Miss Claus Under The Mistletoe (A Shifter Christmas Romance Book 2)

by J. L. Hendricks

  If Palo gives me over to the dragons, I’m sure what I’ll do.

  One the one hand, he’s my Alpha and I have to what he tells me to do. On the other, I have zero desire to be a sacrificial lamb for the dragons. Why can’t they pick someone else? Does it have to be a Kringle? Can’t they just mate with any shifter of magical descent?

  When my dad emerged from the plane, his dissatisfaction was written all over his face. The hard look he gave Palo would have made a lesser wolf cringe with fear, but Palo stood his ground. I was mesmerized by the strength displayed by both Alphas.

  Palo looked to grow a few inches and his expression hardened to match my dad’s. The other male wolves in the hangar each took a few steps back.

  This must be why the previous Santa stays away from the pack most of the year. The past and present Santa seemed to be sizing each other up and jockeying for dominance. Is it over me? Or is it because they both want to be top wolf?

  Come to think of it, since my dad retired, he hasn’t been home around Christmas. He had come to visit here only in the spring. My parents did visit me every Thanksgiving while I was away at college, though.

  Whenever I asked them to come home for Christmas they always said they had other plans. It must be difficult for a Santa, especially a healthy Alpha, to come back to their pack and find someone else in their place.

  My heart softened a bit for both my dad and Palo. It had to be extremely difficult for both of them to stand here and face off, right as the Christmas season was starting in full force at the North Pole.

  “Dad!” I waved and ran to give him a hug. If someone didn’t interrupt their Santa stand-off, they would probably stand there all night long.

  “Mandy! My little girl!” My dad hugged me back and held me out for inspection. “I say, you are getting taller every time I see you. And just so beautiful!”

  “Dad! I’m a grown woman. I’m not your little girl anymore.” He did this every time I saw him. He never treated Lizzie like a little girl. “I just saw you and mom less than a month ago. I doubt I’ve grown since then.”

  I shook my head and walked to my mom as she disembarked the plane. “Mom, it’s good to see you again.” I hugged her, and she returned my hug with an extra squeeze.

  “I’m sorry about this, dear. Had I known about the agreement, I would have raised you with the expectation, or at least worked on a solution to this problem.”

  A tear leaked out of my mother’s eye, and I wiped it away. “Mom, this isn’t your fault. If I ever meet with the Santa who agreed to this, I’m going to end up on the Naughty list.”

  My mom chuckled and my dad’s eyes seemed to soften.

  The tension in the room was so thick you could cut it with a knife. With Palo and Dad angling for top Alpha, and my mom shedding tears, we needed a distraction.

  “Mr. Kringle?” Rock walked up to my dad and shook his hand. “I might have a solution. Can we talk? In private?”

  “We can go to my office.” Palo interjected.

  “Um, Santa…” Rock scratched the back of his head. “Would you mind if I spoke to Mr. Kringle alone? This first part is very private.”

  “Oh. Well. Alright. Go ahead and use my office. Just let me know when I should join you two.” Palo stood back and waved them on.

  I walked up to Palo and whispered, “Sucks not to be let in on the secret, doesn’t it?”

  My future was no longer in my hands. It was now in the hands of others who wouldn’t even let me know what they were thinking. They seemed to all have forgotten it was the twenty-first century and my fate was up to me, not them.

  “Come on, Mandy. Let’s go get some hot cocoa and catch up. Let the men do their thing. We can also talk about options. Right, Lizzie?” Mom put her arms around me as the three of us women walked back to the house.

  I was feeling guilty. I knew that both Rock and Palo had some ideas about my future, and I had none, yet. Although, I did just learn about the situation last night. Still, I should have been thinking about possible scenarios to get out of this, and not focus so hard on being upset.

  Time to put on my big girl panties and figure this out.

  “Mom, do you know much about the agreement? I was wondering if there was some way out of this, without condemning the twins to a life with dragons.” If I didn’t mate with one of them, then one of the twins would have to.

  “Oh! I don’t know Mandy, I might like to marry a dragon. I bet they are very handsome and oh so strong, like in those fantasy books!” Isabella, or Bella as she now wanted to be called, proclaimed.

  “Bella, you’re only sixteen. You have no clue what you’re talking about.” Lizzie stated.

  “Hey, if Bella is getting a dragon I want one too!” Bethany stated with fervor equal to her twin sister.

  “Beth, they aren’t pets. They are full-grown shifters and are disgusting! You do know they tried to kidnap me, right?” I knew my little sisters were silly, but romanticizing deadly flying demons was a bit too much.

  I still shivered when I thought about the oily, evil feeling I got when they were near. There was no way I was mating with any of them, and neither were my little sisters! They were too young, anyway.

  “They just wanted you. I think it’s romantic how they followed their hearts to find you and take you. Just like Damon did for Katarina in the book I’m reading right now. Although, she’s human. He’s a dragon and needs a mate to continue his line.” Beth sighed like a love-struck teen.

  I couldn’t stop my laugh. The entire situation was so silly. It did sound like a crazy romance novel. When did I become the heroine of a story? Or am I the victim? I wanted to be the heroine of my own life.

  “Is there some way to challenge them to a fight? Winner gets to choose to marry or not? There has to be some way for us to get out of this. I don’t want to pass the responsibility down to the twins, sorry girls.” I looked at them and felt my heart break with the thought one of them might have to leave us and live with those monsters if I didn’t mate with one.

  If the dragons had come to me and talked to me about this, and maybe befriended me first, I might have been more open. But attacking me and trying to force me to mate with one of them was not how you get a female to go with you. Besides, those dragons felt like evil personified. I couldn’t kiss one, let alone mate with one of them!

  “They need an extra dose of magic in their blood line, right? How about we introduce them to female shifters who have extra powers? Maybe they can get several females to breed with if they show some respect and stop acting like the demons they are.” I started to cheer up with my idea.

  “We could host a mixer where all of the shifters are invited to a sort of choosing ceremony! I bet a lot of females would come. We could hold it in Seattle. I know a few of the bear shifters. I could ask them if we could have the event in their territory. I’m sure once we explain to them the situation we would get a lot of volunteers.” It felt good to come up with an alternative plan and find a solution instead of focusing on my anger!

  “Yeah, I know a lot of women will find it exciting and maybe even a little romantic to meet a real dragon! I doubt they’re all like those who attacked you, Mandy. I bet some are nice and chivalrous. You just haven’t met them yet.” Bella interjected as she fluttered her eyelashes and looked to the sky.

  “She’s right. If daddy used to deliver presents to their kids. They can’t be all bad.” Beth added.

  “Lizzie, does Palo still deliver presents to the dragons? He couldn’t if they were on the Naughty list. Those males who attacked Mandy have to be on the Naughty list.” Bella had a point.

  Not that I would tell her, but if there were more dragons out there who were on the good list, I hadn’t met them.

  Jax’s face appeared in my mind, and I wondered again if he was a dragon from a different tribe or of a different species.

  “Are there different types of dragons?” I asked.

  “Actually, there is only one type of dragon. And just
like us and humans, some are good and some are bad. Most of the young dragons are on Santa’s Nice List.” Lizzie brought in a tray filled with cookies and hot cocoa.

  So it’s possible? If Jax is a dragon, he is very different than the ones who tried to abduct me. I was lost in my thoughts while everyone around me continued talking, debating the merits of a dragon as a mate.

  When my mom said she agreed with the twins it brought me out my head and back to the conversation at hand.

  “Huh? Did you just say mating with a dragon would be good?” There was no way she said what I thought she did.

  “Yes. A dragon would be able to take good care of you and any offspring you have. Also, I keep thinking about the blood debt we owe their kind. I don’t think Christmas Magic would allow us to mate with them if it wasn’t still needed.”

  “You really expect me to just go along with this? Not even try my solution?” I couldn’t believe she was turning her back on me.

  “Mandy, I think we should look at all of the solutions. But keep in mind the possibility that the only outcome will be you mating with one of them. I don’t think you should be subjected to any of the males who tried to harm you, or anyone else like them. You should have a say in who you mate with. The barbaric days of selling females as brides are over. Even the humans stopped forcing their daughters to marry based on what would benefit the father more.”

  “So, you are saying you support their claim on me if we can’t find another solution? Really?” I jumped up in my anger.

  I finally understood what Lizzie had gone through when she was told she would have to mate with Rock against her will. At least then she had been forced to be with a nice guy.

  Palo came out of the office with my dad and Rock and entered the living room, where we all were.

  “Mandy, Rock came up with a way to protect you. Although it puts the twins in a dangerous position, it does give us a few years to figure this out.”

  Palo put his arms around Lizzie and held her tight, and I got the feeling he wasn’t too keen on Rock’s idea.

  “What? Am I going to like it?” Hope was starting to blossom in my chest, but I wouldn’t do anything to drop this on the twins’ shoulders. Whatever Rock suggested, we would have to figure this out so my sisters wouldn’t have to mate with a dragon.

  Rock nodded and took a deep breath. “Mate with me. Then you won’t be available for any dragon to claim.”

  I blinked and my heart stopped. Did Rock propose? Is the one thing I’ve wanted for close to ten years finally happening?

  “Excuse me?”

  “Mandy, let’s go talk somewhere private.” Rock led me to the spare bedroom in the back of the house.

  “Rock, how does this help the situation? Not that I’m against your proposal, but they will just demand one of my little sisters if I’m no longer available.” Am I crazy? Rock proposed and I didn’t say yes right away. Something must be wrong with me.

  “It will give us a few more years to figure out another solution. There has to be something else we can do. I’m not going to let them steal you from us. I’m happy to marry you if it keeps you safe.” He took one of my hands in his and squeezed it.

  “So, you aren’t in love with me? You are just offering to save me from a life with those disgusting creatures?” I had to know if he was just stepping up as the lead Beta, or if he had feelings for me.

  I waited expectantly for him to declare himself to me. I had to remind myself that he had just been dumped. He and Chrissie weren’t fated mates, but he’d loved her for years.

  However, the past two days with him, while scary, had also been great. We talked and joked like we never had before. I actually felt as though he might like me. Or at least be on the way to liking me.

  “No,” he finally admitted. “It’s always possible we could fall in love given enough time. It’s my job as the lead Beta to take care of you, and this is the only way I can think of. I’m sorry it isn’t romantic; all females deserve to be courted properly. I just don’t know what else to do. Palo and your dad don’t, either.”

  My heart broke a little.

  Sighing through my nose I answered him. “Thank you for looking out for me, but I can’t mate with someone who isn’t in love with me. I might as well mate with a dragon and save my sisters from this fate if I’m just marrying for safety. Sorry.”

  I patted his shoulder and watched his face to see if I could find any emotion there.

  His face was set like stone, but his nostrils flared when he responded. “No. I won’t accept you marrying one of them. Mandy, give me some time. I’m sure I can fall in love with you. If we both choose to, we can. Don’t give up.”

  “No, I’m not dumping this problem on my teenage sisters.”

  “We would still have time to find a solution. Let me help you.” Rock grabbed me by my shoulders and pulled me in for a hug.

  “Mandy, please. I’m still getting over someone else, I just need time. You are a beautiful woman, I know it won’t be difficult to love you.”

  I chuckled. “Rock, do you hear yourself? This is no way to start out with your life partner. Neither of us is the type to mate for anything other than love. Besides, I have an idea.”

  I pulled his hand and took him out to the living room.

  “Well, when is the ceremony?” Lizzie asked.

  She believed I’d say yes to any proposal from Rock. A few years ago, I would have. I wouldn’t have cared about the possibility of him never loving me. Now, I knew I couldn’t mate with Rock if he didn’t. I would be miserable for the rest of my life. As would he.

  “I said no. Let’s tell them about my idea for a mixer, I bet it’ll work!” I was getting excited about my plan again.

  “Um…I told dad while you were gone.” Lizzie wouldn’t look me in the eye, she stared at the ground.

  “It won’t work, dear,” dad interjected. “No one has magic like the Kringles do. The dragons have been inter-mating with gifted shifters for decades in an effort to wait for you. It was a great idea, but it won’t work. I spoke with Erol, the leader of the dragon clans, and he already told me they tried this without success.” No wonder my dad was open to Rock marrying me. He had no other ideas on how to save me.

  “Then what happens to Beth and Bella in a few years when we’ve exhausted all ideas? One of them will have to mate with a dragon. No, I can’t do that to them. Even if they think it’s a romantic idea today, they won’t when they grow up.”

  “How do you know we won’t figure it out before then?” Palo asked.

  “I can’t know for sure, but how can you know for sure you will have a solution?”

  I began pacing the room and trying to prepare myself for life with a flying demon. That’s all dragons would ever be to me: demons.

  It was getting hot in the room, and my heart was beating fast. I needed to get away from the family that was trying to force me to mate with Rock. I’ve loved him most of my life, but if he didn’t love me, I couldn’t do it.

  As a teenager, I had dreamed so often of him proposing his love for me, and wanting me to be his for the rest of our lives. Bearing his pups was all I wanted. Even when he was with Chrissie, I still wanted him.

  Without even thinking, I ran out the front door and shifted on the fly. I didn’t care if my clothes were torn in the process-I just needed some space to think.

  I ran like I’d never run before. Not wanting Rock to catch me, I went a different way than normal and headed out to Jingle Bell Forest instead of Maker’s Rock. I knew he would assume I was headed to the cave, and I just wanted to be alone to think, and maybe to cry.

  Chapter 7

  As I approached the forest, the bells began to chime.

  I didn’t stop running until I was in the middle of the forest. The bells continued their ringing, and I picked up on a pattern realizing the melodic sounds were going round and round as if a vortex had stirred them up. I had never experienced this type of sound before.

  After a minu
te of it, I began to get a sinister feeling. The hairs on my back bristled.

  The bells’ chime changed, and it sounded more like a soundtrack to a scary movie than Christmas bells. I looked up into the sky and realized my mistake. I was surrounded by what appeared to be black clouds, but where actually flying demons.

  One set of narrowed eyes with red flame flickering in the iris came careening down toward me. I had nowhere to run. My only hope was leaving a message for anyone who might look for me here.

  In the snow I wrote “D-R-A-G-O-N-S” and followed it up with scratches on the bark of the trees surrounding me. One of the branches on the tree nearest me broke off and landed on top of my message, covering up my cry for help.

  Sharp talons reached down and grabbed my wolf form before their owner took off, screeching into the sky with his compatriots. I had no way to fight back when they were in their dragon form. Even if I was in my human form, I would lose the battle.

  The dragon holding me appeared to have a wingspan of at least twenty, maybe twenty-five feet. His tail was barbed and I had no desire to feel it dig into my body.

  This was when I needed to swallow down my fear and be the courageous Kringle woman I was. There would be a time for fighting; now was not the time. Now, I needed to keep my cool and remember all of my training. Too bad it didn’t include how to best a dragon.

  We were always taught not to let an attacker take us away, not that many shifters would be able to take one of us away. But, if they were able to get us to their turf, we were most likely out of options and would die. In this case, I knew they didn’t want me dead. Injured maybe, but not dead. Fighting now would be stupid, since there were currently at least a dozen dragons in the sky.

  My mind would be my best ally in this battle of wills. I was going to have to play this one off the books. I decided to let them take me to their cave, or wherever dragons lived, without a fight.