Hunted

Chapter 17 - Christmas

Nick and I walked across the quiet front yard. Sounds filtered into my ears- laughter, giggles, shouts, grumpy complaints, the sound of china and forks. Feet racing up and down the house, big and little.

Christmas.

We came out of the peaceful snow to find the entire house had become a disaster zone. Paper was everywhere, boxes, and there was toys littered from one end of the house to the other. Elena was trailing after the mess with a bag, trying to get through it, and she smiled a tired smile at us. She looked like she was already ready for a nap.

"You missed the twins opening presents." She sounded like she almost envied us, almost, but she was smiling warmly. "Kate gets worse every year. All this?" She pointed at the paper, the cardboard fragments, the tape sticking to her leg, "Kate. Logan folded all his up neatly in a corner as he went." Her blue eyes dug into us, suddenly, suddenly aware something was going on. I wasn't sure how, if it was my fast breathing, or Nick's face splitting grin, but Elena raised an eyebrow. "You both all right?"

Nick tugged the mitt off my hand before I could stop him, holding up my hand, the ring glinting far too much. "Just had to give her a Christmas present. Like the diamonds?" 

Elena blinked at it, eyes going from me to him and back again, like she couldn't quite believe it.

"Speaking of Christmas..." Nick let go of me, squeezing my hand, and moved over to sweep her up in a big warm hug, mouth kissing her hard, laughing as she wriggled. He let her go and stepped backwards."Mistletoe."

"There's no mistletoe, Nick, let go."

"Oh, my mistake." He laughed, bent down to pick up handfuls of colorful papers. "Anne, get me some breakfast? I'll help Elena out."

"Okay." Happy to escape Elena's eyes, which had kept darting back to the ring, I moved past him, ducking paper, finding two women already in the kitchen. One was holding a baby, a small dark haired woman, who reminded me of Pav. She was trying to feed the baby, who was struggling to keep attention, while the other was staring at the dishes in the sink as if she hoped they'd just fall into a void and vanish.

Antonio's arm snuck around me, yanking my hand up, and he took one hard look at the ring Nick had left on my finger. Another sliver of anxiety ran into me, as yet another witness saw it for exactly what it was supposed to be, and I had to force myself to stay calm. It was easier with Antonio's broad grin, his eyes crinkling at the sides, easier when I saw real happiness.

"Looks like he finally gave it to you. Paige, Hope, this is our new female werewolf. Nick's mate. Anne. Anne, this is Paige and Hope." He smiled, squeezing me, and released me. I went red. The urge to tear it off again was building, to hide it, to do something. Two had already noticed, two more told, and it was kind of scaring me. So much for slow. 

Paige was a witch, as Antonio introduced her, and the leader of the American covan. A short curvy women, warm brown hair, she looked around thirty. And Hope, if I thought Paige was short, was tiny. Dark hair, also Indian heritage, and quiet. Her baby had the same dark serious eyes, dark hair, but he seemed easily distracted. Was she something too, if Paige was a witch?  Antonio was about to explain what Hope was, after telling me she was a famous writer about the paranormal, but someone called for Antonio as those tiny feet came pounding across the wooden floors in the direction of the kitchen.

Kate ran by, laughing her head off with the sheer joy of a kid who was safe knowing she was the centre of her daddy's world and had too much sugar, clutching onto a giant candy cane as Clayton gave chase. Antonio swept her up into his arms, tickling her as she squirmed and giggled, her golden hair she could have only inherited from Clayton getting stuck to the sticky candy as she tried to hold it out of Antonio and Clayton's reach.