by R. E. Butler
He probed her pussy with his tongue, sliding into her and sucking on her lips. He played with her clit, and she writhed and moaned. He threw his arm over her back and drew her close to his mouth, holding her in place. Her pussy creamed, and her clit swelled under his finger.
“Right there, oh, right there, Roi,” she said, gasping the words and struggling in his hold. He rubbed her clit faster, and she fell apart, throwing her head back and chanting his name.
He lifted from her, kissing the backs of her thighs, and then he tugged her lower body off the bed and pushed her cheeks apart so he could watch his cock sink into her pussy. She fisted the comforter, and he leaned over her, unhooking her bra and kissing the center of her back, and then he pushed her hair to the side to bare her neck as he entered her, slamming into her with a growl. His beasts were riding him hard, anxious to mark her and make her theirs in truth.
He planted his hands on either side of her, his fists sinking into the soft mattress. He pumped his hips, sinking into her and pulling out. He felt his control slipping, and he slammed into her, over and over, until he came, his cock spasming as he sank deep into her. He snarled and gritted his teeth against the roar in his throat.
Then he slipped his arm under her shoulders and lifted her upper body from the bed slightly as he pushed his hand under her hips and touched her clit. She groaned and grabbed his arm with both hands, relaxing in his hand as he pushed her to another climax. He could feel her getting close, her pussy clenching his cock rhythmically as he rubbed her clit. She arched under him as much as she could with his body blanketing hers and cried out. He felt a sweet rush of heat over his cock, and with a satisfied smile on his lips, he sank his fangs into the side of her neck and marked her.
She moaned, her body going limp in his hold as he extracted his fangs and nicked his tongue. Then he stroked her wound with his tongue and pushed his blood into it, marking her permanently.
She reached back, sank her fingers into his hair, and tugged the strands. “Fucking amazing.”
He grinned and flexed his hips, his cock hardening at her feisty tone. “Mine.”
“Forever.”
* * *
As Dreama stroked her fingers lazily over Roi’s back, he couldn’t contain his smile. He was the happiest he’d ever been in his life, and it was all because of his fated mate. She was everything to him now. His sun, moon, and stars all wrapped up in a devastatingly gorgeous package. She was petite and curved in all the right places; her skin was so soft he couldn’t stop touching her, tracing the dip of her waist and then flexing his hand on her lower back.
After he’d marked her, they’d stripped completely and made love again, taking their time and loving each other slowly. He’d heard from his mated friends that finding his fated mate would lead to intense feelings of possessiveness and love, and it was true. His beasts were content now that she was marked, and they were determined to keep her safe and see to her happiness for the rest of their lives. They just had one issue to deal with, and that was him moving to her home.
“Tell me about your job,” he said.
She tilted her head until she was looking at him. “I work at night, of course, and I travel around and help children fall asleep and have sweet dreams.”
“Just kids?”
“Most humans stop believing in magic when they’re young. There are some who believe longer, but usually by the time they’re teenagers, they’ve grown out of believing in magic and things they can’t see.”
“I didn’t know that your dad was real. Or the Easter Bunny or Jack Frost. I thought they were just stories.”
She smiled. “I think that’s how humans view supernatural creatures in general. Eventually, they put away beliefs they view as childish, which I think is sad.”
“Do you know why our city is closed to magical creatures?”
“I only know that it had something to do with Jack Frost.”
“Have you ever met him?”
“I’ve seen him, but he stays to himself.”
“He wanted Mrs. C as a mate.”
Dreama hummed. “I think relationships are tough for the immortal. There aren’t a lot of them. My father’s immortal, but because my mother is mortal, I’m also mortal.”
“Your mom is human?”
“Fae.”
His brows rose. “There are fae?”
“Yes. Most of them live in Ireland, and they’re hidden from humans. She’s mated to a fae male, and they have children, but I’m not close to her.”
“Why?”
Her gaze drifted down and her shoulders slumped, but then she seemed to shake it off. “She wanted to mate a male of high standing, and he didn’t want a half-breed for a step-daughter, so she asked my father to raise me. Since I can dream walk, he took me with him while he worked, and I learned to hone my power from a young age.”
“I’m sorry that she didn’t choose you.”
Sadness flashed in her gaze. “Me too. I can’t imagine not choosing my own children. Even if she and my father weren’t meant to be mated, she still could have found a male who would accept me, too. When I was growing up, my father always said that he and I were a package deal – if a female wanted him, she had to accept me, too.”
Roi nodded. “That’s the way it should be.”
“What about your family?”
“My parents live in NPC. My mom is an elf, and my dad is a shifter – he can change into three of the animals, but not the reindeer.”
“Are females always elves?”
He nodded. “Yes, but males can be elves or shifters.”
“And quads like you?”
“Rare. There are only twelve of us in NPC right now, and eight are on the sleigh team. I’m the Cupid position.”
She smiled. “Did you want to be that position or were you assigned?”
“When I was able to change into a reindeer, I was just so excited to be a quad that I didn’t really care what position I was in. Rhys is the Dasher position, and that’s the leader of the team, but since SC is the boss of everyone, it doesn’t really matter what position we’re in.”
“I notice there’s only eight of you. What about Rudolph?”
He snorted. “Now that guy is fiction.”
“Aw, so there’s no reindeer with a light bulb for a nose, for those extra-foggy winter nights?” she teased.
“Nope,” he said with a laugh.
Her smile slipped when she said, “We should talk about more serious things, right?”
“Yeah. I didn’t know there was a ban on magical creatures in NPC. It means that after the twenty-four hours is up, the city will be closed to you forever.”
She sighed. “I never hated my powers more than I do now. I wish I was human.”
He arched a brow. “If you were human, we might have never met.”
“Good point. I wish I could get rid of my powers now.”
He tucked his finger under her chin. “Hey, I don’t want you to be any different than you are, okay? You’re my fated mate, and that means you’re perfect.”
“I might leave my shoes everywhere.”
“I’ll pick them up.”
“And I might not be a great cook.”
“We’ll figure it out,” he said with a laugh. “The important thing is that we’ll be together.”
“What about your family and friends? You’ll be leaving NPC, where you were born and raised. Can you still be on the sleigh team if you don’t live here?”
It would suck, for sure, but he would give up anything for her. She was that important to him already. “I’ll be able to keep in touch with my family by video call and email, and they can come visit on Christmas Eve. As far as the sleigh team goes, I’d lose my position if I’m not staying in NPC. I’ll miss being part of it, but I get you. If I tried to live where you weren’t, I think my beasts would tear me apart from the inside out. Home is you. Period. So don’t worry about what I’m walking away from. Let’s concentrate on what we’re wal
king to.”
“What would that be?” she murmured, her voice tipping to a husky tone that made his beasts clamor to get close to her.
“Making a home together. Raising a family. If you want kids, that is.”
“I do. As an only child, I always wanted to have a big family.”
“Me too.”
She rolled to her back and picked up her phone. “We’ve got seventeen hours and change until NPC is closed to me. What do you want to do?”
“I can think of a few dozen things.”
She rolled her eyes with a laugh. “No, I mean about you coming to live here.”
His brows rose. “Oh, right. Sorry, I’m having a hard time thinking about anything but hearing you shout my name again.”
“It’s my favorite name,” she said, dropping her phone to the nightstand. “Wanna hear it?”
She rolled to face him and curved her leg around his waist.
“You better believe it, baby. Over and over and over again.”
Chapter 5
Dreama didn’t want to leave the bed, but there were tasks that needed to be accomplished before the NPC ban was back in effect and that included taking Roi home so he could pack. She was still unsettled about him giving up his job, family, and friends for her, but he was determined. There seemed to be no other option, and it wasn’t as if she had a great idea for how they could live in NPC. Living in NPC for her, though, would mean never seeing her father again and also part of the reason she worried that Roi might resent her. He would be leaving his parents behind.
She finished drying her hair and put the hair dryer away, and then she moved into the bedroom and found Roi looking at the communicator watch that he’d been given by the security team in NPC.
“Something up?” she asked as she pulled a pair of ankle boots from the closet and sat down next to him on the bed.
“Just checking in with Rhys. Merri’s dad is stable after the surgery and in recovery.”
“I’m glad to hear it. It must be terribly hard for her to have this whole other life that she can’t share with her parents because they’re human.”
“At least our families will understand our choices,” he said. “I’m ready to head home and pack. I’ve sent a message to my parents to let them know I’m stopping by with news.”
“I hope they like me.”
“Why wouldn’t they? You’re my fated mate.”
“I know, but still…you’re leaving NPC because of me.”
“They’ll understand.”
She exhaled and looked around her room. “I’m ready when you are.”
Roi stood and pulled her to her feet. Wrapping his arms around her, he smiled down at her. She could see his beasts in the golden flecks of his eyes, and she couldn’t wait to see what he looked like when he shifted. Her mouth turned down when she realized that her home’s location wasn’t ideal for a shifter to keep his nature secret.
“What’s that frown for?” he asked, touching the corner of her mouth.
“This house is in the city. You won’t be able to shift. Do you have to shift on a certain day every month?”
“I can shift whenever I want. We can find a private home somewhere. Charli has a cabin in the mountains. Maybe she’d let us use it until we can find someplace to live on our own.”
“I just want you to be happy.”
“Trust me, baby, I’m very happy.”
Dreama went onto her toes and kissed him. Then she transported them to his room in the barracks. He’d explained to her where he lived, which allowed her to take them right to his place. Roi’s space consisted of a single room with a large closet, a big bed in the corner, and a tall dresser.
“The unmated quads live on this floor,” he said, as he went to the closet and pulled out a large, black duffel bag. He unzipped it and pulled out a second smaller bag. He set both bags on the bed.
“Where do they live when they’re mated?”
“The builders build cabins for mated couples. We’ll walk to my parents’ home after we stop in to see SC.”
She nodded. Her nerves made her stomach quiver. She wanted his parents to like her and not be angry that she was taking Roi out of the city to live. Pushing her anxious thoughts to the back of her mind, she walked toward the closet and took his clothes off hangers, leaving his uniforms and packing only his casual clothes, while he packed the items from the dresser. When they were finished, both bags were stuffed full and waiting on the bed.
“Are you as bothered by cold as humans? I’m not too susceptible to the cold because of my shifter nature.”
“I must be similar to your kind because it doesn’t bother me too much.”
“That’s good. I love the snow because of my beasts.”
She took his hand as they walked out of the room. “Then we’ll find a place to live where you can enjoy it.”
“As long as you will, too.”
“Oh, I think as long as I have you help keep me warm, I can be happy in a blizzard.”
They stepped out of the barracks and into the bitter cold. There hadn’t been an opportunity to look around before because Dreama had transported right into Santa’s home, but she paused for a moment now and stared. Everything was white, and not just the snow – all the buildings were white, and the old-fashioned signs that hung from several of the larger buildings were white, too.
“Toy Factory,” she said, reading one sign. “Is that really where they make toys?”
“Yep. We can pop in there after we see SC and my parents, if you’d like.”
“I don’t want to use up any time visiting with your family, though.”
“It’s no problem. We’ve still got lots of time.”
They followed a cobblestone sidewalk past a bar, which Roi said a lot of unmated males and females went to. The path led them to a large cabin. Roi knocked on the front door, and Santa’s voice boomed from inside, telling them to come in.
Roi helped her off with her jacket and then hung both of theirs on a coat rack. He took her hand and led her into the family room, where Santa and Mrs. Claus were sitting.
Mrs. Claus smiled and said, “Welcome back. We heard that Merri’s father is doing well. Have you spoken to your father yet, Dreama?”
“No. I was going to do that after we talked to Roi’s parents.”
Santa said, “I think we can cut to the chase. If time weren’t an issue, we could talk all night, but since the clock is dwindling and my lead reindeer is in the human world, let’s get to the meat of things.”
Mrs. Claus rolled her eyes. “We could still chat.”
Roi said, “No, he’s right. Dreama and I want to spend some time with my parents before we go back to her place to drop off my things, and then we must return Rhys and Merri home before we leave again. I’m resigning my post as the Cupid position so I can live with Dreama.”
Dreama’s heart cracked a little. She still couldn’t believe how easily the decision had come to him. But she knew that if the positions were reversed that she’d choose him and NPC if she could. The problem was that she was a magical creature, and that fact couldn’t be changed.
“I’m sorry,” she said, looking at Roi.
“Why are you sorry?” Mrs. Claus asked, her gentle voice putting Dreama somewhat at ease. “You should never apologize for finding your fated mate. If anything, we’re the ones who should be sorry because the ban prevents you from living here.”
Dreama opened her mouth to protest, but Santa let out a growling sigh. “I can’t lift it. I’ve been over this with my wife ever since the situation came up. If I lift the ban, then any magical creatures can come in whenever they like. Which may not be an issue on its own, but if I were to need to put a ban in place again, you wouldn’t be able to live here. You could have children who would be exiled, too. It’s just…not feasible.”
“We weren’t asking you to lift the ban,” Roi said. “Dreama is my mate, and I’m going where she is. I’d live on the moon if necessary.”
Mrs. Claus smiled, her blue eyes twinkling. “Of course. That’s how fated mates should feel.”
They talked for a few more minutes and said their goodbyes. Roi promised to stop by for a final farewell before the twenty-four hours were up. As they walked to his parents’ home, Roi said, “You look upset. I hope you know that I’m not worried about anything but making sure we get back home before the time is up. If I got stuck here and you weren’t here, I’d go batshit crazy.”
She smiled. “That’s pretty crazy.”
“You know it.” He pulled her to a stop, and she turned into him, relaxing into his hug. “See, baby? See how good we are together already? Like I’d give this up for anything. You’re worried about how I’ll feel away from my family and friends, and the only thing I can say is that when this time is up, I get you, and that’s worth whatever hardship or heartache comes on its heels. It’s not as if I’m never going to talk to my parents again.”
She sniffled and smiled at him. “Technology is a grand thing.”
“It is. And because of it, we can stay in touch as much as we like with the people in NPC. It’s enough for me because your sexy self is going to be my side. So promise to stop worrying about what’s here.”
“I promise to try. I’m the lucky one. I don’t have to give up anything to be with you except half of the bed.”
He chuckled and brushed a few strands away from her face. “Gorgeous and all mine. I’m the lucky one.”
When they knocked on his parents’ cabin, the front door swung open swiftly and a male and female stood in the doorway, both wearing broad grins.
“We saw you two talking outside, but didn’t want to interrupt. Come on in. It’s a cold one today!” the man said, stepping aside so they could enter.
The house smelled like fresh baked bread and sweet cream, and Dreama’s stomach rumbled. Roi took her coat and handed it to his dad along with his own, and he hung them in a narrow closet.
