Sugar & Spice

by Lorelei Moone

  Sugar & Spice: A Scottish Werebear Xmas

  A BBW Scottish Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance by Lorelei Moone.

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  Meet up again with the couples from the first three Scottish Werebears books in this feel-good Christmas special. This anthology contains three short stories written from the perspective of various previous and new characters as they celebrate the holidays together. Please note this book contains spoilers for previous titles.

  Clarice is organizing the perfect Christmas party and everyone’s invited to spend the holidays at McMillan farm with her and Derek. But something feels wrong and she can’t put her finger on what it could be. Meanwhile, Derek is only going along with Clarice’s plan because he wants to make her happy, but the McMillan brothers haven’t celebrated Christmas ever since the death of their parents fifteen years ago. Perhaps it’s time to leave the past behind and start a new family tradition?

  Alliance members Aidan, Heidi, and Jamie are travelling to McMillan farm for Christmas along with Jamie's mate, Alison. When they realize their colleague Kyle is going to be left on his own over the holidays, they convince him to tag along at the last minute. He grudgingly accepts the invite, but soon changes his tune when after their arrival he is introduced to Lily, Clarice's best friend, who just happens to be the unnamed woman he had spent a single night with months earlier...

  Heidi feels like the odd one out. In a mixed company of humans and bears, she's the only wolf and also the only one who has never actually celebrated Christmas before. Can she let go of her reservations and get into the swing of things?

  This collection of short stories is best enjoyed after reading the first three books in the Scottish Werebears series..

  This story is intended for adult audiences only.

  © 2015 Lorelei Moone

  Published by eXplicitTales

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Table of Contents

  Sugar & Spice: A Scottish Werebear Xmas

  Fate

  Acceptance

  Miracle

  About the Author

  Fate: Lily & Kyle's story.

  On the morning of the 24th of December, all was quiet at the Alliance office.

  Everyone else had plans for the holidays, but Kyle didn't. He'd visited his folks in Manchester about a month ago, and even they had Christmas plans that didn't include him, so he was just going to stay back at the office and catch up on some much-needed systems maintenance. It was the perfect time for it, without having anyone there to interrupt him.

  It didn't bother him. He'd never really gotten along with his parents. His last visit to Manchester had been difficult. All they seemed to be concerned with was trying set him up with the girl next door, in whom he had no interest.

  You're not getting any younger. Why not settle down with a nice girl?

  That's why he'd cut his visit short and spent the night at a hotel, instead of their house. And what a night it had turned out to be...

  He shook off the memories that threatened to flood him. This wasn't the time. He wasn't about to waste precious minutes reliving a one-night stand with a stranger in a hotel, no matter how amazing it had been. There was work to be done, and Kyle was keen to get started.

  He'd stayed the night upstairs in one of the rooms above the office, rather than at home with too many distractions. That's how he envisioned the rest of his holiday – work without having to deal with other people, enjoy a bit of take-out, then retreat to the room upstairs for a bit of rest and repeat the cycle all over again the next day.

  By the time everyone returned in the new year, he had wanted to have all the computers upgraded and secured with new software that would allow them to better cover their tracks online.

  It was important for an organization like the Alliance to keep their activities a secret and not just from enemies like the Sons of Domnall, who seemed to have a lot more technical know-how than one would expect from a group of militant skinheads. It would be an even bigger disaster – for everyone – if the authorities found out about the Alliance and the Sons alike.

  While the Sons had been tracking down and capturing shifters for centuries, the fight between the two sides had intensified in recent years after the formation of the Alliance had allowed the shifters to push back. So far both sides had been careful not to involve any outsiders in their activities, and the Alliance, at least, was set on keeping it that way.

  Shifters were accustomed to living in secret, driven by the certainty that coming out as a different species would have the entire human world - and not just the Sons - up in arms against them. People feared what was different. What could be more different than those who could change into wild animals at will?

  That was why data security was so important to Kyle. He was the one person in the Alliance’s Edinburgh branch who knew better than anyone how vulnerable modern technology really was. The others didn't understand.

  Kyle started with Jamie's system, adding more memory so it would be able to handle the extra software, and then he ran diagnostics on it to make sure it hadn't already been compromised. He had barely finished that when the door unlocked with a click and a creak.

  He looked up to find Aidan standing in – or rather, filling – the doorway.

  "What are you doing here?" Kyle asked.

  "What kind of a greeting is that, mate? Good morning to you, too," Aidan remarked.

  "Yeah... morning." Kyle ran his hand through his hair and stared at the unexpected intruder. "So, what are you doing here?"

  "We were just leaving for Skye. And in the interest of Christmas cheer and all that, we couldn't fathom the idea of you staying behind working through the holidays."

  Kyle squinted. As if catching up on much-needed upgrades was a bad thing. "Okay. And?"

  "Why don't you join us?" Aidan asked, an expectant grin appearing on his face.

  "But... I've got all these things to do." Kyle pointed at all the components littering his desk. Although he now presented it as work, he'd looked forward to the alone time as well.

  "Oh, they won't go anywhere, will they?" Aidan asked.

  "I suppose not, but I can't very well do this with everyone here. I'd just be disturbing you guys," Kyle tried to justify himself, but he quickly realized there was no way to explain this to a guy like Aidan. No way of telling him that staying back and working on some machinery was actually fun without sounding like a pathetic recluse.

  "I promise whenever you want to do this, we'll stay out of your way. Besides, a smart guy like you won't take the entire week just to fix computers, will you? This is just a couple of days of work for you, right?" Aidan smiled again. He knew he'd already won.

  Kyle realized that Aidan was just buttering him up, but he had to agree to some extent. This wouldn't keep him occupied throughout the holidays. He was probably going to finish within a few days and spend the rest of the time playing video games. He'd rather looked forward to it.

  "Right. And Abbott's on-board?" Kyle tried one last approach.

  "You don't believe me, go ask him. He's waiting in the car with everyone else."

  "Okay. I suppose there's no harm." Kyle brushed some non-existent dust off his jeans and made a half-hearted attempt to organize the various tools and things he'd laid out for his work today. He had to admit defeat, Aidan had won the a
rgument.

  "Why don't you go pack," Aidan urged.

  "If you say so. All right, then." Kyle looked around the room for a moment, as if it would somehow help him come up with a reason to refuse after all. Then he went upstairs to the bedrooms where a fully packed bag was already waiting for him on his bed. In his eagerness to get started on the work, he'd never even emptied his luggage. Almost as though he wasn't meant to stay here today.

  Within moments, he'd picked up the rest of his things, stuffed them on top of the bag and joined Aidan downstairs again.

  "Ready?" Aidan gestured at him to follow him outside.

  Kyle took one final look around and sighed deeply. Goodbye, computers... His folks had always tried to teach him that there were times to do what you wanted yourself, and times where you had to go along with what other people said, out of politeness and to make them happy. He had to admit grudgingly that this was one of those times.

  He could only hope that he wouldn't end up regretting this later.

  Lily's flight was uneventful, even relaxing, but she still felt restless. She was traveling to the Isle of Skye to spend Christmas with her best friend, Clarice. This ought to be something to look forward to, but things didn't seem all that simple.

  Only months earlier, Clarice had made the same journey. What was supposed to be just a two-week working vacation to finish her book had turned into an abrupt and permanent relocation. Lily had only seen her friend briefly when she came back to London to pack up her things and vacate her apartment, and that meeting hadn't answered any of Lily's questions.

  Clarice had fallen for the farmer, Derek, and he'd invited her to stay with him. That was a weak explanation, especially for Clarice. How could you even fall in love with someone in such a short time? Sure, Clarice's messy break-up with Alan earlier in the year had left her wounded, but she was no pushover. In all the years Lily had known Clarice, she had shown herself to be an intelligent woman who made decisions with her mind before her heart.

  How could a formerly independent city dweller like Clarice suddenly decide to up and move to the middle of nowhere in Scotland? And for what? To become a farmer's wife? There wasn't even any cell phone reception up there. Had she been brainwashed in a moment of weakness?

  Lily rushed through the small airport terminal to pick up her bags and then she marched straight to the car rental desk where she'd pre-booked a car. She had to find out what was going on. Just in case a rescue was in order, Lily had rented a bigger car that would fit all of Clarice's stuff in the back.

  There was no time to waste, so Lily didn't allow herself to take even a coffee break at the airport before moving on to the lot where the large van-shaped Peugeot awaited her. After turning on the in-dash GPS system, she started the car and was off. A long drive lay ahead, and Lily was set on reaching her destination before dark.

  How do you deal with someone who's been brainwashed, she wondered. Lily had no idea but for her friends' sake, she intended to figure it out.

  Every time Lily had spoken to Clarice these past couple of months it had seemed like for everything she'd said, there were hundreds of words left unspoken. It was those secrets that had made Lily all the more suspicious.

  They never used to keep secrets from each other. Clarice was the one person Lily could have come to with anything.

  Like a month ago when Lily, in a momentary lapse of judgment, had gone home with a nameless stranger she'd met in her hotel lobby during a business trip. She would have told Clarice about that night, but nobody else. She would have even admitted to her that, rather than feeling embarrassed about the rash decision to climb into bed with someone she'd only just met, she'd quite enjoyed herself. She might have even allowed herself to voice that oh so dangerous what if. What if she hadn't left early that morning?

  But that was the kind of friendship they used to have. Now, everything had changed. Lily hadn't told Clarice about that one night stand because it didn't feel right to discuss that kind of thing during a rushed phone call. All because a man had come between them.

  As Lily drove on, following the robotic directions of the GPS system through the city and finally into the countryside north of Edinburgh, she kept thinking back to the good old days.

  Lily had first met Clarice years ago when they'd joined the same local gym in their neighborhood in London. Both were swayed by the slick brochure and the even slicker personal trainer who sold them an annual pass. It was early January, and they'd made the same New Year's resolution to get in shape, once and for all.

  Their stint at the gym didn't last long. They only made it through the first two spinning classes before throwing in the towel and taking their weekly meetings to a local restaurant instead. Lily and Clarice enjoyed the same sort of things; romantic comedies, which Clarice would obsessively analyze in her efforts to make it as a romance writer, and fine dining. They bonded over girl talk about their current significant others.

  Boyfriends came and went - more so for Lily than for Clarice, whose love life had always been a bit more conservative - but their friendship had endured. Until now.

  What if she had asked for the stranger's phone number after their night together? He'd seemed interested enough. Perhaps then she wouldn't have to worry about Clarice's new relationship as much as one of her own.

  Lily realized that her thoughts weren't helping anyone and turned on the stereo instead, to drown out the ugly voices in her head. That's how she drove the rest of the way, making only one pit stop for coffee and a sandwich roughly halfway.

  By the time Lily made it over the bridge and onto the Isle of Skye, it was nearing three o'clock. She would have to hurry if she wanted to make it to her destination by sundown.

  The route leading her to the farm was as Clarice had described: she passed through a tiny village and then nothing but fields until she started to worry that she had gone wrong somewhere. She hit a dark wooded patch that finally did lead to McMillan Farm just as foretold.

  When she pulled into the driveway and first saw the house, Lily could almost see the attraction of living here. It was a beautiful place. Mysterious, more so under the setting sun, and the old building added a certain historic charm to the surrounding countryside.

  Lily's optimism was short-lived thanks to the bitterly cold winds that threatened to infiltrate her to her core as soon as she opened the car door. It was bloody freezing. If this were normal, then she couldn't imagine spending an entire winter here.

  She opened the trunk of her car to get her luggage out when a voice made her pause.

  "Lily, you made it!" Clarice shouted, waving excitedly when Lily turned to greet her friend.

  "Of course. I wouldn't miss the chance to spend the holidays with you for anything in the world." Lily stretched out her arms and gave her friend a warm, if bittersweet, hug.

  Nothing in Clarice's smile suggested she was anything but pleased to see Lily. She looked well, with a healthy glow on her cheeks.

  "Nice place," Lily remarked, allowing herself to look around for a moment.

  Soon after, she focused on Clarice's face again, though. There was something different about her. Had she changed her hair? Had she lost weight? Lily couldn't put her finger on what it was. Perhaps it was just the weirdness of seeing her after such a long time.

  "Thanks, yes, it's great. I can't wait to show you around. Here, let me get your things."

  "Watch it, it's heavy," Lily argued, while Clarice tried to pick up the suitcase.

  That's when Lily first saw a large man's silhouette in the doorway of the farmhouse. As big as the entrance was, the man managed to fill it almost entirely. Was that...?

  "Derek, darling. Give us a hand? This is my friend, Lily," Clarice invited the man over, and he lumbered down the steps towards the two women.

  "Hi," he said, stretching out one of his huge hands in Lily's direction.

  So this was Derek, Clarice's new lover. Jesus.

  Lily reluctantly accepted the handshake, and smiled at the ma
n briefly, then stared back in Clarice's direction, eyebrows raised, while Derek lifted the heavy suitcase and effortlessly carried it into the house. Holy hell, what a catch.

  Clarice let out a little giggle. "I know. That's pretty much how I reacted when I first saw him."

  "What the-!? Honestly, would it have hurt you to give me a little warning?" Lily asked.

  "Would it have helped?" Clarice winked at her. "Let's go in."

  Lily shook her head and followed Clarice into her new home.

  Funny, after all the hours in the car, speculating about what she might find here, Clarice's new reality was still unexpected. Lily observed her from the corner of her eye as she almost sashayed into the entrance hall. She couldn't blame her.

  Lily took her time looking around while following both of them. As desolate as the location of the farm was, the decor of the main house was surprisingly cozy and inviting. It didn't seem to lack anything and the warmth inside starkly contrasted with the bitter cold from which they’d just come.

  "I've prepared your room down the hall from ours," Clarice said, walking behind Derek through the living area into a hallway to the back of the house. Lily followed almost reluctantly. There was so much to take in, so much to see. She could hardly drag herself away from the beautifully decorated tree in the living room.

  "Here's the bathroom." Clarice pointed to her right. "Here we are," she said, gesturing to the door opposite, "and here you are."

  They paused in front of a large wooden doorway further toward the back of the building. Derek had already placed the luggage inside and quickly excused himself, edging past the two women in the hallway and back to the front of the house.

  "Wow. This is beautiful!" Lily mumbled as she stepped inside the room.

  A rustic wooden bed stood proudly in the center, with a huge wardrobe lining one of the walls and a cozy arm chair and book rack filling the far corner of the room.

  "I do hope you'll be comfortable in here," Clarice said.