by E A Price
Mira wiped her hands and turned to face her sibling. Temp had already moved on and was scrolling through her e-mails on her phone.
“Excuse me?”
Temp looked up briefly. “You’re the perfect size for Santa’s elf. Small and petite.”
Mira giggled both in relief and at the compliment. “I’m hardly petite.”
Temp waved her hand. “Small and curvy then if you prefer, you’ll look great in the tights.”
Her sister was the opposite of her, tall, lithe and dark haired with pale skin, while Mira was small, plump, pink skinned with rosy red cheeks and blonde hair. People always assumed they were adopted. Neither of them looked like their mother either.
Mira considered the idea of being an elf. She loved Christmas so pretending she was an elf was surely something she should try at least once. Her dad did so love dressing up as Santa.
“Sure. Why not?”
Temp gave her a wry smile. “I didn’t have to twist your arm at all.”
“Nope, I love Christmas.”
Her sister was nearly disappointed. Apparently, she wasn’t used to people acquiescing quite so quickly. Mira understood that Temp kind of enjoyed arguing and beating people down until they not only agreed with her point of view, they were ready to fight for it.
But Mira wasn’t going to say no to this. She only regretted her dad would never see her dressed as one of Santa’s helpers. It was going to be a wonderful Christmas – she would make her dad proud.
Three
December 5th
“What’s going on?” demanded Branch, crashing into his uncle’s office swiftly followed by his hulking head enforcer, Mal.
The two of them rumbled, looking for danger, but all they saw were some herd mates looking worried.
Was his mother freaking out about the Christmas inflatables again? She nearly had a meltdown last year after three of her inflatables floated away during an incredibly windy holiday season. The Grinch, Santa, and a Snowman were probably still out there floating around now. It meant that Branch had to send all his enforcers to scour every department store in the state looking for replacements on Christmas Eve. Apparently, Christmas wasn’t Christmas without giant, inflatable monstrosities.
But it was only December 5th – surely it wasn’t time to panic just yet. She hadn’t even inflated the ugly beasts yet.
His mom had summoned him to his uncle’s office, and she was the only one who could get away with doing that, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t going to be impatient. He had work to do and a holiday season to actively ignore.
He stared around at the gathered herd members – his mom, brother, sister, uncle and the herd historian – the expert on herd laws.
“What is it?” he demanded crisply.
This better be good. His mood was already dangerously simmering with fury thanks to a Santa on roller skates squirting him with silly string on his way into work. Christmas brought out the crazies.
Alden, the herd historian, flashed him an uneasy look. “There’s been a challenge to your leadership of the herd.”
Branch relaxed a little, and he felt his inner reindeer flex. Was that it? He would see any challenger that dared to face him. He didn’t have the biggest rack in the herd for nothing.
“Fine, I’ll fight them.”
Amid all this Christmas craziness, a chance to beat someone to a pulp would be welcome.
“No, not that kind of challenge,” said Alden looking more sheepish by the second. Not an easy thing to do for a reindeer.
Uncle Clay glared at Alden, and he hurried on in his explanation.
“The challenge is that if you’re not mated within five years of your father’s death, your herd will become someone else’s.”
“What?” Branch roared.
“How is this possible?” asked Harlan, giving Alden a dubious look.
Alden’s ears started turning red. “It’s a technicality that normally isn’t possible. It’s an ancient law that states because you inherited the alpha title – rather than challenging for it – you have to prove your virility…”
Branch raised an eyebrow and was about to come out with a suggestion when his mother – who could read him like a book – jumped in.
“Either by mating and proving your intention to father young or by actually fathering a young,” she explained.
“This is ridiculous,” growled Branch.
“I spoke to the Council of Shifters,” said his uncle, “and although your father died on December 17th, they are willing to extend the deadline.”
“Until when?” asked Branch’s sister, Ariel.
Clay gave Branch a stern look – he was angry, though angry with the council, not Branch. “You have until Christmas Eve to mate.”
“Or knock someone up,” added Harlan, unhelpfully which also earned him a ‘motherly’ look from their mother that soon had him looking at his feet.
“Then I will simply change the law.”
“You can’t do that,” spluttered Alden.
“You said yourself it's an outdated law.”
“Yes but a binding one and one that the council would have to repeal.”
Which would take months if not years, and by which time his herd would probably be non-existent, not to mention the state of their business. Alpha and CEO went hand in hand. If he lost the herd, he lost everything.
“Who is doing this to us?” snapped Branch.
His uncle pursed his lips in distaste. “Your father’s cousin. He has his own herd in Texas, though not a very successful one, at least compared to ours. Never thought old Cletus would have any idea what he was doing but he just turned up out of the blue stating he had a right to become alpha.”
“But surely if I was deemed unfit,” not virile he thought with a snort, “then the alphaship would go to my uncle or,” – heavens above – “my brother.”
Why would this cousin think he could have the herd over someone else in the herd?
Alden shook his head. “Old law again.”
“Jeez.”
He stomped over to his uncle’s well-stocked liquor cabinet and poured himself a bourbon. He wasn’t the type to drink during the day, but this damn well called for it.
“If the alpha fails to prove his virility, the whole herd is considered a failure and the nearest kin have the right to become the alpha.”
“This is absolute nonsense,” sighed Ariel.
Their mother patted her arm. “It’s archaic, darling, but all these laws were created for a reason – to protect our people and to encourage them to mate.”
Branch knew that, of course. His people always had to hide, and it was important that they reproduced, and it was important for the survival of their species that they had good alphas. Herds, packs, and prides were not democracies – there was never any voting. The alphas were absolute dictators, so laws were created to make sure that bad alphas could be wheedled out.
He had no idea what kind of alpha Cletus was, but he knew he wasn’t about to roll over and allow the male to take his herd away.
“Mal, I want a full report on Cletus.”
The large enforcer nodded. “Boss.”
He turned to his uncle and Alden. “I want you both looking into this law.”
They nodded their understanding. Branch was as straight as an arrow and wasn’t one to try and bend herd laws, but he sure as hell didn’t want to follow this one and would use any excuse to get around it.
“Perhaps it would be a good idea to consider one of the herd females,” suggested Alden, who immediately started cowering under Branch’s glower.
“Yeah, any of my friends would die to mate you,” said Ariel. “It’s gross really having to watch them lust after you.”
“Maris is probably tearing her clothes off right now at the prospect,” chuckled Harlan.
His uncle’s face darkened. “I really don’t think we should tell anyone outside this room about what’s happening.”
Branch nodded in agr
eement. The last thing he wanted was for his herd to panic, or for Maris to start booking venues and ordering wedding cakes.
“What he needs to do is find someone – not a herd member – and mate her,” said Harlan. “Then a couple of months down the line, just say she cheated on you and then dissolve the mating. Pay her to pretend to mate you.”
Their mother tut-tutted. “That’s dishonest.”
Harlan gave him a sly look. “Well, maybe he does want to mate Maris instead.”
Both Branch and their Uncle Clay growled. Like. Hell. No one wanted to marry their crazy stalker, they usually only did it because they were tied up in their basement and it was the only potential means of escape.
“Seriously,” insisted Harlan, “you mate a non-herd member, and she cheats, she won’t be punished, and you’d be allowed to end the mating without consequences.”
Ariel shook her head. “If you’re found out it will be much worse. Try to fool the shifter council, and you could risk severe punishment.” Her large eyes widened even more. “Severe.”
Branch had a sister who once tried to pay for some grapes a friend of hers ate in a grocery store, and a brother who literally thought laws were made to be broken. They really were the angel and devil on his shoulders.
His mother beamed at them all just a little smugly. “You’re all worrying about nothing – Branch is already dating someone, isn’t that right, darling?”
Crap. Five heads whipped in his direction. He wasn’t sure who was more surprised by this news, possibly his head enforcer and Mal was known for two things – being taciturn and unflappable. But he looked like someone had just walked right up to him and slapped him in the face with a kipper.
“Yes,” replied Branch with a straight face.
“Well, there you are then,” said his mother, apparently oblivious to the disbelief permeating the room. “Problem solved.”
Yep, problem solved. Double crap.
Four
December 7th
“Chicken, avocado and cranberry sauce, right?”
Mira beamed as she handed a sandwich to a heavily pregnant young woman currently bulging out of a business suit.
The young woman snatched it up and held it up to her nose, inhaling deeply. “Mmmm, you’re a lifesaver. Junior’s been reminding me for the last hour that it’s almost lunchtime.” She patted her stomach lovingly. “If it’s a girl, I’m naming her Mira!”
Mira snickered. “I think that’s just the hunger talking. Here,” she handed her a lemon and pistachio cupcake, “on the house.”
“Oh, you angel!”
Mira winked and sauntered away. When she first applied for the job of delivering sandwiches, she didn’t imagine she’d enjoy it. She applied because it was something she could do. Never being academically inclined, and given her limited means, she never went to college, and instead went straight to work at a bakery. It meant she was a little limited for career options, particularly as most bakeries wanted someone with a culinary degree. So she just had to apply for any job she could get. But hell, it was fun. She got to bake her cupcakes and then go all over town delivering them, meeting new people and getting to soak up praise for her baked treats.
She’d always been good with names, and remembering people’s favorite sandwiches was just as easy as names for her. People seemed to like that in their sandwich delivery girl. Plus, she was certainly loving getting to deliver to Deer Co. She wasn’t sure she’d ever seen such a collection of large, sexy men all at one time – and she always bought a ‘Hunks of the Firehouse’ charity calendar each year. All of them were over six feet tall and muscled up the ying yang. Did all the hot men congregate here or something? What was so special about this place?
She passed three congregating near a water cooler. All of them gave her dazzling smiles, and all of them looked her over with admiring glances making her blush right to her toes. They also all had buzzcuts and were decked out in black. They looked like a bunch of commandos. That seemed a little strange for an office building. What was it they did here? She thought they owned luxury hotels or something. Would a luxury hotel need a SWAT team on standby? Well, maybe for people who refused to pay their bills…
“Hey, sandwich girl!”
Mira stopped and smiled at possibly the sexiest man in the building – and that was saying something. Tall, sexy, dark, dreamy and with just a hint of danger – oh, he was everything a man should be.
“Hey, Harlan.”
He gave her a devastating grin that really should have had her quivering like a bowl of pudding. But in spite of his charm and looks, she just couldn’t work herself up to turn into a nervous wreck and do something completely embarrassing in front of him. Honest, those were her go-to moves in high school whenever she got within ten feet of the dreamboat quarterback.
“How are you, Mira?” he asked in velvet tones.
“I’m very well, how are you?”
“Lonely, but I’d be better if I knew I was going to have some company at dinner tonight.”
Yeah, he was a huge flirt, and she got the feeling he flirted with anything female. Maybe that was why she wasn’t interested – because she knew his interest in her was merely due to her sex and whatever deep-seated issues he had that turned him into a complete hound-dog. Seriously, he didn’t ring her bell in the slightest.
“I’m sure you won’t be lonely for long,” she said trying her best to channel her sister, Temp. She could only imagine her reaction to a guy like this.
He gave her a devilish look, and she flashed a devil’s food cake cupcake in his face. Seemed fitting.
“Cupcake?”
“Tease,” he purred, plucking it out of her fingers. “Nice sweater.”
“Thanks.”
It was her snowman sweater with the slogan ‘stay frosty.’ Her dad used to have a matching one; they had always been favorites of theirs.
“What’s that?”
He gestured at the pin on her breast with a half-interested leer. Yes, his attention was more about the breast than the pin, but that wouldn’t stop her.
“It’s a pin for my sister’s charity – Snow Bunnies.”
The name may be a little odd, but the charity was named by one of the children the charity supported. There was a competition, and she won and they would be called Snow Bunnies forever.
“Huh.”
“My sister started the charity for children. She’s… well, she’s a marvel.”
It was hard to describe how wonderful Temp really was succinctly.
Harlan nodded, and for a moment Mira thought he had lost interest. But, he dug out his wallet and handed her the bills he had inside.
“Here.”
Mira gaped. “This is nearly a thousand dollars.”
Harlan shrugged a little self-consciously. “Yeah.”
“Thank you,” she breathed, completely taken aback.
He smiled, but not his usual dazzling smile. No, this was more natural, more normal – and a lot more awkward. “It’s all I have on me, but I’m ashamed to say I spent more on my shoes than that.”
“Well, my sister accepts checks,” chirped Mira. Huh, maybe she was more like Temp than she thought.
“You’re merciless,” he chuckled.
Mira blushed. “I’m sorry, I don’t…”
“No apology necessary.” He placed his hand on his heart. “I’d be happy to send a check.”
“That’s great. Here, take a pamphlet. Our website and address are right here on the back.”
Mira grinned as she handed it to him. Temp would be pleased.
“Just one thing,” he said, “I’ll take a chicken salad and the cupcake, and also can you put a sandwich and cupcake in my brother’s office – he’s a workaholic, he won’t stop to eat.”
“Sure.”
“Third door on the left.” He winked, and Mira went on her way
She would also leave a pamphlet for the brother too, just in case he wanted to send any checks their way, too.
Five
Branch stomped into his office
His uncle and Alden hadn’t been able to find out anything that would help. The law was the law, and that was that. He was stuck; either he had to hurry up and mate, or his herd was lost.
He slumped at his desk, vaguely wondering where the huge turkey cranberry sun and red velvet cupcake came from. The cupcake had a sugar Santa decoration. Ordinarily, he’d steer clear of any holiday-related food, but he was pissed, and without paying much attention he wolfed them both down. He wasn’t sure what it was, but there was a delightful smell in his office, something sweet and spicy and something that soothed him.
He glanced down and saw the name Snow Bunnies. Automatically he screwed up the paper and tossed it in the trash. Not interested.
He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, enjoying the delicious scent, allowing it to wrap itself around his fraying nerves.
His mother seemed certain he had a girlfriend waiting in the wings to solve the problem. But no, no girlfriend. Not in years. He had dated a little since he lost his mate, but certainly nothing serious, and nothing recent.
There were plenty of unattached female herd mates, but none that he wanted to mate. If he had, he would have done so before now. None of them appealed to him or his inner beast. He couldn’t imagine sitting through a date with them, never mind the rest of his life.
He’d always known he’d be the next alpha and had been careful not to entangle himself with any herd mates – lest they think he was going to mate them. But then, until he lost Janelle, he always thought she’d be his female alpha, and he still couldn’t imagine any one else filling that role.
Mal hadn’t been able to find anything much on cousin Cletus – he seemed to come out of nowhere. He was pissed at Alden for not knowing about this crazy law – it was his damn job to know!
His phone chirped, and reluctantly he opened his eyes. It was Mal, his head enforcer
“Yep.”
