The Snow Leopard's Christmas Surprise

by Emilia Hartley

  She was going to be the death of him, he was sure. Ah, but what a way to die.

  Grinning like a fool, he moved in to kiss her, lingering long enough to enjoy the sharp scents of sage, jasmine, and lavender from her lotions and shampoo. He didn’t want to leave. It was like the last ten years without ever speaking to her had melted away and he was once again that seventeen-year-old boy staring down at a beautiful girl he was dying to know.

  But even then, life was complicated.

  Amara wrapped her arms around him, pulling him in close to her. She pressed her lips to the crook of his neck, biting just enough to cause a pin prick of pain.

  Nova groaned against her, burying his face in her hair. It was all he could do to keep from saying “responsibilities be damned,” and dragging her back inside with him. But he had to go. As much as he hated to admit it, he’d been away far too long. By now, Nemoy was bound to be looking for him.

  Easing back from her, he kissed Amara lightly on the nose. “I really do need to go,” he told her, but even to his own ears, his voice lacked conviction. Suppressing a sigh, he forced himself to take another step toward the sidewalk. Then another. “I’ll swing by the bar soon, okay?”

  Amara’s smile was both shy and sexy at the same time. “I’m holding you to that, handsome.” On the street now, Nova winked back at her, grinning when she blew him a kiss before shutting the door.

  He was in so much trouble. He was the Beta of the Mountain Clan Wolf Pack, and now here he was, walking away from the house of the human woman he had fallen head over heels in love with. What had he done?

  “Fuck,” he muttered into the early morning air.

  “My sentiments exactly.”

  Turning on his heel, Nova watched, stunned, as his older brother—not to mention, his Alpha—materialized out of the shadows.

  Nemoy stood before him, with his arms crossed, dressed in jeans and a heavy coat. He was glaring at him. “Explain yourself, brother.”

  Shit. Nova had enough experience with his brother to recognize an order when he heard one. The problem was, he really didn’t have an explanation. Not even for himself.

  “No.”

  Nemoy raised a brow, his eyes betraying just the hint of surprise within their stony depths. “No? I’m sorry, I must not have heard you right. Did you just fucking say no?”

  Nova could feel the tension rising between them, could feel his Alpha’s wolf form itching to take over and settle the matter per Pack Law. Nemoy was in charge. Every member of the pack knew it. To challenge him was almost certainly a death sentence. And still, Nova stood his ground. “I have no explanation for you, Nemoy. I never have.”

  His brother glared at him. “She’s human.”

  “I’m in love with her.”

  Silence fell between them as they both absorbed the weight and reality of Nova’s words. The tension between the two brothers was palpable. Had they been home, or at least under the cover of trees, they would have been fighting already.

  Nemoy grit his teeth. The vein on his forehead began to throb madly, a sure sign he was agitated. “She’s human.”

  “I’ve never agreed with your prejudice against humans, Nemoy,” Nova said softly. It was essential he kept his temper under control right then. “You know that.”

  “You’ve never violated our laws for a human before, either.”

  “No, I hadn’t,” Nova agreed. He was starting to feel slightly ashamed of himself. It was true, he had never broken Pack Law before. He’d never even considered it. The Pack was his life and always had been. And now here he was, throwing away the rules he had followed for the last twenty-seven years; throwing away his family, his position, for a girl. But Amara wasn’t just any girl. She may not be a wolf, but she was the one he wanted, just the same. Nova shrugged off his brother’s arm. “Things change, Nemoy.”

  “Nova, don’t do this.” Though Nemoy’s actions were hard and controlling, his tone was surprisingly tame. Almost pleading. “Being with a human, even that one, it’s against pack law. They can’t know about us, Nova.”

  Nova frowned. He didn’t want to think about what would happen if the humans knew about the pack. It was common knowledge that they didn’t take to anything different with open arms, and shifters were anything but normal. But Amara hadn’t treated him any differently. In fact, she’d taken it all in stride. It had surprised the hell out of him, to tell the truth. Somehow, he doubted the rest of the town would take so kindly to them.

  “Why are we so scared of humans, Nemoy?”

  As he knew he would, his brother bristled. “We are not scared.”

  “Sure, we are. We live in the woods on our acres of property, isolated from the rest of the population in the area. We don’t come into Strathford to socialize. We only go into town to protect them.” Nova shook his head, dispelling a wry laugh. “We don’t talk to them, Nemoy. We don’t bother to get to know them. They don’t bother to get to know us. There is a very clear divide between them and us, a divide that is going to be our downfall if they ever do find out that there are packs of supernatural people living out in the woods. It will get even more dangerous when they put two and two together and discover that those people shift into wolves. Wolves, I might add, that have been terrorizing this place for the last decade and a half. Don’t you think it would be smarter to quit alienating ourselves from the humans, Nemoy, and try to get to know them instead?”

  Stunned, Nemoy just stared at him, his face unreadable. They only emotion Nova could even ascertain was the anger in his brother’s dark eyes. Whatever he thought of Nova’s little speech, he wasn’t prone to share any time soon.

  Nemoy glared at him. “You can’t tell the girl, Nova.”

  Nova smirked. “She already knows.”

  Watching his brother process that one statement was like watching a volcano explode. “Damn it, Nova!” he shouted. Pushing away from him, he started to pace. “That is our number one rule. Don’t tell the fucking humans! What the hell were you thinking?”

  Lifting his shoulders in a noncommittal shrug, Nova simply watched him. “I didn’t tell her.”

  “What?”

  “She figured it out. The other night, when Kal and his buddy went after her, I got hurt. She saw it. Last night,” Nova grinned at the memory, “she saw it again. She’s a smart woman, Nemoy. She can put two and two together.”

  The two men glared at each other, neither one daring to make the first move. Finally, Nemoy huffed out a frustrated breath. He scrubbed a hand over his face, then shoved one pointed finger into Nova’s chest. “She doesn’t tell a damn soul, you got it?”

  Surprised, Nova’s eyebrows shot into his hairline.

  “This is important, Nova.”

  “Yeah. Yeah, I got it. But to be honest, I don’t get it.”

  Nemoy turned away from him and resumed his pacing. “Look, Nova, I’m not blind. I know you’ve been in love with that girl since you saved her.” Stopping, he turned to look at him, understanding written across his face. “Now that you have her, I can’t take her away. You’re my brother. Just…just make sure she doesn’t tell anyone.” He held out his hand. “Deal?”

  Nova couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He just stared.

  “Nova?”

  Shaking his head, Nova fought to think clearly. Then he shook his brother’s hand, a grin sliding across his face. “Yeah. Uh, yeah. Deal.”

  Chapter 14

  The next two weeks went by like a dream for Amara. She couldn’t remember ever being so happy in her life. Her nights with Nova were…magical. They were made even more so by the fact that there were no secrets between them.

  The life of the pack was fascinating. She found herself stocking up on books about wolves and their behavior. She had raided the New Age section at the bookstore and purchased nearly every book on lycanthropes, werewolves, and shifters she could find. Between those and picking Nova’s brain about anything relating to either subject, she was on her way to becoming an expert
. She wasn’t sure why, but the idea thrilled her.

  Pushing open the back door to Murphy’s, Amara shouldered her way into the storage room with a crate of alcohol on her hip. Things were finally getting back to normal with her and Mitch. Neither one of them approved of who the other was dating, but they were finally back to their weekly pasta and wine nights. It was glorious.

  Amara set the crate down and began unloading the bottles. The bar was packed tonight. Mitch had finally listened to her about the karaoke night. He’d bet her twenty bucks they wouldn’t draw in a crowd. He’d lost. She chuckled to herself. She didn’t know why he’d been so against the idea. Mitch loved Karaoke. She supposed he thought he was going to make a fool of himself. Which, she conceded, was entirely possible. Still, it would be entertaining.

  A knock on the back door made her look up. The door opened and Nova peered in. Even through his thin, long-sleeved shirt, she could see his well-defined muscles. She could stare at him all day.

  “Hey you,” she said by way of greeting. She set a bottle of vodka on the shelf and stood. Stepping inside, Nova shut the door behind him and crossed the room. He wrapped his strong arms around her waist, pulling her to him. Amara giggled, threading her arms through his and around his back. She tipped her face up to his, pleased when he pressed his lips to hers.

  She loved the way he felt against her. The way he always tasted of peppermint and smelled like pine trees. It was hard for her to believe they had only been seeing each other for a couple weeks. It felt like she’d known Nova Lowery for years.

  “I thought you were busy tonight?” Once again, she went back to the crate. When it was empty, she grabbed the bottles she needed to go back out front.

  Nova smiled. “I am. But I couldn’t just pass by without coming in to get a kiss.” He smacked her ass. She grinned over her shoulder at him. “But I don’t work tomorrow. Dinner and a movie?”

  “Sure.” Gesturing for him to follow, she pushed through the swinging door to the front of the bar. She knew the smile on her face was goofy as hell, but somehow, she couldn’t find it in her to care.

  “No unauthorized personnel behind the bar,” Mitch called, seeing Nova behind her. Amara smirked. She and Mitch may have been getting along again, but he never missed a chance to screw with Nova. It would be pretty funny if it wasn’t so annoying. He had never behaved like that before. “Oh, give it a rest, Mitchell. He’s just passing through to say hi.”

  “Last I checked, he can say hello from the front of the bar just as well.”

  Rolling her eyes, Amara chucked a wet cloth at him. Mitch deflected it, and it ended up flying into Zoe’s face.

  “Hey!”

  Amara burst out laughing. Even Mitch’s lips turned up at the corners. Glancing at Nova, she found him trying his best not to laugh. It looked like he was biting his cheek to fight the urge.

  “What the hell, Amara?” Zoe cried, outraged. She flung the rag down on the table with a satisfying slap.

  “Hey, now, don’t look at me. I threw it at Mitchell. He’s the one who tossed it at you.” When Zoe merely glared at her, Amara chuckled. “Relax, Zo. I’ll buy you a drink.”

  Nova wrapped his arm around Amara’s shoulders and pressed a kiss to her hair. “I’ve got to go, babe.”

  She tipped her face up to kiss him, letting herself sink into all that was Nova. She could feel her heart pounding, feel the blood pulsing through her veins. No one had ever affected her the way he did. “See you tomorrow?”

  “I’ll pick you up at seven.”

  Amara beamed at him. She blew him a kiss and he headed for the door.

  “Well, look at you,” Sadie said, pushing through the door before he could leave. Nova stopped cold, staring down at Amara’s little sister. “So, you’re the one who’s been keeping my sister occupied these last few weeks, huh?” She looked him up and down, her arms over her chest and her lips pressed into a firm, thin line. Then she smiled slyly. “I suppose I can see why. Mom wants to meet you, by the way. You guys are expected at dinner on Sunday.”

  Nova blinked. Completely helpless, he glanced over his shoulder at Amara. Biting back her own laughter, she merely shrugged. Honestly, there was nothing she could do. When it came to her stubborn little sister, he was on his own.

  Nova glared at her. Then he sighed. “Uh, yeah, sure. Sunday.” Nova fidgeted uncomfortably. “I, uh, I guess I’ll see you then.” And before Sadie could corner him into attending more family functions, Nova fled.

  Amara couldn’t say she blamed him. Sadie was a force to be reckoned with, even on her bad days. When she was on her game, telling her no was damn near impossible.

  Amara poured a shot of vodka and set it on the bar in front of her sister. Sadie climbed up onto the stool. She took the shot and downed it in one gulp.

  “Was that really necessary?” Amara asked with a grin. As she expected, Sadie only shrugged unrepentantly. There was not one shred of remorse in her gaze. Nor had Amara thought there would be.

  “What can I say?” Sadie asked. “Mom wants to meet him. Besides, it’s my job as your sister to see what your new guy is made of.”

  “And?”

  Sadie pursed her lips, considering. “I like him. I guess he’ll do.” She tapped her glass for another drink. “Anyway, he’s freaking hot. Like scalding.”

  Amara poured her own drink and tapped her glass to her sister’s. “He is that.”

  “You’re a lucky woman.”

  “Yes, I am.”

  A man sat down next to Sadie. Amara flashed a smile without really looking at him. “What will it be, sugar?”

  “Make it a bourbon, sweetheart.”

  “Coming right up.” With practiced hands, she grabbed a glass, poured, and slid it over to him. “You opening a tab?”

  “Sure,” the man replied, and still, she barely looked at him. “Put it under Kal.”

  Amara froze, sure she hadn’t heard him right. Kal. Looking up, she met his gaze, and sure enough, it was him. Same tawny gold eyes, same russet auburn-brown hair as the man she’d seen with Nova the night they’d met. He had told her who it was, why they were fighting. She knew he had learned she was the one who had escaped his foul clutches. That he’d stalked her that night, intent on killing her. He would have succeeded, had it not been for Nova.

  Sound rushed through her ears like an oncoming train as the attack from her childhood played across her mind. She could still feel his teeth ripping into her shoulder, trying to get at her throat. She could feel the weight of him pressing down on her, suffocating her, forcing her to dispel any air she still had. She was dying a slow, agonizing death by asphyxiation while he was tearing into her flesh. Never in her life had she experienced such raw terror as she had that night.

  And it was all because of him.

  She had never truly hated anybody before. But she hated him.

  Kal smiled back at her, and it was a cold, cruel smile. Amara’s blood ran cold. He knew that she recognized him on some level. He knew, and he was enjoying it.

  The bastard.

  Amara forced a smile. She was still at work, after all. It would only give him what he wanted if she caused a scene. “Sure thing.”

  “So,” Kal said, turning to Sadie. “I haven’t seen you before. Are you from around here?”

  Sadie looked from Kal to Amara and lifted a brow with a quizzical grin. It was easy to see that she was pleased, and it was easy to see why, even if his pickup line had been a total cliché. Kal was like a golden Adonis. He was the light to Nova’s dark.

  The problem was that the guy was a murderous psychopath. And she did not want him messing around with her kid sister.

  Flirtatious now, Sadie dove into conversation with him, tossing her hair and playing coy like no one but Sadie could. She even let him buy her another drink. After a while, they took turns singing karaoke. They did a duet to Journey’s “Don’t stop believing.” Kal was surprisingly good. Sadie, of course, was perfect like always. Amara couldn’t count t
he number of choir solos the girl had scored throughout their childhood. She’d often wondered if she and her mother were the reason Sadie had never pursued a singing career or tried to grow her talents. Her voice was strong and rich. She even wrote her own songs. Yet, she insisted she was happy in Strathford.

  Amara didn’t believe a word of it.

  Mitch brought over a couple plates of food and set them in front of the empty stools. Amara frowned. “What’s this?”

  “The guys Sadie’s with ordered them dinner.”

  Her eyes widened in surprise. “She let him order for her? Fried bar food? Sadie?”

  Mitch laughed. “I know. I couldn’t believe it either. Still, here we are. Life is strange sometimes.”

  “It’s not so strange,” Amara grumbled darkly, glaring at Kal on stage. “Not if someone has a smooth tongue and knows what they’re doing.”

  Concern passed over her boss’s face. “You okay, Mara?” He followed her gaze to where Sadie and Kal were stepping down from the stage. “You’ve never had a problem with Sadie flirting with bar guys before. What gives?”

  She couldn’t tell him truth; that Kal was a shifter that had tried to rip her throat out. Twice. Not only would it betray Nova to do so, but who would believe her? Even Mitchell, who she used to be able to tell anything, would write her off as nuts. However, forcing a smile and pretending she was okay with a sociopath hitting on her sister—ordering for her as if she were a helpless child—was making her sick to her stomach.

  Amara shook her head. “Nothing. He just gives me bad vibes, is all.” She tried to shrug it off, but she knew Mitch was watching her. She could still see him from the corner of her eye. He’d always trusted her instincts. At least now she knew he would be keeping an eye on Sadie, too.

  Breathless, Sadie sat back down and grinned at her big sister. “So? What did you think?”

  “The two of you should be on Broadway,” Mitch crooned, snaking a fry from Sadie’s plate. She slapped his hand. “You put the rest of us amateurs to shame.”

  Sadie laughed, beaming at Mitch and Kal. She took the drink Kal had ordered and sipped it. “Damn right we do. And don’t you forget it.”