City of Blood

27

I groan in boredom, leaning my head against the aisle behind me. "He's really not picky, Callum. It's about the thought for him," I say for probably the fifth time in the past house.

With Ramsay and his mates coming for Christmas, Callum and I decided to do some actual Christmas shopping. We split up for about an hour to shop for each other and then came together to buy gifts for my brother and his boyfriends. I've already gotten gifts; nothing too wild.

For Ramsay, I got one of those brain puzzle sets because he's always been good at them and enjoyed them, as well as a package of socks since he used to always steal mine. I got his Alpha mate a set of assorted coffees and black teas, since most Alphas I know of (including myself) enjoy caffeinated beverages.

His other mate is an Omega, since I asked when Ramsay called me back, so I got him a thick blanket and box of hot chocolate bombs since Omegas are known to stay away from caffeine and their body temperatures run lower so they use thick blankets for nesting.

I don't know them well enough to get them super personal gifts, but I still think it's nice to get them something. Besides, I want to maintain and hopefully improve my relationship with Ramsay and I want to have a good first impression on his mates.

I told Callum he could just put his name on the gifts for my brother and his mates, but Callum insisted that he wanted to get gifts for them on his own. He's found gifts for the two werewolves, but he's stuck on what he wants to get for Ramsay. He knows Ramsay has a gross sense of humor, so he got him a cup with a curly straw for blood (which is disgusting to me) and is now struggling to find a game for Ramsay.

There's a lot of new options, but they're all Cards Against Humanity type of games. Honestly, I know Ramsay will love any of the games, but Callum is caught on getting the perfect game. I'm tired because we didn't take a nap after our rain walk, sex, and shower and I also have Callum's gift tucked into the waistband of my pants so it's rubbing against me.

I'm not sure what you're supposed to get for Christmas for the love of your life and soulmate, but I wanted something thoughtful. It's basic, but I went to a jeweler and got a necklace for Callum. It's a simple chain with a moonstone on it. Callum has insisted that a moonstone is his favorite gem because it reminds him of me, since it's one of the June birthstones and it reminds him of werewolves.

I know I need to come up with a better gift for his birthday. I have a few months, since his birthday is in March, but I want to start thinking about it now. Gift giving isn't my love language; I get Callum things that remind me of him, but I just don't have the deep thought ability to get gifts. I mean, he didn't get me anything for my birthday, but to be fair I thought it was in an entirely different month and I vomited on him that night.

"What about this one?" Callum asks, holding up a box of one of the many similar games. "Please give me your genuine opinion and don't just agree because you want to leave."

I take them game from him and purse my lips, reading the description. "I think the first one is better. There's more opportunities for dark and sexual humor, which is more Ramsay's thing," I say, putting it back on the shelf and taking the other one.

Callum grins and pecks my cheek. "Thank you, baby," he says, smacking my butt as he grabs everything he's going to buy.

"Callum!" I exclaim, since he usually doesn't do that in public.

He just smirks, winking at me as he walks toward the register. Callum buys the rest of the gifts along with a few rolls of wrapping paper.

I feel bad for the poor lady working at the register; the store is so busy because we're two days away from Christmas and the holiday rush has left her looking pretty worn out. Even in smaller type towns such as Cannon Beach, there's still apparently a holiday rush.