Taylor raised a brow at Melonee’s tantrum. She blushed and then stomped her foot. “I can’t help it if you bring the brat out in me.” Taylor chuckled as he tossed an arm over her shoulder, kissing her on the temple. “And you bring the demon out in me. Now let’s get this finished so we can watch everyone make asses out of themselves tomorrow.”
Melonee giggled as she nodded. “This is going to be hilarious.” Of that Taylor had no doubt. This was going to be a nativity scene that would probably make the real characters of old gape at them.
Taylor couldn’t wait.
“Need help?” he asked his mate as he approached the stage.
Dagon nodded unable to talk with a line of nails hanging from his mouth. He pointed over toward a hammer that was sitting a few feet away.
Taylor looked around and then held his hand up for the hammer. It flew off the stage floor and whacked him in the head.
“Fuck!” Taylor shouted as he fell on his ask, his hand covering his head.
“Shit,” Dagon shouted as he spit the nails out and came running.
“Are you okay?”
“I think his telekinesis is on the fritz,” Melonee said as she giggled. “The tarp beat him up, too.” Dagon looked from Melonee to Taylor, running his hand gently over the lump Taylor was sure he had on his nugget. He winced when Dagon picked him up in his arms and carried him into the house.
“What does she mean on the fritz?”
Taylor tapped lightly on the goose egg, wondering what in the hell was going on. “Every time I try to make something come to me, it beats me up instead.”
“There have been a lot of strange things happening lately,” Dagon said and then told Taylor about all the other mishaps that he had heard about. Taylor’s mouth hung open when his mate told him about his brother’s butt growing. Josh didn’t need it to expand any more than it already was.
“Why do you think all of this is happening?” Dagon shrugged as he walked Taylor into Dr. Nicholas’s office.
“Beats me. I think we have a little havoc creator around here somewhere.”
“I agree,” Nicholas said as he looked over at them from his desk.
“What happened?”
“A hammer had a grudge against me,” Taylor replied as Nicholas examined his goose egg. “How bad is it, doc? Give it to me straight.” Nicholas grinned as he shook his head. “You have a bump. You should be fine, but let me know if you get sleepy, dizzy, or nauseous.”
“Then I’ll be coming to see you after I eat George’s cooking,” he grumbled.
“I don’t understand how he goes from an excellent cook to someone who burns every meal. I hope he doesn’t burn our Christmas meal tomorrow,” Nicholas said as he patted Taylor on his leg. “You should be fine.”
“Thanks,” Dagon said as he picked Taylor up from the exam table.
“I can walk,” he protested weakly. He wasn’t going to deny how good it felt in his mate’s arms.
“I’m sure you can.”
Taylor grinned as Dagon carried him to their bedroom and then frowned when Dagon tucked him in.
What the fuck?
“I have work to do. I can’t lie in bed all day.”
“But you hit your head. You need rest.”
“If you’re looking for a cure, cock will do just fine. Of course, I may need three or four doses a day just to be on the safe side.” Dagon’s booming laughter filled the room as he shook his head.
“You think so,
bebé
?”
Taylor grinned up at him as he nodded. “Doctor’s orders.”
“Hmm, I was in the same room, but I don’t remember Nicholas saying anything about cock healing you.”
“It’s the cure-all. Didn’t you know that?” Taylor stated as he kicked his pants off and palmed his erection. “It goes as far back as the ancient Egyptians.”
“I never knew that,” Dagon said as his clothes fell to the floor.
“And you say it will cure your bump?”
“In record time.” Taylor laughed as Dagon smacked his cock against Taylor’s leg.
“Your bump is still there.”
“You have to insert your cock in order for the healing to begin.” Dagon’s eyes darkened as he licked his bottom lip. He was the sexiest man on earth to Taylor. He was
soooo
glad he hadn’t listened to his mom all those years ago. He was the happiest man alive and proud to say he was gay.
Taylor reached his hand out, wanting the lube badly so he could feel Dagon’s cock riding his ass hard. His eyes widened when the drawer rattled and then shot open, the bottle of lube flying out and smacking him in the head.
“Fuck! I’ve never been slapped with lube before.”
“Something really is wrong with your gift,” Dagon said as he rubbed where the bottle assaulted him. “Did it hurt?” Taylor pushed Dagon’s hand from his head to his aching cock.
“Now I’ll need a double dose.”
Dagon chuckled as he rolled Taylor to his hands and knees.
Taylor groaned, forgetting about the lump on his head as he pushed back when Dagon inserted a lubed finger.
Guess I’m taking a break
from working.
And what a great way to spend his break. Christmas Eve was shaping up after all. Taylor’s fingers curled into the comforter as Dagon slowly pushed inside of him.
“How’s the bump?”
“The what?” Taylor said as he felt Dagon’s cock slide over his prostate, making Taylor’s arms feel as though they were going to give out.
“The bump?”
“Yeah, yeah, that.” Taylor wasn’t capable of a coherent conversation right now. Not with Dagon’s cock buried deeply inside of him.
“I guess it is the cure-all,” Dagon said as he placed his hands on Taylor’s sides and began thrusting deeply. Taylor mewled as Dagon rode him. His brain took a dump as his cock grew harder, begging for release. Taylor reached below him, tugging at his shaft as Dagon’s pelvis slammed into Taylor’s ass.
“I’m coming!” Taylor shouted as his seed spilled onto the bed below him. He heard his mate grunt and then slammed into his ass hard as he shouted out his release. Taylor fell forward and then winced when he hit the bump on his head.
It may not have been the cure, but damn if he was going to complain. He groaned when Dagon pulled free and then tapped his ass. “If you feel up to it, we still have a lot of work to do.” Taylor sighed and then got dressed. He would much rather stay in bed with his mate all day and overdose on Dagon’s cock. “Fine.” Dagon chuckled as he walked out of the room. It wasn’t exactly what Taylor had in mind, but they did need to get the stage set up. He reached his hand out, wanting his boot and praying it didn’t kick him in the ass.
Taylor shouted and ran from the room, slamming the bedroom door as the boot continuously kicked into the wood. What the hell was going on around here?
“Problems?” Melonee asked as she walked down the hallway.
“If you want to call my boot being out to kick my ass a problem, then yeah.”
“Wuss,” she said as she bumped Taylor out of the way.
“Don’t!”
Melonee slung the door open, the boot flying out, kicking at Melonee as well. They both ran down the hallway screaming as the boot chased after them.
“Get us out of here!”
Melonee reached over, grabbed Taylor, and then shimmered them into Maverick’s office. Taylor breathed a sigh of relief.
“Problems?” Maverick asked as he looked up at them.
“Every time Taylor uses his powers, the object attacks him. Now his boot is trying to kick both our butts,” Melonee shouted excitedly as she waved her hands around. “I need you to eat it!” Maverick quirked a brow at Melonee as he stood. “Sorry, honey, I’m not eating a boot, but I will figure out what is going on around here,” he said and then turned to Taylor. “I thought I told you teamwork?”
“Semantics. Now please stop the boot from trying to kill us.” Maverick opened his office door and ducked as the boot sailed past his head and straight toward Taylor’s rear end.
“Told you. Get it, Dad. Teach it a lesson!” Maverick grabbed the boot and shoved it into his desk drawer.
The drawer rattled as the boot tried to get free.
“Follow me,” he said as Taylor and Melonee followed behind the alpha.
* * * *
Ruttford walked down the hallway whistling as he made his way to the back of the house. His job was done here. He had a shitload of fun, but it was time to get back. It was Christmas Eve after all. Nick was going to need his help getting his sleigh ready.
Boy, was this a Christmas to remember. Ruttford hadn’t had this much fun in ages.
“There he is!”
Ruttford spun around, Blair glaring at him menacingly. But that wasn’t what caught his attention. Ruttford let the dwarf persona go as his true six-foot-three form appeared.
“I thought you were an elf?” Kota shouted at him.
Ruttford nodded as he swallowed. Standing before him was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life. She had long brown curls flowing all around her like an angel, big blue eyes and a petite pixie face.
She was stunning!
She was gorgeous!
She was the most amazing creature he’d ever seen!
Unfortunately she was standing there with her arms crossed over her breasts, her lips twisted to the side, and her foot tapping out an angry tune as she glared angrily at him.
And standing behind her was the entire Brac family, snapping and growling.
Maybe he shouldn’t have pissed off his mate’s family…his soon-to-be family. Ruttford swallowed hard as Nick laughed hysterically in his head.
“
I told you payback was a bitch!
”
Christmas Day
The mates ran around hysterically, shouting and snapping at everyone. The play was about to begin within the hour, and no one was ready.
Maverick grabbed Dagon and shoved a manuscript in his hand. “I need another wise man.”
Dagon gaped at him and tried to shove the manuscript back at him. “The play starts tonight!”
“Ad-lib,” Maverick said as he walked into the den. He smiled down as the children grabbed their gifts, squealing in delight. Okay, so he had gone overboard with the little tykes. He wasn’t the only one. They could open up a damn toy store from the mounds of gifts Maddox, Matthew, Nevada, and Skyler received.
He also saw that no one had stuck to the Secret Santa. Everyone had a gift for everyone. Did he honestly expect anyone to listen to him? Maverick chuckled as Cecil ran toward him. He had yet to give his mate his gift.
“Okay, hot stuff, where is it?”
Maverick bent forward and laid a soft kiss on Cecil’s lips as he pulled his hand from behind his back. Cecil tore into the gift and then gasped, blinking up at Maverick. “You didn’t have to make me cry!” Cecil wailed and then threw his arms around Maverick.
“I’m glad you like it.”
“I love it!” Cecil said as he wiped at his eyes. It was a small snow globe with the coffee shop nestled inside of the dome. There was a miniature Cecil standing at the counter with his lemon square and caramel macchiato as a miniature Maverick sat on the red sofa watching him with his chai tea in his hand.
Maverick had it commissioned months ago and was afraid his snooping mate would find it. Luckily Cecil hadn’t.
“For as long as I live, I’ll never forget that day.” Cecil sniffled.
“It’s a special day for me as well. It’s the day the Den came to life and you changed my world forever.”
Maverick looked over the den, seeing each mated couple exchange gifts. Some shouted in joy, others kissed the smithereens out of their mates. He saw his cousin Sloane sitting off by himself, looking lost.
Maverick walked over to the tree and picked up a small square package, taking it over to his cousin. “Did you think I forgot about you?”
Sloane looked at the gift and then back up at Maverick. “Yeah.” His hands shook as he ripped the gift open and then his eyes shot up at Maverick. “I didn’t know you still had this.”
“I may have wanted you dead, but you’re still my favorite cousin.”
Sloane snorted. “I’m your only cousin.”
“Details,” Maverick said as Sloane looked back down at the picture of him and Sloane as cubs playing in the backyard of his birth pack home.
“The Lakelands are here,” someone shouted. Sloane stiffened as he watched the bears walk into the house, and then his face fell.
“He’ll be here. It isn’t dark yet.”
Sloane nodded as he clutched the picture. “I just hope he’ll talk to me.”
“Give D time,” Maverick said as he reached down and grabbed Maddox in his arms and tossed him into the air.
“You’ll give him a nose bleed!” Murdock shouted. “That’s too high up.”
Maverick chuckled as he sat down on the floor and began to play with the babies of the Den. They did have cool toys after all.
* * * *
Melonee stared over at Ruttford as he sat in the chair with duct tape holding him in place. She watched him closely as she exchanged gifts with her thousand and one uncles. She considered for a second removing the tape, but the man had caused so much havoc with her family that she was going to let him stay put for the moment and think about the errors of his ways.
Yeah, right.
If he was anything like her uncles, he wasn’t learning a dang thing.
“You know if you go over there and help him, all the wolves will probably skin him alive,” Taylor said smugly. “I for one vote you release him.”
“You’re mean,” Melonee said as her eyes cut back over to the most handsome man she had ever seen. He had sparkling green eyes, long brown hair, and kissable lips. She knew for a fact if she went over to him that the entire house would take Ruttford out back and skin him.
Sometimes it sucked having thirty-five uncles, four brothers, and two dads. She counted Taylor and Curtis as her brothers along with Tangee and Loco. Everyone else was an uncle because it was too hard to keep up with how many relatives she truly had.
“Don’t forget we’re going to see your mother today,” Cecil reminded her as he gave her a kiss on the forehead. “And stay away from the elf. I think Maverick is looking for an excuse to jingle his bells.”
“Gross!” Melonee said as her eyes cut back over to her mate. She swallowed hard because she had no doubt that the hostage elf was her mate.
Now what was she going to do about her family?