Cheeky asshole. Claire ran to her closet and threw on her favorite dark skinny jeans and her white zip up hoodie. She also grabbed her favorite earrings and, of course, her opal necklace. She darted down the stairs to find Mal had changed from his usual black suit and tie to a tight-knit black sweater and jeans. Oh shit. Claire’s eyes all but popped out of her skull at the sultry sight and stopped her in her tracks. Frozen to the spot, she thanked The Goddess he seemed too focused on his phone to notice her staring. After a few seconds, he looked up at her with a slight smile, then he grabbed her hand and led her to his SUV. With a tremble to her voice and a hand held to her heart, she feigned panic. “Are you kidnapping me? This feels an awful lot like kidnapping… Does Pops know we’re leaving together?” He opened the door for her and offered his hand to help her get in. “You are a bit of a smartass, you know that? You are more than welcome to leave, but there is something you

After a night of karaoke, eggnog, peppermint schnapps, and non-stop laughter, everyone was eager for Christmas morning when they went to bed. Rolling over, Claire’s arms hit a warm body, hindering her stretch. Squinting her eyes to see who was there, she sighed. “Quinn. How did you end up in my bed?” Claire groggily croaked. When Quinn didn’t move, Claire tickled her side to wake her up. She lazily opened one eye to glare at her best friend. “That’s not a nice way to wake someone. That guest bed suuuuuucks. Aaaaaaaand you’re a great cuddler. Sorry, not sorry.” She curled her body up against Claire. Amused, Claire wrapped her arms around her before she whispered in Quinn’s ear. “You know we get to open presents now, right?” Both girls scrambled out of the bed and rushed down the stairs; taking the steps two at a time, giggling the entire way. Claire lost her footing thanks to her fuzzy socks on the hardwood floors and slid into the arm of the couch in the living room, and tumble

“How did the new trainees do today?” Alexander sat a small glass of blood down on the desk in front of Malachy. “I heard...one of them really made an impression…” The dark man sat on the sofa across the room and took a drink from his own glass, waiting for a reaction from his brooding boss with amusement in his eyes. Taking a calming breath, Malachy looked up at his second, “she did...so much in fact that one of Alpha Miller’s sons took an interest. Damn pup…” He smoothed a hand over his face in frustration. “Claire has surpassed all expectations of the Council and is still as feisty as ever. She took down an Alpha’s son and barely broke a sweat. She was stunning, to say the least.” A small smile graced his face. Something that Alexander noticed happened every time he talked about this tiny human. "Stunning, huh? Last year, she defeated three fully prepared vampires by herself, even though she wasn't prepared for a fight." Alexander crossed one leg over the other and relaxed deeper

Claire’s good mood instantly evaporated. She ran up to Jack, eyes pleading, “let me out there, Pops. You know I can handle myself and you need all the hands you’ve got.” Jack’s stern face turned gentle as he placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. “No. You aren’t far enough along in your training to be out in the field like this. You’ve gotten lucky a few times, sweetie, but please. Don’t fight me on this one. Just help the others get the pack into the shelters.” He turned to walk away, but Claire wasn’t giving up. She grasped at his elbow and spun him around to face her, but he didn’t budge. “So why have you been training me if you won’t let me prove myself?” Her temper flared to life. “I can help! You’ve seen so yourself over the last few days! I’ve…” Jack turned on a dime. “ENOUGH!” The room turned silent as everyone watched Jack and Claire glare at one another, each with their arms crossed over their rapidly rising and falling chests. “You don’t think I c

Malachy stepped into the dimly lit room as the other two men spun around to face him. He wasted no time in going to Miller's Packlands when he heard there was an attack coming. Knowing the Taylors, including Claire, were there to train with the other families, he didn’t want to take the chance that something would happen to her. He made it there in record time, considering he was hours away. He drove like a madman. Speed limits didn’t matter at that point. A rogue Mythical attack was one thing, but two within the last few months AND each involved Claire was not a coincidence. Malachy walked further into the room to shake hands with the other two men. Relief filled his chest, knowing his friends were unharmed, which meant Claire was as well. “I wish I could say it was good to see you, Malachy, but anytime you come around, it’s never really for a good reason.” Alpha Miller joked, finishing his beer before they headed over to the prison cells. The darkness of the stairwell would hav