Page 42

I mmy sat up in bed with a squeal. “It’s Christmas!”

Throwing herself from the bed, she slid her feet into her reindeer slippers and raced out of the bedroom. She ran down the hallway, knocking on everyone’s doors.

“It’s Christmas!”

A door opened down the end of the hall and Tobias stepped out, looking dishevelled. He’d moved into the main house for security reasons.

“What are you doing, Cherry?” he grumbled.

She threw her hands into the air. “It’s Christmas!”

Abe walked out next with a yawn. “I need coffee.”

“It’s Christmas, Abby!” she cried, running at him. He grabbed her, swinging her around with a grin.

“Too early. Coffee. And my name isn’t Abby.” He winked at her.

“Jesus, it’s early, Immy,” Sampson grumbled as he walked out of his bedroom.

She noticed they’d both put on their Christmas pajamas. She knew that they wouldn’t have worn them to bed, but they made the effort to wear them for Christmas morning.

“I know! Because it’s Christmas!”

“It’s Christmas!” Jenner sang as he moved into the hallway and opened his arms.

Immy ran to him with a giggle and he lifted her up onto his hip. “Come on, let’s head downstairs and see if Santa Claus has been.”

“I don’t think he came to Sammy,” she told him solemnly. “He’s been really naughty this year.”

“Hey!” Sampson said. “I heard that.”

Jenner carried her down the stairs and Abe started passing around coffee as Isaiah joined them wearing his Christmas pajamas.

Every year she bought them new pajamas. This year they were white with red cuffs and red reindeer all over them.

“Want to start opening gifts?” Jenner asked.

“We can’t. Tobias isn’t here.”

Should she go get him? Did he not want to wear the pajamas she’d given him last night? But then he stepped into the living room, in his pajamas.

“Tobias! You’re here!”

Tobias couldn’t believe he was doing this. If the guys he worked with could see him in these ridiculous pajamas . . .

But then he took in the huge smile on Immy’s face and he knew he’d wear them again just to see her that happy.

Jumping to her feet, she ran over and threw her arms around him. “Tobias! You’re here!”

“Course I am. Where else would I be?” he asked.

She took hold of his hand. “Come and sit down. Your gifts are in your stocking.”

He’d been amazed when she’d given him the pajamas and a stocking last night. And he hadn’t expected anything to be in the stocking come morning.

Turns out he was wrong.

His stocking was overflowing with gifts. It was insane.

He sat next to Abe and just stared around in shock.

“We never got to celebrate Christmas when we lived at the Camp,” Abe explained quietly. “So now we go a bit overboard.”

Right. He guessed he understood that. While he and his mom had never had much, she’d always decorated for Christmas and he always got gifts. Even if she had to work twice as hard to provide him with that.

He couldn’t imagine the life they’d all lived. He watched Immy as she flitted around everyone, then sat next to Jenner to open her gifts. She was radiant. Almost glowing.

Tobias watched as they went around in a circle, opening gifts. It seemed like they almost took more pleasure in what other people were opening.

Immy excitedly opened Harry Potter themed mugs and pajamas and slippers. Her pile of gifts seemed to be bigger than anyone else’s.

Which he approved of.

Tobias was surprised that everyone had bought him gifts. Not that he hadn’t done the same for them.

When there was a lull and people were tidying things up, he walked over to Immy to hand her his gift.

She took it with a smile. “Thank you, Tobias!”

It amused him to watch her rip off the wrapping paper, then stare down at the jewelry box. She opened it up and gasped. Then she jumped to her feet and wrapped herself around him.

“You like it?” he asked. It wasn’t anything big or extravagant. But he’d thought she would like it.

“I love it! Will you put it on me?” She held the box to him and he took it.

Then she turned and gathered her hair up. He saw Jenner watching them closely, but he didn’t say anything as Tobias put the gold necklace on her. It had a wizard’s hat, a heart, and a small cat on it.

Immy turned back when he was done and smiled again. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, sweetness.”

With a shy look, she turned and ran off to Jenner who picked her up and carried her out of the living room.

Tobias couldn’t help but feel happy and sad at the same time.

It was a weird feeling. Then Sampson clamped him on the back. “Come on, time to stuff ourselves silly. It’s not truly Christmas until you’ve fallen into a food-induced coma.”

Yeah. That he could agree on.

“Immy?” Jenner called out. “Immy, where are you? I’ve got your smoothie for you.”

What?

Oh, heck, no.

She was not going to drink that disgusting thing! She was putting in a silent protest.

No more smoothies!

Down with smoothies!

Green smoothies were gross!

It was really sweet that Jenner had made her one . . . actually, no it wasn’t. All of the guys had become incredibly overprotective after Cat had been kidnapped. Even more protective than they had been after Maeve.

Likely because they had hoped that any connection with the Deity and Children of the Divine had died with Maeve’s stalker.

Now, it turned out it hadn’t.

But a month had passed and nothing had happened. Christmas had been amazing. She’d even gotten Tobias into Christmas pajamas. For a very brief moment.

However, the guys hadn’t eased off.

Especially Jenner and Tobias. It felt like they were all over her. All the time.

Well, Jenner sometimes went out to his studio to create music. But Tobias was here all the time . . . always on her case.

It wasn’t that she wanted to go anywhere, she didn’t. But she didn’t need him to hover. Although, no one was hovering worse than Jenner when he was home.

For some reason, he’d seemed to decide that he needed to take over watching what she ate, how much sleep she was getting. He had some app he was using to monitor her food and water intake.

Honestly, she was surprised that he didn’t want her to start telling him when she peed and pooped.

Actually, she better make sure not to mention that.

She definitely did not want to give him ideas.

But where was she going to hide? She really, really didn’t want to have that disgusting smoothie.

She glanced frantically around her bedroom.

Think, Immy. Think.

The pile of stuffies! For some reason, Abe kept buying her stuffed toys and she didn’t know what to do with them all. They now sat in a corner of her room and she liked to take running jumps at them. They made for a great landing. But they could also be the perfect hiding spot.

She quickly dove into the middle of them, then turned herself around to face her bedroom. She grabbed a couple, pulling them over her face. Hopefully, she was completely hidden.

“Shh, guys,” she said to them. “We have to stay quiet. Don’t give away my location.”

She’d noticed that it actually had become a bit easier to embrace her Little side. Although she didn’t think she had fully worked out what she was supposed to do. Or say.

The guys were being so supportive and it felt like she was letting them down.

God, she hated that feeling and she was having to fight hard to not feel defeated.

“Immy?”

“Shh,” she whispered. “I do not want to eat a smoothie that looks and tastes like cut grass.”

Miss Pippa Porker was staring right at her as she said that. And the look she was giving Immy was super judgmental.

Miss Pippa Porker should really mind her own business. So what if Immy was hiding from one of her best friends? Miss Pippa Porker should try some of that grass smoothie, see if she liked it!

Actually, she probably would, being a pig and all. Maybe Immy could feed it to her next time.

She should have brought Snowy in here with her. He wouldn’t be all judgmental and rude.

“Where is she?” Jenner muttered.

All right, now she was starting to feel a bit bad. But if he wasn’t trying to make her drink grass, she wouldn’t hide from him.

And it was actually really nice in here. Abe had bought her way too many soft toys, though. It was like he was trying to overcompensate for something. Or maybe he thought this would help her embrace her Little side.

The others were doing similar things.

Sampson had bought her a soft blanket and offered to burrito wrap her. Well, that’s the words he’d used. But she knew he’d been offering to swaddle her. That had felt kind of awkward and she’d managed to refuse without hurting his feelings.

Isaiah had bought her several onesies, which were all adorable. But there was no way she could just put them on. It felt strange and not right.

She just wasn’t right. She wasn’t sure what she needed to help her.

Maybe to just be left alone?

Yeah. Look how that has worked for you.

Soon, she couldn’t hear Jenner anymore. But she stayed hidden for a bit longer.

It could be a trick!

Miss Pippa Porker looked at her like she was nuts. But she didn’t understand how tricky Jenner could be. He was smart. And handsome.

All right, being handsome didn’t have anything to do with him being tricky, but she thought it was worth mentioning.

Suddenly, Miss Pippa Porker disappeared and Immy let out a surprise cry. Then her face was replaced by Tobias’s.

Immy put her hand on her chest, breathing heavily. “Tobias! You scared me!”

“Did I?” he asked gravely.

“Yes! What do you think you are doing sneaking up on a person like that?”

“What do you think you are doing, hiding in a pile of stuffed toys?” he countered.

“I’m not hiding,” she told him primly. “I’m simply resting.”

“Resting? It’s not even nine in the morning.”

“I can rest an hour after I get up!”

“Hmm. That must mean you’re not feeling well. Let’s get you into bed and take your temperature.”

“I’m not ill!” she protested as he reached in and pulled her out.

“No?”

“No,” she grumbled, staring down at her feet.

“Then what were you doing?” Tobias asked.

“Umm, I might have been playing hide and seek.”