by Dannika Dark
He scratched the side of his nose and looked around, overcome by the heavy floral perfume.
The woman appeared beside him and presented a pot of poinsettias. “This should do it. They’re perfect for the occasion.”
He cringed when he looked at the blood-red foliage. It was all wrong. “Mind if I just look around for a minute?”
Her gaze darted to the front window and then up at the clock on the wall. “They said a band of snow showers is moving in soon. I want to get home before dark.”
“No worries, ma’am. I’ll be quick.”
Adam turned on his heel and studied the flowers inside the cooler, most of them roses. As he moved around the room, he approached a bouquet he couldn’t take his eyes off of—one he knew would make an impression. “Do you think you can sell me these without all the purple flowers?”
She weaved around the tables and collected the vase of white daisies. “I can do that, but the price will be the same.”
Adam didn’t concern himself with bargains anymore. People had to eat and earn a living, so as long as he wasn’t being swindled, he paid what was on the price tag.
After the lady plucked out the purple flowers and added a few more daisies to fill in the gaps, she emptied the water out of the vase and carefully wrapped the stems before rolling up all the flowers in cellophane. Adam didn’t need the vase, and Silver had plenty lying around.
While the woman counted out his change, he took the flowers and carefully tucked them inside his pack.
“I had to cut the stems down a little so they’d fit,” she said, handing him a few bills and small change. “I just don’t know. Daisies can be so fussy. Good luck, and merry… happy holidays.”
“Merry Christmas,” he said, heading out the door.
The icy wind assailed him, and flecks of snow stuck to his neck. He slid on the warm helmet and cursed under his breath, wishing he’d worn something more waterproof than his brown leather jacket. Then again, he hadn’t planned on taking this little detour.
Adam started the engine and eased onto the road. Snowflakes were sticking to his visor, and every so often he’d swipe his arm over it. He really needed to break down and buy a car, but man, nothing beat the freedom of a bike on the open road. Even out in crazy-ass weather like this.
When he finally reached Silver’s building, he pressed his finger against the thumbprint scanner, and the underground garage door opened. Adam was on the approved list for garage access only; he didn’t have permission to enter the building.
After parking his bike and setting the helmet on the back, he headed toward the doors and buzzed Lucian’s apartment.
No one answered. Then he tried Levi.
“Come on. Someone answer,” he grumbled.
When no one buzzed him in, he rang the intercom in the family room downstairs. While he waited, Adam kicked the sludge from his boots and dusted off his jacket. His jeans were saturated, and he wasn’t sure if he could feel his legs anymore.
“Yes?” a bright voice answered.
“It’s Adam,” he said, uncertain to whom he was speaking. “I’m in the garage.”
The door buzzed, and he went inside a stairwell that led up to the ground floor. He reached a door and waited patiently. This one had a retinal scanner. Justus and all his top-secret shit, he thought to himself. It amused him—took him back to the days when he and his buddy Knox used to break through security systems like this.
When the door swung open, Adam was greeted by a fetching woman in cowboy boots and a knee-length blue dress with tiny white flowers. Sadie’s blond hair was wavy and unkempt, and she had an untamed beauty about her that made him think of wild mustangs.
He leaned his arm against the doorjamb. “Life treating you well, Kitten?”
She smirked. “Come on in, Scratch. You’re just in time for the ceremonial raising of the tree.” Sadie spun on her heel and strutted away with a carefree swing in her step. “You should just see what—”
“Sadie?”
She quietly turned and centered her eyes on his. They were a milky green with flecks of orange, something Adam noticed every time he saw her. Sadie Cross was the baby of the family—born human and given up at birth to be raised outside their world. It was common practice among Chitahs, but fate had brought her back into their lives.
Maybe Adam had a little something to do with that.
Years ago, Adam had made a private agreement with Novis to offer her immortality as a Mage. He was certain her brothers wouldn’t protest if it meant not having to watch her age and die, but they factored little in his decision. Adam had fallen in love with Sadie nearly the moment they met but kept it a secret. Novis agreed that after her thirtieth birthday, he would offer her immortality even though there was no guarantee she would accept. Adam’s agreement with Novis had to remain secret or else Novis would rescind his offer. Novis felt it was important that Sadie not be influenced and that her decision was one of free will and not a condition of love.
So Adam backed off from pursuing her. He didn’t want Novis to change his mind, thinking Adam was seducing her into their world. Despite how he felt about her, it was the right thing to do.
There was still a chance she might choose to remain human, and that possibility terrified Adam. Maybe unrequited love was the best way to protect his heart. Her friendship was enough, and besides, a gem like Sadie could never love a man like him anyhow.
Adam pulled off his backpack and unzipped it. “I got these. I don’t know if they’re still alive anymore, so you might want to put them in some water.” He handed her the plastic-wrapped bouquet of daisies.
Sadie gathered them in her arms and drew in a deep breath.
A long stretch of silence passed between them, and he said so many things to her in his head.
Sadie swung her attention to Adam’s old boots. “Where’s your change of clothes? You’re staying overnight, aren’t you?”
He shrugged as they lingered in the hall. “Maybe.”
She plucked a daisy out of the bouquet. “I’m keeping this one for myself, and Silver’s going to love these. Daisies are a perfect idea for the table arrangement. Simple, classy… You’re so thoughtful, Scratch. And you’re totally staying overnight.” She had a jaunty swing in her step as she strutted down the hall. “I’ll tell Leo to lend you something to sleep in.”
Adam snorted. “That’s all right. I’ll pass on wearing another man’s pajamas.”
She twirled the daisy between her fingers and gave him a coy smile. “Sleeping in the nude? That should be interesting if you’re taking the futon downstairs.”
Sadie moved briskly through the building, her wavy hair swinging back and forth and her boot heels clicking on the floor. Adam loved that woman and loved her hard. A beauty like her would never want a beast like him with all the scars on his face and body. Not that it mattered. He liked their relationship just as it was and didn’t want to ruin it. Sometimes, when he wasn’t working, he’d go to one of her shows and sit in the back to watch her play. Sadie had the voice of an angel and could stop a clock.
Just as she had his heart.
He didn’t bother to tell her that he’d bought the flowers just for her; that remained his little secret. Sadie was a generous spirit and would have placed them on the dinner table anyhow to share them with everyone. That was just her nature.
Maybe next year.
Chapter 6
Silver and Finn
I was about to collapse beneath a mountain of pies until Logan swooped in like the hero that he was and banished me from the kitchen. I took a short elevator ride downstairs to inspect the family room and see what needed to be done before it got too late.
The men had bought long tables and lined them up to the right of the door. Straight ahead, the leather couches were facing each other in front of the hearth. Usually the dark rug was in the center of the room, but someone had moved it closer to the fireplace, and the coffee table was parked in the corner by the door. The bu
ilt-in bookshelves gave the room an inviting appeal, as did the fact that someone had moved all the lamps near the front by the game table, leaving the remainder of the room drenched in firelight.
I curled up on the sofa and draped a blanket over my legs. The log in the fireplace cracked like a whip as the fire gathered up momentum, radiating a heavenly warmth. Justus and Simon had just assembled the plastic tree and were arguing about location.
“It’s too close to the wall,” Justus barked.
“Hurry up, Ghuardian. I’m dying to see what you’ve got in all those bags. You were a shopping machine today. The Shopinator.”
He gave me a frosty glare with those blue eyes and then rubbed his bristly scalp. “The tree is crooked, Simon. Fix it.”
“Who the bloody hell do I look like, Martha Stewart?” Simon appeared from behind the tree, a long green-and-red-striped elf hat on his head. “This thing is in four sodding pieces, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to take it apart and reassemble it so it can meet your high standards. All you need to do is spin it around and no one will notice.” He reached for the center pole and dragged it away from the wall.
The tree suddenly began to topple over, and Simon buckled beneath the weight of it.
Justus caught it, obscenities flying out of his mouth.
“Need some help over there?” Adam asked from across the room. There was nothing in his voice to indicate he was serious about helping so much as giving Justus a hard time. He was too busy playing backgammon with Sadie.
Justus dragged the tree a few feet forward and straightened it, but not before a branch thwacked him in the face. “Everything is under control.”
I was facing the tree but couldn’t see over the couch. “We need to move the furniture,” I pointed out. “You’re not going to be able to see the kids opening their gifts.”
Simon gave me a mirthless smile as he approached the sofa in front of me and shoved it around until it was facing the fireplace. “Problem solved. Anything else, love? Shall I repaint the walls or fetch your slippers?”
The door opened and Finn strode in, shaking snow off his hat. Lucian appeared behind him with an armload of boxes that he set down in the corner. Finn slung two plastic bags on the table and carried the rest to where I was sitting.
“Hey, sis.” He collapsed next to me and reclined his head. He still smelled like snow, and I noticed a little sweat on his face.
I glanced at the trail of water he’d left behind on the floor. “Take your shoes off and warm your feet by the fire.”
Without opening his eyes, he used his feet to kick off his shoes. “Never again.”
“I feel you,” Adam said from across the room. “It’s a madhouse this time of year.”
Finn sat forward and raised his voice. “A woman nearly called the police when the manager didn’t have what she wanted in stock. Can’t people just be grateful for what they have?”
I peered down at his bags. “It looks like you have a lot. Let me see the booty.”
When Simon spun around and put his hands on his ass, I tossed a pillow at him.
Finn placed a sack in my lap. I reached inside and pulled out a long wall banner with snowflakes and cartoon characters. I refrained from smiling because Finn had never had a real childhood. He’d led a sheltered life, never exposed to the outside world. Even though the higher authority had employed him, he still dressed like a college kid and watched cartoons. Now that a few years had gone by and aged him, he looked more like a young man trying to hold on to his youth. We’d never pressured him to grow up and act his age. That would happen naturally in due time.
I mussed up his shaggy brown hair. “These are great. Did you remember to get napkins?”
“Yep. I also got pinecones that smell like cinnamon. Oh, and these red and green candles you can put on the table.” Then he gave me a sheepish grin. “I know we don’t have windows in here, but I bought these sticky things you can put on them shaped like snowmen and Christmas trees. I thought maybe the kids might have fun decorating the mirrors or walls later on.” He raked his hair down to cover his ears, which stuck out.
“That’s a great idea. I think you should show them how to do it. Maybe you should go upstairs and change out of those wet clothes. Your pants look like you waded through the Arctic Ocean.”
He smirked. “I built a snowman out there for the kids to decorate later. I just hope Page has a leftover carrot.”
I frowned. “Leftover from what?”
“Shit. Nothing.” He shot to his feet and hustled out of the room.
I gaped at the tree. “What the hell is that?”
Simon poked an ornament, and I watched the giant plastic hamburger swing back and forth. “It’s Christmas.”
“That’s not Christmas; that’s lunch.”
“Just wait until you see what else I’ve got in my little bag of tricks.”
I stretched and got up, anxious to see what else they had bought. As long as there weren’t panties and handcuffs, I was pretty okay with anything else.
When I peered into a bag, a laugh pealed out of me. “This is hilarious. Did you just grab random things off the shelf and run?”
“We handpicked everything,” Justus said defensively.
Simon widened his stance and folded his arms. “I tried to get him to dress up as Santa, just to see what kind of chaos would ensue. I bet women would have knocked their children down to sit in his lap and pray they were on his naughty list.”
Justus held out an ornament. “Do you want to do this instead?” he asked, trying to shirk his duties.
I shook my head. “I have complete faith in your abilities, but I’ll be back to check on your progress.”
“Don’t wander far,” Simon said in a singsong voice. “You’ll miss the grand finale when we top the tree.”
I patted Adam’s shoulder as I headed out the door. When I reached the elevators, I found Finn sitting on the floor. I took a seat next to him and pulled up my knees. “What’s wrong?”
His tone was sullen and quiet. “I can’t explain.”
“Is it the Shifter thing again?”
He didn’t reply. Finn was an alpha wolf without a pack. He could pretend everyone in this house was a pack, but it wasn’t the same as taking on a leadership role as a Packmaster. Not all alphas formed packs, but the instinct to lead was still there. Finn had greater aspirations to work in law. Even though the Cross brothers filled the void of what it must feel like to have packmates, we still weren’t Shifters. Finn was alone, and I related to that feeling. No one understood my struggle with being a genetic experiment.
I rested my head on his shoulder. Finn didn’t need to hear why he should be thankful or grateful. He already knew that. He just wanted someone to get what he was feeling and not place any judgment.
“It’s not you,” he finally said. “I don’t want you to think it’s you or Logan or anyone. It’s me. I don’t know. I can’t explain it.”
“Maybe if you found a nice Shifter girl, you’d have someone to talk to about it.”
“I’m too busy to date.”
Finn just wasn’t emotionally ready. He’d been abused as a child and kept as a slave. The brand on his arm only served as a reminder that some people still saw him as nothing more than property. Finn was maturing before my eyes into a remarkable man, and as much as I teased him about dating, he needed more time. And Shifters had centuries of time.
“My wolf gets lonely,” he admitted. “He paces and doesn’t have brothers and sisters to howl with. It’s not so much a pack he craves but companionship from another wolf. We’ve always been alone, but it just gets harder.”
“It won’t be forever,” I said. “Someday things will change.”
“You mean when I leave?”
I shrugged and sat up straight. “I don’t know. We want you here, and this will always be your home, but it’s also your life to live. You have to make choices for yourself. Logan says the fates brought us together for a reason. There�
��s no telling what the future holds, but something will change. You’ll see. Who knows, maybe you’ll have a niece or nephew to take care of someday.”
He draped his arms over his legs and smiled at me. “Any luck with that?”
“Not yet.”
“If anyone deserves to be happy, it’s you.”
“I’m already happy.”
Finn put his arm around me. “I know a few people. If you two don’t have any luck on the black market, I might be able to find someone who can help out.”
“Thanks. Maybe we’ll take you up on that someday. But for now, I think we need to hold off on the search. It’s too painful, and I’m not sure if I can handle another disappointment.”
“Sounds coolio. If it’s meant to happen, it’ll happen. If not, then screw it. Doesn’t mean anything. You’ve still got Logan, me, and everyone else.”
“Thanks, little bro. I think you’re going to have to pull me up. My ass is glued to the floor, and my legs feel like cement.”
He stood up and reached for my hands. “Why did you want to host this dinner all by yourself?”
I grabbed his hands and launched to my feet. “Because I want one Christmas where I feel like I had something to do with all the good memories. I don’t want to just be the girl who brought the bag of chips or bowl of potato salad while Sunny or the Cross brothers served up a feast. It’s my turn to show my stuff.”
“If you need help, I won’t tell anyone.”
I pushed the button to my floor. “Bring the supply cart to my floor tomorrow morning. You can haul down the food and arrange it on the table. Just keep the foil on everything so it stays warm, and put the hot food on trivets.”
“What the heck is a trivet?”
“You’ll see. And don’t forget to plug in the slow cookers.”
“No problemo,” he said, getting in the elevator. “Lucian’s volunteering his oven warmer if you want to shove anything in there.”
“How about my head?”
