Page 17 of Reindeer Flames
He held his head high as he walked past the windows, but the moment he thought he'd stepped out of view, his head sank to his chest. He looked fucking miserable.
"That fucking prick," I whispered under my breath.
Gold cocked her head at me. Our stragglers were supernatural beings who heard every word, too. For their benefit, I said, "His cousin teased us on the subway. Called Harta Large Omega Lover, like there's something wrong with him wanting to date me."
"I would ask which cousin, but we all know." Gold rolled her eyes, and the stragglers nodded.
"Bopp." I sighed. "Hart acts like the rest of his family just goes along with his shit. Is that true?"
"Unfortunately, yes." A petite elf's high crimson ponytail bounced when she nodded. She tucked a bookmark into the book she'd been reading and placed it on the table. Though she didn't look a day over twelve, she had a presence that commanded attention, making me think she was probably older than my two-hundred-something years. "His great-great-great-grandfather Haley Comet is the one to blame. He started the 'size matters' movement back when the other reindeer families started to outsize the Comets. Some Santas wouldn't hire them because they were too small."
"His answer was to make fun of larger omegas?"
"The sad part was it worked. Reindeer mostly breed with other reindeer now, and smaller omegas are viewed as the beauty standard. Not to mention, all reindeer stand roughly the same height in reindeer form."
Gold waited for me to join her in the back room before she shook her entire upper body and whispered, "That sounds … gross. Like eugenics, gross."
We locked gazes, and I knew she was thinking of the same dark times I remembered.
"Hart's not like that, right?" Did my dragon want him to be my mate so badly that I was blind to it?
"He's not." Gold patted my shoulder. "Santa 30 promised."
It was great to have a Santa agree with me. Of all the Santas I'd met, 30 was the friendliest and most approachable, though I still didn't know his real name. I hoped that was enough to counteract Hart's questionable upbringing.
"I'm not dating his family," I said aloud to remind myself of the simple truth. "If they're jerks, we can avoid them."
"Starting with Bopp," she said. "I've warded the door. The moment he touches the handle, it'll burn him. No more shaking back and forth, and it'll bounce him into the street if he tries to come inside."
Sometimes, my sister scared me with her fierce retaliation, and sometimes she astounded me with her genius. I hoped we would both be working the first time he tried.
The first Saturdayin November was a busy baking day. I came in to help Gold with the early orders before we opened at six, and then I helped her through the morning and noon rushes. Then, we closed at three for our meeting with Laurie, the chocolatier owner.
I thought Gold's eyes would fall out of her head when Laurie entered our shop. She looked elegant in a four-sleeved red coat with large black buttons. She wore flowing black pants that looked like a skirt when she stood still.
The moment her gaze met Gold's, she smiled. "Hello again."
"You're … I … hi." I'd never seen my sister so at a loss for words. She was the more eloquent of the two of us.
Laurie extended her delicate leg and curled the sharp points at the end in toward her body. "It's so nice to see you again. I've missed you."
Gold clasped the tip of Laurie's leg like a lifeline. "I wondered where you'd gone. You're the one competing against us?" The fire in her voice earlier in the week was now laced with pain.
"Not competing," she said. "Earning your respect as a fellow business owner. Isn't that how dragon matings go?"
I met my sister's gaze, and we both guffawed. I laughed so hard, tears sprang to my eyes.
"Oh, no," Gold said. "We usually fuck first and build relationships later." She wiped the tears from her eyes. "Not that … I'm not saying …"
"Our family doesn't follow the old ways," I said, trying to help. "You have a very respectable business."
It sounded weak, even to my ears, but Laurie rallied a quick nod. Beneath her eight eyes, she had a human-looking mouth, and it curved into a smile. "As do you. I would like to see what we could build together."
"We're not looking to add on or move our store," Gold said.
Laurie smiled again, "I would never ask that of you, at least, not yet. Your brother suggested we could start with a shared product. That's all I ask. Let's see how well we can work together."
"Yes." My sister shook her shoulders and tightened her apron strings before leading Laurie into the kitchen. "Let's get to work."
