by Flynn Eire
I realized I’d been talking loudly and getting excited as I worked, clearing my throat and apologizing when they were staring at me.
“Don’t apologize,” Seth muttered. “I think it’s a seriously cool idea. I was just shocked you were so animated. And what are you doing to that dough while not even paying attention? How are you so cool?”
I felt my cheeks flush as I stared down at the dough. “I’ve made so many croissants I could do it in my sleep.”
“I love watching it too,” Verge chuckled as he headed for the coffee pot. “And I think that’s an awesome idea. To do something different each Christmas. Half the fun would be coming up with what to do and plotting something new.”
“I think so,” I agreed, but then gasped. “You’re supposed to be in bed.”
“Um, I wanted to bring Nero some coffee and muffins,” he muttered, giving me a funny look. He caught on when I cleared my throat and nodded to what we were doing. “He hired you to make me a Christmas spread?”
“I can neither confirm nor deny that, as I promised to not snitch on my clients,” I muttered, hurrying to roll out the dough so I could cut it. “But on an unrelated topic, do you prefer raspberries or strawberries?”
“Both, strawberries if we’re talking chocolate stuff.”
“No.”
“What can I do next?” Ryan asked since he was done with his skillet duties and had even washed it.
I waved him over and brought out what was going in the croissants. “I’m making white chocolate gingerbread ones. So spoon out a bit of cream cheese filling, add a few chips, and some gingerbread cookie crumbs before you roll.” I did it as he watched. “And gently roll up the dough. People tend to push too hard, and that’s why you get flat croissants or funny looking ones.”
“Did Nero ask for those?” Verge asked.
“Oh, no, I was making them for Alexis for giving me the clothes and Manny for being so nice to me. I told Sam and Seneca to come with their mates for pancakes since they’ve been helping me too.” I felt my cheeks heat as I rambled. I was not good with talking like this. Luckily Ryan caught on and asked me to show him one more time. He was good after that, and I started on the pancakes.
“Why are you sneaking out of our bed on Christmas of all the days?” Nero demanded as he came into the kitchen wearing only low hanging pajama bottoms.
Well, it was his house after all.
“I wanted to bring you coffee and some warm muffins in bed,” Verge muttered, sounding like he was pouting. “Apparently you came up with way better.”
“I neither confirmed nor denied that,” I reminded him before I got in trouble. The timer went off, and I shooed people out of the way as I pulled out the trays of eggnog French toast casserole. I loaded up the breakfast casserole trays and reset the timer since the temp was the same. The monkey bread was ready for the oven by then, and I loaded those before heading back to my pancakes, glad I’d flipped them in between handling the oven.
“Show me how to make Santa,” Alexis offered as I started pulling off pancakes.
I reloaded the griddle and brought out what she needed, demonstrating how she sliced a banana for the beard, raspberries or strawberries for the hat, outlining it in whipped cream, before whipped cream eyes with a blueberry on each. Finish with a raspberry for the nose and it was the cutest damn Santa that I loved to eat.
“You are so damn adorable,” Seth muttered, shaking his head when I glanced up at him. “Seriously, that is so cute, and you smile the whole time you do it.”
I shrugged. “I like to cook for people who are nice.”
He frowned. “Have there been some who weren’t?”
“Yes.” I moved to flip the pancakes, hoping he let it go at that, which he did.
“We’re early,” Nero worried, glancing at what was going on. “I figured he’d sleep in.”
“It’s fine, the pancakes are done now, and you wanted one of the eggnog French toast casseroles,” I said, bringing one of them over to the massive kitchen table. “You can eat the feast in stages or just keep eating.”
“Which is why we’re here,” Alastair said from the doorway, dragging in a half asleep Zibon. “I realized I asked for Santa pancakes, but I have no idea how I’d transport those.”
I opened my mouth to answer but then closed it. “Damn, I didn’t think of that either. You’d need plates with those room service-like covers. I had those before and… Never mind.”
I felt the tension as people seemed ready to ask but thankfully didn’t, instead Nero inviting them to eat whatever and join us. Others seemed to realize the problem too because they didn’t simply come pick up their order but dragged their mates with as well. It was hysterical to see some very huge warriors bumbling around because they were still mostly asleep, still in their pajamas even.
I made more coffee and hurried to set out mugs while Zach handled the sugar and cream. Ryan finished the croissants, and those went into the oven as I kept making pancakes. Alexis and Seth had tried to decorate them, but people ended up wanting to do it for their mate, which was so sweet. I did make a point to set each tray by the person who ordered it and from there they could share or not so it wasn’t on me.
“Jayme, come eat something already,” Nero said to me as I pulled out the last of the food from the oven.
I turned and dipped my head. “I thank you for the invitation, but please do not worry for me. Rest assured I know my place and will not intrude on your festivities even if they’re in the kitchen instead of your rooms or a private setting.”
“You speak like the butlers and maids who have served the Aberdeens for generations,” London said, and I only knew him because he had ordered a few trays for his mate. “You’re not a servant anymore, Jayme. You served us the food because we ordered it and bought it, but you’re not…” His eyes went wide, and he cleared his throat. “Sorry, I can’t control my gift.”
“Of course,” I forgave, ignoring the other questioning stares and hurrying to offer more coffee.
“Hey, he said that was for me,” Seth growled as Ryan scooped out more of the breakfast casserole.
“He?” Alexander questioned, glancing between us.
“Yes, he,” I answered, not wanting to get Seth in trouble since Alexander was the head of the camp. “I’m sorry for deceiving you, but I thought it was the only way to be welcomed here.”
Alastair frowned. “We’ll have to talk to Jordan, but we weren’t putting out anything other than people who want to escape their coven or not be forced into it. That and no bullshit. We’re not trying to draw in females.”
“I heard it was to combat the reputation of the camp,” I admitted as I kept busy bringing napkins and whatnot. I saw several looks like they might ask what I was running from that I’d pretend to be a girl to be free. “It was fun actually. I mean, learning makeup. And skirts are nice when I’m normally tripping on the hem of my pants because I’m that short. Bras suck though, and that’s before boobs that weigh more than stuffing.”
“You don’t have to explain anything to anyone,” Seth said as he snagged me around the waist. He hadn’t even gotten up, easily sliding me onto the chair next to him and building me a Santa pancake. “You’re here and safe now, and we adore you.”
“Damn straight we do,” Zach said with his mouthful. “Screw Seth, date me. He’s too stiff, and I love to eat too.”
I flushed so fast I felt lightheaded. “You’re teasing me, right?”
“No, I would totally date you, but I’d never be a dick like that to my brother,” he clarified. “But I will help you whenever you want and be your friend.”
“Thank you. And thank you for your help. It was nice.”
“Would you like me to talk to your normal aides and see if I can’t help them come to terms with being a vampire?” Ryan asked. “Ellison thought he was human too, and he could help.”
“Yes, please, that would be great. I—they’re so nice, and I hate not having answers for them.�
� I jumped back out of my seat and went to the fridge, pulling out one of the many cakes I’d made. “Um, please have this. I made a bunch of cakes to help Manny, thinking people would want Christmas cakes, but apparently Jordan put in a huge order someplace and the cafeteria was full of cakes when I dropped off muffins and cinnamon rolls.”
“You got all that done before I even showed up?” Seth asked, giving me a shocked look. “Wow, you are so awesome.”
“What is it?” Ryan asked as I set down the cake.
“It’s a gingerbread cake with caramel cream cheese frosting and chocolate shavings,” I answered. “I was going to do orange zests too, but I didn’t have any. I sort of put together what I could from the supplies I had since I didn’t have much time to plan.”
“Mate him, mate him now,” Ryan told Seth.
“I’ve not even had sex yet and I just transitioned and I don’t even know your last names yet,” I blurted, my eyes going bug wide at the idea even if it was a joke.
“Oh, I think you’re having sex soon with the looks he’s giving you,” someone drawled. I couldn’t even look at Seth to see if it was true.
“He isn’t wrong,” Seth breathed in my ear. “Can I tell them about your idea?”
I shivered at his breath on my neck. “Sure.” I ate as they filled them in, shocked when everyone thought it was such a great idea.
“What made you think of something like that?” London asked, and I shot Nero a guilty look, glad when he nodded.
I told them what he’d said about New Year’s, and everyone seemed excited.
“So you can really do it?” London checked.
“Yes,” I promised. “I graduated with the focus of desserts and pastries, and mochi falls under that, but even more, we had a semester in each continent’s cuisine and specialties. I told Nero what I would need and that if he wanted me to make it for lots of people, I would need a filler machine that Manny can use for other things. I have to soak all the rice two days before, so I just need to know if we want to do New Year’s Eve or Day.”
“And do what? Pound rice?” someone asked.
“Yes, but more than that,” I chuckled. “Think of it like how humans stand around the grill during summer barbeques. It’s bonding. The demonstration I saw of traditional mochi making was fun. People were drinking sake or beer and taking turns, there’s hot pots and sometimes outdoor cooking. It’s also cool to watch rice become like a dumpling wrapper but sweet. You can put it around ice cream in the summer. It’s different.”
“And we want different so people don’t get bored and want to go to town or travel. Not for a while,” Alastair muttered, bobbing his head. “I think this private mall idea is even better. We want people safe, not to feel like they’re in a prison. Once this rush of building and getting people in normalizes, we need to set up a real community.” He glanced at me then. “You want to do a bakery, right?”
“I would love it,” I whispered, bobbing my head. “It’s not my specialty, but I know how to make real Italian gelato as well. I could help someone do a gelato shop instead of like a soft serve ice cream or frozen yogurt place. But I could hire a cake artist if there was one and make awesome birthday cakes.”
“Yeah, because this cake is amazing,” Ryan praised, cutting into his slice with his fork.
“You’re eating cake for breakfast?” I chuckled, biting back a giggle when he simply shrugged.
“I was going to ask if there were any more cakes,” someone grumbled.
“The whole fridge is full of them,” Seth drawled. “He was fast asleep at the table with frosting in his hair and sprinkles on his face, muttering about mint brownie pies when I carried him to the infirmary.”
My face flushed again, and I swore it was going to permanently stay that way. “I didn’t know I did that until coming here. Sam says I make him hungry that I talk recipes in my sleep.”
“So where did we land on cake for breakfast?” Verge asked, several people chuckling that it was him.
“They’re in the fridge,” I offered.
“This monkey bread is basically cake already,” someone else groaned as they had some. “Shit, this is so good.” He leaned into Matteo, making kissy faces. “I was not deserving of this.”
“You were,” he promised before looking at me. “I think you’ve pushed too hard though, Jayme.”
“He can see it in your aura,” Seth explained before I could even ask. “How about you come take a nap while I catch a shower and then we can figure out the rest of the day from there?”
“We can do the dishes,” Alexis offered.
I blinked at her and then at the huge mess in the kitchen. “I couldn’t leave you to do that.”
“You fed us,” Zach argued. “This was the nicest Christmas we’ve had in a long time. Normally we’re anti-holiday with all the crappy ones we’ve had. This was fun, and we needed it, so yeah, we can do the dishes so you can get the rest you need after you just had your transition, Jayme.” He frowned at me before glancing at Seth. “What did I say wrong?’
I didn’t know what he meant until I felt tears reach my lips, sniffling loudly. “Sorry, sorry, nothing. I’m just—no one’s ever that nice to me. I’m used to someone already having thrown a plate at me, bitching I wasted ingredients and suck to humiliate me while they finish every last crumb.” I ducked my head when I felt the shock and pitying looks. “Sorry, ignore me.”
“Anything we shouldn’t eat in the fridge?” Nero asked, shooting Verge an amused look. “Someone is pretty infamous for it.”
“That’s not unwarranted,” Verge admitted, shrugging when people chuckled.
“I made the croissants, cookies, and yule logs for gifts,” I answered Nero. “One is for you and Verge for letting me stay here and being so nice, letting me take over your awesome kitchen.”
“Neither of us know how to use it,” Verge snickered. “Plus, it’s fun to watch you when I need a break or to wake up.”
“Plus, the smell of sweets and desserts turns on my fiancé,” Nero chuckled, laughing when Verge blushed.
Sam, Bowie, Seneca, and Ellison came in, all of them thinking the other was coming for pancakes and they had to cover the infirmary. Instead, they stuck a few post-trans there to keep watch and call them if they were needed. I hurried to get out the rest of the pancake batter and instead got a lecture from both Sam and Seneca to stop pushing so hard or they would put me on bedrest for a few weeks.
“Fine, but you have to stop yelling at me so I can give you your presents,” I told them, smiling when they both lost the steam of their argument.
“Can we have these cookies if you’re already offering cakes?” Verge asked, shrugging when a few people leaned over and smacked him upside the head.
“Yes, I made kolaczkis and lemon tea cookies,” I answered.
“The Polish cookies? I seriously love those,” he said with a groan, getting up and holding out his hands to me.
I burst into giggles and went over to the boxes I had stacked in the far corner. I pulled out a huge bag of assorted flavors. “I had to use premade jam since I didn’t have time to make my own.”
“Nero, please, please make sure he stays here,” Verge whimpered as he leaned in and kissed my cheek. Then he went over to show their haul.
“Manny would probably want cookies,” Sam told me. “I’ll take a cake, thanks. Bowie and I can eat it later.”
“Us too, thank you,” Seneca agreed.
I let them pick what they wanted while London’s boyfriend made the pancakes. Then I gave Alexis her choice, smiling when she picked one of the cakes that was meant just to help Manny. I knew what she was doing, offering her brothers croissants and cookies.
“Okay, time for my present,” Seth announced as he grabbed me around the waist. “Got it, thanks.”
“I’m not a present,” I chuckled, my face flushing. “What do you want?”
“I got the breakfast casserole and a lot to eat. Ryan, grab that yule log cake he said was f
or me.”
“Sure, but can we have fried chicken and cake for dinner?” Ryan asked. “Now I’m in the mood since he mentioned it.”
“I’m not good at making fried chicken,” I admitted. “Sorry.”
“And he’s off for the day. Figure out food later and bring it to us.”
“Don’t be mean to your siblings or they won’t like me,” I hissed at him from where he was carrying me like a football.
“We can tell him no and do a lot,” Alexis chuckled. “It’s fine. Jordan ordered some Christmas spread for us. I’ll ask if I can take some of it to go and bring it to your room after your nap.”
“You’re my favorite sister,” he cooed at her.
I gave a wave to everyone as we headed for the door. Once we were outside and in my ATV that he was driving, he filled me in that she was his only sister, which was the joke. Funny, Seth was a funny guy.
Seriously, hot, funny, nice, and a whole list of positive adjectives. It wasn’t fair there were gods of men like him among us mere mortals. Really.
5 ~ Seth
Jayme was adorably nervous when I brought him back to my room. He muttered something about excusing his imposing before coming in, which was hysterical since I’d basically dragged him off. He was just going to sit in the small living area, but I pulled him into my room and practically threw him on the bed before heading to the shower.
He was out for the count when I came back. I bit back a chuckle as I dried my hair with a towel before hanging it up. I moved the covers and tucked him in, taking out his hair tie as Alexis did when she slept. He had such pretty hair I didn’t want it to get damaged. I was tired too and ended up not even getting dressed before crawling in with him.
“Chocolate covered strawberry shortcake,” he mumbled in his sleep as he turned and snuggled up to me. “Need baking chocolate.” He kept muttering about percentages of cocoa or something, and I didn’t even know there was more a range on chocolate besides white, milk, or dark.
I fell asleep for awhile but woke when I felt my arm pulled. I blinked awake, but I couldn’t see anything, realizing my face was buried in his hair. We were spooning, and he’d tightened his hold on my arm wrapped around him; that was what woke me. I slid my other arm under him, hugging him to me as I kissed his hair. I really had every intention of going back to sleep, but he moaned softly in my arms, and I was instantly hard as nails.