Shifters in the Snow: Bundle of Joy: Seventeen Paranormal Romances of Winter Wolves, Merry Bears, and Holiday Spirits

by J. K Harper

Which, coincidentally, was a topic both of them were very good at avoiding.

  They were speeding into Shifter Grove when Marley finally noticed how much time had passed. Between him telling her about his antics across the globe, and her mostly chattering on and on about Deon – with Daelan gladly soaking up every word – they’d made the hour disappear between them.

  “You still haven’t told me why we’re in Idaho, though,” Marley said, as they pulled up in front of the Sunrise Diner.

  Daelan parked the car and killed the engine. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then plastered on a smile and gave her a reassuring look.

  “I’ll fill you in on all of it, I promise.”

  Maybe it was her overactive imagination, but that smile of his seemed to disappear a tad too fast. And maybe she was imagining things, but had she noticed his expression drop the moment he began to turn away from her and get out of the car?

  Weird, she thought to herself, fussing with the seat belt.

  Daelan opened the door for her and carefully took Deon from her so she could get out of the low Camaro. He kept the boy in his arms, Deon’s nap continuing undisturbed.

  “Do you think he’ll be fine in the diner?” Daelan asked, worry spiking his tone. “I don’t want to wake him up.”

  “No, don’t worry,” Marley said, waving the notion away. “He’s a weird little thing. Either he will not sleep at all, or he’ll sleep through anything. Right now, he’s in sleeping through anything mode.”

  “You sure?”

  “Positive.”

  Obviously taking her word for it, Daelan locked the car and showed Marley into the diner, opening the door for her with his free hand. They hadn’t gotten out much during that weekend they’d spent together, other than the bar they’d initially met in, so Marley was happy to find that he was sort of a gentleman despite his ragged faux-rock look.

  It was a discovery she certainly did not mind making.

  “Hey, Daelan,” a woman at the counter called, waving to him.

  With obvious reluctance, Daelan waved back before ushering Marley to the nearest booth and slipping in.

  “Who’s she?” Marley asked with a small grin.

  It wasn’t surprising to her that the local female population had taken note of the young dragon – which, by the way, still sounded insane to her. How’d she end up with a dragon, of all things?

  He was an attractive man, no matter how one looked at it. With his tall, strong build and that gorgeous, classically handsome face of his, he was bound to get a few fans wherever he went.

  Marley was all too well aware that she had no claim on him, but she couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit jealous.

  “That’s Cerise. She owns the diner. And she sort of knows everyone and everything that goes on in this town,” Daelan muttered, a frown crossing his features.

  “Is that a bad thing?” Marley questioned teasingly.

  “Do I look like the kind of guy to open up to people much?” he shot back, the hint of a smile tugging at his inviting lips.

  “I guess not,” Marley allowed with a chuckle, already considering the menu before her.

  She’d been living off of coffee and worrying for the past week, so being promised a plateful of greasy diner food was right up her alley. Cerise came over a minute later and took their order, consisting of eggs and bacon and a slice of cherry pie for Daelan, and blueberry pancakes for Marley.

  As soon as the waitress/owner left and there was nothing to preoccupy herself with anymore, Marley looked at Daelan expectantly. He had Deon resting on one of his shoulders while Daelan’s head was propped up against the padding of the booth. He had a slight stubble and the light hit him just right.

  But the fact that he looked even hotter than she remembered wouldn’t answer any questions, now would it?

  “So,” Marley started tentatively.

  “So,” Daelan met with a nod, his green eyes seeming a tiny bit more golden than usual. “You want answers.”

  “I do want answers.”

  Marley nodded and just then, Cerise came and put two cups of coffee in front of them. Instead of turning around and walking off in a hurry again, she lingered for a moment.

  “I didn’t introduce myself before. I’m Cerise, and I own this diner,” she said, reaching out a hand to Marley.

  Marley shook the outstretched hand with a smile and a nod, though her heart was beating a mile a minute. It was an interesting case of pleasure and pain. Though she wanted to hear what was going on with Daelan and why he’d invited her to Idaho under such secrecy, another equally as large part of her wanted to avoid the conversation for as long as she could.

  Cerise just happened to provide a welcome distraction.

  “Marley. And this is Deon,” she said, motioning toward her blissfully resting baby boy.

  “Always love seeing a shifter kid in Shifter Grove,” Cerise said wistfully.

  “How’d you know?” Marley asked with some surprise.

  “I always know,” Cerise replied with a chuckle, tapping the side of her nose. “But I’ll leave you three alone for a moment. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to come and ask, hon. And be careful with this one.”

  Cerise quirked her brow at Daelan for a moment before sauntering off.

  “What do you think she meant by that?”

  “Maybe she thinks I’m some wily wretch who is leading a good girl like you down a twisted path. Some people just don’t like dragons.”

  His tone was only semi-sarcastic and he shrugged his wide shoulders effortlessly, stopping mid-motion when he realized that he had a baby leaning against one. His face twisted into one of surprise and he lowered his shoulders again very slowly, while Marley watched on with a grin.

  He’s really good with Deon, though…I would have never guessed.

  “Are you, though? Will you lead me into darkness and away from the light?” Marley asked, waggling her brows as she sipped on her coffee.

  “Only if you want me to,” Daelan said, that familiar sexy growl entering his tone.

  Marley’s thighs clenched immediately, hearing that sound.

  Unfair.

  She cleared her voice, flicking her gaze down to the coffee quickly.

  “As much as I enjoy our witty little repartee, you’re going to have to tell me what’s going on here.”

  “I do,” Daelan agreed with a nod, making Marley look up again. “Look, I didn’t know you were pregnant, or that you’d had a child. I think a part of me was aware after the birth – my dragon – but I didn’t figure it out. It took a family member to point it out to me that there was something going on.”

  He looked entirely uncomfortable explaining himself. Marley watched as his hand ran over the soft, thick hair on Deon’s head, as if automatically, like that was the only thing that would really calm him a little.

  It was sweet, though Marley’s stomach was in knots and she really couldn’t enjoy the moment as much as she would have liked to.

  “I tracked you down, but I couldn’t find out whether or not you had had a kid. Your SassyDate profile was the only one I actually found. I was being secretive because I thought that if you knew it was me, you might not come. And I wouldn’t blame you for it, but I did want to see you.

  “As for why Shifter Grove and Idaho, instead of Boston – this is neutral ground. My family is from here. I don’t know if I’ve even been here before, maybe as a baby. I wanted to put us both in a situation where it might be a fresh start, if you wanted it.”

  He hesitated for a second, and Marley realized her hands were clutching her coffee cup so hard that she was surprised it hadn’t shattered into a million pieces yet. Maybe it would, she couldn’t tell, because every fiber of her being was suddenly conflicted and wanting to expend energy somehow.

  “I’ve missed you,” Daelan said softly, finally meeting her gaze.

  It was at that very moment when several people gasped and chatter broke out in the Sunrise Diner. People were looking o
ut of the windows, crowding around them. Marley frowned, peeking over her shoulder at the commotion.

  “It started snowing,” Daelan said, nodding his head toward the window their booth was situated next to. “I guess you must have brought the weather with you from Boston.”

  “Just in time for Christmas, finally,” Cerise sighed loudly from one of the nearby windows, looking out with her hands on her hips.

  Deon woke up as well because of the commotion and was looking out the window now with wide eyes. Though he’d been born during a snowy time, Marley doubted he remembered ever seeing snow.

  His sleepy eyes were filled with wonder as he looked out at the heavy snowflakes starting to litter the ground, covering up the dirt and the buildings. Sitting in his father’s lap, it was the most perfect moment Marley had ever witnessed.

  “I missed you, too,” she admitted gently, willing away the tears of relief that were threatening to bubble up.

  She’d had so many reservations about this trip, and no way in hell was she about to give up on all of them, but finding Daelan here and seeing how he was with Deon…well, it made everything better.

  The dragon shifter smiled at her and she thought she could see relief in his eyes. But it wasn’t only that…there was still a kind of tension there and she got the feeling that he wasn’t telling her all that he could.

  You’re being paranoid, she told herself.

  But she really wasn’t.

  Chapter 7

  Daelan

  “Morning,” Marley said, yawning and rubbing sleep from her eyes.

  “Morning,” Daelan echoed, pouring out fresh hot chocolate into two mugs. “Is Deon up yet?”

  “Not yet. I think the trip really tuckered him out.”

  “He’ll bounce back. Us Silvertips are tough like that,” Daelan announced with a confident nod, picking up the mugs and nudging Marley toward the couch and table in his kitchen/living room.

  Though saying that it was ‘his’ was a bit of a stretch. It was one of the few cabins that was not sold yet, and Daelan had managed to strike a deal with the Warfang twins to rent it for a while. When Marley had confirmed that she’d be coming to Shifter Grove, Daelan had found himself in a mad rush to set up a situation where she might actually feel comfortable.

  Until the very last minute when he showed her to the house the previous night, he’d been worried whether she’d even want to stay in the same building with him. Though there was a separate room for her and Deon – he’d had a crib brought in just in case – he wouldn’t have blamed her had she decided to want to be anywhere else but with him.

  Luckily, that was not the case.

  As they plopped down on the couch and Marley curled up next to him with her hot chocolate and dressed in slouchy PJs, Daelan couldn’t help but feel…what was that word again? Happy?

  I’d forgotten how good it feels just being around her, he thought absently, reaching one arm over the backrest of the couch so he could play with Marley’s dark brown hair.

  Sipping on his hot chocolate, they sat there in silence for a tiny bit, Marley relaxing with a smile on her face. She looked gorgeous and even though it had been snowing all night and the remote little cabin was surrounded by white, she was by far the most beautiful thing to look at.

  The tug of guilt that shot through him at the thought of having left her alone for a year with a child was still as raw and painful as it had been the first time he’d realized what he’d put her through. The fact that he hadn’t been entirely truthful with her about why he’d invited her to Shifter Grove specifically only added to it.

  Shaking his head, Daelan tried to put those thoughts on the backburner and focus on the moment.

  “Did you sleep alright?” he asked, running his fingers through her curls again and brushing against the nape of her neck.

  She shuddered under his touch and his whole body tensed in response, remembering immediately how she’d felt twisting and moaning beneath him during that unforgettable weekend in Boston.

  “I did. Both Deon and I. I’ve never seen him sleep this much and this soundly.”

  “Must be the fact that he’s finally around his own kind,” Daelan mused, taking a deep gulp of sweet hot chocolate – so much better to have than coffee when it’s nice and snowy outside – and setting the mug down.

  “Is that how it works?” Marley asked, looking up at him from her curled up position.

  She’d drawn her knees to her chest and the way she looked up at him was just mesmerizing, those hazel eyes of hers inviting him to drown in them.

  “It does, I think. Well, any shifter will feel better surrounded by his own kind, most of the time. It goes doubly for little ones. They don’t realize it rationally, of course, but the pull is there and they settle when around family.”

  “You seem to know a lot about stuff like that,” Marley remarked.

  “I wouldn’t say a lot…but my sister has two dragonlings and I’ve been around them a little.

  “That’d explain it.”

  Marley nodded to herself as if she’d just cracked open a mystery that had been bothering her. Her gaze tracked to the window and she smiled seemingly almost involuntarily, seeing the thick blanket of snow that was stretching outside.

  “I thought we’d never get snow this year, regardless of where I was,” she said wistfully.

  “What do you mean that explains it?” Daelan asked with a frown, his hand never stopping the slow, tentative tracking along the skin on her neck and playing with her hair.

  “Well, the way you are with Deon. I’m sure it’s partly the fact that you’re a shifter and he’s yours – I understand the bond is undeniable one way or another – but you seem to really know what you’re doing when you handle him. I didn’t expect it from you.”

  “Is it because of my tortured artist shtick?” Daelan asked with a grin, glancing at the grey pair of sweatpants and somewhat worn Gold Dragons tee that he was wearing.

  He’d probably never looked this entirely casual in his life before, but being around Marley made him want to relax a little. It was a pleasant feeling, even though the gears were still turning in his head, making him twitch uncomfortably every now and then because of the implications they brought.

  “It definitely doesn’t help,” Marley laughed.

  She actually snuggled a little closer to him and Daelan’s arm wrapped around her shoulders now, pulling her into him. Instead of twitching away from him, she gave into the invitation easily and leaned on him, propping her head on his chest.

  “This is nice,” she whispered.

  Daelan had to agree wholeheartedly.

  “I didn’t think we’d be here, to be honest,” he said softly. Before she could ask what he meant by that, he went on: “I thought about you every day, you know. Since leaving Boston behind, you’ve been on my mind constantly. I know it has a bit to do with the fact that my dragon had to sense that there was a baby involved, but I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I regretted leaving the way I did.”

  “So why did you go?” Marley asked after a tiny pause.

  “I was…”

  Scared?

  “I don’t know. You’re not the first woman I’ve spent a weekend with, and I’m not saying it to hurt you. But it was always a weekend of fun and then I’d get out and go about my life without anything changing. I guess I expected the same thing to happen with you, even though I knew then that this wasn’t just another fling.”

  Marley’s hand went to the dragonstone pendant around her neck as if guessing what he was going to say next. Daelan smiled slightly to himself.

  “I’ve never left one of those with anyone, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

  “I was,” Marley admitted with a nod, her gaze going from the outside to him now.

  “I tried to find you, you know,” she started. “After I figured out I was pregnant. But there’s not really a lot known about you or your family. I couldn’t find anyone with that name who seemed like th
ey could be related to you in any way.”

  Daelan had to chuckle at that. If she only knew!

  “Well, that just shows you how good we are at what we do.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “We’re what you’d call hidden dragons. Every dragon has something about them that makes them unique. It’s in their blood. Some heal, some control weather or alloys, some even control time, but us? We can make things disappear, including ourselves and everything about us. You could stand right before me in a small crowd and you wouldn’t see me, if that’s how I wanted it.”

  “That’s the freakiest thing I’ve ever heard,” Marley said, her brows hiking up high.

  She still wouldn’t move from her cuddly position, though, and Daelan had every intention of keeping her there. The warmth of her body against his made his dragon curl up contentedly, and the blood pump through his veins a little bit faster and harder. He felt stronger and better when she was around, like he could only really reach his full potential if she was close.

  Considering that his dragon had known for a while that she was his mate, it made perfect sense in his mind as well.

  Mine.

  “I don’t use it that much, but my cousin’s taken it to the extremes. He lived here, in Shifter Grove, for twenty years without anyone knowing there was a dragon in the area.”

  “So you’d call him a little bit paranoid?”

  “I’d call him very much a Silvertip,” Daelan admitted with a smile.

  He went with his instincts and kissed the top of Marley’s head then, reveling in her sweet scent. She’d finished her hot chocolate and he took the empty cup from her, placing it on an end table and pushing it further from the edge with a tip of his finger.

  “Your family sounds interesting,” Marley commented, a slight blush to her cheeks.

  “My family’s small, scattered, and mostly doesn’t get along.”

  “Sounds like mine. But we’re not even dragons with avoidance issues.”

  Daelan snorted amusedly and shook his head.

  “I think people tend to get messed up, confused, and harbor animosities that have no place in their lives regardless of whether they’re shifters or not. It’s in our human nature.”