Winter Moon: A Christmas Novella (Seven Book 8)

by Dannika Dark

  William crawled over Trevor and accidentally elbowed him in the eye. “Apologies.”

  “No biggie. Just my eyeball.”

  William stumbled and fell on the floor. “Do you remember where I put my trousers?”

  “What happened?” Izzy yelled from the hallway.

  “The power’s out,” Ben replied. “Austin’s calling up the electric company to see what’s going on.”

  “Hell’s bells.”

  Trevor found a pair of sweats on the floor and yanked them on just seconds before the door opened. Flashlight beams twirled around in the darkness as he stepped into the hall.

  “Where’s Reno?” Izzy asked.

  Ben aimed the light at her face. “He went out with April. Looks like Will’s the man in charge.”

  William must have heard his name. He appeared in the doorway, fully dressed in a loose pair of jeans and Trevor’s button-up shirt, which was a little too tight on him. “Close off the outside rooms. We need to keep the heat centralized. If ice took down the power lines, then this could last a lot longer than a few hours. Someone needs to seal off the windows downstairs with blankets.”

  Ben handed Trevor a spare flashlight. “I’m on it.” Without delay, he rushed down the hall.

  Trevor scratched his unshaven jaw. “What do you want me to do?”

  William devised a plan of action on the spot. His expertise with managing a pack was undeniable. “Go stoke the fire. The last thing we need is a dying fire and an open flue. Make sure Ben closes the drapes in the unused rooms. Oh, and put towels beneath those doors. I don’t know that it’ll help much, but every little bit matters.”

  Izzy reached in her pocket for a small band and tied up her red hair. “I’ll bring all the blankets downstairs.” She covered her mouth. “Oh no!”

  Trevor stepped forward, his adrenaline kicking into gear. “What’s wrong?”

  “The food. Lynn’s been in the kitchen all morning, chopping up vegetables and preparing everything for dinner. She was going to put the turkey in the oven around one.”

  William sighed. “We can’t worry about that right now. Do we have any more flashlights?”

  Trevor thought about it. “Austin has a drawer in his office with a bunch of emergency supplies, and there’s probably some in the garage. I’ll check inside the vehicles and see if I can find anything useful.”

  “Good. We need to gather up all the light sources we can find, including candles.”

  Jericho strode out of the bathroom just as cool as a cucumber. “What’s shakin’ out here? I had to piss in the dark.”

  Izzy shined the flashlight onto his ripped-up jeans. “The power’s out. You might want to put on something warmer, honey bunny.”

  His eyes skimmed down her long legs. Izzy had on a pair of sleep shorts and green slippers. “Then I volunteer to wear you, Sexybelle.”

  She jutted her hip and flashed him an annoyed look.

  “Reno’s still gone,” William informed him. “I want you to run outside into the garage and bring in all the flashlights and lanterns you can find. It’ll be dark in a few hours, and if the power doesn’t come back on, we don’t need to be wandering around in the dark in search of things. A dark house is an open invitation for rogues, so let’s put a few of those lanterns on the front porch.”

  The idea of rogues left Trevor unsettled. He always thought of electricity as an invisible thread that connected people to civilized behavior. Without it, humans looted and turned to violence. Shifters, on the other hand, plotted attacks and stole land.

  Jericho shook back his long hair and winked as he swaggered by. “Gotcha.”

  Izzy snapped her fingers and ran down the hall. “Blankets.”

  As they headed downstairs, Trevor considered the idea of sealing off the staircase with a hanging blanket. Maybe that would keep some of the heat from escaping the first floor. He also did a mental check of where all the candles in the house were located, but Lynn would know for certain. The men knew better than to touch her candles after the time Reno had boxed them up and stored them in the garage.

  During a heat wave.

  Once downstairs, they stepped around Ben, who was cutting a large piece of foam. “I found some insulation in the storage room,” he announced.

  Trevor grimaced. “I think that’s Jericho’s soundproofing equipment.”

  Ben stood up and blanched. He was Wheeler’s identical twin, but the two couldn’t be more opposite. Sometimes they finished each other’s sentences, but their mannerisms and style were uniquely their own. Since rejoining the pack, Ben was a changed man from the old version Trevor remembered. He was more aware of how his actions affected the pack, and not just because he didn’t want to get kicked out again. Ben had found redemption, and everyone could see the light in his eyes when he was around his brothers.

  Ben stared down at the foam with a look of regret. “He’s gonna kill me in my sleep.”

  William patted his shoulder. “Mustn’t worry over trivial matters. I’m sure Jericho wouldn’t value his personal belongings over his family’s safety. If he says anything to you about it, tell him it was on my order. Foam can be replaced.”

  Lennon and Hendrix raced into the room. “Uncle Reno’s gone,” Hendrix declared, out of breath. “What do you want us to do?”

  Hendrix had on a red shirt and Lennon blue. It made Trevor want to put on a pair of 3-D glasses.

  Will pinched his chin and studied the boys. “Why don’t you two bring in a stack of firewood and pile it in the kitchen by the washer. Let’s keep the wood dry, and make sure the tarp is secure when you’re done.”

  They both saluted him before scrambling toward the kitchen.

  “Keep the door closed!” William shouted.

  Trevor barked out a laugh. “With that kind of enthusiasm, maybe you should have told them to shovel the driveway.”

  William winked at him. “No, I’m saving that one for Denver.”

  “You better pick someone else,” Maizy informed him. They hadn’t noticed her curled up on the sofa. “Denny went out with Wheeler to find a tree.”

  Lexi entered the room and folded her arms. “Well, it’s official. We have no power. Austin called Prince, and he confirmed that several power lines are down. The electric company is putting everyone on hold, and no one can get any information on how long we’ll have to wait.”

  Trevor twirled his flashlight. “On a good note, this is Texas, so it’ll probably be eighty degrees by the weekend.”

  Lexi stood on the hearth. “Okay, Mr. Funnyman. If the power doesn’t come back on by then, you’ll be the ones outside scrubbing laundry on a washboard.”

  “Is Austin in his office?” William rounded the couch. “I’ll let him know I’m mobilizing the pack into action. If anyone finds themselves with nothing to do, tell them to wait in here for my orders.”

  Izzy jogged down the stairs with an armload of blankets. She set them against the staircase wall and took a breather.

  Trevor crossed the room and placed another log on the grate, but he couldn’t stop thinking about his best girl and Reno being out in this mess. He’d always felt like a watchdog to April. They were inseparable, and even though she now looked physically older than him, April was the little sister he never had.

  He kept his eyes on the bright flames. “Has April called?”

  The second Izzy’s phone rang, she darted across the room and snatched it off the TV stand. “This is the party to whom you are speaking.” After a beat, she snapped her fingers at Trevor. “They’re on their way back. It’s taking them longer because of the roads. The overpasses are starting to freeze.” Then she turned away. “Yeah, I’m here. Trevor was asking about you. … Okay, you two. Be careful.”

  Trevor closed the screen on the hearth and stood up. “Maybe I should go after them. They might need help if something goes wrong.”

  “Maybe you need to stay right here,” Maizy said, tossing her lap blanket aside. “Reno’s looking after her, so
you’ve got nothing to worry about. That’s one man I’d want by my side in a postapocalyptic world, and don’t tell Denver I said that.”

  “What if their car breaks down?”

  “Then he’ll build one out of sticks. The only thing we should be concerned about is whether or not Reno will bring Austin’s car back in one piece.”

  Lexi chuckled. “Don’t even say it out loud. Austin loves that car.”

  Still lying on her back, Maizy crossed her legs dramatically. “Not as much as you do.”

  Lexi blushed and looked as if she wanted to hit her little sister with a pillow.

  This is going to be a long day, Trevor thought. He glanced down at his bare chest, and it was then that he realized his sweatpants were on backward.

  The girls noticed it too and waggled their brows at him.

  “Sparty! Baby, where are you?” Naya called out.

  “Probably sleeping in the dryer again,” Lexi suggested.

  Naya’s tight red shirt had one of those keyhole openings in the front, and everyone could see her cleavage. She was the one person in the pack who didn’t look like an anemic Irishman in winter. Her brown skin glowed as if she’d just returned from a cruise in the Caribbean. Naya stopped behind the couch and pursed her ruby-red lips. “He always hides when it’s chilly outside. I just want to make sure he doesn’t get locked up in one of these rooms or in a closet.”

  Trevor scratched his neck. “That cat has mad survival skills. Let him sleep. There’s going to be a lot of us going in and out for the next few hours, so better that he’s out of the way. I think we all need to put on warmer clothes. Will’s handing out assignments.”

  Lexi’s shoulders sagged. “My mom’s in the kitchen, panicking over dinner. Maddox is trying to help, but you know how that goes. It won’t all fit in the fridge. She cooked some things ahead of time to reheat later, and now she thinks Christmas is ruined.”

  Maizy swung her legs off the sofa and stood up. “I’ll help. All we need to do is fill the coolers with some ice or snow and put them out back. No meat though, or it’ll attract wild animals.”

  “I have such a smart sister,” Lexi gushed. “Let me see if I can give Maddox something to do. He doesn’t seem to realize that women need to be left alone when they’re in crisis mode.”

  “Darling, I never panic,” Naya purred. “And you’re forgetting the fridge in the heat house. It’ll stay cold for a few more hours.”

  Lexi snapped her fingers and hurried out of the room.

  “Spartacus!” Naya sang.

  Trevor chuckled. If there was one thing Naya panicked over, it was her pet cat. Sparty was an independent fellow, and Naya would work herself into a frenzy if he went missing for more than a few hours. Trevor could only imagine what would happen if she ever had kids.

  Melody burst through the front door, snow clinging to her striped hat. “What’s going on? Dad’s outside digging around in the garage. Why are all the curtains closed?”

  “Power outage,” Trevor said. “Nothing to worry about.”

  Melody raised a quizzical brow. “We’re buried in snow, and he says it’s nothing to worry about.”

  Melody was blossoming into a beautiful young woman at seventeen. She marched to the beat of her own drum, and part of that probably had to do with her parents. She was always dyeing her hair different colors, and this year she’d chosen violet with silver streaks. The edgy cut fell slightly past her shoulders and looked like she hadn’t brushed it since yesterday.

  Naya clicked her tongue several times and scanned the room.

  “Is Sparty missing in action again?” Mel asked. “I’ll help you look for him.”

  “Would you, darling? I’ll check upstairs if you search down here.”

  Mel twirled out of her coat and hung it up. “I know all his favorite hiding spots.”

  The two dispersed to begin the hunt.

  Trevor admired the wreath over the fireplace. Someone had strewn tiny multicolored lights around the living room, but it seemed depressingly dark without them on. He took a seat on the hearth, feeling useless. They’d never had a snowstorm like this, and he didn’t know what the hell to do. Stuffing a few towels beneath the doors hardly seemed like an important job.

  “Is something troubling you?” William cut between the furniture and hovered over him.

  It was the notion Trevor would always have in the back of his mind—no matter how irrational—of not belonging. It was a bullshit feeling, especially with all the love in this pack. But people who haven’t survived trauma will never understand the battle scars that remain. For years afterward, he fell into a pattern of abusive relationships. Trevor wasn’t a father with kids to look after, or a second-in-command delegating tasks, nor was he a relation to anyone in the pack by blood. He worked in a bakery and sometimes sang a few tunes for extra cash—not exactly the go-to guy when there was trouble. Of all of them, he was probably the most expendable.

  Just once, he wanted to be the hero.

  William knelt and rested his forearms on his knees. “Don’t think I’m not familiar with that look. Everyone here respects you whether you realize it or not. You’re a shining example of bravery to them because of your struggles. What are your thoughts on what else needs to be done? I feel like I’ve covered everything, but I’m not certain.”

  Trevor rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. “Extra batteries. The flashlights will run out, and this could last for days. If the power’s still out tomorrow, everyone can take turns charging their phones in one of the cars. We’re all here, so it’s not a big deal. But someone from the outside may need to get ahold of us. All this shit needs to be unplugged in case we get a power surge when it comes back on.”

  “Good thinking.” William’s gaze drifted to the fireplace. “I’ll have Maddox take care of unplugging the electronics and switching off the lights. It’ll give him something productive to do. Did you watch the weather report this week to see how long this would last?”

  “Two more days of steady snow,” Trevor replied. “Today, Christmas Day, and the day after. Then it’s clouds, but the temperature isn’t going up until after the weekend.”

  William rose to his feet, hands on his hips. “I wonder if we need to shovel the driveway again.”

  “It won’t matter. We can clear the private road all we want, but the city never sands down the main road. We’re off their radar. Shovel to your heart’s content, but it’s a waste of time if we can’t get out on the city roads.”

  William locked his fingers behind his head and turned. It gave Trevor a chance to admire his svelte body—especially since Trevor’s shirt was a size too small and rising up. Tight muscles in all the right places, his jeans hanging low and revealing the V-cut in his abdomen. Trevor had always been attracted to William, who was older, more mature, and not interested. Or so Trevor had thought. He’d never met anyone who was better than him at hiding his sexuality, and William was so casual about coming out that it made Trevor wish he had that same level of confidence. Trevor’s eyes slid down and noticed the button on William’s jeans was undone.

  “Something on your mind?” William asked, his voice so sexy that it rolled across Trevor’s skin and gave him goose bumps.

  Trevor stood up and wrapped his arms around him. “I thought of a better way to keep warm.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “Body heat.”

  “Indeed.” William reciprocated, holding him close. “There was something important I forgot to tell you this morning.”

  “What’s that?”

  He pressed his scruffy cheek against Trevor’s. “I love you.”

  Chapter 4

  Wheeler and Denver

  Wheeler crested a short hill and stared at row upon row of Christmas trees. Fir, pine, and another variety he couldn’t identify. A blanket of snow rolled out before him, and the trees were iced in the white stuff like one of Lexi’s cupcakes. Denver was being a picky bastard and bypassing anything that didn’t meet
his standards. Either it was too big, too small, too wide, or too scrawny.

  Goldi-fucking-locks had nothing on this kid.

  They must have been out there for two hours—long enough that Denver told him all about their irrigation system and the importance of supporting farmers.

  Fat flakes of snow drifted in front of him, and he trudged forward, trying to keep his boots in line with Denver’s footprints so that more snow wouldn’t seep its way into the crevices. He had an axe in one hand and the keys to the truck in the other.

  “Go pick out a tree, they said. It’ll be fun, they said.” He swung the axe and struck a nearby branch. Had he known Denver would take his sweet-ass time picking out the perfect tree, he might have dressed in something warmer than a leather bomber jacket. The sheepskin lining and collar helped, but what he needed was a damn hat. Even his circle beard was collecting snow. Gloves would have been nice, but no. Denver had promised it would be an in-and-out operation.

  Wheeler should have known better. Denver didn’t even approach sex as an in-and-out operation. It was more like an all-day invasion.

  Wind battered Wheeler’s face, flecks of ice getting in his eyes. “Come on, Puffy! Get your ass moving and pick out a tree before they call out a search party for us.”

  He quickened his pace and decided the first tree he saw Denver standing next to was coming down. They’d already paid the guy in advance.

  Denver was barely visible in that ridiculous white coat. When he turned around, his grin was so wide that it put a rosy hue on his cheeks. “I found the perfect one.”

  “Move aside, Puffy.”

  Wheeler kicked aside the snow until he saw a patch of dead grass. The branches were low to the ground, so he had to kneel to reach the trunk.

  “Think it’ll fit in the truck?” Denver asked conversationally.

  The axe struck the wood, and a few chips broke away. “We’ll make it fit if I have to cut it in half.”

  “What’s up your ass?”

  Wheeler glared up through an opening in the branches. “Oh, I don’t know. About seven inches of snow?”