Gem landed on a table and sat there innocently as their mom reentered the hallway.
“Nix! You're holding everyone up! Shift!” their mom told him.
Nix scrambled up. He turned to glare at Gem. “Sorry, Mom. We’re ready.”
Their mom clapped. “Okay!” She hurried back to the living room.
“Jerk!” Nix mouthed then shifted.
Aries landed on the table next to Gem.
Gem wrapped a wing around his smallest brother. He nudged Aries’s head to the side before running his chin across Aries’s chest.
Nix flapped his wings as he hovered in front of them.
“Gentlemen! Please give your attention to my Jingle Bats!” their mom announced loudly.
Nix was the first to fly toward the room. Aries followed behind Nix, and Gem brought up the rear. They circled the room, having the attention of their stepfather, Vin, and Evan, who all sat on the couch facing the mantel.
Above their newly hung Christmas stockings, six shining gold bells were set out in sets of two.
Gem flew over, landing behind the third set.
Aries settled by the first with Nix between them.
“And now my Jingle Bats will perform a song for us,” their mom said. She sat on the arm on the couch next to their stepfather.
Vin’s eyes were wide as Evan openly grinned.
They’d only done this for their mom and stepfather. This was the first time that someone other than blood family had ever been a witness. It was true that Gem didn’t mind playing like this with his brothers, but he was having a tough time with the audience.
He was trying so hard to fit into the professional hockey league. If this got out to his team, they would give him even more shit than they already did. Not that anyone was outright rude ormean to Gem. It was just the looks. The times when he entered the room and his teammates would stop talking. In a room full of predators, being a fruit bat shifter made him prey.
Gem hated feeling like his teammates were always looking at him to mess up or that they thought they were better than him because they could shift into a big animal or were a powerful paranormal.
Nix ruffled his wings, nudging Gem.
They all picked up their bells. One in each foot with their claws wrapped around the handles of the bells.
Aries started.
Two rings.
Nix rang one of his.
Aries rang twice more.
Nix again.
Jin…gle bells. Jin…gle bells
The smile on their mom’s face was bright.
Jin…gle bells. Jin…gle bells
Aries. Aries. Nix. Nix. Gem.
Jin…gle…all…the…way
