Christmas Kisses: A Zodiac Shifters Paranormal Romance Anthology

by Zodiac Shifters

  She believed him. He’d never broke his word once and she doubted he’d start now. “What happens to us? I mean, is it safe for us to go home?” Surely, they couldn’t stay there forever. Grace and Daire were opening the bed and breakfast after the holidays.

  “I’d feel better if you and the girls were staying with me,” Santiago said.

  Where would they stay? She’d been to his apartment and there was no way it would work and her apartment was out of the question; both places were just too small for that many people.

  “We could get a new place,” he said answering her question even though she hadn’t voiced it.

  “I can’t afford anything else.”

  She was dirt broke. Who knew kids were so expensive! Daycare was a killer and she only had to pay before and after school. How did parents of infants manage?

  “I’ll cover the expenses.” Santiago took her hand in his. “You wouldn’t have to worry about a thing.”

  “I can’t let you do that.” She shook her head dropping her gaze to their intertwined fingers.

  “It’s my pleasure.” He tucked his finger under her chin so she was forced to meet his gaze. “I work for a Greek Goddess. Money isn’t a problem, if that’s what you are worried about.”

  He works for a Greek Goddess? She thought they were just legends. Now that she thought about it, he’d said as much earlier. The afternoon had been a whirlwind and she was still trying to wrap her head around everything. “How exactly does your job work?” she asked curiously.

  “Come sit down so I can explain everything.” He guided her to the bed and together they took a seat on the edge. “I’ll start from the beginning, okay?”

  She nodded, watching him.

  “First of all, forget everything you’ve ever heard about the gods. Only a quarter of it is true and even then the truth is stretched.”

  “Okay.” She new a lot about Zeus and his infidelity thanks to a unit in high school English class.

  “I’m going to start from the beginning. Selene is the goddess of the moon. Many years ago, Selene had a love affair with Pan, the god of wild, shepherds, and flocks. Like many of the gods and goddesses, fidelity was an issue. Pan cheated on Selene, which brought on her wrath. She created the lycanthrope, which people nowadays refer to as werewolves. They were released during a full moon. These beasts fed and preyed on the sheep that were supposed to be under Pan’s protection. Once the sun rose the next day, they turned into people until the next full moon came and then they slaughtered more sheep. The people prayed to the gods and goddesses for help. Astraea heard them. She enjoyed her time on earth and spent a lot of time with its inhabitants until people became too violent for her liking. Being the goddess of justice and the stars, she stepped in to help the people who were being punished unfairly due to a god’s actions. Does this make sense so far?”

  “Uh, I think so. You’re saying this all started over an affair some gods had centuries ago?” The gods were even pettier than she learned in school. How many humans had suffered over the years because of a silly affair?

  “The lycanthrope spread like a disease and Astraea was unable to stop them all. Over time, they traveled across the world and are now everywhere. At one point, their numbers were dwindling, but there’s been a new resurgence. More and more of them are being created, making it near impossible for the twelve guardians to track them down. That’s where people like me come in. Astraea is the goddess of the stars in which she derives her powers. There are twelve constellations. I’m a Gemini since my birthday is May 30th in the year 1049. My powers are tied to the month in which I was born to make me as powerful as possible. Gemini is an air sign. Guardians are required to choose an animal based on their sign’s element. There was already a dragon, so I chose to be a phoenix.”

  “A fiery bird,” she whispered, unsure which was cooler-- a dragon or a phoenix.

  “Exactly. To become a Guardian, you must choose to sacrifice your life to save another. The exchange must be selfless and completely your choice.”

  “Who did you save?” she asked, watching him as she remembered what Grace had said.

  “My sister and her unborn child. Her husband got drunk one night and beat her to death. I saved her and made sure he never hurt her or the child again,” Santiago said, a growl in his voice.

  She didn’t ask how he ensured the man never hurt them because she wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

  “So you’ve been working for Astraea for nearly a thousand years?”

  Surely he’d paid his debt by now. When would he be free? Was it even possible or was she setting herself up for heartache? If he was immortal, they had a few years, maybe, until they couldn’t be together anymore. Eventually she’d keep aging and he wouldn’t be interested in her anymore. What kind of a relationship could they have?

  “I have, but I think I want to ask Astraea to release me from my duties.” He leaned forward and lightly pressed his lips to hers. “I’ve fallen for you these past few months, Cassidy. I can’t get you out of my mind. When I saw those men hurting you, I lost it.”“I’m falling for you, too,” she admitted. “Do you really think she’ll release you?”

  Santiago grinned at her. “I do. Aric is waiting for a replacement, but he’s been released. Daire is already free. For the first time in over a thousand years he is mortal. There is hope for us.”

  “Good.” She hadn’t realized how much she needed that answer until he said it. They had a chance to be happy together. She closed the distance between them.

  Santiago didn’t need any more encouragement. He parted his lips and flicked his tongue over hers. His kiss sent heat scorching through her.

  She gasped as his hands tiptoed down her arms to rest on her hips. The past six months he’d been the star in her dreams and now this was really going to happen. How had she gotten so lucky?

  She whimpered when one of his hands cascaded up her tank to cup her breast. His thumb and forefinger pinched her nipple lightly while his other hand went to the back of her head, drawing her even closer. It wasn’t close enough though. She wiggled and moved so she could straddle him.

  His throbbing cock pressed against the thin cotton of her pants allowing her to feel every inch of him. She needed more though, and she needed it now.

  Pushing on him gently, she lay down on top of him as he lie on the mattress. She shifted so she could still kiss him while she reached for the button on his jeans. Flicking them open, she slipped her fingers inside and along his silky boxers until she found his very hard, very large member.

  She quivered when she wrapped her hand around his cock. It was thick and large and she could already imagine what it would feel like buried deep inside her.

  Santiago must have been getting impatient, too. He lifted his hips, causing her to fall to her left on the bed as he quickly positioned himself atop her. He grinned down at her before capturing her lips again. His hands worked at her top, rolling it up and he only broke their kiss to slip off her shirt. .

  His mouth went to her right breast to kiss the tender nipple for a few moments before moving to the next one. She ran her fingers through his thick hair, gasping when he nipped her a little harder.

  “Santiago,” she whispered, her voice coming out more of a moan than anything else. “I need you.”

  “Shhh, I want to take my time with you.” Santiago kissed the column of her neck and then found her lips again. “I’ve dreamed about this moment for so long. I want to savor every second.”

  She liked the idea of taking their time, but, on the other hand, she wanted him for so long she didn’t think she could wait. He was driving her mad with need. “Please! I just want to feel you inside me.”

  Something flickered in his eyes and they turned orange for a brief second before returning to their normal hue. He seemed to be on the same page as her; his hands went to her pants.

  Cassidy lifted her hips giggling when he pulled both her pants and panties down at the same time. He stood from the
bed. She watched as he tugged on his jeans before letting them fall to the floor. Next, his boxers slid down exposing his large, erect length.

  She licked her lips. If she didn’t need him so badly right now she’d like to taste him, but that could wait for next time. And there would be a next time. They could stay in bed the rest of the night and well into the morning for all she cared. It would never be enough, she could already tell.

  Cassidy scooted back so her head was against the pillows. Santiago crawled across the bed until he was positioned between her thighs. Her hands went to his hips to try to pull him down, but he didn’t budge.

  “So impatient,” he said with a laugh.

  “I don’t think you realize how long I’ve wanted to do this.”

  “Oh, I think I have a good idea.” He bent down and nipped her lip. “I’ve wanted this from the first second I saw you.”

  She gasped as he positioned his member at her entrance. His gaze met hers. “You’re so beautiful,” he said. Slowly, he pushed inside her inch by excruciating inch.

  She held her breath, the feeling of him filling her indescribable. She might come just from the feel of him. Santiago set a steady pace pushing in slowly and pulling out.

  Cassidy grasped his shoulders and moved her hips in time to his movements. Tiny tremors raced through her, a prelude to her orgasm. She bit her lip and met his eyes once again.

  “That’s it, baby. I want you to come for me.” He pushed into her harder, hitting just the right spot to send her falling over the edge.

  She cried out his name, a throaty moan on her lips. The orgasm washed over her in waves, each ripple more intense than the one before.

  Santiago moved inside her harder and faster to draw out her pleasure while seeking his own. He came with a growl. His body stiffening above her as he lowered himself back down to kiss her.

  “That was incredible,” she said still riding the waves of euphoria.

  “We’ve only just begun.”

  His words held promises of things to come. It looked like this Christmas she was getting everything she wanted. It even came early.

  She wasn’t sure what the future held for her and Santiago, but she was sure it would be bright and she and her nieces’ lives were changing for the better.

  The End.

  About the Author

  Discover more books by Bethany Shaw.

  Book Description

  Two thieves... one prize... a casino heist gone wrong and a spanking good time. A Very Foxy Christmas is a short story sequel to the Zodiac Shifters novel Out Foxed by Melissa Snark. It contains off-beat humor, light dominance-submission elements, and a brisk paddling that will put some color in the heroine's cheeks.

  To my readers,

  I hope you enjoy this fun little Christmas romp with Hannah and Silver.

  Acknowledgments

  My thanks go to Marjorie Cooke and Shay VanZwoll for their assistance with emergency, last-minute editing. Thank you also to my fellow Zodiac Shifters authors who worked with me to make this anthology possible, and to Ravenborn Book Cover Designs for designing the gorgeous Christmas Kisses cover. Thank you to Fantasia Frog Designs for designing the lovely A Very Foxy Christmas cover.

  Chapter 1

  Montecito, California

  Silver had always considered Wile E. Coyote his personal spirit guide on how not to act. So whenever he encountered a dubious situation, he asked himself: What would the Coyote do?

  A flock of argumentative female voices flew through the vast open spaces of the Montecito mansion. An enormous mirror in an ornate Baroque frame hung at the T of the hallways provided a clear view into the kitchen. The four most important women in Silver's life gathered around the cluttered table, bickering up a blizzard: Ursula, his adopted mother, a Kodiak bear-shifter; Branwen, keyboardist and a raven-shifter; Fiona, his sister-in-law and fox-shifter; and Hannah, the love of his life, his wife and his mate.

  Silver lurked behind a corner, eavesdropping on their discussion and watching the mirror. He wanted a particular guitar pick on the countertop... at least he was ninety-nine percent sure that's where he'd left it. Normally, Silver would've shrugged it off because searching was more effort than it was worth. This particular pick, however, made of bullet wood and engraved, had been a gift from his best man.

  Trouble stood between him and his goal: the aggravated women who'd be only too ready to unleash their wrath upon any hapless male foolish enough to cross their paths. And so, Silver deliberated.

  What would Coyote do? Coyote would rush headlong into danger.

  "C'mon, open it," Fiona urged Hannah. The stunning redhead glared at her equally gorgeous sister. Their hair was a riot of cinnamon-red corkscrew curls; their eyes emerald green. The twins claimed to be identical down to the last freckle, but Silver could tell them apart at a glance. Each person possessed a special soul song, personal and unique.

  Hannah's soul song—a musical staff tattooed over his heart.

  "Why will you not open your present, Hannah? It's from your poppa," Ursula urged in a cajoling tone that emphasized her Russian accent. She owned the mansion where Silver and the rest of his indie rock band lived... freeloaded, really. Ursula treated the members of Coyote Hustle as family. Silver sometimes suspected the matriarch regarded the eclectic collection of shifters under her protection as stray pets.

  "That it's from my father is precisely why I don't want to open it," Hannah said with a snort. She hovered over a laptop—connected via a cable-octopus—and her fingers danced across the keyboard.

  Silver didn't know the name and function of every single high-tech device in Hannah's repertoire. He jokingly referred to the devices as her "kit". Without hesitation and with a touch of envy, he acknowledged his wife as the superior thief... a distinction that shouldn't matter as much as it did. Silver was reformed. He'd sworn off stealing, however, he made special exceptions to help his wife "product test" the occasional security system. After all, it wasn't burglary if the client had paid them to do it...

  Coyote Hustle had a gig in Las Vegas on Christmas Day. They were packed and due to leave in a couple of hours. Conveniently, Hannah had a contract that required her to travel to Sin City. She'd asked for his help on a breaking-and-entering job—purely legit, of course—and he'd been only too happy to agree. That was what—he presumed—all the electronics were for.

  "I don't understand. Don't you want to know what's inside?" Branwen asked. She grasped at the air above the shiny present. Self-denial—pure torture for a raven shifter... Temptation and torment shone bright in her black eyes.

  "I already know what it is," Hannah shot back and then struck the keyboard with excessive force.

  Tension wove knots in Silver's lower back. He knew that tone well—his wife had already worked herself into a full tail bristle. What was wrong with the other women that they didn't sense her aggravation and back down?

  "It's a snow globe," Fiona supplied. "Dad gives Hannah one every year, and every year Hannah tosses it in the trash."

  Silver eased forward a pace, on the verge of rounding the corner and going to Hannah's defense. Common sense cautioned against intruding, but his protective instincts urged him to charge. Quick, what would Coyote do...?

  He needed to find his ACME catalog!

  No, wait, that was wrong.

  "But why?" Branwen burst out with pointed disapproval, and Silver winced. Censure was the exact wrong approach to take with Hannah, especially when it came to her father.

  "Because my father is a bastard. He ran out on his family on Christmas Eve. All the snow globes in the world couldn't make up for what he did!" With a great huff, Hannah rose and grasped the present in both hands. She marched across the kitchen and stomped her foot down on the foot pedal of the stainless steel trash bin. The lid slapped open. Hannah thrust the gift into the garbage and turned away, swiping her palms together.

  Silence smashed down. A metaphorical cricket chirped. The women stirred, glancing at one another in m
easured discomfort.

  The coppery tang of blood flooded Silver's mouth. He gulped a mouthful before his natural regeneration kicked in to heal the wound. A ripple ran the length of Silver's spine, tugging at the skin across his back. Hannah's distress called out to him through their mate bond. She was hurting... and he suffered with her. He clamped down on the impulse to go rushing to his wife's aid, but this wasn't the right time to emerge from hiding. He'd long since crossed the line that divided overhearing something on accident and deliberate eavesdropping. Was he just being a coward? Intuition informed him to stay put. As a matter of pride, Hannah fought her own battles. Interfering would only land him in the doghouse... a residence ill-suited to coyotes.

  Discomfort steamrolled along. Eventually, Branwen cleared her throat and asked, "So, Fiona, when are you due?"

  "August 10th, but they say twins arrive early!" Forced enthusiasm inflated Fiona's volume, several octaves above her normal speaking range.

  "Oh! Congratulations!" Hannah's whole face lit up with surprise. She opened her arms and flew toward her sister. Fiona met her halfway. The women collided in an embrace.

  "A double blessing! This is truly wonderful." Ursula's Russian accent grew markedly thicker with heartfelt tears. The stout little woman swept both twins into a bear hug.

  Branwen shuffled her feet, pouting, and Silver ached with sympathy for the raven-shifter. Yet, his own reaction to the happy news closely mirrored Branwen's... and he wondered why. A worm of anxiety writhed in his gut. He'd been uneasy since Fiona had first announced her pregnancy a few weeks ago. Silver and Hannah had married about a month before Fiona and her husband. Fast-forward ten months... Fiona was already expecting, with twins now. When Hannah spoke of her sister's condition, she displayed nothing but enthusiasm. She anticipated becoming an aunt with joy. Silver hadn't missed the shadow that crossed his mate's face, however, when she thought he wasn't watching.