Page 24 of Reindeer Flames
Silver scooped up the cold buckle and wrapped his fingers around it. The backs of his fingers dragged against my skin, and I almost forgot what I was doing.
My reindeer rushed to the surface again, tired of waiting for my conscious brain to make the decision. My chest flared and my front legs flailed, trying not to kick Silver as gravity pulled me toward the ground.
Silver stepped back and chuckled. His movements with the buckle were quick and efficient, and then his large palm landed on top of my head, between my antlers. Flying reindeer didn't shed their antlers until after the Christmas season, since this time of year was often too stressful for a successful rut.
As he continued to pet me, running his hands over my shoulders and sides, I sniffed him with my heightened reindeer senses. He smelled sweeter, with a hint of clover added to his usual charcoal and cedar.
"Mine."I couldn't stop my reindeer instincts from rubbing my snout on him to scent-mark him.
Silver stepped back, a deep blush spreading across his cheeks. "We should go."
I wanted to ask him when I could meet his dragon, but we were losing precious time. It would take four hours to fly to Santa's cabin if we left now, most of those hours in complete darkness.
Silver hopped onto the bench seat behind me and grabbed the reins. With a grunt, I pulled against the harness, sending the oiled runners gliding across the slick concrete to the hangar door. Once we were on the smooth runway, it took only a few steps before I reached launch speed, and then I turned southeast, toward Denmark.
CHAPTER 11
SILVER
Flyinga sleigh was nothing like taking my dragon form and soaring on the wind. Wind didn't seem to matter to Hart. He kicked his legs, and the sleigh followed, defying gravity and physics. He looked magnificent as breath plumed from his nostrils. With each breath, we climbed higher into the cloudy gray sky. When we reached cruising altitude, his breath formed into ice along his flanks. I worried about increased drag, but it melted as we traveled south into warmer climes.
The twilight sky shadowed everything beneath us. An array of lights dotted the land, while the water reflected the occasional fading glow of clouds overhead. Soon, it was dark, with only dark water beneath us. When the coast of Norway stretched out before us like a string of Christmas lights, I grinned. I'd never seen anything so pretty outside of the North Pole. When we left Wales in our youth, the world had still been relatively dark at night. I'd known Norway was out there when we'd flown to the Western Isles, Greenland, and beyond, but I couldn't see it.
Now, it was breathtakingly beautiful. Beyond the coast, roadways spread out like spiderwebs. I wondered how many people in vehicles it took to light up the roadways like that.
The land rushed past us, and we were once again over dark water. Denmark's peninsula stuck out of the bay like a sore thumb as we slowed. Instead of heading for one of the brightly lit cities, Hart took us down over a remote wooded area. He circled once and lowered the sleigh down in a way that looked more like landing a helicopter. My dragon struggled to understand his methods of flight, but soon we were too preoccupied with our surroundings to care.
On the far side of the clearing sprawled a lake. My dragon was certain it teemed with fish, and he wanted a taste.
Hart nudged me in the side with his snout, reminding me I had a task to complete first.
"Are you too tired for another flight?" I asked as I unbuckled his harness. "My dragon wants to see what's in that lake."
Hart snorted and nosed me in the chest. When I didn't move, he bit at the top toggle button of my coat. I took that as a sign he wanted me to get naked and shift.
My dragon was ready. The moment I dropped my pants, he took over. My arms spread into wings, my claws dug into the ground, and I lifted my head to the sky with a roar and a gout of blue flame.
Hart circled my head, rubbing his snout along my jowls. He landed on my back, and I took a step toward the lake. My scales vibrated as he lost his footing and slid down my side before lifting into the air again.
I almost hit a tree with my tail, but then we soared over the lake, Hart by my side. Now that he didn't have a sleigh strapped to him, he could do aerial gymnastics, like back flips and a little dance that reminded me of our gentle swaying on Halloween.
I dropped low over the lake, but the fish were too far from the surface. My dragon liked getting his feet wet, but any more than that, and he shivered and shook like a wet cat.
Hart landed on my back again, and I felt his body change in shape and size, returning to his human form. He lifted one of my scales and held on as I brought us in for a landing. Circling around so I could see him, I nuzzled his chest with my snout and licked him with my forked tongue.
He laughed and then stepped closer to my side. He sank down on his haunches and then planted his bare ass on my scales. "I didn't think this through. Can you help me down?"
My wing claws weren't good for much, but they were the perfect size to slide around his torso and under both arms. He clung to me, and I lowered him to the ground, careful to set him near our clothes. Then, I shifted back into my human form and pulled my parka over my bare shoulders, too hot to put the rest of my clothes back on after the flight's exertion.
"That was so much fun," Hart said. He approached me with slow, sure steps, as though I was the prey animal to his predator.
I swung my arms open, and the coat slid down, exposing me all over again. I tried to cover up, but Hart stepped into my space, fitting his arms around my torso and locking his fingers behind my back. "You're so majestic," he said. "My beautiful silver dragon, like a sliver of moonlight over the lake."
"And you are pure magic," I said. "The way you fly shouldn't be possible."
He nodded. "Santa reminded me of that today. I asked why you couldn't fly here by yourself."
I ignored the sting in my gut. My sexy reindeer hadn't wanted to reject me. He was being practical. "I would have needed to stop over Greenland, and then again in Norway. My path wouldn't have been as direct."
