by Julia Mills
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
About Julia
Also by Julia Mills
Tangled in Tinsel
Dragon Guard #27
by
Julia Mills
There Are No Coincidences.
The Universe Does Not Make Mistakes.
Fate Will Not Be Denied.
Copyright © 2017 Julia Mills
All Rights Reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictional manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
NOTICE: This is an adult erotic paranormal romance with love scenes and mature situations. It is only intended for adult readers over the age of 18.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Cover by Linda Boulanger with Tell Tale Book Covers
Edited by Lisa Miller with Angel Editing Service
Edited and Proofed by Tammy Payne with Book Nook Nuts
Beta Read by Linda Levy
Formatted by Charlene Bauer with Wicked Bold Creations
DEDICATION
Dare to Dream! Find the Strength to Act! Never Look Back!
Thank you, God.
To my girls, Liz and Em, I Love You. Every day, every way, always.
Have a Very Merry Christmas and the Happiest of New Year’s.
May all your wishes and dreams come true.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
About Julia
Also by Julia Mills
Index of the Original Language of the Dragon Kin
Tangled in Tinsel
Scaoileadh an draíocht……….Release the magic
An stór mo chroí……….The treasure of my heart
Nollaig Shona……….Merry Christmas
Tá tú mo ghrá eternal………. You are my eternal love
Ta’ mo chroi istigh ionat………. My Heart is Within You
Mo ghrá……….My love
Mo chroí……….My heart
Teacht chun cinn……….Arise
Mo maité……….My Mate
Mo fairy milis……….My sweet fairy
Pléascadh……….Explode
Mo Bhanríon……….My Queen
Mo Rí……….My King
Tá mo chroí istigh ionat……….My heart is within you
Còmhla gu bràth, gràdhaichidh mi thu daonnan………. Together forever, I will love you always
Mo shìth bheag……….My little fairy
Chapter One
“Come on, Tink, get your sparkly butt outta bed. We have to open the shop. Goddess forbid your mother shows up. My eyebrows just grew back from the last time she ‘visited’.”
“I’m never getting out of bed, again.” Pulling her favorite red and green plaid comforter with bells hanging from the fringe over her head, Belle went on with a grumble. “Let the shop burn down. I don’t care anymore. If Mom doesn’t like it, she can blow it straight out her fairy-dust-fartin’ batootie. I’m sick of always bein’ the responsible one.” Crawling farther under the covers, she snarled through gritted teeth, “And Stop. Calling. Me. Tink! Just get on your damn broom and zoom your ass right outta here, Endora.”
“Foul! I call a flag on the play. You know I hate being compared to Samantha’s evil mother. I’m the Samantha, not the Endora. Never the Endora!” Holding tight to the comforter as her best friend, Lizzie, held the bottom and tried to rip it away, Belle rolled her eyes when the sweet, little Earthen witch she’d been friends with since they were two-years-old continued to rant, “You know how much I love Bewitched. It’s arguably the best show ever made. Samantha is a credit to every witch everywhere. She…”
“…is a damn fictional character, you boob.”
“…is phenomenal and like me just wants to be normal. I…”
“…am freakin’ delusional.”
“…even have blonde hair. I…”
“…bleach that shit every three weeks ‘cause you were born a brunette.”
“…just haven’t learned how to do the whole cute twitching of the nose thing. And don’t think I don’t hear you mockin’ me. Get outta bed right this minute, or I’m gonna turn you into a frog and then you can bump your ass on the sidewalk when you go to get your stupid frou-frou coffee.”
“Whatever,” Belle huffed. “Get outta my room.”
“Whatever? Really? That’s the best ya’ got? Then stay in there feelin’ sorry for yourself until your wings fall off. See if I care.”
Holding her breath, Belle counted to three as she listened to the heels of Lizzie’s boots strike the hardwood floors of her bedroom. Laughing as the ring of the brass jingle bells as they struck the door overshadowed the witch’s attempt at a grand exit, Belle wasn’t surprised to get a magical slap to the back of her head. It was, after all, Lizzie’s go-to move after losing an argument.
Not even interested in retaliating, the Christmas Fairy squeezed her eyes closed and pretended to be asleep. At least, in bed, with her eyes closed, Belle could make believe she wasn’t about to be one hundred years old, that she didn’t have a mate, and that the cats weren’t circling the block, ready to be her lifelong companions.
“I can’t wait to sit on the porch, in my rockin’ chair, surrounded by my herd of furballs, knittin’ wing covers for all the little fairies,” she groaned, flopping onto her back, throwing off the covers and staring at the gold flecks on her ceiling. “And what about Christmas dinner? I’ll have to fake a smile and ooh and ahh at the millions of pictures from my stupid cousin, Louise’s, wedding.”
“And here is one with my bouquet. Oh! Look at this one with little Annamaria, she was the cutest flower girl ever,” Belle mimicked her cousin, pinching her nose between her thumb and forefinger to get the perfect amount of ‘nasally’ in her voice.
“I think I’d rather eat poinsettias dipped in goblin poop.”
Sitting up and letting her feet fall over the side of her bed, Belle shoved the long, dark curls from her face and shook her head. “Wonder if anyone ever resigned from being a fairy? Is that even possible? Can I give my two-week notice? Is there a severance?” She propped her elbows on her knees and planted her chin on her palms. “But then I couldn’t see all those beaming smiles, or hear all the Christmas carols all year long, or put that little extra zing in everyone’s hot chocolate by the fire in Town Square. And who would make the stars on all the Christmas trees everywhere twinkle?” She looked across the room at all the pictures she’d taken over the years of people celebrating their holidays and sighed. “Family…that’s
what it’s all about.”
Slowly getting to her feet and shuffling to the bathroom, Belle looked in the mirror and promptly stuck her tongue out at herself. When that didn’t snap her out of her funk, she made a few other faces before giving up and asking her reflection, “Why haven’t you found your mate yet? What have you been doin’?”
Shaking her finger at herself and scrunching up her face to look like Perciful Periwinkle, her first flying instructor, Belle slide her eyes from side-to-side like he always did before speaking and in an almost perfect imitation of the Elder Fairy, clipped British accent and all, she grimaced, “Have we been lollygagging when we should have been practicing, Miss Silvers? We will never soar amongst the clouds, if we are not punctual, persistent, and pointed towards our goals.”
“Well, I’ve been pointed towards my goal of finding a mate for a long time now and let me tell you the pickings are slim. Not long ‘til I hit the magic one-double-o and I’m still short one tall, handsome slice of fairy goodness.” Leaning forward and plucking a strand of sparkling golden hair from her head, Belle turned and flushed it down the toilet, growling, “A golden hair? Could this day get any worse? I shouldn’t be getting those until I’m at least three-hundred-and-thirty-three. This worrying crap is making me old before my time.”
“Maybe it’s because you have a bad attitude and you were mean to your bestest friend in the whole wide world.” Lizzie’s face appeared in the mirror as the witch pushed out her bottom lip and pouted. “There’s a line of people around the block and Misty called to say she would be at least an hour late.” Holding up her hands as if she was praying, the witch added with a fake sob for effect, “Please, please, please come down and help me. I promise I’ll buy you two double shot, white chocolate, three pumps of peppermint with extra whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles on the top mochas a day until New Year’s if you’ll just put on a happy face and come help me.” Cupping her hand on the side of her mouth, Lizzie added with a whisper, “You know how these soccer moms get when they’re buying for Christmas.”
“All right, I’m coming.” Turning her back to the magical image of the witch’s face, thankful Lizzie couldn’t see her, Belle pulled her candy-cane striped pj top over her head and stepped out of the matching pants. “But I refuse to put on a happy face. All I got is a somewhat less than surly grin.” She grabbed a towel then quickly added, “And fair warning, if anyone tries to hug me for good luck in the New Year, I’ll zap them into a stink bug and put them in the garden for the crows to eat.”
“You can’t blame them. You are the only Christmas Fairy in the whole wide world and they all know one hug from you assures they a great year.”
“Yeah, well, they can just wait for Baby New Year to show up. He eats that shit up. Not me. No way.” Speaking louder to make her point, Belle added, “No. Hugs. Got it?”
“Okay, okay, message received Grinchella. Now, hurry. The door opens in nine-and-a-half minutes.”
Stepping into the shower and slamming the glass door without responding, Belle picked up her favorite gingerbread scented shampoo, and poured a huge dollop into her hand. Massaging the soap into her curls, the Christmas Fairy inhaled the heavenly scent of ginger and cloves, envisioned the Gingerbread Men and Women doing their dance around the Candy Cane Maypole in the center of Christmas Village and before she was through rinsing her hair, had started to hum ‘Grandma Got Run Over by A Reindeer’ her favorite Christmas song.
Stepping out of the shower, Belle wrapped the fluffy red towel around her chest, slid her feet into her snowman slippers and stepped up to the vanity to brush her teeth. Snapping her fingers, the fairy watched her hair go from long, wet strands to completely dry, expertly done French braids, decorated with red, green and white ribbons. “I guess maybe I do need to get outta this house.” Turning to the side and admiring her handy work, she added, “Besides, I’m having a fabulous hair day. It would be a shame not to share it with the world.”
Chuckling to herself, the fairy continued to push all thoughts of happily-ever-afters, and mates and mothers and cousins to the back of her head as she put on her favorite red velvet skirt, white turtleneck and black patented-leather belt. Slipping on her white tights and knee-high black boots, Belle took one more look in the full-length mirror on the back of her closet door, and winked at herself as she chuckled, “Not bad, if I do say so myself.”
Heading out the door and down the stairs, glad that Lizzie had forced her to get ready, the Christmas Fairy was belting out the words to ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’ and thinking about how wonderful her favorite coffee was going to taste when she threw open the stained-glass door and hopped out into the falling snow. Doing a pirouette as she reached the crescendo of the song, the sole of Belle’s boot hit a tiny patch of ice and before she knew what was happening, her feet were flying upward, her butt downward and her braids flailing in the breeze.
Arms spinning like propellers on a plane. Mouth opened wide. Curse words flying like the reindeers on Christmas Eve, she prepared herself, and more importantly her tailbone, for what she knew would be a bone-jarring collision with the unforgiving concrete of the sidewalk.
But none came…
Instead, she was scooped out of the air by the biggest, strongest arms she’d ever felt. The scent of warm cinnamon and a roaring fire made the tips of her ears tingle. Looking up, Belle could barely breathe. Not only was her hero tall, dark and Alpha, but he had glowing emerald eyes that made the pitter-pat of her heart go boom-boom-boom to the beat of the ‘Little Drummer Boy.’
“Well, hello there. Are you my Christmas Present?”
His voice was just the right mix of smooth bass and sultry smoke that Belle’s mind shut down and her mouth took the lead.
“You’ll have to unwrap me to find out.”
Moral of the story…I should always follow my instincts, and I’m gonna kick Lizzie in the shin for making me leave the house.
Chapter Two
“Wow! You really do have a way with women. I’m guessin’ you use the ‘Scare ‘em to Death’ method? Tell me, have you found that effective, Big Guy?”
“Shut. Up.” Chance growled, watching the beautiful woman scamper away as if he’d bitten her in her sweet little bum.
Can’t say I wasn’t thinking about a little nibble…
“Okay, okay, whatever you say.” Kayne, one of the older Guardsman, a member of the elite Enforcers, and the son of Lugh, the Celtic God of the Sun, snickered, “I’m just shocked.” He shrugged. “After all the stories of all the millions of women literally falling at your feet, begging for your attention, I would’ve…”
Stalking away, ignoring the demi-god’s jokes, the emerald dragon marched to the front of a very long line of women waiting to enter to shop that the sexy, little fairy had disappeared into. Wrapping his fingers around the cold, brass handle, Chance was surprised by the yelling and screaming of the women behind him.
“Get to the back of the line!”
“Who do you think you are?”
“We’ve been waiting here for almost two hours!”
“What makes you think you can come up here and get in front of all of us?”
Holding up his hands in surrender, Chance walked to the back of the line just as Kayne caught up. “Looks like you’re gonna have to wait, Loverboy.”
“To hell with that,” Chance grumbled, as he turned back the way he’d just come, and headed for the alley they’d walked passed just before he’d kept the fairy’s cute little ass from hitting the sidewalk.
Ducking between the two tall, brick buildings with Kayne nipping at his heels, the emerald dragon made a quick right turn and then a left, stopping right in front of a candy-cane-striped door. Grumbling under his breath as he read the sign stating, ‘TINK’S TOYS EMPLOYEES ONLY Customer Entrance in Front,’ Chance rapped on the door a little more forcefully than he’d originally planned before waiting as patiently as he could.
Listening to the scurrying of tiny feet and the squabbli
ng of what sounded like chipmunks, the Guardsman had just raised his hand to knock again when the door was jerked open. Dropping his chin to his chest and looking straight down, Chance opened his eyes wider, giving his brain a second to process what he was sure was a figment of his imagination.
Shaking his head, still not sure he wasn’t hallucinating, but going with it anyway, the emerald dragon bellowed, “OW!” as a swift kick to the leg gave him the all-too-real confirmation that his mind was not playing tricks on him.
“That’s what ye get for staring, ya’ daft dragon,” the taller of the female gnome, her hair as black as coal and her eyes the color of fresh-mowed hay snarled. “Have ye’ ne’er seen a gnome afore?”
“Dinnae ye ma’ teach ya’ no manners?” The second gnome screeched, her long red braids nearly touching the floor as her brown eyes danced with ire.
Hopping on one foot while rubbing the spot where the pointed toe of the first gnome’s shoe had assaulted his shin, Chance growled, “Where’s the fairy?”
Raising a large wooden candy cane he hadn’t seen until that moment, the smaller of the two, took a swing as she squealed, “The fairy? Is that what ye said? The fairy?” Raising the wooden candy cane that was a good six inches taller that her foot-and-a-half height, the gnome, dressed in a red velvet outfit that matched the fairy’s he’d had in his arms mere moments before, began to swing the blasted thing like it was a Louisville slugger and she was Babe Ruth.
“You’ll not be seein’ our Belle today or any day, ya’ bloody fire-breathin’ lizard.”
Coming at him from the other direction, the taller of the two, this one dressed in green velvet and wielding a leather strap with brass bells on it like it was a whip, screeched, “She’s ta’ good fer the likes of you.”
Dropping his injured leg and jumping back to avoid getting beaned in the forehead with a bell, Chance’s backed into Kayne’s outstretched hands. Grabbing handfuls of his T-shirt, the demi-god pushed the emerald dragon to the side and let go of his shirt just in time to catch the leather strap in one hand and the curve of the candy cane in the other.
