Page 93 of The Chosen One Universe: Volume One

“I will!” Henry yelled.

“Henry—”

Henry did his special magic thing and suddenly a flamey portal came into the living room. Uncle Meshaq ran out and his eyes were all flamey.

“Cool,” Ollie said. He liked Uncle Meshaq. He wondered if they could dress up like Toy Story again. He liked it when Uncle Meshaq was Slinky the dog. Ollie squirmed his way across Jack and onto Daddy’s lap.

“Everything okay?” Uncle Meshaq asked.

“Uncle Meshaq, will you protect us from Santa Claus?” Emily asked. “Pretty please? Daddy’s not very scary but you are.”

Uncle Meshaq scratched his head and started to back his way into the portal. “Um, sure. I don’t… what? This isn’t… I’m confused.”

“Don’t you go through that portal young man,” Nana said sharply.

Uncle Meshaq froze. “I won’t.”

“Henry,” Papa said, “I thought we agreed that we were only going to use our magic to call Uncle Meshaq when it was an emergency?”

Henry rubbed the bracelet on his arm. “But this was important, Papa. Isn’t that the same as emergency?”

“Pick your battles, son,” Grandpa William said.

Papa groaned and tugged Emily onto his lap beside Jack. Ollie cuddled closer to Daddy and tucked his nose against Daddy’s neck.

“So, everyone is clear now? No one has to defeat Santa Claus. He’s not a bad guy. There’s no challenge. You’re the alpha’s kids, end of story, and your Uncle Meshaq here will beat anybody up who says otherwise. Am I right?”

Uncle Meshaq looked confused. “Santa Claus isn’t—”

“Going to come into the house!” Papa yelled.

“Uh, right. You do realize they’d be able to smell—”

“Bah!” Papa yelled.

Ollie really didn’t know why he was yelling. Papa was kinda weird sometimes, though. It was probably a human thing.

Uncle Meshaq stopped talking and turned to Ollie. “I need a snack.”

“Me, too, Uncle Meshaq.”

“Figured. Gonna get us some nachos. Who wants to come with me?”

“Me!”

Ollie was pretty sure all of his siblings said yes. Except Ben who had a really funny look on his face. He was staring at Papa and Daddy like he was figuring out the answer to a question.

“Uh, that okay?” Uncle Meshaq asked.

Daddy sighed. “Fine.”

“I want to do the flamey thing,” Grandpa William said. “I’ll come too.”

“Portal,” Natasha said to Grandpa. “And you’ll have to stay by me. Uncle Meshaq’s bar is…” She raised her eyebrows, but Ollie had no clue what she meant.

“It is not!” Uncle Meshaq scooped Ollie up and tucked him against his side. Ollie leaned in close to see the flames in his eyes. So cool.

“Uncle Meshaq,” Natasha said, “Are you sure your bar is age appropriate for our grandpa?”