped up behind him and wound his arms around his lover's waist.

  “Hey, Nolan. Any sign of the girls?” Erin was thankful for the reprieve. Nolan remained the more studious of the pair. He was the one who’d answered the phone the day she’d applied for the room for rent. What might have been a horrific first time away from home was eased by the makeshift family the five of them had become over the last few months. She’d been terrified when she’d found out the dorms were already full. To find a room in the gorgeous Victorian house nearby had been total luck.

  “Nope. Not yet. When I saw them last, they were working their way up the check-in line up on deck.” Nolan pressed a quick kiss on Jace’s cheek and sent Erin an appraising glance. His firm mouth curled as if he was always on the edge of laughter, and the confident set of his shoulders never failed to communicate that he was an alpha male.

  “Nice dress. It really is stunning on you, Erin.”

  Erin blushed, smoothing her hands down the front of the sleek black dress. “Thanks. Do you think it's too short?”

  Nolan grinned, his arm around Jace. “With legs like that? No way. Come on. Live a little! Get out there and find someone to play with.”

  Jace smiled and waved at Cara and Holly, their other two roommates, as they made their way across the crowded room. An electronica rendition of “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” began to pump through the room. A grin slid across Erin’s face, despite her misgivings.

  The festive atmosphere of the ballroom was contagious, and Erin let herself relax a little. This was the first holiday she’d been away from home—the first away from Dylan, and even though her head recognized it had happened for the best, she felt nostalgic tonight. She would never forget the expression of devastation in his eyes when she’d told him what he wanted was never going to happen.