Squirming in my seat, I looked all around. I counted six men surrounding us as a voice above said, “Send the girl out and no one will get hurt.”
Rock shook his head and laughed. “I think you must have us confused with someone else. You are the ones who need to leave before you get hurt.”
I knew Rock and Mikey were part of Santa’s Enforcers, but I hadn’t seen them fight outside of practice. Lizzie told me about their trip to Lapland before she married Palo, and how they all fought tooth and nail to protect my dad and Lizzie.
Lizzie had special powers to calm the wild beasts. I wish I had those abilities, even just a small amount. I knew I was never meant to be Mrs. Claus because I had very little ability with magic; only a future Mrs. Claus developed magical gifts.
Thinking to myself, I calculated how it would be possible for the three of us to each take on two at a time. From the scent and their lack of fear, I knew they were shifters. The smell was similar to that of the beast who swooped down and rescued the shifter that tried to attack me in the alley earlier in the evening.
“Are all of these guys dragons? Can they breathe fire?” I whispered, hoping our enemy couldn’t hear me.
“Yes, I think they are. As for the fire, I don’t really know. Can you still manipulate the wind?” Rock turned in his seat looking me in the eyes.
“What good would it do? They can shift and fly through my weak wind.” I had hardly practiced since going to college.
“I won’t ask again. Send her out, and we’ll let you leave.” The guy said after he jumped off the roof. “And yes, we can breathe fire. So don’t bother trying anything.”
When I heard another thump on the top of our van, I knew we were in trouble. They had called in reinforcements.
“Mandy, stay in the van with your protectors. Don’t come out.” The new voice from above sounded familiar, but with the metal of the van between us, and the pounding of blood in my ears, I couldn’t hear clearly.
“What do we do?” I asked Rock and Mikey.
“We get out of here and don’t come back.” Mikey drove straight toward the man who had been standing in front of our van.
A sound came from above us, like wings flapping. Our vehicle bucked, and it felt like an earthquake. Then a figure moved so quickly in front of the van, I couldn’t make it out. All I saw was a black blur, before the man who had been in front of us shot up into the sky like a rocket.
“Do you know your savior?” Rock raised an eyebrow.
“I don’t think so. It was too difficult to hear his voice clearly. What happened, Rock?” I turned in my seat but couldn’t see out the back due to the boxes blocking the rear windows.
“It looked like your friend scared them all away. He grabbed the man who was in front of us before Mikey could run him over.”
We continued onto the highway, heading south on I-5 toward Renton.
Mikey pulled into the small municipal airport and drove to a plane which was sitting off to the side of the runway. Mikey and Rock both did the pre-flight check looking for anything out of the ordinary.
“I doubt they knew which plane was ours, but let’s double-check nothing has been tampered with,” Rock said as he opened up what looked to be some mechanical area of the plane.
When I was settled in with my seatbelt on, I thought about the voice of the guy who appeared to have saved us. Was it Jax? Could he be a dragon, too? If he was, he didn’t come from the same clan as the others who attacked us tonight. Their scent was the same as the guy in the alley- a stifling scent of sulfur. They were all from the same clan.
Jax had a much cleaner scent, even though he did have a touch of sulfur. Which was what made me thing he was a dragon, too.
Why? Why would anyone want to take me away? Why would someone save me?
A memory was nagging in the back of my mind, something Jax had said earlier. I had brushed it off like he was joking. He said he rescued damsels in distress for a living.
Is it possible Jax is a dragon shifter and he works as a sort of superhero?
Chapter 4
“Oh! Mandy! I was so worried about you! I called mom and dad, and they’re heading home right away!” Lizzie was inside the hangar waiting for me when I disembarked from the plane.
“Lizzie! Why’d you do that? I’m fine now. No one is going to come after me here at home. Plus, we have an entire pack of Enforcers. I’m fine. Really, I am.” I didn’t need my mom hovering over me while my hormone induced sister also suffocated me with her worry.
Lizzie was pregnant with her second pup, which was why I had originally decided to come home to help with Christmas. She was tired a lot, and Palo worried about her. I would have thought that after the first one, they would have calmed down a bit, but no. I wasn’t sure, but it kinda seemed like they were worse this time around.
“You know mom and pop would have a fit if something happened to you.” She hugged me so tight I had trouble breathing.
“Fine. Just let me breathe.” I got out with what air was left in my lungs.
When she let me go I coughed in a cold, arctic mouthfull of sharp air. I was home. Seattle was great, but it wasn’t home. Nowhere compared to the North Pole. This was the only place I could be myself and breathe clean air at the same time.
Seattle was fun, but the air was tainted from all of the pollution. Plus, I couldn’t shift whenever I felt like it, having to hide my true nature.
“I need some time for a run. How about I take off now and join you guys for dinner in an hour or so?”
In Seattle I didn’t get to run freely like I did at home.
Sure, the forests surrounding the Puget Sound were large enough for me to get in long runs in my wolf form, but they never got snow like we did here. The saying, “pure as the driven snow” must have come from someone who had been to the North Pole, or Santa’s Workshop.
“Okay, but take Rock with you. I don’t want you going anywhere outside the village unless you have a guard.” Lizzie pointedly looked at me, knowing I was heading to the cave we all enjoyed when we were kids. It was on the very outskirts of the protective dome covering our village and keeping the all-seeing satellites out of our business.
My shoulders slouched, “Fine. Rock do you want to go for a run?” I asked, trying not to sound disappointed. I knew he would say no, he always said no.
“Sure, just let me take someone to your house to help Mikey Jr. unload your boxes, and I’ll accompany you. Don’t leave without me.”
Rock took off at a jog, leaving me with my mouth hanging open.
“You’re welcome.” Lizzie’s smug smile greeted me before she turned to head back home.
Hmm, if dealing with the bad guys meant Rock will be around more often, then maybe it isn’t such a bad thing, after all. I just had to keep my heart in check. It has taken me four years to stop pining after the hottest wolf in our pack.
While I stood there thinking about how much fun I was going to have with Rock, he came back, ready to run.
“Where did you want to go?” Rock’s smile told me he knew where I wanted to go.
“Maker’s Rock. Where else?” I tossed my hair over my shoulder before turning to undress and shift.
Being naked in front of the males of my pack was nothing new. I grew up with this. None of the guys ever leered at us. In fact, if we didn’t move away before taking off our clothes, they would turn around until we had shifted. Even though nudity was nothing, they still knew how to act as gentlemen.
After I shifted, I turned back to see the magic surrounding him as he shifted. It never got old, watching someone shift. It looked like a mini snow storm surrounded their human form and a cloud covered them. Once the cloud dissipated, a stunningly white arctic wolf stood in their place. Our entire existence was something from a fairytale.
“How does it feel to be home?” Rock asked through the mental connection my entire pack shared when we were in wolf form.
“Great, but I wish it were under different circumst
ances. Do you know what’s going on? Has another group tried attacking Santa, or others in my family?”
“How long has it been since you’ve been home?” Rock was hiding something, I could feel it. Plus, changing the subject is just so obvious.
I would have to wiggle some information out of him while we were on our run.
When in our wolf form, I had the ability to sense when someone was holding back. It was probably some leftover Christmas Magic which blessed all of us in the Kringle household. I had bits of abilities here and there, but nothing very strong.
“Race you to the edge of town?” I heard Rock challenge as we walked out of the hangar.
“You’re on!” I challenged right back as I passed him.
Rock was one of the toughest wolves in my pack; I knew I needed an edge if I were to stand a chance at beating him. Lizzie could always beat him, but she had all of the Christmas Magic filling her up.
Me, not so much.
“Ha ha! I won!” It was close but my nose was in front of his.
“No way! Even with cheating like you did, there’s no way you beat me. My nose passed the line first.”
At the edge of town there was an invisible line we all could see and sense that others couldn’t. It was a magical barrier designed to keep out anyone who wanted to harm us. After what happened to my Uncle Kris way before I was born, this barrier showed up. We all instinctively knew what it was without our Alpha, Santa, having to tell us.
“Don’t worry, Rock, everyone will still love you when they hear a girl beat you!” I snickered through our connection. It may have been a bit immature, but I was soaking up my win. I knew it wouldn’t happen again.
“Mandy, it was a close match, but I won. Just admit it, and we can move on and have a great run.” It sounded like grunting through our connection. Typical male response.
“No way, sugar pie! I owned it! Just admit it, and we can move on and enjoy the rest of our time away today.” My tongue lolled to the side as I continued to run at full force.
While I panted to keep up, Rock seemed to be enjoying the fast pace he set for us. I couldn’t let him think that after beating him I couldn’t keep up. I was going to do my best to match his pace.
Something came at me from the side, and I rolled around through the snow before coming to a stop just short of a tree.
I was on my back, and a wolf had his maw around my throat, growling.
“You will not cheat when racing your Beta. Do you understand?” It was Rock’s voice but it didn’t sound upset- it sounded playful.
While the teeth around my neck were a surprise, they did not hurt. Rock had tackled me and made me submit to his authority.
“What’s the matter, worried the pack might like me more than you once they hear I beat you?” I tried to rile him up.
He’d never interacted like this with me before. If I didn’t know any better I would say he was flirting with me. Males only latch onto a female’s neck without hurting her when he is trying to demonstrate something in training, or when he is courting her.
Something inside my gut told me to be careful, while my heart was soaring with the possibility he might be interested in me as more than the stupid little sister of his Alpha’s mate.
“No, you need to learn to lead by example, Mandy. You can’t keep acting like a child and expecting everyone to smile and accept your antics.” He let go of my throat and moved away so I could stand on all fours again.
“Geesh, I was just having a little fun. Who peed in your eggnog?” It had been going so well. I thought maybe he realized I had grown up and would at least treat me like a friend instead of the unwanted family member visiting for Christmas.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Are you alright?” His head dipped in what could only be described as sadness. His eyes lost the glimmer they had earlier when we were racing.
“I’m fine. You didn’t hurt me. Snow works well to soften falls. Let’s keep heading to Maker’s Rock.” What has got into him?
I thought back through our race and the conversation we had, and couldn’t figure it out. He had never seemed prone to mood swings before.
“What was that all about back there? Why were you so upset?” I sent through our connection.
“Tonight, after dinner, Santa is going to have a talk with you regarding what’s been going on lately. I wish I could tell you now, but I’m sworn to secrecy. What he has to say has been weighing on me heavily. I’m sorry I let my anger get the better of me.”
Once Santa made any of us swear to secrecy we physically couldn’t tell a word. I’m surprised Rock was able to tell me about the meeting.
“So, someone did pee in your eggnog, then.” I said, trying to keep the mood light.
The sound of a wolf laughing is more like a goose honking. Rock sounded so silly I couldn’t help but join him in a hearty round of laughing. Which of course, meant I sounded like a honking goose as well.
“How about we set up a run for tomorrow morning before breakfast so we can discuss what I learn tonight? I have a feeling I’m going to need a friend.”
“Of course. I’ll meet you outside your house at first light. Now, let’s get to the cave and see if anyone is hanging out there today.”
“Last one there has to get firewood if we’re out!” I shouted through the mental connection as I raced to the mouth of the cave that all pups grow up spending time in.
“Not again! Will you never learn to not cheat?” I heard through my connection to Rock as he sailed past me.
The rat had been holding out on me earlier!
Even with cheating, I would never be able to beat him in a race.
“You’re in luck. Looks like the new class has already stocked the place for us.” Rock was lounging in front of the unlit fire pit directly in the middle of the large cavern.
I had spent many nights in there, plotting and planning how I would get Rock alone with me, and here we were. All alone.
“Fantastic! Now who’s going to shift and start the fire?” I winked the best I could in wolf form, hoping he would shift.
While I wouldn’t ogle his jingle bells, I would steal a glance at his bare, finely chiseled chest whenever I could.
The guys may have been gentlemen about us shifting, but the girls weren’t as lady like as we wanted everyone to believe. We figured human men went around shirtless all the time, so it couldn’t be too bad for us to check out the strong chest of a guy or two every once in a while.
I had memorized every smooth line and hard ridge on Rock’s chest before I left for college. I never wanted to forget what he looked like. I’d certainly gotten my fair share of human male chests since.
Never, even in my wildest dreams, did I imagine so many human men walked around shirtless in public! It was an eye-opening experience. Some men had hairy chests, while others had smooth, hairless chests. My freshman roommate, Silvie, told me some of them actually shaved! College taught me so many things I could never learn in a book.
Well, in a book my parents wouldn’t kill me for having.
None of those chests compared to Rock’s.
I didn’t need to worry about either of us shifting, or about having time to enjoy being alone with Rock for the first time as an adult. Mikey Jr. showed up in his human form and ruined the mood.
Not that there was really any mood to ruin, I was just enjoying talking to Rock, and him actually talking to me! I couldn’t remember a time when he had actually said so much to me, or seemed to enjoy being near me.
“Hi, guys! I knew you would come here,” Mikey said as he took off his jacket and started the fire.
“I brought your clothes in case you felt like shifting back. Along the way, I found a couple of rabbits. I thought we could enjoy a roasted snack before dinner with the boss.”
A black backpack fell to the ground from his right hand, while his left hand hoisted the two rabbits up by their ears, their necks already broken.
I sauntered over to the b
ag, picked it up with my teeth, and headed to the small alcove in the back used for changing. This would leave Rock in his wolf form while I shifted and dressed. It also meant I might get a glimpse of his perfect pectorals after all.
When I came back fully dressed, Rock was sitting on the sofa. A blanket was wrapped around his waist, and his chest on was display for me.
I couldn’t have asked for a better picture.
I gulped down my sigh and wiped at the newly formed perspiration forming across my forehead. Rock really was the epitome of what a man should look like. Strangely, all of our males had smooth chests. I doubted any of them shaved. I would have expected them to have hairy chests, since they shifted into a hairy beast.
Maybe their bodies save the hair for their wolf form?
“Here, the alcove is all yours.” I threw the backpack next to him on the couch. “I think it’s time for the new initiates to come and clean up, though. There were quite a few empty soda bottles and candy wrappers back there. If we aren’t careful, a polar bear might try to claim this space again.”
I had heard the stories of how a couple of polar bears had tried to take over our cave when someone had left food in here.
Ever since then, we’ve had a strict rule of taking our trash with us every time we leave. We also had a tightly sealed footlocker where we kept some spare food and drinks for when we had sleepovers in here. The rule was that only those thirteen and older could. The younger pups could never keep it clean, plus their parents didn’t want them so far from town by themselves.
Obviously, we were all well over the allowed age.
I actually enjoyed my afternoon with both Rock and Mikey Jr. They got me up to date on the latest gossip of who was dating who and who liked who. Plus, a couple of my friends had been mated to males in other packs. They had sent me letters, but it was nice to hear the guys’ version of the events.
“I don’t know how Maria’s dad ever agreed to her mating with Dean! I swear he’s an Omega. If his uncle wasn’t their pack Beta, I doubt he would have had the title of Beta. The wolf is afraid of his own shadow!” Mikey bellowed as he doused the flames of our fire.
Miss Claus Under The Mistletoe (A Shifter Christmas Romance Book 2) Page 3
