Vix

I had never really taken the time to look at the resort's decorations around Christmas time. Perhaps I was simply jaded when it came to Christmas, but I preferred to think that Faith was simply opening my eyes to new experiences. That is after all what having a mate was for, to broaden your horizons and to be the yin to my yang as it were. What did I learn with my newly-opened eyes? That palm trees should never be wrapped in lights for any holiday. And most certainly not for Christmas.

"I can't breathe," Cupid gasped out as he doubled over, holding his stomach with both hands. His face was bright red, and he had arrived at that stage of laughter where you were laughing so hard that noise ceased to come out. "Fuck!"

Faith was faring little better as she alternated patting Cupid on his foot and rolled around in the sand holding her own stomach and trying to suck in air faster, then she laughed it out. "Stop!" she gasped and then lay prostrate on the ground at our feet. "Oh, God." She looked up at the lights and immediately started giggling uncontrollably again. "Vix." She held out a hand to me, waving it around until I caught it. "You're gonna have to carry me home."

What did palm trees look like when they were wrapped in Christmas lights? Dicks. They looked like giant dicks. And when you added in the palm fronds? They looked like giant dicks exploding in orgasm. And my mate, and her other mate, had the subsequent maturity of five-year-old boys.

Dash had resorted to sitting on a bench nearby, holding his head in his hands, and occasionally letting out a chuckle.

"If I carry you, who will get Cupid back to your cabin?" I asked as I hauled my boneless mate to her feet and up over my shoulder. "While I'm not completely against leaving him here, I won't hear the end of it if we do."

Faith waved her hands around for a minute and started giggling again. "Dash'll get him," she managed to get out between bouts of laughter. "Dash, come carry Cupid home."

"If I look up, I'll see the penis lights again," Dash called from his bench, his head still in his hands.

"So, your solution is to simply not look at them until they turn the lights out?" I asked as I hefted Faith more comfortably over my shoulder, making sure that her coverup was completely covering her backside as I did.

"I thought it was a solid plan." Dash didn't move to get Cupid, who had fallen completely to the sand and was twitching every once in a while.

"You both can sleep out in the walkway then." I smacked Faith on her round hindquarters and about faced toward where her cabin was located. "I shall simply have to entertain our mate all on my own."

"I'm good!" Cupid bounced to his feet. "We're all good here."

"I thought that would help." I grinned to myself and continued to rub soothing circles on Faith's reddened ass. "Dash? Have you recovered?"

"Can you just lead me back to the cabin?" He stood holding one hand over his eyes and the other waving in front of himself, searching, presumably for one of us. "I'll just keep my eyes closed, and then we'll go back to the cabin and cuddle."

"Just cuddle?" Faith used her hands on my waist to sit up enough to see both of the other men. "But sexy times?" I could hear the pout in her voice. I could also hear the three tequila sunrises that she had ingested at dinner.

"You're drunk." I patted her gently. "Remember what we agreed on."

"Sober sisters." She smacked my ass hard and kicked her legs from where they were draped over my shoulder, nearly flinging one of her flip-flops off into my face. "Giddy up, Vix. The faster we get home, the faster I can be sober."

"I am quite sure that isn't how it works." I mumbled and looked over to where Cupid was humoring Dash and leading him in a mostly straight path towards where Faith's cabin sat on the beach. "But I would like to get some water into you."

"That's what she said." Faith snorted and kicked her legs again. "Let's go."

"I would like to point out that I am also not a horse," I told her as I followed my brethren to the cabin.

"You got hooves, right?"

"Occasionally," I agreed.

She pushed up against my back again and tried to look around. I held my arms firm around her, so she didn't accidentally drop herself on her head with her movement. "So, don't reindeer giddy up, too?"

"Not exactly."

"I wonder what Santa says to his reindeer to make them giddy up?" She dropped herself back down and amused herself with pulling the backs of my swim trunks away from my body and trying to see my ass. It was dark enough that I was mostly sure she wasn't succeeding, not that it would have been a problem. She had seen all of me only hours before.

"I'm led to believe that he uses the words 'On Dasher, on Dancer, on Donner and Vixen. . .' and so forth." I gave a brief smile when she was silent for a long moment. "Faith?" A loud snore answered me, and I carefully maneuvered her into my arms. She curled into my body as I carried her princess style through the door of her cabin, mindful not to bump her head as we proceeded. Cupid and Dash were already sound asleep on the bed. They were under the covers, but I was quite certain that the swim trunks thrown over the wing-backed chair were the ones they had been wearing to dinner.

I lay Faith next to Cupid, and watched as she rolled into him, throwing a leg over his hips and tucking her chin under his. I dropped my trunks over the ones already on the chair and climbed in bed behind her. I looked over at my Faith and her two other mates, and my mind went quiet. I was where I was always meant to be.

Faith

The boys left the day before Christmas. They told me they were going to, but waking up alone with a trio of candy canes and a note made me feel hollow anyhow.

Dash had booked me a snorkel tour of the reef for the morning, so I wouldn't feel lonely, and I would actually leave the cabin. But as I was getting changed for the outing, I kept looking back at our bed. The bed we had spent countless hours in together, and I would return to alone on Christmas Eve night.

I heaved a long sigh, letting my shoulders drop as I turned to grab my keys and head to the beach shed where the tour would start. I could do this. I had gone on the vacation alone. I had never dreamed of meeting anyone while trying to enjoy my second honeymoon without my cheating husband, who didn't want me. There was no reason for me to be melancholy.

Except I was.

I missed my mates and they had only been gone a few hours. How the hell was I supposed to get on with my life back home knowing what it was like to be with them? How was I going to pick up the pieces again?

Birdie: Stop feeling sorry for yourself and get your ass in gear. *Kissy Face Emoji* *Heart Emoji*

Faith: They left. *Tear emoji*

Birdie: They'll be back. P.S. that tear looks like spooge. Just saying. *Heart Emoji* *Kiss Emoji*

Faith: Yeah, to the island, but what happens when I go home?

Birdie: The world works in mysterious ways, my friend. Have some faith, Faith. *Hug Emoji*

Faith: My faith is a little broken right now. *Broken Heart Emoji*

Birdie: I know, love. But I promise it won't be forever. Now go snorkeling. Cupid said he wanted pictures, right?

Faith: Right.

I snagged the underwater disposable camera that Cupid had bought me at the resort gift shop for exactly that reason and walked out the door. It was strange walking the path to the beach alone after having the guys with me every day, but I wrapped the wrist strap of the camera around my hand and tucked my keys into the pocket of my beach cover up and off I went.

The equipment shed where the snorkeling group met was only a few minutes walk from my cabin, but along the way I kept seeing groups and couples chatting and laughing. Was it stupid that I missed the guys? It was just a vacation fling. Just because they promised to come back after whatever mission they had to go on, didn't mean they would. We'd exchanged phone numbers, and other personal fluff that people shared when they were close. But the way they talked about their jobs scared me a little.

I turned off the path and onto the beach proper, shielding my eyes from the sun that crept in over my sunglasses, searching for anyone else who might join me for snorkeling. To my surprise, there was actually quite a group. Most of them seemed to be families and couples, except for one man. Something about the way he watched me as I made my way over to the shed tickled something in the back of my mind. He looked like a classic Disney villain, all the way down to his pointy goatee and the scar through one eyebrow. He watched me with this creeper smirk on his face that sent a shiver down my spine. And not a good one. As I got closer, his tongue snuck out from between his lips. Something slithered under my skin, and I had to fight a shudder. I moved to the far edge of the group, putting as many people as I could between myself and the goatee man, whose eyes never left me.

"Since we're all finally here." The instructor clapped his hands and gave me a look.

Yes, I know I was late. It bothered me, too. I was never late. My belief had always been fifteen minutes early, on time, on time was late. I resisted looking down at my watch, but I already knew what it said. I had checked the time on the way out of the cabin. I was five minutes late. Mostly because I wasn't really sure that I wanted to go snorkeling. Dash had booked it. Probably because he knew that I was going to spend the entire time they were gone in bed if he didn't fill my days with activities. Vix had even gone the extra step and added all of my 'adventures' into my google calendar.

What was wrong with me?

I had just gotten divorced, and now I was pining over three men I would probably never see again after New Year?

I was pathetic.

I was also not listening to anything the instructor said, so when the goatee man sidled up to me with two pairs of swim fins I gave him an inquisitive look.

"We are to form pairs." He held out one pair of fins to me, but I tucked my hands under my elbows, holding myself protectively from his gaze. I looked over at the rest of the group and saw that I was the only one not paired up already. Well, shit. I took a long breath and took the fins from him and stepped back. "I'm Peter." He held out his hand again, now devoid of fins. He licked those thin lips as his eyes roamed over my body, making my stomach twist.

"Faith," I offered as I took another step back.

"Fitting," Peter hummed, his eyes glued to my breasts. I wished that I had worn one of my one-piece suits, but stupid Birdie had to steal them before I left on vacation. Instead I was left with the little red bikini that she had left in its place. The one that Vix told me was his favorite. With Peter's eyes on me, I wanted to retch.

"We should get going." I nodded over to where the rest of the group was getting their fins and goggles on, lined up along a long wooden dock.

"As you wish, pretty Faith."

Oh vomit.

I hurried to catch up to the rest of the group, nearly tripping over the edge of the dock where it was partially hidden under the sand. Peter's arm snaked around my waist to keep me upright, and I would have rather face-planted than felt his clammy skin on my body. I gave him a quick thanks and shrugged off his arm.

The snorkel tour was a complete blur. I know I took some pictures for Cupid, but I couldn't tell you what they were. Peter took any and all opportunities to touch me, and I couldn't wait until I could go back to my cabin. As empty as it was, it would be preferable to the slimy man's presence.

Cupid

Leaving Faith before dawn was possibly the hardest thing that I had ever done. I left the camera I bought her on the table, hoping that she would remember to take it. That she would actually do the activities we had set up for her. Vix had even reserved her our table at the restaurant for Christmas dinner. I had never resented my calling as much as I did when the three of us closed her cabin door and headed off to the farthest cove of the island where no one would see us change.

I shed my clothes and tossed them to Dash as he stuffed his own in a bag. Wiggling my shoulders, I hummed to myself as I called my animal.

"Seriously, dude." Dash rolled his eyes at me and dropped the bag behind some rocks for when we got back. "Are you humming that stupid rhyme?"

"What? You have your methods, I have mine." I hummed a few more bars and looked over at Dash and Vix, who were both looking at me. "Fuck off." I growled before I let the animal take my skin.

"At least he doesn't click his heels together and say there's no place like home," Vix commented before letting his own animal out.

"It was one time," Dash grumbled and changed while we waited. You know, flying commercial would be less strenuous. Dash's thoughts came through my mind loud and clear.

All those smells stuffed in a tin can? Vix pawed at the ground, obviously eager to get going. He was right; it was a long flight, and we were on a time crunch. No, thank you.

Plus, there aren't any direct flights to the North Pole. I rolled my shoulders, mindful of my antlers, and took three long strides before the air solidified under my hooves, and I was airborne. The general's waiting. I threw over my shoulder as I gained height.

On Dasher, on Dancer. On Prancer and Vixen. Dash sang obnoxiously.

Oh shut up, asshole. I lengthened my stride, determined to be the first to touch down once we made it home.

On Comet, on Cupid. On Donder and Blitzen. Vix chimed in as they gained on me.

You gonna do the whole thing? Seriously? It was going to be a long flight.

To the top of the perch. To the top of the wall! Dash's voice sang out clear as a bell, even though I had put a good mile between us. My legs burned as I pushed myself harder.

Now dash away, dash away all! I finished the rhyme and shook my head, clearing the first level of clouds that dotted the early morning sky. Bet I get there first!