Hers for the Holidays

Chapter Fifteen

“Oh Emily, don’t say that.”  Celeste smoothed Emily’s hair back, as she continued to sob.

“It’s true, I’m not a shifter.  He can’t really want me as a mate, I’d weaken him.”  She pulled back from her mother’s embrace and scrubbed at her red glassy eyes.

“You are a shifter, sweetheart.  She’s just waiting for the right time to wake up, I know it.”  Celeste said trying to comfort her daughter as best as she could.  “Your father said that your Abuela didn’t shift until she was almost thirty.  You are so much like her, I promise that your beast will wake up and you’ll see what it’s like, it will have been worth the wait.”  

***

“So did you already mess things up with Emily?”  CJ asked as he walked outside.

“What do you want?”  Vincent asked. He didn’t want to deal with CJ right now and he had the feeling that CJ wasn’t completely human either.

“To swoop in and save the day, you know steal the princess.”  He said with a teasing chuckle.  

“What are you?”  Vincent said as he glanced up.

“More powerful than you wolf and a lot bigger.”  He said peering at him, the beast that lurked under his skin flashed through his eyes, making the pupil smaller and slit almost like a bird’s keen eyes were looking at him.  

“You don’t scare me, CJ,”  Vincent said with a raised eyebrow a challenge glowing in his dark eyes.

“Good, I don’t want to win because you’re afraid.”  CJ said with a nod.

“Hard to be afraid of what I’m pretty sure is a big bird, are you a swan or an oversized pigeon?”  Vincent asked in a teasing tone, feeling the ache in his chest slowly start to ease up with the friendly banter.

“Oversized pigeon, that’s priceless.  I must save that for another time.  No, I’m much more ancient and rare than those creatures.”  CJ said with a smirk as he watched Emily and her mother make their way to the house.  “She’s hurt.” He said his voice filled with concern as he turned to glare at Vincent.

“I didn’t hurt her, she backed into the rosebushes and scratched herself.”  Vincent said with a low growl, upset that CJ would think he could hurt his mate.

“You still should have taken care of her,”  CJ said in a low growl that only the shifters could hear.  Celeste’s cat-like eyes flashed at him and he took a deep breath. It wouldn’t do to have the girl’s mother who he was interested in mad at him.  

“I think the best course of action was to let her mother step in.  You need to stay out of our relationship.” Vincent warned, not taking his eyes off of Emily.  His mate had her head down as she walked, not looking up at either of them. He wanted her to look at him, to give him some shred of hope.  She didn’t though as her mother stopped to slip her heels back on. CJ watched Celeste lead Emily into the house before he turned back to look at the wolf.

“What relationship?”  He asked with a mischievous wink as he headed towards the house.

Inside the kitchen Emily was sitting at the table as her mother ran a washcloth under warm water. She brought the warm cloth to her before turning to go get the rarely used first aid kit.  CJ walked in and sat across from Emily. She didn’t look up at him as breathedhe took her hand in his own.  Slowly and carefully he cleaned the scratches off. He didn’t look up as the smell of her tears hit him.  He tenderly cleaned her hand until Celeste sat the first aid kit on the table before finishing up the drinks and taking them into the living room. CJ sat the rag on the table and opened the kit, pulling out the antiseptic and bandages.  

“I can do it, I don’t need your help.”  Emily said finally looking up.

“I want to help you, Em,” CJ breathed out as he dabbed her hand with a cotton ball that smelled strongly of the antiseptic.  She went to pull her hand away, and he held her fingers tighter.

“CJ-” Emily whispered as he glanced up at her. She felt her stomach do a strange flip at the way he was looking at her, this wasn’t good.  The door slammed, and she jumped looking over at the back door as Vincent walked in.

“I’ll take care of her,”  He said in a low almost angry tone that left no room for argument, CJ held up an unopened bandaid for Vincent.  He took it and peeled the wrapper away gently taking Emily’s small delicate hand in his own. The soft feel of the light calluses on her hands from gaming made him smile. They were like the ones on his own hands.  He placed the bandage over her scrapes and then gently touched the skin of her wrist, making sure that she hadn’t gotten anymore cuts.

“I’m sorry,”  he whispered.

“Vincent, don’t.  You shouldn’t apologize, I’m sorry for roping you into this.  I didn’t know.” Emily said still not looking up at him, how could she tell him she wasn’t a shifter even if her entire family was.  

“This is hard to watch, I’ll see you later Princess.”  CJ said as he moved away from the table, not wanting to see the tender way Vincent was gazing at Emily.

“I don’t think I like him anymore.”  Vincent said as he glanced towards the other man’s retreating form, before he turned to look back at Emily.

“He’s not serious,”  Emily said pulling her hand away and resting it in her lap.

“Yes, he is.”  Vincent said, “So am I, I’ll show you that I love you, not just love you, I like you Emily.”  

“Vincent-”  Emily whimpered, feeling the truth to his words tug at her heart.  She wanted to tell him she liked him as well, that she could see herself falling for him easily.  She didn’t though as her rambunctious twin nephews ran through the kitchen at break neck speeds.