Mistletoe & Mischief Read online

  Mistletoe & Mischief

  Book Seven of the Caprice Chronicles

  Selena Page

  Mistletoe & Mischief

  Copyright © 2016, Selena Page

  Copyright © 2016, Selena Page

  First electronic publication: December 2016

  Selena Page

  www.selenapage.com

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded, or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the author’s permission

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Caprice Chronicles

  Love & Accusations

  Smoke & Longing

  Roads & Royalty

  Sin & Redemption

  Roses & Haunts

  Dirt & Desire

  Blood & Wine

  Connect with Selena Page online at www.selenapage.com or e-mail her at [email protected]

  Follow me on Twitter: @SelenasPages

  Friend me on Facebook: @SelenaPageWrites

  Add me on GoodReads: Selena Page

  Favorite me on Smashwords: Selena Page

  Please visit Selena’s author page and leave a review if you enjoy this book!

  Join the Family and stay up to date with the latest news, sneak previews and more from the Caprice Family!

  Table of Contents

  Of Giants and Pies – Carmina & Jax

  Christmas Elves and Other Problems – Amber & Jack

  Blanket Fort – Andrew & Kara

  Kiss Lights – Alynia & Iowin

  The Cock Blocking Fairy – Miriam & Rafe

  Merry Christmas, Baby – Miah & Finn

  Up Next

  About the Author

  The Caprice Chronicles by Selena Page

  Darling Family of Mine,

  I am so thrilled that you will all be joining us for Christmas dinner! It has been an exciting year for many of us, and it will do our hearts good to spend time reconnecting with one another.

  Christmas Eve dinner will be served at 5pm promptly. Everyone should bring something to contribute to the dessert table.

  Additionally, your Grandfather and I would appreciate it if you would arrive in Saratoga Springs a few days early. We have a terrible infestation of faeries, and while we have been able to find some of them, there are still a handful wandering around and wreaking havoc. They’re terrible little creatures that seem to just have appeared out of nowhere. Absolutely out of nowhere.

  We hope you are all quite well, and we cannot wait to see each and every one of you.

  With love,

  Grandma and Grandpa

  OF GIANTS AND PIES

  Carmina & Jax

  “Oh shit.”

  Carmina looked down at the ornate envelope that had appeared next to the bronze bowl on her workbench. She knew exactly what this was. Antique parchment with a faint floral design, her name emblazoned in copper ink, with a blood-red wax seal of her family crest. Just a classic Virginia Caprice summons.

  Jackson’s head snapped up from where he was carefully carving intricate runes into a medallion. “Oh shit? Don’t say oh shit while we’re doing ritual work, Cari. What’s wrong?”

  She sighed, adjusting her hand carefully as blood flowed down her forearm and into the bowl. Of course, an interruption would come in the middle of intense ritual work, a heavy tracking spell intended to hunt down a suspected serial killer. “Um, it’s a letter. Probably an invitation. From my Grandmother.”

  Jackson furrowed his brow, casting a dubious look around their ritual room. She couldn’t blame him for his concern and confusion. Their secure bunker, deep underground and fully warded, should have kept anything out. They weren’t exactly on the mail route.

  “Can you open it for me, Jax? I don’t want to get blood all over it.”

  He carefully set his work down and moved over to the letter, eyeing it suspiciously before carefully picking it up. Well, trying to, anyway. Jackson yelped as an arc of electricity shot out of the letter, racing up his arm and setting his hair on end.

  Cari could feel the power in the room swell. She grabbed a stack of gauze and immediately slapped it over the cut in her arm, snatching the letter from the table and muttering, “Jesus, Grandma…”

  “Ok, Cari, what the fuck is that?” Jackson’s eyes were wide and frustrated, and she could feel the augmenter gathering his power in preparation to fight whatever it was that had attacked him. If she weren’t so annoyed at seeing the ancient paper, she’d be laughing at his preparation to fight what looked to be a cheerful Christmas letter.

  Carmina laughed, resting her fingers lightly on her boyfriend's cheek, leaning up to kiss him softly. His gathering power fizzled as he leaned into her touch, pulling her closer with one hand on her lower back. She glanced down at the letter, “This is from my Grandmother.”

  “Yeah, you said that. How did it get here, though? This room’s off the grid entirely.”

  She smirked as she carefully broke the seal on the back of the letter. “We’re witches, Jax. Are you really all that surprised? It’s a clever little spell that she’s had for years--she can send all of her blood family little notes like this. She can’t pull messages back out, and no one else has quite perfected the spell, but if you need to get info to someone who is behind enemy wards, it’s pretty handy. Of course, she generally only uses it to demand that we come to dinner.”

  “She already knows we’re coming to Christmas dinner, right?” Jackson leaned over, resting his head on her shoulder as she unfolded the letter and started reading. “Faeries? Really?”

  Carmina laughed as she set the blood-spattered letter to the side, “Yeah. Well, it sounds like someone let them out, so we probably should help round them up. Hey, did I tell you my cousin married a faerie Prince or something? Or almost married? Something, something, crazy Fae shit. He should be there this weekend...real honest-to-god royalty.”

  Jackson snorted, “I would say I’m surprised, but with your family, I’ve come to expect insane antics from all of you. Come on beautiful; let’s finish up this ritual so we can go hunt Tinker Bell.”

  Carmina adjusted her pack, peering out across the frozen arctic wasteland of Saratoga Springs, New York. Record-breaking snowfall was making this hunt an interesting one, but she was sure they’d find their target. It would probably be hard to miss.

  “Hey! Jax!” Carmina was rewarded with a quiet grunt as her boyfriend stepped out from behind a tree. “Did you remember to buy a baby card for Miah and Finn?”

  He sighed as he picked his way through the branches, “Yup. I even signed your name.”

  “And the box of presents? That book for Amber was a bitch to find. And you know that Miriam is gonna love the bedazzled gardening gloves.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “What about the pies? Did those get in the car?”

  Jax shot her a death glare, whisper-screaming in her direction, “Cari! We’re hunting a goddamn giant that is busy eating trees in rural New York, and you’re concerned about pies? Are you serious right now?!”

  “You haven’t met my Grandma. She is serious about desserts.”

  “Cari.”

  “I mean, I forgot the
pie one Christmas, and I thought she was going to disown me.”

  “Cari…”

  “And this year, with everything that’s happened--Miah going missing, and weddings, and freakin’ Nia meeting the Headless…”

  “CARMINA!” Jackson’s voice held a tone of real concern, and she stopped in her tracks. She pushed away her familial worries, and felt the energy slam into her like a Mack truck.

  “Oh, fuck.” She shot a look at Jackson, frowning deeply as she gently pushed her mind into his, catching the tail end of his thoughts.

  ...woman is gonna get us both killed!

  Jax, it’s right up ahead of us. I can feel it. It’s huge. It feels like a mountain.

  His anger faded, replaced with determination and the ballsiness that was one of the things she loved best about him. He grinned, teeth flashing for a moment as he gave her a nod.

  I’ll go left, you go right.

  Carmina murmured quietly, and the wind kicked up around them, swirling heavy snow to obscure their movements. She moved silently through the deep snow, and in the back of her mind, she could feel Jax’s steely resolve as they drew closer. Now, she could hear the sound of something crashing through the woods, followed by a gnashing sound that she could only assume was their Tinker Bell on steroids eating another tree.

  As she broke into the clearing, she saw it. Hard to miss the giant fae towering over them, its head brushing against the top branches of the trees. It had a greenish hue to its skin, eyes dull and unintelligent. In one meaty hand it held a tree, chewing on the trunk like a stalk of celery.

  Uh. This guy is a lot bigger than I thought he’d be.

  She watched as Jackson moved into position, a grin on his face. You know what they say, Cari. Bigger they are, harder they fall, blah blah. Zap him so we can get home--my balls are freezing.

  Oh, I’d hate to put your poor testicles out, dear.

  Carmina snickered to herself as she closed her eyes. She rotated her wrist, allowing the bladed bracelet she wore to cut deep into her palm and inhaled deeply, grounding herself. She could feel Jackson’s power pouring into her, centering her and enhancing her magic. She pulled an ancient stone statue out of her pocket and allowed the magic to flow out of her. She’d stumbled onto the tiny Green Man statue at a swap meet in Bum-Fuck North Dakota. No idea why it was there or how it found a home in the Midwest, but its intrinsic power had called to her, and after some time spent attuning the statue and imbuing it with her own power and blood, she hoped that it would do the trick.

  The giant let out an earth-shattering roar as her magic filled the air. It swung its head around toward Cari, its eyes focusing in on her. She watched as intelligence and rage slowly replaced the dull look from before, as though it was devouring her magic and growing stronger. She felt her magic stutter and start to fizzle.

  Fucking faeries. Apparently, their little giant had some natural immunity to her magic. Of course. He was part of the earth; he was drawing the magic into him.

  The giant lurched toward her, dropping his tree snack. Cari turned, running back through the trees, and the faerie followed.

  “Jackson! Plan B!” Her scream echoed through the air and their mental link. Behind her, the creature was picking up steam, and she could hear trees cracking and crashing to the ground.

  “We have a Plan B?! Well, what the hell is it!” Jackson was following them, running behind the giant. She felt him drawing his gun, considering if he could bring it down before it got her.

  “Don’t shoot it, Jax! We just gotta send it back!”

  Cari gasped, inhaling deeply as she pulled the magic around her, the wind pushing at her back and pushing her forward. Just a little further.

  The giant roared, and she could almost feel his breath on the back of her neck. She wasn’t going to make it.

  And then it was there, the gaping chasm of the massive coulee swimming in her vision. With a whispered prayer that her magic would hold, Carmina launched herself off the edge of the abyss, flying into the air.

  Behind her, she could hear Jackson’s tortured scream, “Cari!”

  Carmina couldn’t help but laugh as the wind buffeted her gently, keeping her aloft even as it drove the giant down into the gorge below her. There was something exhilarating about flying like this, even if it was only a momentary distraction from the creature at hand.

  She could hear the giant hollering as it slammed into the ground, the earth shaking with the impact. They were sure to feel that back at Caprice Manor, and hopefully she’d be able to give them a hell of a story to go with their little tremor. The creature drug itself to its feet, shaking its head and grumbling in some language she couldn’t understand. A beautiful pile of dead fallen trees caught its eye and it lumbered closer, searching for a replacement snack.

  Man, she only wished Amber and her man-hunk Fae Prince were here. One of them was bound to have the ability to talk to the big boy below and convince him to walk home nicely. But they were off chasing something else, leaving her and Jax with the heavy lifting. Literally.

  Cari turned back to look at the cliff. Jackson was there, his chest heaving as his eyes scanned the coulee, searching frantically for her. All it took was a gentle push of her magic and the wind directed her back toward the edge. His eyes widened as she came in hot, stumbling into his chest as the wind deposited her unceremoniously in his arms.

  He snatched her off the ground and crushed her to his chest, his voice trembling, “Damnit, Cari, don’t ever do that shit to me again! What were you thinking?”

  She laughed as she leaned up, pressing her hands against his cheeks and kissing him deeply. His body relaxed against her, his hand fisting in her hair as his tongue toyed with hers. Near-death experiences always pushed their libidos to a fever pitch.

  “Well it worked, didn’t it? He’s stuck.” Cari murmured against his lips, reluctantly breaking the kiss. She wanted nothing more than to feel his skin against her, but first they had to deal with their little problem.

  Jackson eased back with a heavy sigh, kissing her forehead with a chuckle, “Uh huh. All right. Now what?”

  Cari pulled the stone statue from her pocket, grinning as she tossed it after him, “Now, you’re gonna do the magic.”

  Jackson turned the statue over in his hand, peering down at the giant far below them. “Cari, are you sure this is going to work? What makes you think he won’t be immune to me, too?”

  She glanced up from the small copper bowl, tossing in a pinch of ground herbs, “Because your magic isn’t like mine. You don’t draw from the earth. You draw from people. Hopefully he won’t be able to counter that.”

  “Hopefully?”

  Cari shot him a grin and shrugged, flicking some blood into the bowl and stirring it with her finger, “You’re on, Jax.”

  Carmina watched as the love of her life began to chant, drawing magic from her and funneling it out. Soft silver strands twisted through the snow, gliding down to the giant. It let out a roar and twisted its head, looking for the source of the magic. But it was slowing down.

  “It’s working, Jax! Keep going!” Carmina felt her heart seize as she watched, pushing her magic out toward him.

  Jackson’s eyes were glazed over, a silver sheen taking over the blue. The strands thickened, wrapping around the giant and tightening around it. The creature let out a pitiful roar as its limbs were bound tight against its body. She heard another crash as it fell to the ground.

  Wind kicked around them as the silver strands began to suck into the statue slowly. Jackson’s face was white, and she could feel his power faltering. They were both nearing the end of their reserve. Carmina rushed over to him, yanking her gloves off and shoving them up under his shirt, pushing the final vestiges of her magic into him.

  Jackson gasped as the color flooded back into his face, and the strands rushed into the statue. With a loud popping sound, they both were tossed back off their feet.

  Cari groaned, slowly lifting her head out of the snow. She saw
Jackson, 15 feet away from her. He sat up slowly, a crooked grin on his face as he held the statue up triumphantly. “We got him!”

  She let out a triumphant hoot, climbing to her feet and pumping her fists in the air, Rocky-Style. “You got him, Jax! Told ya it would work!”

  The forest around them was quiet in the wake of the giant’s thunder, and she could hear her heart racing. Even from across the clearing, she could hear Jackson’s as well. Triumph slowly morphed into need as she prowled across the snowy terrain.

  Cari dropped down into the snow next to him, a slow, wicked smile spreading across her lips as she leaned over him, kissing him softly, “Good job, baby.”

  Jackson let out a quiet moan, his hand coming to tangle in her hair as he pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. She melted into his touch, her tongue slipping against his lips and dipping into his mouth.

  With a needy growl, he grabbed her hips, swinging her astride him. Carmina moaned at the feel of his hardness against her, her hips moving of their own accord. She shuddered as the last vestiges of magic slipped away, replaced by a driving need to feel his skin and hold his warmth inside her.

  She didn’t say a word. She didn’t have to. He always knew exactly what she needed.

  The wind died down around them as he slipped his hand inside the front of her jeans, greedy fingers seeking her heat. She whimpered as he found her clit, his thumb making slow circles around it, teasing her even as she thrust her hips forward in search of more.

  Jackson slid two fingers inside her, nipping at her lower lip as he purred into the kiss, “Always so wet for me, love.” He moved his fingers slowly, angling them to find that sweet spot deep inside her, the one that always made her squirm and beg for more.

  Carmina whimpered again, gasping as she felt him take her to the edge of oblivion before slowing his fingers, holding her back from her climax. “Jackson, please...inside…”