Julian opened the front screen before they got to the stairs and ushered them inside. Deane carried the bags of food back to the kitchen and set them on the counter, noticing the addition of multi-colored lights strung up around the ceiling.
He was putting the precooked ham into the fridge when the smell of Verity’s herbal shampoo filled the room. Deane glanced at her over his shoulder as she started helping him. She’d pulled her hair up, exposing her tanned neck, and she was wearing a flowing summer dress that went to her knees.
She reached for the bags. “Thanks for getting all of this. What do I owe you?”
He tore his focus from her bare shoulders and shut the fridge. “Don’t worry about it.”
Deane set three boxes of unflavored gelatin on the counter with a quizzical look, wondering what she needed it for.
Riley entered the kitchen and frowned. “Do you have a Christmas tree to put the presents under?”
Once the apples she’d set on the counter stopped rolling, Verity went to stand in front of her nephew and clasped her hands together. “We have a different tradition. Are you up for trying something new?”
The boy shrugged, but it was clear he wasn’t sure.
She took a moment to explain. “We have more fun providing for the animals than stuffing ourselves with bland food and opening presents, especially when it’s just the two of us.”
Riley looked down at the spiky pineapple fronds coming out of the bags on the floor. “Like pineapple much?”
Verity smiled slyly at him and shook her head. “Those aren’t for us to eat.”
Julian and Emery walked into the kitchen singing, “Walk like an Egyptian.” Their pointed hands led the way as they did just as the song instructed. Deane shook his head and faced Verity, ignoring the interruption. “What’s next?”
She leaned down and pulled a pineapple from a bag and tossed it to her brother, who fumbled to catch it. His dark brow lifted as he raised the fruit dramatically. “Yes! Pineapple Pacman!”
Verity got out a number of chopping boards and set them on the kitchen counters. Next came the knives, which she placed beside them. “Time to cut off the green tops.”
Each of them but Deane grabbed the pineapples and started chopping. Riley watched the others cut theirs first before he gave it a try. The aroma of the tropical fruit filled the room.
“Okay, now for the most fun you’ve ever seen!” Julian grabbed a pineapple in each hand and headed for the backdoor. “Let’s go.”
Verity gestured for everyone to collect the rest of the prepared fruit, and they followed Julian outside. He said over his shoulder as his flipflops crunched over the gravel, “I don’t like making my girls wait for their Christmas presents. They aren’t very patient.”
Emery and Riley shared an amused smirk but hurried to catch up to the eager gator wrangler. They rushed under the TailGator’s sign and over the wood plank walkway to the first alligator enclosure. Julian slapped his palm against the cement barrier. “Girls—time for a yummy snack!”
The log-like forms drifted nearer to where they stood on the opposite side of the fencing. The gators’ eyes peered just above the water level while their bodies barely moved. Deane held his pineapples against his chest as he watched Julian walk around to the gate that allowed him through to a wooden pier.
“Behold, pineapple Pacman!” Julian lobbed both of his spiny yellow spheres into the man-made lake. Then he gestured at Emery for the fruit she’d carried out and tossed those in as well.
One of the gators sped toward a pineapple bobbing on the surface and snapped it between its toothy jaws. The fruit broke in half, and the chunk not clamped in the animal’s mouth floated away on the rippled current. The alligator’s tail moved back and forth, rocketing the creature away from its curious neighbors so it could chomp its food in safety. And that was the start of the ravaging of the pineapples.
“Oh!” Emery shouted as a gator missed out on getting a bite of one of the bobbing fruit. “Faster, girl!”
Riley’s eyes widened, and he couldn’t suppress the grin that parted his lips. Deane watched him enjoy the show. He wasn’t alone. Verity’s cheeks lifted as she smiled in response. She winked at Deane. The sight of it did something to his insides he didn’t like. His stomach twisted, and his chest tightened. Deane cleared his throat and looked away.
They watched the gators snatch every last piece of pineapple before Julian came back out with a dimpled grin and led them to his show gators’ enclosure. He gathered the rest of the pineapples from everyone and took them in through the fence gate. “Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas! Look what Daddy brought you.”
The mild air brushed through the shrubs and palms. Deane closed his eyes, focused on the breeze tousling his hair and caressing his neck. He inhaled the ocean’s scent. Maybe this wasn’t such a horrible place after all.
Eleven
“That was close.” Riley laughed.
Deane opened his eyes to find Verity focused on him, which took him off guard. Caught looking, she turned away and started cheering for Gertrude, who was closing in on the last pineapple.
Julian exited the enclosure, stood beside his sister and gave her a sideways hug. “It’s your turn.”
Verity waved toward the opposite end of the property where the house was located. “Now that the girls have their treats, we can get a drink and make some special ornaments.”
The only time Deane spent celebrating holidays was if he went into the lodge. Christmas wasn’t more than another day to him. It used to be a reminder he was alone, but now he’d only grown numb to what it truly meant to have family in his life. All of this was new to him. Partially because he was spending his time with vampires who didn’t act like he’d expected them to behave and because he wasn’t used to putting others’ needs first. But Riley deserved the effort.
He followed everyone to the house and was the last to enter the kitchen. The gelatin was sitting on the granite countertop alongside a bag of flour and some corn syrup. Verity went to the nearly bare pantry, bent over and groaned as she lifted a twenty-pound bag of birdseed. Deane rushed to help her, but she brushed past him to set it on the counter.
Verity sighed and rubbed her hands together. “Okay, now for the mixing bowls and cookie cutters.”
“What kind of ornaments are these?” Riley frowned as his eyes traced over the ingredients.
“They’re for the birds.” Verity rested her hand on the counter. “Did you ever make sugar cookies?”
Riley nodded in silence.
“Well, birdseed ornaments are almost the same thing.” Verity looked to Julian and suggested, “Why don’t you get everyone drinks, and Riley and I will get everything prepared here.”
Deane sat down at the counter and watched her teach Riley how to make the ornament “dough.” He hadn’t noticed Emery leave with Julian, but they both came back into the kitchen after ten minutes, carrying cups of red cocktails. His partner slid one in front of him. “It’s not what you think it is. Taste it—it’s yummy.”
Deane lifted it to his lips, trying not to drink the cranberries floating on its surface. The sweet and tangy liquid rushed past his tongue and down his throat.
“Well?” she asked expectantly.
“What is it?” he asked.
Julian handed a glass to his sister. “Jingle juice.”
Whatever that was. Deane drained more of it into his mouth as Julian watched. The vampire gave a tall glass of the red liquid to Riley and muttered, “Yours is a virgin—cranapple juice with some mint sprigs and cranberries.”
Deane threw back the rest of his, tasting the flavors of wine and champagne behind the juice. It was a lot weaker and fruitier than he liked.
“Want another?” Julian asked.
Deane pushed the glass away and shook his head.
“What’s your drink of choice?” Julian came around the island counter and rested his elbow on the granite.
“Whiskey.” It was what Deane had been born
and raised on.
Julian nodded. “On the rocks?”
“Aye.”
Verity held the bowl as Riley poured a clear liquid into it from a pan. Then she put in some flour and handed a mixing spoon to her assistant. “Your arm might get tired.”
“I can handle it.” Riley started stirring the contents as Verity poured birdseed into the bowl.
“That’s what she said,” muttered Emery and Julian at the same time.
Verity scowled over her shoulder at her brother while Riley started snickering. Deane shook his head, not sure how he’d survived being around his partner for so long without throttling her.
Once the ornament dough was prepared, Verity and Riley filled cookie cutters with the seed mixture, pressing it down into compact holiday shapes. Julian returned with whiskey on the rocks for Deane and joined his sister in making ornaments. Emery grabbed a gingerbread man cutter and filled it with the sticky seeds. She started snickering and nudged Julian.
“Nice package.” Julian nodded in approval.
Deane lifted a brow at the mound Emery had accentuated at the gingerbread man’s groin. “Lord, Emery.”
“What?” She lifted her chin and batted her eyes innocently. “With the number of fine men I’ve seen walking around here and no time for playtime, what do you expect?”
He didn’t respond and lifted his drink to his lips, feeling the traces of alcohol in his system.
Emery pointed her finger at him. “At least I have a sex life. You’re the one who could use some loosening up, if you ask me.”
“I’m plenty loose,” he growled back.
Emery ignored his glare and continued, “He thinks a good time is breaking in a new pair of shoes.”
Deane leveled a stare at Riley. The kid was pressing the seed mixture into a cookie cutter and smirking at his sticky fingers.
Julian peered up at him and started snorting with laughter, which Emery was quick to join in. Verity turned away, but not before Deane caught her grinning in amusement.
“Fine,” Deane muttered and set down his drink. He unbuttoned his dress shirt and pulled it off, leaving him in his white V-neck undershirt. “This relaxed enough for ye?”
They all looked at him, adopting serious expressions, then shook their heads. Emery snickered. “Nice try.”
Deane broke down and smiled. Seeing Riley with tears in his eyes from laughing made Deane satisfied. It was nice seeing the kid having fun. Verity had done what he couldn’t have—distract the kid from his misery, inviting them to do something that wouldn’t feel like they were trying to recreate a memory from his past.
“Time for presents.” Verity shooed everyone out of the kitchen. “The ornaments need to dry and harden before we hang them around the property.”
Riley went to the front door and picked up a large shopping bag. “Where are we doing this?”
“Upstairs,” she answered with a grin.
The sound of crinkling filled the stairwell as Emery and Riley carried their bags to the second floor. Verity went up first to watch their faces as they entered the lounge. She’d spent the previous day decorating it for their guests. It had been a long time since she’d spent a Christmas with anyone other than her brother. She wanted it to be special.
Riley tilted his head back as he looked at the twinkling lights strung up around the room. She’d meticulously placed paper snowflakes on the walls and ceiling just in case Riley was missing the snowy mountains. There wasn’t much that cured homesickness. But she wanted to try.
“Nice.” Emery nodded in approval and sat down on the settee before taking out a few wrapped presents from her bag.
Verity breathed out in relief and went to her piano where she’d set her presents. “Everyone find a seat. This is normally over in a minute when it’s just Julian and me.”
Deane sat on one of the padded chairs with an uncomfortable expression. He didn’t seem to be the touchy-feely type. Giving and receiving probably made him uncomfortable based off the fact he didn’t bring any presents with him.
Verity went to her record player and pulled out her Ella Fitzgerald holiday album and lowered the needle onto its black grooved surface. Her favorite scratchy sound was followed by the joyful music of her favorite artist.
With the mood set, she picked up one of the presents and handed it to Riley. He blinked up at her through his long hair and said, “You didn’t have to.”
“I know, but I wanted to.” Verity grinned at Riley.
“How did ye get him something if ye never left?” Deane asked over the kid.
Verity raised her eyes to Deane. “It’s amazing what you can order online these days.”
Riley peeled the wrapping paper away and held up some writing notebooks and pens. “Cool. How did you know I like to write?”
She winked at Deane and handed him a present. He stared at the wrapped tube and stuttered, “Ye didn’t have to get me anything.”
Verity snickered at the same sentiment voiced by Riley. Emery started handing out her presents as Deane peeled away the wrapping paper and opened the tube’s cap. A roll of fragile paper slid into his awaiting hand. Deane dropped the tube, so he could open the poster.
She spoke so he didn’t have to. “I didn’t believe it until I saw there really was a Berstrum’s Circus.”
He stared in stunned silence at the aged poster of a tiger leaping over an animal trainer’s head. Deane’s watery brown eyes focused on her, and she was surprised at the emotion she saw. He stood up and turned to the windows. Verity decided to give him a moment and faced Julian, who was laughing over a card Emery gave him.
Before she realized it, a thin present was slid onto her lap. She looked up at Riley. He avoided meeting her gaze as he muttered, “Merry Christmas.”
Verity peeled away the wrapping paper, exposing a jazz record from the thirties. It wasn’t one she had, but she remembered hearing a few of the songs before. Riley started walking away, and before he took more than a step, she grabbed hold of his hand and gave it a squeeze. “Thanks, honey. I can’t wait to listen to it.”
The boy nodded, and the corners of his mouth lifted. No wonder the child had refused to touch a drop of human blood. He had a tender heart.
She watched as Riley walked across the room to Deane, who was leaning against the windowsill and staring outside. The boy held out a gift bag to the century-old shifter, appearing just as uncomfortable, if not more than when he’d given Verity her present. Deane turned around and hesitated.
“C’mon,” Riley said and shoved it into Deane’s hands.
The Irishman raised his brow and put his hand into the bag and pulled out something black. Deane held up the T-shirt and his expression disappeared from view.
“Show them,” Emery called out, cupping her mouth.
Deane muttered and flipped it the other way, so they could see. “I’m not sure what I’m looking at.”
A cartoon sketch of a young boy with a tall lanky tiger stood back to back to each other, dressed in suits and black glasses. Riley stared at the floor and shrugged. “It made me think of us.”
It was a sweet thought. A boy and his tiger. She looked to Deane, awaiting his response. The man clearly wasn’t good with accepting gifts. It wouldn’t bother her, except she didn’t want Riley to feel rejected. Just as Verity was about to shoot a warning glare across the room at him, Deane smirked and clapped his hand on Riley’s shoulder. “I must’ve been blind, mate. I can see it now. Thank ye.”
Deane pulled off his undershirt, and Verity’s breath hitched in her throat. His broad shoulders and muscular build traced down to the waistband of his trousers. She forced herself to look away as he put on his gift. Her brother didn’t care he was staring and didn’t hide it. Verity swatted his leg, and he gave her innocent grin.
Deane rejoined them with his T-shirt on and lifted his drink to his lips. A little bit of liquor seemed to loosen him up a bit. She could almost imagine him having fun and smiling as if it was a normal part of
his personality. Almost.
“So, Riley.” Julian sat back on the settee and rested his ankle across his knee. “What questions do you still have about vampires?”
Verity leaned toward him and whispered, “He may not want to talk about that right now.”
“It’s okay.” Riley plopped onto the piano’s bench, his shoulders slouched. “So, there’s been a lot of movies about vampires. Do they get anything right, because I mean, there’s a lot of myths that don’t seem to be correct.”
Julian nodded and raised his jingle juice. “Well, there’s the myth about garlic. We aren’t fond of eating food since it doesn’t taste good. It might repel me from coming close if a mundane had nasty garlic breath, but besides that…”
Deane swirled the liquid in his glass. “I assume vampire bites don’t create new vampires, or we would have seen our friends change?”
Verity was quick to answer, “True. We reproduce like any other human—the old-fashioned way. Our venomous bite will only tranquilize and wipe away memories.”
Emery’s eyes lit up as she caught wind of a game afoot. She pressed her lips together as she thought for a moment, then asked, “What about holy water or crosses?”
Verity held up her hands and crossed her two pointer fingers. Julian hissed and recoiled. Emery’s eyes widened again until the two vampires started laughing, and Verity shook her head. “They don’t hurt us or keep us from going anywhere, and same with being invited into a house. We could enter if we were welcomed or not, but that would be breaking and entering so…”
Riley scratched his head. “I know I can see my reflection in a mirror and clearly my skin doesn’t burn off when I go in the sun.”
“Ye sleep during the day though.” Deane crossed his arms.
“That’s because I’m a teenager.” Riley looked at Verity for confirmation. “Right?”
She nodded and assured him with a smile. “I love lying out in the sun and prefer sleeping at night.”
Emery leveled a narrowed stare at Julian and asked, “Is a stake through the heart the only way to kill a vampire?”
Half-Blood Secrets: A Paranormal Series (Half-Bloods Book 2) Page 14