Chapter Nine

 

“I think we’re supposed to find a Christmas tree before Christmas morning,” Grim called out as he circled his four-wheeler around the front of 1010. He’d tied a huge plastic sled behind it.

“Dibs on the back of the sled,” Juno said, sprinting for it.

“Why would you want the back?” Remi asked, crunching through the snow toward the sled. “Grim will go too fast so there is a million percent chance of you falling off.”

“Better than getting showered with snow for the next mile,” Juno said, holding on to the edges like Grim would take off at any moment.

Grim said, “If it takes a mile to find a Christmas tree, I’m leaving these mountains and never coming back. I told you all eight times there is a perfectly good one right there.” He pointed to the closest pine tree to the trailer park.

Ash scrunched up her face as she made her way to the ATV. “But then it wouldn’t be a Christmas adventure. It would just be you chopping down a tree with an ax, just like every other day. At least this way you can dump Juno off the back.”

Grim huffed a laugh and stood up straight on the four-wheeler while she climbed up behind him.

“Ash, what are you doing?” Juno asked. “There is room on the sled!”

“I love you both, but I would rather snuggle Grim than you.”

“Traitor,” Remi accused through a big ol’ grin.

Rhett and Kamp came barreling through the trees on their ATV’s, zigzagging so carelessly, they almost crashed into each other twice. Both were laughing like lunatics.

Christmas morning had been fun and simple. Breakfast together and no presents because they hadn’t gotten paid until the banks were already closed. But Ash liked it this way. Today was all about spending time together, and she had a feeling today was going to be her new favorite day.

Rhett gunned his quad and then hit the brakes, spinning the back end and spraying Grim and Ash with snow as he came to a jerky stop. “What does Rebble think about that?”

Grim was growling a feral sound. “He called you a hero and is laughing. Now guess what the Reaper says about it?”

Rhett gave Grim an oh-shit look, hit the gas and sped away.

“And that’s why he’s last in the Crew,” Kamp said proudly, like being Fifth was a big accomplishment.

Ash laughed a lot in Rogue Pride. Everyone was funny and didn’t take life too seriously.

Grim and Kamp took off after Rhett, and behind her, the girls were cracking up as they held onto the sled, shifting their body weight back and forth to try to stay on. They were all the way to the parking area down the mountain by the time they caught up to Rhett. As Grim slowed, a rumbling noise sounded just over the engine.

It was a car headed this way. Grim tensed under Ash’s arms. “You hear that?” he asked.

“Yes,” Ash whispered. “Is it Vyr?”

Grim cut the engine of the ATV and dismounted. He stood sentry in front of them, and Kamp and Rhett joined him.

Sixty-three seconds later, a car climbed the last snowy hill and broke through the trees. “It’s Sophia,” Kamp murmured, stepping forward and waving. “And Raider!”

A little boy was waving frantically out the back window as Kamp’s ex parked the car. She stepped out first with a grin. “Merry Christmas!” she called to them. Whoa, she was beautiful, with chocolate brown skin, tight, dark curls with blond tips and a gorgeous smile. Remi struggled to her feet off the sled and bounded over to her. She gave her a big hug as Kamp opened the cub’s door.

This was the first time Ash had ever seen Raider. He was a shade between his father’s fair skin and his mother’s dark skin, with the same blond-streaked curls as Sophia. Sturdy little cub. He was four or maybe five, but built like a little tank already. And when he jumped up into Kamp’s arms from the back seat, he was growling loudly. Oh, he had a little brawler lion cub inside him.

“I figured you could use a half day with Raider,” Sofia explained breathlessly. “We opened presents at the crack of dawn, and then he asked if he could see you and the Crew today and Change in the snowy mountains, so here we are.”

“Where’s your mate? You could’ve both spent the day out here,” Kamp said.

“Back at the new house cooking a huge feast for me and a bunch of our friends. It’s our new time hosting at the new place. He couldn’t leave the turkey alone for this long so I told him I would head straight back. Would you mind dropping him off tonight?” she asked Kamp.

“Crap no, I don’t mind.” He ruffled Raider’s head. “And you don’t say crap.”

Raider giggled. “Can I see Waffles?”

“Yes, but how about you help us cut down a Christmas tree first?”

“Yes! I’m really good at chopping.” Raider flattened out his hand and made hacking motions against Kamp’s shoulder, which caused Kamp to twitch around like he was being chopped up. More giggles from Raider, and Ash was smitten. They were putting good magic into these mountains. All this echoing laughter was making the forest happy.

Sophia said her hellos and goodbyes and then headed back down the mountains just as another car came up the snowy road.

The lady driving it brought instant tears to Ash’s eyes.

The rest of her 10:10 wish had come true.

“Grandma?” Grim said on a frozen breath. He looked so stunned, staring at the rental car parking in front of him.

Rose got out with tears rimming her eyes and a quivering smile. “Hi, Grim.”

Ash squeezed his hand as he led her over to the only steady family he’d ever had before this Crew. He hesitated for a moment before he pulled Grandma Rose in for a bear hug. The Reaper wasn’t even growling right now.

Grim was happy. Ash could tell because she could feel it coming off him. That was a lot of joy if the body couldn’t even contain it and, oh, she breathed for Grim’s joy. He deserved the world after everything he’d been through.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, still hugging the small, silver-haired woman.

“I got a call from a man yesterday morning who told me he’d booked me a plane ticket to be here with my grandson for his first real Christmas.”

“Who?” Grim asked. “Who called you?”

“Oh, I think you know.”

Ash sure did. She would bet her wardrobe that Vyr had done this after hearing her wish the other night in the bar. Grim didn’t trust him, and he was right to be careful. Vyr was making strange decisions. But Ash had known him from childhood, and that wily dragon also had good in him. Like his father before him.

Vyr had done a kind thing and given Grim his grandma for the first Christmas outside of the Tarian Pride. His first Christmas as just himself, multi-monstered man, mate of Ash, Alpha of the Rogue Pride Crew. He wasn’t the enforcer for the Pride anymore. He wasn’t their killer. He wasn’t just the Reaper. Or the good lion. Or the man. He was everything. Anything he wanted to be, he would be. Ash would make sure of it.

Oh, it would be a long road for him to get where he wanted to get, but she would be there every step of the way. And so would Rose. So would Rogue Pride.

Grim wasn’t alone. Not anymore and never again.

As if he could feel the pride and emotion roiling through her, he pulled her in close and hugged her and his grandma up tight before releasing them.

“Rhett,” Grim said. “Get on the sled. Grandma is taking your ATV.”

“I call dibs on the spot right behind Juno,” he said, waggling his eyebrows as he jogged toward the sled.

It was chaos and pandemonium, everyone loading up and rearranging seats. Raider was climbing up in front of Kamp on his ATV, and Ash’s very best friends were piling on the sled in front of Rhett. Rose turned her quad on like a pro, and when Ash turned around, Grim was standing by theirs, his hand offered to help her on.

And he was still wearing her favorite smile.

Sometimes a good man could get caught in a bad cycle, but if he had the right people to prop him up when he was learning to stand again, he could become greater than anyone could ever imagine.

That was Grim. Her good man. Her mate whom, as of yesterday, was officially registered as hers. Her Alpha. Her bridge to this beautiful life.

This Christmas was very special because it was a marker for Grim’s improvement. A year from today, they would be doing this tradition, hunting the perfect tree, and Grim would have a moment like this, where he was looking at Ash with such deep emotion in his yellow eyes. And she would think back on the year and have such pride in how far he’d come. She knew it would be that way. His quality of life had turned around already because he’d accepted his throne here and let the people he cared about the most…in. No more being stuck on the outside for Grim.

This Christmas was special because Rogue Pride was all together, a complete Crew, building bonds that would last their entire lives.

Ash slid her hand into Grim’s and let him help her up. She sat behind him and wrapped her arms around his middle. He lifted her hand to his lips, kissed the base of her wrist, and then pressed her palm inside his open jacket against his steady heartbeat. “That’ll always be yours,” he murmured.

And she understood.

She, Ashlynn Kane, the girl who used to be confused by everything…understood.

Grim had given her his heart to keep safe for always.

As long as she lived, she would never forget this feeling of utter certainty, knowing this was just the beginning of their great big story.

This Christmas was special because it was the first of many to come.