Page 44 of Mistletoe and Mayhem
As Taron went around the group, Elijah began to understand why people were both excited and terrified of Taron’s gifts. The coupons were all chaos and playfulness, but with just enough thought in them to be considered sweet. By some people anyway.
“Dramatic kazoo serenade?” Maverick grumbled. “What the hell is that?”
“You’ll have to use the coupon to find out,” Taron chirped happily before stepping in front of Elijah. “And you, my favorite telepathic friend. Your gift.”
“Do you even know any other telepaths?” Elijah asked, amused, as he opened his envelope.
“Nope. It doesn’t matter, though. You’ll always be my favorite.”
Pulling out the fancy white cardstock with the intricate handwriting, he read aloud the contents like everyone elsehad. “Use this coupon for a friend date. Meal is on me and entertainment is guaranteed.”
Warmth spread in his chest and he swallowed hard. He hadn’t expected to even be invited to this party, much less be part of the fun. Even after Taron had invited him, he’d expected to remain on the outskirts like he always had before. But not only did Taron pull him into his playfulness, he also made the coupon with Elijah in mind; nothing too intense, just a simple outing with a friend. It meant more than Taron probably knew, and when Elijah looked up at him again, his smile was genuine. “Thank you, Taron. It means a lot.”
Taron, who had been pawing in the basket for Alistair’s coupon, froze, jerking his head up in surprise. “You… You like it that much?”
Elijah nodded, hugging the coupon to his chest. “I love it. Hopefully, I won’t have to wait too long to use it.”
Taron looked a little confused by Elijah’s response, but a slow smile spread across his face, and when he spun around, he pointed at Elijah and crowed, “Elijah is officially my bestie. Kian, you’re out.”
Kian just snorted. “Uh huh. Remind me, who is going to play pranks with you?”
Taron hesitated, looking questioningly over his shoulder at Elijah, who shook his head. He liked being friends with Taron, but he wasn’t interested in participating in all the pranks Taron pulled. As he worked in SR, he’d end up being a buzzkill.
“Fine. Kian’s my prank bestie. Elijah, you’re my Christmas bestie.”
Laughing, Elijah nodded. “I’ll take it.”
Taron still looked a little stunned by Elijah’s genuine happiness over his gift, and it took him a second to hand Alistair his coupon, some of his flourish missing as true joy took its place.
Taron shook his head like he was trying to clear it, that easy smile coming back as he spoke. “And to you, my newest partner in crime. You’ve had a long year, so I decided you deserved to be spoiled a little. Behold, the golden ticket.”
To his and Alistair’s surprise, everyone leaned forward a little, watching with intense eyes as Alistair pulled an actual gold coupon out of his envelope. Elijah leaned to read it, even while Alistair read it out loud. “The owner of this coupon gets one day of no chaos. No pranks, no work interruptions, no surprise home visits. In addition, Taron will also protect you from any outside stressors, giving you one day of peace.”
The clamoring started immediately, people holding up their coupons for trade and shouting at Alistair, offering him additions on top of their coupons to get him to trade with them. It was too much for Alistair, who stepped back automatically, pulling Elijah with him with a growl.
Unwilling to let his anchor suffer, Elijah let out a pulse of his magic, just enough to silence the room. He turned to Taron.
“Can we make a new rule? Trading volume should be kept at an appropriate level.”
Taron nodded in agreement. “He’s right. Cool your jets, people. I’ve still got coupons to hand out, and there’s no need to shout.”
His friends didn’t panic at Elijah’s use of his magic or get angry. It surprised them, but it was meant to do just that and whispered apologies followed after they realized what they’d done. Elijah felt a profound sense of relief that he could truly be himself with this group without fear of scaring them off.
While Taron handed out the rest of the coupons, Elijah turned to Alistair, rubbing a soothing hand on his chest until he let out a breath and the tension eased from his face. To relax him a little, he teased, “How’s it feel to have all the power?”
Alistair huffed, raising an eyebrow at him. “My mate just silenced a room full of powerful supes with just a thought. Do you really think I need a coupon if I want a moment of peace?”
Elijah shrugged, grinning at him. “I guess that means you can hold out for the best trade for it.”
Chapter Five
They were still laughing as they stumbled into the house. While the volume had lowered to make Alistair more comfortable, the chaos was definitely still there as people approached him offering everything they could think of in exchange for Alistair’s coupon. He was still surprised by Maverick’s offer, which he hadn’t expected from the stoic dragon.
“Did Maverick really offer you two thousand dollars for that coupon?” Elijah asked as he unwound his scarf and hung it on the hook by the door.
“Yes,” Alistair chuckled. “Then Brennus offered me my own assistant, and Ozen offered to make me head of security.”
Elijah shook his head, still snickering as he headed into their living room. The Christmas tree wasn’t as grand as the Hawksley’s, but it was still gorgeous. He moved around the room, re-lighting the candles that they’d put out while they were gone and talking with Alistair over his shoulder.
