I let out a yawn, shuffling my feet as I rubbed my heavy eyelids which struggled to stay open even an inch.

When the boys returned we did our usual activities – dinner together as we talked about our plans of going into town before returning back here to pack.

It was December 17, and Christmas was a few days away, and we hadn't figured out what we'd be doing. We decided to delay the discussion till tomorrow; it was late, and Daniel was already asleep on the floor.

I ended up staying up late talking with Marcus and EliaseAnne. It wasn't anything significantly important, but it felt nice to have a casual chit-chat as we relaxed. I don't know what time I'd fallen asleep, but I woke up in Ryder's room; Nightmare relaxing at the end of the bed.

Ryder was still asleep when I woke up, mumbling something incoherent before turning over and snuggling with the pillow.

I was glad he was getting more sleep lately. His sleeping habits had always bothered me; the dark circles that formed under his eyes were apparent and the others and I were worried. He hated that Daniel forced him to sleep when he showed signs of sleep deprivation, so I'd come to scowl at him before it got to that point. Now, he would try to get six hours of sleep, reaching eight or nine when I slept in his room.

I think the extra sleep time was due to our exhaustion from having a pleasure filled night. Add in Stryker and Rose enjoying their alone time when we slept and it made us even more exhausted. Not like I was complaining. I couldn't deny that sex was a good sleep inducer.

I shuffled my way to our designated kitchen. I prayed there was some chocolate milk left. Kai had estimated the number of cartons we’d consume during the trip, but by the end of the week, we’d had to slow down drinking so much if we didn’t want to run out soon.

I heard quick footsteps against the brown, wood floor; my heavy lids spotted the white fur ball next to my feet. I stopped; a lazy smile formed on my lips as I knelt down to pick Nightmare up.

She immediately climbed onto my shoulders, snuggling against my neck as her tails waved back and forth. I stood back up, another yawn escaping me before walking forward.

I reached the kitchen in no time; another yawn assaulted me as I shuffled towards the fridge.

"Makoto?" Marcus called out. I mumbled a greeting, still feeling exhausted and half asleep. It would be nice just to drink a glass of milk and go back to cuddling Ryder. Yes, that sounds like a warm plan.

It felt chilly in the resort. Maybe Ryder's long, maroon shirt and my purple boxer shorts weren't doing much justice. Maybe leg warmers would help.

"Legwarmers? Is she sleepwalking?" I heard Elias question.

"No, she's half-awake it looks like." I heard Kai reply; his voice a lot closer than the other two.

I reached the silver two-decker fridge, opening it up to scan for the chocolate milk carton. I frowned after my third scan, refusing to believe the milk was gone. My shoulders dropped as I closed the fridge; my eyes narrowed on the machinery like it was the reason why my milk had vanished.

I felt a warm body press against my back; an arm wrapped around my waist.

"Now, now, Makoto. Don't go giving such a deadly glare to the poor fridge." Kai's relaxing voice whispered in my ear. I relaxed in his embrace, looking up to see his amber eyes which glittered with amusement as he gave me a soft smile.

"There's no more milk. I left some." I argued.

"Yes, you did leave half a carton of milk. But Elias told me the sleepwalking fairy came by and had a milk party in the living room before returning to Ryder's sleeping corridor." Kai explained.

"Oh." I felt my cheeks grow red as I blushed. I knew my sleepwalking habits had been all over the place this rotation, maybe due to the cold weather or me being exhausted from my nightly routine. I didn't think I'd be drinking so many glasses of milk throughout the night.

Kai lowered his head; his lips pressed against mine. The tender kiss made my body hum as tingles flowed through me. He tightened his grip around my waist as if my body, already pressed against him, wasn't close enough. I could feel the hardness of his cock against my ass; his reaction only made me needy.

"If you guys are gonna make out in the kitchen either invite us or get a room." I heard Elias call out; the comment made me giggle as I pulled away. I turned in Kai's embrace, tilting my head to the side to see Elias stretched out, relaxing on the one-seater loveseat with a book in his hand.

I let out an exaggerated gasp.

"Is Elias actually reading a book? What in Starlight is going on here? And you can join anytime you want. Stop being jelly." I pointed out, noticing his face grow red as he turned away. I didn't know if it was regarding him reading a book or him joining us in a make out session. The second option sounded more pleasurable.

"I guess we should tell her what we have planned." Marcus announced.

I lifted an eyebrow, confused. What have they planned?

"You guys are so noisy." A deep, husky voice mumbled. We all turned to see Ryder walking through the entranceway, wearing sweatpants as he was midway through putting on his white t-shirt, his abs on full display as his biceps contracted from the raised arm action.

I smirked, licking my lips at the view.

"Oh no, Ryder; you're distracting her." Daniel joked, sounding amused. I blushed, turning my attention back to him while he pulled his silver-rimmed glasses off, placing them on top of his head – those blonde locks were tied up in a neat ponytail. I didn't know how every strand stayed exactly in place, but Daniel always seemed to achieve such a perfect appearance.

"He's not distracting me." I argued. Kai chuckled; his other arm wrapped around my waist and pressed me against him. The action enough to tilt my head back to stare up at him.

I tried to ignore the throbbing sensation coming from my sex – the pressing of Kai's hardness enough to trigger the reaction. His hooded eyes weren't helping me think straight either.

"He's not, is he?" He whispered; the sound so low and seducing, I was ready to abide to anything he asked.

"I feel this is gonna be a steamy Christmas." Lily mumbled.

"I feel like this is similar to that Earthala drama where you wonder who the main character is gonna fuck first?" Lexi commented.

"I bet you a chocolate sundae that Kai and Ryder would be the first to have her in a three-way." Rose gambled.

"That seems like a possibility. Maybe ninety percent possible." Hope agreed.

"All of you are doing a good job at ruining the moment. This isn't netfights where you can pause and have your prediction talks." Midnight interrupted, sounding annoyed.

“Netflix, Midnight.” Rose corrected.

I tried to ignore their little debate, not wanting to pull away from Kai's embrace.

"For Starlight sake, Ryder. Tell Kai to stop seducing Makoto." Marcus complained. I giggled; Kai grinned at the comment.

Kai leaned down, going straight into kissing mode – his tongue brushed across my lower lip before slipping into my mouth. We both moaned as we deepened the kiss.

I could hear Marcus, Daniel and Elias groan – the frustration more along the lines of wanting to be the one to kiss me rather than Kai who was bold enough to kiss or make out with me regardless of location. I adored his confident nature and loved when he teased the boys. Take notes, my knights.

I heard footsteps approaching us as we continued to kiss. I was ready to pull away, when I felt someone’s body press against my back; lips pressed against the sensitive spot on my neck. I moaned, pulling away to see who was behind me – Ryder's purple eyes greeted me as he turned my head to the side, pressing his lips firmly on my lips. Kai kissed my neck.

"Damn. I was right.” Rose admitted; her tone an octave higher in shock.

"Right? When did Ryder get so bold?" Hope questioned.

"I think Kai's bold attempts are giving the other guys a run for their money." Lily noted.

"Well, I don't know about you guys but it's about fucking time. You think they're gonna have sex right here and now? That would be such a turn on. It's like that book, what was it?"

"Groupie." Midnight answered.

"Ah, Yes! That one. I think we should read that again. Maybe we can get some pointers." Lexi compromised.

"You are all horny spirits and owe Rose chocolate sundaes." Midnight mumbled.

I pulled away, laughing at the comment.

Kai allowed his hands to fall from my waist as I turned to see them both; Ryder moved to my side. They both gave me curious looks.

"Sorry. Hahahaha. The girls in my head were making commentary, and Midnight's comment was just beyond funny. Hahaha." I apologized.

"I bet Midnight was saying to get a room." Elias mumbled.

"Hey, maybe we should get pointers from Jaxson and the others. Ever since Ryder went down there with Kai, they've been tag teaming Mako." Marcus whispered.

"I say we revolt and make a plan." Daniel whispered to the two.

My laughter only increased at their exchange; my shoulders shook as I wrapped my arms around my stomach.

"I can fucking hear you." I laughed; tears formed in my eyes.

I opened my eyes to see the three of them turn completely red, looking anywhere but where Ryder, Kai and I stood. Ryder and Kai both shook their heads.

"No revolting." Ryder declared.

"Ya. If you want Makoto, grow some balls instead of being jealous." Kai confirmed.

I looked up at him; a wide grin formed on my lips.

"Don't." He ordered, pointing a finger at me as I snickered, taking a quick glance at Marcus who already knew what I was going to say; his hand on his lips.

"Why do people say, ‘grow some balls’? Balls are weak and sensitive. If you wanna be tough, grow a vagina. Those things can take a pounding.” I imitated some woman from Earthala called Betty White.

Marcus, Daniel, and Elias broke out in laughter; Ryder chuckled as Kai sighed, turned and pointed at Marcus.

"You need to stop letting her watch so many damn Earthala shows. She's talking about them now." He complained.

"Good. Makes life eventful, hahaha." Marcus replied.

"It will help her, especially with our plans." Ryder agreed, a sly smile on his lips. I turned to face him; excitement built at the mention of plans.

"What are these plans? Don't distract me this time." I gave them narrow glares as I pointed at each of them.

"You're the one who got distracted. Don't go blaming other people." Midnight pointed out. I groaned. Shhh, don't point out the obvious. You're supposed to be on my side here.

"Uh huh. Totally. I'll make the others not interrupt sexy times." She declared before leaving my mind. I love you.

The others rose to their feet, walking over to the kitchen island that reminded us of our old place at Knightwood, minus the colorful stools. We at least put colored sticky notes on each designated stool to give it the "feel" of being home.

They lined up in order – Ryder, Daniel, Elias, Marcus, and Kai on the opposite side of the island as I stood by myself, facing them.

Marcus cleared his throat; his cheeks turned a light red.

"I told the others about what we had discussed yesterday." He began, his voice low. I blushed, feeling a tad embarrassed by my little breakdown yesterday, but at least, it was to my other knights and not complete strangers who didn't know my background, so I didn't feel offended.

"Okay?" I replied, still not understanding where he was getting at with the confession. He continued.

"While you were sleeping, we decided to plan something that would give you a new outlook on Christmas." Daniel nodded, smiling.

"So, we made a few calls and arrangements." I crossed my arms, tilting my head in confusion.

"Arrangements for…?” I pushed them to continue, still not following. Elias smirked, walking away from the line to pull something out of the book he was reading. He returned to the formation, placing the six rectangle tickets on the island.

I leaned forward, reaching out for one of them and pulling it to my eye level to read the lettering.

"Christmas Art Galleria. December 23rd at Madison Hall..." I trailed off, blinking at the ticket. Where the fuck is Madison Hall?

Multiple snickers broke out; my eyes looked up to boys who laughed at my "inner" thoughts.

"Earthala." Midnight announced in my mind. I gawked; the event finally made sense.

"We're going to Earthala? For some art thingy. Do we get to see Scarlet too?" I bounced on my feet, gripping the ticket like it was life itself.

I’d already been to Earthala once before, having met Scarlet and her group of private investigators – Jaxson, Junho, Ethan, and Christian. There was one more person, but I never got the chance to meet him.

Kai chuckled.

"It's an Art Galleria that happens twice a year, one during the rotations that shift from Lunar to Solace and one during Christmas month. Yes, Scarlet will be there. She's one of the artists featured in this year's event." He explained.

Marcus elbowed him in the side; Kai cursed before glaring at him.

"Oh, don't give me that look. He forgot to mention, Mako, that he's one of the most wanted artists on Earthala and will be accepting an award along with Scarlet as the top two artists. He even has a section just for his work."

My jaw dropped; my eyes trailed to Kai who rubbed his side. His copper tinged eyes locked on mine before his face became red. He fidgeted in his spot turning to look at the cupboard as he crossed his arms.

"It's not a big deal." He mumbled under his breath.

"Totally a big deal." Daniel whispered to Ryder who nodded. Elias also nodded his head in agreement. It only made Kai blush more, his face now as red as a tomato.

I smirked at his embarrassment; Kai always got embarrassed when he received praise.

"When are we going?" I questioned. Elias put his hands in his pockets as he smiled, taking a side glance at the others as if wanting their approval. After a moment, his eyes returned to mine – those emerald eyes filled with excitement.

"We decided that instead of us going back home...we'd go down to Earthala and spend the next week celebrating Christmas." He revealed. Daniel nodded.

"I already contacted Michael, and he's setting up a whole schedule for us." He explained. Who’s Michael?

The boys stared at me with grins, glancing over at Daniel who chuckled.

“You’ll find out when we get there, Makoto,” Daniel reassured me, giving me a wink. Marcus put his hands behind his head, continuing.

"Yup, and I contacted Junho too. Thus, the reason why we were able to snag these VIP tickets. We even get a private tour of Scarlet's and Kai's galleries." Marcus winked. Ryder nodded, continuing.

"Yup. This week will be dedicated to showing you what both humans and shifters do during Christmas and all the joy it brings. Would you like to accept our offer, Princess?" He proposed.

They all placed their left hands on their chests, bowing their heads as they waited for my answer. My hands shook as I slowly blinked, trying to stop the tears from pooling in my eyes at my knights compassion.

They went all the way to plan a week of activities just because I'd never experienced Christmas before. They always did things that reminded me of how blessed I was.

"I'd be honored, my knights. Raise your heads." I whispered; my voice low—not from sadness but adoration. I loved these men and all they had done and would continue to do to make me happy.

I walked around the island, placing the ticket on the marble surface before returning my attention to see their smiles.

I was ready to ask who was going to give me a hug first when Daniel stepped out of line, being the first to embrace me and kiss me on the cheek.

Marcus laughed, Kai and Ryder groaned as Elias came to my backside, joining the hug and giving me a quick kiss on my neck.

Marcus placed his arms around Kai and Ryder, dragging them over.

"This acceptance of our love deserves a GROUP HUG."

"UGH." The five of them attempted to escape but it was too late; Marcus' arms squished Ryder and Kai against our current hug. I let out a bunch of giggles, always enjoying the boy's verbal disapproval of the group embrace.

"Alright, alright break it up, I can't breathe." Daniel complained.

"MEW."

I peeked through the space between Ryder and Daniel, noticing my familiar jump onto the island, staring at our group hug.

"Come here, Nightmare. You're coming too." I encouraged. She leapt off the island onto Ryder's shoulder, hopping on each knight’s shoulder before landing on mine in the center. She purred, nudging herself against my neck as her grey markings glowed pink.

We finally dispersed, after Elias complained he was claustrophobic from all this love.

They each took a moment to pet Nighty who relaxed on my shoulder, enjoying the attention. I took one more glance at the tickets, carefully holding them in my hand before looking up at my knights who were waiting at the doorway for me.

"I guess it's time to pack a whole new wardrobe." I announced, putting the tickets down and skipping towards the boys.

This is going to be fun.