Page 4 of Reindeer Flames
Unfortunately, as a Comet, I was expected to mate with a smaller omega, not the hulking six-feet-four dragon hottie who handed me the to-go carafe and box of pastries with a smile that popped dimples on both sides of his wide mouth.
He was even hotter up close. I stood on the opposite side of the descending elevator and took him in. His hair was a little rumpled without his hat, his coat a bedraggled line of strings where his buttons used to be, and his black pants wrinkled from being around his knees for so long.
His body was an art form, all hard planes and smooth skin. I'd heard dragons didn't have much body hair, but touching him was beyond my wildest dreams. Kringles, he was gorgeous, and so responsive. I couldn't wait to get him below me to taste his slick and make him mine.
Wait, no. That was my reindeer talking. He'd been asserting Silver was my mate since the first time I walked into the bakery, but he had to be wrong.
I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the cool metal wall as my beast railed against me. We'd been on the same page when I approached Silver at the refreshment table. He'd looked so adorable in his costume, and I became someone else in mine. Someone fast and bold, willing to make a move.
Now, I was second-guessing. I heard my cousins' voices in my head, telling me to take what I wanted tonight. They would tell me to get Silver out of my system before Sunday dinner. My cousin Skiff had lined up an omega reindeer date for me. We were all named after celestial comets, though my name was better suited for a reindeer shifter than most. Most people thought my name meant deer, and I didn't correct them.
I didn't correct anyone's misconceptions of me. If I had, Skiff wouldn't have bothered introducing me to eligible omegas. The only one I wanted stood a few feet from me, in the oppositecorner of the elevator. He was the predator, but he looked absolutely terrified.
I thought Silver was into me. It hadn't taken long for him to come in my mouth.
Maybe I wasn't the only one overthinking in the elevator. A few horrible jokes about going down popped into my head, but I kept them to myself.
Finally, we arrived on Silver's floor. As long as I didn't think about it, I didn't mind being this far underground. Okay, maybe I did. I rubbed my sweaty palms against the satin fabric of my costume shorts.
Silver's hand slipped into mine as the elevator doors opened. "Are you all right?" he asked.
"I've never been down this far before, and never in this building."
Silver brushed his thumb over my fingers. "I love it down here. It reminds me of our ancestral cave back home."
"You're not from the North Pole?" He must have been older than I thought.
"Gold and I came here to seek our fortunes when we reached the age of 100." I tried to hide my surprised gasp, but the pleased grin he flashed me at the sound was worth it. "That is the way of dragons. Once we've matured, we leave the nest and venture into the wide world. Gold had always loved the stories about Santa's Village, so we came here."
"I wouldn't have thought you could be a day over 99," I teased.
"You'll be very disappointed to learn I am now well over 200."
I couldn't believe it. I thought he was my age, maybe a little older. He was so sweet, innocent, and charming. Comets lost their innocence well before they hit puberty, thanks to all the crude jokes, cruel pranks, and hazing rituals.
"I shouldn't have said anything," he said. "You probably don't want to have sex with a fossil."
"Which of my family members called you a fossil?" I already knew it was Bopp, or possibly Swift. "I'll kick their ass so far across town, they'll be outside Santa's protective shields."
He ambled down the hallway, and I followed. "Bopp." The word was almost swallowed up in his footsteps.
I fucking knew it. "How did he know your age?"
"Gold lost her temper with him and mentioned her centuries of experience. Then she banned him from the bakery for a week. He didn't take it well, and further name-calling ensued."
"I'm sorry." My cousins refused to apologize for anything, ever, but from Silver's grimace, they had hurt his feelings. The frown that followed looked entirely foreign on his beautiful face. I made a silent pact with myself never to be the reason for Silver's unhappiness again.
"My apartment is right here."
After fumbling his keys out of his pocket and messing with the lock, he opened the door into paradise. A dim blue glow warmed from his presence, and soon, a deep purple sunset filled the inner walls. Everywhere I looked, it seemed like we were outside on a giant hilltop, gazing down at nature's beauty.
All my trepidation about being underground disappeared. I truly felt like we were outside. The room's air currents matched the direction and strength of the breeze blowing through the grass on the walls. It was impossible, what I saw and felt, but it seemed real.
"Santa magic," Silver said. "I can't explain it, but I love it here."
"I get it." I couldn't explain it either, but this place was magical, and that was impressive for the North Pole, where everyone under the shield wall either had magical ability or was made of magic.
"Do you want the tour?"
