A Dragon for Christmas: Shifters for Christmas #2

by Chant, Zoe

  I don’t even know if that’s true about dogs, she thought, licking her lips. Either way, it didn’t matter. Even a human would have known.

  She glanced up at Barston from beneath her eyelashes. He’d invited her to take a seat in his overly warm living room, and she hadn’t seen what else she could do. She hadn’t taken her jacket off, despite the fact it was sweltering in here, and she could feel her cheeks glowing and the sweat crawling down the back of her neck.

  Ever since then, uncomfortable silence had been the order of the day. Barston had paced, clearly agitated, while his men – bodyguards, Georgia assumed – had stood silently by the doors, barring any possible escape.

  Not that she would have tried it, anyway. Even if by some miracle she’d managed to make it past the men and lose them in the forest, she had no idea how to get back to the resort without following the road. And even if she had, there was no way she’d beat them back there. And without her, she knew they’d go after Logan next.

  Leverage.

  That’s what Barston had said.

  For the moment, she was stuck here.

  At least no one had threatened her life – yet. She couldn’t imagine what exactly their goals were, though. Would they really just let her walk out of here, when she knew their names and what they looked like?

  Please, Garrett, please…

  Garrett had to have known something was wrong by now. Even if his shifter senses couldn’t magically tell him, wouldn’t he be uneasy to find no trace of her back at the resort?

  The only thing she could do was keep praying… but it was hard.

  Stupidly, she wondered if she’d feel more hopeful if there really had been a Christmas tree with a shining star for her to make a wish on here. She’d never been superstitious, but somehow, having a real, physical object to wish upon might have made her feel better.

  Just as she thought it, a twinkling from outside the window caught her eye. Turning her head as little as possible, Georgia tried to see what it was, before realizing it was an icicle, glistening in the early afternoon sunshine. It shone like a star, splintering the light into a thousand pieces as she watched it.

  I know you’re not really a star, she told it, feeling foolish even as she did so. But I could really use something to hold on to right now. So please, please icicle, if you’re listening…

  “Boss.”

  The sudden voice from beside the door made Georgia jump. Looking up, she saw the dark-haired, dark-eyed man who had brought her here moving to look out the cabin’s front window.

  “What is it?” Barston demanded, making his way to the window as well. “Is Jared back? Thank fuck – I was getting sick of –”

  “It’s not Mr. Crane, boss.”

  Barston frowned. “What? Then who the hell is it?”

  He pushed past the bodyguard, yanking the half-closed curtain aside.

  “Shit.”

  At the sound of his swearing, Georgia felt her heartbeat kick up a notch.

  If it’s not whoever the hell Crane is, and Barston isn’t happy to see him, then…

  She barely had time to complete the thought before a massive BANG reverberated throughout the cabin, as someone landed a massive blow against the front door.

  “BARSTON! I know you’re in there, you bastard! I know you have my mate! GET OUT HERE NOW.”

  Georgia couldn’t stop the gasp that left her lips, her eyes going wide.

  Garrett!!

  It was all she could do not to leap up from her chair and dash to the door – which she imagined the bodyguards wouldn’t like very much. As it was, she couldn’t restrain herself from getting to her feet, but she managed to stay where she was in the living room. Hope and relief flooded her – though it was short-lived.

  There are three men here, not counting Barston. Can Garrett really take them all on?

  Georgia looked around wildly.

  If only there was something I could do to help…

  She wondered if she might be able to grab a fire poker to use as a weapon, or find some way to distract the men somehow. She looked around the room desperately for something she might use, when there was another loud BANG at the door, and one of the panels splintered inwards.

  “Shit!” Barston swore again. “Quickly, you idiots – go out there and take care of him!”

  “No!” Georgia grabbed the first thing that came to hand – a heavy wrought iron table ornament of a horse – and lifted it up. “You can’t –”

  She didn’t get much further than that. Moving faster than she could see, Barston was suddenly by her side, his hand around her wrist, his grip like iron. His dark eyes blazed down into hers.

  “Don’t try anything stupid, girl,” he snarled out, his face a mask of fury. “Or I’ll make both you and your boyfriend out there regret it.”

  Georgia barely had time to spit out a reply, before Barston had suddenly moved behind her, wrapping one burly arm across her chest, yanking her close and holding her so tightly she was having trouble breathing.

  Just as he did so, the door finally gave way, shattering and falling off its hinges.

  Garrett!

  Georgia gasped at the sight of him, the way his tall, broad frame filled the doorway, his biceps bulging beneath the thin undershirt he had on. His eyes, which had only ever looked at her with love and kindness, were blazing now, as if lit with some pale inner light.

  This was the other side of being a shifter, Georgia realized as she bit her lip – all this power, all this strength. All this animal rage and beauty.

  But she knew instinctively that the power and strength she saw in him now would only ever be used to protect her. Garrett would shield her, take care of her. When she’d looked into his eyes, she had only ever seen love and devotion.

  The same way I feel about him, she thought, as Barston tightened his hold around her. The same way I will always feel about him.

  Raising her hands, she tried to dig her nails into Barston’s forearms, but it did no good – both, she imagined, because Barston was so strong, and because she always kept her nails cut short anyway. Being a single mother working two jobs didn’t leave much time for glamor.

  “Garrett –” she started to say, when her voice caught in her throat. Garrett had looked as powerful as ever when he’d first burst through the door, but now she realized he was far from his usual self.

  Following the burst of strength it must have taken to bash in the door, he was now sagging slightly, his left leg dragging on the floor. There were bloodstains on his shirt, and she could see he was wounded.

  Oh my God, Garrett…

  Wherever he had just come from, he’d clearly had to fight his way here. And he was in no shape to take on six men all at once.

  “Barston.” Garrett’s voice was a low growl as he turned toward them. “Let my mate go. Now.”

  “Your mate?” Barston sounded surprised. “I thought this was just a human woman you were having a bit of fun with, and gotten carried away.”

  “Think again,” Garrett snarled, bunching his fists. “If you’ve touched even a hair on her head –”

  “I’m not hurt, Garrett,” Georgia burst out. “They didn’t do anything to me. They just dragged me here. I swear, I’m fine.”

  She couldn’t say what their later plans for her might have been, but for now she was telling the truth. She had to keep Garrett from fighting these men. She could see his body wouldn’t stand up to it.

  Garrett’s eyes flickered to hers, his expression softening. “Where’s Logan?”

  “Back at the resort,” Georgia said. “He’s safe – they didn’t take him.”

  Garrett nodded slightly. “That’s something I won’t have to take out on their hides, then. But threatening my mate – that’s more than enough.”

  He advanced across the living room, and Georgia felt a yank as Barston took a step backward away from him.

  “Get him, you idiots!” Barston sounded furious – and frantic. He pointed at Garrett as he
bellowed at his bodyguards. “What the fuck are you waiting for, permission?! Take him the fuck down! NOW!”

  “No – wait –” Georgia struggled against Barston’s grip, but it was no use. Her heart felt like it was about to burst as she waited for Barston’s men to fall on Garrett, beating his already terribly injured body into the ground.

  But to her surprise, nobody moved. The men hung back, glancing at each other. The dark-haired man who had brought her from the hall had a grim expression on his face, his mouth set in a thin, straight line.

  “Idiots!” Barston yelled again. “Take him down!”

  “No.”

  It was the dark-haired man who spoke up, his voice low but firm. “We won’t do it, Barston.”

  There was a long, shocked silence, before Barston yelled, “What? What did you just say?”

  “You heard me,” the dark-haired man said. “I said we won’t do it. I’ve had enough of your orders, Barston. Telling us to kidnap human women – and worse, human children. And all the shifters you’ve had us run off this land – the shifters who used to live here, and should still be living here. I’ve had enough. We all have.”

  Georgia stared at him, scarcely daring to believe her ears. She looked wildly from one bodyguard to the next, and saw they all felt the same. Some were glaring at Barston openly, while others had turned away as if they didn’t want to look at him. But all of them were clearly refusing to follow any more of his orders.

  Barston himself seemed too shocked to speak – for a moment, at least.

  “Is this some kind of joke?” he finally burst out, his voice brimming with fury. “Are you being serious right now? Do you know what you’re saying? What this means?”

  “You’re not our alpha, Barston.” It was another man who spoke up this time. “An alpha earns respect, he doesn’t demand it while doing nothing to prove himself, or abusing other shifters. And he doesn’t order his men to attack a shifter who’s just trying to protect his mate.”

  “I didn’t know she was his mate at the time,” Barston yelled. “For fuck’s sake!”

  “It doesn’t matter.” The bodyguard shook his head. “Now that we know, we won’t touch him. It was bad enough that you dragged humans into this in the first place. But now we know she’s his mate…”

  Georgia could have hugged him. She could have hugged all of them. But of course, that would have meant Barston letting her go first. Which he hadn’t. If anything, his grip around her tightened, pressing against her throat.

  “It’s no good, Barston,” Garrett said, his fists still clenched. “If you want to take me out, you’ll have to do it yourself.”

  Georgia swallowed. Even against Barston alone, she wasn’t sure about the odds. Garrett was strong and powerful, and clearly experienced in fighting, but he was terribly, terribly injured. His leg was dragging, and she could see a horrible wound on the side of his neck, just above the collar of his undershirt.

  Could he even shift when he was this injured? Georgia had no idea how these things worked, but simple logic told her that changing your whole shape when your flesh and bones were so obviously damaged couldn’t be good for them.

  Oh, Garrett…

  Barston, on the other hand, was completely fresh. He had no injuries at all. And he was big. If his shifter form was anything like his human form, he’d be a formidable opponent, even for Garrett’s dragon.

  The silence was heavy in the room. The only sound Georgia could hear was Barston’s breath in her ear, fast and furious. She shuddered.

  The tension was thick in the air. Georgia could feel Barston moving from foot to foot as if he was nervous, his head moving as he looked from Garrett’s furious, blood-streaked face, to the impassive expressions of his – now former, she supposed – bodyguards.

  Nobody moved –

  – Until the next thing she knew she’d been flung forward with a massive amount of force, her head snapping backwards. She felt the warm solidity of Garrett’s body as she slammed into him, his arms wrapping around her, steadying her.

  “Georgia!” Garrett’s voice was warm, but she could hear the strain in it. “If he hurt you, Georgia, I swear to God –”

  “I’m okay,” she reassured him, raising a hand to press her palm against his cheek. “Oh God, Garrett, what happened –”

  “Not now,” Garrett said gruffly. “Right now, we have to –”

  Garrett cut himself off abruptly, his eyes narrowing. Georgia could scarcely bring herself to turn her head to follow his gaze.

  What could Barston turn into? A lion? A bear? Some mythical creature, like Garrett? A –

  – A puddle of clothes?!

  Georgia blinked.

  In the place where Barston’s burly form had stood only a moment before, there was now absolutely nothing.

  His clothes – the expensive suit and shirt, the silk tie, the leather shoes – were lying in a crumpled heap on the floor.

  Where the hell did Barston go?!

  She glanced up at Garrett, only to find him looking as confused as she felt. It wasn’t until she noticed a tiny movement amongst the clothes that she suddenly realized what had happened.

  No. No way.

  But it was true. Georgia stared, hardly able to believe her eyes as a tiny gecko scrabbled its way out from the folds of Barston’s clothes, before making a break for it across the living room floor, its tiny feet racing across the floorboards.

  Oh no you don’t!

  Spinning around, Georgia grabbed the thick crystal vase full of wilting flowers she’d noticed earlier, quickly tossing out both the water and the flowers before slamming the vase, opening first, down over Barston’s escaping form. The tiny lizard scrambled at the side of the vase, but it was well and truly trapped.

  Well, until he decided to try to shift back to his human form, Georgia thought. Then she imagined the vase would just be tipped straight off, and Barston would be standing there naked in front of everyone.

  Ugh.

  The thought made her queasy, but that seemed to be one horror she was going to be spared. Barston the gecko, after making a few quick circles of his enclosure, had gone still, as if defeated by the realization that he really was trapped.

  Georgia wasn’t sure why exactly he didn’t just shift, given how little Ilara seemed to have cared who saw her naked this morning, before deciding that maybe he was just feeling too humiliated to face anyone right now. Whatever the reason, the gecko stayed where it was, flattening itself against the floorboards under the vase.

  “Georgia… how did you…”

  Georgia turned back to Garrett with an off-hand laugh. “It’s nothing – we get lizards inside all the time in the summer. I have to get to them before Freddy does, since we’re a strictly catch-and-release household.”

  The smile that broke out across Garrett’s face had to have been the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen, Georgia decided. It was a pity it only lasted a moment.

  “Garrett!”

  Georgia dashed forward as Garrett toppled over, stumbling to his knees before falling slowly onto his side.

  She thought he whispered her name before his eyes slid shut, but it was barely more than a breath, and she couldn’t be sure.

  “Garrett, please – no –”

  Georgia wrapped her arms around him, not sure which of his wounds she should try to tend first. Now that she could see him clearly she realized the full, horrifying extent of them – not only the puncture marks by his neck, but the deep slashes across his ribs, and the wounds on his leg. The puncture marks looked like they had some kind of green slime inside them.

  Georgia felt her blood curdle at the sight. What the hell was this stuff? And how could she treat Garrett’s wounds if she didn’t even know what was wrong with him?

  Raising her head, she looked imploringly at the bodyguards.

  “Please – can any of you help me? What is this stuff – how do I –”

  “Wyvern poison.” The dark-haired man’s voice was grim
. “We have a poultice that can draw it out of a wound, but it’s back at the office.”

  Georgia didn’t like the sound of that, nor did she like the looks on the men’s faces.

  “Please – can one of you – I’m begging you –”

  She knew she sounded crazed, but that was how she felt. For Barston to be defeated; for them to be back together again, only for her to lose Garrett now when they’d only just found each other –

  “It’ll be too late by the time we get back,” the man said, shaking his head. “Those are deep wounds. I don’t even know how he was standing here just now.”

  Georgia felt tears welling up in her eyes, a frenzied scream rising in her chest.

  No. No. No.

  She couldn’t believe it. She refused to believe it.

  “Please,” she said, realizing she was screaming, but not caring at all. “Please, can’t one of you just try –”

  She was cut off as three figures suddenly burst in through the door. Georgia covered Garrett’s body with her own, determined to protect him from any new attack.

  “Get away from him!” she yelled out, furious tears making her voice harsh. “Or I swear to God I’ll –”

  “Stop. You need to calm down. We’re here to help.”

  The deep female voice made Georgia blink in surprise, but it still took a moment or two for the words to penetrate her brain.

  Here to help?

  Doing her best to blink her tears away and focus her eyes, Georgia found herself staring up at three large people – two men and a woman. All had serious expressions on their faces as they dropped to their knees by Garrett’s side, the woman tearing away his undershirt to expose his chest.

  “I need you to take a step back, ma’am,” the woman said, her tone calm and no-nonsense.

  Georgia shook her head, her fingers clenching even tighter around Garrett’s arm. “I won’t, I –”

  “We can help him, but we need some space.” It was one of the men who spoke up this time. “We have to see the extent of the wounds. All right?”