A McCarthy Christmas [Moonlight Shifters 7] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Morgan Fox

  “Great idea,” Dominic replied with interest, standing to his full height. “I brought a case of the good stuff. I’ll bring that in too. It will definitely keep us warm.”

  “Nice,” Ryken cheered. “I like the way you think.”

  “Let’s get to it,” Sebastian said, and everyone moved in their respective directions. Reyes and Zane took the luggage upstairs, while Dominic went out to his car to grab the liquor he’d purchased. Sebastian, Ryken, and Luken all headed for the woodpile out back, and the ladies stayed in the kitchen to start prepping for lunch. Dom Jr. knew exactly where to go—straight to Kayla and Kerri’s playroom, which was stocked with toys and games.

  Before long, lunch had been devoured, and the men were sitting around the fireplace, drinking and chatting it up, and Megan and Dom Jr. had gone down to their rooms for a nap. The other women were in the kitchen baking pies, breads, and cookies. The house smelled divine.

  A sudden shiver of alarm rolled through Brie, and she quickly gripped the edge of the counter, dropping the cookie sheet she’d been holding.

  Tiffany held her head. “Whoa, what was that?” she asked, meeting Brie’s gaze.

  Sebastian was up and beside Brie in the kitchen as if he’d suspected something was wrong. He’d grown accustomed to Brie’s powerful magic, and as strange as it was, he could feel the things she felt.

  “Brie,” he whispered, his voice an echo of her own concern. “What’s happening, honey?”

  She swallowed the panic rising up at the back of her throat. Her stomach and heart twisted together as dread overcame her. Instantly, a vision came to her. Kayla was missing. Kerri was in a fit of worry, tears streaming down her face.

  Brie gripped Sebastian’s shirt. “Kayla’s run away,” she muttered, her words sharp and clipped.

  “Kerri?” he asked, and she could feel his concern mirroring her own.

  She shook her head. “She’s safe, but distraught. I can see her. I don’t think anyone knows Kayla’s gone yet. Kerri’s trying to tell me what‘s going on.” Brie whimpered. “My little girl.”

  In a matter of seconds, Sebastian was barking orders at the men of his pack. He’d instructed them on the perimeter to begin searching for their nearly five-year-old daughter. Zane was the only one to remain in human form, as he was to search for Kayla in his truck.

  Brie’s heart was crushed as she reached out to Kerri to comfort her.

  I’m coming, baby.

  “Let’s go,” Sebastian said, taking Brie by the hand. “Grab a coat and meet me at the truck.”

  Tiffany followed. “I’ll stay here with Tabitha in case she comes home.”

  “Thank you,” Brie said, putting her coat on. “Please call Ryder. Tell him what’s happened. If we can’t find her, I’ll need his help.”

  “Of course,” Tiffany said, nodding. “I’ll call him now.” She hugged Brie and headed straight for her cell phone.

  Brie joined Sebastian in the truck, and they drove quickly to collect Kerri. As Brie had suspected, no one realized Kayla had run away until Brie had called to inform them. All the children were playing. All but Kayla and Kerri.

  Brie jumped from the truck and ran toward her daughter who opened her arms wide for her mother. The whimpering sighs of her two-year-old nearly killed her.

  “It’s okay, baby girl. I’m here now.”

  Kerri’s lower lip quivered, her face streaked with tears. “I’m sorry, Momma. Kayla asked me not to tell. She said… She said…” More tears fled from her eyes.

  “Kerri, honey. Please stop crying. Tell me what happened. Why did your sister leave? Do you know where she went?”

  After a few gulps of air and a moment to collect herself, Kerri mumbled several statements that didn’t register. Brie did her best to calm her daughter, but nothing worked. Brie looked to Sebastian. “I need a moment,” she said, knowing he would understand that she was about to go into Kerri’s thoughts, and she didn’t want anyone to know what she was doing. Kerri’s words would be clear when they connected mentally together.

  Brie carried Kerri to the truck and climbed inside, closing the door. “Kerri, I’m going to listen to your thoughts. Okay?”

  Kerri nodded, heavy pants of emotion rolling from her.

  Brie held her close, and closed her eyes, connecting to her daughter. She saw Kayla, heard the conversation between them. She’d told Kerri not to tell her parents that she was running away. She had sensed Jonah’s departure and blamed her daddy for forcing her uncle to leave. Brie’s heart broke. Kayla was leaving to find Jonah.

  Oh, God.

  Brie looked at Kerri. “Thank you, honey. Don’t worry. We’ll find Kayla.”

  Kerri nodded, wrapping her arms back around Brie. Sebastian opened the truck door. “Kayla’s tracking Jonah,” she said matter-of-factly. “We need to warn him. We need to spread out our search.”

  Sebastian pulled his cell phone from his pocket and called each of his pack to give them the update. Then he turned to his wife. “I’m going to take you home and join the search.”

  Brie expected no less. Once they were home, Sebastian transformed into his wolf and was gone. Brie looked to Tiffany who seemed to already know what she was going to ask.

  “Give me Kerri,” she said, stretching out her arms to take her niece. “I’ll take care of her. Go find Kayla.”

  “Thank you,” she whispered, placing a now sleeping Kerri into Tiffany’s arms. “She’s exhausted. She’ll sleep for a bit. When she wakes tell her I’m bringing Kayla home.”

  “I got this,” Tiffany told her. “Go.”

  Brie grabbed the keys from the pegboard beside the refrigerator and headed for her car. She had one thought in her mind. Jonah. He was who Kayla was after. That was exactly where Brie would start her search.

  Chapter Eight

  A wave of unease plummeted into Jonah’s stomach, and he pressed his hand to the wall for balance. He felt a moment of dread wash over him, and instantly he pictured Kayla running in the snow. He blinked a dozen times to clear the image, but he couldn’t eradicate the thick fog that surrounded her.

  A shiver rocked through him as if he were freezing, and suddenly he realized that it was really Kayla he saw in his mind. He was feeling what she felt, experienced.

  What the hell’s going on?

  He grabbed his cell phone and dialed Sebastian’s number, but he didn’t answer. Then he called the ranch and Tabitha answered. “Where’s Kayla,” he asked, avoiding all pleasantries.”

  “She’s run away,” Tabitha replied. “Everyone’s out looking for her.”

  “Including Brie?”

  “Yes.”

  Jonah hung up the phone and dialed Brie’s number. “Oh, thank God,” Brie said, her voice shaking. “Kayla’s trying to find you. She’s blaming Sebastian for you leaving.”

  “Fuck,” he murmured. “She’s trying to link to me. I’ve seen her, but I can’t figure out her location. I’m going to see if I can track her.”

  “Thank you,” Brie whimpered. “Please find my baby.”

  “I will,” he said, his chest rising with a need he’d never felt before. He loved Kayla like she was his own, and even though he knew he loved her, he hadn’t realized how much until that very moment. “I’ll find our girl. I promise.”

  He hung up and darted out the back of his apartment. It was late afternoon, but the slight falling of snow and gray-covered sky made it so he could change into his wolf without fear. As a precaution, he drove to the nearest spot of woods along the highway just outside of Dallas and parked his car. There, he transformed into his wolf and ran in the direction he’d sensed Kayla. She was calling for him, begging him to help her, begging him not to leave her. Guilt ravaged him.

  Another jolt of cold consumed him, and he knew it was Kayla. His little girl was suffering, and it was his fault. How could he not have assumed their brilliant daughter to not know what was happening? She was connected to them beyond the physical world. Surely, she’d sensed the dysfu
nction within the family. Jonah had been a fool to think their children wouldn’t notice that something was off.

  Kayla was special to Jonah. She was the first baby born in their family since his own birth. The McCarthy bloodline was held together by brothers who loved the same woman. How he’d forgotten just how precious each moment of Kayla’s conception and birth had impacted him was beyond him. She was a chance at a budding future for them all. He knew then that Kayla might have been Sebastian’s by right, but she was his by love. How he thought she wasn’t his as much as Sebastian’s boggled his mind. Even she saw it—a four-year-old child.

  His eyes watered as he ran, his need to find her even greater.

  Hold on, I’m coming, baby.

  Then, he lost the connection. He’d seen her clearly, felt her pulling him toward her and then it was gone. His path to her had been severed. But he simply kept running. He would aim in the direction he’d been going and pray he’d find her. He hadn’t hunted in so long, he was surprised at how much he’d remembered, instinct taking over.

  He inhaled gulps of air, hoping to catch Kayla’s scent. Nothing but cold and woodsy scents filled his nose. He growled, frustration overriding his wolf. He paused, his full-out run coming to a complete stop. He howled, crying out to alert any other wolves to his location. He knew his brother and the others were also searching, but he had no idea if they were near or far. After a moment of waiting to hear a response, nothing came.

  Again he ran, charging full speed. Another mile down and once again, he stopped to howl. He cried out so hard, his throat scraped raw. Then, he heard a call and knew it was Ryder. He’d come and he was tracking Kayla just as he was doing. Jonah took off, clawing at the earth as if to shred it into a million pieces.

  Then a flicker of Kayla popped into his mind, and his wolf sensed it. He launched himself toward the image, praying it would last long enough to find her. It did. He picked up her scent just as the vision of her crumpled into the soft snow faded. He inhaled, taking in the trail that led him straight to her.

  She’d fallen into the snow and was freezing to death. Jonah howled for Ryder, his need to warm her his only thought. Together, he and Ryder could use the heat of their bodies to bring her core temperature up.

  Jonah transformed back into human form and pulled Kayla into his arms. He crouched down, pulling her under a tree that was bare of snow.

  “I’m here, baby. I’ve got you.”

  Her cheeks were damp with her tears, her body wet and shivering. He rocked her, looking out as he heard the breaking of twigs. Ryder was approaching.

  He remained in lycan form and crawled beside him. Jonah placed Kayla in the circle of Ryder’s legs and transformed himself back into a wolf and assumed the same position as Ryder. They used their bodies to cocoon around Kayla. Soon her body no longer shivered from the cold and slowly, she stirred awake.

  Her fingers balled into a fist, gathering Jonah’s fur, and a tear slid from his eyes. She nuzzled against him, loving him with a soft whimper.

  “You found me,” she whispered, a young voice like angels singing from heaven. “I knew you would.”

  He linked to her mentally, keeping in wolf form. “Is that why you ran away? You wanted me to come for you?”

  “Uh-ha. I felt Mommy’s sadness. I don’t want you to leave, Uncle Jonah.” She sobbed. “Do you not love me anymore?”

  Jonah closed his eyes, a heaping world of regret choking him. “I love you to the moon and back, Kayla. That will never change.”

  “Did I do something wrong? Was I a bad girl?”

  He couldn’t take it anymore. His heart was being ripped from his chest and it was his own fault. He’d been a fool to allow his selfish pride to rule his brain and heart.

  “Kayla, you are the best thing in the world to me. My going to Dallas had nothing to do with you.”

  “Then why? Why leave your family? Why leave me?”

  In a flickering vision, he watched the life he’d led up until that moment. Everything seemed unimportant until he’d fallen in love with Brie. His every decision had been his own. To love Brie. To share Brie. To unite in a special bond with his brother and to raise their family together.

  More than anything Jonah wanted his own children to carry on the McCarthy bloodline, not just Sebastian’s. But having the love of Kayla and Kerri had been a gift he never should’ve taken for granted. And he had. That would change now.

  “Kayla, grown-ups don’t always do the right thing. We make mistakes. I did. But I’ve learned something priceless thanks to you.”

  She looked at him, her eyes watery.

  “I learned that I love you like you are my own daughter, and I will cherish you forever.” He nuzzled against her. “Let’s go home, baby girl.”

  “You’re coming home?” she asked, her eyes wide with hope.

  “Yes, honey. I’m coming home too.”

  “Oh,” she cried, wrapping her arms around his furry body.

  Warmth filled his chest as cold tears stung his eyes. He’d been happier and more relieved than he had in months. Cocking his head in her direction, he gave her his best serious wolf face scowl. “But don’t you ever run away again, Kayla McCarthy. If you need to talk to me, you pick up the phone.”

  She giggled. “Yes, Uncle Jonah.”

  She hugged him again.

  “Link to your mother for me. I want her to know you’re safe. She’s freaking out over you.”

  “Okay,” she whispered.

  Less than an hour later, Brie was hiking through the woods with Zane. They’d found them. With tears in her eyes, Brie dropped to her knees to wrap her arms around Kayla.

  “Are you all right, baby?”

  “I’m okay, Mommy. Uncle Jonah found me.” Kayla turned just as Zane draped a blanket over Jonah as he was transforming into human form.

  Zane did the same for Ryder. Jonah reached his hand out. “Thank you,” he told Ryder. “

  “You’d do it for me,” Ryder replied, stepping up to pat Kayla on the head.

  Brie looked at Jonah, and before she could say a word, he had her and Kayla wrapped in his arms. “I’m so sorry,” he told them both. “I’ve been an idiot. Please forgive me.”

  Brie’s arms circled him as did Kayla’s, and for a moment they just cried together. Then, Jonah straightened himself and looked down at Kayla. “Isn’t tonight Christmas Eve?”

  Kayla’s jaw dropped open. “Presents,” she muttered.

  Brie smiled, wiping her damp cheeks. “How about we get you home, bathed, and fed first.”

  “Ah,” Kayla moaned.

  Jonah pinched her chin gently between his forefinger and thumb. “Listen to your mother.”

  “Yes, Uncle Jonah.”

  Zane came up and wrapped a blanket around her. “Let’s get you into the truck, okay? I bet your father will be there soon to see you.”

  As Zane and Ryder took Kayla to the truck, Brie moved back into Jonah’s arms. He kissed the top of her head.

  “I need to head back to Dallas,” he told her, and she shoved him back with a hint of surprise in her eyes. “I left my car, and the gifts for the kids are in the trunk.”

  Relief washed over her face. “Oh,” she breathed.

  He grinned taking her mouth in a sweet I’ve-missed-the-hell-out-of-you kiss. He groaned. “You taste like peppermints.”

  She smiled softly. “’Tis the season,” she reminded him. “And it helps with queasy bellies.”

  Jonah nodded. “I’m sure. I would imagine you’ve had your share of stress with me and Kayla.” He kissed her again. “I’m sorry about that. Her running away was all my fault. Had I just—” He paused, taking a moment to reflect over his thoughts. “I’ve been jealous of my brother for a long time. It never bothered me until recently. I want so badly to have a baby with you that I felt like less of a man because I couldn’t. That was my own issue, and I forced it onto you. On all of us.”

  “Jonah,” she started.

  “I know that
you love me and that you think of Kayla and Kerri as mine too, but Sebastian is their true father. I want to know what that’s like. To see myself in their eyes. To know that I’ve done something special with my life. Having children with you is what I thought that meant.”

  He kissed her again, lingering. “Now I know that family is everything to me, and we have that. Regardless if I get to plant my own seed or not. I love Kayla and Kerri. I’d die for them. I guess it’s the same feeling I’d have if they truly were mine.”

  Sebastian stepped up from the shadows. “Why didn’t you say something to me before now?” He sounded annoyed.

  “So I can hear you say how ridiculous I was being? That I was having my period and acting like a woman?” He scoffed. “No thanks. I was already feeling like a second-best failure as it was.”

  Sebastian gave him a brotherly shove. “You’re a dumbass, you know that? Don’t you even realize that the reason she’s with us is because of you. You were the driving force to bring this family together. Without you, none of this would exist.”

  Jonah furrowed his brow, remembering back how he’d encouraged Brie to go to Sebastian, to give into her need for him. Sebastian had been afraid to make a move. His alpha not so alpha when it came to her. Jonah had been the strong one, the one with purpose.

  “Huh,” he breathed. “I hadn’t thought about that, not really.”

  Brie reached down and took both their hands. “You both rocked my world. I’ve wanted you both from the start, and I’m so lucky to have you both. But there’s something I need to tell you.”

  Taking a quick glance at each other, they looked at Brie curiously.

  “I’m pregnant with your child, Jonah. I’ve been waiting to tell you all week. I wanted to see my doctor before I got our hopes up. “

  Jonah’s world shook. Had he heard her correctly? “I’m sorry, say that again.”

  She smiled. “I’m pregnant.” She pressed to her toes to kiss him. His lips weren’t working. Shit, his brain was too foggy to do much more than stare at her. He was damn lucky he wasn’t drooling.

  “I’m going to be a father?” he finally asked, again needing clarity.