Love Me by Christmas

by Silvia Rojas

  "Who said I was keeping my clothes on?" River asked, tossing Melanie's bra aside. "I can't exactly do you through my pants, you know."

  "Duh." Giggling, Melanie lowered herself and tugged at River's swim trunks, eventually pulling them off to find that he was semi-erect. "Oh my."

  "Like I said, you are a tease," River grinned, carefully reaching over to his nightstand and opening a drawer to grab a condom (Melanie got off him to allow him to do so). "Good thing I'm prepared."

  "Very prepared." Melanie rolled onto her back, mentally preparing herself to allow River to have his way with her. She wasn't afraid, no; she had been waiting for this moment. She wanted to feel him as much as he wanted to feel her.

  After sheathing his shaft, River positioned himself over Melanie and sealed the deal with another deep kiss. When the two parted, he quipped, "Are you ready?"

  "Absolutely."

  When River eased himself in, Melanie couldn't help but make lustful noises. He stroked her head and planted a kiss on her forehead before pulling into a thrust that made Melanie yelp with ecstasy. He paid attention to her breasts as well, gently caressing and nuzzling them. Melanie thought she was going to explode with all of the physical attention being lavished on her. She rewarded him with load moans and no thought as to whether the neighbors could hear her. "I love you," he said through heavy breaths. "I want you in my life, and I want to make you mine."

  "I'll- I'll be yours," Melanie huffed through the blinding euphoria. "Make me yours!"

  "I will!" Chuckling, River gave Melanie another long smooch. "Get ready."

  Melanie didn't have time to ask what for; River practically rocked her senselessly right before he came, and she knew full well that she did too. River released himself from her and disposed of the condom; when he returned, he plopped himself back into bed and pulled a still very dazed Melanie close to him. "So? How was it?"

  "I... wow," Melanie mumbled.

  "Good." River sighed and pressed his head into the pillow. "I'm glad."

  Melanie shook her head in an attempt to bring herself back to reality. It worked just a bit. "You know... Riv, I have a question."

  "I might have an answer," River replied.

  "What does it mean to have dragon blood? I mean, what if we have kids? Will they be able to shift like you? Or will they be human like me?" Melanie looked up at River with a questioning yet unfocused stare.

  "You're getting a little ahead of yourself," River said.

  "I know, just... can you tell me? I'm curious."

  "All right, all right." River adjusted himself a bit to be able to look at Melanie more comfortably. "Half-dragons can still shift. Their dragon forms are smaller than full dragons' forms, and their powers tend not to be as strong. Quarter dragons follow the same rule. Once you get down to an eighth of dragon ancestry, it gets a little dicey and there's no way to know for sure if the child will be able to shift. I don't know how far back your dragon ancestry might be, but it's obviously far back enough that you can't shift."

  "Obviously." Melanie put her arms around River and gave him a squeeze. "I wonder what we'll do next."

  "Take a rest, then go about our day?"

  "No, I mean, in the future. I know you said I was getting ahead of myself talking about kids, but... it'd be nice if we could stay together like this," Melanie said.

  River nodded. "You're very right, and I agree with you. However, I can't predict the future. I don't know what we'll do next. I think the best we could do is enjoy each other's company in the here and now."

  "I like that," Melanie said. "I think I'll do that from now on. I'm not going to get ahead of myself. I'm just going to love you and take each day as it comes."

  "Sounds like a plan."

  The two enjoyed a silent moment, and Melanie found herself reflecting on all that had happened. It all started with a pendant at a craft fair and now here she was, immersed in a world of mystery that she didn't even know existed. The world had dragons and possibly magic; who knew what else was waiting for her? The idea that one of her ancestors had once consorted with a dragon intrigued her more than ever, and while she didn't know how she would find out more about such a thing, she had a feeling that River could help her with the research. She didn't know much about her ancestry to begin with and the promise of knowledge was an interesting temptation.

  Perhaps, someday, she would continue the line and help dragons and humans to unite once more. Her relationship with River was proof that such a thing could happen, and she remembered that that was one of his goals. A half-dragon child would leave a mark on the world, though of course the timing of the revelation would have to be just right. Once again, though, she was getting ahead of herself. All she wanted to do was enjoy her life with River for now.

  All the rest would come in due time.

  THE END

  Mystery of Graves’s Halloween Ball

  Chapter 1

  ESSIE

  “What are you doing?” I asked my sister when I saw her hunched over her studio desk. “Don’t tell me you’re still working.”

  “I am,” Ebony responded, furiously erasing a mistake she must have made.

  I snatched the drawing, holding it up to the light so I could admire it. “This is amazing! Who are you designing this for?”

  “Adele. Now, give it back so I can finish it. She has a gala to go to in a few weeks and I need to submit this to the tailor by tomorrow morning.” She grabbed the drawing and went back to work, carefully selecting the right colors from her endless supply of markers.

  “You know, I never liked her music. Too sappy for me.” I plopped down at my desk, swiveling in my chair before I looked at my own work. “Do you want to give me your opinion on this outfit I’m making for The Weeknd?”

  “You’re making something for The Weeknd? How did you manage that?”

  “Well, after I made that dress for Selena, I guess she passed along the word to her new boyfriend. Don’t you think they are mad cute together?”

  “They aren’t going to last very long. Celebrity couples never do. Just look at Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Everyone thought they were the perfect couple but they are still getting a divorce. When your whole life is out on the media, it’s difficult to have an intimate and trusting relationship.

  I rolled my eyes. “Why do you have to be so pessimistic?”

  “I’m not. I’m just a realist.”

  “Sure, whatever.” I handed her my sketch. “Seriously, can you tell me what you think?”

  “Hmm.” She pursed her lips together in contemplation. “It’s definitely his style. I think he’s going to like it. I would just change the fur, I think it’s a bit much and the weather is still too warm for it.”

  “You think? Selena is wearing a fur trimmed dress to the award ceremony. I thought it would be cute if they matched.”

  “Sure, but matching fur? That’s a little tacky. Maybe add a pop of color that compliments her dress.”

  “You might have a point.” I took back the drawing, making a note of her advice in the margins. “But, it’s late. I’ll work on it tomorrow.”

  “You’re such a procrastinator,” Ebony mumbled, her face so close to her drawing that her nose nearly touched the paper.

  “Hey, all work and no play makes Jack a very dull boy.”

  She just shook her head, refusing to acknowledge me.

  I sighed, about to leave the studio room when I noticed an envelope on the desk. “Hey, what’s this?”

  Ebony looked up, spotting the envelope in my hands. “I’m not sure. It came in the mail. Figured you’d want to open it.”

  I studied the envelope. There was no return address. How curious. Our address, however, had been printed in a beautiful, flowing cursive. The gold ink shimmered in the overhead light. I ran my finger over it, covering the tip in a fine, luxurious layer of glitter. “This is super fancy.”

  “Is it? I didn’t even notice.”

>   “Of course not.” I shook my head. My sister never noticed anything. As one of the smartest people I knew, it always baffled me how she could be so oblivious to the world around her.

  I turned over the envelope. It was sealed with a bright red wax, stamped into place with an ornate G. Whoever had mailed this had really gone above and beyond. It was so pretty that I hesitated, but eventually, my curiosity got the better of me and I slid a knife under the seal, breaking it.

  Inside was a thick piece of cardstock shaped like medieval parchment.

  Dear Essie and Ebony Rose,

  You are cordially invited to the Graves’ Estate Annual Halloween Ball! Join us for a night of spooky fun and terrifying thrills. Costumes are a must, so be sure to dress to impress. Expect to see some of the hottest people from all over the world. Refreshments will be served. No guest will be admitted without a Golden Ticket.

  Stay Spooky,

  Allen & Chris Grave

  “Oh. My. God.” I exclaimed so loudly that Ebony jumped in her chair, knocking over her set of colored pencils.

  She cursed under her breath. “Why the hell are you screaming?”

  “We got invited to the Graves’ Estate Annual Halloween Ball!” I squealed, shoving the two golden tickets in her face. “Do you know how big this is?”

  “No…” she grumbled, crawling under her desk to find all her fallen pencils.

  “Ebony… It’s the biggest Halloween party of the year. Everyone from Hollywood… Orange County… Beverly Hills… this is huge! They were even featured on MTV last year.”

  “So?”

  “So?” I repeated, incredulous at my sister’s lack of enthusiasm. “Do you know what this could mean for our business?”

  “You’re going to use the party as a place to advertise?” She raised a well-groomed eyebrow in my direction. “I expected you to wear some skimpy little Halloween costume and flirt your way into someone’s bed.”

  I shot her a dirty glare.

  “Either way, I’m not going.”

  “Why the hell not?”

  “It’s a stupid idea. I rather stay home then dress up in some silly costume.”

  “Are you crazy? We are going. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.” I was seconds away from shaking my sister by the shoulders just so she would come to her senses. The Grave brothers were the richest guys in Orange County. Billionaires with so much money that I bet they had a swimming pool filled with it just for shits and giggles. “We have to go.”

  “I already said no.” She pressed her lips together into a thin, hard line.

  “If you don’t go, you’ll regret it.”

  “No, I won’t.” she answered, stubbornly crossing her arms over her chest.

  “Aren’t you just a little bit curious? I mean they are a lot like us.”

  “How are they like us?”

  “Well, they were orphans, started their own business, and look where they are now,” I said.

  Ebony and I had been abandoned by our parents shortly after I was born. For most of my life, Ebony acted as my caretaker, doing everything she could to provide for me. When it came time for me to go to college, Ebony worked two jobs to help finance it. Together, we honed our skills for fashion, opened our own boutique, and soon we were recognized by a few A-list celebrities. We still had a lot to learn and room to grow, but I had no doubt that we’d be able to make a name for ourselves, to create the life we always dreamed of having when we were little girls.

  “Just think about it. If we manage to connect with them maybe they can point us toward some high paying clients. Some regulars, instead of an occasional gig. Then, we can finally buy our own studio, start advertising... The sky is the limit, Ebony!”

  “Things don’t work out like that.”

  “We won’t know until we try.” I insisted, hoping to persuade her. “I’ll tell you what, I’ll even design our costumes. They will be so cute and sexy that the Grave brothers won’t be able to resist us.”

  She ignored me, getting back to her work. Sometimes, she could be hard headed, but I would get through to her.

  “Let’s see here… how about Dorothy and the Good Witch of the North?”

  “You aren’t putting me in a pink dress,” Ebony growled. Over the years, her wardrobe had become darker and darker. Most of the time, she looked like she was dressed for a funeral. It was downright depressing. “Would you rather be the Wicked Witch of the West?”

  “I don’t want to be a witch at all.”

  “You’re acting like a b –”

  “Don’t you dare.” She snapped, cutting me off. “Or, I swear, I’ll throw this pencil right through your eye.”

  “Damn. Hostile much?” I held up my hands in defeat. “Um… how about Alice and the White Rabbit?”

  “Knowing you, I’d turn into the Playboy Bunny.”

  “Is there something wrong with that?”

  “Yes. I’m not going so I can impress a bunch of horny guys who will disappear in the morning.”

  “So, you are going after all,” I smirked.

  “Ugh. Just leave me alone.”

  “How about… Little Red and the Big Bad Wolf…?

  Ebony groaned.

  I chuckled, enjoying the act of tormenting my sister a little too much. But, then again, what were little sisters for?

  Chapter 2

  ALLEN

  “What are you doing in here? You’re supposed to be helping me set up for the party!” I barged into the library to find my brother sitting by the fireplace, a large tome on his lap, his reading glasses nearly falling off the bridge of his nose.

  Chris didn’t even bother to look up at me.

  Frustrated, I snatched the book out of his hands, slamming it shut on the nearby desk.

  “Allen.” His voice was calm and steady. “Was that really necessary?”

  My eyes narrowed in his direction. Sometimes, his way of treating me like a child was really infuriating. Sure, he had always been the more responsible one, but that didn’t make him the patriarch.

  “Look, the party is in two days. I still need some help getting everything ready.”

  “I thought you had hired a party coordinator.”

  “I did, but he’s not doing a very good job. Do you know that he wanted to serve Chateau Lafite to the guests? I can’t give Beyoncé Chateau Lafite! She would probably laugh and throw it in my face.”

  “Lafite is a perfectly exquisite wine.What would be wrong with it?”

  “This is what happens when you only drink tea…” I shook my head.

  “I just don’t see what the problem is.”

  “The problem is that we always serve Cheval Blanc.”

  “If the party is going to be the same as it was last year, I don’t understand why you’re making such a fuss.” Chris got up. He rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck, probably stiff from countless hours of reading. Honestly, I didn’t know how he could enjoy sitting idly for so long. It would drive me insane.

  “You always think that everything is so easy.”

  “You just overthink things, Allen.”

  I ground my teeth, his tone getting under my skin. “Anyway, have you picked out your costume yet?”

  “You know I don’t dress up.”

  “Oh, come on, you give me this every year and then I have to scramble to find you something at the last minute. How can the host of a Halloween party not be dressed up?”

  “What are you going as?”

  “The Mad Hatter.”

  “Fitting.” Chris chuckled under his breath, an amused grin dancing on his lips.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  He didn’t bother to answer me as he crossed the room, running his fingers along a row of books before pulling one off the shelf. He flipped through it, scanning the text, obviously looking for something.

  I didn’t have time for this.

  “I’ll be The King of He
arts.” He turned the book he was holding so I could see the crude drawing on the page.

  “Why would you want to be him? He’s not even interesting.”

  “But, if it wasn’t for him, half of the Queen’s court would have been executed over a game of croquet. He is the voice of reason.”