The Naughty Stepbrothers: Book Three in the Naughty Series Copyright © 2016 by Trinity Blacio
All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
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First edition, December 2016
The Christmas Legend
It was written long ago, in a world far away from earth, that three wise men—dragon shifters—would be born, and their mate would be an Angel. Together these four would bring peace among the many different species that inhabit worlds far and great. Their children would be the hope for mankind and all humans throughout the universe.
Chapter One
Xena Castor rocked in the old chair that had been her maternal grandmother’s as she stared out the big bay window. The mountain before her had been stripped of all its natural resources by greedy people, and the town she hid in now was almost a ghost village.
One thing was for sure—she had made it. She’d always dreamed of living by the ocean, but now she would love hiding here. She was glad she hadn’t sold her grandmother’s house a few years ago. Too bad it had taken her father marrying to a real bitch to make her run to the house before she could finish the upgrades.
She looked down at the cast on her arm. What had shocked her the most was that her father had sided with the stepmother from hell. So, after the visit to the hospital, where the hospital staff had wanted her to stay overnight, she had refused and i told them to cast it so she could leave.
Taking what money, she had in her bank and other items Xena had hidden away after her mom’s passing, she’d set out on her journey. A month later, Xena was still healing inside and out, but safe. She glanced down at the strange wolf lying next to her. Two of them that kept her company; one would always stay at her side while the other took off doing whatever wolves did. They had shown up a day after she’d arrived.
Christmas music played on her small stereo, and the pitiful little tree she’d been able to get with her funds was cute. She rocked back and forth feeling old, even though she was only 25
She reached down to pet the wolf’s head. “I’m safe and she can’t take this place away from me,” Xena whispered, staring out the picture window again, watching dump trucks, semis filled with wood, and a construction crew coming into town. Her house was on the edge of town, so Xena could see anything that came toward it. There was no other way into town, other than this main road, and that was usually dead.
“Interesting. What do you think, boy? Do you think we’re going to get more new neighbors?” The wolf lifted his head and watched the parade of trucks.
“Maybe I should take that cake I made to our new neighbors up the street. I mean, they’ve had a week to get settled in. Otherwise it’s going to be a lonely Christmas, sitting there alone.”
Xena moved to the door where her boots were and worked at getting them on. It took her a little extra time with one hand, but she had managed, thankful there were no laces. But putting on her coat would be impossible. The house wasn’t far, she thought, as she went into the kitchen and grabbed the cake pan with her good hand.
“At least I know how to cook.” She looked down at the wolf beside her. “You enjoy my cooking, don’t you, big guy?” she asked, loving his coloring.
The wolf almost seemed to smile as he barked once. “Come on, time for you to go outside.” Xena moved back to the door.
At the front door, she stared at the wolf. “You’re going to have to stay here. We don’t know if they’ll take to wolves, and I know for a fact they have children from the swing set that went up.” As the wolf took off around the house, she stepped out into the cold air, shivering, but glad she’d worn her long-sleeved shirt and thermal underwear.
She made her way carefully across the street and up the long drive to her new neighbor’s home, loving the smell of a fireplace combined with the fresh scent of snow in the air. She moved around the bend and stopped, staring up at the century-old home.
“Stunning,” Xena whispered, in awe at all of the lights on display. Blown-up snowmen and other figures were scattered around the lawn, and she swore actual reindeer were walking around the other side of the house. “Wow, just wow.”
“Do you think I did too much?” A beautiful woman with long hair came around the corner of the house, looking at her handiwork before turning her attention to Xena. “Oh my, aren’t you cold?” She looked down at the cake pan and smiled. “Did you make us a cake?” The woman came up to Xena’s side.
“My grandma use to say the quickest way to make new friends was to bake a cake. Since I live in her house now, I thought I would continue her tradition. My name is Xena Castor. I live in the corner house. There aren’t many people here in this town anymore.” She looked up at the lights. “I guess in some ways that’s a good thing. Anyway, this is for you and your family.”
“God, I’m being stupid here. Come into the house and meet everyone. I know for a fact, Marcus, my husband, has been trying to find the person who owned that house for the past year. I daresay you must be smart if you kept your identity from him.” She laughed, taking the cake from Xena’s hands. “I’m Annabelle Vecchio. I should warn you we aren’t a normal family.”
“Annabelle, what were you told about taking off?” a man with black hair said, opening the front door and then noticing Xena. “Who do we have here?” he asked, stepping in front of Annabelle, protecting her. Even Xena knew the move, and she wished—
Something bumped her leg. Xena looked down to see both of the wolves next to her. “I told you guys you might not be welcome here. Now leave those deer alone.” She tried to push them away, but they didn’t budge.
“I’m so sorry, but they have sort of adopted me since I moved in last month. One of them is always with me, keeping me company.” She ran her fingers through the one’s fur with her good hand.
“This is our new neighbor, Xena, Marcus. She owns the house you couldn’t find the owner of,” Annabelle teased. “Now get out the way, Xena must be freezing.”
Annabelle reached around Marcus and took her hand, not even worried about the wolf. “Why don’t you stay out here and find out why those two warriors are following our new friend around? It’s obvious she has no idea they’re fae,” she said, pulling Xena into the house.
“Fae, like my stepmom?” she squeaked and looked over her shoulder. “On no, what am I going to do?” Xena whispered, as the wolves shifted into men and stood next to Annabelle’s husband.
“What’s wrong?” another deep voice asked behind her.
“I don’t know, Alocer, but she’s scared half to death of those two men, and they were following her.” Annabelle handed the cake to another woman. “Xena, this is my other mate, Alocer. I promise you, you are safe here. Oh, and I’d like you to meet my sister-in-law, Sandy, and my brother, Dwayne. He’s head of our security.” She pointed to more people who had come out, but Xena kept staring back at the two men, who had been her wolves.
Another man came into the hallway and wrapped his arms around Annabelle. “Are we having a party in the here?” he asked, looking up at her and placing a kiss on Annabelle’s neck b
efore they moved into the grand old house.
Taking a deep breath, Xena looked around and was totally surprised at all that had been done to the old place. It was stunning--the high ceilings, crown molding and the woodwork alone would have had her drooling if she wasn’t scared half out of her mind.
The door behind her opened and she jumped, bumping her broken arm on the doorframe and crying out. “Shit.” Tears filled Xena’s eyes as she tried to breathe through the pain.
“Damn it, Marcus, you scared her out of her mind,” Annabelle growled, wrapping an arm around her and leading her into what had to be a kitchen. “Mom, can you help? Xena, this is my mother-in-law. She is a healer and can fix anything. Please allow her to help you.”
“I’ll be okay, just banged my arm,” Xena said, then blew out a breath as she sat down, resting her arm on top of the table.
“Nonsense, and after you made us a cake, it’s the right thing to do. Now, how long ago did you break your arm?” the woman asked, grabbing a kettle and pouring some hot water into a cup before putting something in and stirring it.
“She didn’t break it. Our mother did, last month, before we could stop her,” a deep voice answered for her. The man stood behind her, making her freeze. Her heart raced, and her hands started to shake.
“Someone better start explaining or our new neighbor is going to pass out from fear,” Alocer growled and moved to stand beside her, almost protecting her, which was strange since no one protected her. Not even her own father.
* * *
Jasper knelt beside his mate with his brother, Caleb, next to him. “Xena, look at us please.”
Slowly, she turned her head and stared down at him.
“Yes, she is our mother, but we were hunting her. We know what she’s capable of. I’m just sorry we didn’t get there in time to stop her from hurting you. I’m sorry your father didn’t have the balls to stand up to my mother.” He shook his head. “I don’t know how their life is going to go, but you’re better off without them around you.”
“You’re not here to hurt me for hitting her?” she squeaked.
He smiled. “No, sweet thing. We came to make sure you were okay, and, well, we found our own mate. I was kind of surprised you actually got a few good licks in yourself. Mother can be rather dangerous.”
Her shoulders relaxed and she released the breath she’d been holding. “Well, I’m glad you found your mate and that you’re not here to hurt me. I’ve had to learn the hard way to take care of myself. But shouldn’t you be hanging around her instead of being around me?”
She was so cute that he had to reach up and cover her hand with his.
The older woman, Eden, set a cup down in front of Xena. “Drink that, dear, and if I’m not mistaken….”
An older gentleman, Nicolas, stepped up behind her and covered her mouth
“They will tell her,” he growled and nipped her neck. “You don’t want to be placed on Santa’s naughty list now, do you?” he teased and the woman laughed.
“I’m always on Santa’s naughty list, and I like it very much.” She turned in his arms.
“Okay, you two, go play or do something. I mean it’s close to Christmas. You should be busy. Thank you for helping, Mom,” Annabelle said, pushing Eden and Nicolas out of the room before turning to look at Jasper.
He stood and took Xena’s hand. “We have been staying close by you, trying to break the news to you without scaring you, Xena. You’re our mate. Maybe it’s because of the same blood you share with your father, who knows?”
“Mate? What do you mean?” she asked, eyeing them, then looking up at Annabelle
“I’m sorry, but this is up to your gentlemen to explain, but rest assured they would rather die than see you hurt,” Marcus told her, glancing at Jasper. “We’ll give you a few minutes, but I would like to speak with the both of you after you’re done explaining things to her.”
Jasper nodded. “We’re not going anywhere. If she wants to live here, we live here.”
“That is what I thought. Come on, Annabelle, let’s give them some time. Plus, I do believe our children are waiting for their feeding,” Marcus said.
“Wait! You can’t leave me with them,” Xena finally got out. “What if they take me back?” she whispered.
Chapter Two
Xena studied the two men that walked beside her as her new neighbors escorted them to a massive space that reminded her of a family room. “Damn, this looks as big as the house.” She looked at Annabelle.
“Having magic can help. This functions as a space for parties and for our family since it’s so large. Now, we’ll be over there near the TV since a football game is on. We’ll still be able to see you. They can’t transfer out of here because Marcus has sealed the room, so they won’t be able to take you anywhere. Is this okay?” she asked before at the men next to Xena.
“It’ll be fine. I know it will take her time to trust us after what our mother has done. But we’re not leaving her and we’ll make sure she’s safe. Thank you for giving us that chance in your home,” Jasper said and held out his hand to Annabelle, his gaze never leaving hers.
Xena was never one to back down from anything, but Jasper could tell that putting Xena’s only free hand into his had taken every ounce of her courage.
He gently closed his hand around hers and led her to a fireplace on the other side of the room. “Thank you for trusting us, me. Before we even get started, I need to ask something. What did my mother do? I see the broken arm, but, Xena, you’re shaking. She had to have done something terrible to scare you this badly,” Jasper said as she sat on the sofa and curled up.
The football game was turned on as Annabelle’s men came in carrying two little ones followed by three other small children. She so wanted children—lots of them. Shaking her head, Xena turned and looked up at the brothers. “You’re not just fae, are you?”
“No,” Caleb, the other man, said, sitting next to her on the sofa. “It’s something we don’t like to acknowledge, but we have informed Marcus so there wouldn’t be any surprise. Our mother is half demon and half fae.” He stiffened as he said the words.
“She showed you her demon, didn’t she?” Caleb hissed, and Xena nodded.
Alocer moved over to their group. “Did this woman threaten you? And did she break your arm?” he asked, his expression becoming dangerous.
“It’s okay to answer him, Xena. He needs to know. It’s his responsibility to watch over those that are here. If my mother has been acting out, others aren’t safe,” Jasper explained.
“But what about my father? Could she hurt him?” Xena asked.
Caleb took her hand. “Once we find our mates, we’ll do anything to protect them. Your father is safe. If it was anyone else, I’d say no. I’m surprised you’re still worried about him after what happened.”
She shrugged. “He’s my father, and he was there for me when no one else was. I lost my mother when I was small, so it was just the two of us. Does it hurt that he told me to leave? Yep, sure does. But I knew it was coming. Once Dad met your mom, things changed. He started acting different...”
“Where was home for your mother?” Alocer asked Jasper, once more drawing their attention.
“The other side, but Mother was confined to her property. She had gone too far even there,” Jasper said.
Alocer frowned. “Before you leave, I would like your mom’s name and address. If she starts acting up, she’ll have to go to the home planet, and I’m afraid Xena’s father will have to go too.”
Xena nodded. “My father chose this. There’s nothing I can do about it,” she said, even though knowing she’d be alone this Christmas hurt.
“I’ll leave you to get acquainted with your mates. But, Xena, even if we don’t know you, you are protected here. If you decided to stay in this town, there are some things you need to know. Actually, all three of you do, but for now I’ll leave you.” Alocer moved away, and from the way he moved, Xena could tell he was a warri
or. His build and stance would have any woman drooling.
“You keep staring at him and I’m going to spank you,” Caleb said into her ear.
She jumped and looked at him. “What?” she asked, squirming on the couch. “Never mind. Why is he worried about your mom?”
Jasper lifted her up and took her seat, then placed her on his lap. “Alocer is in charge of all demons on earth. Only certain ones are allowed here, and only if they promise to behave. If they cause trouble, he sends them back to his world. In other words, it’s a privilege to live here. And why do I get the feeling a nice spanking excites you?” he asked, placing his hand right below her breast.
Suddenly, she was very warm and totally forgot what they were talking about until Caleb spoke.
“From what I’ve heard, it’s nothing like here. Their world is warmer, and, believe me, some dangerous people live there. It’s one of the reasons it’s so hard for someone from that world to get here,” Caleb said.
“What is your world like? I take it, it’s different from here?” she asked
“Relax, we won’t bite—yet,” Jasper said, leaning in and rubbing his cheek against the side of her head. “Our world is large like yours, but we learned early on what pollution can do to the land. It took us years, but finally our seas are clean, and our lands are free of the trash we had created. We are very open and honest, and our people are very sexual beings. We need to touch, but we’re also fierce about protecting what is ours.”
“Are you sure I’m your mate? You’re not just saying that while you wait for Mommy Dearest to show up?” she asked.
“Our mother is far from dear to us,” Caleb said. “She has never been a mother to us. Like you, our father raised us. We have six younger brothers and three sisters. Our father finally met his mate, and she is our true mother. They’ll be pleased to know we have found you.” He lifted her feet and put them in his lap.
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