Page 1 of A Crossroads Christmas

Chapter 1 Rael

December 1st—

“Daddy.”

Someone hopped onto my chest and began bouncing. I grumbled an incoherent response as a giggle followed.

A pair of tiny knees pressed into my groin. “Da-ddy!”

Deep in the throes of sleep, I didn’t want to acknowledge two very loud, persistent little voices calling my name.

“Daddy, wake up!”

No. I really wanted to stay pressed against Nylah’s thick, beautiful ass and maybe convince her to stay between the sheets an extra hour.

But no. It wasn’t gonna happen.

Get up! The boys need us!

I didn’t have the option to wait any longer as the asshole I bonded to, who also happened to be my Reaper, nudged me to wake. I used the term nudge grudgingly.

He practically shoved me from the realm of slumber into full awareness as my eyes popped open, and I stared at the twin faces of my identical, enthusiastic spawn.

They got into my makeup again, dammit.

The Reaper laughed. He enjoyed their exuberance and ability to find trouble. Sometimes I wondered if he appeared to them the way Grim’s Reaper, Ghrowl, visited his son Creed.

Still, I didn’t know how the boys managed half the shit they did. I couldn’t have been this naughty at two years old. Right?

Messy faces smeared with black and white face paint grinned back as I rubbed my eyes. “Did you clean up the mess?”

Gavin tilted his head. “What mess?”

Gage shrugged. “Mama won’t see.”

She would notice. Nylah always did.

But she wouldn’t yell. She never did anything but calmly hand over a bucket of soapy water and two sponges. You could say it was a routine with us. So, even if they were young, my boys had plenty of experience cleaning up their messes. Nylah thought it was good for them to learn how to own their mistakes and make it right when they messed up. I just focused on keeping them dressed, fed, and off the roof.

Yeah, they tried to go up there last week. I nearly had a heart attack when I saw the attic open and the ladder down. How the hell did they climb up there without making any noise? Sneaky little adorable shits.

My Reaper chuckled.I would have caught them before they fell.

Not the point. Nylah couldn’t find out about that. She’d freak. The boys had draped black Batman capes around their shoulders and ran through the house pretending to be Reapers. With the face paint, it was almost believable. The twins seemed to think they could fly.

We could help them fly.

No. Nylah would kick my ass, and that female was fucking scary when I pissed her off. Sure, it happened more than I liked to admit, but I didn’t go looking for it. Okay, not all the time. Maybe only when she felt like taking a dominant role.

Sex with our female is intoxicating.

Yes,I agreed.Not the point right now.

Gavin and Gage began sticking their fingers in my black-and-white face paint at about eighteen months. I laughed the first time I saw the smears on their cheeks and noses. I didn’t care how much it cost to replace the makeup since I knew they did it because they wanted to be like Daddy.

Magnificent little Reapers,my Reaper, Scythe, interjected.We need to make more!

My boys weren’t quite two yet, but they had an intelligence and maturity that seemed far higher than their peers. Of course, Gavin ate part of a glue stick yesterday, and Gage pooped in his pull-up and then played with it, so maybe not.

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