Denver Pack Christmas
Denver Pack
Book Twelve 1/2
Author: Jana Leigh
Editor: Rose Colton
Artwork by JK Publishing INC
Published by JK Publishing INC
Denver Pack Christmas
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Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
© Copyright December 2012 JK Publishing, Inc. as part of a grouping “A Denver Hunt HeVanly Christmas”
Reissued March 2013
All cover art and logo © Copyright 2012 by JK Publishing, Inc.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.
Dear fans,
I was truly not going to put a dedication in this book. Finishing this part of the series was like a journey through time. Over the last three years, I have written this series, and loved my characters; however, as I prepared for this book I realized what was bothering me. I never finished the Denver Pack Series.
Therefore, this book is a combination of the old and new, plus an added twist. I truly hope you enjoy my trip down memory lane, as well as the completion of the Denver Pack Series.
I will now be able to move on with the Chosen War Series. My characters will always be in my heart, but their story is finished.
Thank you for being fans and reading my wacky books.
Jana Leigh
Table of Contents
~Prologue
~Chapter One
~Chapter Two
~Chapter Three
~Chapter Four
~Chapter Five
~Chapter Six
~Excerpt from Alpha’s Mate
~Excerpt from Cat’s Choice
~Excerpt from The Mating Call
~Excerpt from Playing with Zach
~Excerpt from Dangerous Trio Part One
~Books by Jana Leigh
Prologue
The snow, glistening on the mountains of Colorado in the early-morning light, proved this Christmas was going to be perfect. Cami danced and continued to hum, decorating the Pack Community room for the celebration, they were having on Christmas day. It was a special time for the Pack. They were finally complete, and each of them blessed to have children this year. The Seer from the Old Council’s Prophesy was almost complete. The New Council decided to have a ceremony on New Year’s Eve for the magical community to recognize their new leaders. Of course, Cami seriously doubted the Rogues were going to show up, as she chuckled to herself.
It was their second year here in Milliken, Colorado. After the first year’s Christmas being such a disaster, this one was going to be perfect if it freaking killed her. The pint-sized Alpha, of course, would have used another word. However, her mates made her promise no cussing for the month of December. She was starting her New Year’s Resolution early. Right, Cami smiled, like that was gonna happen.
So much changed and yet stayed the same. Their Pack was growing and prospering. The New Council was getting them ready for what was to come. Every day, a new crisis seemed to come up, and they would have to deal with the Rogues, who were not letting up with their plans to destroy the New Council. However, for the next week, the office would close for business, as would the compound. Quin and Jaden arranged for time off for all the New Council. The New Council Pack was on lockdown after tomorrow at midnight.
Her mates and the other men of the New Council were arranging for wards to be place around the community for the entire Christmas Holiday. They worked on it all year. Quin and Jaden hired the best witches from Lacy’s Coven. They arrived a week ago and began the process. After tomorrow, communication with the New Council would only be available through phones or emails. If there were an emergency, they had a plan in place. The word was sent out and so far, everything had been running smoothly. All the leaders around the world were doing similar things in their areas. Reports came in daily to Argus, and things were going according to plan.
Cami couldn’t believe her life could’ve changed this much in the last two years. She made more friends than she could ever have imagined. Living her lonely solitary life had been okay, but this, this was so much more. She had so much to be thankful for, her mates, her children, and their Pack. Sometimes it seemed a little surreal that this had all happened.
The women who came into her life were like a blessing in itself. If she could ever tell them how much they meant to her, she was sure they would have a big, huge crying fest that would freak the hell out of the men. Her friends were due soon and she wanted to have most of the decorating done, because they were going shopping. It was the first time in a long time they had all been together and gone out. Meeting all the different magical people in the world also was one of her favorite things. It was like an obsession; one of her mates rolled his eyes at her every time she met a new magical being because the embarrassing questions would fly.
Jaden still hadn’t forgiven her for interrupting a meeting of the newly revealed Vampire Nation, to ask if they had orgasms when they sucked peoples’ blood. One of the oldest Vampires had offered to show her, which led to a completely new level of discussions. One, her men assured her, gave them nightmares for weeks.
Who would have thought there were Werewolves, Vampires, Shifter Cats, and numerous other magical creatures in the world? Cami thought back to when she first found out, and chuckled to herself. Sitting in a chair staring out of a window just thinking and processing had seemed so calm compared to some of the other reactions she could have had. Hell, running through the streets of Denver screaming at the top of her lungs should have been her reaction.
She stopped and looked around the room, the silver and gold decorations sparkled in the light, reminding her of the snow that was covering the ground outside. In addition, the little shifter animal garland was strung properly along the fireplaces and the windows. Wolves, lions, tigers, dragons (though no one knew we had one), bears, foxes, and a few other thrown in. Cami paid handsomely to have those made. The garland was thick silver and gold with the animals dangling from them in various colors. Overall, things were shaping up.
Her best friend Jo walked into the room, laughed and yelled, “Nap time!”
“I know. I just got mine down too, you know in a few more months they are going to refuse to take one. Hope already is being a pain about it,” Cami commented and then snapped her fingers, like her daughter learned to do, in front of herself.
“She is a leader too; mine won’t go down until she does. Their freaky connection is getting stronger since everyone has had their children,” Jo said and fingered the bulbs on the table.
“I think they are trying to find the presents too. I saw the twins snooping in their fathers’ office,” Cami said and laughed.
“If they knew we hid them in the guestrooms they would be all over it,” Jo said.
“That reminds me, last-minute shopping and stocking stuffer's trip is this afternoon. The guys are tak
ing the kids sledding,” Cami said and then hung more bulbs on the tree.
Casey, Jordan and Cloe wandered into the room and smiled.
“That is what we were headed here for!” Cloe said and pulled out a credit card. “I got the unlimited one!”
“Nice, we also get to go to dinner, and we have drivers, so you know what that means?” Jo smirked.
“Finally, I get to drink?” Bama said from the doorway where her, Trinity, and Shea stood.
“I had to promise not to make the guards dance,” Shea laughed.
“That’s ‘cause none of the Enforcers wanted to come with us, they had to draw straws,” Cami drawled.
“Wimps,” Trinity said and plucked up a bulb and began to help.
“My men are as bad as the children,” Ruby complained as she walked in.
“I know. You should see my men. They are looking in the storage area for ‘gloves’,” Lacy laughed and walked in. “Hell, I haven’t even bought them their gifts yet. They are hard to buy for.”
“Ha, try a lion that has everything,” Skye said following.
“Where is Jordan?” Cami asked looking at the group of women who were like family to her now.
“Here, just had to grab my list. Man, the guys are being a pain,” she laughed.
“Well, we will have more time to complain about the men when we are at dinner. Help me finish this room, and then we’ll be off,” Cami said and gave everyone something to do.
It didn’t take too much time for them to be done with their decorating, when they finally stood back, Cami grinned.
“It looks like a Winter Wonderland,” Jo said in awe.
“I hope I didn’t go too far,” Cami said.
“Uh, when has that ever stopped you?” Casey laughed and then ducked when a large bow move toward her.
“You need to help me get this cleaned up, so we can do the shopping. I have everything arranged down to the storage of the wrapped presents,” Cami announced, and all the women began to chat and laugh, as they made sure the Pack room was ready for Christmas.
Quin and Jaden were playing Santa. The costumes were ready. Cami had to do a little persuading, but finally, the Alphas relented when she said she was going to have a special something on Christmas Eve for them when the kids went to bed─men.
The twelve women gathered their belongings and then proceeded out the front door of the Pack house.
Four large SUV's driven by their guards were ready and waiting. Since the last incident in Denver, the Enforcers were more prepared when the group of ladies went out. They had code words for all the Enforcers, so they would know what was happening. They also had GPS tracking installed on their phones, if one of them failed to check in at the required time, they could find them. The leader of this outing was Marshall; he was the head of the day shift Enforcers. He was also a very serious cat. Cami loved to mess around with him, and he repeatedly complained to the Alphas about their mate; it was like a game they played.
Cami kept trying to find his mate; she was convinced it would be a Troll. It was the only magical creatures she could think of that had not revealed themselves to the New Council. Marshall, of course, took offense to that, explaining that a tiger would not just mate anyone. He had standards. Cami loved messing with him; it was entertaining, and she knew the man secretly loved it.
Chapter One
“They gone?” Quin asked from his office doorway.
All the men of the Council were in his office making sure the women were gone before coming out to the Pack room, grouped around the windows and door, waiting for their women to leave the house. Few men could declare twenty-two best friends and actually mean it.
“All clear,” Dalton said, and stood with his hands on his hips looking at the room the women decorated. “Whoa!”
They did an awesome job; all the men commented one-way or another. That wasn’t their problem. They were screwed when it came to gifts this year. It had all been so easy when they were newly married, all of them were happy with the flowers and the small tokens they bought them. Now the pressure was on; the second Christmas was the key. Well, at least it was, according to the chick’s magazine they had found lying on the table in the den of the Pack house. It could only mean one thing; they were expecting something from them and all of them were clueless.
“So who has what?” Jaden asked and looked at his friends.
Over the last two years, like the women, the men had become very close. With the personalities they had flying around on any given day, they need to be backup for each other. They learned to adapt, but they were not making the same mistake they had last year. No, this year they were going not to give their mates anything to gang up on them about. Last year, Griff, made them all a mother’s ring, they added to it when the children were born. He was refusing to be the fall guy this year; the women loved the gift, but they all commented on how they all got the same thing. Hell, who could understand the female mind when it came to that shit?
Besides, everyone was coming this year, all the parents, all the siblings, and all the New Council Pack. Granted, that made it a huge number, but Quin and Jaden were smart this year; the girls missed their families last year. To make up for it, Cami, and the girls said they would handle everything; it got out of hand.
None of the men had seen their mates until Christmas night, when they fell asleep in exhaustion from cooking, planning, and cleaning for over three hundred people. Some of the women of the Pack helped, but Cami and the others insisted they wanted to make things special.
Therefore, this year when the planning began, all the men put their foot down and insisted they had the meal catered, and a cleaning crew come in to deal with things. Cami relented. However, it had been a major argument in the Conference room because all the women wanted to make this second year better than the last. Especially, since all the families were coming.
It wasn’t hard to outdo last year, Quin wanted to laugh. They were attacked during the large buffet, and most of the food ended up thrown against the walls. Cami and the other women had been pissed and jumped into the fray. A cluster fuck was an understatement, compared to what they could have called the ending to their holidays last year.
“We have the Pack all coming into the compound for lockdown on December 22nd, the first day of the Winter Solstice,” Tey said and laughed. “We have beds for everyone in the cabins and the snow made it look like Christmas out there. They only plowed lanes to the front door, so the kids can make snowmen if they want. It was a brilliant plan to have small cabins built on the back part of the land for visiting members and family, Trace.”
All the Council members had homes on the compound in Milliken, Colorado. The base for the New Council Pack was a small unassuming community that was chocked full of shifters and other magical people. Some people passing through always commented on the unusual stores in their small downtown area. Lev, the new town Sheriff, made sure none of the humans figured it out. Most thought the area was full of tree huggers, so it made perfect sense to have a designer clothes store, a women’s lingerie store, and a potion shop, although most humans thought it was a voodoo store.
“What did Cami say?” Blaine asked and leaned back on the wall folding his arms and looking grumpy. “Kira just says it’s up to us.”
“It’s like a trap,” Lagon grumbled. “If I thought it would do any good, I would allow all of you to come and get something from my stash. Even so, seriously, then we would be blamed for giving them old stuff. I mean who cares when I got it. But they would, you all know it.”
The men grumbled and agreed. “So, who has any good ideas?”
“Shit,” Quin said and ran his hand over his face.
“Cussing?” Jaden smirked.
“Shut up,” the Alpha replied and looked around the room.
Twenty-three men stared at each other helplessly, and then they did the only thing they could do. They called for reinforcement. The group watched as Sid shook his head and called his mom. “M
om? We kinda have an issue.”
“So, who are we betting calls one of the moms?” Casey laughed and looked around the store; they were all shopping for their men. If nothing else, this year had been entertaining making the men panic with all their well-placed hints about gifts.
“I already called mine, so far nothing,” Ruby, chirped up. “But my mom said she would let us know if they did. She wanted to be sure what to tell them.”
“I thought we all agreed. One-week vacations to somewhere exotic. We all watch the others kids, and we all get some much needed alone time with the guys,” Bama asked. “I, for one, want to go somewhere I can show off the post baby boobs. I mean seriously, Trace is enamored with the increased size of my chest.”
All of them laughed, and Trinity turned and looked around to make sure no one was paying attention before she said, “Blaze practically clapped when mine increased a size or two after the babies. I was trying to lose the baby weight, and he was complaining when the first thing he noticed getting smaller was my chest.”
“You know, Devon is more of an ass man,” Casey said.
Cloe held up a particularly sexy nightie and said, “Darien and Teagan don’t really care, as long as they have their names tattooed on my ass where they can see it, they are good.”