I took a slow, shaky breath. Panicking was not going to help. The snow wouldn’t last forever. If a storm like this wasn’t even predicted, it might be very short-lived. I had a blanket in my car, and I could always eat the ice cream. I was better off staying put until the snow cleared, so I could walk without getting lost.
I lifted my hands to the vents and realized no heat was coming out. I turned the key, trying to make the car start. It whined and then gave out. But I’d still be warmer in the car than out in the snow, right? Tears welled in my eyes. How had I been so fucking stupid?
12
Kymar
When I woke I could tell I’d slept for a long time. The next thing I realized was that Holden was no longer in bed with me. I listened for sounds of him moving around in the bathroom, but everything was still and silent. Maybe he’d gotten hungry and had gone in search of food. It was nice of him to let me rest, but I wished he would have woken me so I could eat with him. I’d rather spend time with him than sleep. And I had big news for him.
As I’d drifted off to sleep with my face buried in the crook of his neck, I’d realized his scent had changed. I was pretty sure that meant he was pregnant. My dragon magic would let me tell for certain, but I’d wanted to wait until he was awake so we could find out together.
I pulled on some clothes and headed for the kitchen, but Holden wasn’t there. Claudia was alone, rolling out pie crust. It was Christmas Eve, and I knew she had an enormous feast planned. “Have you seen Holden?”
She shook her head. “Not this morning. I didn’t notice his car outside, so I thought he’d gone home.”
“Gone home?” He wouldn’t have left without talking to me. He told me he wanted to stay. I thought we were going to find a house together. The vet clinic was closed, so he didn’t have to work today. I was sure of that. “I thought…”
“Kymar, are you all right?” Claudia asked.
“I didn’t think he’d leave without saying goodbye.”
“Oh. Maybe I was wrong. He might be here somewhere. Maybe he went outside to enjoy the snow.”
“It’s snowing?”
She laughed. “I think that’s the first time I’ve ever noticed before you. A little while ago we were just having flurries, but it’s really coming down now.”
Holden wasn’t experienced driving in the snow, and the roads up here got bad fast. I rushed through the mudroom and peeked outside. The snow was coming down so hard it wasn’t easy to see the driveway, and I had to open the door to be certain, but Claudia was right, Holden’s car was gone. I hurried back inside. “I need to find him. He’s not safe in this.”
“I’m sure he’s fine. Why don’t you call him?”
“Right. That’s a good idea.” And far more sensible than me running out into the snow. Claudia gave me what I was sure was meant to be a reassuring smile, but I wasn’t going to be okay until I found my mate.
I raced upstairs to find my phone. But when I called Holden, I heard his phone buzzing. He’d left it on the bathroom counter. I realized then that the rest of his stuff was still there. He would have taken it if he was leaving for good, wouldn’t he? Was it possible he left to get something he needed, but if so, where was he and was he all right? He shouldn’t try driving back up the mountain in snow like this.
I took a deep breath and called to my dragon. I needed him to help me sense Holden through the mate bond. I should be able to tell if he was in distress. I concentrated, letting magic flow through me. And then I felt it: anguish, fear, uncertainty. Holden needed me. Wherever he was, I would find him, but I would have to do it in dragon form.
I headed back to the kitchen. “Claudia, his phone’s still here so he has no way to call if he’s in trouble, and my dragon thinks he is.”
She frowned. “Are you going to go look for him?”
“Yes. I’m going to have to transform. I can’t take the car out in this, and I’ll never find him on foot.”
“All right. Be careful. I’ll have something warm waiting for you when you return. I’m sure you’ll have Holden with you, and he’ll be safe.”
I hoped she was right.
A few moments later, I was flying over the forest, following the line of the road as it snaked down the mountain. I could still feel his distress through the mate bond, but I couldn’t tell how close he was. The longer I searched without finding him, the more scared I became. I couldn’t lose my mate when I’d just found him. And I was almost certain he was carrying our baby. I’d be losing them both.
Fortunately, my dragon took charge. He had far more single-minded focus than my human side. He searched methodically making sure to make a thorough search along each side of the road. After what felt like forever but was probably less than half an hour, I saw Holden’s car. It was stuck in a snow drift against a tree.
At least I knew he was alive since I could feel him through the mate bond. I swooped down and landed on the road nearby, praying he wasn’t seriously injured. I considered whether I should transform but decided I’d only become human if it was necessary to get him out of the car. If I stayed in dragon form, I would be better protected from the snow, and I would be ready to fly Holden back to the house and get him warmed up more quickly.
Before I reached the car, Holden jumped out of it and ran toward me. “Kymar! I’m so sorry. I should’ve left you a note. I shouldn’t have forgotten my phone. I went to get you ice cream because I ate all of yours, and I wanted to do something nice for you. Then it all got screwed up, and I’m so sorry.”
He’d gone to get me my favorite ice cream because he’d eaten it. That was probably the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for me. How could he think I’d be angry with him? I wanted to hug him, but I also knew he needed to be warm. I leaned down and gently rubbed the side of my dragon head against his much smaller human one. Then I tilted my head up, indicating he should get on my back.
“Just a second.” He ran back toward the car and grabbed a grocery bag that was sitting in the snow. “Ice cream. I didn’t want it to melt.”
I flew home as swiftly as I could with my mate on my back. I wasn’t about to put him in danger. He’d already had such a close call. As soon as we landed, he slid from my back. I transformed, and we raced into the warmth of the house. Then right there in the mudroom, I pulled him to me, completely unconcerned that I was naked and Claudia was in the next room. I kissed him fiercely, letting all the adrenaline racing through me fuel my passion. I needed Holden to feel how much I cared for him. When I pulled back, we were both panting.
“Kymar, I’m—”
“I love you,” I said before he could try to apologize again.
“You’re not angry?”
I shook my head. “I was worried you’d left because you’d changed your mind about us, but when I saw your phone and all your other stuff, I realized you probably had another reason for going out. I want to scold you for not taking your phone and for not waking me or at least leaving me a note, but I’m not going to, because you’re here, and you’re safe, and you brought me ice cream.”
Holden pulled me to him. We clung to each other, neither seeming to want to let go. “I love you too,” he said. “And believe me, I spent the entire time I was stuck in my car scolding myself and not knowing whether I should try to walk up the hill or stay where I was. I didn’t know if you’d come for me. I thought you’d be too angry or hurt or both.”
“I’ll always come for you, Holden. Even if I thought you’d left because you decided you didn’t want to be with me, I would still have looked for you when I realized there was a storm. You’re mine, Holden. My mate. And I will always care for you and protect you, even if you piss me off.”
Holden brushed my hair off my forehead and trailed his fingers down my cheek. “I’ll always be here for you too. No matter what.”
I laid a hand against his belly and let my dragon magic flow into him. I’d waited as long as I could to know.
Holden’s eyes widened. “What are you
doing?”
“I noticed that your smell had changed last night after you fell asleep. That makes me believe you’re pregnant. My dragon magic will tell me if my guess is right.”
He sucked in his breath and stared at me. “You mean… I really might be…”
The magic seemed to pulse as it discovered the tiny life inside my mate. “Not might be. You are. You’re pregnant, Holden.”
“Really?”
“Yes. And this is the best Christmas present I’ve ever received.”
He grinned. “Better than ice cream?”
“Even better than ice cream. I just hope that you…”
Holden cupped my face and gave me a gentle kiss. When he pulled back, his eyes were shiny with tears, but his smile was wide and joyous. “I’m happy about the baby, I want to be your mate, and I want to raise a child with you. I decided before I was lost to my heat that I was going to dive in and take a risk. I don’t regret that at all.”
“I’m trying to give you two privacy in there,” Claudia yelled. “But did I hear you say Holden is pregnant?”
“You did.” I quickly grabbed some sweatpants that I kept in the mudroom for times when I’d shifted from my dragon form. Then I took Holden’s hand, and we entered the kitchen.
His cheeks were pink, but he smiled at Claudia. “Kymar says he can feel the baby with his magic.”
“Then it’s a good thing I’ve already planned so much food for today. I have every intention of making sure you and the baby are well fed.”
Holden grinned at her. Then his eyes grew wide. “Is that an apple pie you’re making?”
“It sure is, and I might make a second one just for you.”
“I brought ice cream that will go perfectly with it.” He held up the bag to show her.
“Did you go out in all that snow just to get ice cream? You worried poor Kymar half to death.”
He winced. “I did. I ate all the salted caramel last night, and I wanted to replace it for him. It was barely snowing when I left. If I’d only had my phone, I—”
“I know you didn’t mean any harm. At least now you’ve learned that the weather changes quickly up here.” She came around the counter and gave Holden a hug. “I’m glad you’re safe.”
“Not as glad as I am,” I said. “When I realized my mate was out there in the storm—”
“I really am sorry,” Holden said. “Do you think I can make it up to you?”
Claudia huffed. “If you’re about to start making up, you better get right out of here. I don’t need to see that. But I would think you two would be exhausted enough after heat.”
“Claudia!” I said.
She sniffed. “It’s true. And you should both have breakfast as soon as you get warmed up. And by warmed up I mean putting on warm clothes and standing in front of the fire.”
Holden snickered, and I couldn’t hold back a laugh myself. “Yes, Claudia. We’ll warm up very innocently and then come back and eat.
We held hands as we walked up to my nest. When we stepped inside, I pulled Holden into my arms once more. “I was scared, but I’m not angry. I’m just happy you want to stay with me.”
“Wherever you are, that’s where I want to be. And the fact that you’re willing to spend part of your time in town for me just makes me want to be with you even more.”
“I’m so thankful I found you. Knowing we’re going to have a child is a wonderful gift, but I was wrong when I said it was the best. The best is finding my mate. I need to remember to thank Laszlo for messaging me.”
“But he didn’t mean for you to meet me,” Holden protested.
I waved that off. “I went to see him, and I found you. I will always be thankful for that.”
“I’m thankful too,” Holden said. “You taught me to have hope again and to believe that I could be happy. That is the best gift for me.”
I kissed my mate then and realized I was going to have the most magical Christmas ever.
13
Epilogue
A year later
Holden
Kymar and I had just spent a wonderful few days with Laszlo, Roman, and the rest of the Lonely Dragons—though they weren’t so lonely any more—at what I would always think of as Roman’s beach house, since Laszlo had purchased it just for him. But as much as I’d enjoyed visiting with everyone, I was happy to be back home. It was Christmas Eve, and I was loving being tucked away high up in the mountains. Claudia and Dan had gone back to their cabin for the night, and I was snuggled in the luxurious leather recliner Kymar had gifted me with after Ethan was born.
Our adorable little son, whom we’d named after my father, was sound asleep on my chest. Kymar was in the kitchen making us cocoa, a skill I’d finally managed to teach him. Before I’d met Kymar, I could never have imagined being where I was now. No, being the mate of a dragon wasn’t the strangest part of it, and neither was having a child when I hadn’t expected to be a father for years. The strangest part was that I now believed I could be happy. I had someone who loved me and wanted to stay with me for as long as he could.
Now that our mate bond was fully formed, I would live as long as Kymar, so instead of decades, we had centuries to be together, to have more children, and to learn everything there was to know about each other. In one year, I’d gone from someone who liked to know as little as possible about the alphas he slept with to accepting a bond deeper than anything I’d ever imagined.
“Is he asleep?” Kymar startled me. I’d been so lost in thought I hadn’t heard him come in.
“Sound asleep,” I said as I rubbed Ethan’s tiny back. “I think we could risk moving him at this point. Do you want to hold him?”
He set my mug on the table beside the recliner and reached for the baby. “Now you can sit up to drink your cocoa.”
I adjusted the recliner, bringing it into a sitting position. If I’d lain back much longer, I might have ended up joining Ethan in sleep. He’d woken me up quite early that morning not to mention waking a few times in the night. But he was sleeping more than he had in the beginning and compared to what other parents dealt with, he was a pretty easy baby. I was also lucky to have Kymar who wanted to be fully involved with our baby.
Kymar snuggled Ethan into the crook of his neck as I took a sip of the warm cocoa. “Mmm. This is perfect. Thank you.” It had the rich chocolatey flavor I loved and just a hint of cinnamon. Kymar really had perfected his technique.
“It’s the least I could do for you.”
“You spoil me.”
He lifted a brow. “Are you complaining?”
“Not at all.” I’d do whatever was necessary to make sure he never stopped.
My dragon walked to the window and looked out. The holiday lights he’d strung along the edge of the roof illuminated the snow as it fell in front of the windows. “I’m so glad we’ll have fresh snow for Ethan’s first Christmas.”
We’d already bundled the tiny baby up for several snowy walks, but I knew this was important to my snow-crazed mate. “You do know he won’t remember it, right?”
“But we will.”
I took another sip of my cocoa and then joined my mate by the window. I’d fallen in love with this view and taken to spending a lot of time here in the living room. He wrapped his free arm around me, and I snuggled close, laying a hand on Ethan’s back. “I’m sure I won’t forget a moment of this holiday just like I’ll never forget last Christmas either, because that was the first one I spent with you. It was when I started to believe in happily ever after. I know nothing is guaranteed. My parents would never have chosen to leave me when they did, but they were happy. They loved each other, and I think that if they could talk to me now, they would say love is worth it, no matter how things end.
Kymar squeezed me tight as I let tears of joy slip down my cheeks. “Just remember, I’m a dragon, and I will protect you with all my strength and my magic.”
“I know, and I feel so lucky to have a dragon for a mate.” I looked down at
the lights of the town below us. “It’s crazy to think how many people are down there going about their Christmas Eve with no idea dragons exist. It seems like I’ve known about your existence for ages, but it’s only been just over a year.”
“It’s sad for them to not know about our magnificence, but safer for us.”
I rolled my eyes at Kymar’s arrogance, but the truth was, I loved how much he reveled in his dragon nature. “I wouldn’t want to share you anyway. You’re my dragon, and I’m happy to keep you all to myself.”
“And I don’t need anyone else, just my mate and this amazing little boy.” He placed a gentle kiss on Ethan’s head, and Ethan made a sweet snuffling sound and burrowed tighter against him.
I sighed. “He’s so beautiful.” I’d never imagined being the kind of parent who could stare at my child for hours, but I totally could. I marveled at everything about Ethan from his tiny fingers to his tiny toes to his sweet little smile. “It’s still hard for me to believe there’s a dragon contained in such a tiny baby.”
Kymar smiled. “His dragon’s there. I feel him.”
I smiled. “I do too. It will be so interesting to meet him when he comes out for the first time.”
“It will.” Kymar kissed the top of my head. “I’m lucky too, you know.”
“Oh, I know you are. You could’ve ended up with a mate far less awesome than me.”
He swatted my ass, but he was grinning at me. “You’re right. Even if you were reluctant at first, you’ve accepted everything about me, and from the moment we met, you’ve loved both my dragon and my human side. And when you found out you were pregnant without ever having meant for that to happen—”
I placed a finger over his lips. “It might not have been my plan, but when I agreed to share an unmedicated heat with you, I knew the risk I was taking, and I knew I would be happy to have your baby. Look at this little boy. How could I not be happy about him?”
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