Secret Santa Surprise (Kindred Tales)

“Exactly,” Sonja put in. “So when Melanie was saying that you two are too young for her, she didn’t mean it as a put down and she wasn’t trying to act superior. She honestly thinks the two of you don’t want her because of her age and her curves.”

“But…but nothing could be further from the truth!” Clear protested. “We thought she wouldn’t want us because of our youth and lack of status.” He turned to Strong. “We must go find her and tell her at once about this misunderstanding!”

“Not so fast, there,” Sonja said, frowning. “She’s not just upset about the age difference thing. She was also pretty rattled about whatever it was the three of you did together last night.”

Strong frowned.

“I told you, whatever ‘primate business’ we ‘got up to’ is private.”

“Monkey business,” Sonja corrected him. “And whatever it was, I think Melanie feels like she acted…” She cleared her throat. “Inappropriately.”

“I didn’t think she did,” Clear objected. “Although I was surprised to see her in the present that Sahran had bought for you. I wondered why she wore it. I…” He snapped his fingers. “Oh, I know why! I told her to wear it.”

“You did?” Strong raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“Of course!” Clear exclaimed. “Because I invited her to bake Christmas cookies with us and I told her to wear the gift I got her. Because I thought I had given her this…” He brandished the oven mitt at Strong triumphantly.

“But instead, she came over in that little red and white nothing of a dress,” Strong growled.

“This has all just been a big misunderstanding!” Clear said, smiling in apparent relief. “We just have to go to Melanie and explain it to her and then the three of us can be together again.”

“I’d put a lid on that for a minute if I were you,” Sonja advised. “I think that Melanie is pretty upset and embarrassed right now—she might need some time to cool off.”

“But if she believes we don’t want her because of her age or her curves—” Clear began.

“She also believes she behaved inappropriately last night,” Strong pointed out. He frowned. “Though she really didn’t. Although I was surprised at the way she was dressed and how she was acting.”

“How was she acting?” Sonja asked, raising her eyebrows.

“She taught us an Earth game called ‘Truth or Dare,’” Clear told her. “It was most…entertaining.”

“Truth or Dare, huh? Mm-mm-mm.” Sonja shook her head. “No wonder she’s embarrassed! Melanie is not the type of girl to put on a skimpy little outfit and go over to a man’s house to play sex games with him—or them. She’s much more reserved than that.”

“I always thought so too,” Clear remarked. “But she seemed…very different last night.”

“She might have been tipsy from the punch,” Strong pointed out.

“But she only drank a few sips,” Clear objected.

“Hey, I only drank a few sips and that stuff made me act weird too,” Sonja said, frowning.

“You weren’t like your usual, lovable self at all, last night,” Sahran agreed, earning himself a frown. “Well, I’m sorry, darling, but you weren’t,” he said.

“And this morning, we all have headaches and hang-overs,” Strong said, frowning.

“I don’t,” Sahran said.

“Did you drink the punch?” Strong asked him.

The Blood Kindred shook his head.

“I heard there was Fireflower juice in it—I can’t stand that stuff.”

“And you feel fine?” Strong asked him.

Sahran shrugged.

“I feel the same as always. So yes, I suppose I feel fine.”

“But all of us who drank the punch feel wretched today,” Clear said slowly. “And the human females who drank it were acting extremely amorous last night.”

“That’s one way to put it,” Sahran said dryly, which earned him another stern look from Sonja.

“I’m beginning to think something was in that punch,” Strong growled, frowning. “I wonder if there’s any left that we could analyze?”

“I doubt it. They probably cleaned up the conference room and washed out the punch bowl by now,” Sonja said.

“That’s true…” Strong nodded. “But that shouldn’t stop us from getting to the top of this situation, as the humans say.”

“You mean getting to the bottom of it,” Sonja corrected. “And what are you going to analyze if all the punch is gone?”

“The blood of all of us who drank it, of course,” Strong said. “If the punch was that strong, there must be some chemical residue left in our systems.” He looked at Sonja. “I’ll especially want to see your blood analysis—if there was something in the punch, it seems to have affected females much more than males. At least, human females.”

“There were one or two Kindred females there too,” Sonja pointed out. “Some of the priestesses from the Sacred Grove dropped by—I know I saw at least one of them sipping punch.”

“Goddess…” Clear shook his head. “Aren’t they sworn to chastity?”

“I have a feeling some of them might have broken their vows last night,” Strong said dryly. He pointed at Sonja and Sahran. “I’m going to the Med Center—you two go round up as many people from the party last night as you can. We need to get to the top—I mean, the bottom of this.”