Special Delivery: Winter: An Mpreg Romance Collection

by Aria Grace

  “Excuse me?”

  I looked up to see a human smiling down at me with an awkward, sort of cute, smile that I felt myself returning. He just stood there, staring at me, for a moment before I realized I was probably in the way.

  “Sorry,” I said quickly, standing up and hurrying into the aisle to make room.

  He thanked me and squeezed by into his seat and we shared another awkward smile. As I settled back, he pulled out one of the magazines from the seat pocket in front of him and started to read it. Good; I was tired and not really in the mood for conversation. The plane took off not long after and the motion lulled me to sleep. After a weather-related delay and the layover from hell, I was exhausted.

  When I woke up a while later my human neighbor had his tray table down and was busily sketching. His phone was propped up nearby, displaying a picture of a snow-covered barn and several pine trees; the human was doing a remarkably accurate drawing of it, hand flying over the paper.

  “Wow, you’re really good.” I said.

  He turned in surprise, then smiled shyly. “Thanks.”

  “Are you an artist?”

  “A painter, actually. I’m Cody.”

  “Ryker,” I replied.

  We shook hands; his grip was firm and his skin was warm, even though I didn't think the plane was that cold my hand felt chilly as we parted.

  “Heading home for the holidays?” Cody asked.

  “Technically,” I said. “I am going home, but only because I’ve been away. My trip just happens to coincide with the holidays.”

  “Where is home?” he asked.

  “A little place called Half Moon Island,” I said with a fond smile as I thought of home.

  “Is this your final stop then? I think this airport is near the coast?”

  I nodded. “This is it for me. Where are you off to?”

  A broad smile crossed his face. “I’ve got a connecting flight; I’m going to Frostbourg!”

  Something about the way he said the name made me think I should be familiar with the place. “Frostbourg?”

  “Yeah, you know, the Christmas Capital of the World?”

  I shook my head and he laughed.

  “You’ve never heard of Frostbourg?” he asked.

  “I don’t travel much,” I admitted. That and I didn’t usually pay much attention to popular human destinations.

  “I bet you have,” Cody said, with a hint of challenge in his voice. “They’re world famous for all sorts of holiday things: cookies, decorations, sweaters… I’m sure you know someone who has a couple of Frostbourg trinkets they put out for the holidays.”

  “Maybe…” I thought of my mother’s best friend, Verona Silvanus and laughed. Verona’s house probably put Martha Stewart’s to shame right about now with her tendency to go all out for the holidays. Considering Verona's extensive collection of decorations I wouldn't be at all surprised if she had something from the so-called Christmas Capital of the World.

  “Are you visiting family?” I asked, finding myself oddly interested in the human’s travel plans.

  “Actually, I’m going for work. I’ve always wanted to go to Frostbourg and I thought Christmas Village would be perfect. I’m getting a pretty fat check, with the promise of more work, so I thought I’d treat myself.”

  “Christmas Village?”

  Cody laughed. “You really haven’t heard of Frostbourg! It’s incredible, it’s supposed to look like something out of a postcard. The entire village is planned out – every building is that old-school European style with the exposed beams and decorative woodwork, all Christmas themed of course. There are wreaths and candles in every window… they say even the cobblestones are festive. They have a big Christmas market in the middle that sells all of the goods Frostbourg is famous for. And shops and restaurants…” He trailed off and coughed in embarrassment. “It’s sort of my dream vacation…”

  “What will you be painting?”

  “I’m going to start in Christmas Village and do some of the shops. Then on Christmas Eve – during the annual ball – I’m going to go up on the cliffs and hopefully find a good angle that includes the water and the castle. It’ll be cold, but everyone will be at the ball or home and it never snows on Christmas Eve there, so the weather will be perfect.” He chuckled and added, “And I can always paint in snow.”

  “It never snows on Christmas Eve in the Christmas Capital of the World?” I teased.

  He grinned. “According to local urban legend it doesn’t! Guess I’ll find out.”

  We made small talk for a little bit, then Cody returned to his sketching and I sat back and closed my eyes again.

  The next thing I knew, the captain was announcing that we were landing. It was a quick, smooth descent and soon the plane filled with the sound of people turning on their cell phones, and checking messages, and calling their loved ones to let them know they had arrived. We taxied to the gate to an announcement that it was snowing, then we were able to stand and start collecting our bags.

  “Nice meeting you,” I said to Cody.

  “You too,” he said with a smile. “Have fun going back home.”

  “I hope you enjoy Frostbourg.” I told him as we parted ways.

  I headed down to baggage claim to await my two massive suitcases. After doing it a few times I was pretty good at traveling light for my year away. but I still invariably ended up with a couple of large bags. Especially since I had bought a few local souvenirs as gifts and hadn't been able to ship them all yet. The airport was naturally busy around the holidays and by the time the bags rolled through I had been there for half an hour, followed by another forty-five minutes waiting in line for a rental car. I should have just had someone pick me up. I may not have had any immediate relatives on Half Moon or any human friends anymore, but I had plenty of shifter friends who would have been happy to drive the hour to the closest large airport pick me up. But I always hated to impose on people, I was an alpha after all.

  At last my car was rented and I hauled my bags to the parking garage. As I passed human after human, struggling with their own bags, I was grateful I had a little extra shifter strength on my side. Nevertheless, even my added endurance was no match for the fatigue of my long travel and I heaved a sigh of relief as I found the row where my car was.

  I came to a stop at the right number and found myself standing in an empty parking spot.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me!” I cried.

  I looked around, but it quickly became clear that either the car was parked in the wrong spot or my ticket was wrong. Cursing under my breath, I turned and stomped back toward the rental agency.

  As I walked, I thought of the classic movie Planes, Trains, and Automobiles and laughed. I wasn’t sure I’d ever see the rental car scene the same way again; who knew it could happen in real life?! Feeling not unlike the main character, I double-checked that I had my rental agreement with me.

  “You’re fucked,” I quoted with a chuckle, tightening my grip on the necessary papers.

  The wait to get up the counter was even longer this time and then I wasted another twenty minutes while they tried to figure out what had happened to my car. Seeing as it wasn’t my car, I would have been perfectly content to just get another and go in my way while they sorted it out without me standing there, but that clearly wasn’t in the cards.

  “Could’ve shifted and run home by now,” I muttered. Probably not, considering a white wolf would have stood out a bit and I didn’t think I could get to the island without crossing a few highways. I envied some of my gray wolf friends. Then again, while I was wishing to be a different type of animal, I envied the shifters who could fly. My buddy Kessel would have been landing on his balcony by now.

  I was feeling quite a bit more grumpy and tired by the time I got to my car, this time thankfully it was actually there.

  As I loaded up the car the unseasonal melancholy I had been feeling about returning home faded and I felt myself getting excited, not just
to be back on Half Moon, but to be getting back in time for Christmas. And to think I had almost considered extending my year away so that I could avoid the holidays.

  I was so distracted thinking about it that I missed the turn out of the parking garage. I cursed and continued down another level and found myself stuck amid all the taxis and buses and ride shares as they jockeyed for passengers.

  Well, it wasn't as if I was in a hurry. If being immortal teaches you anything, it’s a dose of patience. I got out from under the covered portion of the road and smiled at the sight of snow flakes, although given the way they were blowing, it looks pretty windy.

  I drove by one of the little sheltered bus stops and to my surprise, spotted Cody. I slowed down to make sure I wasn't imagining things, but sure enough, Cody was on a bench, looking somewhat miserable and frustrated as he fiddled with his phone. I chalked it up to still having Planes, Trains and Automobiles on the brain, but I pulled over and stopped, wondering if he had been lying about going to Frostbourg.

  I got out of the car and walked around it. Cody looked up in surprise.

  “Oh, hi,” he said.

  “I thought you had a connecting flight,” I said.

  “I did.” I could hear a tremor of emotion in his voice. “There's a blizzard in Frostbourg and all the flights are grounded. So, the one here got canceled.”

  “Oh, I'm so sorry,” I said, feeling genuinely bad for him. He had seemed so excited about Frostbourg, I almost wanted to go. “Are there any other flights?”

  He shook his head. “It doesn't seem like it. It's a pretty bad blizzard. So, it's looking like I'm not going to make it there at all...” His shoulders slumped and he frowned at his phone before throwing his hands in the air. I was worried for a moment that his phone was going to go flying. “And I can barely get any service to find if there are any hotels in the area!”

  “Are you going to stay around here?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “I don't know. I kind of…” He winced. “I kind of spent most of my money on the trip and supplies. I've got a really nice contract to do some holiday paintings, but if I can’t get to Frostbourg to paint, I won’t get paid.”

  “Do the paintings have to be from Frostbourg?” I asked.

  “No,” he said. “The theme is cozy small-town Christmas, so I could do it anywhere but… Well, now I’m stuck out here.”

  Feeling like I was still stuck in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles I found myself saying, “You know, Half Moon Island probably counts as a cozy small-town Christmas.” He looked up at me in surprise. “It's a pretty small island and we do like to go all out for Christmas. There's actually an old-fashioned Christmas parade on the 23rd.”

  “Really?”

  “Do you want to come with me? I'm got a car and a couch.”

  “If you mean it,” he said.

  “Yeah, why not?”

  “Thank you. If I really won't be imposing…”

  “Not at all!”

  2. Cody

  I was so disappointed by the sudden cancellation of my trip I had thrown everything into, that I wasn't really thinking about anything but gratitude and a place to stay. I climbed right into the car with Ryker. His eyes were narrowed in concentration as he navigated the parking lot, with what I could tell was a rental car, so I stayed quiet and let him concentrate. But as we cleared the confusing maze of roads that lead to arrivals and departures, and highways, it occurred to me that I was sitting in a car with a complete stranger, who I didn't know anything about, except that he lived on an island I had never heard of.

  Ryker – if that even was his name – on the other hand, knew that I didn't have any close family or friends and that my flight had just been canceled, leaving me in complete limbo. I was suddenly painfully aware that he could easily kill me and leave me in a ditch somewhere, if he really wanted to, and no one would have any idea that my careless ass even got in the car with him.

  “So…” I said, trying not to sound too nervous. “How far is Half Moon Island?”

  “About an hour or so.” Ryker frowned up at the sky and flicked the windshield wipers, swooshing off some of the falling snow. “A little longer if the snow gets heavier.”

  I nodded and noticed he was smiling. Before I could ask, he went on.

  “I haven’t seen snow in over a year.”

  “It doesn’t snow here much” I asked, wondering if this dusting was all I’d get for my paintings. I could certainly add some in, but would have preferred to paint the real thing.

  “Oh, we get plenty of snow here; I've been away for a year.”

  I looked at him in surprise. Ryker had mentioned that he had been gone for some time, but I didn't realize it was an entire year.

  “What were you doing?” I asked.

  “A uh, sabbatical of sorts.”

  I tried to decide whether or not to categorize that answer as kind guy letting me stay with him or sketchy guy who might be an axe murderer.

  “Honestly,” Ryker continued, unaware I was wondering how likely I’d be to survive a tuck-and-roll if he got creepy. “I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to come home for in time for the holidays, but just thinking about being back on the island in time for the parade, I'm starting to feel like I made the right choice.”

  “You weren't sure?” I echoed.

  “Well…” he said. “A lot of people I knew have uh… moved or gotten married and stuff. And coming back was sort of last minute, so I was worried that it would be sort of lonely this year, but I didn’t really get a chance to make too many friends while I was away, so I wouldn’t have anyone to spend Christmas with if I didn’t come back early anyway. Figured I might as well be home for it.”

  I nodded and we fell into a somewhat comfortable silence. I wasn’t sure why, but I was starting to feel very comfortable with him; almost like I already trusted him. Of course, I had certainly trusted him enough to get into the car with him in the first place.

  He drove along for a bit and then over a bridge that crossed a large river. I looked out at the lights on some of the boats in the falling snow and a series of lit decorations along the banks.

  “It’s beautiful,” I said softly.

  “I'm sure it's no Frostbourg.”

  “I wouldn't know,” I said with a weak laugh. “I've never been there.”

  “I'm sorry,” he said. “I could tell you were really looking forward to it.”

  “It happens. But thanks.”

  “Well, if the snow clears up enough that the flights start going again, I’m happy to drive you back to the airport any time.”

  “Thank you, really.”

  I gazed out the window at the falling snow and the dark landscape, finding myself fighting the urge to nod off. I checked the clock a couple of times and then the next time I looked at it a good half hour had elapsed.

  “I'm sorry,” I said, shaking my head and sitting up a little more. “I must have dozed off.”

  “That's okay. I'm kind of nocturnal,” he said with a chuckle. “We're almost there anyway.”

  I looked out the window and couldn't see anything but trees and snow, although it was snowing a little harder now.

  “Thanks again,” I said, thinking about our destination. “I really appreciate you giving me a place to crash.”

  “It's no problem, really. Hopefully the house is in decent shape.”

  “Has it been empty for a year?”

  Ryker shook his head. “No, I have some good friends on the island who have been keeping an eye on it for me.”

  I nodded and turned my attention back out the window. We rounded a bend and the trees suddenly parted and turned into low grasses. No, I realized as I caught glimpses of water, it wasn't low grasses at all.

  “What is…” I started curiously.

  He knew exactly what I meant. “Marshland. And a couple of small channels. This is what separates Half Moon from the mainland.

  “Oh.” I peered through the snow and spotted a bunch of lights in t
he distance. “How far away is it?”

  “A couple of miles.”

  I watched as the island slowly drew closer and I realized that I wasn't just seeing the lights of houses, but Christmas lights as well. It felt like I could see the whole island from here, dotted with reds and greens and whites, some of them twinkling, and a few small things that look like inflatable decorations.

  “It's beautiful,” I said as I stared at the lights through the falling snow.

  For the first time since my flight was canceled, I felt a big smile coming on. Maybe I could find something to paint here.

  Ryker chuckled and I saw a small smile tug at his lips. “I'm glad you think so.”

  We drove over a small bridge and I found myself in what seemed like a quaint little town, much like I expected from Frostbourg. It was filled with small charming stores and restaurants, all sporting lights and festive wreaths. I could see a few Christmas trees in the windows; all of the lamp posts had wreaths with candles and bright red ribbons, and everything, including the road, was covered in a light dusting of snow.

  The architecture was very different from what I had been looking forward to in Frostbourg, but it was all charming nonetheless. Ryker turned down a couple of streets and the close construction of what seemed more like a cozy downtown turned into larger yards and some more modern looking houses – still with their own sort of charm. There were plenty of decorations and lights, and of course the snow just added to the ambience.

  After a couple more streets he let out a sudden laugh.

  “What is it?” I asked in surprise.

  “They put my lights out for me,” he chuckled, turning into the driveway of a cute little beach-style cottage. Sure enough, the eaves were decked with lights and there were fake candles twinkling in the windows.

  We got out of the car and grabbed our bags, then headed up onto the small porch.