by R. E. Butler
While the couples bantered about the definition of “few,” Declan whispered in Ellie’s ear. “One of these days, I’ll be watching our babies for you.”
“I can’t wait.”
* * *
After breakfast, she and Declan headed out to see the available cabins. Neve had told Ellie that they’d been to see them already and had picked the one they wanted, which happened to be one of two that were next to each other. Then her cousin had said in a teasing tone that she and Tom were certain Ellie and Declan would know exactly which cabin was right for them.
Ellie wasn’t sure what it meant, but she knew it was accurate. She and Declan were going into their house hunting with an open mind. She’d like to live next to Neve, but she wasn’t going to let that be the only factor.
They walked to the cabins from the cafeteria. Although it was brutally cold, Declan had taken her to get outfitted for the weather at a shop where elves and shifters crafted beautiful cold-climate clothing. She’d chosen a matching set of insulated pants and coat in bright pink, adding a hat, gloves, scarf, and snow boots. She’d assumed that all the clothing in NPC had come from the human world and was pleasantly surprised to know there was a clothing guild that handled all the requests for the town.
Stamping the snow off her boots on the front porch, she hurried inside after Declan unlocked the door with a set of keys he’d been given by the builders. He lit the lanterns that had been left for them on the kitchen counter, and they explored the home.
She turned in a slow circle in the family room after they’d seen the rest of the house and said, “I just don’t think this one feels like home.”
“I agree,” he said. “Let’s go to the next one.”
After visiting three more houses and not feeling like any of them were right either, they walked into a three-bedroom that immediately felt like home to Ellie. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but something about the house was far different than the others.
The family room had a beautiful stone fireplace with a wide mantel that she could easily picture hanging stockings from on Christmas Eve. The master bedroom had an en suite bathroom with a claw-footed tub, which she’d always wanted. They walked down the hall toward the kitchen, which had space for a big table. A window over the kitchen sink looked out onto the snow-covered backyard.
Declan made a surprised sound and she turned to face him.
“What?” she asked.
“Check out the cabinet.” He lifted his lantern high so it illuminated the row of cabinets next to the sink. On the door, the words “everything happens for a reason” had been carved in beautiful, detailed script, with tiny flowers at the corners.
“Oh my gosh,” she said, stepping closer and tracing the words with her fingers. “Did your mom do this?”
“Yeah. She’s the only carver who works on cabinets.”
“When did she do this?”
“She must have done it last night or this morning. I can’t believe it.”
“How did she know this was the right house?”
“It is, isn’t it?” he asked with a smile. “When we walked in, I was certain it was for us.”
“Me, too,” she said.
“And I don’t know if you noticed, but the house next door is the one Tom and Neve picked.”
“Really?” She chuckled and shook her head. “I guess there’s no such thing as coincidences in a town where everything is magical.” She set her lantern on the counter and hugged him, rising onto her toes to kiss him. He put his lantern down and drew her as close as their heavy coats would allow.
He growled softly as the kiss ended, and she could see that his eyes had changed color. “I love you, Ellie. I’m so glad you’re mine.”
Her heart swelled as she gazed up at him, her sexy shifter and mate, the only man who had ever held her heart.
“I love you, too.”
* Some Time Later *
Ellie stood at the window in her daughter’s bedroom and rocked her little girl in her arms. Swaying back and forth, she looked out at the snow-covered yard and hummed a Christmas tune, wishing her daughter was interested in going to sleep. But something was troubling her little one, who hadn’t slept well in a week. Which also meant Ellie and Declan hadn’t slept well either.
There was a soft knock at the bedroom door and Declan whispered, “Dreama’s here, honey.”
Ellie turned to see her friend.
“You should’ve called me earlier,” she chided.
“I didn’t want to bother you,” Ellie said.
“But it’s been a week, and that’s not good for anyone. Besides, this is my power, and if I can’t use it for my friends, then what’s the point?” As the daughter of Sandman, Dreama’s power was over sleep and dreams.
“Thanks for coming,” Declan said. “I wanted to call you the first night.”
“I bet,” Dreama said with a chuckle.
She crossed the room, took the wide-awake two-month-old from Ellie’s arms, and tucked her close, brushing her fingers gently over her forehead. “You’re a beauty. Your father will be chasing the boys off with a stick in a few years.”
Declan made a snarling sound that made Ellie laugh. “He’ll be the most protective father ever,” she said.
“Darn straight,” Declan said.
“I’m going to put Maya in her crib and use my dream sand to send her to sleep. Once she’s asleep, I’ll be able to tell you why she’s not resting well.”
Declan and Ellie stood next to the crib and watched as Dreama laid Maya on the mattress in her cute little pink footy pajamas. She wiggled and moved as if she was unsettled, but she didn’t cry. Dreama put her hand into a fabric sack hanging from her belt and pulled out a handful of what she called dream sand, which she sprinkled over Maya. The baby’s eyes closed and she sighed softly, quickly drifting off to sleep.
Dreama rested her hands on the crib and stared down at her. Ellie wasn’t a supernatural creature, but she could feel that Dreama was magically powerful, like SC and Mrs. C.
Maya’s brow, which had been furrowed as if she was unhappy, smoothed out then, as if she were resting peacefully.
“Hey, Mama,” Dreama said, lifting her gaze to Ellie with a smile. “Something you’d like to share?”
She blinked in surprise. “What are you talking about?”
“You’re pregnant.”
“How can you know that?” Declan asked. “We just found out a few days ago.”
Dreama gestured to the crib and their slumbering daughter. “Maya sensed it. She’s feeling protective of your unborn baby.”
“But she’s a baby herself,” Ellie said. “How can she know that? How can she have those kinds of feelings?” Don’t babies just dream about milk and toys?
“She’s half-elf,” Dreama pointed out. “And your new baby is half-elf, too, which means they’re both supernatural creatures. There’s a connection between Maya and your unborn child. I think Maya’s going to be a wonderful big sister.”
Ellie looked at her daughter in shock. “I feel so bad. She was sleepless because she’s worried about the new baby?”
Dreama nodded. “I took the worry away, so she should rest well from now on. When the new baby is born, I’d definitely recommend putting his or her crib in this room as well so they can be together.”
The moment she and Declan were cleared to make love, six weeks after Maya was born, they’d been unable to keep their hands off each other. She’d been feeling odd the last few days and went to the medical center to take a pregnancy test, on the off-chance she was actually pregnant. To her surprise she had been, just two weeks along.
“What a wonderful little girl you are,” Declan said, looking down at his daughter with so much love in his eyes that it made Ellie want to cry.
“Congratulations, you two,” Dreama said. “I’ll stop by on my rounds and check on Maya every now and then. Babies should always have sweet dreams.”
“I agree.” Ellie gave Dreama a hug. “
Thank you for coming.”
“Anytime.”
They walked Dreama to the front door, and when she was gone, Declan shut it and turned to face Ellie. “Can you believe our little girl is so sensitive that she sensed you were pregnant?”
He hugged her, and she rested her ear over his heart, listening to the steady, comforting beat. “She’s amazing.”
“Because her mom is.”
“And her dad.” Ellie lifted her head and smiled at her mate. He kissed her sweetly, brushing his lips over hers with a soft growl before he lifted her into his arms and carried her to their bedroom.
It never ceased to amaze Ellie how different her life was now from a year earlier. This crazy, wonderful place, hidden by magic, held the most special people she’d ever had the pleasure of knowing. Without Tom and Neve finding each other, Ellie would still be working for Layne, unaware of the truth of Santa and the North Pole. She would always be grateful to her cousin and the accidental shifting that allowed Ellie to meet Declan and change the course of her life forever.
She wouldn’t trade her life now for anything. She was happier than she’d ever thought she could be, all thanks to a quad shifter who was willing to give up everything to make her happy. She had everything she needed in NPC – her mate, her daughter, and a baby on the way, as well as family, and friends, and the precious sort of magic that came not from SC and Mrs. C’s power, but from love.
She was lucky beyond all measure.
Coming Next from R. E. Butler
Donner’s Fated Mate (Arctic Shifters Book Seven)
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* * *
Also from R. E. Butler
Arctic Shifters
Blitzen’s Fated Mate
Dasher’s Fated Mate
Prancer’s Fated Mate
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Cupid’s Fated Mate
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Donner’s Fated Mate (Coming November 2018)
Comet’s Fated Mate (Coming December 2018)
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Seducing Samantha
Loving Lachlyn
Marking Melody
Redeeming Rue
Saving Scarlett
Chasing Cristabel
Jilly’s Wyked Fate
Embracing Ehrin
Holding Honor (Coming 2019)
Hyena Heat Series
Every Night Forever
Every Dawn Forever
Every Sunset Forever
Every Blissful Moment
Every Heavenly Moment
Every Miraculous Moment
Every Angelic Moment
The Necklace Chronicles
The Tribe’s Bride
The Gigolo’s Bride
The Tiger’s Bride
The Alpha Wolf’s Mate
Norlanian Brides Series
Paoli’s Bride
Warrick’s Bride
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Norlanian Brides Volume One
Villi’s Bride
Dero’s Bride
Saber Chronicles Series
Saber Chronicles Volume One (Books One - Four)
Uncontrollable Shift
The Alpha’s Christmas Mate
The Dragon’s Treasured Mate
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Jupiter
Win
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Devlin
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Auden (Coming 2019)
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A Curve of Claw
A Flash of Fang
A Price for a Princess
A Bond of Brothers
A Bead of Blood
A Twitch of Tail
A Promise on White Wings
A Slash of Savagery
Awaken a Wolf
Daeton’s Journey
A Dragon for December
A Muse for Mishka
The Wiccan-Were-Bear Series Volume One
The Wiccan-Were-Bear Series Volume Two
A Wish for Their Woman
Wilde Creek Series
Volume One (Books 1 and 2)
Volume Two (Books 3 and 4)
Volume Three (Books 5 and 6)
The Hunter’s Heart (Book Seven)
The Beta’s Heart (Book Eight)
The Wolf’s Mate Series
The Wolf’s Mate Book 1: Jason & Cadence
The Wolf’s Mate Book 2: Linus & The Angel
The Wolf’s Mate Book 3: Callie & The Cats
The Wolf’s Mate Book 4: Michael & Shyne
The Wolf’s Mate Book 5: Bo & Reika
The Wolf’s Mate Book 6: Logan & Jenna
The Wolf’s Mate Book 7: Lindy & The Wulfen
Stand Alone Stories
Purred Promises
The Alpha’s Honor (Howls Romance)
Coming November 2018
Donner’s Fated Mate (Arctic Shifters Book Seven)
Jack, a quad shifter from North Pole City, has come to the human world on the advice of Mrs. Claus, who is certain he’ll meet his fated mate at a small-town bar.
Ivy Donovan just wants to write music and sing, feeling most at home with her beloved guitar on her knee and a song in her heart. After parting ways with her bandmates on less than friendly terms, she’s been the Holly’s Bar house band all by herself.
When Jack takes a job at the bar, he can’t keep his eyes off Ivy. She calls to his beasts, and he knows in his heart that she’s his fated mate. He takes her to a remote cabin to get her away from the toxic mess her former band created. A walk in the woods takes a terrifying turn, and he’s forced to change forms in front of her to protect her.
In the snowy dark night, Ivy has to make a choice – run away, or stay with the only man who has ever truly touched her heart. Can she lay her heart on the line for a man who has a larger-than-life secret, or will this be the last time she has a chance at love?
* * *
