“Hi, sweetie,” his mom, Mari, said.“You caught us just as we came in from a movie.We saw the holiday thrillerSleigh All Day.”
“Was it scary?”he asked.
“Heck no,” his mom said.“But it was a good slasher film regardless.Reminded me of the stuff I used to watch with my parents when I was a kid.”
His dad winked.“Lots of gratuitous nudity too.So you know I liked it.”
Mari elbowed him with a laugh.“Honestly.Now, you’ve got some company there, son.Who is this lovely female at your side?”
“Mom, Dad, this is my truemate, Emberlin.Sweetheart, these are my parents, Elias and Mari.”
“Nice to meet you, hon,” Elias said.“Welcome to the family!”
“Oh, it’s so nice to meet you,” Mari said.“You’re so pretty!Are you a shifter?”
“I’m a phoenix witch,” she said, explaining her dual nature.
“Wow, we have a witch in our family!How exciting!”Mari said.“Tell us how you met!And oh, can we see you on Christmas Day?”
Sebastian and Emberlin took turns telling the story of how they met, including what happened to her sister and their plans to come to the pack on Christmas Day.
“I’m so sorry about your sister,” Mari said.“But if she’d like to join us, she’s more than welcome.”
“Thank you,” Emberlin said.“I hope she’ll come around and want to visit.I miss her already.”
“Of course you do,” Elias said.“She’s your sister and best friend.That matters.My brothers and I are close, and I don’t know what I’d do if one of them wanted to move away from the pack.”
Mari nodded.“Well, congratulations to you both.I’m sure you’ve got plans for tonight.”
“We do,” Sebastian said.
They said goodbye and his parents promised that this Christmas with the pack would be the best one yet since now they had a new family member to celebrate.When the screen went dark, Emberlin sat back with a laugh and said, “I love them.They’re so kind and welcoming.”
“I knew they’d like you.”He rose to his feet and offered her his hand.“Ready for our date?”
“One hundred percent.”
* * *
He’d made arrangements throughout the day with the help of several elves who were happy to be part of making his first date with Emberlin special.
They first stopped at the dining hall, where the grumpiest elf on the planet—Mortimer—had prepared a picnic basket for them.
“Leave it on the table, and I’ll send one of the young elves to pick it up,” he said gruffly, his pointed ears poking out from under his hat.
“Thank you,” he said.
The male snorted and turned with a grumble, and Sebastian chuckled.“He’s one of those guys who looks like he could bite your head off, but he’s really got the kindest heart.He’s just grumpy on the outside.”
“That’s good to know,” she said.“I wondered if he was happy to help at first, but then I saw his eyes twinkle, so I figured he must have liked to be part of things.”
“Morty’s a good male, and he’s a hell of a chef.Now, milady,” he said, offering his arm to her, “your first date awaits.”
They walked through the dining hall and through a heated hallway to the candy factory, which was run by a group of elves who were master chocolatiers and provided candy and sweets for the town.His mom loved the sea salt caramels, and he always made sure to bring a box for her on Christmas Day.
“Oh, it smells amazing in here,” Emberlin said.
The air was heavy with the scent of chocolate and sugar, but the small shop was quiet because the workers had finished their shift and left a special dessert for his date, along with setting a bistro table next to the picture window that overlooked the frozen lake, shimmering with the colors of the Northern Lights above.
