The Shadows of Christmas Past

too, there wasn't much room to move.
    "Not exactly five-star accommodations."
    "We don't need to live like humans, lobo," Alison spoke up. She was werewolf, as well.
    He sensed that this young female was trying hard not to be alpha of this communal group and welcomed being able to turn the aggression she tried to suppress on someone who could stand up to it.
    "I do," Heather chimed in.
    Clark broke eye contact with Harry to turn a challenging look on the other woman.
    "Which is why we let you have all the blankets," Alison said. She smiled at Clark. "We take care of each other."

    Clark swung his attention back to Harry and Marj. "We don't want you here."
    "We won't stay long," Marj answered.
    Harry was aware of how determinedly cheerful she was being, and that she wasn't going to be intimidated by a bunch of teenagers, no matter how tough and dangerous several of them thought they were.
    "I brought you some things." She gestured to the pack, and Harry handed it to her. She, in turn, put it down on the nearest cot. "I saw your parents the other night, Phil." she went on.
    "At a Christmas party at the high school. It was a lot of fun; too bad you missed it. There was dancing." She continued to speak as she took items out of the pack and placed them one by one across the cot. "Pattie Corbett brought her whole CD collection. Didn't you used to go out with Pattie, Phil?"
    "Yeah, but—"
    The kids were drawn to gather round her as Marj laid out her treasures.
    "What's all that, Dr. Piper?" Heather asked.
    "I smell chocolate," Alison said.
    "Candy. Some cookies. There's hot chocolate mix. I brought fruitcake, too. What's Christmas without fruitcake?"
    "Better for everyone," one of the kids spoke up. There was laughter.
    "I like fruitcake," Alison declared.
    "I'm sorry I couldn't carry too much with me," Marj said. "But I thought you'd like a taste.
    There's plenty more to be had at my place. I'm in the mood for baking a lot of Christmas cookies this year."
    "I remember your baking cookies," Phil said. "I could smell them from miles away—but you didn't make any last year."
    She smiled at him. "I'll make up for the lack this year." She gestured at all the teenagers. "It's going to take a lot of baking to fill up a crew this size."
    "What are you talking about?" Clark demanded. "Who is this human?"
    "You did some chores for me back in October, don't you remember?"
    "She's my friend," Phil spoke.
    "Your parents' friend," Clark said.
    "No," Marj said. "I know Phil much better than I do his folks. If you'd like to come back to work for me, Phil, I could certainly use the help. You too," she added to Heather.

    The dog had staked out one of the kids for attention, and was being held in the arms of a girl, who was looking wistful. Marj was handing out candy and other treats to the runaways, one by one, and talking to them about how she planned to spend Christmas in her big, warm house. Most of them were listening avidly. The kids were really homesick, Harry concluded happily.
    "What's going on?" Clark demanded, his attention fully on Harry while the others concentrated on stuffing down candy bars and fruitcake. "Did my father send you?"
    "Are you from the Council?" Alison spoke up.
    Harry noticed how she was regarding him wolf to wolf, and told her, Don't think about it. I already have a mate .
    Alison glanced between him and Marj. A human ? Far from being appalled, she suddenly looked at him with respect. "Then you can't be from the Council."
    "But I am," he said. "I'm also not completely on their side. I've been looking for you, but to see that you're okay." Harry took a step back, and said, "Listen up." When their attention was on him, he went on, "My name is Harrison Blethyin. Some of you might have heard of me."
    Alison and Clark exchanged a quick glance, which told him they knew who he was. These two were the oldest of the shapeshifter group, not technically runaways. At nineteen, Heather Adams was also legally an adult, and human—so, technically, none of Harry's business. But seeing how they were living in this isolated icebox of a shack, he was determined to get all of them back to a more civilized and safe place.
    "You're the tracker," Alison said.
    "You work with humans," Clark Losimba said. "Helping them. My dad thinks you're a freak,"
    he added, but he was smiling at Harry when he did. "My dad's a jerk."
    "Jerk or not, he misses you, Clark. And Council or not, no one can make you go home or back into our