Contents
Title
Copyright
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Author's Note
CHRISTMAS ENCOUNTERS
Other Books by Krystal Shannan
UNWRAPPING TESS
VEGAS MATES, Book 5
(Christmas Encounters)
by
Krystal Shannan
Unwrapping Tess, Vegas Mates Book 5
Copyright © 2013 KS Publishing
All rights reserved.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons –living or dead –or places, events, or locales is purely accidental. The characters are reproductions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously. This book contains content that is not suitable for readers 17 and under.
Cover designs by Clarissa Yeo, www.yocladesigns.com
All rights reserved.
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CHAPTER ONE
The car pulled to a stop in front of the huge inn. Scott O’Hearn had added a fresh coat of paint to the entire place since they’d left Woodhaven for New York. The merlot color stood out dramatically against the snowy landscape. There’s no way that grizzly bear had come up with this stunning color scheme on his own. Their good friend Margaret definitely had a hand in this. He and his mate, Margaret, ran the inn strictly for paranormal guests. But this Christmas, it was just for family and pack.
Tess twirled a loose strand of her long, blonde hair around a finger and glanced over at her twin sister. It didn’t seem like two years had passed. After their mother died, she and Hallie remained with their aunt in New York. Their sister, Nicole, and her new mate, Aaron, had also found a place and settled into life in New York.
They’d all been so busy the time had just flown by. And with Jason taking up residence at the pack headquarters in New York as well, there had been a steady influx of new pack members as loyalties shifted and a new hierarchy was put in place.
Being a Demakis in the New York pack came with some privileges, but mostly it came with a lot of rules and supervision. Jason considered Tess and her sister extremely high-profile targets for rival packs, and he made sure they never went anywhere without guards. Especially after a few close calls last year. Her Aunt Melinda wasn’t much better, and had been coaching Tess and Hallie to take over more responsibilities in the pack.
She and Hallie had turned twenty-five two weeks ago, meaning they could be mated and bonded permanently to a male.
Tess wanted to believe they would have some say in who their mates would be. Jason hadn’t said otherwise, but he’d pointed out several men he thought they should consider.
“He’ll let you choose. Don’t worry about a mate right now,” her wolf whispered, stretching and pushing against her conscious. “”Let’s worry about getting out of this car so we can run!”
That was the biggest drawback to living in New York. There was nowhere to shift. Nowhere to run safely. The pack would draw names each month to see which weekend they would get to fly to the country and spend the weekend running. Only shifting once a month had been torture for her and her sister. They’d grown up with the luxury of shifting several times a week. While they had lived here at Woodhaven, they ran in the forest every morning—sometimes even twice a day.
“So.” Hallie turned to look at her. “Is your wolf about to die to get out and run like mine is?”
Tess snorted and grinned. “Hell, yes!”
“We should get it out of their systems before we go in, don’t you think?”
Tess laughed. “Absolutely.” She pulled out the clip holding back her hair then took off her earrings and laid them both on the dashboard of the rental car. Her sister mirrored her movements, and soon enough they were naked and giggling, their clothes folded in neat piles on the dash.
Hallie opened her door first and a blast of icy wind made Tess shiver. She opened her door and stepped out into six inches of fluffy, white snow.
“Oh my gods! It’s cold!” She squealed and shut the door behind her. Taking a deep breath, she sank into the change, overjoyed to feel the stimulated ripples of energy bathe her body. She padded around to the front of the car and touched noses with her sister.
Hallie barked and took off across the front of the Woodhaven property. Tess growled and leapt into a gallop behind her.
Feel better now? She asked her wolf as she breathed in the unpolluted, pine fresh air. It really was nice to be back.
“Heavenly.”
Another wolf crossed their paths, and then another and another. Tess stopped at her sister’s shoulder as the pack circled. She tensed for a moment until she caught Samantha’s and Nicole’s scents. They were loping toward them from the tree line. She turned back to the unfamiliar wolves and cocked her head.
“They are probably latents we haven’t met yet.”
True. She agreed with her wolf’s assessment. Chris and Sarah lived just up the road, and Woodhaven functioned as a training facility for Steven Antipas’ descendants who were latents—wolves that hadn’t learned to shift because they were half human.
Sam and Nicole bounded up and knocked Hallie and her into the snow. Tess shook the cold powder from her face and woofed at her sisters then swung her head toward the forest. She wanted to run. Needed to run.
Sam woofed back and took off toward the trees.
Yes! Finally.
The pack followed the Alpha female. When they were together, it was Sam’s place to lead if her mate, Chase, wasn’t there. Even being away for as long as they had been, Tess knew hierarchy in a pack kept things orderly and peaceful.
Cold wind blew through her fur as they dashed between trees and ran full throttle through the forest. This was what she’d missed in New York. Freedom. Open space. Her human side loved the city’s hustle and bustle, but her wolf couldn’t forget what she’d left.
“We should stay here.”
I can’t leave Hallie in New York.
“You’re both adults. It’s okay to have different lives.”
Tess dodged a fallen tree trunk and landed in a deep bank of snow on the other side. She shook it off and leapt back into a run, catching up with the pack in moments.
Just enjoy it for now.
Her wolf sighed, but Tess could feel her sorrow over the thought of leaving Woodhaven again. It’d become part of them after they left Las Vegas with Margaret and Scott. It was home, even more so than Vegas, where she’d grown up from a child. The forest called to her more than it did Hallie.
Sure her sister missed getting out to run, too, b
ut Hallie loved the business side of things much more. Their aunt had taken Hallie under her wing and was teaching her pack politics. Tess had no doubt in her mind that Aunt Melinda was grooming Hallie to succeed her as Alpha female of the New York pack one day.
“You don’t want to be an Alpha. Your sister does. She always has,” her wolf spoke slowly. And don’t forget that Nicole still lives in New York.
Tess turned sharply to the right to avoid a low-lying branch and growled.
I know. But if I stayed here, I’d be leaving all three of my sisters. Staying just because I want to isn’t a good enough reason to abandon the pack.
“There’s no need to make a choice at this moment.”
So true. This moment was about the joy of the run.
One of the unfamiliar wolves crossed directly behind, nipping at her flanks and growling teasingly. She took the challenge and knocked him off his legs before he could find his stride again.
A throaty bark put him in his place and he lay still on the ground, waiting for her to leave before getting up. She bared her teeth and snapped a warning. She might not be an Alpha, but she was a Demakis and her place in the pack was much higher than his. He had no business nipping at her, no matter how teasing it might appear.
He whined.
She turned away and lifted her nose to the air. The scent of the pack had turned; they were all headed back to Woodhaven.
A few minutes at a flat run brought her to the edge of the trees. The inn stood before her across the wide-open meadow. Scott had cleared at least another quarter-acre of forest, giving the inn a larger sight line. The farther the trees were from the buildings, the harder it was for anything or anyone to sneak up.
The latent wolf exited the tree line a dozen yards north of her. She watched him walk slowly, his head low, and his body tense.
“He’s pissed.”
He needs to get over himself.
Her wolf shrugged. She shook her head, flapping her ears to get the snow off and trotted back to her parked car. Hallie was already inside getting dressed.
She shifted quickly, shivering as the north wind hit her bare skin instead of fur. Pulling at the door handle, she slid into her seat and began slipping back into her clothes. Hallie grunted on her left, trying to get her tight leggings all the way up under her ass. Tess giggled, until she was faced with the same obstacle.
“Uh, huh. It’s not easy, is it?” Hallie said, her voice filled with irritation.
“For gods’ sake,” Tess whined. She kicked the door latch and the door swung open. Standing outside the car, she pulled up her cold leggings, slipped her furry boots on, and grabbed her shirt from the dash. She was dressed and ready and her sister was still struggling with her pants. “Come on, Hallie. Just get out of the car. We aren’t in the city. No one out here cares.”
Hallie shook her head and yanked her pants on the rest of the way. After completely clothing herself, she got out of the rental car and closed the door behind her. “Now, I’m ready.”
Tess giggled. The buttons on her sister’s sweater were off by one and her normally perfect ponytail was askew.
“What?!”
“Check your shirt. And you might want to redo your hair. I think the headrest in the car did a number on it.”
Hallie glanced down at her sweater and growled. Then peered into the side-view mirror and shrieked. “You wouldn’t have let me go in like this, would you?”
Tess shook her head. “Of course not.”
Tess ran her hands through her long waves and shook her head. That was about as far as she took hairstyling. She loved her natural look and rarely changed it, even for special occasions.
CHAPTER TWO
Tess followed Hallie up to the front door of Woodhaven. Before they could knock, it swung open and Scott’s giant frame filled the doorway.
“Girls!” He opened his arms and they both stepped forward into his embrace.
“It’s so good to have you back. We’ve missed you.”
“We’ve missed you too, Scott.” Tess mumbled into his sweatshirt as he squeezed her tightly.
“Tess! Hallie!” Margaret came walking forward with a strange, slow gait.
Tess’s eyes widened. “Holy baby bananas! Margaret! Why didn’t you tell us already?” She slapped Scott’s arm and ran to embrace her friend.
She backed up, rubbed her friend’s protruding baby bump, and smiled. “When are you due?”
“April,” Margaret answered, a smile covering her entire face. Even her eyes were twinkling with excitement. “And, we just found out last week that we are having twins!”
“Congrats,” Hallie squealed, joining in on the hugs and belly rubbing. “Boys? Girls?”
“One of each,” Scott’s voice rumbled behind them.
“That’s so exciting. I can’t wait to see baby Rylan, too! He’s what … almost fifteen months? Gods, I can’t believe we’ve been gone that long.” Tess gave Margaret another squeeze before they all followed her to the great room and took a seat on one of the big, leather sofas.
“The others should be down shortly. I guess you already saw they were running.”
Tess and Hallie both nodded at the same time.
Jason Demakis, the Original Demakis werewolf and acting patriarch of their pack, walked into the living room with his arm around Leslie, one of the very first latent wolves to arrive at Woodhaven. Leslie had been in New York helping to build a secure network for pack communications when she and Jason met. It was a strange match, but they seemed happy.
Jason was huge—nearly seven feet tall. He had muscles growing out of muscles and a voice like warm honey. Tess wasn’t surprised that Leslie had fallen for the handsome man. Hell, she had a harmless, little crush on him herself. She was surprised that Jason had fallen for Leslie, the little techie, Goth, wolf with purple hair. Talk about robbing the cradle, though. He was thousands of years old and Leslie was like, thirty.
Leslie smiled up at Jason as they sank into one of the oversized armchairs opposite them. Tess grinned as Jason arranged Leslie’s waif-like form on his lap.
“Glad to see you made it safely in from New York, girls.”
“You too, Jason,” Tess answered. “It’s so nice of you to let Leslie have a break from building the network to have some Christmas fun.”
He chuckled. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“He really wouldn’t. In fact, I don’t think he would’ve left without me,” Leslie added, a wicked grin on her face. “He calls me his, but really it’s the other way around. He’s all mine.”
The group laughed and even Jason’s smile widened. “I never thought to find another I could be so happy with. Fate has truly blessed me.”
Voices coming from the stairs caught Tess’s attention. Her sister, Nicole, appeared with her leopard mate, Aaron, right behind her. Chase followed along with Sam, her oldest sister. Tess breathed deeply. Nicole and Aaron lived in New York with them, but she hadn’t seen Sam since their mom died. Sam and Chase led the Las Vegas branch of the pack.
“Hey!” Sam hollered. “So glad you both joined us outside earlier. Great surprise!”
Tess stood from her seat and hurried to meet her sister. As she and Sam embraced, she could feel emotions welling inside. “It’s so good to see you.”
“We need to be sure not to wait so long next time,” Sam murmured in her ear. “Love you, little sis.”
“I love you too, Sam.” She released her sister and gave her brother-in-law, Chase, a hug. Then she stepped over to embrace Nicole.
“I think I just saw you,” Nicole said, throwing her head back with a laugh.
“Probably because I was the one who dropped you two off at the airport last week,” Tess returned. She gave Aaron a hug and moved with the group back to the great room.
More hugs and greetings were exchanged. Nicole and Aaron had returned to Woodhaven a week ago, but Sam and Chase had just arrived yesterday, as had Jason and Leslie.
Scott stood
from the couch and helped Margaret to her feet. “Sarah and Chris will be here shortly. But in the meantime, is anyone hungry?”
“Are you seriously asking a room full of shifters if they are hungry?” A deep, unfamiliar voice bellowed from the front door.
Tess turned to see a giant of a man filling the front doorway. His piney scent filled her lungs and her magick prickled with excitement.
“Patrick!” Scott walked to the doorway and embraced the newcomer. Margaret waddled her way over as well and was instantly enveloped into the two grizzly bears’ arms.
“Another bear?” Hallie whispered into her ear.
“I bet it’s his brother,” Tess said.
“Patrick, this is my wife, Margaret. And that crowd of friends in the great room,” Scott gestured to the group, “is part of the Vegas and New York Demakis wolf packs.”
“Good to meet you, Margaret.” Patrick’s voice carried through the room. “Scott can’t ever stop talking about you when I call home.”
Patrick gave Margaret a quick kiss on the forehead and the three of them moved together toward the great room.
“Everyone, this is my brother, Patrick. I didn’t say anything before, because we weren’t sure if he’d get his discharge papers before or after Christmas.” Scott proceeded to introduce him to each person in the room.
Tess followed his every movement and drank in his tantalizing scent. When Scott introduced her, Patrick’s beautiful blue eyes settled on her and all processing capabilities fled her body. All she managed was a squeaked “hi” and a lame wave.
Moisture pooled between her legs and her mouth went dry. Visions of them naked and entwined in sheets danced through her head. OMG! What was wrong with her?
“It’s him,” her wolf whispered.
Him who?
“Our mate! This is what we’ve been waiting for. The spark of energy you feel is your magick connecting with his.”
He’s a bear. I want a nice wolf to settle down with in New York and have a family, so we need to just get over this.
Unwrapping Tess (A Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance)(Vegas Mates Book 5): Christmas Encounters Page 1