Page 10 of Reindeer Flames
I trudged to the door, dreading the conversation awaiting me outside. My cousin lounged against the brick wall beside the subway entrance next door. He flashed me a happy-go-lucky smirk and slipped his hands out of his pockets to rest on his hips. "What do you say? Tinsel's hot for you. He's looking for a booty call tomorrow night. What time are you off?"
"I'm not doing that."
"Why the fuck not? Aren't you into hot omegas anymore?"
My cousin had never been one to accept a simple "no," for an answer. "If I thought he was hot, I'd be interested. I'm not. He's not my type."
"What do you mean, not your type?" Bopp stared at me like I'd grown a second head. "We all have the same type! Hot petite omegas, the smaller the better."
"Not all of us."
"What are you saying?" Bopp stared at me with his mouth open. "You'd rather fuck that huge-ass dragon omega in there?"
"So what if I would?"
Bopp made a sour sound in the back of his throat and then hocked a loogie and spit it on the sidewalk at my feet. "You can't be serious. Wait until I tell the rest of the family."
The subway train to Christmas Village gave a single whistle, marking last call before leaving the station below.
"Fuck off." I marched past him, taking the stairs into the subway at a sprint. I was still the fastest alpha reindeer in my generation. I made it onto the train before the doors slid closed.
Bopp watched me on the other side of the glass with a bemused frown. I'd probably blown up my relationship with my entire family after that exchange, but I didn't care. If they were all so shallow to care more about an omega's appearance than his beautiful heart, they weren't worth my time.
On the train, I wondered what Silver and the other dragons thought of me and my family. Most reindeer families were respected and liked. My family, not so much. It wasn't my fault my great-great-to-the-nth-degree ancestor kicked the first Rudolph out of his flight training program. At the time, the kid had been just another Donner, not the glow-in-the-dark savior of all Santas and reindeer.
Santa 30's Rudolph was a petite omega, and my family would swoon if I brought him home, but he was terrified of me. I hadn't done much to encourage him, either. He was at the front of the pack, while I was at the back of the sleigh with Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen. They were my ride-or-die teammates. Together, the four of us pulled the weight while the other five followed the turn-by-turn instructions from Santa's navigation computer.
Fuck. What would Santa say when he found out I was no longer welcome at Silver and Gold's?
Santa 30 didn't keepme waiting. When we broke for lunch, he called me into his office.
"I received a call from Gold over at Silver and Gold's," he said.
"I'm so sorry, Santa. My cousin got it all wrong."
Santa pressed his finger to the side of his nose and winked. "Bopp? That rascal's always interfering where he doesn't belong. It might be time for him to take a mandatory vacation to meet his fated mate."
"That would be wonderful," I said. "Get him out of my hair for a couple of weeks."
Santa's belly shook with his laughter. "I'm sure his Santa would appreciate that too."
My cousin was part of Santa 29's team. Friday's time trials had come down to the two of us and six other reindeer. I'd won, beating him by two seconds. I didn't like to gloat, but the win had been extra special because I'd beaten him.
"Gold asked me to stop sending you to pick up the daily order, but then we agreed to new terms." Santa looked a little maniacal when he smiled. "You're on duty until I tell you otherwise."
"What? But he—they don't want to see me again."
"I convinced her to give you another chance. She also mentioned Bopp's involvement, and we agreed that he was the obvious choice to ban for life."
"Really?" Some of the tension I'd carried in my chest since our encounter outside the bakery receded. I took a deep breath and exhaled.
"This secret of yours." Santa met my gaze, and I did my best not to flinch. "Tell your parents. You and your dad are nothing like the rest of your family."
My dad had flown for Santa 30 before me. Before that, Santa had hired two Cupids for the fourth row, and no Comets.
In the cafeteria, I pondered Santa's suggestion, barely noticing what I had for lunch. When Jax Donner nudged my arm, I was the only one still seated at the table.
"You coming?" he asked.
