“That’s enough, Darius,” Cameron yelled.
“What did you say to me?” Darius’s commanding tone returned.
Her wolves stiffened.
“I said that’s enough. Ginger isn’t a monster. She’s our mate,” Zach replied.
Darius’s thick uni-brow lifted. “Wow. So you won them over. Well, that is news. He’ll be happy to hear that you have a bitch. Better you than me. Now take her up to him.”
Cameron barked, but Zach held him back. “Fine. You get the cake and set it up then.”
“With pleasure. He’s waiting for you so I’d get going.” When Darius left, the other wolves clearly relaxed.
“Why didn’t you tell us about Darius visiting you?” Zach crossed his arms over his chest.
She sighed. “Because I didn’t know he was associated with your pack and I took care of it.”
“We can take care of you too. We do know how to handle ourselves,” Cameron replied.
“Yes, I know you can take care of yourselves. But I swore to myself that I would never let anyone push me around again. Not after the one who made me kept me prisoner for so long. I appreciate you wanting to take care of me.” She kissed each of them on the cheek and tried to ease them down. When she saw they were relaxed she hugged them and rubbed their backs. Each wolf took a breath and their eyes returned to blue. “What was he talking about?” she asked.
“Darius is the pack’s beta, second in command, and he kisses our benefactor’s ass. The pack will go to hell if he ever takes over.” Cameron hugged her close.
Ginger nodded. “So who is this benefactor you keep talking about? I can’t believe this place, but…” A shiver went down her spine.
“What is the but?” Zach asked.
“It reminds me a lot of the castle where I spent my early years. I’m probably just imagining it.”
Cameron ran a finger down her cheek. “We’ll be fine. Don’t worry about the old man. He isn’t so bad if you’re on his good side, which you should be. We’ll be there anyway.”
Ginger sighed and tried to put her fears aside. She followed them through the hall, glimpsing more rooms, and a couple appeared to be kitchens. The large ovens made her queasy. They went up another floor and came to the third floor that was an open floor plan, just space and windows. Laid out on tables were beakers and containers filled with different colored liquids. Books were stacked along the walls and there was strange equipment scattered all over the room. Daylight streamed in from the windows and the skylights above.
“We’ve brought the baker,” Cameron announced to the empty room.
“Good. I was hoping to meet her.” Ginger heard a voice and a man stepped out from behind one of the large pieces of equipment.
“Did you have a problem with the… Ginger.”
Her heart froze at the voice. Her throat went dry and every instinct in her told her to run. She couldn’t believe it. He looked the same except for one side of his face was burned. One of his eyes appeared blind except it burned with an eerie inner red glow. It stared right into her cookie soul, trying to burn away her inside. The magic that had created her snapped into place and she froze, fighting the hold.
“Hello, Godrick. I thought I killed you.”
“You know him?” Cameron asked.
Godrick pushed his brown hair from his face. “Of course she does. She’s the one who did this to me. One of my biggest disappointments. And no, dear, you didn’t kill me. You threw me in the fire and ran away. Thankfully, my cries awakened one of my wolves who pulled me from the flames.”
“Shut up,” she forced out. “You should have died for what you did to me. I never wanted this life.”
Godrick chuckled. “No, you never did want the existence I gifted you. So you acted like a spoiled child and threw me into the fire. All little girls have temper tantrums. If you had stuck around long enough, you would’ve gotten your wish.”
Ginger fought through the power that held her back and realized the control he had over her was not as strong as she thought. It seemed to surprise him. She gritted her teeth and moved a few feet. Godrick lifted his hand and she found that everything in her felt like her gingerbread had been soaked in milk and she could feel it sloshing around inside of her makeshift skin. Her mates growled next to her. She looked back and saw they were each red faced, trapped by the same magic.
“You never would’ve freed me. It would’ve been better to leave me as a cookie and eaten me than bring me to life and force me to eat all of those innocent people.”
Her old master chuckled and walked around her until he faced her. “Ginger, of all the creations I’ve baked, molded, and otherwise used magic to bring to life, you were always the feistiest. Do you know the reason for that? Or the reason you two are attracted to her?”
“Why would that be? And how do you know about that?” Zach growled.
The wizard smiled. “I bound you two together, not to curse you, but for you to learn a lesson. That you had to rely on one another. The first fifty years of your curse you were in your other form because you were so angry. I promised there was one loophole. Find the woman who could be both of your mates, and you’d be free. Gentlemen, you’ve found her. Did you think that you truly had free reign to do whatever you please? Darius is a good watchdog. It was no coincidence I sent you to that bakery where Ginger worked. It was by happenstance that he came upon Ginger. Honestly, I thought my dearest cookie had crumbled, and when I realized it was her, I sent you two there.”
“So why was I so special to you?” Ginger forced out through clenched teeth.
Godrick patted her cheek. “After all this time you still have her spark. I wasn’t sure if the experiment would work.”
“What are you talking about?” Ginger seethed.
“I’d thought you would’ve figured it out by now, or at least remembered something of your former self. Maybe the gingerbread mixture I molded you from wasn’t as porous as I thought. Ginger, within you is the flicker that was once my beloved daughter, Gretchen. You contain her soul.”
“Her soul? But that’s not possible. I’m just a cookie inside, a soulless monster that will wink out eventually.”
“No. The one thing I have learned over the years is that there cannot be life, true life, without the divine spark. Many of the things I created before you were shells, mindless things taking orders, but you proved to be so much more than that. There’s a reason why you feel guilt when you take another life. Unfortunately, in exchange for your existence, you had to pay a price in blood to keep yourself going, that’s why you must feed on human blood and flesh. If you found the man or men who’d be the ones for you, then you’d become human. Already, you’re starting to change.”
“I don’t believe you.” Ginger was not sure she should trust him or not. It all sounded too fantastical to be true.
He smiled and she saw sadness flash across his face. “I know you don’t believe me. And you two, already my curse has started to fall away from you. She’s the one you’re supposed to be with.”
“So why keep us here under your spell if we’re returning to being regular werewolves?” Zach asked.
“That’s easy. I’m feeling the holiday spirit and I wanted to see the three of you. I was angry at you for what happened with my daughter. Over the years, though, that wound has healed some. Of course, it’s not completely closed. I wanted to be sure that you loved her for real this time. If you didn’t, then I’d truly have to skin you.” Godrick examined the two werewolves.
Ginger was not sure what would happen next. This was not the man she remembered. It appeared he had tempered over the years. Was what he said real? How could she believe him when she had spent all her life hating him?
“So you’re going to let us go?” Cameron asked.
“I’ll still keep an eye on you and I was hoping Ginger would come and visit me. There’s much I’d like to share with you. You might not remember the past, but I do. There is so much I want to teach you. Of al
l the children I’ve had over the years, and there’s been many, Gretchen was the only one with the ability to follow my legacy. When I gave you her soul, the magic spark was still inside of you. What do you say?”
“Free us and I’ll think about it. This is all a little much to take in,” Ginger said.
It took Godrick a moment then he waved his hand. Ginger blinked and found herself free and in the arms of the men she loved. Was it all true? Was she really Godrick’s daughter put into a cookie shell? Was she really becoming mortal? She untangled herself from the two wolves and studied the sorcerer.
“After all this time, what made you change your mind about them and about me? Why?”
The other man smiled. “I’m dying. All my work’s taken a toll on my body. I may have another twenty years left in me, but it all depends on the magic I wield. I need a successor and someone to watch my wolves when I’m gone. They bring me happiness and have always been loyal to me. The same way your family has been loyal to you. The years weigh on me and I was hoping to find you sooner. I want past hatreds, and to put this behind us. Can we do that?” Godrick offered his hand to Ginger.
She looked at the two wolves who were waiting to see what she would do. Ginger was not sure what she would do after all the time she had spent hating the man for creating her and all the things he had forced her to do. It was not something she could get over easily, but there was something different about him that hit home. Ginger had hated herself for so long and, with her two wolves, she was being offered a new chance. It was the season of peace and she wanted to feel that so badly. Seeing the desperation and sincerity in his eyes, she knew all he wanted was someone to take on his legacy. It would not be an easy road. Why not get off to a good start?
“Okay, but don’t expect me to stop feeling the way I do for you overnight.”
Godrick smiled. “I understand. We can work around that. Gentlemen, what do you say? This means you’ll be around here more.”
Zach and Cameron glanced at one another. “If Ginger’s happy and we’re free of our curse and not under your thumb anymore, then we’re in.” Cameron stared at him.
“Once the curse has fallen away from you completely, your position in the pack’ll be reinstated. You won’t be thought of as lapdogs anymore.” He held out his hand to her mates and Ginger held her breath.
After a moment, both of them shook it. Relief washed over her and she knew she was starting a new chapter in her life.
Chapter Eight
Zach was not sure what to make of the sorcerer’s offer. Everything in him told him not to trust the wizard because they had been trapped by his curse for so long. Now he was being offered a reprieve from the longest hell he had ever had. And Ginger was supposed to be the reincarnation or cookie incarnation of Godrick’s daughter. That in itself was hard to believe, but when he thought about Gretchen he knew that he had always loved her. It was not a fling or something that he had talked himself into believing. Cameron had loved her too. It all sounded too good to be true. It sounded like a Christmas miracle that he was not sure he was going to be the recipient of. If this was all true, and he was reverting back to his original form, then he could continue aging, and have children. But to be around Godrick and regain his place in the pack, after all these years that he had been on the bottom rung of the totem pole, he was not sure what to expect.
“You still don’t trust me?” Godrick returned to one of the contraptions that he had emerged from.
“Not really,” Cameron answered.
Godrick sighed. “That is understandable. I don’t expect to win your confidence overnight, but as a gesture of goodwill, at the party tonight, I’ll announce your places among the pack have been restored. Is that acceptable?”
Zach glanced at Cameron. After a minute, Cameron nodded. “All right. That’s a start.”
“Good. Now that that’s settled, why don’t you leave Ginger here with me? I’ll send her down to the party in a few minutes. When you see Darius, can you send him up?”
“Of course.” Cameron cupped Ginger’s cheek. “Are you going to be okay here?”
She nodded. Zach threaded his fingers through hers and inhaled her peppermint scent. “I’ll be fine. You two go ahead.”
Cameron kissed her lightly and Zach claimed her lips too. The sweetness of her almost made him stay, but he pulled himself away from the woman he loved.
“Fine,” he muttered, squeezing Ginger’s hand before releasing her. Zach glanced her way once more before walking into the hallway. Zach glanced around at the fir trees that were decorated with lights. Fake lit up candy canes were stuck in the ground leading from the manor down to the celebration. Little kids frolicked along the edges of the garden. Holiday music played softly on the speaker system that had been set up for the festivities. The whole pack was supposed to be attending so nearly three hundred people would be there. There were tables where the food was already being set up and others were blowing up balloons. A clown was getting ready and a magician for the children, along with a bouncy castle and other distractions. Set a little bit away was the cake, a large wolf that was howling with a Santa hat on top of its head. Cupcakes were arranged around it as well.
“Wow, they really did some work on the cupcakes,” Cameron said. He reached down to pick one up when Zach grabbed his arm and shook his head. “What?”
Zach nodded over at Darius who was observing them from the sidelines. “He’s been watching us since we came down. I don’t like how he tried to claim Ginger. Or how he called her a monster. That asshole needs to be put in his place.”
Cameron smiled. “I agree. So let’s go tell him how much we didn’t appreciate him coming on to our mate.”
Zach scraped his fingers over his face, feeling the stubble of his beard. Starting trouble was probably not the best thing to do, but Darius had it coming to him. If he was harassing Ginger then who was to say that when she became human, he wouldn’t try it again. Once Darius discovered they were no longer whipping boys, he was not going to be taking it lightly. As much as it would be good to hit him, starting a fight in front of all the guests would not be good. “He’ll get what’s coming to him sooner or later. We can certainly tell him that Godrick wants him though.” Zach walked over to Darius and tried to remain stoic.
“Darius, Godrick wants you upstairs.”
The other werewolf sneered. “How did you get such a nice piece of ass, her being a monster and all? Then again, you three might fit well together. I can’t believe I tried to tap that pussy and she took a bite out of me. I hope you both rot with her.”
Cameron sprang on Darius and had him pinned to the ground before Zach could restrain him. Zach’s beast reared its head. The wolf wanted out and he was not going to be able to stop it. It grew inside of him and he welcomed it. There was something freeing in giving over to the beast. His teeth sharpened and his jaw began to elongate. His back bowed and snapped as he grew taller, larger to accommodate the added weight of his transformation. Claws ripped from his nail beds. A howl built in his chest as he planned to conquer his enemy. Before he could get his claws into Darius, something touched him. The contact reached into his insides and pulled him out of the red haze that had descended over him. It touched on his humanity. When he came back to himself, he was hit with the pain of his change back to human form. There was nothing he could do to stop the pain from the cracking of his bones and the way his muscles reformed back to the way he was as a human.
When he opened his eyes, he was no longer beside Darius, but was a ways off with Cameron. As he focused, Ginger was touching both them. Darius was on all fours, teeth bared half way between human and wolf. His eyes were yellow, bordering on red with slits and his teeth hung over his bottom lip. Ginger stroked both his and Cameron’s back. With each stroke he was feeling calmer and more in control.
“Why did you do that?” Cameron asked, half snarling.
“Because fighting never accomplishes anything. Besides, I don’t want to see your pret
ty faces get messed up.” Ginger pressed her lips to his.
Seeing them kiss sent a bolt of desire straight to Zach’s cock and he enfolded her in his arms and pulled her on top of him. She nestled against his body and all he wanted to do was take her right there. He did not care about what other people thought or what Cameron thought either. Right now, she was in his arms and that was all that mattered.
Ginger moved around on him and it hardened his cock even more. He raked his fingers down her spine, feeling every vertebra. She broke the kiss, moved off him and stood up. Cameron stood and wound his hands around her and held her close. He bit her neck and tugged on her ear before she squealed, “Stop it.”
Zach stood up. “We can’t help it. I don’t think anyone could’ve pulled us back from a change. I’ve never felt anything like it before.”
“It’s part of her being your mate. Not until the curse is completely gone, will it ease up, but she will always hold you back from the change. Even on the full moon, if that’s necessary. It is part of her inner magic.” Godrick was nearby looking at the cake. He lifted one of the cupcakes and began peeling away the wrapper. He took a big bite out of it and then licked his lips. “These are scrumptious. Ginger, you should try one.”
She shook her head. “I can’t. Any kind of baked good that I touch turns rancid. I don’t have any gloves.”
“So you can’t eat cheesecake?” Zach asked.
“I can. I just can’t handle it. It’s a throwback to the whole being a cursed gingerbread cookie.”
Darius stood up, showing his teeth and puffing out his chest. “Now you favor them?”
Godrick finished the cupcake and eyed the other werewolf. “Darius, you’re a brute. You muscle into everything and the only reason you’re standing where you are is because I have respect for your alpha. Don’t embarrass yourself in front of the rest of the pack.”
Darius’s jaw dropped and his face turned red. He leapt onto Godrick, transforming as he did. His jaw instantly wrapped around the sorcerer’s throat. The wizard lay still underneath him. Screams erupted from the people watching. Cameron drove him off the older man. Zach lunged for him, but he dodged out of the way. Cameron tried to grab him, but Darius was too quick. Ginger knelt by Godrick and tried to stop the bleeding. Cameron darted toward and Zach tried to keep the peace, but the other werewolf circled around until he was standing between Zach and Ginger. She froze. A small sound fell from her lips and Zach saw the terror in her eyes.
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