by Zoe Chant
“No, silly! It’s for you!”
“What?” Abigail turned the present over and checked the tag. Her own name stared back at her. From— “Hank?”
Opal’s broad-shouldered husband nodded at her. “Merry Christmas!”
“But how…?” Abigail met Jasper’s loving gaze. “You planned this!”
“I always hoped you’d spend Christmas here. Ever since the moment I met you,” Jasper said softly. “A real Christmas. With people who love you… and presents.”
“Thank you.” Abigail looked around the room, at Hank and Opal and Cole. “All of you. I never expected…”
“You’re family now, Abigail,” Opal said, snuggling into her husband’s side. “Get used to it.”
Abigail laughed. “I’ll try. It might take a while.”
“Take all the time you need,” Jasper said magnanimously. “To start with, all the time it will take you to open all these presents…”
Paper piled up around Abigail as Cole helped her unwrap her gifts. Pretty things, and silly things, and all… for her.
“Thank you,” she whispered to Jasper as Cole ran back to grab the next present from the pile under the tree.
“I know how much it means to you,” he whispered back. “From now on, every Christmas will be like this.” He reached under the tree and grabbed a soft-looking parcel. “This is for you, too. From me.”
But you’ve already given me so much! Abigail caught the words before they reached her lips. She could already tell how important gift-giving was in this family, and would never hurt her mate by saying anything that sounded like rejecting a gift. She pulled the paper away and her eyes widened.
“It’s a bit cheeky, I know…” Jasper leaned closer to her, wrapping one arm possessively around her waist. “I’m so glad it didn’t end up in the garbage.”
Abigail stroked the kitten plushie. She remembered stuffing it into her handbag before she left the apartment the day before. Jasper must have found it there. It still only had one eye and three legs, and its fur was sticking out in all directions, but her heart melted a little as she looked at it.
“I’m glad I didn’t throw it out, either. It deserves another chance.” A thought struck her, and she carefully balanced the toy in the Christmas tree, nestling it in between the other ornaments. “What do you think?”
“I think it looks very happy there,” Jasper murmured, and kissed her.
CHAPTER 21
Jasper
Jasper watched his mate. When she smiled, warmth blossomed in his heart. When she laughed at Cole’s antics, his dragon grumbled in approval. When she looked at him…
Everything was right. Everything had come together. Him and his dragon— and their connection to Abigail, the glowing, golden chain that bound them together. His ring on her finger. Her love in his heart.
The day flew by. Breakfast, and then presents; lunch, and then the adults took turns dozing in front of the fire while Cole leapt on each of them in turn. Jasper manfully took Abigail’s place in the being-jumped-on rotation; as he told her, whispering in her ear, he was the only person who was allowed to jump on her now.
She blushed, and every inch of his skin went hot with excitement.
He wanted to take her away somewhere private. Curl around her, warm her skin with his own, kiss her and caress her until they were both swept away on tides of pleasure.
Instead, he rolled into a defensive ball as Cole launched himself from the back of the sofa.
“Raar!”
“Raar yourself, you little menace!” Jasper unrolled and tackled Cole as he landed, tickling him mercilessly. Cole shrieked with laughter and wriggled in a way that was very familiar.
“Wait— oop.” Jasper gasped as Cole shifted.
The little dragon blinked and stretched, clattering across the floor on clumsy claws to snuffle around the piles of wrapping paper and opened gifts. Jasper scoffed. He knew exactly what his nephew was after.
“You can’t possibly still be hungry. No, don’t eat those chocolates, you’ll make yourself sick.” He glanced over to the sofa where Opal and Hank were dozing, hoping for backup. No luck. They were either asleep, or pretending to be.
Groaning, Jasper crawled over to Cole and wrestled the box of chocolates off him. Cole whined, turning imploring midnight-colored eyes on him.
“That’s not going to work on me,” Jasper informed him, tapping him on his nose. “I’m not as soft-hearted as your mother.”
Opal snorted from her position on the sofa. Hah! Not asleep after all, Jasper thought. But someone else was giggling, too.
Jasper looked over his shoulder to see Abigail grinning at him. She was lying on her front with her arms resting on the arm of the sofa, and her chin resting on her arms. The smile on her face was the most beautiful thing Jasper had ever seen.
Everything about her was the most beautiful thing Jasper had ever seen. Vaguely aware that something distinctly Cole-shaped was sneaking the box of chocolates out of his hands, Jasper gazed at his mate. He could have spent all day just looking at her.
Was this what it was like to have a mate? How did Opal and Hank ever get anything done?
Opal groaned, louder this time. “Cole.”
*My stomach is bigger now! I’m hungry again!*
“Then you can eat dinner, not my dark chocolate truffles.” Opal climbed off the sofa, using her slumbering husband as leverage. She glanced out the window. “It’s going to start getting dark soon— everything’s ready to go, right, hon?”
She prodded Hank, who mumbled, “Yep, all good to go.”
Jasper grinned at Abigail. Almost dinnertime. In the Heartwell family, that was the best part of Christmas. At least, according to him. And he hoped Abigail would feel the same.
“Dinner?” Abigail gave him a ‘have mercy!’ look. “I’m still stuffed from lunch. I don’t think I could eat another bite,” she said.
“Come on.” Jasper crawled up to her and kissed her, ignoring the juvenile dragon who was trying to clamber onto his back. “It’s Christmas. Stuffing yourself silly is the whole point.”
* * *
“Where are we going?”
Abigail’s cheeks were flushed from their trek up the hill behind the lodge. Jasper couldn’t help her; he kissed her, only eventually remembering that she had asked him a question.
“You’ll see soon,” he reassured her, tucking a stray curl back under her hat. “In fact… here we are!”
“A bonfire?”
“All ready for a home-cooked meal. Cooked on the best flames there are.” Hank jogged up behind them, dragon-shaped Cole on his shoulders. “Dragon-flame. Right, Cole?”
*Yeah!*
Abigail put one hand on her stomach and huffed out a breath. “I guess that gives me a few more hours to digest,” she muttered thankfully.
“Not at all.” Jasper grinned impishly at her. “Oh, the spit will take a while to cook, but you’re forgetting appetizers. And aperitifs. And…” He frowned. “apps?”
“That’s just short for ‘appetizers’.” Abigail poked him in the ribs.
“Nibbles, then. Snacks. Canapes?”
Abigail groaned. “I’m going to explode.”
Jasper slipped one arm around her waist. “It’s Christmas!”
She groaned again. “So you keep reminding me. Maybe this is the real reason I avoided Christmas for so many years. Death by delicious food.”
He pulled her close. “Don’t worry. We’ll work off all the calories later.”
Abigail giggled, blushing, but Jasper was deadly serious. He’d claimed her, and she was wearing his ring, but he still wanted to show her his full hoard. Make it clear that he would be able to provide for her, forever.
And claim her again. And again, and again, and…
“Hmm?” Someone was trying to get his attention.
Opal raised one eyebrow at him. “You want to do the honors, Jas?”
“Light the fire?” Jasper looked at his sister, and
then glanced across at Hank and his nephew. “Why don’t we let Cole have a go this year? I think he’s big enough now.”
Cole’s eyes glowed. He roared with glee, and then wriggled all over, as though even roaring wasn’t enough to express his feelings. With a flash of light, he shifted, and ran around waving his arms. “Yes! Yes! I want to light the fire! Can I, Mom? Can I Dad? Please? Pleeeeease?”
“Won’t he get cold?” Abigail whispered in Jasper’s ear. He supposed she had a point. Cole was running around butt naked in the snow. If he’d been a human child, that would have been a problem.
“He’s a dragon,” he explained. “We run hot. And if he feels a bit chilly, he can always— aha, there he goes.”
Cole had barely waited for his parents to give him permission before he shifted and leapt into the air, jet-black wings beating frantically. He swooped around the bonfire, assessing it with his sapphire eyes.
“You can do it,” Jasper whispered, and saw Abigail look up at him out of the corner of his eye.
“You’re really good with him,” she murmured, and snuggled more closely against him.
He was about to respond when Cole reared back in the air and let out a brilliant stream of dragon-fire. The bonfire burst into flame.
Hank whooped, and Abigail started clapping. Cole hovered in the air for a moment, and then half-flew, half-flopped back onto the ground.
*I did it!* he shouted telepathically, leaping around with excitement. *I set it all on fire! All by myself!*
“You did awesome, Cole!” Jasper called out, his heart bursting with pride for his nephew. “Want to help me get dinner on?”
Of course he was going to cook, he thought, ignoring Opal’s surprised eyebrows. He had to provide for his mate.
Besides, night was falling. It was going to get colder. The other dragons would shift and go flying while they waited for dinner to finish cooking, but the cook got to stay by the fire… and cuddle with anyone else who happened to be around. Especially a warm, curvy human, who would be in need of a dragon’s warmth.
His plan worked perfectly.
Opal, Hank and Cole flew off into the night, and Abigail settled happily by his side, snuggling so close that Jasper was ready to give up on dinner altogether and whisk her away to his hoard that very second.
Except Opal would have his head. And it wouldn’t be fair on Cole, to ruin his very first dragon-fire Christmas dinner. So, maybe not.
Besides. There were some benefits to just sitting by the fire with his mate as Christmas dinner cooked.
Such as seeing the firelight dancing over her face. Watching her smile. Winding his fingers through hers, and imagining them sliding over his skin…
Later— far, far too much later— the others returned, and the whole family feasted on spit-roast lamb and potatoes baked in the coals. Cole stayed in dragon form, and ate until his belly was swollen and round. Jasper translated his telepathic groans of food-happiness to Abigail until she got hiccups from giggling.
The moon was high in the sky by the time the bonfire started to die down. Cole was asleep in front of the fire, lying on his back having dreams that made his claws twitch. Opal and Hank were sitting together, staring contentedly into the fire. And Abigail…
Abigail was looking up at him with an expression that said she remembered exactly what he’d said about working off the calories from their Christmas dinner.
“Well,” Hank announced, stretching, “Feels like it might be time for bed. Merry Christmas, everyone.” He stood up, picking up a sleepily grumbling Opal in one arm as though she was as light as a feather. “Come on, menace.” He reached down and scratched Cole’s head, and the dragonling promptly shifted back into a sleepy four-year-old boy. “Hup, up you go.”
He paused, dozing wife in one arm, sleeping son on the other shoulder. “You coming?” he asked Abigail and Jasper.
Jasper met Abigail’s eyes.
“We’ll follow in a bit,” she told Hank, her cheeks warming.
Hank grinned. “Merry Christmas,” he said, and hesitated. “Hang on,” he muttered to himself, freeing one hand to pat down his pockets. “Sure I had it here somewhere… Here, Jas. This arrived for you.”
He handed Jasper a slip of card and made his way back down to the lodge.
Jasper concentrated, waiting until his heightened shifter hearing told him that the others were back inside. Then he directed a slow, teasing smile down at the woman snuggled into his side.
She sighed happily and wrinkled her nose. “What’s that he gave you?”
“A card.” Jasper looked closer. “A Christmas card. This looks like…”
He was about to say, This looks like one of the cards from the Puppy Express, when Abigail went stiff beside him. When he looked down at her, she was biting her lip nervously.
“Oh, that’s. Um. The card I wrote you,” she explained in a small voice. “You don’t need to look at it— it’s kind of embarrassing…”
“In that case, I’m definitely going to read it!” Jasper grinned at Abigail until she groaned and wrinkled her nose, and then inspected the Christmas card in the firelight. The front of the card was a scene of the same lake where they had stopped on their sled ride, with a festive border and Merry Christmas message.
He turned it over.
“Is this…” He frowned, and Abigail groaned softly. “Us?”
He held out the card. Abigail had drawn on the back— two figures, arms outstretched. She had scribbled bits out, and gone over and over other bits, but he could still make out…
“It is us,” he decided. “Ice-skating, right?”
“Yes,” Abigail admitted, hiding her face in his shoulder. “Except I’m not very good at drawing, I kept getting it wrong…”
Jasper peered at the card. True, the smaller figure looked like she only had one leg, and the larger one had at least four waving arms, but… “I love it.” He pointed. “Is that our breath, in the cold air?”
“Mm.”
“It looks like dragon-fire. In fact, I think we both look like we’re flying in this picture…” He tucked the card carefully into his jacket’s inside pocket. He was going to have it framed and put up in pride of place at home, no matter what Abigail said. It was a treasure. But right now… He raised one eyebrow at her. “How about it?”
“How about what? Oh— flying?” Her eyes lit up. “I love it. It’s— I don’t think there are words for how incredible it is, being up there in the sky with you.”
“Want to do it some more?”
Her eyes narrowed with suspicion. “We’re not going to follow Opal and Hank ‘in a bit’ at all, are we?”
“Nope.”
“Back to your cottage?”
“Not that, either.” He let her hang a moment longer, and then ducked his head to nuzzle into her neck.
“There’s no snowstorm tonight, so I thought I’d take you somewhere special.”
Abigail’s eyes flicked from him, to the smoldering remains on the bonfire, to the moonlit sky— and back to him. “This seems pretty special to me.”
“I was thinking somewhere more… glittery.”
“Glittery?” Abigail blinked, and Jasper relented.
“My hoard.” He held her left hand, feeling his ring under her glove. “The rest of it, that is. I want you to see it.”
Abigail’s eyes were bright. “Will it be… like last night?” She bit her bottom lip and Jasper groaned aloud.
“God, I hope so,” he said. Abigail grinned.
“Is it far?”
“Only a short flight away.”
Pure, simple excitement joined the desire on Abigail’s face. “Then what are we waiting for?”
CHAPTER 22
Abigail
Abigail whooped as Jasper landed on a patch of black rock on the side of a mountain. It had, as he’d said, only been a short flight. Short enough to leave her wanting more, but long enough to get her pulse pounding. And if Jasper meant what he said about his hoard…
Desire pooled inside her, warm and liquid.
Jasper shifted. Abigail offered him his clothes, and he took them— but didn’t put them on. Grinning at her over his shoulder, he walked up to a huge rock set into the side of the mountain. It was the size of a door, black and featureless in the moonlight.
The moonlight shone on Jasper, too, caressing the strong muscles of his back and ass, outlining his shoulders and bicep as he raised one arm toward the huge stone.
He hesitated, looking back at Abigail. The moonlight made everything silvery, but his eyes still burned ember-bright, red and gold. Right now, they looked vulnerable.
“I’ve never brought anyone here before,” he said, his voice hushed.
Abigail walked up to him and took his hands in hers. The mate-bond sang as Jasper ran his thumb over her ring. “Show me,” she whispered. “I want to know everything about you.”
He smiled, raised his hand again, and the mountain moved.
Tendrils of gold curled around the edges of the door-sized rock, like roots growing out from the heart of the mountain. They pushed the rock aside, revealing a dark cave.
“Ladies first,” Jasper said. He squeezed Abigail’s hand and she frowned.
His smile was wobbling. He kept licking his lips. And his eyes still looked wary.
“Jasper, I’ve already chosen you,” she said, placing one hand on his chest. “I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You don’t need to be nervous.”
Jasper took a deep breath. “I know. I just…” He shut his eyes and winced. “You’ll see.”
He led her into the cave. It was even deeper than it looked, going deep into the mountain. She was worried about losing her footing in the darkness, but just as the last beam of moonlight faded, another light came to life. The cave walls were lined with fern-like tendrils of gold, and they were glowing.
Abigail looked closer. Not ferns; the gold made patterns like ice crystals on a window. “This is beautiful,” she murmured.
“Ye-es,” Jasper said, sounding uncertain. “This is beautiful.”
Abigail narrowed her eyes at him. Interesting, she thought. In the magical gold-light, he wasn’t looking nervous anymore. More… embarrassed?
