Page 21 of A Merry Misfit Christmas

I feel betrayed. Again. And, as my stomach roils. . . sick.

A violent tremor rips through me. The shaking starts and I feel my mug of cocoa slip from my grasp at the implication behind Sly’s words. Before either man can move, I bolt toward the bathroom and drop to my knees in front of the toilet. I can’t even be embarrassed right now that two extremely hot men are witnessing me lose the contents of my stomach because fear has clutched me so tightly, I’m not even aware of their presence.

“He’s known where I was all along,” I whisper as the sting of tears burns my eyes and they spill over, streaming down my face as my gut clenches.

“Shhh, I’ve got you, Callie,” Kodiak murmurs, flushing the toilet then picking me up to set me on the bathroom counter. He takes a wet washcloth and gently cleans my face, his concerned gaze locking on my own. “Sly has taken the tracker out and destroyed it, so you can still use your special purse, Sweetheart.”

I vehemently shake my head. There’s no way I want to use something thathetainted with his need to keep tabs on me. “I’ll get a new one, Kodiak,” I reply.

“We’ll do that, Callie, whatever you want,” he promises. “Now, I need you to pack so we can get out of here. Spike is sending more brothers to keep an eye on the house while we’re here and two of them will stay to protect your stuff, but I’m not leaving you alone. You’re coming with me.”

“There’s no other way, is there?” I ask, frustrated because Jeremy’s actions have once again forced me to leave somewhere I enjoy being. This house has become my home. It’s not fair!

“No.” His tone is commanding and while it’s one that would normally have me bristling with anger, I find it comforting that he’s willing to be responsible for my safety.

For so long now, it’s just been me. Even when I was in homes where there were a lot of children, I still felt like I was on the outside looking in, not really a part of anything. But with Kodiak, I feel included, as if I belong.

“Okay, let me brush my teeth then I’ll go pack. Has Sly checked out the rest of the house? I don’t want to accidentally bring anything that has a tracker in it,” I reply as he helps me off the counter.

“So far, the only one he found was in the clasp on your purse,” Kodiak says, kissing my forehead.

The fact he’s even willing to get near me after I threw up what felt like everything I’ve ever eaten says a lot about him as a man. Maybe it’s his shifter side, who knows? I have a ton of questions about how this will work; aren’t shifters immortal? Will I turn into one as well? My thoughts are running amuck as I brush my teeth and wash my face to get rid of the last of my tears.

You’re not getting any more of my tears, Jeremy,I think to myself as I make my way into my bedroom.

Going to the closet, I find my suitcase and roll it over to my bed before placing it on top and opening it. I take the smaller case that I use for my makeup and whatnot and head to my bathroom where I quickly pack up my stuff, including myshampoo and conditioner. Satisfied that I have everything I’ll need, I start pulling clothes out of the dresser. I mostly wear jeans with comfortable shirts, but with Christmas right around the corner, they’re more festive in nature.

“Panties, bras, socks,” I mutter to myself as I go back and forth from my dresser to my closet with items stacked in my arms. “Shoes, boots, pajamas,” I continue. Once everything is folded neatly in my suitcase, I start getting my other necessities, like my phone charger, my laptop and charger, and my e-reader with its charger.

When I’m ready, I turn to Kodiak. “Let’s go.”

Chapter Ten

Kodiak

“We’re home,” I say as I shut off the engine on the truck. Nix brought it to me and offered to ride my bike back to the clubhouse. It’s far too cold for Callie to ride with me today but I can’t wait to get her on my bike again. I glance in her direction and see the worry lines etched into her flawless features.

She hasn’t said much since we left her house, and I’m worried that she’s overwhelmed. I hope like hell my brothers accept her because she’s my fated mate. She’s mine. Forever. Taking a deep breath, I exit the truck then head to the passenger side to help her out since the truck is higher than normal due to the fact that a lot of us are larger in stature because of our animals.

“You live here? I thought it was the clubhouse,” she finally says once she’s on firm ground.

“We bought the old ski lodge which has not only this building, but about thirty cabins. Some of us prefer more privacy, so we live in the cabins, but our club meetings are in the lodge itself,” I reply. “I do have a room here, but I also have my own cabin for those times when I need to be alone.” Hibernation is a real thing for this bear, but I suspect with a mate, those days may be over. “We redid a lot of the interior to suit our needs, so even here, we have suites that are more like mini apartments versus rooms like you’d find in a hotel. Since it was an active ski lodge before it shut down, there were many amenities already in place like the bar which we expanded, a game room, an indoor pool, and an exercise room.”

“Wow,” she says on a sigh. “The outside is gorgeous and what I saw the other day when I met with Spike was impressive.”

I hope she loves it here and feels safe because now that my mate has come with me, I can’t handle the thought of her ever leaving. This is my home, but I want to share it with her. I’ve found my mate, so everything I own is hers. It’s a given. My bear agrees. He’s preening inside of me again, wanting to show all of his favorite places, but now is not the time for his shenanigans.

Seeing her shiver a little bit, I curl her into my body to take the brunt of the wind and maneuver us to the front door. “Let’s get you inside, Callie. I’ll get one of the guys to grab your bags.”

While I’d love to haul her off to what’ll behercabin, I suspect it’ll be safer for her if all of us stay in the clubhouse. We’ll beable to defend it a lot easier than if we were scattered throughout the property. First things first, I need to have Spike send out a message for Church. It’s not our normal day at all, but we have to get ahead of this fucker Jeremy so my mate can enjoy the rest of the holiday season.

I suspect most of my club brothers are already aware of the threat but gathering in one place at the same time eliminates any miscommunication and places us all on the same page fast. I’m hoping we can handle business in less than an hour so I can spend my time with Callie. She’s all I want and the need to solidify our bond is becoming impossible to wrangle.

I ignore my bear and his response to that because I’m fighting lust, need, and rage that my mate is a target. Anything else might push me over the edge.

We enter the clubhouse and I steer Callie toward the bar. It’s open, bright, and warm. There are plenty of cozy spots for her to relax and I suspect she’ll want to be close to the fireplace. Spike builds a fire year-round. The hills can get cool no matter what season we’re in and since he’s a dragon, it seems to calm him when he’s close to the flames.

We only make it a few feet inside when I stop. Everyone is here. All my brothers have gathered in the bar as if not a single one wants to miss meeting Callie. I’m annoyed for about two seconds until I realize the reason. She’s their hope that mates for all of them exist and they’ll find them someday. Plus, they’re curious.

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