Christmas Three by Dahlia Rose Page A

going to crack me on my knuckles with a spoon.”
    “Well, this is the last holiday for a while,” Alex said.
    “Wrong. Valentine’s Day. I saw her looking at some craft magazine showing how to make hearts with red tinsel and wire,” Dominic said. Alex met his gaze for a moment and they both shuddered this time. “Anyway, you should know that this afternoon I caught sight of one of Vernon’s pack. Pinned him down in the woods to the west.”
    “Pinned him down, meaning you caught him and let him go, right?” Alex asked. “What the fuck is Vernon’s problem?”
    “Oh, I let him go, no worse for wear, just a little banged up.” Dominic met his gaze again. “I’ll tell you what his problem is and she’s making spiked eggnog as we speak. He wants Tempest.”
    “Fucker won’t get her, that’s for sure. I keep hoping this won’t come down to a fight, but it’s heading that way, isn’t it?” Alex said.
    “There’s going to be a fight. The thing is , you know we’ll win and then we’ll be pack leaders, which is the one thing we’ve been trying to avoid.” Dominic spread himself out on the couch. “They keep coming closer and closer. The guy I caught today said Vernon asked for him to keep an eye on us, our habits, and to bring him pictures of Tempest.”
    “Destroyed the camera?” Alex questioned.
    “Oh, no doubt,” Dominic said casually. “He wasn’t leaving with pictures of her.”
    “We should tell her what’s going on,” Alex surmised.
    “It will be fine. No use scaring her. Vernon will watch her from afar because he wouldn’t dare take her. He knows we’d have his neck.” Dominic stretched. “There is no way he can get to Tempest. We have no contact with his pack so no one can coerce her away from us.”
    Alex nodded. “I’ll kill him if he touches her.”
    “Then you’d be pack leader. Are you ready for that?” Dominic pointed out.
    “It could be you,” Alex retorted.
    “I’m a hothead. I can’t be leader,” Dominic said mildly.
    Alex chuckled. “Uh-huh, anarchy would reign.”
    “Just as long as we stay on our side of the fence and give him no reason to come here, we’re good.” Dominic rolled off the sofa. “I’m going to go see if I can snag a snack before dinner.”
    “Good luck with that. If you manage it, grab me a honey bun,” Alex said.
    “Yeah, I take the risk, you get a honey bun,” Dominic grumbled good-naturedly.
    Alex watched him leave and then frowned deep within himself. He knew that Vernon wouldn’t take no for an answer. A war was coming and he would rip the Acadia pack leader apart if that was what was needed to keep Tempest safe. Then you’d be pack leader. Are you ready for that? Dominic’s words bothered him because they may end up being true. Vernon would have to be challenged. Tempest was theirs, her scent was in his nose and he could close his eyes and always recall her taste. The three of them slept in one big bed and her smooth milk chocolate skin was only theirs to touch.
    He made a frustrated sound in his throat and went back to the lights he still held in his hands, hoping it would take his mind off everything. Tempest was in the kitchen, in their home. She was safe.
    * * * *
    “The dishes are all done, Tempest,” Dominic said.
    She looked up from the kitchen table where she was stringing popcorn and cranberries and smiled. “Thanks, Dom.”
    She loved her men. Dominic with his brooding dark good looks and gorgeous eyes. He was so rough and tumble with a hint of that fiery temper underneath, but when he smiled it took her breath away and when he touched her, she melted in his arms every single time. While, on the other side of the coin, Alex had boyish good looks with a lighter hair color and an easygoing temperament. That didn’t mean you should take him lightly though. Her mom had always said to look out for the quiet ones and that statement described Alex to perfection. Beneath that mild manner, he could be deadly, especially