Lycan Christmas by S. Yule (best contemporary novels txt) 📗

the cold air and tilted her face up toward the sky. She barely felt the soft white flakes when they landed on her cheeks, but the light caresses of each brought a smile to her face. She sighed again. No time to dawdle. She had several errands to run before she was due to meet Lorent.

Fifteen minutes later, she was fortunate enough to find all of the women, with the exception of Sherry and Shannon, gathered at Rindy and Brent’s cabin. After exchanging hellos, she was seated at the wooden table in the kitchen and was now drinking another cup of coffee with the girls.

“Is Sherry doing okay?” Melony asked.

“Yes. She’s been a bit tired and trying to take it easy since she’s getting closer to her due date,” Janine answered and then frowned.

Melony thought it seemed Janine was worried about her sister, but she didn’t want to pry. She hoped nothing serious was going on, as Sherry’s son would be the first baby born at Sanctuary. She understood what he would mean to Sherry and Piers, but also he’d mark a new beginning for the encampment. He represented what everyone had worked so hard for: a new family, a new bloodline that would uphold and protect the laws of the lycans and play an integral part in assuring their future survival.

She supposed that more than likely created extra strain on an already anxious first-time expectant mother.

“Do you think it would be all right if I stopped by for a quick visit after I’m done here?” Melony sipped at her coffee, making a mental note to ask Rindy what kind it was. It was some of the best she’d ever drunk.

109

Lycan Christmas

S. K. Yule

“I think she would like that very much. Your visit might take a bit of pressure off Piers as well, let him get out of the cabin for a while. She’s been making him dust and vacuum since he’s forbade her to do any cleaning until after she has the baby.” Janine laughed. “Can you imagine Piers with a vacuum?”

Everyone chuckled, and Melony found the image quite amusing. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe men should take their turn cleaning—after all, it wasn’t a woman’s job just because she was a woman—but the thought of Piers with a vacuum was just funny. Melony started laughing.

“What’s so funny?” Karen asked before taking a bite of thick toast slathered in what appeared to be peach preserves.

“I was just imagining Piers in an apron, holding a duster in one hand and trying to vacuum with the other.” Melony gave a sly smile. “A pink apron.”

“Oh my! That is an amusing picture for the brain,” Rindy snorted.

“Although I will tell you, while I do most of the cleaning most of the time, Brent has scrubbed a toilet or two.”

“Wow. How did you get him to do that?” Karen stopped midbite to ask.

“I threatened bodily harm first. When that didn’t work, I threatened no sex.” Rindy raised a brow and looked around before saying, “After two days of marathon sex, and Brent’s quite convincing speech on how no sex is not, and never will be, a possibility, he kissed me, got up, and went and scrubbed the toilet.”

“Oh my goodness! I wonder if that would work on Anthony?” Karen whispered before a sly grin crossed her lips. “And really, does it matter if it works or not if I end up getting two days of marathon sex?”

“I just threaten to kick Knox’s ass when he doesn’t help.” Rose stared off into space for a moment before a smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

“Then he gets turned on by my threats, we have marathon sex, and I forget what we were discussing and end up doing it myself anyway.”

Melony laughed until tears streamed down her face. After sharing a few more stories and drinking another cup of coffee—she was going to be wired for her first self-defense lesson—she set up some times to do some haircuts.

110

Lycan Christmas

S. K. Yule

She stood and walked to the sink to place her empty cup in the bottom.

“I have to get going if I’m going to have time to stop by Sherry’s before meeting Lorent for our lesson.”

“I’ll walk with you part of the way. I’m heading back to my cabin, and it’s on the way.” Rose got up and placed her empty cup in the sink as well.

“See you all!” Melony called after she took her coat from the hook by the front door and buttoned it up.

Janine, Rindy, and Karen all said good-bye to Rose and Melony before the two headed outside.

“What do you think Brent will end up doing to Reid and Reilly for that practical joke they played on him on Thanksgiving?”

“Oh, nothing too horrible, but I have no doubt he’ll make them suffer.”

Rose smiled at Melony after giving her a wink.

“I really like it here, Aunt Rose.”

“I’m glad. So how are things going with Lorent?”

Melony contemplated telling Rose what had happened with Lorent and Shannon. “About the same. I haven’t seen him since Thanksgiving.”

“Really?” Rose frowned.

“We had a bit of a disagreement.”

“So what you’re really saying is he did something that pissed you off?”

“I guess, but it’s no big deal. I really had no reason to be upset in the first place.”

“Melony, let me give you some advice. Since I don’t get the impression that you are someone who normally gets jealous or easily upset with others—

especially after the way you’ve handled Shannon’s snarkiness—I have to assume that whatever Lorent did to irritate you was more than just a little disagreement. But I have to say that Lorent doesn’t strike me as the type to do anything intentional to upset you.”

“No, I don’t believe it was intentional.” She was beginning to think she’d overreacted to the whole Lorent-Shannon thing anyway, especially after the dream.

“I guess what I’m trying to say is when you’ve only had yourself to rely on, suddenly find your