The Christmas market opened each year with a small ceremony, early enough in the evening for kids to enjoy. Jasper kissed Abigail and Ruby and bounded up on stage to begin the official festivities. There were speeches by Jasper and local business owners, spot-prizes for best dressed and best Christmas-themed heckling, and finally Jasper relinquished the stage to the local choir, to sing in the holiday season.
He picked up Ruby and swung her onto his shoulders. Dwarfed by them both, Abigail leaned against him and let out a happy sigh. “This is so lovely. Just like last year,” she said happily.
“Just like?” Jasper echoed.
Was she imagining things, or did he sound almost disappointed?
“Can we get donut sticks again like last year?” Ruby asked, wide-eyed.
“You betcha,” Abigail told her. “You remember them?”
“You said that this year I can have five, because I’m five!”
“First of all, you’re four and a half. Second, I definitely did not… but I’m willing to negotiate.” She cracked her knuckles with a grin. “We can start there first, and then check out the—Jasper?”
He offered her a winning smile that made her heart drop.
“I… may have to sneak away for a bit,” he admitted.
“What are you planning?” she asked, and didn’t like the tone of warning that snuck into her voice.
“Only wonderful things,” he promised her. “Look, there’s Caine and Meaghan!”
“Look, there’s Jasper and Abigail,” Meaghan retorted, walking up to them with a grin. She leaned in for a hug and Abigail got a bonus, sticky-mittened hug from the toddler strapped to her back. Caine followed a moment later, the other twin slung over one shoulder, cackling wildly. “The Christmas market looks amazing this year! You guys heading over to get some food?”
“And…” Jasper’s eyes flicked conspiratorially to Caine.
And Meaghan’s eyes snapped to meet Abigail’s. She nodded sharply. Neither of them had shifter telepathic abilities, but right now, they didn’t need them.
Operation Save-or-Steal-or-Utterly-Destroy-Christmas was go.
“And what? What are you two up to?” Meaghan prodded her husband in the chest.
“Well—”
“What’s happening?” The rest of the hellhound pack had caught up to them, and Sheena was leading the charge. “Hey, Abigail, Jasper, Ruby, how are you guys going?”
“We’re—”
“Ooh, who said something about fireworks?” Sheena exclaimed, and Abigail figured someone had just totally failed at keeping a telepathic whisper quiet enough. Sheena grinned. “What do you need us to do?”
“I was going to—” Jasper began.
“Nuh-uh. Fireworks are hellhound business. And hellsheep business.”
“I breathe fire!” He glanced sideways and winced as a few probably-not-shifter festival-goers gave him an odd look. “Ahem. Metaphorically speaking.”
Sheena folded her arms. “And we canstopthem. Which I feel like is more important for last-minute, amateur fireworks displays.Youenjoy the Christmas village.” She gave Abigail a ‘subtle’ hip-bump shove towards Jasper. “So, what was the plan? We just let them off, or…? Do you need a license for it? Ooh, what if we turned it into a Santa thing? Jackson and Hardwick can fly…”
“We can what?” The rest of their group had arrived: Olly and Jackson, and Delphine and Hardwick. Hardwick’s expression darkened as the others caught him up.
Meaghan nudged her. “This is your chance to escape,” she murmured. “Want me to take Ruby on the pony rides?”
“Ooh, Jackson can do pony rides, too!”
“I think you’ll find I can’t,” Jackson tried in vain to point out.
Meanwhile, Hardwick was growling, “I may be able to fly, but I also have very strong views on fire safety—”
