Miss Claus and the Christmas Wedding (A Shifter Christmas Romance Book 3)

by J. L. Hendricks

  All the Enforcers stopped by daily to get their hands on my sister’s cookies. Rock usually came by at least twice a day.

  “Of course, let’s all take a seat at the dining room table, and I’ll bring over milk and cookies. Should we call Santa to join us?” Lizzie looked at Rock, who shook his head.

  “Santa has already been informed. I wanted to come and speak with all of you directly about this since it affects Bella and Beth.” Rock led us across the room, and he took the seat next to the head of the table, where Santa always sits.

  Once the milk and cookies were set down and we had been served, I felt a bit anxious and asked, “Okay, why are we all here? What happened?”

  The lead Enforcer finished his cookie before answering, “We found Arkin and Brandr.”

  Everyone at the table sat up straight, and I put the cookie I was about to take a bite from down on the plate. “And? Were they responsible for Jax’s attack?”

  Rock pursed his lips and replied, “No. I wish they were. They had actually left town the night you overheard them. They had a pack emergency. So, they weren’t even here when Jax was attacked.”

  “Are you sure they weren’t here?” I didn’t want to believe they were responsible, but it seemed too convenient them leaving that night, right after I overheard them.

  “Yes, we checked their alibi and there were multiple wolves who saw them leaving. In fact, a couple of the Lapland pack crossed their path in the middle of the night,” Rock explained.

  “Then what did I hear them talking about?”

  “It seems, they were playing the Santa version of Dungeons and Dragons.” Rock chuckled. “That game is pretty popular with the pups, and even quite a few adults.” He shook his head. “Don’t tell Santa, but I’ve even played it a few times, myself.” He put a finger to his lips.

  I chuckled. “They were playing SD&D? I overheard them discussing a scenario?” I sat back and laughed a bit harder. “I feel so stupid now.”

  “Don’t. You couldn’t have known that was what they were doing. Plus, with them leaving when they did, we all thought they were guilty of something. It was just bad timing for them.”

  “So that means we are back to square one and have no clue who attacked my mate?” Mandy walked into the room and sat at the table next to me. She took a cookie from the middle of the table and just held it.

  “Mandy, I’m sorry. I know this is stressful, but we won’t stop looking. Neither will the dragons. Someone, somewhere, knows something about the attack. We will find out. Until then, just stay inside or make sure you have all your guards with you. I don’t want you or the prince to leave the house without at least four guards. A mix of dragons and wolves is probably the best protection for you both.” Rock leaned over and grabbed Mandy’s hand and squeezed it.

  Since Mandy graduated from college, the two of them had become great friends. They almost became a couple, but then Jax showed up, and Mandy knew he was her mate. I knew Rock would do whatever he could to help find the culprit. No one got away with attacking someone on our grounds. This was supposed to be the safest place in all the world.

  I was still unsure how someone got inside the dome and was able to attack Jax. I hoped Santa or the elves were able to find out how that happened. Until then, we had to assume the dome wasn’t working properly, and anyone with ill intent could enter our village.

  At least we knew it wasn’t Arkin or Brandr. I was glad they weren’t involved, but it meant we had no leads or suspects at this time for Jax’s attack. If Clay was telling the truth, they weren’t involved in that attack, just mine. We had to find out who was doing this before any other pack found out and decided to try getting to us as well. I only hoped no one else was planning anything. The last thing Palo needed was a group of wolves ruining his Round Up.

  Or worse, destroying the fragile relationship we had with the dragons.

  Chapter 21

  Bella

  “Admit it, you miss him,” Beth said.

  It had been a week since Salvador left to help the Swedish dragons locate Clay’s pack. While he came to say goodbye to me, he hadn’t called me once since he left. I knew I didn’t have any claim to him or his phone calls. There really wasn’t any reason for him to call me. We were barely friends.

  Except, that I did miss him. In the days after I was allowed outside again, he stuck close by, except for when Jax or Mandy needed him. He even escorted me to a few of the games. Everyone agreed I wasn’t allowed to compete this summer, and neither was Beth, since it would be too difficult to keep us safe in competitions. So, we were only allowed to attend the games and watch as other wolves and dragons competed.

  While it was exciting to watch everyone having so much fun, I felt a little out of sorts. I did understand why I couldn’t compete. With Clay’s pack missing, Beth and I were still in a lot of danger. Lizzie stayed home nearly the entire time with her pups, and Palo only went out when he had official Santa business to conduct. We had all arranged our schedules so that at least one of us attended any of the finals and took turns handing out medals. This made it much easier on the Enforcers and dragon guards to keep us safe.

  Of course, that also meant I was pretty bored and wished I could compete in at least one of the arena games.

  “Earth to Bella?” I heard my sister saying, and it sounded like she was far away, maybe even on another planet as she eluded I was.

  I sighed. “Yes.”

  “I knew it! You are into Salvador! Ha!” She slapped her hands together, and I just shook my head.

  “No, I’m not. I’m bored and tired of being a prisoner in my own home and in my own village. This isn’t fair.” Again, I was starting to feel like a seven-year-old about to throw a temper tantrum.

  I wasn’t sure what was causing me to be so unsettled, but I needed to knock it off. I was twenty years old, way too old to be acting like a spoiled brat. There was just this itch under my skin at one moment and then an ache in my chest the next. I didn’t know which was worse or why either of them was there. I was in fantastic shape and had completely healed, so there wasn’t any physical reason for the strange feelings.

  “Life isn’t fair, but dragons are hot! You should totally go for it.” Beth winked at me, and my anger was boiling to the surface.

  “Knock it off. This isn’t the time to be teasing me,” I huffed.

  “You know he’s made himself your personal protector, right?”

  “What are you talking about?” Confusion began to overtake my anger as I wondered what she was talking about. “He’s not even here. How can he be my personal protector? Besides, he’s captain of the dragon guard or something.”

  Beth giggled. “Sis, he took off to find those responsible for attacking you. Not the ones who attacked Jax. Think about it. And before he left, he spent most of his waking moments here, with you. If you don’t open your eyes and go for it, someone else is going to come along and grab his gorgeous b…”

  “Stop it, Beth!” I interrupted her, not wanting her to finish that statement. “This is stupid, and you know it. I’d never go for a dragon. How could I when they’re monsters?” I heard an intake of breath and turned around and wished I had just kept my mouth shut.

  “I just wanted to let you know that I was back. I see you’re busy. Have a nice day, Miss Kringle.” The hurt in Salvador’s eyes sent a shock through my body.

  He turned and walked away.

  My heart began to break, and the ice covering it started to melt just a little bit toward my hero.

  I felt like nothing more than the mud on the bottom of a reindeer’s hoof. My eyes searched the room, looking for some reason behind what just happened, but I couldn’t find anything, other than my own stupidity. A sinking feeling was coming over me, one that told me I would never see him again if I didn’t fix this.

  “Are you just going to stand there with your mouth wide open? Or are you going to go after your dragon?” Beth whispered.

  I wasn’t sure if he was my
dragon, but I couldn’t let him get away and think that I thought he was a monster … because he wasn’t. Salvador was sweet and protective, and I knew he was my friend.

  Calling out for Salvador, I ran to the front door. He had closed the door so quietly I wouldn’t have guessed he was mad or hurt. I wasn’t sure which, probably both.

  “Wait,” I called out to the back of the dragon getting farther and farther away from me.

  I ran to catch up to him as he turned the corner to the lot where most of the dragons shifted and took off after visiting us. “Please, stop. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean it.”

  Salvador stopped, but he didn’t turn around. “Go home, Princess. It’s not safe for you to be out here alone.”

  “But I’m not alone. I’m with you. I know how safe I am when you’re around.” I was wringing my hands and trying to figure out what I wanted to say. My mind was going a million miles a minute, but I couldn’t get the right words to come out.

  “Well, you might want to find another protector. I’m not going to be around much the rest of the summer.” The ache in Salvador’s voice was evident. If I hadn’t heard it myself, I wouldn’t have believed that I could have caused him to hurt like that.

  I put my hand on his shoulder. “Please, stay and talk to me.”

  “Why?” He turned around, and the hurt in his eyes was quickly being replaced by anger. “Why would I want to stay around someone who thinks I’m a monster? When I’ve done nothing but be your friend?”

  I bit my lower lip and felt the sting of tears coming to my eyes. All I wanted to do was cover my face, so he couldn’t see me being a weak girl. “I didn’t mean what I said. It was stupid. I regretted it the moment I said it.”

  I sighed and ran my hand through my hair, not caring that I was messing it up. At that moment, all I wanted to do was go back in time and not say anything when Beth was teasing me.

  “Then why did you say it?” he breathed.

  “Beth was teasing me, saying how you’ve become my personal protector and … well… accusing me of having feelings for you. She’s been doing it for the past two weeks, non-stop.” I threw my hands in the air in frustration and looked everywhere but at the dragon standing in front of me.

  “Do you?” Salvador asked so quietly I wasn’t sure he really said it until I looked at him and saw the waiting expression on his face.

  “I don’t know… I … I’m confused,” I stuttered.

  Floundering, I continued, “I feel … something? I don’t know.”

  Salvador put a hand on my shoulder and said, “I get it. You’re not interested. Don’t worry about it. I’ll assign others to help with your protection detail. You won’t have to deal with me.”

  When he turned to leave, I felt a tear run down the side of my face, and I reached out a hand to stop him. “Wait. Don’t go. That’s not … ah jingle bells. I’m saying this all wrong. I don’t know how to do any of this.”

  I took my hand from him and wiped at the errant tear on my face. “I don’t even know how I feel. I’m handling this all wrong and being so immature about it. I’ve not ever had any of this experience before, Salvador. I don’t know what I’m doing. I know there’s something here, but I don’t understand it.”

  Salvador looked down at me, and his eyes began to soften. The small smile which began at the corners of his lips gave me a small ray of hope. “What do you mean you don’t have any experience with this?”

  I chuckled. “I’m part of the Claus family. Do you really think young wolves would have asked me out growing up? Do you think I’ve dated very much?”

  He stood there just looking at me, not saying a word. The silence was starting to annoy me, and I wondered what he was thinking. Then, when I couldn’t stand it any longer, he blinked twice and finally opened his mouth. “I … uh … I guess I would have assumed that since you come from such a powerful family, in fact, the most powerful family in all of the Arctic Wolf shifter packs, that boys would have been lined up to take you on dates when you were growing up.”

  “Ah, no. Just the opposite in fact.” I grimaced. “Any time a pup or a young wolf came near me, Lizzie and Santa both shooed them away. They never wanted me to have any dating experiences or to become attached to anyone too soon. They knew Beth and I wanted to go college, and they wanted us to do just that. Lizzie didn’t have the chance. She grew up knowing college was never in her future.”

  He nodded. Everyone knew Lizzie didn’t get that opportunity.

  “Arctic Wolf Shifters mate quickly. Once you meet the one you’re fated to be with, the mating ceremony happens very quickly. Within a month, two tops, you’re mated and that’s it. You become a couple and take on new responsibilities within the pack and that’s it. No college.” I looked at Salvador to see if he was still following along.

  I shifted my feet and looked down at my hands before continuing. “No one wanted either of us to meet our fated mate, or someone we thought might be, too soon. If someone is my fated mate, I’m going to meet him when the time is right. Nothing will stop it from happening, not even going off to college. We all wanted this to happen. Everyone wanted Beth and I to go to school and have that experience before we settled down and began having pups. We knew we wouldn’t get the opportunity to live and study with the humans again. This was it. It was our only chance.”

  I took two steps away and sighed, “Uh, I don’t know what I’m saying. I’m so confused. I just…” I trailed off. “It’s just … well … I don’t understand any of this.” I motioned between the two of us.

  Salvador took my hands in his and stepped closer to me.

  “I don’t know what to do. I know I’m saying everything all wrong, and I’m handling it all wrong. And I’m sorry for that, I really am. I’m really, really sorry if I hurt your feelings. I don’t think you’re a monster. I don’t think dragons are monsters at all anymore. My … my opinions have completely changed since getting to know you. Even before you saved me from those attacking wolves, my opinion of dragons in general was changing.”

  I kept stuttering and wondering why I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. It was as though once I started talking I just couldn’t stop myself. I wanted to reach up and put a hand over my mouth, but at the same time, I didn’t want to let go of his warm hand.

  The softness of Salvador’s touch surprised me. For a creature who was as imposing and fierce as a dragon, he really did have a soft touch.

  He sighed, and a smile started to form on one side of his mouth. “Yeah, I can see that. I’ve been where you are now.”

  I wasn’t sure how he could have thought that. No one other than a Claus or a Kringle could understand what I was going through.

  “What about in college? Have you dated any humans since you’ve been in Seattle?” he asked.

  I chuckled. “No. I went on one date with a human and knew right away that there was no way at all I would ever want a human. Beth’s been out with a few humans, and she’s been able to have fun with them. But I don’t have anything in common with humans, other than college. And that’s only a short-term thing. Once we’re done … we’re done.

  I looked up at Salvador confused and wondered aloud, “Have you dated humans? I mean, I know your dating pool as a dragon is very limited. So, who do you date?”

  Salvador let my hands go and started to step away before he looked off into the distance. I followed him, and when I caught up to his side, I stole a glance at him.

  He nodded his head. “Yes, I’ve dated a couple of human girls, but I won’t do that again.”

  I frowned. “What do you mean? What happened?”

  “Well, you’re right that we have nothing in common with humans. I know some shifters have chosen human mates, and they’re happy for the short amount of time they have the human with them. But all shifters have expanded life spans, and mating with a human only brings about sadness after fifty or sixty years of marriage. We live so much longer than they do. None of us could end up with a human mate who wou
ld live as long as we do, unless of course we die young. But if we have offspring, there’s a fifty-fifty chance it will be human. Then we will also be outliving our own children. Why take those odds? It’s horrible to think about.”

  Salvador stopped again and turned to me once I stopped next to him. “Then think about how fragile a human is. It would be so dangerous for a human mate and a human child to live in our world. Once I really thought about this, I knew a human wasn’t for me. I’d rather live without a mate than have to worry every minute of every day if my mate was going to be crushed by a shifter, or if my child would end up human and not be able to live in my world.”

  “We all know there’s prejudice against the shifter and their human family. Most shifters end up living in the human world and are shunned by their packs, or clans in the case of a dragon, even though no one talks about it.”

  “Yeah, yeah, definitely.” I smiled. “So, what was it like for you to date human women? How’d it go?”

  Salvador groaned and replied, “Not well at all.”

  “Why?” I inquired. I mean, I knew why I didn’t care for humans and why my one date didn’t go over well, but I was curious as to why his didn’t go well.

  “Ugh, all either of them could talk about was shopping and fashion. They didn’t even want to know about my business. Talk about a date from hell. There was no way I was going to spend any more time with them.” Salvador laughed and shook his head.

  The tension that had been present when we first started talking was gone. I hadn’t noticed when it dissipated, but I was glad it had. Now, we felt like two friends talking over a cup of hot chocolate and just catching up. It felt natural and exactly what I wanted.

  I laughed and said, “I can see that. Maybe that’s why Beth has so much in common with the human boys and I don’t. She loves fashion and the other stuff human girls seem to chat about. I’ve seen the way the human guys listen to her and then she listens to them talk about sports or whatever it is they’re interested in, even if it doesn’t interest her. Although, she loves sports almost as much as she loves make-up.” I chuckled and shook my head, wondering how long Beth dated most of the humans before letting them go.