In My Christmas Stocking Read online

  Chloe groaned. Another snowstorm was not how today was supposed to go. She’d planned to drive right through the snow to where she needed to be, but her Jeep was dead, she’d found a mate, and she knew that her sister’s clown car wasn’t going to be much help, even with magic.

  Chloe knew she had two choices – lie on her back and wait for the snow – or get to shelter, regroup, and come up with a plan.

  She reached up and slapped her hand against his. The feel of those tingles of recognition swept over her skin, up her arm, and across her body, and boy did they feel good.

  Chloe was about to snatch her hand back when his fingers closed around it, and he hauled her to her feet.

  Standing there face-to-face with him like that, and with her hand still in his, she certainly could feel that lust gene kicking in. “Let’s get going,” Lucas said, and she snatched her hand from his.

  “Is it far to Kaylee’s cabin from here?” she asked, trying to mentally smooth her ruffled feathers and put all of those x-rated thoughts she was having about him to bed.

  “Just over that hill,” he said, pointing and heard her groan. “Let’s see if you can stay on your feet this time.” He teased her with his words and a sexy-as-hell smile, and she groaned inwardly.

  Now she’d have to start knocking those x-rated thoughts out of her head all over again, and she hadn’t finished getting rid of the first lot.

  Fate sucked.

  ~

  Mark was following a set of footprints, but he had to admit, they weren’t what he’d been expecting to find. He’d know those imprints anywhere; he should do, they’d cost him enough money.

  He stopped, listened, and heard the crunch of feet in the snow getting closer. Either she was walking in circles for the fun of it, or she was heading home.

  Mark didn’t move. He stood still with the shotgun resting over one arm and a curious expression on his face that was just for her, but when the sound of footsteps stopped, he felt the rise of frustration inside of him.

  “Keep coming,” he said, knowing that her hearing could pick up his words just fine.

  There was a low curse, and then the crunching began again. Shauna had a bright smile for him as she cleared the trees, but that smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Hi, Daddy,” she said, and he felt the tug on his heartstrings.

  The word Daddy came up a lot when she either wanted something or was trying to hide something – he’d go with both this time. “Just taking the air?” he asked, and that smile was frozen on her face.

  “Yep, working up an appetite for mom’s dinner,” she lied, and he picked up on the slight tremor in her tone. Her gaze drifted down to the shotgun. “Whatcha doin’?”

  There was that little twitch under her left eye that he loved so much. It was one of her tells, and he’d solved many a mystery when that little sucker had started to go off on its own. “Hunting.” He kept it casual.

  “What?” she asked as if she fully expected something to jump out on them, but didn’t really. He wasn’t sure, and it might just be his memory, but he was sure her innocent routine had been better when she was younger.

  Nervous, twitchy, and with a frozen smile – he’d bet a pound to a penny she knew what he wanted to kill. “You tell me.”

  And there it was, the rush to denial as her eyes widened, that smile looked strained, and the twitch was off again. “Rabbits?”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  ~

  “Do I look like Elmer J Fudd to you?” Mark asked, looking a little put out by her question.

  Shauna’s eyebrows shot up, and she looked decidedly mischievous. “Welllll…”

  “Don’t go there,” Mark said with a slow shake of his head.

  “A few more years and maybe…”

  “What part of don’t go there, didn’t you understand?” he asked.

  “Where’s the harm? Santa’s already paid for my Christmas present, right?” she grinned.

  “Doesn’t mean he’s going to get down the damn chimney tonight,” Mark growled. “I have the shotgun…”

  “Daddy!” she said with mock shock.

  “Yeah, Daddy,” he grumbled, hating himself for the tug on his heartstrings every time his Princess opened her mouth. “Well, you run along home, sweetheart. I’ve just got to bag me a pest and then…”

  “No!” she snapped out, mentally kicked herself, and tried again. “Let’s go together.”

  “Not yet, sweetheart. I’ve got me some vermin to take care of…”

  “You can’t!”

  “Can’t what?”

  “Shoot…”

  “Shoot what?”

  “Him!” she said and practically stomped her foot in the snow.

  That was all he needed to hear. “Him who?”

  “Did I say him – I meant it?” Shauna said, wincing at her mistake. But this was her underhanded father she was dealing with, and the man could interrogate a nun and get her to admit to a mass murder.

  “What’s it?”

  “It?” Shauna tried to look totally innocent of all wrongdoing, but he knew better.

  “It’s Christmas Eve, it’s as cold as hell, I’d rather be warming myself by a roaring fire and drinking your mother’s disgusting eggnog, but only for the numbing effect of the alcohol she puts in with a heavy hand, so spit it out,” he grumbled.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about, but let’s go get some of that eggnog…”

  “Fine,” he growled and started towards her. “I’ll go bag me a trophy…”

  “Daddy!” That time she did stomp her expensive little boot in the snow. Mark stopped and slowly raised his eyebrows.

  “Something you want to tell me?”

  “Want? No.”

  “Before I put a few holes in…?”

  “Fine!” she bit out. “He’s homeless…”

  “Homeless and with fangs? It’s not a puppy, and it better not be a rogue…”

  “He’s not a rogue,” she snapped.

  “But he is eating the damn livestock, so spill,” Mark demanded to the roll of a pretty pair of eyes.

  Damn, he should have had all boys or all girls, and that way she wouldn’t be Daddy’s little Princess – but all girls might just have killed him.

  ~

  Lucas watched his mate out of the corner of his eye as they walked side by side through the snow. He liked that she was a fast walker, he liked that she kept throwing looks in his direction – it meant that she was curious about him, or nervous, he hoped it was the first, and he liked that she had a fiery temperament – she’d need it in his family.

  What he wasn’t so sure about was how she could have walked away from her son. Any mother who could do that was either not maternal, or she had a damn good reason to do it. He hoped it was the latter.

  “Stop staring, I’m not famous, and I’m not a sideshow freak,” Chloe grumbled.

  “I don’t think you’re allowed to call people freaks anymore.”

  “I’m not into that whole PC thing, and trust me, there are still some freaky people out there – I know, I’ve met them,” Chloe shot back.

  “Why’d you leave Jackson?” he asked, just casually dropping it into the conversation like a bomb.

  Chloe shot a look at him. “Speaking of freaks?” she said and noted the way his brow furrowed.

  “That’s not…”

  “A coincidence? I guess not,” she tossed back.

  “For someone who isn’t into PC you certainly know how to close down a conversation,” he grumbled.

  Chloe sighed inwardly. “I have my reasons.”

  “For closing down the conversation or for leaving your kid when he needed you?” Damn, he hadn’t meant to say that.

  “Ouch, point taken, and moving on.” Chloe didn’t want to discuss it with him.

  Yes, he was her mate, and yes, she’d love to put the record straight, but she figured if she owed anyone an explanation, it was Kaylee first, her son second, and then the rest of the world. He
didn’t figure on that list yet.

  Yet?

  Her life was complicated, and she didn’t know if he’d ever figure on that list. The kick in the pants was that if she wanted to visit Jackson, then she’d have to come to town, and Lucas lived in town.

  It wasn’t as if she could just walk away and never have to see him again, was it?

  Lucas shot her a sideways look and noted the defiant tilt of her chin. He might have been itching to hear her side of the story, but he wasn’t going to push it. Pushing it meant pushing her buttons, he could see that, and he wanted to woo her, not send her running for the hills.

  “Cabin,” she said, pointing at the little house that looked so small in comparison to the whiteout around it and the woods that seemed to stretch off for quite a way.

  Lucas felt the first flakes of snow and grunted. “Timing is everything,” he said, holding out one large hand and catching a few flakes on his hand. “Let’s speed it up.”

  “Give me a broomstick, and I’ll beat you there,” she said, chuckling, but he noted the way that she set her pace faster, and he was impressed at her speed.

  ~

  “Hello, hello, hello-oh,” Cameron said, standing in the doorway of the alpha’s house, having pushed the door open, but as always, he was reluctant to just walk in. But, when he saw the little man’s head poke up over the back of the sofa, he was glad that he hadn’t.

  “It’s you,” Jackson said, eyeing the vampire for signs of his fangs, but not overly worried by his presence.

  “And you,” Cameron offered back, careful not to give in to the temptation of showing him his fangs again.

  “I’m supposed to be here, I’m family,” Jackson said, tipping his chin up like he had the upper hand. “You’re a vampire; you can’t come in.”

  Cameron grinned to himself. “ ’Tis the season,” he said, and put one foot over the threshold, and the boy’s gaze snapped down to his boot.

  Jackson drew a breath, and his eyes widened at the sight of the vampire’s foot inside the cabin. “But you have to be invited in!”

  CHAPTER NINE

  ~

  “And what makes you think that I ha…” Just then Tanya strolled into the living room, and Cameron snatched his foot back. “Merry Christmas.”

  “Don’t do that,” Tanya said, wagging a finger at him.

  “Do what?” he asked like butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth.

  “You see these ears,” she said and motioned to them. “They’re like radar, and they home in on lies.”

  Cameron knew he’d been busted. “Well, he was baiting me,” he offered.

  “Are you going to pout and tell Santa a seven-year-old is being mean to you?” Tanya said, folding her arms and scowling at him.

  “I might,” Cameron said and shot a look at Jackson who was giggling behind a handful of sugary treats. “Do I get one of those?” he asked motioning towards Jackson.

  “The boy or the cookie?” Tanya asked.

  “Well, if you’re offering…”

  “Go!” Tanya said and pointed over his shoulder.

  “I was going to say the cookie!” Cameron protested.

  “Sure you were,” Jackson said.

  “What he said,” Tanya agreed with a wicked grin.

  Cameron rolled his eyes and sighed. “Fine, I’ll be good, and if I can’t be good…”

  “Don’t finish that sentence,” Tanya warned him.

  “It is Christmas,” Cameron said, trying to press her guilt button. Nothing, she just stared back at him. “It is freezing out here.” Not even a blink. “I promise to be nice and not naughty!” he grumbled.

  “Then come on in,” she said, and Jackson swallowed hard enough for her to hear him. “Jackson this is Cameron, he’s sort of family.”

  “And family doesn’t eat family?” Jackson said, sounding hopeful.

  “I’m a vampire, I don’t eat people,” Cameron said, strolling into the room and casually over to where the boy was sitting.

  “You don’t?” He didn’t sound convinced.

  “No, I suck them dry of all their blood,” Cameron informed him.

  Tanya went to open her mouth and slap the vampire down, but Jackson rallied. “I have magic, and I already got you once,” he said, by way of a warning.

  “And good for you,” Cameron said, reaching over and snatching up a cookie from the plate on the low table. Just before he took a bite, the boy piped up again.

  “I can poison that cookie without even trying,” he lied.

  Cameron hesitated as he stared at the tasty treat in his hand. “And the best thing about being a vampire is – if I die, I just come back again, and again, and again.”

  Jackson scowled as he thought that one over.

  “Play nice,” Tanya whispered the warning.

  “So, what do you say that you don’t poison my cookie, and I don’t come back and – stuff,” Cameron said and waited while Jackson considered it. “Is he just slow or…?” he asked Tanya.

  “What part of nice didn’t you understand?” she asked.

  “I’m a vampire; nice isn’t always in my vocabulary.”

  “Deal,” Jackson said, and Cameron grinned at the she-bear. “For now,” he added and huffed as he turned towards the TV.

  Cameron raised just the left eyebrow and turned to Tanya. “Remind me to get the alpha to taste all my food for me.”

  “He can’t, he’s not here, he went…” Jackson stopped in mid-flow, remembering that it was a secret.

  “He was here?” Tanya asked.

  Jackson turned to look at her, and there it was, those Puss in Boots eyes. “Granny Tanya,” he said, and noted the way she double-blinked. It seemed the alpha knew his stuff.

  “Granny Ta…” Cameron repeated until he took a well-placed elbow to his ribs and bit down on his words.

  Tanya wasn’t sure how she felt about the word Granny, but she guessed she could live with it. It sounded strange though, especially coming from a seven-year-old. “Yes, Jackson?”

  “Could I get some more milk, please?” he asked as if butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. He even offered her a sweet smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

  “Sure,” she said and turned towards Cameron. “Sit – behave – and play nicely with the seven-year-old.” She even growled to back up the warning in her tone and her eyes.

  “Got it,” Cameron offered her a teasing smile.

  Then she noticed the front door was still open and sighed inwardly. “I’ll close the door then,” she grumbled, stalking towards it.

  Just as she reached out to toss it closed, she felt Cameron at her side, and that second of distraction completely threw her brain when the tall, dark stranger appeared in the open doorway, making her jump and her heart thump against her ribs.

  It didn’t help matters that a heartbeat later she found herself spun around the vampire’s back, looking at the back of Cameron’s head, wondering what the hell was going on.

  “You are so out of your depth that you must be questioning where you went wrong,” Cameron said, but it was a tone of voice that Tanya had never heard before from her friend.

  While her bear had risen inside her and was in full protection mode against the presence of the new vampire, she wasn’t about to let it burst out of her inside the cabin and in front of Jackson.

  With her beast clawing at her to protect the child and newest member of their clan, she knew in her mind that the vampire couldn’t get inside the cabin and that knowledge calmed her beast a little. It also annoyed the hell out of her that Cameron had stepped in to protect her – but, she’d accepted a long time ago that supernatural men were protective.

  With one step to the side, she could see around Cameron again to where the vampire stood at the open door. Six-foot odd of danger, and with a gaze that shot to the boy and back to Cameron again.

  “I can see you’re busy,” he said. “I’ll come back.”

  Then he was gone, and Tanya was none the wiser as to who
he was or why he was there, but she didn’t like it.

  Cameron shot one look back over his shoulder. “Don’t leave the cabin. I’ll be back,” he said, and then he was gone as well.

  Tanya took a long moment and stared at the snowy scene outside, trying to work out what had just happened. “Who was that?” Jackson asked with equal amounts of excitement and boredom.

  Tanya tossed the door closed and turned back to the inquisitive child. “Let’s get that milk together,” she said, unwilling to allow the boy out of her sight for a second. If he went to the bathroom, she was going to stand outside guarding it.

  Tanya used the mental link between her family to put out a warning. There was a new vampire in town, and danger hung over their peaceful Christmas. She didn’t like it one little bit.

  ~

  “Change of plan,” Lucas growled. He’d received the message from his mother loud and clear, and while he was close to the cabin, he couldn’t risk leaving his mother and Jackson unprotected at the main cabin.

  There was only one problem – he wasn’t alone. He couldn’t leave his mate at the cabin unprotected either. The clan had a long-standing plan that when danger lurked they all fell back to the main house, safer in numbers, and yet, it felt like a long way away to go with a female and a vampire on the loose.

  But there was little choice.

  Chloe shot him a curious look, but it was already too late. His hand was wrapped around her wrist, and he yanked her towards him as he bowed at the waist and hoisted her over one large shoulder.

  Chloe bit out a yelp of surprise. “What the hell are…?”

  “We need to get somewhere fast, and I don’t have time to explain,” Lucas growled, starting off on fast feet.

  The ride was going to be bouncy and uncomfortable for his mate, but it was the only thing he could think to do considering the danger they were in.