This summer really was turning out to be a good move, overall. Sure, there were some serious issues that needed to be dealt with, but we were all animal shifters after all. The animal part of us tended to make us all very aggressive and dangerous, which was why we also tended to stay away from the fragile humans. But, I do believe after all of this, the dragon community was going to develop a strong alliance with the wolves.
I couldn’t believe I was looking forward to the rest of the summer here, at the North Pole, with Santa and his Round Up. Spending time with Bella was just going to be an added bonus, as long as there were no other attacks, from either group.
Chapter 23
Bella
“Really? You got them all? As far as you know, there isn’t anyone else out there gunning for us?” I asked tentatively, finding it hard to believe that all our enemies were caught at once.
I knew about the cave the dragons were originally heading to, it wasn’t far from here. It wasn’t a place I frequented, but I did know about it. Wolves used it as a sort of weigh-station when traveling. The cave was warm, and water was close enough that it worked well to sleep in if you stayed in your wolf form. From here on out, I think Rock was going to add that location to their scouting route.
Salvador was standing in front of me in the kitchen. He had recently showered, and I could pick up the scent of his soap, very masculine and musky. I liked it. It suited him well as it mixed perfectly with his own personal musk and ash scent. I could still pick up a small amount of gingerbread on him. He would probably always remind me of gingerbread cookies now.
Some dragons’ scents overwhelmed me, but not Salvador. I was looking forward to spending time getting to know him the rest of this summer. Maybe even showing him some of the things we do for fun around here.
Now that the threats had been eliminated, Beth and I could roam around with just one pack member or dragon. I think Santa had made the dragons honorary pack members after all they’d done for us this summer, and I agreed it was a good move. Not just because I was getting closer to Salvador and his friend Ian, but because they added a level of security we never had - air support.
I wouldn’t be surprised if they became part of the protection details whenever we had big events with lots of wolves or dragons visiting.
“From what Rock and I have gathered, there were only two dragons who actually attacked Jax, and we have them both. The others were helping Michael to get away, but we took them into custody as well. Even though they didn’t attack the prince, they still knew what they were helping Michael get away from.” The hard glint in Salvador’s eyes made me want to cringe back from him.
I knew he would never hurt me, but I sure didn’t want to ever cross him. He could be scary when he wanted to be.
“And the wolves?” I asked timidly, not sure I could believe it really was all over.
“Yes, we picked up their entire pack. If there was anyone else assisting them, we found no evidence of it. But, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t always be vigilant. Keep up your training and always be aware of your surroundings.” My dragon hero’s eyes softened when he looked at me.
Then he drew nearer to me, and my heart skipped a few beats. With his preternatural hearing, he had to know what effect he had on me. It was a bit embarrassing to always have my heart flutter or beat heavily whenever he was around.
His scent and essence surrounded me, and I had to take a deep breath and hold it as I closed my eyes, memorizing him. Now that I didn’t need his protection, I doubted I would see much of him. Especially when Jax and Mandy left next week.
“I’m not sure if I ever thanked you properly for all of the help you gave me and my family.” I looked up at him through my eyelashes and continued, “Especially for saving my life.” I stood on my tippy toes and went to kiss his cheek, but Salvador turned his head at the last second and our lips met.
I was shocked and didn’t know what to do. Short of playing spin the candy cane a couple of times as a teenaged pup, I had never kissed a boy. My lips tingled, and I relaxed into Salvador’s muscled body. When he wrapped his arms around me, I think I melted like snow when the sun’s hot rays shined down on it. I was a puddle in his hands.
Salvador moved a hand and cupped my cheek just before he bit my lower lip. I almost yelped, but it caused me to open my mouth and his tongue slowly slid inside, warming me from my head all the way to my toes. I had no clue what I was doing, but it didn’t matter. He did. I followed his lead and returned his kiss, which tasted a lot like peppermint and chocolate, with a hint of gingerbread cookies.
My head was spinning, and I was afraid I was going to pass out if I didn’t get some air, and soon. Very reluctantly, I pulled back and kept my eyes downturned. Since he was the first man I’d kissed that I actually felt something for, I wasn’t sure what to do. I realized that my arms were around his neck, and my cheeks were warming, wondering how they got there. I was also panting and trying to suck in a much air as I could without him knowing how breathless I was.
I could feel his heart beating fast and wondered if he was as affected by the kiss as I was. Especially when he kissed my forehead and sighed.
“Was this your first kiss?” he whispered.
I shook my head and thought about it. “Not really. I mean, if you count stupid kids playing kissing games in the cave. But I’ve never kissed anyone like that before.” I wasn’t sure if you were supposed to admit something like that or not, but I figured it was best to be honest, just in case I wasn’t very good at it. If that was the case, maybe he could give me lessons this summer.
Oh, jingle bells! Who was I, and where did my brain go? That was something Beth would think, and probably say, if she felt the need to keep kissing a boy.
He moaned, and I looked up worried something had really gone wrong.
“What?” I asked, almost afraid to hear him say I did something wrong.
“The thought of being your first real kiss has my dragon going crazy.” Salvador kissed my temple and fisted a hand in my hair, pulling me closer to him. “I’m sorry, I don’t know if I can put the lid back on this. Now that I’ve tasted you, I don’t think we can be friends.”
My heart dropped. I had done something wrong, but I had no clue what it was.
I stepped back out of his embrace and looked at him. I felt my face furrow and asked, “What? What did I do wrong? I don’t want to lose your friendship, Salvador. I know I haven’t been the best friend to you this summer, but I want to try.” I had to blink back the blurriness as tears threatened to spill over.
He smiled and kissed the tip of my nose. “I’m sorry if I wasn’t very clear.” He took a deep breath and continued, “I don’t want to be just your friend. I want much more. My feelings have grown out of control and knowing that I’m your first real kiss is doing something to me I never thought possible.” He leaned his forehead against mine. “Are you sure you want to finish college?”
I giggled. “Why? Were you planning on whisking me away to your cave or something? Knocking me over the head with a club and throwing me over your shoulder?” I had no clue where that came from, I guessed I was channeling Beth and all the flirting I’d heard her do.
“Never. I would never take you anywhere against your will. But I do want to take you to my home. And it’s not a cave. I live in a city in Northern Canada.”
I stepped back, not sure what to say. I’d never had a man proposition me. He was propositioning me, right? “Um, I don’t know what to say.” I couldn’t look him in the eyes, so I looked down at my feet. “I don’t think I can do that. I’m not that kind of girl.”
“What?” he spluttered. “Oh, jingle bells. I’m so sorry. Now it’s my turn to handle this all wrong.” He took two steps back and put his hands behind his back. “What you said before, about wolves mating very quickly? It’s the same for dragons. Once our dragon decides on his mate, it’s only a matter of how long it takes to set up the mating ceremony and receive the clan leader’s blessing.
It could be as fast as a couple of days, or as long as a month.”
Then it hit me, he wanted to mate with me. Me, a stupid and immature Arctic Wolf Shifter. Salvador wanted me to be his forever?
“You don’t have to quit college. There is a college not far from where I live. You and Beth could transfer there this fall.” Salvador looked more vulnerable than I had ever seen him.
“Are you asking me to move in with you? Or be your mate?” I really wasn’t sure which he was looking for, since he hasn’t actually asked me to be his mate.
He chuckled, “Now I understand how easy it is to say the wrong things when you are feeling so much emotion flowing through you. Bella, I want to spend the rest of our lives together. Sure, I’m doing this all wrong and totally backwards. We should have gone out on a few dates before I brought this up, but my dragon knows what it wants, and I have to say I’m in agreement with him. I’m asking you to be my mate. Somewhere along this wild and crazy summer, I’ve fallen in love with you. Don’t you feel the pull?”
I couldn’t deny there was a definite pull towards him. It was as though he was the Earth and I was the moon, and his gravity was pulling me in closer and closer to him. I couldn’t deny it or fight it anymore. Beth had seen this weeks ago when she started teasing me about Salvador being my hero. Shoot, I even thought he was at times.
I took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes. “I do feel it, too. But, I want to finish college. Can you wait until Beth and I graduate?”
When Salvador moaned, it sounded like he was in pain. “I don’t think I can wait two years to make you mine. Would you consider moving to Canada to finish college?”
“I can’t leave Beth. I would have to speak with her about it first. I hope you understand. This is all happening so quickly, and it’s exactly what Beth and I didn’t want to happen this summer. But I can’t say I’m not happy it did.” I smiled and knew we would figure this all out. We had to. He was my fated mate. There was no other explanation for the way we felt about each other.
I knew Salvador was the other half to my heart and I was his.
“Then let’s go talk to Beth and see what she thinks about moving to Canada at the end of the summer.” He took my hand, and before he could walk away, I pulled his head down to me and I kissed him.
I had thought it would be a quick kiss, but the second our lips met, he pulled me tight against him, and I lost all track of time. It was Beth who found us.
“Ahem.” Beth cleared her throat. “Sister in the room.”
I pulled back quickly and tried to stifle my laugh. It was embarrassing being caught with my hand in the cookie jar, but at least it was my twin sister and not my grandmother.
“Um, I have a question for you,” I said a bit too cheerily.
“Yes!” she yelled. “Yes, I’ve already checked into the University of Edmonton, and I think it’s going to be a fantastic place for us to finish up college. In fact, I have already applied for a transfer. You can thank me later.”
I was flabbergasted. How had she known? I looked at Beth and saw the happiness on her face and then looked at Salvador and saw the confusion on his. He was speechless as well. His mouth hung open, and his eyes were wide as he kept looking between the both of us.
“How did you know? I wasn’t even sure I was going to say anything at all about it. I certainly didn’t plan on asking Bella to be my mate tonight,” Salvador admitted.
Beth screeched so loudly, my ears hurt. “Oh, this is even better then peppermint mocha cookies! I only thought you wanted to spend more time together. I hadn’t guessed you would be ready to pop the question yet! This is sooo exciting! When is the ceremony? Are you going to have a wedding, too? I just love it when a wedding is mixed with a mating ceremony. It’s so much more romantic, don’t you think?” She kept talking a mile a minute, and neither Salvador, nor I, could get a word in edgewise.
Lizzie and Palo ran into the kitchen, eyes wide, and asked, “What’s wrong? What happened?”
Beth turned around and screeched again, but this time it wasn’t nearly as loud, and my ears thanked her for keeping it down. “Salvador and Bella are getting married! Can you believe it? I knew it all along, almost from the first day we arrived here.”
Finally, my sense came back to me, and I held up my hand. “Whoa, wait just a minute. No one said anything about a wedding. Salvador asked me to be his mate and to move to Alberta and finish school there. I haven’t actually answered him yet.”
Beth put a hand on her hip. “What are you waiting for? He’s the perfect male specimen. You better grab him before any of the hundreds of she-wolves who have been eyeing him all summer grab him up.”
I couldn’t believe my sister sometimes.
Salvador chuckled. “Actually, I like the idea of a wedding. How long do they take to plan?”
Before anyone else could say anything, Beth piped up, again. “A great wedding takes a year to plan. So next summer you should get married. Maybe in June? June brides are so beautiful. Don’t you think?” She looked to Lizzie who looked just as confused and dazed as I felt.
“Hold up.” Lizzie put a hand in the air to calm Beth down. “Salvador proposed, but Bella hasn’t answered yet? Is that correct?” She looked to me and my dragon.
I nodded. “He wants me to move to Alberta and finish school there, so I can be near him and his business. But I didn’t want to answer until I found out if Beth was open to changing schools. I guess I have my answer?” I chuckled.
“Alright, let’s give the couple some time alone to talk about their plans. Come on, let’s go to the living room.” Palo herded my sisters into the other room, and I could have kissed him I was so grateful.
“So, you want to become a part of this crazy family?” I wasn’t sure which was worse, Beth already planning it all out or having to wait an entire year to mate this man I knew I loved with all of my heart.
Everything had happened so fast, but as I stood there in front of him in my kitchen, I knew without a shadow of a doubt I was irrevocably in love with a dragon. Who would have guessed? Well, other than Beth.
Salvador took one of my hands in his. “If marrying you means getting your entire family, count me in. But I have one request.”
“What’s that?”
“Can we find a way to get married at the end of the summer?” His pleading eyes had me wanting to say yes, but I had a wedding in mind that would take a bit more than a few weeks to plan out.
“How about a compromise?” I offered.
He nodded.
“How about we move to Alberta and I get an apartment with Beth close to your work. That way we can see each other more often, and I will have a place to hang out during the day when I’m in school. But, I need more than a few weeks to plan the wedding I’ve always wanted.” I bit my lips holding my breath for his response.
“How much longer?”
“I promise to pick a date sometime before the end of this year. How’s that? Plus, you haven’t given me a ring. So, technically, we aren’t really even engaged, yet.” I knew it was silly, but I knew exactly what I wanted. It was something I had envisioned since I was a little girl.
“I will have a ring for you in a few days.” He pulled me in close and wrapped his arms around my back. “As long as you promise to be mine before the year is out, I will do whatever you want.” Then he leaned down and kissed me so good I almost said forget the wedding, let’s mate now.
I wasn’t sure how I was going to last the next few months.
Epilogue
Bella
I couldn’t believe how happy I was. The move to Edmonton had gone smoothly, and we were accepted into the local University before the summer was out. Salvador and I spent every day together for the rest of the summer, planning our wedding and our future.
The ring! Oh my jingle bells! It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. It was over three karats and shaped in a pear. I told him it was too much, but he said it looked too good on my finger to t
ake it back. So, of course, I accepted it. Only a crazy she-wolf would turn down something that sparkled so much. And it sparkled as though the sun was constantly shining down on it. Beth even joked that it was going to make her go blind it was so bright.
“Are you nervous?” my mom asked as I put the finishing touches on my make-up.
“No, not nervous, just excited to finally be here. I can’t believe I made him wait so long. What was I thinking?” Sure, I had the wedding of my dreams, but it was so tough to wait for this day. So many times over the past few months, I just wanted to take him and make him mine and just forget all about the ceremony.
But I had Beth to throw cold water on us, literally. One night she came home after going out with some human friends and found Salvador and I making out on the couch. We didn’t even hear her because we were so out of it. She marched right into the kitchen and filled a pitcher up with tap water and dumped it over us both. Talk about a cold shower. I had never understood how a cold shower could kill the mood until that night.
After that, we were much more careful with our kissing, and I was grateful for Beth stopping us before we went too far.
Beth came around and put my veil on. It was a pure white lace veil, and it went all the way to the ground behind me.
The wedding coordinator came in to tell us it was time. I wasn’t nervous before, but now my stomach was starting to fill with butterflies. I looked around and saw the smiles on all three of my sister’s faces, and I began to calm down.
My grandmother came up to me and gave me a light hug. “Bella, dear. I’m so proud of you. Salvador is perfect for you, and he fits right in with the family and pack.”
“Thank you, Grandma. I think he’s pretty perfect, too.” I kissed her cheek and watched as she walked out of the room.
Miss Claus and the Christmas Wedding (A Shifter Christmas Romance Book 3) Page 16
