Page 58

Delores

Waking up in the Yule Village decor of the Tower is surreal.

Lucille always had professionals tastefully decorate the house for the holidays, but she and Bruno typically did exactly what they’re doing this year—yeeted themselves to whatever resort was in vogue. I always stayed home with Mattie, opening the presents Lucille made her pick out, pretending I didn’t realize my parents preferred being photographed by the paparazzi to spending time with me on Christmas.

I know, I know. Poor little rich girl, right? It still hurt knowing I was little more than a walking, talking accessory.

“Pssssst, baby girl, are you awake? If you could wiggle a little more to the left… I have a big present for you.”

A big forearm flies over Chess and smacks Fitz on the back of the head. I giggle, feeling brave in the makeshift nest Aubrey made in the middle of the sitting room last night. I grab the hand quickly, giving it a squeeze. To my delight, Felix squeezes back before he pulls away.

It’s a Yule miracle.

“Not cool, bro. Chessie, tell them to quit picking on me!”

The rumpled cheetah stretches, his bare chest making my tummy flutter. When he opens his eyes, he gives his consort a shrug. “You deserve it.”

Fitz pouts at me, and I shake my head as well. Finally, he glares past me at the other two. “C’mon, spicy lizard, rock man… back me up.”

“Perhaps you’d find more support if you weren’t always running your mouth,” Aubrey says as he looks over at the tiger.

Renard pops his head up from the other side of him, nodding. “It’s true. You make it very difficult.”

“Fine! Whatever.”

I smile at his petulance, stretching to place a light kiss on his lips. “Don’t pout—it’s Christmas. There are presents...”

His face lights up, and he damn near springs out of the pile of blankets and pillows, like a kid on, well, Christmas morning. “What the hell are we waiting for, then?”

Taking his hand, I let him pull me to my feet. Fitz grins wickedly, and I look down, realizing my pajama pants are in danger of falling down. Flushing, I roll the waist so they stay put, covering the skimpy thong straps so I don’t look like a dancer in a hip hop video. “Perv,” I mutter, smacking his chest lightly before padding over to the gigantic tree.

“You know I like it when you’re violent,” he croons.

Ignoring him, I gaze at the tree that magically appeared yesterday. Aubrey told me Rennie had the raccoons help with decorating, but some lights seem awfully high for them to reach. My fingertips brush a tiny rabbit-shaped ornament and I grin. All the decor is bunny-themed, and the tree is a rainbow ombre, like my hair.

I think someone has a crush on me.

“I don’t know how you made this happen, but I love it,” I say, turning back to look at them all, with my gaze lingering on Renard. “I’ve never had a tree that wasn’t designed to impress rich guests before. This feels like… me. Thank you.”

Even the grumpiest of my men look pleased with my response, and it makes my heart squeeze. I walk over and place a light kiss on each of their lips, making sure they can see the appreciation shining in my eyes. I’ve been conditioned not to expect much from the people around me, but so far, they’ve all proven it’s possible to have people who care about you—who don’t crush your heart for shits and giggles.

It’s helping me believe I deserve it.

“Okay, let’s open presents!” I clap my hands, excited for them to see the special gifts I commissioned for each of them.

Hoisting up the hems of my oversized pants, I scurry closer to the tree and pick up my stack of packages. After the guys brought me up here to see the decorations last night, I got Fitz and Chess to come downstairs with me to grab my loot to put under the tree. I probably should have grabbed more appropriate PJs while I was there, but I didn’t expect the Christmas Eve Slaystation tournament to last so late that we’d all end up sacking out up here.

Aubrey’s blanket nest was a pleasant surprise, that’s for s ure.

“You didn’t have to get us anything, angel,” Chess says as he heads over to the bar. That’s funny coming from him, since the quiet cheetah takes care of everyone without being asked.

I smile fondly as he starts a coffee maker that mysteriously appeared right before I started cramming for exams, then I turn to the group. “I wanted to, and I’m excited for you to see what I got, so scoot back over here,” I reply as I plop into the nest area. Aubrey tries to hide a grin, but I see it and crook my finger. “Come on, guys—all of you!”

They finally move, some of them stopping off at the tree to pick up a present, and my eyes widen.

Holy shit, did they actually get me something? Like… picked it out themselves?

Unsure how to process that, I set out the gifts in a half circle as I wait for them to join me.

Fitz is first, skidding to a stop inches from my face as he places a large box in front of my crossed legs. He then positions himself behind me, pulling me onto his lap. “Sit on Santa’s lap and tell me what you want, little girl.”

“Ew!” I pretend to cringe, swatting him playfully as he laughs.

My gargoyle is next, placing a medium-sized square box carefully next to Fitz’s before he sprawls out on his side. Until I started spending so much time here, I would have never expected a gargoyle to behave so much like a giant cat shifter, but Rennie is forever draping himself over things. His tail flicks out behind him and I reach over to catch it in my hand, enjoying the surprised look on his face.

Bull by the horns—or gargoyle by the tail—Rufus would be proud.

The stoic tiger king is next, his box is smaller but wrapped in sparkly paper with an enormous unicorn-printed bow, which is kind of adorable. I run my fingers over the ribbon with a shy smile, and he dips his chin as he sits across from us.

“Don’t move. The coffee is hot as hell,” Chess says as he walks over with a tray of steaming mugs.

The guys all grunt in acknowledgement, which I suppose passes for ‘thank you’ in dude.

I take the mug he hands me, squealing in happiness. He’s put everything I like in here: French vanilla creamer, whipped cream, and a drizzle of white chocolate, and I take a sip with a low groan of pleasure. “Thank you, Chess.”

When I look up, all five sets of eyes are riveted to me, and I duck my head in embarrassment. The room fills with masculine laughter, and I burrow a little deeper into Fitz’s arms as my face turns bright red.

I wasn’t trying to be sexy or anything; it was really good!

Chess sets the tray on an end table before joining us in the nest, placing a tiny box on top of Fitz’s. I look at the haul with wide eyes, and a throat clears.

“I’ll go last, if you don’t mind,” the dragon says as he perches on the arm of the couch.

What on earth is he hiding?

“Okay,” I agree as I look at them. “How does this work?”

Felix frowns. “How does what work, princess?”

“Um… you know. Do we do it all at the same time or one at a time?” I feel a bit exposed, but my family didn’t exchange presents and now that I think about it, I never once swapped gifts with the Heathers.

I didn’t realize how sheltered I was until I came to Apex.

Fitz nips at my ear, growling low. “Let’s all do it together, hehe.”

My face turns red again, and I pinch his side, making him laugh. “Okay. You guys all go and then I’ll do each of you, one by one.” This statement inspires another round of laughter, and I sigh heavily, although my annoyance is half-hearted.

I can’t seem to avoid verbal pitfalls in this company.

The guys rip into their boxes, throwing paper and ribbon aside with reckless abandon, and I wiggle with excitement. All at once, they pull the specially made Kigurumi suits I had made for them, based on their animals. Felix’s tiger is orange bengal striped, and the head on the hood has fierce fangs. Aubrey and Rennie have stuffed wings that stand up in the back, and Chess’ cheetah has a fluffy tail. The white tiger I had made for Fitz has a bit of blood dyed on its fangs and fur, and he picks me up with a hoot of approval, standing with me in his arms like I weigh less than nothing.

“I love it!” Fitz spins me around before setting me back on my feet so he can quickly shimmy into his suit. Holding the hood in place, he throws his head back, letting out a loud roar, making me laugh.

“The quality is amazing,” Rennie murmurs, examining the onyx color. “When did you make these?”

I shake my head. “Oh, no. I’m not this good yet. Not by a long shot. I had some friends from my summer job at the fashion house whip these up.”

Felix strokes his chin, tilting his head as he studies his suit. “It’s perfect, but when do you see us wearing these?”

My eyes dance as I grin at them. “During our future slumber parties.”

That got their attention. Ha!

A hand tugs me back down to the floor, and Chess places a kiss on my jaw. I lean into him, loving the soft growl he emits. “I love mine, angel. Thank you for making my cheetah so sleek and fierce.”

Fitz barrels over to the nest, having zoomed around the room in his for the past five minutes, and puts me back on his lap. I pull the tiger's hood up, and he growls again before he looks over at Aubrey. “Put yours on, you adorable reptile! I want to see!”

I have to cover my mouth as the grumpy dragon glares daggers at him. Taking pity on him, I pick up the smallest gift. “Maybe I should open these first?” He gives me a barely perceptible nod, and I take that as my cue to begin.

Chess’ box contains a stack of songbooks, novels, and a beginner knitting set that makes me feel all squishy inside. He wants to share hobbies with me and it’s so cute I can’t stand it.

Inside the biggest package is a slinky black Ostrich de La Renta dress and matching LaPerla to go underneath. As always, Fitz found exactly the right size.

It’s his superpower.

Renard unveils a gorgeous wild orchid that seems to sparkle in the twinkling lights, and I smile at my botany loving professor, wondering if it will remain perfect like the one he keeps under glass.

With only one package left, I rip into the paper, furrowing my brow at the heavy, flat stone. Felix gives me a grin, allowing a single claw to emerge from his finger before scraping it over the stone, and suddenly, I get it—it’s a whetstone for sharpening my claws.

It’s like each of them gave me a little piece of themselves, except for…

Aubrey rises from the arm of the couch, disappearing from view as he descends the stairs. He must be going to Rennie’s room, but why did he hide his present there? The Khans all look at each other in confusion, but the gargoyle looks like he has a secret. When Aubrey returns, he’s carrying an unwrapped brown box that’s…. moving?

“I had to keep this downstairs, or it would have spoiled the surprise,” he explains as he walks over and joins us on the floor. “But a colleague in Morocco found a litter whose mother died, and I thought...”

The lid pops open and a small, golden cat jumps out, looking at us with wide eyes. It has abnormally large ears, stripes, and looks certain we’re going to eat it.

I mean, for some of us, that might be fair.

“Is this a domestic cat?” I ask, reaching out carefully, so I don’t scare it.

The dragon shakes his head. “No, it’s a sand cat. They do best in the wild, but this one has been living with foster families since it was born.”

“You got me… a kitten ?”

Fitz’s face splits into a huge grin as he looks at me. “I hate to say it, but lizard man wins this one, guys. You can’t beat a fluffy cat.”

“And she’s so, so cute,” I murmur, as the small feline butts her head against my fingers. “I think I’ll call her Jinx.” When I look up, I swear Aubrey’s eyes are twinkling.

He has a soft spot for cute things, and this is killing him.

“Where is it going to live? Here, right?” Felix says, eyeing the kitten as if he's terrified I’ll send it home with him.

Rennie waves his hand. “There’s plenty of room here, and we’re all here often enough to help take care of it together. Dolly has free rein of the building, so should her pet.”

My eyes fill with grateful tears as the little ball of fur jumps into my lap and starts purring like an outboard motor. I look down at her with a soft smile and say, “Well, I’d say this has been the Merriest Christmas I’ve ever had.”

When I look up, all of my guys are giving me fond expressions and my heart swells all over again.

Merry Christmas, indeed.