Page 65 of Her Purr-fect Christmas Mate

Julius cast him a careful look. “Better than you would have expected, given . . .?”

“I wasn’t exactly the ideal person to help her with her first shift.” That was putting it lightly. “I had no idea she’d never shifted before.”

“And I bet she didn’t tell you, did she?” Julius chuckled and flipped a pancake onto the stack beside the stove. “No. I think you must have done just about perfect, for her to be like this today.”

Someone shouted outside, “What! That’sPeony?Peony! Come back!”

*Never!*A very cat-like voice shrieked with laughter in his head.

Julius’s shoulders shook. “Take these through to the dining room?” he asked, pointing at the pancakes. Mordecai put the bundle of clothes under one arm and took the plate. “Oh, and Mordecai?”

“Yes?”

“Welcome to the family.”

Mordecai found Peony already in the dining room, halfway up the curtains, pieces of pancakes stuck to her whiskers. She was less embarrassed than he’d expected when she finally stopped laughing enough to take back control from her cat and shift. Her grandparents retreated to their own room to do the same.

He stole a kiss as she got dressed, and she complained until he stole more. Her cheeks were pink by the time her grandparents reappeared, with more of the family hot on their heels.

Breakfast was more a series of pitched battles than a meal. Julius announced there were enough pancakes for everyone to have five each and if they wanted more they could cook them themselves, then let them at it.

*Is it usually like this?*Mordecai ventured to ask as Peony intercepted a bottle of syrup.

“Oh, absolutely. My family are a bunch of animals.” She grabbed at a bowl of blueberry compote, but her brother got there first, carrying it away with a crow of triumph. “Actually . . . were you guys going easy on me before I got my cat?”

*Sorry, sis,*her brother admitted through a mouthful of pancakes. *Watching you with your slow human reflexes was too depressing otherwise.*

Peony snorted. *MY puny human reflexes? Who was it again who put a permanent dent in the porch because he thought he was aiming at the lawn?*

Fern caught Mordecai’s eye. “Don’t worry. I promise we behave ourselves better for the rest of the day. Breakfast is our chance to let our inner animals work off some energy, that’s all.”

Looking across the table, he could see what she meant. Everyone was back in human form now, but their animals were close to the surface, drawn out by the excitement of the holiday. The air buzzed with energy.

Interesting,he thought. Christmas at his grandmother’s had been all about repressing their dragons’ energies—except for their hatred.

We don’t have to do that again, do we?his dragon asked tentatively.

Never.

Oh, good.It pricked its wings out.Then should we . . .?

He nodded, and his hand leapt out of its own accord—of hisdragon’saccord—and snatched a piece of bacon from Peony’s plate.

She turned to him, wide-eyed. “Hey!”

He grinned and took a bite of the bacon. *I thought I’d give you the chance to show off your cat-like reflexes. My mistake.*

“Ooh, you . . . We’ll see about that!”

After breakfast it was time for presents. Several carloads of further relatives appeared, and Peony’s brother flew out over the woods and appeared a half-hour later with a cluster of children clinging gleefully to his back.

Grandpa Fisher gathered all the children, who ranged from toddlers to early teens, in the backyard. The sun shone bravely through a white-blue sky, catching on glittering ice and sky.

Grandpa Fisher’s eyes glittered just as brightly as he informed the kids that—oh no!—Santa had been by the night before, but his reindeer had been surprised when a giant feathery creature flew up in front of the sleigh, and he’d scattered all their presents throughout the forest!

“Not again!” a little boy wailed. “Who was it this time? Was ityou, Uncle Heath?”

“I only wanted to say hello to them!” Heath protested. The older kids hid grins. Being in on the secret was just as much fun as playing the game for real, it seemed.

---