The Snow Leopard's Christmas Surprise

by Emilia Hartley

  Her heart did a flip inside her chest, the landing vibrating through her entire torso. The sensation meant something, but Ellie couldn’t figure out what. That, or, she didn’t want to know what it meant, shoving the feeling back while she reminded herself she had work to do. It propelled her toward the banquet hall.

  The smells of warm food rose and tickled her nose. There was brown sugar and spiced ham, vats of mashed potatoes, and candied yams, much like a Christmas dinner. It was a Christmas Eve wedding. Ellie couldn’t help but wonder if that wasn’t a bit selfish while she made her way toward the four-tiered cake.

  From the box, she pulled delicate, white sugar flowers and began to place them in bunches around the cake. Ellie’s mind drifted. If she were to have a wedding, she would want a fall wedding. There would be fiery colored leaves in every direction and dried cornhusks on either side of the aisle. She would feel like a harvest goddess is a dress that was anything but white. Perhaps a stunning orange and yellow gown that dripped with citrine colored rhinestones. And, instead of classical music, she would blast classic rock at the reception and dance with her son in her arms.

  What was she thinking? Ellie wasn’t getting married. At least, not anytime soon. Adam had struck himself off the potential list and that left Nolan as the only other man in her life. Like hell would she succumb to her body’s desires.

  She wandered back into the reception. The cake had been cut and drinks had been poured. Ellie stared longingly at the flute of champagne that passed by, but she needed to be able to drive through the storm later, so she passed it up. The thought made her eyes flick to the windows, snow slamming against it in a weak yet blinding flurry.

  In the center of the dance floor, the bride was preparing to throw the bouquet, her back to a group of women. When a snow dusted Nolan appeared beside her and she realized she didn’t want to stand near him and listen to the lusty voice in her head, she stepped forward and joined the group of women eagerly eyeing the bouncing bouquet.

  The bride’s arms flung the bouquet into the air, the bundle of flowers tumbling one end over the other. Women jabbed and shoved each other with smiles on their faces, but Ellie’s eyes followed it. The bundle fell through the air and landed in Ellie’s hands. This earned her a few cries of outrage as some of the women stomped away, but all Ellie could do was stare blankly down at it.

  The bouquet was a collection of creamy white flowers, studded with small red and gold Christmas ornaments. The scent of cinnamon and evergreen floated up to greet her nose, the smell temporarily overpowering her brain.

  Eventually, the meaning of the catch sank in. She nearly laughed. Whose idea was it to tell the woman who caught the bouquet that she’d get married next? What kind of joke was that? Ellie knew she had no luck in the department of love. The last guy she’d tried dating turned out to be a creepy stalker type, though she hadn’t seen hide nor heard from him since the box on her porch. Glancing over her shoulder at the stunned man, she realized she must have Nolan to thank for that.

  Their eyes met, and an electrical arc zinged between them, slamming into her core. His eyes were heated and his nostrils flared as he looked at her, but she tore her eyes away.

  Nolan, who was not only the father of her child but a freaking shape-shifter. She knew she would not marry him, either. What kind of a life would that lead to? Although, she knew her body begged for him whenever he was around. She knew that her son would need him in his life as he grew older.

  Still, Nolan wasn’t the man for her, she thought with a small amount of sadness. She might not have survived the past weeks without his sudden and unexpected arrival. Yet, he remained aloof and cold when she was around, despite what their unplanned kiss in the foyer tried to say.

  Ellie gripped the bouquet, cutting off the circulation to her fingers for a moment. Her heart clenched before releasing as she gave up on the idea of finding love. She was almost convinced Nolan was right. Maybe love didn’t exist. Maybe her parents worked on their relationship because that was what they felt they had to do.

  The bouquet fell from her hands and clattered to the floor. She turned away, stalking out of the room without looking back. Her chest hurt, and tears threatened to burn her eyes. She couldn’t take it. She didn’t want to face that kind of a truth. It had come on so sudden and Ellie wasn’t prepared for it.

  “Hey! What’s wrong?” a familiar voice called after her. The sound of jogging steps followed her, as Nolan appeared beside her.

  Ellie shook her head, trying to keep tears from falling. She had two good things in her life; she would have to remember that. Casper was the only man in her life that mattered, the only love that was true. Besides him, she had a dream to keep working toward, a Christmas wish if she ever did have one.

  “It’s just a bundle of flowers,” Nolan said, his confusion clear.

  She didn’t think he’d ever been to a wedding. He probably avoided them like the plague. “I’m fine,” she croaked.

  “That’s a lie if I ever heard one. Even Casper is a better liar than that and I don’t think I’ve heard him lie to me yet.”

  She laughed, a choked and wet sound through the emotions tightening her throat. “You haven’t seen him break something expensive yet. He’s managed to blame a cat we don’t have a number of times.”

  This time, Nolan laughed. The sound warmed her in ways she didn’t want. She didn’t want these feelings for him. She didn’t want the lust and desire that made her hands twitch, that made her body tingle. It was all just a memory, she thought. One good night, the last good night she’d had.

  She would have to live with that.

  But the idea made her chest ache. Could she not wish for better for herself? Could she not have happiness?

  “There’s something wrong. It isn’t just a bundle of flowers, is it?”

  Ellie struggled to find a way to tell him everything happening inside of her. It was all too much at once, impossible to convey without breaking down into tears.

  But, before she could open her mouth, Nolan reached out. He pulled her into his arms and held her. The sound of his heart quietly beating beside her helped to temper some of the confusion gripping her.

  “It’s an old wives’ tale,” Ellie began, wiping at her cheeks with the back of her hand. She told him about what it meant to catch the bouquet and what she had realized in the moment. The words were hard to get out, her throat closing once more in an effort to bottle it up inside.

  Nolan pulled back just enough to listen, looking down at her with no pity or disbelief. He wore an expression of concern that warmed her. Why had he come back into her life? She gripped the front of his shirt to keep him from stepping away from her.

  “I think…” Nolan paused, swallowing. She watched the bobbing Adam’s apple in his throat. “I think I made a mistake.”

  When she looked back up at him, there was a burning heat in his eyes that cleared away her tears and awoke a fire within her. She chewed her lower lip, his eyes on the small motion.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Nolan closed in on her, pressing her into an alcove in the hotel halls between the ice machine and a vending machine. Her heart hammered inside her chest, but the sensation of it didn’t evoke fear. If anything, it reminded Ellie of the night they’d spent together, the night she couldn’t forget about. She hadn’t told him that she hadn’t been as drunk as she claimed.

  Ellie had known exactly what she was doing when she pulled Nolan into her apartment. He’d been cautious about it, thinking he was too drunk to make sound decisions, but she’d convinced him otherwise with a mind-blowing kiss that stole away his breath and good sense.

  Now, Nolan leaned into her like she had to him that night. Her breath caught in her throat and her body hummed where it might connect with his, anticipation tingling like electricity.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” Ellie hissed, trying to diffuse the situation while her mind screamed. Two voices warred to be heard, one screaming yes while the
other howled no.

  “What I should have done four years ago,” Nolan said, his voice low and rumbling in the dark alcove.

  Her body reacted to the sound, the echo of impending pleasure rising like a jet of heat. Her hands rose of their own accord. She thought she would shove him away, but her palms rested on his chest, fingers curling into his shirt. She gripped him, betraying her mind and pulling him closer.

  Nolan didn’t fight her. He leaned in, the sly smile on his lips even though his own breath came fast. He hovered over her, eyes travelling from her lips, across her cheek, and down her neck. She held her breath, wondering what he might do. Her heart stammered as he dipped, closer and closer. His lips hovered over hers, but passed by. They brushed her earlobe, sending a shiver through her. Finally, his teeth grazed over her neck.

  She swallowed the moan threatening to rise though her. Her fists tightened on him as her body and her mind warred. Nolan didn’t love her. It wouldn’t work without love. But, her body arched into him, her plump breasts pressing into his chest.

  “I claim you as my mate,” he whispered into her ear.

  The words sent a chill through her body, a sensation followed by something different. Sparks jumped through her frame, leaving trails of fire down to her core.

  “W-w-what?” Her breathing was ragged from that small touch, from those few words.

  “You heard me,” he whispered. His hand reached around her and gripped her tight, fingers digging in. She let out a small groan and he smiled against her skin. “I claim you, Ellie, from here to the end of our lives. I love you.”

  Her heart stopped. She shoved him away. He staggered back with wide eyes, hurt flashing through them.

  What did he just say? Her mind couldn’t process what happened. All she could feel were the echoes of his lips against her skin and the trails of fire still burning inside her body.

  “Did you just say you love me?”

  His chest rose and fell too fast. His burning eyes pinned her to the wall, but she didn’t back down. Her own heart was racing, the words repeating through her mind, followed by a question of her own each time.

  Did she love him in return?

  Her spinning mind couldn’t find an answer to the question before her body responded. Ellie grabbed him and pulled him into the alcove with her. His body slammed into her, caught off guard. She didn’t care. All she wanted was his chest pressed against her, his weight holding her in place before she drifted away. His hands helped, wildly running the length of her body, becoming acquainted with her new shape.

  Ellie didn’t shy away from his touch, didn’t think less of herself. Nolan didn’t give her the space to. He greedily accepted all of her while his mouth crashed into hers. Ellie’s back hit the wall while his mouth pressed on her from the other side. His hand slipped between her legs, following the rise of her thigh to a place that was already warm and moist. She groaned with pleasure.

  Voices rose and travelled down the hall. Ellie’s body froze, her eyes flying wide. A smile spread over Nolan’s face and, suddenly, they became teenagers again, trying to fight back their laugher. But, as they waited, the moment began to slip away. Worry infiltrated Ellie’s mind again.

  Her hands lingered on Nolan, but they no longer greedily explored. She looked down, staring at the open collar of his shirt while he hid her in the shadows. His hand rose to wipe at the leftover tears on her cheek, now just trails of salt on her skin.

  Not only had he laid a confession at her feet, he had done something else. She’d felt it, when the combination of his words and his teeth moved through her, a tingling sensation unlike anything she’d ever felt before.

  “We should be getting home,” Ellie whispered.

  “Home?” Nolan breathed.

  She caught the slip in her words. She’d called it home, in that moment including Nolan in that. It was his home, too. Her heart pounded away in her chest, her mind unable to ignore the gnawing worry that she was going to screw something up. If love didn’t exist, would this lust lead them down the wrong road? Would it ruin the home she’d already created with her son?

  As if sensing her trepidation, Nolan grasped either side of her face with gentle hands and turned her so she would look at him. “I meant it when I said I love you. If… if you don’t feel the same, I understand. But, you are now my mate.”

  She wanted to ask what that meant, but he leaned forward and let his forehead touch hers, his eyes closed.

  “I will always be there to protect you and our son. I will always be there whenever you or Casper need me. I’ll never be too far away, never leave the two of you again.”

  Her heart clenched. How could he promise these things?

  Ellie didn’t have a response for his words. Nolan… he was a Christmas gift from the powers that be, nearly everything she’d needed since Casper’s birth. But she didn’t say that. She wasn’t quite sure how to accept this gift. Ellie waited for the other shoe to fall, waited for the fluttering feeling in her heart to become heavy.

  ***

  Nolan followed his quiet mate toward the door. She’d talked to the kitchen staff, instructing them on how to dismantle and package the cake for the happy newlyweds. They understood her need to get back on the road, to be with her son.

  But, when Nolan and Ellie reached the lobby, there was a group of people milling around the doors. The snow, while they’d all been celebrating, and Nolan and Ellie kissing in the alcove, had piled against the doors. The thick layer completely blocked out the light of the setting sun.

  Around him, people had their phones pulled out, the screens glowing in the dim light. Each one had a weather app or a news app opened. On each app, a scrolling banner announced that all travel had been banned until the streets were cleared.

  “No,” Ellie whispered. She spun on her heels, marching back toward the kitchen and the door they’d come through earlier. “I need to get home. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve.”

  Nolan spun to follow, reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder. “Do you really think you can get through this? We nearly went off the road when the snow wasn’t half as deep.”

  She waved him off, her stubborn determination cutting off his voice. She had one thing on her mind. Nolan understood. He too wanted to experience this holiday with his son, to see how a real family might celebrate with cheer and love because he’d since realized that the people who raised him were not a family at all. They were nothing more than babysitters and teachers.

  Ellie reached the kitchen door, shoving the push bar and slamming into it. It wouldn’t budge for her, no matter how hard she fought against it. Several kitchen staff ran over to tell her the door had been blocked for hours, but she wouldn’t listen. After fighting it, she looked back at him, the message clear in her narrowed eyes. He had the strength to open it.

  But, Nolan knew better. As he pressed his shoulder against the door and shoved, through the slight crack he’d made, he caught sight of what had been the van. In it’s place was a mound of snow that no longer resembled anything like a vehicle. The only evidence that it was even there at all was a small glimpse of a red brake light in the small space between the resort and the van that wasn’t filled with snow.

  Knowing if he could get the door open at all, Ellie would fight her way home, he let the door shove him back into the kitchen, his ears popping when the metal door snapped shut. Ellie looked up at him with hopeless eyes, lips parted. They were still plump from the kiss they’d shared in the alcove, but now they conveyed sadness instead of the heated desire he’d felt.

  His heart cracked, but he stood by his white lie and shook his head. Nolan wouldn’t let his mate risk her life for a holiday.

  “What are we going to do?” She cried.

  His shoulders fell. Moment by moment, he felt worse for his decision.

  “Same as we are,” a kitchen hand said in passing. “Wait it out.”

  Nolan digested the kid’s words, caught where he stood. The storm would rage on, no matter what
they did, so he spun on his heels to take care of something. His mate, his wonderful mate, something he never thought possible, needed more than just a chair to sit in for the night. Now was as good a time as ever to force Ellie to do something for herself for the first time.

  Prowling the halls, Nolan found the resort manager. The man’s hair was standing in every direction, as though he’d dragged his hands through it from either side numerous times. Nolan almost felt sorry for the slight stick of a man, but he still cornered him with a wolfish grin. Like a mouse, the man backed up, eyes wide in alarm.

  “W-w-what can I help you with, sir?”

  “Well,” Nolan drawled, letting his voice rumble with a deep baritone. He felt bad for bullying the man, but he wasn’t about to hurt him. “I need a favor from you, considering the weather and the stubborn wedding party.”

  The man’s mouth flapped, but nothing came out. Nolan took that as his cue to go on.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Ellie was where he’d left her, sulking in the kitchen near the door he could have opened if he’d tried harder. She glared at the rectangle as if she knew. Or, as if the sheer force of her will would command it to open and the skies to clear. Neither was going to happen.

  Instead, Nolan swooped in and scooped Ellie off her feet. He threw her over his shoulder and left the kitchen. She protested, but he wasn’t hearing it. He would not let her hurt herself for a holiday. It was reckless and meaningless. It was just another day, no different from any other beside the label humanity had slapped onto it.

  The wedding party was raging on as he passed by, strobe lights escaping the darkness beyond the door into the reception. His stomach flipped. He couldn’t believe the fortune he’d come into as of late. All it took was a small epiphany while watching another couple making vows to one another. Nolan knew he should have realized the real reason he came back days ago from the onset, but he was slow and a bit dumb when it came to the ways of love.