Christmas After Dark: A Holiday Paranormal Romance Anthology

by Abigail Owen

  "Too much excitement at once for all of us. Let's take a short break." He gave the baby's forehead a gentle kiss. "Don't worry. You'll get more swim time in the tub tomorrow. Soon, we'll go out to the river."

  A pang of fear pierced Cassie's heart, her grip tightening on the baby.

  "Don't worry—he'll be fine. We all will." Alec laughed.

  She sat on the toilet, dressing Michael back up. He let out a noisy yawn, his eyes half-closed as she swaddled him in a blanket.

  Alec wrapped his arms around them both.

  "When you're ready... your turn. But first—let's enjoy his first Christmas." He hugged them tight. "And perhaps get a few hours more sleep."

  It was a long, lazy Christmas day—between the thrill of seeing Michael opening his presents and shifting whenever Alec gave him the tiny pelt to practice, Cassie was beyond exhausted. To the baby, the ability to shift was a better toy than anything he'd gotten from Santa Claus. Soon he was leaping in and out of piles of wrapping paper in otter form, gripping the stuffed dolphin in his teeth and basically tearing up a storm through the living room.

  "He can't walk, but he can run when he's like that." Cassie sighed. "Doesn't make sense."

  "He'll be walking soon enough." Alec laughed as he scooped up the tiny animal in both hands. "I guess you're glad you didn't put up a big Christmas tree."

  "Thank God." She glanced at the small artificial one sitting on a side table in the corner, a few plastic Christmas ornaments swaying from the branches.

  Michael changed back in Alec's arms, squirming and fussing.

  "No matter what shape he's in, he still gets hungry," Cassie said. "Let's get him down for a nap, and we'll start dinner."

  Michael refused to loosen his grip on the pelt even as he fell asleep, clutching it to his heart.

  "Don't worry," Alec said as Cassie frowned, debating whether to try to pull it away. "After the initial rush wears off, he'll be fine just keeping it within arm's reach when he's resting—like I do."

  "What if he shifts while he sleeps?"

  "He'll likely stay in the crib. No matter what form he's in, sleep is sleep."

  "Right." She gripped the edge of the crib to steady herself. "My turn."

  He eyed her. "No rush. You did want to get the roast started."

  Cassie laughed, keeping it down as to not wake the baby. "Then we'll do it."

  He took her hand. "You sure?"

  "Yes." She couldn't deny the curiosity bubbling up inside her, the urge to join her son tamping down her fear. "I'd like to try, at least."

  "Come on, then. Kitchen first, then bathroom." He leaned in and kissed Michael's forehead before taking her hand. "He'll be fine until we get back."

  Thirty minutes later she walked into the bathroom, having stripped down to just her robe. Alec was already there, folding his underwear again as he had that morning.

  "Don't worry." He gave her a gentle kiss, tugging the robe down and off her shoulders. "I'll be right here."

  She felt self-conscious standing in front of him, in the gentle daylight streaming in through the window and the cold electric bulb set in the ceiling. One hand pressed the fur square to her heart—beating frantically in anticipation. The other skimmed her stomach, over the thin Cesarean scar.

  Alec's gaze followed her hand. "I didn't even notice that last night. I should have." He dropped to his knees and kissed her belly. "A warrior's mark."

  "I have stretch marks," she added. "And other things..."

  He growled. "I don't care. They gave me something beautiful, something more magical than any shifter ever could. Sexy as all hell to me." He touched his lips to her scar, the gentle gesture igniting desire inside her. "I'd do more down here, but unfortunately, we've got work to do." Alec looked up, a mischievous sparkle in his eye.

  Cassie couldn't help shivering as he ran the water for a few minutes, washing out the loose hair in the tub.

  "Michael shedding." He shook his head. "He'll do a lot of that until his full coat comes in."

  Alec faced her, still only wearing his pelt—loose on his hips. "Right." He smiled. "Don't worry—I'll be right here."

  She took a deep breath. "I'm ready."

  Alec touched the pelt where she still held it against her chest. "The magic's inside—but after you shift for the first time, some will stay with you—even when you're back in human form. But you'll always need this to change." He winked at her. "That much of the legend is true. Take away the pelt, you can't shift."

  Alec repeated the motions he'd done with Michael, touching his forehead, his nose, then his heart. "Your situation is different from the baby's—at least, for this first time. This will help to center yourself, concentrate on activating the magic. After a while, you won't need to do it, like me. The trick is to focus."

  "On what?" She lifted her free hand, her heart racing.

  "On what you want to be," Alec said. He reached out and stroked her face, the gentle gesture giving her strength. "Close your eyes and imagine seeing me for the first time there on the riverbank. Imagine seeing Michael in the tub, sweet and playful and a furry ball of pure love. Now see yourself as one of us."

  To say it was an amazing afternoon would be an understatement.

  Her world had changed on Christmas Eve, years ago, when she walked by the river and found the injured otter—and it had again, in a blazing, mind-blowing, burst of colors and scents. Of textures and tastes.

  The first few terrifying seconds changed into breath-taking minutes, then exciting hours of exploring her new form. Alec stood by her side, pawing her as she swam around the tub—then staying nearby as she ran around the house, re-discovering her home with a whole new perspective.

  Eventually they ended up back in the tub, duplicating the motions Michael had made to return to human form.

  Cassie laughed as she found herself atop Alec in the tub, both of them in human form again—and naked, save for the pair of pelts resting on their hips.

  His arms went around her instinctively, holding her close.

  She gave him a deep, passionate kiss before letting out a soft laugh and settling against him.

  "How much longer do you think he'll sleep?" Alec asked.

  "A bit longer." She wriggled her hips, the sense of wonder continuing. "Did you want to swim some more?"

  He ran his hands down her back, cupping her ass. "I wasn't thinking of swimming." He rocked against her, the familiar movement sparking a rush of heat through her body.

  "Ah..." Cassie moaned, the slip of fur rubbing against delicate skin, her skin still tingling from the shift back to human form. "Maybe not in the tub. My back won't survive."

  "Right then." Before she could react, Alec climbed out and scooped her into his arms. "Let me finish what I started when we came in here..."

  "I wasn't sure your pelt would work," he confessed as they sat down to an early dinner. "The magi who helped me collect the ingredients to enchant the fur said the recipe was an old one, centuries old." He gave her a sheepish look. "There aren't many humans who come to our family."

  "Is that how you got the scar, the big one—on your shoulder blade?" She didn't mention the other, smaller ones she'd discovered on his back—fresh, white stripes marring his skin.

  "Yes." Alec rolled his shoulders back. He hadn't worn a shirt to the table, donning only jeans in a return to his earlier clothing habits. "Needed to get a certain ingredient for the spell."

  "Too dangerous," she muttered under her breath.

  He reached over and took her hand. "It was for you." He glanced over at Michael, safe in his highchair. "And for him, even if I didn't know it then."

  The baby reacted by letting out a squeal and sweeping his arms across the tray, clearing off the crackers he'd been snacking on.

  "You are a handful and a half," she said, feeding Michael bits of food off her plate between taking her own mouthfuls. "I'm glad you didn't have to go back and make one for him."

  "He's special. He's my son." Alec let ou
t a gleeful roar. "I've heard about children of both worlds, but never thought I'd be so favored." He laughed as Michael spat food in his direction, a meaty raspberry to follow up. "My mother's going to be thrilled. She always said I was a little devil growing up, so she'll be happy to see he's the same."

  "Your mother." Cassie paused, spoon half-way to Michael's mouth. "Your family. You mentioned brothers, but..." Her mind spun, envisioning a line of otter shapeshifters scampering all over her house.

  He nodded. "Two, but they're out on their own with their own families. Don't worry, they'll be fine with you and with Michael." He reached over and stroked Michael's cheek. "We'll all be fine."

  The baby let out a squeal and slapped his hand down on a puddle of gravy, sending it everywhere. His chubby cheeks wobbled as he smeared the gravy over his face with a mischievous laugh, blowing bubbles.

  Cassie reached for a napkin as Alec laughed, her train of thought derailed as she dealt with the issue at hand.

  It wasn't until after dessert, when she'd managed to calm her son and put him down for a rest, to ask the obvious question burning in her heart since Alec's return, less than a day ago.

  "I have to ask...what do we do now? I mean, now that you're back." She sat on the sofa, tugging at her Penn State sweatshirt. The comfortable track pants were soft, but seemed rough against her skin—likely a side effect of her time as an otter.

  It was easy to understand why Alec preferred to wear as little clothing as possible. She couldn't imagine what sort of strange feelings he'd gone through, staying as a human for so long during his leg healing.

  "Whatever you want." He sat on the couch next to her and pulled Cassie into his arms. "I came back for you, but obviously the situation has changed."

  She lay there quietly, gathering her thoughts.

  "Will your people welcome Michael as one of their own? Or will he be bullied, snubbed..." The words caught in her throat as she tried to imagine the otter equivalent of schoolyard bullies.

  Alec shook his head. "I can't promise he'll never have a problem with his heritage. Except that I'll punch out anyone who says anything within my hearing."

  She swallowed hard, past the lump in her throat. It was fine to follow her heart, but it wasn't just herself now.

  Cassie snuggled into his embrace. "What... what do you want to do? I know you came back to see me, but now everything's changed, it's all different."

  "Not really. I came back because I love you, because I promised to." He pressed his lips to the back of her neck. "I'm sorry it took so long—it must have been hard for you, going through all this by yourself." A pause. "What did Jean think?"

  "She had her moments. Gave me a bit of grief, which I expected, but then settled in to be really helpful. Sent some extra money and supplies." Cass put her hand up before he could reply. "We were fine financially at the start, especially with the money you left behind. She helped me to pick out cribs, strollers, car seats—ordered online and had it delivered to the house. When my due date came up, she flew in for the delivery and stayed for a month, helped me come home and get settled."

  She pressed her lips into a tight line, unsure how much to tell him. "She was a blessing, believe me. But when she left, she went through her usual mantra, asking me to consider selling out and coming to stay with her."

  "Did you?" Alec shook his head. "I wouldn't have blamed you for thinking I wasn't coming back, not at that point. And you had to do what's right for both of you."

  She sighed. "I did consider it, but then I knew you'd come back—and there was no way to leave a message to say where I'd gone and I didn't know if you could even follow me. Anyway, after Jean left, everyone else helped out—like Veronica." Cass waved a hand. "Sure, there were some whispers, some glances, but nowadays no one really makes a fuss about this sort of thing." She turned toward him and was rewarded with a soft, delicate kiss. "We need to decide."

  "We will." He kissed her again, deeper and hungrier. "I'd like to unwrap my Christmas present again." His hands slipped under her sweatshirt.

  "Uh..." Cassie let out a gasp as he cupped her breasts, her heightened senses going into overdrive at the simple touch. "That might..."

  Then he kissed her again and all coherent thought fled.

  8

  "He just came back like that, and you let him into your house again?" Jean snapped into the phone.

  Cassie held the receiver away from her ear, wincing. She'd promised to call on Christmas Day, and she wasn't going to break her promise to her aunt—despite the verbal minefield she'd just run into.

  There was no easy way to reintroduce Alec into her life without causing some controversy.

  "I told you, he signed up for a long stint on a fishing ship, earn more money. They were out longer than planned." The lie was the best they could come up with—at least, something Alec was comfortable with, and they could repeat to the nosy neighbors.

  "I don't care. They have cell phones; they have ways of receiving and sending messages. I've seen it on television, where they hunt crab out in the Arctic. There's always a way to get information back and forth. He said he wrote you letters, and they must have gotten lost—easy to blame it on the post office." Her aunt's caustic tone burned through the air. "And I assume he apologized profusely for abandoning you, while waving a wad of cash in the air and saying you were the only woman he'd ever loved, the only one he cared about?"

  "That's not the point." Cassie bit back the curses on the tip of her tongue. "He's back, and he's happy to see Michael, thrilled about being a father and loves him so much. I can't ask for any more than that."

  "A ring on your finger would be a good start. Begging for your forgiveness would be next." Her voice shifted, dropped out of the bitch range. "Cass... I only want the best for you and Michael. When you said you were pregnant, I was supportive. I came and did what I could when he was born. I never said much against Alec."

  Cass pressed her lips into a tight line, holding back the snarky response bubbling under the surface.

  Jean paused as if she'd heard it anyway. "Well, not as much as others did. I offered to take you in. You told me you didn't want to move away, couldn't move away until you knew what had happened to him. Now you do." She sighed. "I'm just asking you to be careful, to not get taken advantage of. All I want is for you and Michael to be safe. Tell me I'm wrong for wanting this."

  "You're not," Cassie said. "I love you for being there and being concerned about me and the baby. Alec and I, we're still... discussing the situation."

  "Okay. Okay," Jean repeated. "But be careful. Remember, it's not only you affected by this decision." There was a long pause. "Are you still comfortable with me coming for New Year's?"

  "Of course," Cassie said. "Why would that change? Just because Alec came back doesn't mean we don't want you here. You had Christmas with your family out there and I had to work—Danny's got New Year's Eve, and we're going to have a wonderful time. You won't believe how big Michael's gotten..."

  After more murmurings and a repeated promise to pick Jean up at the airport on the 31st, Cassie cut the link and put her cell phone down.

  "Jean's not happy with me. Don't blame her." Alec nuzzled the side of her neck. "I'd be pissed at me too, if I were in her place."

  They moved to the bedroom for the night, Michael sleeping fitfully in the crib beside their bed.

  "She's coming for New Year's Eve. We arranged it months ago."

  Alec stiffened against her. "That might be a problem."

  "It might. We'll deal with it tomorrow." She sighed and reached for the light. "Don't forget, you promised to meet Veronica for lunch."

  "Can't wait. Should be the longest meal of my life."

  The dryness in his voice followed her down into a deep sleep.

  The next day turned into a barely-contained sort of chaos, with Michael and Alec at the center of it all.

  Michael slept in, thank goodness, allowing her to get a jump on the day. The bar would be opening on time at n
oon, with Danny taking the evening shift.

  She still couldn't wrap her mind around a plan to deal with Jean, much less decide her future with Alec.

  After making breakfast, she went to the bathroom, where Alec was playing with Michael—both in otter form.

  Alec scampered out of the tub, shifting back to human form in a matter of seconds.

  Michael did the same, giggling as he splashed in the water at the bottom of the tub.

  She leaned against the door frame, smiling as Alec scooped the baby up and wrestled him back into a onesie, Michael complaining all the while.

  "Almost time for me to go in." She gestured at Michael. "The day care's closed for the holidays, so he'll have to stay with you."

  Alec handed the baby to her and reached for the nearby white robe. "What about lunch with Veronica?"

  She scowled, remembering his promise. "We'll put him in the car seat, and he goes straight into the booth at the back, the one by the kitchen door. Anyone says anything, you duck out through the exit. I don't want the bar to lose its license for having a minor inside, even if he's not old enough to drink." She began to rock the baby, Michael now gurgling with his eyes half-closed. "Can you make sure he doesn't change in the middle of the bar?"

  "Sure." Alec reached into the baby's outfit and withdrew the tiny pelt. "As long as he doesn't have this, he can't change." He gave her a wistful smile. "I hate taking this from him—he'll miss it, I know he will."

  "It's not forever. Just for a few hours." A headache started behind one eye, threatening to burst free. "Let's get ready to go."

  It was a short walk from the house to the bar, not worth taking the car. The stroll softened the headache and banished it as Alec carried the baby, pointing out various things along the riverbank. Michael laughed and waved his hands, safely locked into the car seat.

  They made it to the bar on time, just after eleven o'clock. The snow crunched under her feet as she held the door open for Alec to carry Michael through.