by Dannika Dark
“Hi, Aunt Silver!” Zoë said, peeking around her mother.
I crouched down and opened my arms. “Come give me a squeeze.”
She giggled and wrapped her arms around my neck. Zoë was the spitting image of Sunny with her sparkling blue eyes and rosy cheeks. Both had blond hair, but Sunny’s natural wave couldn’t compete with Zoë’s pretty curls.
And then there was Knox.
“Bang!” He fired his finger at me, and I collapsed on my back. Knox snickered and peered down at me. “You’re silly.”
I opened one eye. “Are you strong enough to help me up?”
His lips pressed tight, and with a look of determination, Knox grabbed my arm and pulled as hard as a three-year-old could. When I finally stood up, I bent down and kissed his forehead. As usual, his ears turned bright red, and he dashed across the room to check out the stockings at the fireplace.
“Greetings,” Novis called from the doorway. He was dragging a red sack behind him that looked stuffed with presents. His black hair was more disheveled than usual, probably from carrying one of the kids and them messing it up.
Sunny wandered around the table and began filling a plate.
“That’s quite a bounty,” I remarked, greeting Novis with a smile. He wasn’t a huggy-kissy kind of guy, and aside from that, he was my boss.
He bowed politely. “We also brought gifts for Rose. Nothing extravagant. I wouldn’t want to offend Justus. Sunny wanted to leave some of the gifts behind and open them later so it wouldn’t be so many, but I think she was just on the wrong bed when she woke up.”
“I think you mean she woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Here, I’ll put them under the tree. Make yourself a plate and sit down. There’s a pot of coffee on the buffet table, and Levi brought down a microwave in case anyone wants cocoa.”
I dragged the sack over to the tree and leaned it against the wall. No sense in pulling all the gifts out and torturing the kids since we weren’t going to open them until later.
Knox squeezed the green stocking with his name on it.
I took his hand. “Honey, you’re going to squish all your candy. Let’s save the surprises for later.”
He took off like an airplane toward the table. Zoë approached the tree and touched a shiny ornament shaped like a cheetah.
That was when my eyes dragged upward and I noticed the Grinch’s sneering face on top. I erupted with laughter. Simon must have bought that as a joke, but I doubted Justus found any humor in it. We all loved Justus and knew he had a heart made from sugar cookies, but it just happened to be buried beneath more than two hundred pounds of grouch.
After my laughter died, I noticed Adam asleep on the sofa. His shirt was wrinkled, and one foot was on the floor.
I sat down beside him and patted his leg. “Wake up, Raze.”
He peered at me with one eye. “Can’t you see I’m sleeping, woman?”
“We took the TV out of here for a reason. You’re just going to have to be social today.”
I looked at his scars, which were more pronounced with all the shadows and dancing firelight. I was glad he’d stopped trying to grow a beard to cover them up. In the Breed world, some immortals viewed scars as a sign of weakness, but I saw them as a testament to Adam’s bravery. Lives were saved because he’d ignored his own injuries in order to help others.
“You can go to Lucian’s house and wash up. Breakfast is optional, but they made a casserole and a pot of coffee. And Adam? Thanks again for the flowers.”
Adam sat up and stretched for a minute before he sleepily looked at me. “Merry Christmas, Silver.”
We shared a look only old friends know about, the kind that makes you remember a different time when you were younger. Our lives had changed so dramatically since the night he rescued me. I thought about the man who’d looked after me like a protector even though we were strangers. Adam was a good-hearted man, and despite everything he’d been through between the accident and losing his best friend, he still remained a loyal, steadfast friend.
I gave him a hug and then pinched his chin. “You need a shave.”
“So I hear. Where’s your cat?”
“Max is banished from the party. I thought about bringing him down here, but he’s liable to climb that tree and tear down the Grinch.”
Adam chuckled and glanced over his shoulder as more people trickled into the room. After grabbing his backpack, he made a quick exit.
I scooted to the edge of the couch so Logan could sit to my right. The couches quickly filled, but Justus, Page, Sunny, and Novis all took the chairs by the tree, each with a plate of food in hand. Levi sat on the rug before me, one knee bent and a wide grin on his face while he watched the kids clapping their hands and squealing with anticipation. Uncle Levi was a favorite with the youngsters, and I had a feeling he might have hidden a few gifts of his own under the tree.
Leo strode in, the eldest of the Cross brothers. He bowed in greeting to all and sat on the far right sofa. “How is everyone this morning?”
“Wiped out,” I said. “There’s plenty of food coming, so don’t fill up on breakfast.”
He smiled with his eyes and stroked his reddish beard that looked more like an overgrown five-o’clock shadow. “You needn’t worry about that. Not where the Cross brothers are concerned.”
“Amen,” Levi said. “My appetite runs twenty-four seven. Hey, Lo, you want a third helping?”
I glared at Logan. “Third?”
He looked at the empty plate on his lap. “Levi is mistaken.”
“You’re a terrible liar.” I peered over the back of the couch and did a head count. “Where’s Simon?”
Logan took out his phone and sent a quick text. “He says he went out for a stroll and he’ll be back in a minute.”
Sunny looked at her watch. “Should we wait?”
“Where are Kane and Caroline?” I asked. “Aren’t they coming?”
Sunny wiped the corners of her mouth after biting into a biscuit. “They’re snowbound. Lucky for us, Novis hired someone to plow a trail all the way here. I didn’t realize how bad it was until I saw the news this morning. Kane doesn’t want to risk it since they have so many overpasses on the way here. He tried to get the car out of the garage, but the city hasn’t sent anyone out to their side of town, so it looks like a winter wonderland.”
“We’ll do an Internet chat later,” I suggested. “Logan’s laptop has a nice built-in video camera. It’ll be like they’re here.”
“That would be great! I invited them over for New Year’s, so they’re going to stay with us for a few days.”
“Ho, ho, ho,” Simon boomed.
Everyone turned their heads. Simon strutted in, his leathers wet, his cheeks and hands bright red, his hair damp, and a pair of pink-and-black-striped socks on his feet. He tossed his boots aside and crossed the room to join us.
“What happened to you?” I asked.
Page shot out of her seat when she caught sight of Ella. “Are you all right?”
Ella’s pale face was mottled with red marks on her cheeks, and her leggings looked wet. Tangled pieces of red hair hung askew, and her black eyeliner had smudged.
“Ella decided to join the party,” Simon announced. “We ran into a little snag.” When he squatted near Levi and unzipped his coat, something jumped out.
“A puppy!” the children squealed in unison. Three excited children crawled toward him, their giggles confusing the puppy, which began barking and turning in circles.
Simon rolled onto his back and collapsed, his arms and legs spread wide. “If anyone is in the spirit of giving, feel free to get naked and smother me with your body.”
Levi chuckled and stood up. “I’ll go make you two a cup of coffee with a little Irish cream.”
Ella sat by the fire, her knees drawn up and arms wrapped around them.
Justus watched her shivering and shared a private look with Page, who nodded and stepped back. Justus then sat beside Ella and put his ar
m around her. She recoiled at first, warily looking up at Page.
But I knew better.
Justus wasn’t hitting on Ella or giving her a friendly hug; he was turning on his internal thermostat and cranking it on high heat. Sitting near Justus was like snuggling up with a hot blanket that just came out of the dryer.
Ella leaned into him and withered like a flower in the hot sun.
“I’m next,” Simon murmured.
“You can freeze,” Justus retorted. “What were you thinking?”
Ella leaned away and looked up at Justus. She must have felt his chest vibrating and wanted to know what he was saying.
Simon rolled on his left side and propped himself up on his elbow. “Would you rather I left her to freeze in the back of a taxi cab?”
“Where was the driver?”
“He took off,” Ella said, following their conversation. “He called someone and then told me he’d be back.”
Justus clenched his jaw. “I bet that pathetic little worm lived nearby and went home. What was the cab number?”
“Justus,” Page said, her tone a warning. “Let’s open presents before we organize a manhunt.”
Chapter 12
Justus
Justus had never felt such contentment as he did seeing the children’s faces light up while they opened presents. Ribbons and shiny paper were littered beneath the tree, and Knox was chasing the puppy around the room like it was his new favorite toy. Sadie strummed a soft melody on her guitar while everyone conversed and sipped hot coffee. Zoë had new barrettes in her hair, which she was showing off to everyone. Rose, not as hyperactive as the other two, was content to sit still and play with her toys.
Silver had excused herself to baste the turkeys and finish preparing lunch. Logan followed behind and stated as fact that he was helping her for the remainder of the day. Justus chuckled as she balked at Logan’s offer and flashed out the door ahead of him.
Page leaned back in her chair by the hearth, encased in an enchanting aura of rich gold and shadows from the firelight.
Justus reached behind the tree and retrieved a box. “Rose, I have another gift.”
She set down a doll and looked up with expectant eyes. After tearing away the red paper, she looked at the box. “What is it?”
He knelt down and rubbed the tattoo on his right arm. “It lights up on the ceiling. At night you can look at the stars.”
Maybe the gift was too mature or too boyish for Rose. Sometimes he forgot that maybe little girls just wanted to play with dolls.
His heart sank when she pushed the box away and stood up. It shouldn’t have mattered what a small child thought of his gift, but Justus was new to fatherhood.
But then Rose wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered, “I love you, Daddy.”
“I love you too,” he whispered back.
“Can I play with it now?”
Justus let go and pinched her cheek. “Let me set it up, and you’re not to touch the machine or the cord.” He opened the box, pulled out the projector, and searched for a socket on the nearby wall.
Page and Novis noisily cleared away the torn paper and ribbons, stuffing them into a large trash bag.
After tucking the cord beneath the rug so no one would trip over it, Justus set the projector on the floor and switched it on.
“Whoa!” Knox exclaimed from across the room. He ran over, his eyes looking up at the ceiling.
Sunny caught him just in time as he stumbled over the edge of the carpet. “Slow down, little man.”
Justus tossed a few blankets and oversized pillows onto the floor. The children gathered around and passed out the stockings. They turned onto their backs with chocolates in their hands and dreams in their eyes as they watched a visual display of supernovas, colorful nebulas, and stars twinkling across the ceiling.
Novis sipped his merlot. “Mind if I ask where you bought that?”
Justus chuckled. “It was a custom job, but I’ll give you his number.”
“Very clever. A gift that makes them lie still.”
Ella had fallen asleep on the couch, a blanket over her legs and her head resting in Simon’s lap. She’d passed on breakfast, but not the glass of wine that Simon had offered to warm her up. It was good to see them together even though neither of them had made any public declaration about their relationship. Simon needed stability in his life, and a good woman has a way of making a man want to change for the better.
Lucian raised his arms and chanted a victory cry from the table where he was playing checkers with Finn. Sadie peered at them with mild interest while strumming a few chords on her guitar. It was the kind of melody that made a man want to sit with a glass of wine, close his eyes, and reflect on his life. Some of the tunes had been Christmas songs, but this was something he hadn’t heard before.
“What are you doing?” Page asked when he reached behind the tree.
Justus pulled out a large, flat present and set it in front of her.
“What’s this?” she whispered. “I thought we said no gifts?”
Justus didn’t answer. He stepped around the children and sat on the sofa on the opposite side of the fireplace, watching anxiously. Instant regret settled in when she began tearing the paper at the top and then ripped it down the back. Maybe he should have given it to her upstairs.
Or not at all.
She had it facing the wrong way, and when she turned it around to remove the rest of the paper, her jaw slackened. “Justus.” Tears glittered in her eyes as she admired his gift.
Justus had spent months on the oil painting. He’d titled it Mes Anges. It was a portrait of a sleeping mother and child.
Page and Rose to be exact.
She covered her mouth.
“What is it?” Sunny asked. She walked over to take a look and then snapped her attention to Justus. “You painted this?”
He ran his hand over his bristly scalp and glanced up at the mirage of stars on the ceiling that held the kids spellbound.
Page tilted the frame for Sunny to grip and lurched to her feet. His heart hammered against his chest as she closed the distance between them and sat on his lap.
She cupped his cheek in her hand. “My beautiful man.” While her perfume was sweet, it wasn’t nearly as sweet as the kiss she delivered.
An overwhelming sense of protectiveness flooded through him. A reminder that he’d die for this woman.
She traced her fingers over a pattern in his tribal tattoo that was hers—the one he’d woven in with the others. “It fills me with such joy to know you’re painting again,” she said softly. “You shouldn’t hide that kind of talent. Maybe you think it belongs to the man you once were, but you’re still that man. Just a little older. Maybe a little wiser.”
He smirked. “Maybe?”
She curled up against him and chuckled softly. “A sumo tree ornament?”
“I’m glad the painting pleases you,” he whispered.
Page stroked his jaw and kissed him on the mouth. “You please me.”
Justus had learned over the years that Page couldn’t be wooed with expensive things, unlike the women he’d previously been with. She preferred a book of poetry over a diamond necklace, or him cooking dinner over going to a gourmet restaurant. When she’d given him an art studio, his feelings about it were mixed. Painting reminded him of the man he once was before immortality and wars had changed him. Yet having his past collide with his future wasn’t as catastrophic as he’d imagined it would be. It gave him quiet time to gather his thoughts and be present. Painting was once a respected profession, but now people thought such frivolities meant a man was too soft, and that’s not the impression Justus wanted people to have of him.
“What are your thoughts on a nude portrait?” he asked.
Page snorted. “I’d love one of you. Maybe lying on a shag rug or—”
She giggled when he tickled her side.
“Simon!” Finn shouted. “I’m taking the dog for a walk. He left
you a present by your shoes.”
Chapter 13
Silver
Just before noon, everyone was ready to eat. Logan set up a virtual chat with Kane and Caroline, and Sunny gave them a tour around the room before we set the laptop on a table and chatted with them for a while.
When I went upstairs to heat up a few remaining side dishes, Logan followed behind to load up the cart Finn had brought up. He had to make several trips to get it all down, and Levi helped carry the rest of it from his kitchen, including a small ham, which he was happily in charge of slicing.
Candles and hurricane lamps on the table and buffet table flickered, casting a magical spell on the room. The light sparkled off the crystal glasses and fine china, and silverware was placed on the folded napkins, ready to slice into the bounty of food that awaited us. The ham glistened, and the delectable smells from turkey, dressing, and pies wafted through the room. Everyone gathered at the table except for Knox, who was fast asleep by the fire. I had a clear view of him from my seat near the left end of the table.
Logan stood up and raised his glass. “To Silver… for making this occasion one that will live in our memories forever. To my family, which I consider each person sitting at this table to be, may you have a prosperous year ahead. May you all be blessed by the fates, and may we have enough wisdom to see the joy in our lives no matter what destiny we’re given.”
“Cheers,” everyone said, their glasses clinking together.
Logan’s speech inspired Leo to say something, and the next thing we knew, everyone was making a toast. Even Rose, who said, “I like everybody here, and I want pie for dessert.”
An hour later, we had gone from serious conversation to laughter as we recounted funny stories, including the time a bunch of baby ducks followed Levi home, thinking he was their mother.
“Mmm, this is so good,” Page said, working on her second helping. “I’m going to need a long nap after all this.”
I laughed. “We haven’t even touched dessert. I thought maybe after everyone’s done eating we could clear the table and play games. Does anyone want me to put some coffee on?”