“That bad?”
“Ridiculous.”
“You did dye her kid blue,” she reminded him.
“Maybe it was for a good reason. Maybe we did it to save Thia’s life.”
Jacque snorted. “Sure you did. Just come down and get it over with.”
“She plans on taking pictures. There will be no ‘getting this over with’ because it will be immortalized in photographic form for all time.”
“Wow, wolf-man, you are being seriously dramatic.”
A minute later, her mate walked into the room. The pissed-off face he wore only made the whole thing even more hilarious. Jen had gotten the males reindeer outfits, complete with antlers, hooves, and a harness covered in bells. The eight other males followed a few seconds later, bells jingling as they walked. It was not a happy jingle sound, more like the procession of a Christmas elf funeral.
Jacque tried hard, she really did, but there was just no holding in the laughter that bubbled up out of her like a shaken Coke. The outfits were beyond outrageous, but it was the pissed-off faces of the males that made it complete.
“Perfect!” Jen clapped her hands together, and Thia joined her, also stomping her feet in excitement.
“Woodolf,” Thia giggled as she pointed at her daddy.
Decebel wasn’t holding a red nose in his hand. It was Fane. Jacque hadn’t noticed because he’d been clenching and unclenching his fists.
“You guys look, um, well…” Zara stumbled as she tried to compose herself, but it was useless. All of the females were coughing and trying to keep it together, well, except Bethany. Her big, pregnant belly was shaking as she laughed and pointed at her mate. He did not seem nearly as amused.
“Okay, let’s head out to the sleigh and we’ll get you guys harnessed up,” Jen said, as if it was the most normal thing in the world to have your mate dress up as a reindeer and get hooked up to a sleigh.
“Harnessed up?” Gavril growled.
“It’s for the kids,” Rachel told him, her voice sweet and her eyes doe-eyed and pleading. Gavril huffed but didn’t say anything else.
“I want it to be known that I highly object to this, and I’m only doing it because it’s easier than arguing,” Lucian grumbled.
“And you know your mate would just snap her little fingers and make whatever she put on you even more hilarious.” Adam chuckled. He seemed less bothered than the other males, then again, he’d be able to change his clothes with just a thought as soon as Jen was done torturing them.
After a pissing contest—not a literal one, thank the Great Luna—and many threats from Peri, simply because she was enjoying this even more than Jen, all the males were on all fours in rows of two. Except for Fane, who got to be at the front of the pack, with his shiny red nose in place. Peri helped things along by magicking on the harnesses they each held and then attaching them to one another. Jacque was pretty sure the high fae also used some sort of spell that kept them from being able to crawl away, though they could move their bodies, just not from that spot.
Jacque hadn’t missed the fact that none of the guys said a thing about the beautiful sleigh. Her own mate’s head was filled of all the ways he was going to torture Jen, so he hadn’t had time to notice.
“Okay, kids in the sleigh,” Jen said.
Jacque walked over and waited until Titus, who was also giggling, and Thia, who was once again singing “Jingle Hells,” were seated and then put Slate in between them. “Titus, can you make sure he doesn’t slip off?” Jacque asked.
“I got it, Aunt Jacque,” he said as he wrapped an arm around Slate and tucked him close to his side. Slate’s eyes were wide with wonder as his hands ran over the soft white blankets they were sitting on. He was dressed in a little red and green suit that matched Titus’s, complete with Christmas plaid bow ties. While Thia’s dress was red with white fur trim all around it.
WhenJacque stepped back to take in the full sight before her, she lost it. Like full-on, body bending over, stomach grabbing, barely able to breathe, lost it. She laughed so hard she thought for sure she was going to pee on herself. She wasn’t the only one.
Sally stood next to her trying to speak around her own laughter. “I’m pretty sure this is the best thing she’s ever come up with.”
Jacque nodded. “The best.”
The looks on the males' faces, all except Wadim, who seemed to be taking his duty as a reindeer very seriously, and Adam, who really didn’t seem to give a crap, ranged from sort of annoyed to down-right pissed.
“Peri, camera,” Jen called as she held out her hand.
Peri sighed. “You do realize I’m not an online store with instant shipping, right?”
“Nope.” Jen snapped her fingers.
A camera suddenly appeared in her hand, and Jen immediately brought it to her face. “Okay, Blitzer, Donald, Ruddy, Comic-con,” she began calling out.
“Those aren’t the reindeer names,” Zara pointed out, tears streaming down her face from laughing.
“Don’t care,” Jen sang. “They’re my reindeer bitches. Their names are whatever I call them.”
“Jennifer!” Decebel growled, nearly a full-on snarl.
“It’s for our daughter, B.” Jen began snapping photos. “Just think of how happy she is. Can’t you hear her giggling?”
“She won’t even remember it,” her mate pointed out.
“Oh, she’ll remember it, because every Christmas there will be a wall dedicated to this awesome display of Christmas cheer.”
“Do we look cheerful to you?” Costin spoke up for the first time.
“You look adorable,” Sally told him through snorted laughter.
“Okay, I need y’all to really get into character. Be the reindeer.” Jen bent and leaned and turned her camera this way and that. “Feel the reindeer. Seek out the inner reindeer that lives inside of you.”
“If you say ‘reindeer’ one more time, I’m going to spit on you,” Drake snapped.
“Wrong hooved animal, babe,” Bethany said. “You’re thinking of a camel. It’s no wonder you look awkward. You’re in camel mode.”
“Exactly.” Jen pointed at Bethany. “You can’t be in camel mode and understand the uniqueness of the Christmas reindeer. You’ve got to really think of what it must be like for them to feel the excitement of delivering toys to kids the world over. Let’s get some hoof stomping going on, and a little snorting wouldn’t hurt, either.”
“How’s this? Is this getting into character enough?” Costin raised his leg to the side, looking very much like a wolf marking his territory.
“Wrong animal again.” Bethany shook her head. “Reindeer don’t hike a leg up to pee. You’re in mutt mode.”
“Regardless, thank you, Costin.” Jen wasn’t a bit deterred. “I got that. It was perfect. It’ll look amazing hanging on the reindeer wall.”
Costin dropped his leg and let out a string of curses.
Through the whole thing, Jacque’s mate stood stoic, on all fours, attempting to look as dignified as an alpha wolf dressed up in a Rudolph costume could possibly look.
After Jen had gotten as many pictures as she felt necessary, she said, “Okay, now I need some live action. Start pulling the slei—” She didn’t get very far into her instructions when Fane snarled. “Perizada!”