A Shifter's Christmas Box Set

by Emilia Hartley

  He took the mechanic aside and bent close to keep the conversation between the two of them. She could only catch the murmur of their voices and wondered what Atticus could be saying that he didn’t want her to hear.

  Beside her, Colton shrugged and ruffled her hair before heading out. Moments later, Atticus joined her.

  “The car will be taken care of,” he assured her.

  “Who’s going to pay for it?”

  A new frame and body for the car would cost more than a new car. She didn’t have the kind of money to pay for it. If anything, she would have been better off selling it for scrap and buying a whole new car. Not that she liked the latest Volkswagen Beetles. She wasn’t even sure they made new ones.

  “It’s coming out of Devin’s account, since he was the one who did all the damage.”

  Frankie gawked at him. “You can’t be serious. There’s no way he could afford that!”

  Atticus smirked. She narrowed her eyes at him, trying to read the expression. She couldn’t tell if Atticus wanted to drain Devin’s finances as punishment, or if the dragon could actually afford it.

  Outside, Atticus paused near his new SUV. Frankie understood the need for a car, but the SUV seemed too shiny. It was clearly an expensive make, one that she would have thought far out of their budget.

  “Did you forget that Devin and I own a series of quarries in New York?”

  She paused, the information sinking in. Truth be told, she hadn’t really thought about it. She’d been too distracted by her growing feelings for Atticus to think about his income. While falling in love, she hadn’t worried about money. Now that they made the decision to stay in New York, on his reclaimed territory, she needed to make sure she could afford the move.

  Frankie stifled a groan.

  Atticus caught her sleeve and pulled her into him. “You don’t have to worry about anything anymore.”

  She shook her head. “That’s not how life works. Life is about constantly worrying. We can’t just push our problems to the side and ignore them.”

  “You’re not wrong, and I promise to talk about all of our problems so we can work through them. You should know that money will never be a problem for you again, though.” He gently touched her chin to force her to look him in the eye.

  She blinked away tears of frustration, hoping to hide them before he noticed. “I don’t understand.”

  He let out a soft laugh. “I’m a dragon, Frankie. We hoard things. Like money. The quarries have left me with a sizable fortune, even as I slept.”

  Her stomach slapped the ground before bouncing back into her middle. She couldn’t believe him. Not until she saw the numbers for herself. The new SUV and the sleek new phone he pulled out of his pocket should have been enough to convince her. Still, Atticus had to open the bank app on his phone to show her the numbers.

  She gaped. Immediately, she backpedaled away from him, holding her hands up in front of her. “I’m not some sort of gold digger. I didn’t…I’m not…I don’t want…”

  The numbers on his screen couldn’t be real. It had to be fake. She’d never known anyone with that kind of money. Only CEOs made that much. Atticus was more than a CEO, though. He was the owner of his business, one that spanned much of the state.

  Atticus laughed at her before reaching out again. Frankie hesitated. She didn’t want him to get the wrong idea. His income made her uncomfortable, like he would assume she had come looking for it when she’d fallen for him. All she wanted was a simple life with Atticus.

  Could he tell? Did he know how she felt? She promised over and over that she hadn’t known about his status as a millionaire bachelor. He seemed to find it funny.

  With one arm, he pulled her into his body and kissed the top of her head. His breath warmed her skin when he whispered in her ear. “I would buy you the moon and all the stars if that was what you wanted. You could take everything I have, and I would still love you. But I know that’s not what you want.”

  She gripped the front of his shirt. “I want you.”

  Her heart trembled, afraid to beat while she waited for his response.

  The grin that spread over his lips, as if she’d given him the world, sent her heart racing. He pulled her closer and claimed her mouth. The kiss started slow, but soon her back hit the SUV and his hands were exploring her body.

  They had to break apart when Frankie became aware of stares. She found his hand once she got into the SUV with him. Touch felt so right, like another need she needed to tend to. If she didn’t touch him, she thought she might wither and die like a plant denied sunlight.

  Atticus made it to their driveway before he put it in park and looked at the back of the SUV. “Do you think we can figure out how to put the seats down?”

  Hungry for his touch, Frankie had to stop herself from crawling into the backseat to figure it out. “Let’s not ruin the suspension on a new car.”

  Atticus growled, but it seemed he agreed because he jumped out of the SUV. He swept her off her feet and carried her inside.

  ***

  Atticus never expected to return home. He should have been in the ground, still, sleeping away his years. The universe deemed him worthy of a Christmas gift this year and brought him a mate. Not just any mate, but one who cared for him. Frankie loved him, her adoration filling her eyes when she looked at him, but their bond was more than that.

  She made sure he never put himself on the outside of the pack gatherings anymore. She drew him into the center of everything, making him feel like the beating heart of a whole new creature. Atticus was no longer a beast pacing the boundaries. He was a friend and a lover.

  Atticus kicked the door closed behind him. The house had been dusty when they first opened it. Some things had needed replacing, and a hole in the roof had cause water damage, but Frankie hadn’t cared. She had blown through the house and opened all the windows so fresh air and sunlight could brighten the dark corners.

  Now, Atticus carried her to the nearby couch and set her down before lowering himself over her. She tore his shirt over his head before raking her fingers through his hair.

  “You looked like an old man the first time I saw you,” she said.

  “I am older than you,” he said absentmindedly, lost in her touch. He closed his eyes and leaned into her hand like a cat eager for scritches.

  “Now I know your hair is white because of your dragon, not because you’re an ancient man. You’re too sexy to be a geezer.”

  He spun and nipped the tips of her fingers. She yelped and cackled with delight, holding her unharmed hand to her chest. Hungry for more, Atticus nibbled along her shoulder, over the claiming mark he’d left, over her delicate collarbone.

  He didn’t know what he’d done to deserve such a woman, but he loved her. And he lost himself in her, over and over again, until the couch creaked and she screamed his name. When they were finished, both naked and panting, Atticus carried her to the bathroom so she could clean herself up.

  Knowing they were mates had brought them together and kept them together, but there was still so much they didn’t know about one another. Atticus wanted to know everything about Frankie.

  “What’s for dinner? We can order in or make your favorite meal tonight. Your wish is my command.”

  He watched her pause, still naked. His heart did little flips every time he got to watch her bare breasts move. He felt like he was seeing something meant only for the eyes of gods. Her pale olive skin mesmerized him and stole all rational thought. Perhaps because she made his blood plummet to his groin just by glancing at him.

  “You know, I’ve been craving pasta. Maybe macaroni and cheese with some bacon. Or lasagna!” She paused and crinkled her nose. “Not lasagna. The idea of red sauce makes me nauseous for some reason.”

  “Macaroni and cheese sounds good. I’m sure we could manage that on our own.” He swiped a bathrobe off the door hanger and pulled it over her shoulders.

  Fra
nkie’s face was still twisted in thought, but she said nothing. Atticus wanted to crawl into her mind and figure out what was going on. His curiosity could wait, though. She tied the sash around her waist and followed him into the kitchen. Her silence persisted, like she was lost in thought.

  Atticus stood by as she pulled out the ingredients for macaroni and cheese. He grabbed the box of pasta she’d chosen and brought it to her attention.

  “This isn’t macaroni.” He shook the box of tiny tube noodles.

  She snatched the box away from him. Finally, her eyes sparkled and a smirk graced her features like she had returned to the present.

  “Don’t question my methods. This is how my mom makes macaroni and cheese. Would you question my mother?”

  Atticus raised his hands and backed away. He wouldn’t challenge Norma if his life depended on it. He’d seen the woman wield a wooden spoon.

  He wanted to stick around and flirt more, but a knock at the door drew him away. Devin’s scent reached him before he could even open the door. Atticus’s dragon surged toward the surface, filling his body with strength. The doorknob protested when he gripped it too hard, but he made careful effort to keep the door from going through the wall when he swung it open.

  Devin looked like a lost puppy on the steps. He scratched the back of his head like he was rethinking his visit.

  “I’m not going to rethink your demotion,” Atticus reminded his cousin.

  “No. That’s not why I came. I just wanted to check in on you two and see how you were doing.”

  Atticus wasn’t sure if he could trust Devin’s intentions. To let Devin cross the threshold felt like letting in a rat. Sure, they shared blood, but that bond was not unbreakable. Devin had destroyed it the minute he began acting like a tyrant.

  Frankie had wanted him to have a second chance, though. Her heart of gold had spared Devin so he could change. Atticus wasn’t sure his cousin was capable of change, but Frankie wanted to believe it was possible.

  Atticus had to trust his mate. She saw the good in everyone, even Devin. If she could bring Atticus back to life and make him feel whole again, maybe she could work some magic on Devin, too.

  “I smell a snake!” Frankie shouted from the kitchen.

  “Go put on clothes,” Atticus called back to her. “We have company.”

  Atticus stood guard in the doorway until he heard the bedroom door shut and open again. Once Frankie was properly dressed, he stepped aside and let Devin enter. Still, Atticus’s dragon lingered close to the surface, ready should Devin try anything.

  “The house looks…nice,” Devin noted.

  Atticus agreed. Frankie’s touch had livened up the empty house. Five years ago, it’d been too big for Atticus alone. Now Atticus imagined young dragons running the halls.

  “I’m going to need help fixing the roof,” Atticus mentioned.

  Devin nodded. For a moment, Atticus thought Devin wouldn’t say anything more, but Frankie’s mercy must have softened him.

  “I think we can tackle that pretty easily together. We wouldn’t even need tethers.”

  Atticus laughed. Dragons could fall from incredible heights. Falling from a rooftop was nothing to them. He clapped his cousin on the back. The two had separated themselves and given in to their beasts. Atticus’s beast had pulled away from anyone that could have made him feel welcome. Devin’s beast feared loss, and so it had hoarded wealth and people.

  A new path opened before both of them. Atticus could only hope that his cousin would choose to walk down it with him. He hadn’t killed Devin, and he was grateful for that. They had a chance to be a family now. Maybe Devin could even be an uncle someday.

  “Invite him in for dinner,” Frankie shouted from the kitchen. “I’m going to load his bowl with cayenne pepper and not tell him.”

  “Darling, Devin can hear you.”

  “Bring on the cayenne!” Devin shouted back.

  Atticus pulled his cousin deeper into the house as the smells of melted cheese began to fill the air. His beast no longer prowled. It dozed like a content cat, pleased with the wealth it’d found, not in money but in love.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The clock on the wall ticked down the minutes until the new year, but to Frankie, it seemed like the world had stopped altogether. She held her breath as she stared down at the plastic covered stick in her hand.

  The results had revealed themselves ten minutes ago, but she couldn’t bring herself to get up. Shock gripped her, a solid wall that blocked a storm of emotions from bowling her over. It wouldn’t last long.

  Eventually, the shock would subside, and she would have to work through the torrent of feelings waiting deep inside her. She’d told Atticus that she wasn’t ready for a family. At the time, she’d thought that was true.

  Yet, they hadn’t been as careful as they could have been. She hadn’t been on birth control because she didn’t know how effective it was for shifters, plus she hadn’t been sexually active since her change anyway. Birth control had seemed pointless until she met Atticus.

  Now that she stared down at the results of their carelessness, she wasn’t at all upset. In fact, joy bubbled deep inside her, waiting to burst out.

  Distantly, she heard the creak of someone climbing the stairs. Her family and the pack should have been downstairs, enjoying the party she and Atticus had thrown to bring in the new year together. She should have been downstairs with them, too, but she hadn’t been able to wait.

  The bathroom door slid open. Frankie jumped and hid the pregnancy test behind her back until she saw that it was only Atticus. A look of worry lined his face. She motioned for him to close the door behind him. The pack had great ears and she didn’t want everyone to know just yet.

  Atticus’s eyes fell on the test in her hand. The pink and white contraption confused him, that much was clear from the deep furrow of his brows. His nose wrinkled at the scent in the air. Frankie wanted to laugh, but pregnancy tests weren’t the most glamorous part of life.

  “I have news,” she began.

  Downstairs, everyone started the count down. Five. Four. Three. Two.

  “I’m pregnant,” she said on the count of one.

  Atticus dropped to his knees, mouth agape. At first, she couldn’t read him. Shock obscured his features. Then, slowly, it fell away and delight overcame him. He wrapped her in his arms and squeezed tight before realizing the error of his ways.

  “I shouldn’t hold you like that,” he mumbled, almost to himself.

  Frankie laughed. “This doesn’t mean I’m suddenly fragile. You can still hug me.”

  “This is sudden. Isn’t it kind of quick? Are you sure this is right?” He plucked the test from her hand and studied it.

  She knew her body felt strange. The day she had been craving macaroni and cheese, she’d nearly vomited at the thought of spaghetti sauce. That had never happened to her before. She couldn’t fathom why food would suddenly seem disgusting to her until she pulled out her phone and did a quick search on the internet.

  While the internet claimed she could be pregnant, it seemed impossible. Her period was still two weeks away. She thought she could wait it out and see, but the nausea had invaded other parts of her life. It was another sign that nagged at the back of her mind.

  When she couldn’t handle not knowing anymore, she snuck off to buy a pregnancy test, thinking it would give her peace of mind, at the very least. During the party, her mind had wandered. The possibility tugged at her, so she snuck off and opened one of the tests.

  This was not the result she expected, but she wasn’t upset. This was a whole new chapter of her life.

  A handful of days ago, Frankie met a strange man on the side of the highway. He helped her get back on the road and joined her when he had nowhere to go. She’d intended on leaving him behind. Instead, he’d stuck around and helped her find balance with the beast that had bothered her for a year.

  “I can’t b
elieve this is happening,” she whispered.

  Atticus flopped back, landing on his ass as he stared blankly at the test. Finally, when he looked up at her, a huge smile split his lips.

  “We’re going to have a baby! A family!”

  She hushed him, but it was no use. Someone downstairs heard and a hush descended over the party. She grabbed the test, pushed it deep into the trash can to hide it, and washed her hands. She couldn’t wait to throw her arms around Atticus and only paused briefly to dry her hands before throwing herself at him.

  Downstairs, a murmur filled the room. Whoever overheard Atticus’s exclamation had passed on the information until the whole room knew. All eyes were on them as they descended the stairs. Frankie’s heart tried to bail, forcing its way into her throat as if it could escape that way. Her skin prickled with the attention of everyone in the house. Yet, her wolf didn’t panic.

  The beast was too distracted by the new life growing inside her. Warmth settled low in her abdomen. She imagined her beast curling around the small child and protecting it from whatever might come their way.

  Her parents brimmed with excitement. Frankie wondered if they would still be just as excited if they knew Frankie met Atticus on the side of the road a week ago. Mating was a funny thing. It swept her up and dragged her along for a wild ride. She could have fought against the current at any time, but if she had she wouldn’t be where she was now.

  Everything she’d thought of as a curse had turned into something great. She’d suffered alone for a year, but now she knew she would never be alone. Atticus would always be by her side, and the pack would stand behind them.

  “What are you all looking at?” Atticus boomed.

  The room erupted with sound, the pack pretending to go back to their scheduled party as if they hadn’t overheard Atticus’s exclamation earlier. Frankie blew out a breath. She could tell her parents already knew. There was no need to announce it now.

  She let them pull her into a tight grasp. They didn’t know what their children had become, and if they noticed anything strange about her or Colton, they said nothing. They must have known their kids were happy.