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The love of my mates and my witches is what I’ve always been searching for, and I’m so happy to have it now.
“Come on witches! We’ve got gifts to open, then we all need to get ready to see our mates. Plus, we have an awesome fucking dinner party to go to tonight!” Lee winks at me as she climbs out of my bed and pulls Chloe off of me.
The two of them leave the room, pushing and shoving each other like two sisters and giggling when they start to race down the hall. Tali hugs me tightly to her chest and rests her head on my shoulder. She isn’t making any moves to get up, and I don’t really mind. Of all my friends, I’ve known her the longest.
“Are you happy, Belle? Truly happy?” She sounds so wistful as she whispers the questions in my ear.
“Yeah, I am, Tali. For the first time in my life, I don’t feel like I’m missing something inside,” I whisper back to her, a soft smile on my face as I stare up at the ceiling. “What about you? Are you happy now that you have mates that really love you?”
“Yeah, Belle. I’m so happy, it’s scary.”
We both get up together and hold hands as we walk into the living room to have Christmas with our family.
Nick grabs my hands and pulls them up to his mouth. I’ve been fussing with the skirt of my dress again. Everyone will be here any minute, and I’m nervous to host my first Christmas dinner. I know, logically, that it’s just my friends and their mates, but I can’t seem to snap out of my nerves.
“Beautiful, you have to calm down. You already know everyone that is going to be here. Even if the turkey catches on fire or the lights go out, tonight is going to go perfect.”
I stare up at Nick with a blank expression. He cannot be serious right now.
“Why would you say that, Nick Darkmere? Now I’m freaking out more!”
Panic makes my chest grow tight, and Nick looks like he doesn’t know what to do with me. That makes two of us, because I have no idea what to do to calm down.
Arms wrap around my waist from both sides and I’m pressed between two bodies. Another set of arms wrap around my shoulder and chest and a thick frame cradles my back against his chest. Surrounded by all of my mates, my breaths slow and my brain starts to work right.
“We’ve got you, Sweet Girl. My family loves you, so do your friends and their mates. Nothing is going to happen. We won’t let it. I promise.”
Derek’s sweet words calm me even more, and I let my body relax between them all. I take a few deep breaths and nod my head. They are right. Nothing is going to go wrong tonight because we are all together and together, there is nothing we can’t do.
Then the doorbell rings.
I gasp and my gaze shoots to Nick’s. He smiles sweetly at me and leans down to kiss my forehead before walking off to answer the door. Cy grabs one hand and Jack grabs the other. They lead me down the hall and into the foyer where Nick is busy greeting Laoise and all eight of her mates. I’ve met all of these guys before, and every time I see them, I’m a little intimidated by their size. Lee isn’t a small girl, skinny yes, but she is tall. All of her mates make her look petite in comparison.
Lee rushes over and hugs me as soon as she sees me standing behind Nick. She doesn’t care that my mates are all around me or that hers are standing awkwardly in the doorway. She just wraps her arms around me and tells me everything will be fine.
“Hi Belle, it’s great to see you again!” Dáinn comes over and kisses me on the check, making Derek growl. Lee and I both chuckle but Dáinn looks up at Derek.
“Damn, Belle, you know how to find the hot ones.” Dáinn winks at me, and Derek stops growling. Rory scoffs and Dáinn’s brothers chuckle under their breaths.
The whole interaction seems to have set both groups at ease, and we all turn to head to the living room where Derek’s family is waiting. Before we make it, the doorbell rings again. Nick continues to lead Lee and her mates to the living room while the rest of us stay in the foyer. Cy goes to open the door and Tali walks in with her mates trailing behind her.
Just like Lee, Tali rushes over and hugs me. While she is squeezing me to her chest, she whispers in my ear. “We havegotto talk. Tomorrow, we are having an emergency meeting at Serendripity.”
I nod, and Tali walks back to her mates. She introduces my mates to hers and the big bald one, I think his name is Prince, looks up at Derek and gasps.
“Oh my goodness! You’re Derek Tinker aren’t you?”
Derek glances at me, then nods his head. I’ve never seen my pixie look so nervous before. He is side-eying the excited shifter while moving his body to half hide behind Jack. I’m biting my lip to hold in the laughter, but I pat Derek’s hand and listen.
“I love your work man! Our whole house was furnished by you, except for a few things we brought from our home town. It’s an honor to meet you!”
Prince steps forward and grasps Derek’s hand, shaking it so hard the hair on his head is flopping back and forth. The smile on Prince’s face is so boyish and full of joy. His eyes are filled with awe as they move from Derek’s face to his hands and back again. The darkly tanned man steps up and clasps his hands around Prince’s upper arms, then he pulls the penguin away from my pixie.
“Alright man, step away from the woodsmith. Deep breaths Prince. It’s okay.”
Prince takes deep breaths as Pablo, I think that is his name at least, pushes him down the hall behind a laughing Jack. Tali and her last mate, Spike, follow the other three to the living room and Derek grabs my hand to follow, but I tug him back. Almost as if on cue, the doorbell rings again.
“I thought Nickie was the mind reader, Pretty Girl,” Cy calls over his shoulder as he moves to open the door for Chloe and her mates.
