by C. W. Gray
“Tell me more about your family,” Sonny said, wishing he had put Flufflepuff next to the door so he could sit beside Leo.
“My parents are Katrin and Jesse. They met when my mom was in school. My dad lived on his parents’ farm and worked in a small auto shop in the closest town. Mom was on a road trip with her friends when their car broke down.”
“Aww.” Sonny’s bottom lip popped out and his eyes widened. “That sounds like a romance movie.”
Leo chuckled. “They met and knew they were mates right away. Mom’s parents weren’t thrilled. They’re from Germany and had wanted her to marry a bear from their homeland. They weren’t too keen on an American.”
“That didn’t stop her,” Sonny said and stuck his fingers in Flufflepuff’s carrier to pet her side.
“Nope. They mated the next day and it was done.”
“Aaron says shifters don’t do weddings,” Sonny said. He heard the sadness in his own voice, but couldn’t help it. Handfasting was an important tradition for witches.
“No, we normally just mate.” Leo looked completely unconcerned while Sonny was quietly dying inside. He had designed a handfasting dress when he was twelve and Aaron had promised to dance the bunny boogie at his wedding. “Mom’s parents moved back to Germany when I was six. They’re nice and all, but we aren’t close. Dad’s parents, on the other hand, would keep us in their pockets if they could.”
Sonny forced his attention away from his dashed dreams. “You said they weren’t happy when your parents moved to the city.”
“Nope, but they accepted it.” Leo shrugged. “That’s what parents do, right? They let Dad and Mom start their own dream. Grandpa and Grandma were raised in the country and always planned on farming. That was their dream.”
“What’s your dream?” Sonny leaned over Fluff’s carrier and watched his mate carefully.
Leo eyed him in amusement. “I’m simple enough. I want to work at the garage and have a family of my own. What about you? You love Myrtle’s shop, don’t you?”
Sonny nodded. “I guess I’m also simple. I want to run the shop and help people. I want my own family too.” We fit perfectly, honey bear. Be my mate. “What about your brothers and sisters?”
“Coleen is great with the customers. She’s a beta and loves socializing of all kinds. She has a good head for marketing too. Rosemarie is her twin and an alpha. She’s the exact opposite in personality. She likes nothing better than being alone with her head in the engine of a truck. Then there’s Thorwald. He’s older than me, but younger than the twins. He’s an alpha and loves the omegas. Mom and Dad worry that he’ll never want to settle down. Then there’s Niels. He’s the youngest and the only omega. He loves working at the shop, but he writes too. One day, he’ll be famous.”
Sonny counted in his head. “There’s one more, right?”
“Burkhart,” Leo said. “He’s the eldest and an alpha.”
“What’s he like?” Sonny watched his mate, puzzled. Leo had been open about the others.
Leo was quiet for a moment. “You have to promise not to fall in love with him.”
Sonny covered his mouth to hide his laughter, but it spilled over anyway.
“You laugh, but it happens all the time,” Leo said, making an annoyed sound. “He’s a lot like me in that he’s laid back, but he has fucking abs of steel.”
Sonny leaned back in his seat and cackled like the witch he was. I need to stop spending so much time with Myrtle.
“I’m serious,” Leo said, shaking his head. “He’s all quiet and brooding too. Omegas go crazy for him.”
Sonny wheezed for a moment, then caught his breath. “I promise I won’t fall in love with your brother.”
“Thorwald too. He’s good-looking and takes after Mom’s side of the family, so he’s blond and buff.”
Sonny snickered. “Blond and buff.”
“Do you know how many boyfriends I’ve lost to them?”
Sonny sobered, frowning. “They took your boyfriends?”
“Well, they didn’t really take them,” Leo said slowly. “They never dated them, but four of my past boyfriends broke up with me in the hopes of hooking either Burk or Thor.”
“Oh,” Sonny said. “As long as they aren’t being cruel. I’d have to try out Myrtle’s favorite curse on them.”
“Turning their dicks into snakes?” Leo shuddered. “I love her, but Myrtle scares me sometimes.”
“I promise I won’t fall in love with your brothers,” Sonny said. “I make no promises about falling in love with your Grandma. If she gives me pretty shiny things, I’m hers.”
Leo smiled fondly. “I’ll share you with her.”
Sonny bit his lip. “How do your parents and siblings feel about me?”
Leo watched the road in silence, eyes wide.
“Leo?” Sonny narrowed his eyes. “How do they feel about me?”
“Uh, well… The thing is…” Leo trailed off.
“Leo!”
“They don’t know,” Leo said, squeezing the steering wheel. “I haven’t told them about you.”
Sonny felt tears fill his eyes. He sank into the seat. “Are you ashamed of me?”
“What?” Leo cursed and started weaving through traffic. “No, I’m not ashamed of you, sunshine.” He pulled to the side of the road and put the truck in park before turning to Sonny. “I’ve been worried my family will scare you off. Dillion never took their teasing well and he thought they were too lowbrow or something like that.”
Sonny sniffled and punched Leo’s arm. “I’m not Dillion. He’s an idiot, but I’m not.”
Leo reached over the carrier and cupped his face. “Swear you won’t run once you meet my family. Please?”
“I swear I won’t run,” Sonny said. “If they’re truly terrible, I’ll turn them into pecan pies, but I won’t leave you.”
Leo’s smile was shaky, but he pulled back into traffic. “I’ll do my best to make sure you don’t regret it, sunshine.”
By the time they got to the farm, Sonny was tired of looking at the snow-covered trees. There were too many of them. “I hate trees.”
Leo chuckled. “How can you say that? You’re a witch and love all that nature stuff.”
“Trees ate my mother.” Sonny yawned. “Plus, they’re boring.”
“Wow. Here I thought your mother lived a few blocks away,” Leo said dryly. “I never knew of this tragedy you speak of.”
“Seriously though,” Sonny said, glaring at the woods around them. “Gnomes live in forests and they kinda hate witches. At least that’s what Myrtle told me.”
Leo turned into a long, rough driveway. “Be honest with me. Besides your trips to Myrtle’s sister, have you ever left the city?”
“Once.” Sonny bounced in his seat as the truck hit a particularly deep hole. “My parents made me go to a summer solstice camp for kids. It sucked big time. I found all the poison ivy patches and a racoon tried to eat Flufflepuff.”
Leo pulled the truck to a stop outside of a large farmhouse decorated in lights. “How old is Fluff?”
“I got her when I was nine,” Sonny said. “Familiars live longer than regular pets.”
“Oh,” Leo said, then frowned. “Shit, here they come.”
In seconds, the truck was surrounded by big, dark-haired bears. Oh, there’s a blond. Must be Thorwald. “There’s more than five of them.”
“My cousins are in there too, along with my aunts and uncles.”
“Leo,” Sonny said, growling. “I haven’t even met your parents yet. Won’t they be mad at you for springing this on them at the last minute?”
“They’ll be fine, sunshine,” Leo said, giving him a nervous smile. He glared and beat on the windshield when one of the smaller ones slid onto the hood of the truck. “Go away!”
“Hi.” A woman appeared at Sonny’s door and opened it. She unbuckled his seatbelt and picked him up out of the car, carrying him in her arms. “I like your boots. Are you Leo’s witch? You
made our parents traumatize us.”
“Damn, Leo,” Thorwald said, opening Leo’s door and punching his shoulder. “Your witch is hot. Nice job.”
The largest of the bears raised his hands in the air. “I’m the witch’s secret Santa! I have the perfect gift for him.”
“That’s not fair, Burk,” an older woman said. She stood on the porch and watched them all in amusement. “You were already given a secret Santa, and I just happen to have a gift for Sonny.”
“You know him?” A tall blonde woman asked. She was one of only two blondes. Leo’s mom. Katrin.
“Yes, I do.” The older woman smiled at him. “I’m Janine, sweetheart. Leo’s grandma. That’s Rosemarie who’s carrying you. Bring him into the house, Rose. It’s cold out here.”
“I have his cat,” Burkhart said, holding up Flufflepuff’s carrier. “It’s cool. We met a few days ago.”
The man beside Janine smiled at Sonny. “I’m Ronald, Leo’s grandpa. Welcome to our home, Sonny.”
Chapter 4
Leo watched the door while Sonny unpacked. He didn’t trust that his family wouldn’t chase them into the bedroom and ask more questions or say rude things.
“I can’t believe your sister carried me into the house.” Sonny snickered and hung a dress in the closet. “What do you think Burkhart is going to give me for Christmas? How can he possibly have a gift for me without knowing I was coming?”
Leo ran his tongue over his teeth and narrowed his eyes. Did the doorknob just twitch?
“It’s just noon. What do you think we’ll do today? Christmas is a few days away, but the winter solstice is tomorrow. I didn’t see a tree downstairs. I thought your family always did a tree. Oh, do you think they’ll mind if I do a few blessings and hang some mistletoe?”
Leo smiled as Sonny rambled. He’d noticed his mate’s nerves, but Sonny was handling it well. Dillion would have already run for the hills, or would have been complaining non-stop. My sunshine isn’t Dillion.
“I really like Janine and Ronald.” Sonny slipped under his arm and hugged him. “I wish my grandparents were as accepting as yours.”
Leo closed his eyes and snuggled his witch. “They’re not so bad.” The door flew open and Rosemarie and Niels came in. “These two, on the other hand…”
“Can you make a potion to turn someone green?” Niels asked, sitting on the bed. “I’m asking for a friend.”
“Forget him,” Rosemarie said, shoving Niels to the side to steal his spot. “He’s just mad at Thor. I have a more important question. There’s this omega named Kate that just started working at the coffee shop down the street. She’s a black bear shifter. Can you do a spell to see if she likes me? I think she may be my mate.”
Leo’s mouth dropped open. “Rosemarie, that’s big. Do you really think she’s your mate?”
His sister flushed, then shrugged. “Maybe. I haven’t spent a lot of time with her and you know my nose is a bit funny.”
“What do mean?” Sonny asked, frowning.
“Had a birth defect,” Rosemarie said gruffly. “My nose is about as good as yours. Shifters sense their mates through scent.”
Sonny moved to the bed and set Flufflepuff in Rosemarie’s lap. “When we’re back in town, I’ll do a scrying for you. I’ll need something that belongs to her. A hair would be best.”
“Thanks, Sonny.” Rosemarie stroked Flufflepuff’s back. “Leo, Dad wanted me to tell you we’re hunting the tree in about thirty minutes.”
Sonny looked delighted. “We’re actually going to hunt a Christmas trees in the woods?”
Niels snorted. “No. They all get drunk and go to the Christmas tree farm down the road to get a tree. Rosemarie gets to be one of the three designated drivers this year.”
Sonny looked a little nervous. “Is there a gnome village nearby? Will the Christmas tree farm be safe?”
Rosemarie turned her cough into a laugh. “There is a small gnome village north of here. Please tell me you aren’t afraid of gnomes. They’re sweet and adorable.”
Sonny shuddered and Leo hugged him again, doing his best to hide his laughter.
Niels grinned. “You should stay with me and make Christmas cookies. No gnomes here.”
Sonny smiled shyly. “Okay.”
“Now, about turning people green?”
“What exactly did Thorwald do to you?” Sonny asked, raising a brow. “There are a lot of things we can do that may be better revenge than just turning him green.”
Rosemarie grinned. “On that note, Leo and I are going to start preparing for the hunt.”
“By that she means start in on Grandma’s eggnog.” Leo kissed Sonny’s cheek. “You sure you’re okay staying behind?”
“Of course.” Sonny looked down his nose. “I’m an adult and perfectly capable of making some cookies with your brother.”
Leo followed Rosemarie out the door. “Niels will watch out for him, right?”
Rosemarie blew her bangs out of her eyes. “You worry too much. He’s really nice Leo. You shouldn’t be jerking him around. What are you going to do when you meet that perfect omega bear and mate? Sonny has the feels for ya. I can tell.”
Leo frowned. He needed to tell them that Sonny was his mate, but he hadn’t even talked about it with Sonny. It didn’t seem right.
“That’s my worry too.” Katrin waited for them at the bottom of the stairs, arms crossed. “You haven’t told us anything about this person, Leo.”
“Bah, you worry too much Katrin,” Ronald waved her away and handed Leo a large glass of eggnog. “We need to go get the tree. Your grandma is itching to decorate it tonight.”
A few eggnogs later and Leo wasn’t worrying too much. Several Rocchi family members wandered the Christmas tree farm, looking for the perfect tree. Loud laughter and mock fights drew the glares of the owners, but Grandpa smoothed things over as usual.
“Bro, your witch is so hot,” Thorwald said, swaying slightly. “Damn, those legs of his go on for miles. He’s short, but still manages to have long legs. How is that possible?”
Leo gritted his teeth and forced back his growl. He propped himself up against one of the trees, dizzy for a moment.
Burkhart hugged one of the other trees. “This tree is too skinny. I like some padding on my trees.”
Thorwald hugged the tree next. “Yeah, way too skinny.” He looked at Leo. “Your witch has some nice, lean muscles on him too, but that ass, damn, that ass is perfectly plump.”
Burkhart shoved Thorwald out of the way and hugged the next tree. “This is it. This is our tree!”
Thorwald hugged the tree too. “Oh yeah. These are some nice branches.”
“Dad,” Burkhart yelled. “We found our tree.”
Jesse, Ronald, and a few of Leo’s uncles came through the trees. “What are you boys doing?” Jesse asked, shaking his head.
“This is our tree, Dad.” Burkhart hugged it again. “I can feel it.”
A bear walked past them, grumbling softly. Another one, smaller than the first, pranced past, shaking his head.
“Damn it, Ronald. There are six bears wandering around.” The owner shook his fist at them. “I told you before. If any of you break one of the trees rubbing your back on it, you have to buy it. I wish ya’ll hibernated in the winter.”
Rosemarie jogged over. “We may have already broken three.”
“We’ll round everyone up,” Ronald said, slapping his friend on the back. “We’ll take this tree that my grandsons are hugging and the three we ruined.”
The owner shook his head. “You are annoying as hell, but you do make me money. Move your drunk asses to the empty plot next door while I ring you up.”
“Snowball fight,” Burkhart yelled and started stumbling toward the field. “Grandpa, I’m kicking your ass.”
“I’d love to see you try, boy,” Ronald said and ran after Burkhart.
“I’d love to see Sonny naked,” Thorwald said, stumbling into Leo. “You’re a lucky bear, bro.”
Leo pushed him away, frowning.
Jesse wrapped his arm around Leo’s shoulders and steered him toward the field. “I’ve been meaning to ask. That man you brought, he dresses a little strange, doesn’t he? I know you boys are gay, but that doesn’t mean you gotta wear girly clothes and jewelry.”
Leo’s face went hot and he shoved his dad away. A cold snowball hit Jesse in the face, startling both of them.
“That’s just stupid talk, Jesse,” Ronald said. “Sonny’s gender fluid and wears whatever he feels like wearing. Nothing wrong with that.”
“Huh,” Jesse wiped snow from his face. “I heard of that. Does that mean I shouldn’t call him him? Damn it, I already messed it up.”
“Janine says he uses male pronouns,” Ronald said, then looked at Leo. “That’s right, isn’t it?” He stumbled into his son, and stuffed a handful of snow down the back of his coat.
Jesse yelped and danced around.
Leo smothered his laughter. “Yeah, Grandpa. He says male pronouns are usually easier for people to remember so he goes by them.”
Ronald frowned. “But is that what he wants?” He rubbed his eyes. “I think I drank too much.”
“I’ll remember, son,” Jesse said, shaking the snow out of his coat. “I’ll ogle it.”
Rosemarie pushed their cousins toward the field. “You mean google it, Dad.”
“I’m gonna ogle Sonny when we get home,” Thorwald said, smirking.
Burkhart tackled him and the two rolled around in the snow.
Roemarie gave Leo a wide-eyed look. “You okay there, Leo? I’ve never heard you growl like that before. You’re the most laid back of us.”
“I’m fine,” he said through gritted teeth. “When are we going home?”
“Looks like the trees have been loaded,” Ronald said. “Let’s get you back to your witch.”
Chapter 5
Sonny wiggled in his chair, uncomfortable with the stares Katrin and Coleen aimed at him. Their expressions were almost identical even though the two women looked very different. He could only describe it as icy empathy. I should have braved the gnomes and gone drunken Christmas tree hunting.
