The magic surged between us, no longer content to simmer. It wanted completion.
“Take me home,” I whispered.
Rudy’s eyes darkened. With a nod to the others, he led me away from the square.
The tug in my chest strengthened with each step, my magic practically singing as we moved toward their cabin.
Tomorrow would bring responsibilities, training, and the reality of what it meant to be Santa’s daughter. But tonight was for completing what had begun when a woman who hated Christmas met nine men who would change her life forever.
The cabin’s warmth enveloped me the moment we stepped inside, but it was nothing compared to the heat of their eyes raking over me. Magic thrummed in the air like a living thing, pulsing in time with my heartbeat, or maybe it was all of our heartbeats. It was impossible to tell where mine ended and theirs began.
It had all happened so fast, yet somehow none of it seemed fast enough.
Rudy moved to the center of the living room, and I smiled. This time we weren’t having a herd meeting where we discussed my loathing for everything merry and bright.
The others arranged themselves around the space, and I dropped onto Cole’s lap. Kip perched next to us on the arm of the chair, while Dash leaned against the mantel, and Don stood quietly by the window. Pierce, Dane, Blitz, and Vix all sat on the sectional. All in different positions, but all with the same focus: me.
“The bonding requires each of us to seal our connection with you.” Rudy’s voice was low, sinking straight into my bones. “Our magic passes through you, yours through us, creating an eternal link.”
My breath caught as I imagined how that would feel. “And how does this... sealing... happen?”
“It doesn’t have to be sexual,” Rudy clarified, his expression serious even as heat lingered in his gaze. “The intent to bond needs to be there for all parties.”
I snorted. “Well, that sounds like a waste.” What I didn’t say was that it would waste the last few hours I’d had a butt plug in. I’d let that be a little surprise.
“Fucking hell, Neve.” Dane stretched his arms out along the back of the couch, a grin splitting his face. “Rudy’s not saying you can’t get naked with all of us. He’s saying you don’t need to bone the entire herd in one night.”
Kip’s leg bounced as if he was holding himself back. “Even with your sped-up healing, we still want you to be able to walk tomorrow.”
Laughter rippled through the room, breaking the tension that had been building. I joined in, feeling the last of my uncertainty melt away like snowflakes on warm skin.
The laughter faltered as I stood. I reached for my magic, and it responded like an eager pet. With a thought, I dissolved my dress into sparkling particles that drifted to the floor like red snow before vanishing.
“Holy shit,” Blitz whispered, his eyes wide as I stood before them in nothing but icy blue lace.
“So that’s how you all do it.” I glanced down at my nearly naked body, oddly proud of myself. “The clothes after shifting, and all the things you’ve conjured.”
Vix made a strangled sound. “Your first instinct was to use it to strip?”
“Are you complaining?” I cocked a hip, a newfound confidence flowing through me alongside the magic.
“Hell no.” Vix’s eyes had darkened to nearly black.
Nine different expressions of hunger stared back at me.
“Who goes first?” My voice came out steadier than I expected, given the molten heat pooling low in my belly.
“It forms in the order it’s meant to.” Rudy pushed the coffee table out of the way and conjured a fluffy fur to cover the floor along with several pillows.
“What does that mean?” I looked between them.
Don stepped away from the window and joined the others on the sectional. “It means that your magic will call to each of us, and whoever it reaches for first, that’s where we begin.”
I moved to the furs in the center of the room, lowering myself to my knees. The magic humming beneath my skin made every movement feel fluid and intentional.
They watched my every move, and I closed my eyes, focusing inward. If my magic was supposed to choose, I needed to let it. It sparked and reached, invisible tendrils stretching outward like vines seeking sunlight. It wrapped around three energies, pulling them toward me.
I opened my eyes to find Pierce, Dane, and Vix moving as if drawn by invisible strings. The others settled deeper into their seats, a hush of anticipation falling over them.
