Chapter 203

I grimace as I slip through the dining room door to dinner, because I am well aware that I am both late and underdressed.

But I laugh as I try to quietly press the door shut behind me, because a huge cheer goes up from my gathered family at my arrival, letting me know that I was a complete fool for thinking that I could just…quietly sneak into the room and pretend that I was here the whole time.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” I protest, putting my hands up, a little envelope held tight in one of them. “I’m very rude and the worst child of the year.”

“Oh, you’re forgiven, baby,” mom says, holding her arms out to me as the rest of my extended family – including Jackson and Jesse’s whole pack – turn back to their conversations and their food. Grinning, I move swiftly to my mom’s side and let her wrap me in a big hug. “All okay?” she asks.

“Yeah,” I say, grinning down at her and her gorgeous silver gown. “Nice dress, mom! You look great!”

“Nice sweater and muddy jeans!” she returns, grinning at me, impish.

I laugh, blushing and look down at my simple clothes – because of course, the rest of my family dressed for a formal dinner, and here I am in jeans smelling of bonfire. “Should I go get changed? I didn’t want to be even later –“

“No, baby,” dad says, his voice rumbling, drawing my eyes to him and his broad smile. “Just relax, enjoy the night – no one cares what you’re wearing.” He eyes the envelope in my hands. “Is that for me?”

I narrow my eyes a bit, even as I smile and hold it out to him. “How did you know? What’s in it? Why won’t anyone tell me?”

“In due time,” dad murmurs, taking the envelope from me and tucking it into the inner pocket of his suit coat. Then he cheerfully turns back to his conversation with my grandpa, waving me off towards the empty seat I see at Jackson’s side. I beam at my dad, dropping a kiss on his cheek as I scurry off towards my mate, who I’m desperately pleased to see sitting quietly next to Juniper at the end of the table.

“Let me see!” I hear mom say behind me, and I glance over my shoulder to see her fishing into dad’s coat, trying to get the mysterious envelope out.

“Ella!” dad sighs, half exasperated, half loving it as he swats her hand away.

But I grin and turn my eyes back to Jackson as I draw close to my empty seat, beaming as I take in his beautiful blue suit. It was the perfect selection for him – setting off his tanned skin, his dark hair and – of course – his stunning eyes. “Hi,” I say, sinking into my chair, beaming at him. Jackson immediately wraps an arm around my waist, pulling me closer and pressing a kiss to my cheek, wanting me near.

“Took you long enough,” Juniper murmurs, dry, looking at me with a lazily raised eyebrow as she pushes her dinner around on her plate. “Jackson and I had to endure all of this without you – and you know we like to use you as a shield.”

“A shield?” I ask, surprised, laughing already.

“Yes,” she says on a sigh. “A tiny, perky blonde shield, drawing all the attention away from normal people like us. You have no idea what we’ve had to put up with without you.”

Jackson nods at me sagely like this is all very true. “People asking about our day. Our opinions on things. It’s…terrible.”

“Oh god,” I say, laughing and rolling my eyes at both of them as one of the chefs brings me a plate. I thank him and then turn my eyes back to Team Taciturn. “You two,” I say, picking up my fork and waving it between them, “are the true match of the evening. Doom and Gloom, ladies and gentlemen – finding a way to turn familial love and interest into the greatest burden anyone can bear.”

“It is,” Junie groans, even as she grins and turns back to her plate.

Jackson just leans close, taking a deep sniff of my hair. “Missed you. Glad you’re back.”

I smile and press myself warm to his side as I start to eat, losing myself to the evening of family warmth and joy.

Midwinter eve, as is traditional, goes very late, all of us staying up to greet the holiday at midnight and to light the ceremonial fire that will burn for twenty-four hours to keep the darkness at bay. In the meantime, though – while we wait for the proper time – there is a great deal of drinking, and laughter, and games to be had.

The kids, I know, have the most fun, all of Jesse’s siblings running screeching around the room chasing each other, playing, laughing. Jesse’s behind it all, I know, whispering secret missions in his siblings’ ears – telling Chase to try to slip salt into Rafe’s whiskey, promising him a present if he can do it without getting caught. Urging Rosie to see how many times she can call Mark “Mork” before he completely flips out.

Only twelve times, apparently, much to Rosie and Jesse’s glee.

Mom, Dad, Cora and Roger stay in their own tight knit little group tonight, I think reminiscing about old times – one of their favorite hobbies – while grandpa Henry and the rest of the boys sit around the couch, joking and laughing about the usual boy stuff – sports, and fighting, and daring trials of masculinity or whatever. Jesse breaks away every few minutes to send the kids on another mission, or to tackle them, or to lift one up on his shoulders and spin them around.

I grin, watching him, loving how good of a brother he is.

Seraphina, to my delight, chooses to sit on my lap, over in the quiet corner where I’m sitting with Jackson and Juniper. Junie’s reading a book – a nice, thick fantasy romance, I see, her favorite – but Jackson and I are just sitting quietly.

We were chatting quietly until Seraphina came over. But the minute she sank down in my lap Jackson fell a bit quiet, looking at my tiny cousin askance like he’s a deer that’s ready to run from the greatest predator of all time.

When I notice the tension in Jackson’s body, I burst out laughing.

“What?” Sera asks, looking up at me with that mixture of joy, curiosity, and anger that only a four-year-old can manage. “What’s so funny?”

“I don’t know, Fifs!” I say, pointing at Jackson with my thumb. “You’ll have to ask Jacks.”

“Oh god,” he groans, covering his face with his hand. “Please – don’t draw its attention to me –“

“It!?” I gasp, cackling with laughter. Even Juniper looks up from her book, smirking.

“You tell me what’s so funny, big boy!” Seraphina demands, turning in my lap to face Jackson and giving him a big shove on his shoulder.

Juniper starts laughing too as my laughter deepens.

“Nothing’s funny…Ser..fif…god, what’s her name again?” Jackson looks desperately between Juniper and me. “Your family has so many nicknames for everyone – I can’t keep anything straight.”

“SeraPHINA Liliana Sinclair!” my tiny cousin insists, glaring at my mate. “What is so funny!?”

“Nothing, I promise! Nothing’s funny!” Jackson insists, leaning away from her tiny rage with his hands up. “Nothing’s ever been funny, I’m sorry!”

I cuddle Sera close to me, laughing and smiling down at her. “Go easy on him, Fifs, he’s scared of little girls. He’s never met one!”

She looks up at me, shocked, and then over at Jackson like she can’t believe it at all. “He’s never met a little girl? Why?”

“Because,” I sigh, shaking my head as I look pityingly at Jacks. “He’s just been very, very unlucky not to have crossed paths with one before.”

Seraphina studies me and then Jackson for a long moment before she kneels on my lap and reaches out her hand, patting Jackson gently on the shoulder and giving him her best wide grin – which, I have to admit, is a little terrifying. “Don’t be scared, big boy,” Seraphina says, working hard to be gentle. “I will be nice to you.”

Jackson thanks her very politely and she nods, climbing off of my lap and scurrying away.

“What is with you, Jacks?” Juniper asks, and we both turn to see her smirking at Jackson, a little delighted. “You’re so weird.”

“She’s just so little,” Jackson says, laughing at himself, spreading his hands out before him like it’s obvious. “I have…no idea what she’s thinking, or what she wants. And I feel like I’m always at risk of accidentally crushing her or something, which would make everyone here really mad –“

I burst out laughing at this, nodding at the understatement of the year, as Junie gives him a big grin before seeming to turn back to her book.

“Who knew,” Juniper sighs. “That the one thing that strikes true fear into one of the world’s strongest Alphas…”

“Was just a little girl,” I finish, sighing too and shifting so I can climb comfortably into Jackson’s lap, my favorite spot. He immediately closes his arms in a circle around me, holding me close. “Perhaps this is the military secret that Moon Valley needs to capitalize on to defeat the Atalaxians. How can we incorporate Seraphina’s terrifying girl energy into our military strategy?”

“I think we already have,” Jackson murmurs, sighing and giving me a kiss on the cheek as he tightens his arms around me, drawing me even closer.