A Chase Christmas (City Shifters: the Pride Book 6), page 1
A Chase Christmas
Layla Nash
Contents
Copyright
Natalia & Logan
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Eloise & Benedict
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Ruby & Carter
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Connect with the Author
Also by Layla Nash
Copyright © 2015 by Layla Nash
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover design by Resplendent Media.
Part I
Natalia & Logan
Chapter 1
Logan
Snow fell softly all around, and the forest remained nearly silent save for the hush-hush of their boots through the deepening snow. Logan glanced back as Atticus muttered under his breath; the youngest Chase pulled the sledge so they could retrieve the perfect Christmas tree, but that didn't mean Atticus stayed quiet about it. Logan frowned and turned his attention back to searching the trees for the perfect specimen. It was their first Christmas together as a family with all of their mates, and he wanted a perfect holiday for Natalia.
"What about that one?" Benedict, shivering despite his parka and gloves, flapped his hand in the general direction of half the forest.
"Which one?"
"Any one," he said. "We've been out here for three hours already, we're at least five miles from the truck, and you haven't liked a single tree. It's a tree, man."
"It has to be perfect." Logan ignored whatever else the lawyer added and glanced at Carter. "Do you see one?"
"Looks like there are more Douglas firs up there." Carter, zen as usual, only nodded to a dense part of the forest to the west. "But they look an awful lot like the last stand of Douglas firs we passed. Two miles back."
"When the hell did all of you get so soft? Jesus." Logan scowled as he strode toward the fir trees. "Suck it up, buttercup. It's just a little snow."
"At least two feet have fallen since we started walking," Atticus said, close to a grumble. When Logan looked back to chew him out, the youngest Chase raised his hands. "I'm just sayin', man. Just pointing out a meteorological fact."
Before Logan could question Atticus's qualifications as weatherman, Sophia bounded up. In her snow leopard form, she was probably the only one on the trek to enjoy the weather and the trees. She leapt and hit Atticus dead in the chest with all four paws, and they both tumbled into a deep drift. Atticus howled about snow down his shirt but Logan could hear the fool purring from at least six feet away.
Benedict took the opportunity to sit down on the sledge while Atticus dug himself out of the snow and Sophia stalked an unwitting Carter. Edgar watched with raised eyebrows but spoke to Logan. "You know Nat will be happy with whatever tree you pick, brother."
"It has to be perfect."
"Why?" Edgar winced as Sophia made an adorable leopard chirp and knocked Carter's legs out from under him, then raced away through the snow.
Logan started walking away, shaking his head. "It just has to be."
Atticus sprawled in the snow and waved them on. "I'll just wait here for a second. Catch my breath."
Edgar snorted as Benedict lay back on the hard wooden boards of the sledge and pulled his hat low over his face. The lawyer shivered for dramatic effect. "Me too. We'll catch up."
Logan didn't bother looking back at them, eyes on the prize. A beautiful fir tree up ahead caught his attention. It was at least twelve feet tall, with strong branches and good green coverage all over. No bald spots. No visible bird nests or other woodland creatures. He started to shout at Atticus to get the axes over there when Sophia made a questioning noise, part meow and part chirp, from the next stand of trees. Logan ignored her. Probably just a rabbit or someone else to knock down.
Until she did it again, louder and with more urgency. Logan turned in time to see Atticus shoot up out of the snow and race to where she waited, crouched low on her belly and staring at the base of a wide tree. When his younger brother got here, Atticus cursed, then shouted at them to get the hell over there. Logan's heart sank. Not what he wanted to hear on a simple Christmas tree chopping trip.
Carter beat him over there, and when he turned, the calm brother's face had drained of all color. Logan held his breath, then blinked as Carter handed him a shivering, shaking wolf cub. He couldn't speak. Couldn't think. Just stared at the small thing in his hands, cold and barely breathing. Ribs showing. Weak and not even fighting as it was separated from the two other cubs that Atticus pulled from a small hollow in the tree trunk.
Logan immediately unzipped his heavy coat and put the cub against his skin, hoping his body warmth and the insulation of the coat would at least keep the little thing alive. "What the hell?"
"No normal wolf would put its cubs here," Carter said, grim. He gently chafed the small body he held, trying to warm it, and looked around the silent forest. "No paw prints in the snow, either. Just boots."
"Snow's been falling," Atticus muttered, still crouching so Sophia could lick and groom the littlest of the three cubs. "Could have hidden the tracks, but I think you're right. They're not just wolf cubs."
Logan knew it, too, the moment he took a good whiff of the little beast. Shifter kids, definitely, and abandoned alone in a forest. Exposed to the elements to die. Slow rage burned in his chest, growing brighter. By their size, they were probably around four or five years old, but could have been older if they were runts. None looked particularly well-fed or cared for. And there was no telling how or why they got stuck in wolf form. Most shifter kids didn't transform until puberty, when they were a little easier to guide and instruct. It happened, of course, that some little ones shifted, but parents or an alpha could force them back to human. Abandoning them in animal form might have been easier for whatever cold-hearted bastard wanted them dead, but that didn't mean the kids didn't know what happened.
He felt the little one's heartbeat against his chest, a little stronger, and thought of his own child. His little one, growing in Natalia's stomach, and the idea of any child being treated as callously as the three wolf cubs made his lion growl. Logan ground his teeth to keep from roaring and started giving instructions. "Carter, mark that twelve foot fir over there and send a team later this afternoon to cut it down and bring it back to the house. Benedict, call Kaiser and have him send Owen with his medical supplies to meet us at the trucks. Sophia, get on the sledge and keep the babies warm. We'll build you a nest."
The snow leopard hopped onto the tarps they had to wrap up the tree and waited for the brothers to shed their coats and clothes to build a massive soft pile. Logan and Atticus wrapped each cub in layers of garments to keep them warm. Once Benedict finished up his call, they all shifted to lion form. They could travel faster that way, and they were definitely more than five miles from the cars and heaters and everything they would need to save the little ones. Speed mattered more than anything else. He roared, furious, and Sophia gave him a dirty look from the sledge as one of the cubs whimpered.
Atticus grabbed the rope to drag the sledge with his mouth, and they raced through the silent trees and falling snow to save the three gray cubs. Logan's desire for vengeance increased more as each paw bit into the earth, and another roar shook the trees. He hoped the perpetrators, whoever they were, heard him. Heard him and knew that they'd just made enemies of the Chase family.
Chapter 2
Natalia
I knew something wasn't right when Logan called. He thought he could fool me but the tone of his voice always betrayed him. I just about paced a track in the marble foyer, peeking past the curtains every ten seconds to see if they'd arrived, while Eloise lounged on the nearby stairs and played with her phone.
My back ached and I paused to press my hands against my hips, taking a deep breath. The baby managed to kick my bladder at least a hundred times a day, and despite what the sonograms told us, I knew there had to be two or three or seven little kittens rolling around in my belly. I already felt like a house at six months. I'd never make it to nine.
Eloise frowned at her phone. "Benedict says they'll be here in ten minutes."
"Good." My worst fear crept up my throat and nearly choked me. "Is anyone hurt?"
"He said not a hair is disturbed on Logan's fair head, so you shouldn't worry."
I shot the half-Medusa a dark look. "Don't piss off the pregnant lady, Eloise."
She smiled winningly and shoved to her feet. "He sent me a list of things to get ready, so I'll just go take care of that before you try to smother me or drown me in tears."
"Ungrateful wretch," I said under my breath, and went back to staring out the windows. I loved Logan more than I could put into words, with a desperate urgency that knew we didn't have enough time together. Even if we both lived for a hundred years, for two hundred years — it wouldn't be enough. I needed more of him than I could ever get. Just the
The baby moved and I touched my stomach, thinking of the little peanut as well. I looked down for only a moment, watching the slide of my palm over my shirt and the bump and the hideous protrusion that used to be my belly button, and the moment I glanced back up, three massive SUVs parked in the circular drive.
I wrenched the door open and went to the porch, despite the cold and blowing snow. Logan and Owen, one of the bears and a former military medic, rushed out of the cars and toward the house. My husband leaned to kiss me on the cheek, shooing me into the house. "It's cold, you shouldn't be out here."
He held something in his arms, wrapped in blankets and someone's coat, and I caught his arm. "Logan, what the hell is going on?"
Owen smiled at me and managed to look like he sauntered along on a leisurely stroll, despite the rushed pace Logan set. "Found a surprise under the Christmas tree before they even chopped it down."
When he moved his arms, a little wolf cub blinked baby blue eyes at me from the folds of Carter's favorite sweater. It shook and shivered, and I stumbled to a halt. Wolf cubs. More than one, if Logan carried one as well. And Carter carrying a third, passing me by as they headed for the small room we'd designated an infirmary. I hobbled after them, grateful when Sophia caught up and matched my slower pace.
Before I could even ask, she started talking in a low voice. "I found them in a tree. Someone left them there, three cubs. Atticus thinks they're maybe four or five years old."
"They're just puppies," I said. "He must have meant four or five months."
"No." Sophia squeezed my arm. "They're shifters, not wolves. Someone forced them to shift into wolf form and abandoned them in the woods. Under a tree."
My sinuses burned and tears dripped down my cheeks before I even realized I was crying. "But they're just kids. Just — b-babies."
"I know." She took a deep breath and pulled me to a halt just outside the infirmary. "They were near frozen, Nat. We got them warmed up but there's no telling how long they were out there. Logan doesn't know if he should turn them back human or if it's better to keep them wolves for a while."
I didn't know anything about shifters or shifting or what might be better. I knew food, though. I nodded, squeezed her hand back in thanks, and peeked into the room as Owen gave directions for IVs and heating pads and other things. Logan obeyed without a word, but he didn't put down the little wolf he held. I cleared my throat and tried to force a smile for Sophia. "I'll heat some milk and make some baby food, in case they need to eat. Any requests?"
"Hot chocolate," she said, rubbing her arms. "We gave all the clothes to the kiddos so we're about frozen solid."
I moved as fast as I could toward the kitchen, putting aside the horror of someone abandoning those poor children. Just the thought of how afraid and confused they must have been, alone in the woods... I shook my head and wiped at my cheeks as I lumbered into the kitchen, or what remained of it — Logan had thrown a tantrum just before Thanksgiving and ripped it all apart in his rage. So I worked off a basic set-up as the contractors ordered cabinets and flooring and new appliances.
Eloise already stood over the stove, frowning at the burners. "How the hell does this work?"
"Normal people turn the knob and wait for it to light," I said, and gathered supplies from the fridge in the corner. The dent in the door made it difficult to free the milk, though my shaking hands might have been the culprit. "But since it's you, probably better to step back and let the professionals work."
"I can boil water," she said under her breath. "What happened last time wasn't my fault."
I snorted and searched for oatmeal in the pantry shelves that survived Logan's tantrum. I focused on cooking, heating milk and making hot chocolate and boiling water for cereal and grilling a steak to puree into meaty baby-food. Time passed in a blur as I made Eloise carry tray after tray of drinks and bottles to the infirmary. I couldn't face the cubs just yet, couldn't stand the thought that I would fall in love with them and one might not make it. The sky was nearly dark by the time I sat at the table and put my feet up, gathering my strength and steeling myself for bad news. Just in case.
"Hey lady," a familiar voice said, and I looked up to see my best friend, Ruby, in the doorway. She looked around the kitchen and helped herself to the last bit of lukewarm chocolate before sitting next to me. "Carter called me a while ago but the roads are terrible. I only just managed to get through. You look like hell. Did something happen?"
"I'm too much of a coward to ask." I rubbed my face. "Those poor babies, Ruby. Oh my God."
She frowned into the hot chocolate, nodding along. "I know. I started asking around on my way over here, and neither our pack nor Evershaw's have any young ones. No one's pregnant. They had to come from another pack."
"The asshole pack outside the city?" I sat up and braced myself to stand as my knees objected.
"Maybe." Ruby offered a hand and helped me to my feet, then matched my pace as I led the way to the infirmary. She shoved her hands in her pockets, frowning at the floor as she walked. The normally brash alpha wolf had calmed a lot since she got together with Carter, but being this subdued was definitely not her. "No telling why they left pups out to die, but we'll find the ones responsible and make them pay. Just the little ones' good fortune that the Chase family found them, right?"
"Right." I clenched my jaw, resolute. Those babies would never feel unwanted again for a second. Not for even a heartbeat would they question how much they were loved and cherished and treasured.
We didn't speak until we reached the infirmary and found only Logan and Owen left. Some cursing and hammering next door revealed Atticus and Benedict arguing about how best to assemble three brand new cribs, dressers, and other furniture. Sophia watched from the doorway, shaking her head, and held up a booklet. "I tried to tell them the instructions would—"
"The instructions are in Chinese," Atticus growled. "That's not —"
"There are pictures," she said, then smacked her forehead. "Jesus. A caveman could put this shit together."
They continued arguing and my heart lifted — they wouldn't be making cribs unless the babies were in much better shape. In the infirmary, Logan caught me in a warm hug and I closed my eyes, leaning against him and loving the rumbling purr in his chest. He sighed and kissed the side of my neck, the rasp of stubble an irritating tickle. "We got to them in time. Owen thinks there's no permanent damage."
"Other than being abandoned," the bear said under his breath. He ran a hand over his short hair, dark smudges under his eyes. He looked tired, and not just from that day. From a lifetime. I wondered about him, the sheepish youngster with dark memories in his gaze. But he managed a smile and nodded at my belly. "How are you feeling, mama?"
"Tired," I said, touching my stomach again. The baby remained quiet, only fluttering back and forth in a comforting reminder that he was there. "And bigger than a fucking whale. There have to be at least four in there."
He laughed, pausing to check as one of the cubs whimpered and moved its paws. Then Owen winked. "My specialty isn't maternity, but I'm pretty sure there's only one. He'll just be a linebacker."
Logan, arms still around me, rested his chin on the top of my head. "It's a girl. Definitely a girl."
"It's a boy." I couldn't take it any longer and went to one of the blanket-lined baskets. The sleepy pup inside had a tummy tight with milk or cereal, and the tip of its tongue peeped out from between sharp little teeth. I took a shaky breath. They were so small. "Will they be okay?"
"I think so." Owen checked one of the other pups. "Two boys and a girl, about the same age. I can't ballpark wolf ages, but I would guess about four in human form."
"That's about right," Ruby said. She remained near the door, arms folded over her chest. As if afraid to get any closer. "They're really small, though, so they could be three. Or maybe just underfed."
Logan nodded to her, then nudged me toward a rocking chair and footstool. "Thanks for coming, Ruby. What should we do with them?"
