Page 33 of A Swan for Christmas

Vic hadn’t wanted to leave Kellan’s side for the run even before he’d begun acting strange. He sure as hell wasn’t going anywhere now.

“I already told Skip I couldn’t make it and he’s passing the message along to everyone else. Oh, and Skip wanted me to tell you Merry Christmas and that he misses you.”

Kellan tried to blink his eyes open, but he seemed to give up and they fell closed again. “Skip really said he misses me?”

“Well, in so many words he did. You know how he is.”

One corner of Kellan’s mouth quirked. “Yeah. I do.”

Kellan remained quiet and Vic was at a loss. He didn’t want to bother him if he was trying to sleep but he was also frantic to verify that he was okay.

Maybe I should call Dr. Arthur.

Vic found his phone on the nightstand where he’d left it for Kellan, then exited the room as softly as he could. He’d been in such a hurry to get to his mate, that he hadn’t taken off his boots yet. He pulled the bedroom door almost all the way closed, leaving it open a crack to have a better chance at hearing Kellan should he call out.

Once he’d removed his boots and outer layers of clothing, he put in a call to Dr. Arthur. After six rings, the call went to voicemail and Vic gritted his teeth in frustration. He understood that it was late on a holiday evening, but dammit, this was about Kellan! He left a quick ‘call me immediately’ message then set the phone on the coffee table so he could build the fire back up.

Every five minutes or so, he’d peek in the bedroom to see if anything had changed with Kellan. Then he’d poke at the fire, check his voicemail in case the phone had randomly decided not to ring, then start the process all over again. At one point, he decided to make himself a snack, but after two bites of gingerbread, he lost interest.

The clock crept closer to midnight and Vic had to admit he was exhausted. Between the extra long day at the restaurant and inn, combined with the high levels of stress draining him, he could barely keep his eyes open. When he went into the bedroom to get out of his clothes and see if Kellan wanted to join him on the foam mattress, he was stunned to discover that Kellan had managed to get himself in a somewhat upright position.

Kellan sat cross-legged in the middle of the blanket nest, his body curled forward with his chin resting against his chest. He’d wrapped his arms around himself but still appeared to be asleep. Vic pondered what to do. Kellan had made it clear he didn’t want Vic touching him at the moment yet being separated from him entirely was unthinkable. Finally, he came up with a solution.

After he’d changed into a pair of flannel pajamas, something he hadn’t bothered wearing since Kellan had moved in, he checked to make sure the house was secure and the fire properly banked. Vic kept his footsteps soft as he moved through the room, taking one last glance at their Christmas tree with the string of multi-colored twinkling lights.

When he reentered the bedroom, Vic gathered a wool blanket from the foam mattress, then carefully climbed onto the bed with Kellan. He made sure to keep from jostling the blanket nest, settling himself at one edge and curling up on his side. Vic wrapped the blanket around his shoulders, arranging it around his legs the best he could in the awkward position.

Vic gazed up at Kellan. His mate’s breathing was slow, but steady, and somewhere deep inside Vic believed that Kellan was doing exactly what he was supposed to be doing. The gods would watch over his beautiful swan and keep their egg safe.

Soon, Vic’s eyes grew heavy, but he fought against the sleep trying to take him. No, not yet. Just a little longer. He didn’t want Kellan to go through the egg-laying all by himself, not when Vic could be there and offer encouragement, to share in the moment and reassure him if he became scared.

The wool blanket was doing its job and Vic had warmed up nicely. His eyelids fluttered, so he tried to keep his focus on Kellan, tried to keep from drifting off.

Kellan. My precious mate, my love…

The song of a cardinal invaded Vic’s dream and he tried to ignore it in favor of the imaginary outing he was enjoying with Kellan on the lake during some future summer. We can bring the baby. I bet it will be a water baby, same as its daddy. The slow trill of the winter bird cut through Vic’s peaceful world and his eyes flew open, his brain registering it was morning right as his eyes adjusted to the light.

He yelped, his arms flailing for a second before he tumbled off the bed and landed with a thump onto the braided rug. Vic lay there for a moment, his heart pounding, trying to work out whether he was still in a dream or truly awake. He sucked in a deep breath, then pushed up from the floor. He peered over the edge of the bed, his eyes widening at the scene before him.

A majestic swan, pure white and breathtakingly beautiful, was perched on the blanket nest, its beak tucked under one wing. Vic smiled, relief flooding him as he realized what had happened.

Kellan.

His mate had shifted. Whatever had been wrong was right again. Christmas morning had brought him the best gift ever. Vic’s jaw went slack as the swan gently morphed into Kellan, the feathers seeming to dissolve and the form of the giant bird gradually becoming human. The display fascinated Vic, Kellan’s shift not as jarring as what Vic experienced when he changed back and forth with his wolf.

Once Kellan emerged as completely human, Vic gasped at the sight of the perfect, cream-colored egg Kellan had wrapped his body around. Kellan locked gazes with him and smiled.

“I’m okay now, Vic, and so is the egg.”

“Oh sweetheart, I’m so happy.” He wiggled his fingers, desperate for contact with his mate. “Can I touch you?”

Kellan grinned, his eyes bright and complexion rosy. “And you should kiss me too.”

Vic climbed back on the bed and scooted as close to the nest as he dared. He had no idea how fragile the egg might be.

“You can get closer.” Kellan kept one arm wrapped protectively around the egg, but lifted the other up in invitation. “You should get used to the egg. I might need you to help once in a while during the incubation period.”

Vic moved into Kellan’s embrace, careful not to put any pressure against the shell or Kellan. “I’ll do whatever I can, but I don’t think it’s safe for me to sit on that.”