Page 28 of Reindeer Flames
I'd heard stories of needy alphas who wanted sex all the time, but I'd never imagined it would mean switching positions. I'd topped betas and other omegas, but never an alpha.
"You were amazing," I whispered in Hart's ear. "If you want to do this again, all you have to do is ask."
His skin burned my lips, and his cock slipped from my fingers. "What comes next?" he asked. "I want to spend every waking moment with you, but we both have such demandingjobs. My apartment is already too small, and I'm hardly ever there."
"You could move in with me," I said.
His whole body shook involuntarily. "No, thanks." He kissed my cheek. "Visiting was fun, but I don't want to live underground. My reindeer can't handle it. Donner loves it, but?—"
"You're not him, and your feelings are valid." I rolled off him, tugging him onto his side to face me. "We can look for a place together."
He grinned, and all my worries about what we'd just done and our future together evaporated like puddles in the sunlight. "I'd like that. A little three-bedroom near the subway and train stations, somewhere between the village and the bakery."
"That area is mostly commercial," I said. "If Gold didn't already live above the bakery, I'd suggest moving in there."
"We'll find something," Hart reassured me. "I wouldn't mind a longer train ride, if it meant seeing you more." His eyelids drooped all the way closed. I'd worn him out.
I ambled to the bathroom to wash up. Once I scrubbed the dried cum from Hart's chest, I tucked him into bed for an afternoon nap. I returned to the kitchen to find another note from Santa, along with a large canister of cinnamon and a bag of tiny red-hot cinnamon candies."Snickerdoodles?"The note read.
The lid on the slow cooker was already covered in steam, though it had been cold and empty when we left in the morning. I'd checked all the appliances before we left, since I didn't want to burn down Santa's house by accident. Inside, I found a rich stew of cubed beef and potato, sliced carrots, green beans, and corn. It smelled delicious, but it would be even better after a few more hours of simmering.
I dropped the lid back into place and got to work. In the cupboard with the baking sheets, I found all the dry ingredients I needed to make snickerdoodle cookies beside a blank pad of paper with "Recipes" scrawled across the top.
"I can take a hint, Santa," I whispered. I swore I could hear him laughing.
The next morning,we set out at dawn with the salt secured to the sled and the batches of cookies and cinnamon rolls tucked into the bench seat with our packs. I was a little queasy after all the sampling, which was unusual. I even sniffed the garbage before we left. The eggshells didn't smell off, even after twelve hours in the bin.
I didn't want to make us late, but I felt so sick over the Northern Atlantic that Hart could smell bile on the wind. Before I realized we were going down, he'd landed on the shores of a frozen lake.
The drop in altitude made it worse. I crawled off the bench and puked into the snow at the base of a bush. A warm hand on my shoulder startled me, and then Hart was on his knees beside me, brushing the hair off my forehead.
"Are you all right?"
"I hope the cookies and cinnamon rolls are edible," I said. "If I make Santa sick …"
"Let's get you home, first." He helped me to my feet and walked me back to the sleigh. He unbuckled the harness, slipped it over his shoulders, and returned to his reindeer form.
With shaking hands, I tightened the straps. "Thank you." I kissed the bridge of his reindeer snout and leaned my foreheadagainst his for a moment. My bones ached, and I felt tired, but for no reason. "I think I'm coming down with something."
Hart nudged me with his snout, and his harness jingled when he tossed his head over his shoulder, the message clear.
"Get back on the sleigh. I hear you."
My stomach felt better as we flew over glaciers and open water. Through drowse-heavy lids, I saw the blue shimmer of the force field surrounding the North Pole and outlying towns as we passed through it. That's when I noticed the ice had returned. Thick icicles hung off Hart's nose and underbelly. He even had frost on his tail. That couldn't be good.
Hart brayed as we approached Santa 30's hangar, and he dropped altitude, taking the sleigh with him. This was nothing like our earlier descent. Something was terribly wrong.
I didn't want to know what would happen if we crashed. I could shift into my dragon form and be fine, but the sleigh and our goods would be ripped to shreds on impact.
Each morning, I partially shifted my head and chest to light the bakery's ovens. I would need to be careful not to hurt my mate with my dragon fire, but it was a risk I was willing to take to keep us from crash landing.
I unbuttoned the top of my parka and the first few buttons of the shirt beneath it and partially shifted. I aimed my blue flames high over Hart's head. The ice began to melt, thick rivulets of water pouring off him and falling like rain on the countryside below.
Just when I thought I'd saved us, the tip of Hart's tail caught fire. Black smoke rose from it, and the stench of burning hair. Hart bugled, and I returned to my fully human form. Reaching forward with my gloved hand, I grabbed his tail and snuffed out the flames, leaving his tail fur singed black.
"I'm so sorry," I shouted.
Hart snorted, but he didn't sound as alarmed as he had when we were about to crash. He circled the hangar once and brought us in for a textbook landing on the smooth concrete floor.
