Page 3 of Gemini Christmas
Then he pivots and plunges into the crowd.
I catch a final glimpse of the blond braid swinging purposefully between his narrow shoulders before the sea of Christmas shoppers swallows him up.
My gaze rises to assess the lowering skies, framed in a jagged bowl of white-crowned mountain peaks, all pearly with fading afternoon light.
Just in time to feel the first fat snowflake drift down from the heavens to land on my nose with a cold wet kiss.
“Ugh.” I swipe off the moisture with my mittened hand. “Looks like the snow’s already starting. Guess we’re done with our shopping, huh?”
“No worries, baby queen. We need anything else, I’ll just pop back into town and get it,” Mordred assures me.
Meaning he’ll apparate.
Which is another one of his demon superpowers.
But there’s no point getting the poor mortals any more interested in us than they already are.
Mordred rootles happily through our assorted packages on the counter, commenting to me with approval on the various goodies he finds. Meanwhile, Ronin brackets Vasili’s slim hips between his spread knees, loops his arms around V’s neck, and slow-kisses our dominant alpha in a way that sexes up the whole street.
Yum.
The sooner we all make it to the Mercury chalet and our Alaskan king bed, the yummier.
I sneak a warming sip from my Styrofoam cup of cocoa, all steamy and creamy and salty with caramel. My cocoa’s so yummy I don’t even miss thegluhweinI declined, because pregnant. Moaning softly with appreciation, I close my eyes and extend my senses.
I’m reaching.
Reaching for the others.
Reaching for the rest of our mates.
Right away, I get a telepathic ping from Lucius.
No need to worry, my dear girl,he murmurs, low and rumbly, through our mating bond.I’m already on my way. I’ll fetch the others.
Our wolf shifter headmaster has been doing his own last-minute shopping in the Christmas bazaar, and he’s been suspiciously sneaky about it. But of course, his shifty senses have picked right up on the changing weather.
Lucius Aries isthemost responsible guy in my whole harem, bar none, so he’s already rounding up the others. Namely, the two whose Fae brains I can’t access. Lack of telepathy is no impediment to Lucius’ wolf, who can sniff out anyone, even in a crowd.
“Oh, hey, babe! There you are.” Neo wiggles through the shoppers clustered around the North Pole display window of the Bavarian ornament shop and trots breathlessly to my side. Our bookworm looks flushed and winded from running, green eyes wide and glasses sliding down his nose. His soft purple curls are mashed under a red wooden cap stitched with prancing reindeer and crowned with a big snowball.
“Hi, baby. We missed you.” I wait indulgently while Mordred scents my fated mate to welcome him. Then Neo nestles up trustingly next to Ronin and Vasili. Ronin flashes his slow grin and turns to greet him with a lingering kiss (to the fascination of the wine-pour girl and the scandalized stares of the elderly couple).
I eye those two disapproving looky-loo bystanders until they huff and hurry off, with the lady clutching her handbag like we’re gonna steal it.
You know, on account of our obviously loose morals.
What. Ever.
Yeah, I may be a cat burglar, but I’mreformed, fuck you very much. There’s plenty about living among these so-called normals and their judgy ways I definitely don’t miss.
“Darling, you look like a Christmas elf.” Vasili smirks wickedly at Neo’s goofy hat, spruce-green parka, andGrinch Who Stole Christmasscarf.
But, really, he’s just being Vasili.
“Nothing wrong with a little Christmas spirit,” Neo says stoutly. The whole enemies-with-benefits vibe between those two has gotten a lot more mellow over the past few months. By now, Neo is totally used to V being a snake. “You should try it sometime, Vasili. You really should.”
“Yeah, Goblin King. You can be Krampus.” I giggle into my cocoa. It’s the demented-sounding giggle my former enemies used to call my Mad Queen laugh.
