York: Yule Lads Book One, page 1
YORK
YULE LADS
BOOK 1
MACY BLAKE
York
Copyright © 2023 Macy Blake
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of author imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only. Any person depicted on the cover is a model.
Cover by A.J. Corza, alexandriacorza.com
Edited by Stacy Sirkel
Formatted by Stacy Sirkel
Version 1_11.23
CONTENTS
Welcome to the Chosen Universe
Synopsis
1. York
2. Gabriel
3. York
4. Gabriel
5. York
6. Gabriel
7. York
8. Gabriel
9. York
Want more?
About the Author
Also by Macy Blake
WELCOME TO THE CHOSEN UNIVERSE
The Chosen Universe is a group of interconnected series set in one universe. There is some overlap to the series, so it’s recommended to read the books in order. You can download a FREE reading order guide by clicking here.
Sweet Nothings: The Chosen One Prequel – When Sam Baker discovers a small child at his backdoor, he learns that a world of magic and shifters exists all around him—including the alpha werewolf he had a one night stand with years before.
The Chosen One Series – The mythical Chosen One is set to return with his eight guardians and correct the magical wrongs done centuries before.
Hellhound Champions Series – As the champions of the fire goddess, the hellhounds have one task: keep the secret of the supernatural world safe.
Magical Mates Series – After the Chosen One returns, magic is in the air, and shifters are finally finding their fated mates…with a little help on the side.
Chosen Champions Series – With the magical realm in chaos, a new set of champions emerges to keep the human world secure.
Cosmo and the King – Cosmo never told any of his friends in the human realm that he ran away on his wedding day, leaving his king at the alter. Now Silenus has to track down Cosmo and convince him that they are meant for each other, even though his stubborn fiancé seems determined to challenge him at every turn.
Christmas Sprites Series – With magic in the human realm on the fritz, four Christmas Sprites find themselves trying to keep the Christmas spirit alive in Mistletoe Falls…and finding love along the way.
Yule Lads Series – You better watch out...the Yule Lads are coming to Mistletoe Falls this holiday season! A follow up to the pun-filled Christmas Sprites series, prepare for mischief, mayhem, and maybe a little love in time for Yule.
If you prefer to read in chronological order, check out the Chosen Universe Box Sets.
SYNOPSIS
Naughty but nice…
York Lad is stunned when his magic unexpectedly returns, but he’s ready to bring a little mischief to the small town of Mistletoe Falls. Along with his cousins, the other Yule Lads, York has spent the last year planning pranks to add their version of holiday cheer to the season.
Gabriel Baum needs to succeed at Mistletoe Falls annual craft fair. He doesn’t expect for the town’s quirky residents to embrace him with open arms, especially York, the town’s mechanic. When his beloved vehicle breaks down, Gabriel is stranded unless York can save him from certain doom.
York may not have been expecting to lose his heart over the holidays, but with his magic sparkling in the air and the man of his dreams at his side, he has a few new reasons to love the season…if his Yule Lad magic doesn’t get up to snow good.
If you love small towns, mischief makers, and holiday magic, your heart will melt over this feel-good Christmas romance.
1
YORK
one year ago
“Chirping, my ass,” York grumbled.
Not one single thing in Mrs. Crowley’s ancient Cadillac was capable of chirping. Then again, considering how infrequently she drove the beast, a bird had probably made a nest somewhere under the car’s massive hood.
Glancing at the clock, York decided to postpone his inspection until the following morning. He’d spent most of the evening trying to locate the mystery noise. Considering it was almost midnight and he’d not even found a bird’s nest, much less a mechanical reason for the sound, York smacked his hand against the top of the grill and decided to tackle the problem once he’d had some sleep.
The car gave him almost as many headaches as its owner. York sighed. Mrs. Crowley didn’t have any family in Mistletoe Falls. Sometimes York wondered if she brought the car in more for his company than to fix any possible problems. Before he could head upstairs to his apartment over the shop, a strange sensation washed over him, one that surprised the ever-loving snowflake out of him.
Magic.
York straightened so fast his head hit the hood of the car. “Fudgesicles, that hurt.”
He rubbed his greasy palm over his aching head, then grumbled again, both at the grease he’d smeared into his hair and the egg-sized knot he’d managed to create.
Then his entire body tingled, and a shiver rushed down his spine.
He remembered that feeling.
But it couldn’t be.
Could it?
York looked around to see if one of his cousins had managed to pull off a prank on him, but the shop remained silent. He wasn’t surprised. As the only night owl of the cousins, York liked working when the rest of the town’s residents were tucked up fast asleep in their beds, unable to stop by for quick, meaningless chats that annoyed the figgy pudding out of him.
He liked the silent nights, but maybe he was more tired than he realized if he was imagining magic. Magic had been waning in the human realm for decades, and the odds of it returning were as dim as the magic he had left. His body shook and a pull from deep in the earth surged through him, a direct challenge to his thoughts.
“What in the frosted chestnuts was that?”
The answer came seconds later when sparks began shooting out of his fingers.
Bright. Red. Sparks.
York dropped the wrench in his hand, ignoring the catastrophic clanging as it disappeared into the depths of the Cadillac’s innards. He dashed to the back of his shop before taking the stairs two at a time, passing the second-floor entrance to his apartment, until he reached the door to the third-story roof.
The moment he stepped outside, his past and present collided.
Magic was back in Mistletoe Falls.
He watched the glowing tree in the center of town square and cackled as his own magic flooded back into him, the red sparks from his hands shooting wildly around him.
Magic was back in Mistletoe Falls…which meant the Yule Lads could once again get up to snow good.
present day
“Frosted snickerdoodle antlers!”
York raised an eyebrow at the curse from his normally calm and collected cousin, Leif. He wiped his greasy hands on a shop cloth and walked through the open bay door toward the familiar voice outside. He found Leif struggling to maneuver a tightly bound tree from the roof of the little pickup York had spent the last several years keeping out of the junkyard. It was one pothole away from falling into a thousand pieces, no matter how hard York worked to keep it running. Leif would be better off driving a sleigh at this point. It would be more reliable.
“What are you doing?” York asked, not able to hide his smile as Leif fought the tree and lost.
Leif paused and glanced over his shoulder. The tree had somehow gotten tangled under the strap of Leif’s jean overalls, part of his Weston’s Tree Farm uniform. “Quit laughing at me and get over here.”
York tucked the dirty rag into his pocket but didn’t move. They’d had this conversation year after year. York always lost the fight, but he held on to the hope that one day his cousin would listen to him. “I don’t want a tree.”
“Yes.” Leif growled and tugged the tree harder. “You.” It slipped out of Leif’s hands, landed on the ground, and rolled until it reached York’s feet. “Do!”
Leif threw his hands up in a victory pose. “Ha! The universe has spoken, and it agrees with me.”
“We’ve discussed this,” York said, staring down at the evergreen brushing his booted toes. “I don’t do trees. I don’t do decorations. My talents lie in…other areas.”
Leif snorted. “As do mine, cousin. But we have also discussed the fact that we need to fit in around here, which means decorating. So shut your pie hole and help me get this absolutely perfect specimen of a tree into your apartment. We’ll put it in the front window so the entire town will think you’re as festive as everyone else.”
“Just because I loathe gaudy baubles and lights bright enough to illuminate the town doesn’t mean I’m not festive.”
Leif simply glared. There was no arguing with his stubborn cousin when it came to his love for Yuletide trees. The obsession had led to Leif taking a job at Weston’s Tree Farm, which gave him daily contac
“West picked it out for you.”
And done.
Leif should have led with that argument in the first place. Instead, his cousin looped his thumbs through the straps of his overalls which made him appear even smaller than he already was. The red and black checked buffalo plaid didn’t help. Leif looked barely legal.
Of course, York valued his life and wouldn’t comment on West’s choices for his employees’ uniforms. No one argued with Leif when it came to West. His cousin dug in his heels like a Yule goat, and goddess help anyone who refused to back down. York wasn’t sure whether he more closely resembled a screaming goat or the more common head-butting version. Was there a combination of both? Because that was Leif where West was concerned.
With a grumble of discontent, York hefted the tree over his shoulder and carried it inside. “You’d think the name of my shop was festive enough for everyone,” York complained.
If he didn’t, Leif might think something was wrong with him. Better to keep up appearances.
“And you’ve spent the last forever years whining about it. I think Peppermint Condition Mechanics is the perfect name for your shop. Goddess, you’re such a grinch this year. Aren’t you the least bit excited about having our magic back? Think of all the fun we’re going to have tormenting the Sprites.”
Now that did bring a small smile to York’s face. He wondered if the Sprites even remembered the lore. Wherever there were Sprites, there were Yule Lads. The yin to their yang. The mischief makers to their merry makers.
It had been so long since they’d had their magic, though, it was hard to remember the good old days when they’d pranked the sprites while the sprites created their merriment. Besides, even though they all lived in the small town of Mistletoe Falls, the Lad cousins tended to stick to themselves. It wouldn’t surprise York one bit if the sprites had completely forgotten they existed.
Oh, they were all respectable members of the community and whatnot, but it wasn’t like York went to all the town’s events…or any of them unless Edgar forced him to be there. Even then, he always snuck out at the first opportunity.
He’d rather fix cars and ignore all the rest of the nonsense that came with living in the small Christmas-themed town they called home.
“Hey, York.” Leif’s voice had the oddest tone, not sounding nearly as sure of himself as he normally did.
York leaned the tree against the wall in his living room and turned to Leif. “What?”
“What do you call a penis wearing a Santa hat?”
York blinked. He couldn’t have heard that correctly. “What?”
“Jolly Old Saint Dick!” Leif doubled over with laughter before sinking down onto York’s leather sofa.
“Did you just…why…you know what, never mind.”
“It was funny, right?” Leif’s forehead creased with worry lines. “I’ve been trying to learn some jokes to make West laugh. He’s been so serious lately, and he won’t tell me what’s got him stressed out.”
“And you thought a dirty Santa joke was your best course of action?”
Leif shrugged. “I figured it was worth a shot. Nothing else is working.”
“Well, it was funny as hell, so go for it. At the very least, you’ll shock a smile out of him.”
Leif grinned. “You still have the tree stand in the storage closet?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll go get it. Oh, and Uriel and Edgar are coming over. They wanted to make sure we’re ready for the prank war to begin. I mean, we’ve been planning for a year, but you know Edgar.”
York rubbed his forehead as his cousin left the room in search of the tree stand. He had no idea why the goddess had chosen to make Edgar a hyper-focused-on-details party planner on top of being a Yule Lad, but she had. York fondly remembered the days when they could prank spontaneously.
Those days were long past. Edgar wanted everything planned.
What was wrong with some old-fashioned coal in the stockings? No muss, no fuss. Just the way York liked it.
Then again….
York couldn’t help but grin when he thought about their plans for the coming month. “You better watch out,” York sang under his breath with a laugh.
“I heard that!” Leif held up the tree stand triumphantly and carried it over to the prime position in front of York’s living room window.
York pretended he didn’t know what his cousin meant. He lifted the tree once more so Leif could position the stand beneath it, and then adjusted it until Leif was satisfied with its straightness.
“Perfect. Now we need lights and decorations. Where did you put them? They weren’t in the storage closet.”
York pretended not to hear the question. “I think I hear Uriel and Edgar.”
Leif gasped. “You got rid of your decorations? AGAIN? York!”
“It’s fine. I’ll throw some lights on the thing, and no one will know the difference from the street. Don’t make a big deal out of it.”
“Oh, I won’t. I’ll just tell Edgar and let him handle it.”
York huffed and went into his small kitchen to find a snack. He’d skipped dinner again, and if Edgar wanted to have another planning talk, it would probably last for hours.
His cousin always got wound up before one of his events. The parades the town hosted every weekend from Thanksgiving to Yule were starting in a couple days, and that meant their first round of mischief was afoot.
After selecting one of the muffins he’d picked up from Mistledough Bakery and adding it to the plate of leftover takeout he’d warmed up, York returned to the living room to find Leif looking out the window toward town square. York joined him, staring at the huge spruce that stood in recognition of the magic infused into Mistletoe Falls. Many years of magic from Sprites and Lads alike added fuel to the town, driving its holiday spirit. York hadn’t realized just how much their magic had dimmed until the sudden influx of it from the sprites the year before.
“It doesn’t feel real,” Leif said. “I keep thinking I’m imagining it all, and we’ll go back to the way it’s been for years.”
“You aren’t the only one. But we’ve spent the past year watching the Sprites glow with magic. We aren’t imagining that.”
Leif shot York a look. “And mates.”
“What?”
“Magic and mates. They’re all madly in love.”
York grunted. “Don’t confuse correlation and causation.”
“Excellent use of the terms, cousin,” Uriel said from the door of York’s apartment. “However, I believe there’s more of a connection than you’d care to admit. All four of the cousins found love over the course of a month. That reads as a connection to me.”
York grunted as Edgar came into the room behind their cousin, typing furiously into his phone. “Why am in charge of wrangling this…this heathen?”
With a cackle, York left the window and sank down onto the couch. “Because you let the mayor rope you into planning the big charity thingy. Paint your head red and call you a sucker.”
“I’m not a sucker,” Edgar said, shooting a glare toward York. Then he snarled at the naked Yule tree in the window. “Where are your decorations?”
Leif’s evil laughter made York drop his head onto the back of the couch. The tattletale didn’t waste a second before betraying York. “He threw them away.”
And there it was.
The gasp of horror he’d been expecting, followed by a shriek of annoyance. “How could you?”
