by Zoe Chant
Olly’s eyes narrowed. “Bullshit.”
“He—”
“Bullshit! Worthy? He’s saying you weren’t worthy last year? Or before that? You—you… argh!”
She pressed her forehead against hers. Love and frustration and a ferocious protectiveness that burned hotter than Jackson could have imagined possible flooded out of her. For him.
“That’s ridiculous,” she growled. “I’m not going to accept that.”
“Neither am I,” his mother added. “What a load of nonsense. Worthy. Really. Where is he now, by the way?”
“At dinner with his PA and her family.” He grimaced. “His PA’s the one he thought was my mate.”
“And he was wrong about that,” Olly interjected. “There has to be something that made you shift for the first time today, though. Something that changed. It can’t be that we…” She went red.
Louisa laughed, and Jackson went red, as well. “Oh, you two! Don’t worry, I don’t need to hear any of those details.”
Jackson groaned and buried his head in his hands as Olly giggled.
“Well, it can’t be that, can it, otherwise your pegasus would have turned up last year.” She slipped her hand into his. “So what was new about this morning? Why did you fledge now?”
“I don’t know.”
“You think you might, though.” Olly tipped her head back and peered at him through her lashes. “I know that tone.”
Jackson looked down. “I’d asked you to marry me.”
Louisa gasped. “You left that out in your story!”
“You said you just wanted the highlights—”
“That is a highlight, my favorite, idiotest son.” Louisa tutted fondly. “Go on.”
“That’s not all,” Olly said, correctly, her eyes fixed on him.
“I think—” Jackson looked away, embarrassed, and she poked him until he was looking at her again. “This morning, I was the happiest I’d ever been. Everything felt right in the world. I felt right in the world. I…” He cleared his throat. “All my life, I’ve kept some things locked inside me, so deep I forgot they were even there. How much I wished I were a shifter. All the dreams I had about being a deer like Ma, or a pegasus like my father. I walled them up inside me, until this morning, when I just… let go. Of wanting them, and wanting to not want them. I was… content. And as soon as that happened—bang.”
“Bang?”
“And whoosh. And glitter.”
“And pegasus?”
He nodded. “I thought the universe was playing a dirty trick. Instead, it was giving me everything I ever wanted.”
“You needed to see there wasn’t anything wrong with you before you could be your full self.” Louisa sighed sadly. “Oh, Jackson, sweetheart.” She pulled him into a hug. “You always kept yourself to yourself so well, I thought you had put that all behind you years ago.”
“I thought so, too.” And now I’m here! his pegasus announced happily. Jackson watched Olly’s lips twitch in a barely hidden laugh.
“I was confused, too,” she admitted out loud. “About what I wanted, and what my owl wanted. If I’d just talked to myself instead of denying what I felt, my owl and I might have figured out that you weren’t wrong for me, you were just…” She frowned. “Still brewing? Or proofing? The oven was still preheating?”
“He’s more like a beer waiting to get carbonated,” Louisa suggested with a sparkle in her eye.
Whee! his pegasus trilled, its voice like bubbles against Jackson’s brain.
“Everything turned out,” Jackson said, reaching for Olly’s hand and twining his fingers around hers. “Maybe my pegasus isn’t the only part of me that’s slow off the mark, but I wouldn’t change a thing about this now.”
“Not getting shot?” his mother interjected.
Jackson tightened his grip on Olly’s fingers. “Well—”
“If we’re redoing this, I want to not jump in the lake this time,” Olly muttered, her eyes dancing.
“No more re-does!” Jackson stood up, pulling Olly with him, and wrapped her in a bearhug that transformed into a passionate kiss in record time. “We made it work, Olly,” he whispered when they finally pulled apart.
“We did the wrong thing and it couldn’t have turned out better,” she whispered back.
*Come on, everyone! It’s time for carols!” Cole bounded up, shouting happily and burping out little puffs of smoke. *Come onnn! Everyone has to sing!*
Laughing, Jackson let himself be dragged back to the group around the bonfire. Olly tucked herself against his side as everyone raised their voices in song. Not everyone knew all the words and hardly anyone was in tune—and some people were still dragons, but Jackson’s heart felt so full it was about to burst.
Silent night, holy night…
The night was anything but silent. But it was perfect.
He was home.
The carol finished with a ragged cheer. Someone started to drunkenly sing ‘Auld Lang Syne’ and was drowned out by a burst of Jingle Bells. Olly tugged on Jackson’s arm and when he turned to her, dragged him down for a kiss.
“Merry Christmas,” she whispered to him, and the shining mate bond between them glowed brighter than the bonfire. “My mate.”
Epilogue
Olly
1 month later
“Do you see it?”
“It hasn’t moved.”
“And you’re sure it’s—”
“Yes.” Olly reinforced the word with a wave of telepathic yes-ness. Her owl rustled its wings contentedly. “I’ve been watching it all month. It’s the one.”
“In that case.” Jackson finished his coffee, stood up and ostentatiously brushed himself off. Olly stifled a giggle. That new flair for the dramatic was his pegasus’s influence, she was sure.
He held out his hand. “Shall we?”
She put her hand in his. “Let’s.”
The bell above the jewelry store door rang as they walked through. Olly had been scoping out the place for the last month. Not the anxious, wary scoping out that she’d been stuck in for the last year, but a thrilling spying-stalking that she’d enjoyed as much as her owl had.
She’d spotted the ring one week in, inspected it carefully from the café across the street for another week, sent Meaghan in with the ring size the next and now, she was sure.
“Good afternoon!” The shopkeeper, an alligator shifter called Lori, smiled perkily at them both. “How can I help you? Whatever it is you’re after, we’ve got a lovely range of—”
“That one.” Olly pointed.
The ring had a white gold band, with a single circular-cut diamond and smaller chips not arranged neatly around it, but scattered across the band. It looked even better close up than it did through the binoculars Jackson had bought her for her spying.
“Ooh, good choice. But, it would be a teeny bit hard to resize, so let’s just check…” Lori slipped the ring out from the display and held it out to Olly.
Jackson took it and turned it over in his fingers. “You’re right,” he murmured. “It is perfect. A beautiful moon for your claw.”
She snorted at him.
“Oh, er, that’s, real romantic.” Lori sounded like she was trying very hard to stay perky.
“Shall we see if it fits?”
“It will.” Olly held out her hand and he slowly slid the ring onto her finger. “See?” she said, staring into his eyes. “It’s perfect.”
He stared back, his gaze heavy with love. “And all it took was a month of sitting around and staring at it.” He pulled her close and kissed her. *Now let’s go spy out some venues.*
*I had an idea about that.* Olly sent images down the mate bond. Jackson almost choked.
“Sweetheart Lake?”
“What’s a bigger romantic gesture than a wedding?” she challenged him, and couldn’t help diving in for another kiss.
“Alright,” he grumbled. The words reverberated deliciously against her lips. “If that’s w
hat my mate wants.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll tell my owl to ignore any shiny things under the surface.” She tucked her hands into his back pockets so he couldn’t get away. “And there won’t be any ice. A summer wedding.”
And marriage. And married life. And watching Meaghan and Caine’s pack grow, and the Heartwell kids get bigger, and… who knows?
Olly didn’t bother to hide a smile as Jackson felt the shape of her thoughts. His cheeks darkened with happiness.
One day Pine Valley would be where their kids grew up, too.
A note from Zoe Chant
Thank you for buying my A Mate for Christmas box set! I hope you enjoyed it. If you’d like to be emailed when I release my next book, please click here to be added to my mailing list. You can also visit my webpage, or follow me on Facebook or Twitter. You are also invited to join my VIP Readers Group on Facebook!
Please consider reviewing A Mate for Christmas: Collection 1, even if you only write a line or two. I appreciate all reviews, whether positive or negative.
Page down for a special sneak preview from another hidden shifter town… dive into Hideaway Cove with The Griffin’s Mate!
The cover of this box set, and the individual books, were designed by Marie Hodgkinson.
More Paranormal Romance Box Sets by Zoe Chant
Shifting Sands Resort Collection 1. Three adventure romances set at Shifting Sands Resort, a (clothing optional!) luxury resort for shifters only. Come to find love and tasty treats of all kinds - but prepare for heart-pounding thrills and layers of puzzling secrets. Includes Tropical Tiger Spy, Tropical Wounded Wolf, and Tropical Bartender Bear.
Shifting Sands Resort Collection 2. Three more thrilling adventures set at Shifting Sands Resort, a (clothing optional!) luxury resort for shifters only. More secrets are revealed and mysteries are solved as members of the staff meet their perfect mates. Includes Tropical Lynx’s Lover, Tropical Dragon Diver, and Tropical Panther’s Penance.
Elemental Mates Box Set One. Air. Earth. Water. Three powerful dragon shifters control the elements of the earth - and would do anything to protect their mates from the ancient enemy that threatens the world. Contains Mated to the Storm Dragon, Mated to the Earth Dragon, and Mated to the Ocean Dragon.
Enforcer Bears Box Set One. Three thrilling shifter romances from Zoe Chant’s bestselling Enforcer Bears series! Hot bear shifter men fall for their curvy mates in the small town of Linden Creek, protecting them from terrible danger and healing wounded hearts. Contains Bear Cop, Hunter Bear and Wedding Bear.
Enforcer Bears Box Set Two. The final two thrilling shifter romances from Zoe Chant’s bestselling Enforcer Bears series! Two sexy bear shifter men ready to protect their curvy mates with their lives find love and healing for their wounded hearts in the small town of Linden Creek. Contains Fighter Bear and Bear Guard.
Protection, Inc. Collection One. Three thrilling romances! Hot shifter bodyguards fall for their curvy mates while protecting them from deadly danger. Contains Bodyguard Bear, Defender Dragon, and Protector Panther.
Hollywood Shifters Complete Box Set. Four sizzling shifter romances from Zoe Chant’s bestselling Hollywood Shifters series! Hot shifter buddies fall for their curvy mates in glamorous Hollywood.
Cedar Hills Lions Box Set 1. Two thrilling shifter romances from Zoe Chant’s bestselling Cedar Hill Lions series! Strong shifter men fall for their brave curvy mates while protecting them from deadly danger.
Bear Down and Bear Watching Boxed Set. Two scorching, standalone bear shifter romances in one convenient boxed set.
Billionbear and Pair of Bears Boxed Set. Enjoy two sizzling hot, standalone bear shifter romances in one easy to read collection! This boxed set collects the BBW bear shifter romance Bought by the Billionbear and the menage bear shifter romance A Pair of Bears.
Special Sneak Preview
The Griffin’s Mate
Lainie
“Oh, no, no, no.” Lainie groaned as the car engine whined to a halt. “Please don’t die, car. I seriously don’t need this today. Not on top of everything else.”
The car’s engine, deaf to her pleas, gave one final croak and fell silent.
“Shit.”
Lainie coasted to the side of the road, coming to a stop under a worn wooden sign. In faded red script, the sign read: Hideaway Cove: Population---
The sign was so old that the number was completely worn away. Lainie sighed.
Population, one less family than there should be, she thought. Her grandparents had been the last Eaves to live in Hideaway Cove, and after her grandmother’s death one month before, that wasn’t likely to change.
Lainie tried to feel angry about it, but what was the point? She’d resigned herself to her situation years ago. Her problems weren’t going to change just because circumstances were finally forcing her to face them head-on.
Just one night, she told herself. One afternoon, one night, one morning. And then I can leave again.
She shielded her eyes from the afternoon sun and looked down the hill toward the cluster of buildings that made up Hideaway Cove.
The small coastal town in the bay below her was almost cartoonishly cute. Old Victorian-era buildings lined the wide main street, and a shallow sandy beach swept down into the sheltered cove. A small marina at the end of town nearest the highway held a handful of small fishing and leisure boats, and at the other end of the crescent-shaped bay, a hill jutted up from the waves, protecting the town from the northerly winds.
And from the top of the hill, a house built at the base of an old lighthouse stared back down at the town.
Lainie looked straight across at it. Her grandparents’ house.
Her stomach twisted.
It had been fifteen years since Lainie last stepped foot in Hideaway Cove. Fifteen years since the last long, dream-like summer holiday she’d spent at her paternal grandparents’ rambling old house on the hill. A month of fishing, and swimming, and gorging herself on ice cream.
Fifteen years since the late-night fights she’d had to pretend she couldn’t hear. Since her grandparents started to sigh and purse their lips when they looked at her. Since the vacation that had ended with her grandparents telling Lainie and her mom and dad never to come back. That they were no longer welcome in Hideaway, and never would be.
Fourteen-and-a-half years since her father walked out on Lainie and her mother forever. Anywhere between fourteen and nine years ago that Lainie’s granddad had died. She didn’t know exactly, because no one had bothered to notify her or her mother, who were by then living in a small apartment in the city.
Eight years since Lainie’s grandmother had gone into a care home. And four weeks since she’d died.
Lainie groaned. Counting down like this usually helped. Separating a problem into little squares, and looking them one at a time made her feel more in control. But breaking up her life like this just left Lainie with more questions.
The biggest question of all was the one she’d never dared speak. Not to her Mom, not to her Dad before he left, not even in her own diary.
What did I do wrong?
She gripped the steering wheel. It’s too late to worry about that now, she told herself sternly. Granddad’s dead. Grandma’s dead. Dad’s gone—who knows whether he’s alive or not, but he disappeared so completely he’s been declared legally dead. Whatever reasons they had for what they did have gone with them.
Her grandmother’s will had come as a shock. The news had been delivered by a neat little lawyer in a fussy suit and shiny shoes, who’d clearly spent some time preparing his explanation of the situation.
Mrs. Iris Eaves had left her entire estate to her only son, Mr. Anton Eaves. As Mr. Anton Eaves had been declared dead in absentia, the inheritance fell to his only child, Ms. Lainie Eaves.
After fifteen years of being completely stonewalled by her father’s side of the family, suddenly, Lainie had inherited everything they had owned.
Which was what had brought her
back to Hideaway Cove.
Lainie took a deep breath. You can do this, she told herself, mouthing the words. You’re a grown woman now. And this is business. You’re good at business.
“And as for you,” Lainie said out loud, glaring at the steering wheel, “I did not pay through the nose for a rental just to have it die on me! Come on…”
Holding her breath, Lainie turned the key in the ignition. The engine revved—and revved—and turned over. She sighed with relief.
“One night, and then you can leave all of this behind you,” she promised herself. “A fresh start without Hideaway Cove.”
Harrison
Harrison squinted into the afternoon sun as he stepped out onto the main street of Hideaway Cove. Behind him, the front door of Sweet Dreams Ice Cream Parlor swung shut on a cacophony of children’s excited screams. He ran a hand through his hair, grinning at the scene he’d just left.
As he stood on the sidewalk, enjoying the afternoon sun on his face, the door swung open and shut again behind him, jingling merrily.
“How does it feel being the hero of the day, Sparky?” he said, looking sideways at the man who’d just followed him out.
Apollo Jenkins—Pol to his friends, and Sparky to his boss, at least when his boss was deliberately teasing him—was tall and lanky, with blond hair that flopped over his face when he didn’t keep it tied back.
Harrison always felt strangely land-bound when he hung out with him. His human form was heavy and sturdy beside Pol’s loose-limbed frame. He supposed they looked an odd pair, though oddness was nothing strange here in Hideaway.
Pol’s human body sometimes looked almost as ethereal as his shifter form, with his Legolas-like hair and pale golden eyes. Next to him, Harrison couldn’t look more ordinary. Brown hair, crooked nose, tanned skin. His work often left him a bit grimy, with wood shavings curled into his hair or oil rubbed into the lines of his hands.