A Kategan Alphas Christmas Special: Featuring Vane and Sarina (The Kategan Alphas Book 7) Read online

  A Kategan Alphas Christmas Special

  featuring Vane and Sarina

  T. A. GREY

  WARNING: The content in this book contains explicit sexual content. This book is intended for mature audiences only. It contains sexually explicit scenes that may be offensive. Please keep your file in a safe area on your computer and away from minors.

  This book is not transferable. If it is sold, shared, or given away it is infringement of the copyright of this work and violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

  This book is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places, and scenarios are solely the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, though references to actual events or locations may be real.

  Any trademarks mentioned herein are not authorized by the trademark owners and do not in any way mean the work is sponsored by or associated with the trademark owners. Any trademarks used are specifically in a descriptive capacity.

  Cover image: ebookindiecovers

  Copyright 2015, Grey Ink Press LLC

  All rights reserved

  http://www.tagrey.com

  ALSO BY T. A. GREY

  THE MacKELLEN ALPHAS

  The Loneliest Alpha

  The Silent Princess

  THE KATEGAN ALPHAS

  Breeding Cycle

  Dark Awakening

  Wicked Surrender

  Eternal Temptation

  Dark Seduction

  Tempting Whispers

  The Kategan Alphas Vol. 1 and 2

  A Kategan Alphas Christmas Special

  THE BELLUM SISTERS

  Chains of Frost

  Bonds of Fire

  Ties That Bind

  The Fallen King

  The Bellum Sisters Bundle

  THE UNTOUCHABLES

  Take Me

  Tempting Gray

  Merely Immortal

  STANDALONE WORKS

  Capturing Jeron

  Midnight Sex Shop

  Ecstasy Overload

  Jace (Bodyguards for Hire, #1)

  Hunted (A Claiming Novella, #1)

  The Vampire’s Mate

  Chapter One

  Wrapped in her mate’s embrace, Sarina Kategan allowed her eyes to drift shut as her climax peaked. Vane was with her every step of the way, as always. With a gentle growl, he kissed her. She could taste herself from earlier—a heady mix so early in the morning. Not that she would have Christmas morning any other way.

  Red, green, and gold lights twinkled from the miniature evergreen in the corner of their bedroom. The joyous lights created the perfect ambience for the holiday season.

  Sarina had been with her mate Vane for long enough to know he was nearing the finish line. In fact, her breath caught as his hips jerked and his shaft swelled inside her—the telltale signs of his impending climax. Smiling, Sarina held tight to her mate. Fewer things in life could make her feel more warm or safe than being chest to chest in her husband’s arms.

  But apparently Vane had a surprise for her this Christmas morning. At the last moment, instead of shoving deep and grunting his release into her, he pulled out. Hastily reaching between them, Vane grasped his cock, pumping it the last few strokes. Warm, wet jets shot onto her stomach reaching as far as her neck as he came.

  The sight of her sexually satisfied mate in the aftermath of passion did not please Sarina as it usually did. In fact, she felt positively foul.

  “Again?” she questioned darkly.

  Vane arched a thick eyebrow and his teasing smile clearly demonstrated that he didn’t take her attitude very seriously. Rolling away, he grabbed a wet cloth to wipe up the heated mess on her chest. “Consider it my Christmas present from you?” he suggested, flashing her a smile.

  Normally that devilish smile could do wonders to make her laugh. But not this morning.

  “I considered last night’s pull-out a Christmas present. But, again?”

  Vane didn’t speak as he cleaned her up. Then he kissed her in a tender notion that melted her heart. She actually sighed when he pulled away. “I love you, lumara,” he said in that deep voice which never failed to make her sigh.

  Compulsively, she responded softly. “And I love you, luma.”

  He took the washcloth back to the sink, then began dressing. For Christmas he dressed in a pair of baggy jeans that had enough wear and tear to look delectably sexy across his muscular butt. He paired the ensemble with a red Christmas sweater that had a family of snowmen sitting inside a snow-globe as snowflakes drifted around them. His sister Vera had bought the gaudy piece for him last Christmas, and Vane swore up and down that while it was the ugliest sweater ever saw, it was also the softest. Sarina had had quite the giggle at her mate’s enthusiasm to wear the sweater this year. Not that he’d ever admit to such a sin.

  A knock sounded at the front door and Vane hollered down the stairs, “Come in!”

  Guests arriving meant it was time to get up and moving. Honestly, that was the last thing she wanted to do. Today was Christmas Day and that meant she had a lot of work ahead of her. There was cooking, last minute cleaning, and some remaining decorations that needed to be hung before the family gathered to celebrate. She both loved and hated the holiday, especially since things were especially uncomfortable between her and Vane.

  He’d pulled out last night and again tonight. In fact, he’d been doing it more and more as of late. She could count five times over the last three weeks. Why would he do that unless he didn’t want another baby?

  Sarina gazed listlessly at the miniature evergreen in the corner, not really seeing the twinkling lights as her thoughts turned depressed.

  She wanted another baby with Vane.

  She wanted a whole litter of his babies. But every time she tried to broach the subject, he’d find a way to dance around it. And that hurt. It really did. Why couldn’t they have a big family? What was wrong with another precious baby in their lives? He was such a great father to baby Vince.

  Downstairs, Vane’s brother Roman yelled back in his booming voice. “Time to go caroling, bro!” Rome may be a ‘tough guy’ but even Sarina could hear the excitement in his voice.

  Sarina rolled her eyes. The men always went caroling around the pack on Christmas Day. Not that any of the men sang particularly well. More like they enjoyed sucking up all the spiked egg nog and hard cider the pack members would offer. Sarina had joined in their caroling activity once—and only once. That’s all it took for her to realize she didn’t belong in a group of burly men shouting Joy to the World from the tops of their lungs.

  Vane beamed at her as he slipped on his heavy snow boots. “Be back in time for dinner.”

  “Wait!” Sarina sat up, her stomach twisting with knots. Vane froze in the doorway. She crooked a finger at him and, slowly, he came towards her, warily. This man knew all of her moods and was wisely cautious.

  “Yeah?” he grunted.

  “A kiss, dear husband, before you go.”

  His expression transformed instantly. The kiss he gave her was heated, loving, and full of promise. She was completely warm by time he pulled away. But she still had something to say and this was important.

  “We have to talk, Vane.”

  His smile wavered but before he could respond, Rome shouted from down below. “Come on, man! All the guys are waiting on us!”

  “Gotta go,” Vane shrugged. He jumped off the bed then barreled down the stairs before she could muster a single protest.

  Sarina list
ened to Vane kissing their boy Vince as she got dressed. “Give daddy a big hug now,” Vane said to him. “Good boy! I’ll see you soon.”

  I will not let his sweetness sway me, Sarina thought. We will talk about this new stomach painting he wants to do after sex.

  If he was pulling out it meant only one thing. And it was the exact thing she wanted right now.

  Vane didn’t want to have a baby. But Sarina had a fire in her belly for another. Maybe a little Kategan girl running around? She already had a name thought up—Velvet.

  Chapter Two

  Crap, crap, and double crap.

  Everything was turning out all wrong! The turkey looked pale and dry—where was the crisp golden skin the recipe had promised her? And her pies had cracked and bubbled over causing the oven to emit an unpleasant burnt odor.

  The stuffing tasted bland and no amount of adjusting the seasoning seemed to do a thing to help. And on top of that, her kitchen was a disaster! Dirty dishes filled every nook and cranny. Dinner might be a failure, but at least baby Vince was being good. He was glued to a cartoon movie about Santa Claus trying to give presents to all the little boys and girls of the world. Sarina smiled at her baby, the most precious thing in her life, a miracle that Vane had given her. Her heart never failed to fill with joy at seeing Vince grow up. Even when he was being a touch naughty—a trait she believed he inherited from his father—she never regretted a thing.

  The timer beeped and Sarina raced to turn off the oven. She unloaded the cooked goods before running upstairs to fix her hair before the guests were to arrive.

  “Here we go,” she muttered to her frazzled reflection. Pulling a comb through her hair only seemed to make it stick out even further. Tonight wasn’t going to work out like she had planned, was it?

  Pasting on a bright smile, she picked up Vince who fussed at being taken away from his movie, and opened the door. Instantly the chattering on the other side of the door halted. Then, boisterous cheers greeted her.

  “Merry Christmas!” The whole family was there, even the men were back from caroling.

  “Something smells good!” Jackson said, standing on his toes to see over Sarina’s shoulder. He was Vera Kategan’s mate. Once human, now he was pure vampire.

  Sarina winked at him. “Tastes even better.” At least she hoped!

  The family rushed by hugging and kissing her and baby.

  Rome’s mate, Alison, took Vince from her arms. “Oooh, give me that baby! I love you, little one.” She snuggled the smiling boy.

  Sarina’s heart pitched at the sight. Oh how badly she wanted another! While she was still young and willing. Now was the time, she just knew it. Why didn’t Vane want another?

  At the end of the line was her mate. Judging by his stoic expression, Vane knew she was still in a mood. But he was trying to keep up appearances. “Babe,” he whispered, kissing her cheek in greeting.

  “How was the caroling?” Sarina asked, all smiles.

  Christmas music jingled in the background with jolly, familiar tunes.

  “Caroling was good,” Jackson answered.

  “Dang it smells good,” Darien muttered, wandering into the kitchen with his mate in tow. Cassie was a fiery redheaded vampire who’d managed to save Darien’s life in more ways than one. Without her, Darien likely wouldn’t be sharing any holidays with them.

  “I don’t sing,” Dmetri, an old, Russian vampire who had a long history with the Kategan pack, replied stoutly. Christine Barrows, his mate and the pack healer, rolled her eyes.

  “Dmetri thinks he doesn’t sing well, but he actually has a beautiful voice,” Christine spoke loud and clear while watching her mate flush under her compliment.

  “I do not,” he bit out. Christine whispered something in his ear to make the courtly vampire crack a smile.

  Sarina began to warm up to the conversation and decided not to let her tiff with Vane get in the way of Christmas. Christmas was Christmas after all, a time for high spirits, cheer, and love.

  In the kitchen, Sarina found the men hovering around the food like a pack of rabid wolves. Poking and prodding, sniffing and growling, they scrambled over plates of meats and sweets with dangerous intentions.

  “Back away, gentlemen!” She felt like a lion tamer cracking a whip. “It’s not time to eat yet.”

  Vane rubbed his stomach. “Smells ready and looks even better, babe.” He rubbed her back in a soothing circle but no matter how much she wanted to, she couldn’t relax. This morning’s lovemaking still remained at the forefront of her thoughts.

  “Really? Because I thought I buggered it all up,” she admitted.

  Vane looked surprised. “Smells good and looks even bettor. What more could you want?”

  Oh, I don’t know, she thought dismally. How about for everything to be perfect? Was that too much to ask?

  “Agreed,” said Roman. His mate, Alicia, found a bottle wine and uncorked it.

  Baby Vince had been passed around the family until he ended up in his cousin Vanessa’s arms. Her mate, Brayden, was another vampire. A commander for the Justicars, he was quite famous among vampires and lykaens.

  Brayden stood by Vanessa with a strained expression on his face. Likely because Vanessa was goading him, trying to get him to hold the baby—to which he outright refused as politely as possible.

  “I do not hold babies,” he said matter of factly. Vanessa burst out laughing. Then, she practically shoved Vince into his arms, all but forcing the old vampire commander to hold the baby. Vince at once opened his arms and stared up at the big vampire with wide, innocent eyes.

  “Gaaa ooooh blab,” baby Vince sputtered.

  Brayden cringed but huddled the baby to his chest.

  Well it looked like the whole family was here. All the Kategans and their respected loved ones. Sabrina couldn’t help but feel like things were a touch less warm than they should be, but she knew that was nothing more than her own mood.

  All she kept thinking about was how much nicer this house would be with another Kategan filling it. A little baby girl, to be precise. Of course, if it was a boy she wouldn’t complain. As these thoughts trickled through her mind, Sarina met her mate’s heavy gaze. His expression was guarded. Just what was going through his mind? And why didn’t he want another child?

  “Alright everyone,” Sarina announced with false cheer. “Time to eat. Take a seat around the table. Sit wherever you please. Afterward we’ll open presents and eat dessert.” Sadly, she couldn’t wait for this night to be over.

  Vanessa performed a fist pump. “Presents!”

  “Wait until you see what I got you all,” Vera said with an evil grin.

  Knowing Vera’s penchant for Christmas sweaters and other ridiculous gift ideas, Sarina could only wonder.

  Chapter Three

  Christmas dinner went better than Sarina anticipated. No one even commented on the unsightly pies or the dry turkey skin. It was almost, one might say, a dinner success.

  Sarina held Vince as the family adjourned to the living room for gift-giving time after dinner. With full bellies and filled glasses of wine, egg nog, or cider, the family took their respective seats around the great room. Vane stoked the fire to a roar and added two more logs to keep it toasty. There was nothing quite like the crackle of fire and the smell of fresh woodsy smoke to make one feel warm during the holidays.

  Sarina chose to do something differently this year. Instead of sitting near Vane at the fire she chose a seat opposite him in a single chair. Her mate eyed her decision shrewdly but she smiled around the room as if nothing at all was wrong. It was gift-giving time and she knew for a fact that Vane hadn’t gotten her what she wanted—what she needed—this holiday. He wouldn’t even talk to her about it. She rocked Vince a bit faster as her agitation grew.

  The Christmas tree stood in the corner of the room. Vane and his brothers had cut it down earlier in the month. The tree was a fresh evergreen straight from their woods. It glowed with bright twinkling lights and was s
trewn with an array of colorful ornaments and family heirlooms. Sarina had insisted that everyone put at least one ornament the tree. Brayden and Dmetri had been tough to get to do so.

  Stubbornness must be a vampire train.

  “Who’s going to hand out presents?” Cassie asked. Darien, ever the quiet brother, sat behind his mate and toyed with her fiery-red hair affectionately. Darien met Cassie while living a depressing existence. He’d been mourning the death of his loved one and unborn child. Darien had been through hard times in his life but Cassie had saved him and brought him back to life.

  But not everyone looked to be having a grand time. Vane, ever mindful of where she’d chosen to sit, looked increasingly more reproachful as the night weaned on.

  “I’ll hand out gifts,” Vane offered stiffly.

  Presents were handed out. Most of which went to Vince. Sarina got tasked with opening those as Vince didn’t quite understand what Christmas was yet, being just past one year old.

  The night passed in a warm glow. Everyone laughed at the cute new sweaters Vera bought the men—each with a certain red-nosed reindeer on it standing in a manger of snow. The red nose of which was a red fuzzy ball sewn on top of the sweater. Vince tried to rip one off almost immediately before Sarina snatched it away from him, giving him one of his new toys instead.

  Sarina opened the few gifts she’d been given: a nice bottle of her favorite champagne, a beautiful bracelet, and some scrumptious chocolate truffles. Beneath the tree was growing emptier. And she’d yet to open anything from Vane. As the last gifts were handed out, the one she’d bought for Vane, and one more for Vince, Sarina felt her emotions rising.

  Do not cry. God, this would be the worst time to get emotional. But, thinking those thoughts had her eyes misting nevertheless. She quickly looked away and cleared her eyes before smiling and opening her gift from her mate.