Twelve Dates For Christmas

Chapter 5- Millie

Lazeer's laugh made my heart flutter like it was filled with butterflies. Roth's intense golden stare felt like it saw every broken piece of me, yet wouldn't be deterred by a single one. And Alex's presence was like a warm, thick blanket on the coldest nights.

Clearly this mating-bond shit was stronger than I'd thought.

The wind picked up, blasting my face with its near-arctic temperature, and I shivered. Though I grew up in Michigan and was no stranger to the snow and cold, Bozeman, Montana seemed to just pack an extra-freezing punch right to the nose.

"Let's get you home, witchlette," Laz said.

"Um, I c-can walk myself home," I argued as my teeth began to chatter.

"After the way that wolf was staring you down, it's safer for you to just let us walk with you," Roth grunted with an apparent note of anger. I could tell it wasn't directed at me, but still I cast him a disapproving look.

"It would be even faster if you let one of us carry you," Alex added.

I shook my head adamantly. "I'm f-fine. You can walk me though."

Using a tendril of magic to warm my jacket, I relaxed my raised shoulders. Roth certainly had a point regarding the werewolf that looked out for blood. Thankfully, my three mates came at the perfect time. I shuddered to think of how my night could have ended instead.

After taking a few steps in the direction of my house, I paused. "You don't think that wolf will hunt someone else, do you?"

Laz exhaled roughly, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's likely. There are plenty of us patrolling the streets to keep the humans safe, but it doesn't always work."

I thought about Ollie, who was currently driving home. Kip—one of the bouncers—would have walked her to her car, but regardless, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and sent Ollie a quick text to let me know when she got home safely. I stowed the device into my purse before Laz's words fully sank in. "What do you mean, plenty of us?" We were walking again, though I suddenly wasn't in a huge hurry to get home.

Alex gave a soft, silky laugh that almost made my toes curl. Damn vampires. "We work for S.A.T.A.N."

I couldn't contain my laughter as I looked from Laz to Roth. "I know you two do, but how did you rope the vamp into that?"

Laz smirked. "S.A.T.A.N. is an organization. It stands for Serve All, Tell Absolutely Nothing."

My laughter faded, but still I smiled. "What a silly acronym."

All three men chuckled, and Laz nodded. "We tell the council that. Frequently. But it was designed to protect the humans from knowing about our kinds."

I shrugged. "Sure. But there is a small portion of humans that believe others exist, and almost all have some sort of speculation."

"If anyone gets too close to the truth, we have supes that take care of that sort of thing," Roth said gruffly, his hands buried in his dark denim jean pockets.

We turned the corner, leaving only a block until we reached my house. "I'm sure I don't want to know what that means."

"Just memory sprites. We don't murder anyone," Alex said, a tad defensively.

I held my hands up in a gesture of peace. "Calm down, vamp, I wasn't accusing anyone."

Laz and Roth both laughed while Alex shot them a glare.