Sonny and Leo: Holiday Omegas Volume One Read online

  Leo gave her a suspicious look. Witches didn’t read minds, did they? “How do you know about Dillion?”

  “I went to your garage and met Coleen.”

  “Of course you did.” Leo groaned and rubbed his face.

  “Your sister sure is chatty. She told me all about the asshole.” Myrtle narrowed her eyes. “Sonny ain’t like that. He’s not some hoity-toity accountant that thinks he needs a fancy businessman boyfriend. He knows what’s really important.”

  “Uh, okay.” Leo’s face was on fire.

  “Look. I like you, so I’m gonna help you out. You’re going to Gemma and Aaron’s Halloween party, right?”

  “I don’t know. I’m not much for parties.” Leo shrugged and took a bite.

  “You’re going to this one, and I’ll pick out your costume. It’s important, cat-bear.”

  “I’m not a cat-bear.” Leo didn’t know why he even protested. Myrtle didn’t seem the type to listen to anyone.

  “You’ll be a good mate,” Myrtle said, then narrowed her eyes. “If you aren’t, I will definitely turn your willy into a snake. Sonny is like a son to me.” She started cackling. “Sonny. Son. See what I did there?”

  Later that night, Leo ambled through the small wooded park in his bear form. The sun was setting, and there were a few joggers and about a dozen shifters in the area. Right on time, Miles and his puppy, Cookie, met him on the path leading between the apartment buildings.

  “Hey, Leo.” Miles made sure his backpack was firmly strapped on, then gripped a handful of Leo’s fur before pulling himself onto Leo’s back. “Today at school, Joey and I started making our own language. We’re going to call it the Moey Code. It was either that or the Jiles Code, and we think Moey sounds more sophisticated.”

  Laughter rumbled in Leo’s chest, and he started down the path. Cookie barked and romped beside him, tongue hanging from his mouth as he ran to sniff every flower and tree they came across.

  “Tonight with Sonny, I learned two recipes and three spells. I’m going to make Cauldron Cake Pops for the party tomorrow night, and you have to promise to eat all of them, okay? Promise?”

  Leo grunted his agreement.

  “It’s really important, Leo.” Miles patted his back. “Sonny is my favorite mentor. He doesn’t get all snotty if I ask questions, and he has a way of making hard stuff easier. My last mentor had three apprentices, and he made us compete all the time. I hated it. I just wanted to learn, but the other two liked to play tricks and sabotage spells. I was doing a simple fire spell to get water to boil, but they messed it up and almost caught Cookie on fire. I couldn’t take it anymore, and Mom made the Witches Council give me a new mentor.”

  Leo growled a bit. His bear suddenly liked the idea of mauling a jackass mentor.

  Miles chatted as they slowly made their way to the apartment building on the other side of the park. People smiled and waved as they passed, not thinking a thing about a boy riding a large brown bear through a park.

  When they arrived, Miles slid off Leo’s back. “See you tomorrow, Leo. Remember, all the cake pops are for you, okay?”

  Leo waited until Miles and Cookie went inside, then headed back through the woods. This had become his normal routine since he had moved in. He liked that his bear got a little exercise. His parents and siblings lived in the suburbs and had a large park behind their neighborhood, so his mom had insisted that if he was to live in the city, he pick a place with some space.

  The townhouse he had shared with Dillion had been miles away from a park.

  He stopped suddenly when two rabbits appeared in front of him on the path. This isn’t part of the routine.

  The male rabbit stood on his hind legs and glared at Leo. What the hell did I do to you, bunny? Sometimes Leo wished shifters could speak when they were shifted.

  The female rabbit bumped the male aside and wiggled her nose at Leo before prodding the male to move toward the woods.

  Weird, he thought and finished his walk home. Once he had shifted and quickly dressed, he went upstairs.

  Just as he had feared, his apartment was empty and quiet. The floor plan was nice and open, with two bedrooms and a bathroom. The problem was that it was so bare and plain. It wasn’t a home, and he desperately wanted it to be.

  His home with Dillion hadn’t been perfect, but Leo had been content there. He had thought they were building something together. Leo sighed and pushed those memories away. He didn’t miss Dillion at all, but he did miss being with someone and planning for a future.

  He showered, dressed in a pair of loose cotton pants, then grabbed a beer from the fridge.

  He settled into a chair on his balcony and looked out at the stars. Leo took a deep breath and savored the tantalizing scent of his mate. Sonny smelled like Leo’s favorite treat, honey cakes.

  The sound of claws on wood came from his right, and a few minutes later, Flufflepuff climbed over the rail of the balcony.

  “Are you trying to scare your witch, Fluff? He’ll worry about you climbing balconies.”

  “Meow.” The cat hopped in his lap and settled in for her nightly pampering.

  Leo scratched her ears and stroked her back and sides. “How’s your witch doing? Did he work too hard today? He keeps long hours most of the time, doesn’t he?”

  According to Miles’s mom, Trish, it appeared that Sonny was mostly managing the shop since Myrtle was spending less and less time there.

  “You made sure he ate, right, Fluff?”

  “Meow.”

  “Good girl.” Leo scratched her head. “Myrtle called me a cat-bear today. Wasn’t that rude?”

  “Meow.”

  “You’re right. What does she know anyway?”

  Chapter 3

  “Alright, Mr. Jones. Here are your gingersnaps and your tincture. I added a slice of the blackberry lemon pound cake I made this morning.”

  “That will help my arthritis?” Mr. Jones asked, eyes hopeful.

  Sonny nodded. It will also help ease your grief, he thought. The elderly man’s wife had passed away a month ago, and Mr. Jones had been a mess. The two had been married for over thirty years.

  “Oh, we can’t forget your Samhain candle.” Sonny added it into his bag.

  All Hallows Eve was a special night for spirits. With the changing of the seasons, the spirit world was much closer to their own. The candle was meant to welcome the good spirits and ward away the bad ones.

  He packed up the candle, snacks, and tincture while Mr. Jones relaxed in one of the well-padded old chairs near the front window of the shop. Sonny loved Myrtle’s place. Several shelves displayed potions and tinctures made by Myrtle herself while others held soaps, candles, and other usable items made by Sonny.

  Then there was the dessert case. Myrtle let him have free rein with it, and he enjoyed filling it with delicious goodies spelled to soothe and ease anxiety, depression, and pain. Those were his specialty, but he also made items to boost energy and confidence.

  “You’re a sweetheart, Sonny.” Mr. Jones pushed himself out of the chair and came to get his items. “Myrtle is lucky to have you.”

  Sonny grinned and gestured down his body. Today he was dressed in a frilly black skirt, loose purple blouse, and a black corset. “I am absolutely magnificent, aren’t I?”

  Mr. Jones chuckled. “You’re gorgeous.” He grabbed his items and pet Flufflepuff before leaving the shop.

  Sonny watched him walk down the street, heart heavy. “Flufflepuff, I know losing his wife hurt him, but I want something like they had. I want my forever person.”

  “Meow.” Flufflepuff sat in the large cat stand in the corner and licked her paws.

  “You are no help.” Sonny locked the door to the shop and flipped the sign to closed. Today had been exhausting. All Hallows Eve always was. They had sold out of almost everything, and Sonny was happy the store was closed tomorrow. He would need a full day to restock.

  “Flufflepuff, it’s costume time. Well, you’ve been wear
ing your costume all day, so really, it’s costume time for me.” His familiar wore a witch’s hat and a Harry Potter Hufflepuff house scarf. “I think you should wear this every day.”

  He looked up when someone banged on the door. Gemma waved her arms at him until he opened up.

  “Hurry up, Sonny. We need to get you ready for the party.” Gemma bounced in place. “Aaron finished the food and is setting things up now.”

  Sonny groaned. “I’m so tired, Gemma. Can I just stay home this year?”

  “Absolutely not!”

  Sonny grabbed his backpack and put Flufflepuff on her leash. “I don’t know what the big deal is. You know I’m not going to ask Leo out. It’ll be like every other time. I’ll see him and suddenly develop shyness and hide behind Aaron.” He snapped his fingers and the lit candles around the room went out.

  “Tonight will be different,” Gemma said, walking with him to the apartment complex. “Myrtle and I have a plan.”

  “Fuck fuckity fuck poo.”

  Gemma stifled a giggle. “It’s not that bad.”

  Sonny glared at her. “I don’t believe you.”

  “You get to wear a blond wig and a cute dress.”

  Sonny pursed his lips and weighed his options. “Okay. I’m in.”

  They walked the short distance to the apartment complex, and Gemma took him to her and Aaron’s apartment. He had been there a million times, but something was different. There were more pillows and blankets on the furniture and even a little nest in the corner of the living room.

  “Gemma, are you… are you nesting?”

  His friend bit her lip to hide her smile. “Aaron wants to be the one to tell you, so pretend you didn’t notice anything. Okay?”

  Sonny whooped and picked her up, swinging her around the room. “I’m gonna be an uncle!”

  “Gemma,” Aaron whined from the bedroom door. “I wanted to tell him.”

  “He noticed my nests,” she said, giggling when Sonny finally put her down.

  “We’re having a baby,” Sonny said, picking Aaron up and spinning him too. “We should name them Chuck Norris and get them ten puppies.”

  “We are not naming the baby Chuck Norris,” Gemma said, rolling her eyes. “What would they even do with ten puppies?”

  “Obviously they would be Chuck’s personal dog gang,” Aaron said. “I can just see it now. Our baby rabbit running through the woods with their pack of guard dogs. I love it.”

  “You two are ridiculous.” Gemma grabbed a pillow and smacked Sonny over the head. “Come on, Goldilocks. We need to get you ready for the party.”

  Sonny tugged on the hem of the short, yellow ruffled dress he wore. It was a lot shorter than the skirts he usually wore, but Gemma had insisted. “Why am I dressed like Goldilocks?”

  Gemma batted her eyes and gave him an innocent smile. “Do I really need to spell it out for you? Maybe I should get the hand puppets. Do you like your wig?”

  Sonny spun back to the mirror and preened. The costume came with a wig of silky blond curls. His own short brown hair just wouldn’t do tonight. “It’s perfect.”

  Gemma was dressed in a sexy police costume. Sonny suspected real police officers didn’t wear short black dresses with thigh-high boots.

  “Where’s Aaron?”

  “At the party. Myrtle and he just finished putting out all the food.” She tucked a little pack of lube and a condom in the wide white belt around his waist. “Just in case.”

  He arched a brow. “Seriously? I’m going to hook up with someone at a community Halloween party?”

  “You never know, Sonny.” Gemma patted his wig one more time, then handed him Flufflepuff. “Let’s go make an entrance.”

  His white baby-doll heels clicked on the floor as they walked downstairs. “I’m keeping these shoes.”

  “Of course, you are,” Gemma said dryly.

  The party was set up in the community center on the bottom floor of Sonny’s building. The room was already packed with the apartment complex residents and their families and friends. The children would be back from trick or treating in about an hour, so the adults were enjoying the beer while they could.

  Aaron had done a good job with the decorations. Spider webs, bats, and dark fairy lights hung from the ceiling, and a fog machine created a rolling, soft white fog across the floor. Samhain candles dotted the room, all lit.

  Sonny stopped in his tracks and swallowed hard. Leo stood with Myrtle. The handsome man was dressed as a bear. The furred shirt he wore left his arms bare, and fortunately he wore jeans instead of furry legs.

  “Sexy bear,” he whispered and made grabby hands.

  “Dear lord, you have it bad,” Gemma said, snickering. “He’s wearing a fur hood. There’s nothing sexy about that.”

  Myrtle saw them then and tugged Leo toward them.

  “Meep!” Sonny darted behind Gemma and did his best to hide behind the smaller woman.

  His mentor smiled widely. “Sonny, can you take Leo to the buffet table? I made a special treat for you.”

  Sonny mumbled under his breath, and Gemma laughed.

  “What was that?” Myrtle glared at him.

  “I said, yes, ma’am,” Sonny answered.

  Myrtle gave him a knowing look. “That’s what I thought. You two go on. I’ll bring your treats.”

  Sonny smiled, hoping he didn’t look like a nervous maniac. “Hi, Leo.”

  Leo smiled shyly. “Hey.”

  “You two need to move before I whomp you,” Myrtle said. “Go, go, go, go.”

  Leo bent an arm and held it out to Sonny.

  I love you and want to have your babies, Sonny thought and laughed nervously before taking the bear’s arm.

  “The buffet table is this way, I think,” Leo said and grinned at him. “I put some Cauldron Cake Pops with the other desserts. Miles made them for me, so don’t tell him, alright? I was supposed to eat them all, but I can’t eat green frosting. It makes me want to puke. They were cute though.”

  Sonny bit his lip. “You know Miles?”

  “Yeah, we’re friends.”

  Sonny grinned. “Really? You’re friends with a ten-year-old?”

  Leo laughed, and Sonny wanted to laugh with him. Damn, but the bear was gorgeous when he smiled. He was gorgeous no matter what.

  “He adopted me when I first moved here. His parents are nice too,” Leo said, then stopped walking and winced. “Oh, shit.”

  “What’s wrong?” Sonny glared and looked around. Nothing would upset his boo. Nothing!

  Leo gave him a sad look. “My ex-boyfriend Dillion is here. That’s him with Justin from 4C.”

  Sonny looked the skank over. The omega wasn’t a witch, but Sonny didn’t have a shifter nose to tell him the species of everyone he could scent. “What kind of shifter is he?”

  “He’s a bear shifter like me,” Leo said, giving Sonny a curious look.

  Leo’s ex had an average build and beautiful golden blond hair. Fucker.

  “He dressed as a sexy priest,” Sonny said, snorting. “Priests aren’t sexy. They don’t wear tight black shorts and a sleeveless mesh shirt. It’s historically inaccurate and sets a bad example.”

  Leo chuckled. “Historically inaccurate?”

  “Leo?” Dillion frowned, looking confused. “Please tell me you’re not stalking me. We’re over. I told you that months ago.”

  Justin looked between them nervously.

  Sonny’s smile probably looked as fake as it felt. “Dillion, is it?”

  Dillion nodded. “Yeah?”

  “My honey bear lives here, so the better question is are you stalking Leo?” Sonny stepped closer to the man. “Fair warning, I can turn your head into a pecan pie. Just saying.”

  Dillion backed up. “Uh, I’m here with Justin. There’s no way I’d want the tubby bear back, okay?”

  Sonny narrowed his eyes and growled. “Cute words don’t hide your meanness, asshole.”

  Myrtle’s voice interrupted him from p
ossibly becoming one of the curse-throwing crones he had told Miles about. “Sonny? I have your treat over here.”

  Leo steered him away from Dillion, but Sonny watched the fucker over his shoulder. “His head would be more attractive as a pecan pie.”

  Leo grinned, then started laughing. “Sonny, you are absolutely perfect.”

  Sonny’s glare disappeared, and he looked back at Leo. Goddess, I hope I don’t look as besotted as I feel.

  “Sonny?” Myrtle snapped her fingers in front of his face. “You look like an adoring puppy. Snap out of it. Cat-bear knows you like him already.”

  Sonny held Flufflepuff up and hissed at his mentor. “Fluffepuff, attack!”

  “Meow.”

  Sonny kissed his familiar’s head. “You have shamed your family.”

  Leo laughed and took Flufflepuff from Sonny. “Don’t you listen to your witch. You’re the best familiar around.”

  Myrtle gave Sonny a fond look and handed him a plate with seven Cauldron Cake Pops. “These are for you, Sonny. I know they’re your favorite so enjoy them. Oh yeah, you can’t share them with anyone, okay? Just eat them up and leave the plate in the kitchen.”

  “Uh, okay?” Sonny looked at the cake pops suspiciously. “Did you make pot cake pops?”

  Myrtle scowled at him. “Just eat them, Sonny, and don’t share them. I saw you devour half a pound cake last week. I know you have it in you to eat seven cake pops.”

  Aaron ran over. “Myrtle, we’re almost out of beer. Will you go with me to get more? Roger always gives you a discount.”

  Myrtle patted her hair. “That’s because Roger knows how to treat a woman.”

  Sonny wrinkled his nose. He did not want to think about Myrtle and Roger getting it on.

  As soon as she was gone, Sonny set the cake pops on the buffet table.

  “She said not to share those,” Leo said, waving to the plate. Flufflepuff crawled up Leo’s chest and stretched out on his shoulder.