The Snow Leopard's Christmas Surprise

by Emilia Hartley

  “It is so nice to have you back from your vacation, Cameron,” the man said. He turned his icy stare up to the dragon man beside her. She stifled the urge to stand between them, strangely at odds with how she should have felt. She should have the desire to hide behind Cameron. Not the other way around.

  “There is no need for lies,” Cameron said, his voice flat and emotionless. It moved something in her heart to hear him without the sunshine she’d seen outside of the mountain. She tucked that emotion away, reminding herself that she was not his mate. She couldn’t be.

  “You told her my plans?” The man in the chair sat up straight, his teeth on edge as he spoke.

  Cameron shook his head. “You did. It was your text to me that alerted Gwen of your plans. Next time, try calling me.”

  The man, who could only be Drystan, narrowed his eyes at Cameron for a long moment before he burst into laughter. “I will have to be more discreet with my texting next time. It seems I have become too reliant on word messages since Maggie gave that damned phone.” His eyes turned in Gwen’s direction. “And you still chose to come? You still chose to fight for us?”

  She drew in a breath. “It seems that my own death is on the horizon. I might as well see it fighting for someone. Turns out, it has me fighting against my ex-lover, if he’s still part of the white dragons.”

  Cameron’s growl was low and constant. She flicked a glance at him. Her confession pained him.

  Drystan nodded. “He very much is.”

  “You knew?” Cameron’s voice held a sharp edge. His body tensed, almost but not quite ready to attack his leader over her safety.

  Drystan studied Cameron’s face for a long moment, confusion passing slowly into understanding. Gwen couldn’t read what was happening between them. It seemed like there was a silent conversation being had, one in which she was the subject.

  “Just tell me what you need me to know,” Gwen interrupted the silent conversation. Both sets of male eyes flicked to her. She clenched her jaw under the weight of their gazes.

  “I would like to wait until Malcom makes a move. I want to see what he plans on using GOE for before I attempt to hurt him.”

  “He’s using GOE?” Gwen blurted.

  It was Cameron that nodded. “They announced it on the news earlier today. The white dragons have partnered with GOE to create a dragon embassy, their words, not mine. Malcom is the head of such embassy.”

  No one spoke for a moment. Then, because he couldn’t seem to help himself, Cameron spoke.

  “You dated Malcom Whittaker?” His voice was a sound of pain, of wariness.

  Gwen’s arms wrapped around herself as her mind spiraled back into the times she tried to forget. He promised her a mating bond, a lifetime of love and compassion. When the bond never snapped in place, when he realized he couldn’t keep her power through love, he turned to using pain. In the end, Gwen realized that all he wanted her for was the power that curled deep inside of her.

  She looked up. Had she stayed with him, he would have launched his attack on the red dragons a long time ago. Together, they would have razed all of Snowdonia. She ran a hand through her knotted and snarled hair, cursing the wind from her flight to the mountain.

  “It was a long time ago,” was all she could manage to say.

  Cameron’s hands fisted at his sides. She took note of it, but didn’t say anything.

  “Take her to your room, Cameron.” Apparently done with them, Drystan turned back to the maps before him.

  “Wait,” she stuttered. “I don’t get my own space?”

  “Limited space inside the mountain,” was all Drystan said, but she could have sworn she saw the spark of mirth in his eyes as he carefully avoided looking at her.

  After a few unheard protests, Cameron led her through the winding halls that led out from the great room. She highly doubted that, inside such a large mountain, there wasn’t at least one extra room for her to sleep in.

  The halls grew darker and darker, illuminated by small torches that dotted the walls every twenty feet or so. The sun was absent and it made her yearn for the open skies once more. It made her miss the garden that she’d left behind. Would this be her life from here on out? Confined to the dark halls of a cavern home? Thankfully, she didn’t have to deal with it much longer. She would soon be dead, at Malcom’s hands no less.

  Finally, Cameron stopped at a door. His hand reached out and she watched as claws and scales rippled over the human form, a smaller version of the beast that was inside of him. The claws pressed into tiny holes in the stone door. There was a soft click and the door swung open. It was neat, but she wondered how she was supposed to get in and out.

  “I take it this was built in the day and age when most mates were female dragon shifters.”

  Cameron glanced at the locking mechanism in the door, taking it in for the first time. If he noticed anything odd, he didn’t mention it. Instead, he turned back to her, his eyes flaring with fire and pain.

  She didn’t have the energy to deal with his emotions, with his lies. Head high, Gwen strolled past him. There was a long bed that sat on a raised dais of stone, the modern design on the quilt at odds with the magically carved room. She dropped her bag beside the bed and spied an arched doorway that leaked light into the large room.

  Drawn to it, she discovered a large bathroom that pressed against the side of the mountain. A round, stained glass window was set into the angled wall. It cast a rainbow of light over a wide pool that was constantly refilled by a fountain that streamed from an underground source and poured from the wall. The lights danced in the water, captivating her attention.

  “You saw your death in those cards?” Cameron asked, his voice low and tight. He’d been holding it back, fear most likely turning into anger after a while.

  Gwen’s shoulders sunk. She wanted nothing more than to sink into that tub and ease the tangles from her hair and the knots from her muscles. Instead, she turned to face Cameron. She wasn’t expecting the breadth of emotion that filled his eyes. Fear, concern, and even love. His whole body seemed to tremble with the force of what he was feeling.

  It made her snap her mouth shut, swallowing the sass she’d been about to throw. This dragon man had claimed to be her mate earlier. He promised to do anything he could to keep her safe.

  Had the dragons’ leader seen that when he studied Cameron’s face? Was that why he forced her into a room with him?

  “I saw death,” she whispered. “It’s been a long time coming. Malcom has wanted my power since the moment we met. Bringing me into this fight will serve your leader best if he uses me as a distraction. When I can’t give Malcom what he wants I know he will kill me. I only hope that it gives you some time to do what you have to.”

  Before she could move or speak, Cameron’s hands gripped her hips. He pulled her into him and his lips fell upon hers. She didn’t have the power to fight. She gave in, opening to him. If she was going to die soon, she would die a happy, sated woman.

  He lifted her from the floor and she responded by wrapping her legs around him. He broke the kiss only long enough to warn her that he was going to rip her clothes from her body, a warning growled into her ear. His hot breath in her ear sent shivers through her. All she could do was nod. The gesture was followed by the sound of ripping as her shirt fell away from her skin as she clung to him.

  She rocked her hips against him and his cock grew in response to her. It pressed against her core, against her stomach. How she had taken all of him before was a miracle. He was bigger than any she’d ever tried to take before.

  Cameron’s own clothing fell away, his jeans kicked aside by his feet. He stepped over the lip of the tub that was fed by the waterfall. She expected cold water to touch her bare legs, but she was, instead, greeted by a gentle warmth that made her gasp with unexpected pleasure. Cameron laughed into her skin. His nose nuzzled her neck and left a trail of burning desire that made her dig her nails into his skin.

  Suspended in th
e water, Gwen reached between them to grip the long length of his cock. He hissed between his teeth as her hand stroked back and forth. She ran her thumb over the delicate tip and his mouth fell over her lips. She let him in, holding nothing back.

  Here, with this dragon man, no one was going to hurt her. Not even him. She couldn’t tell why she believed she was safe with him, but she realized it as he held her in the water. They made love once more. Their bodies moved together like they had done it more than once before.

  After, Gwen lingered in the water. She contemplated her decision not to use birth control. It didn’t bother her, as the memories of the Death card returned to the forefront of her mind. It wouldn’t matter, soon. Instead of dwelling on the implications of her foolish behavior, she pulled at the green magic inside of her and pulled the water in gentle whirlpools around Cameron’s sensitive cock, laughing when he hissed at the extreme sensation.

  “If I asked you,” Cameron began after her whirlpool eddied away, “would you stay here with me?”

  “In the mountain?” she scoffed.

  He shook his head. “When we get the territory back. Would you be willing to stay here in Snowdonia with me? I could offer you safety from whatever you’re running away from.”

  She looked up at him, a sad smile spreading over her lips. That wouldn’t be an option soon. But, were it an option, what would she do? Would she help these dragons and then run for the hills again? Or, could she build herself a small garden here? The lands of Snowdonia were rich with magic, the kind that welcomed her with open arms.

  “Maybe,” was all she could say. “Maybe I could.”

  Cameron didn’t seem to like that response. His lips twisted, but he didn’t say anything else. Instead, he leaned back into the water and let his head rest against the stone. Gwen could only wonder what was happening under the surface of that gentle dragon as the light streaming through the window played over his face.

  He could easily be the sunshine over her garden. She only wished that dragons could take witches as mates. It made her chest tight to think that Cameron had a woman out there, destined to be his lover for his long life. She looked away, choosing to watch the colored lights dance across the bottom of the pool instead of dealing with her emotions.

  He could be hers, a voice inside of her whispered. What she felt, how her body came alight when he touched her. It was like nothing else she’d known. The way her heart fluttered and her body burned tried to tell her tales of fate bound lovers. What if… No, she reminded herself. She was a witch and, therefore, it meant she would live a lonely life like her mother and her grandmother. Thankfully she thought, that lonely life was almost over. She was happy that she was able to spend the last moments of it with the sweet dragon man.

  Chapter Twelve

  Owain passed Cameron and his mate, the older dragon’s eyes dancing between them. The old dragon must have seen the bond because his eyes lit with surprise.

  “Well,” he grumbled. “That was not what I meant when I said show her love in return, but I hope the best for the two of you. I hope that her luck does not follow us here, into the mountain.”

  “What is he talking about,” Gwen asked, her voice becoming sharp.

  Owain pinned her to the spot with his glare. “If you dare betray my family I will unleash Elgar upon the world again. Be careful of how you step from here on out.”

  Gwen’s eyebrows knit together as she took in the older man before her. Owain cut an imposing figure with his barrel chest and thick beard. He looked like a man that had weathered thousands of years on this earth. It was Cameron that stepped forward, firmly placing himself between the old dragon and Gwen. His hand touched the old man’s shoulder, gripping it hard.

  “She will do fine,” Cameron growled. Fury was a new feeling, but it was one that he was quickly becoming familiar with. He did not like Owain threatening his mate. He stepped between them and let that fire pulse from him. He burned like a sun.

  Owain seemed to see something else in Cameron that made him step back. “Perhaps I will not need to unleash Elgar after all.”

  “What does that mean?” Cameron pushed.

  Only, Owain did not explain. The old man further studied Cameron’s face before his eyes flicked to the witch, to his mate. Cameron’s nose scrunched as his lips curled.

  “Perhaps you do not remember me, but we met when you were a child’s age.” Owain bowed low before Gwen. “You were the life of the party the night I first met you. The entire room seemed to revolve around you and your cards. It is a pity that your family shamed you for the power that you could not help.”

  Gwen swallowed. “Pity isn’t the word that I would use, but I think that spared me a lot of trouble. If my family would give me up for such a small thing, then they were not family to begin with.”

  “A very true statement. I hope that you can find family once and for all with us. It would be an honor to claim that the Witch of Caernarfon as a part of the red dragons.”

  She laughed, a small sound that betrayed how nervous she was. Cameron figured it was from the large dragon before her, but he couldn’t know for certain. He didn’t know how to read the thoughts in her eyes yet. He couldn’t decipher what his mate showed to the world and it was beginning to drive him crazy. He couldn’t tell if she needed protection or free reign. He couldn’t tell if she needed him at all.

  “I am here to lend aid,” she said, her voice flat. “That is all. I have no intentions of staying. Please don’t get your hopes up.”

  Gwen had turned to Cameron as she said the last sentence. Only an hour ago, he’d found home inside her, released his seed inside the witch during what he could have called making love. Now, she stared him in the eye and told him not to get his hopes up.

  His heart trembled. It threatened to break until the beast inside of him wrapped around it. The beast growled at him. It said to hope. They would love her until they no longer walked the earth, until they no longer breathed. He’d never known the beast inside him to be so ferocious, so vicious in its promises as visions of what it would do to keep her safe passed through his mind. Cameron agreed, surprising himself.

  “I’m afraid this one is already caught in your snare, witch.” Owain rocked on his heels, the smirk of a mischievous old man on his lips, only partially obscured by his white moustache. “I’m afraid you cannot play catch and release with this red dragon.”

  With his wisdom said, Owain turned to leave them alone in the hall when a cry rang out through the mountain. Drystan’s voice boomed for all to hear. Cameron’s heart leapt in his throat. He was calling an emergency.

  He lifted Gwen from the floor, cradling her against his chest as he ran for the meeting point. She protested, but made no move to escape his grasp. He was running far too fast. When Cameron burst into the hall, he was surprised to find dragons standing still. They stood around an image projected on the wall.

  No, not an image. A news channel. It moved, people running in every direction. Bangor was in chaos.

  ***

  Together, they stared at the television. Maggie’s form fell into a chair. On the screen, her home was being destroyed. White dragons flew over Snowdonia, blowing frost and ice in every direction. Allowed free reign inside of the GOE buildings, the white dragons had wreaked chaos. They freed their captured brothers and left terror in their wake until GOE was nothing more than a mess of bodies and screaming humans.

  The news announcer was giving a play by play, describing the betrayal of the charismatic white dragons. The camera zoomed in on Malcom, standing on the front steps of the official GOE building, his signature smile splitting his face while people around him screamed. For a moment, he was an actor. Then, a massive white dragon burst into being. Its huge form crashed into the statues on either side of the steps. Its long neck lowered its head, horns curling from its skull to point forward, and dark eyes settling on the camera.

  The vision began to shake, the camera man rightfully quaking before he turned to run.


  “So,” Cameron said. “That was their plan all along? They gain the trust of GOE until they are in the heart of it, invisible because of a path of trust they paved. By destroying GOE, there is no one left that can organize an attack that could stop them. The white dragon family is free to not only attack us, but all of Bangor.”

  “He could have the city,” Maggie’s voice shook as she spoke. “If he wanted it.”

  “I think he already has it.” Drystan scowled at the screen. This was his home. He may not have been welcome in the city anymore, but he never meant it harm. He must have known it intimately before the Occurrence.

  Gwen stepped forward, hands shaking so hard that she crammed them into her pockets to hide it. “Let me go into town. My presence will have Malcom so shaken up that he won’t see your attack coming. It will buy you time.”

  “What about you?” Cameron growled. “Am I supposed to leave you in his hands? Am I supposed to stand by and watch as he hurts you?”

  She turned toward him, realizing for the first time that he hadn’t lied to her. She had lied to herself. Cameron truly was her mate. It was possible. A witch could be the mate of a dragon. She only had to wait for the right one to come into her life for that thread of fate to wind around each of them. It was a shame that she hadn’t gotten more time with him, but only knowing that she was loved, truly loved and cherished, made this much easier.

  This would have been so much easier if she could have continued to lie to herself. If she could have remained with her head buried in the sand, she could have walked toward her death with no regrets. Now, one hung heavy in her heart when she looked upon Cameron.

  “I’ll be fine,” she lied. She smiled at him, at the dragons and their mates that looked toward her. It might not have reached her eyes, but Cameron wasn’t going to buy it anyway. She could do more than just save the dragons. She could ensure the safety of a city. She could help fight for justice in the name of GOE.