by R. E. Butler
“Then tell me the damn truth, Mire! No, you know what? Enough. I thought you were special and we had a connection, but all you’re doing is telling me lies. I’m going back to my dad’s room. Leave me the hell alone.”
She turned to leave, and he shouted at her to stop. She looked at him over her shoulder, and he reached for her. Noelle jerked away, glancing at the door to the building. It opened, and three men stormed out.
“There you are!” one of the men said. “Noelle, it’s time to go back to your father’s room. Mire, the boss wants to see you immediately.”
“Get me out of here,” Noelle said, wrapping her arms around herself in hug. She didn’t want to stay with Mire, but she didn’t want to leave him either, which caused her to feel torn in pieces. “He’s crazy.”
One of the men said, “We’ll take you inside.”
“Don’t touch her,” Mire said. His voice was low and threatening, and it echoed oddly as if it comprised more than one person speaking at the same time. Was she hearing things? She wondered if the freezing temperatures had affected her hearing.
“Calm down,” the man between her and Mire said. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
“Get away from my mate.”
The third man reached for the doorknob and held out his hand to her. She heard the sound of ripping clothes, and she turned to see Mire’s physical form changing, his clothes shredding as his body morphed from a man into an enormous polar bear. He slammed his huge paws into the snow, shaking the ground with the motion. He bellowed out a roar so loud that her ears rang, and something deep within her responded in kind. She didn’t roar, but awareness snapped through her, and her ears ached sharply.
She pressed her hands to her ears and gasped at the odd sensation, as if the tops of her ears were burning. She squeezed her eyes shut and willed away the pain, but not before she saw the polar bear sitting on his haunches between her and the three guys. He growled, but it wasn’t a harsh sound like the war cry from earlier; it was sad and questioning.
She’d watched Mire change into a bear, just like he said he could. And a part of her understood what he’d done and wasn’t surprised by it. He lifted his paw and carefully stretched it out, pressing it to her back and tugging. She let herself be drawn against him, and as soon as her body touched his, her ears hurt more. She cried out and buried her face in his furry neck, wrapping her arms around him.
“It hurts,” she whispered thickly.
The first man said, “What hurts, Noelle?”
She didn’t lift her head. “My ears.”
The three men moved away and spoke quietly. Mire growled gently, and she could feel the vibration against her. It soothed her some; her frayed nerves and the pain in her ears eased slightly as she snuggled against him. She knew that the logical thing to do was run away terrified from a man who could change into a bear. That maybe she should think about checking herself into a mental hospital. But she didn’t want to leave his side.
The first man cleared his throat. “Noelle, my name is Rhys. It’s too cold for you to be out here, and our boss wants to meet you. If you and Mire will follow us, we’ll go to his house.”
She straightened, but the loss of contact with Mire seemed to make her ear pain worse. “Shit,” she said, tears stinging her eyes.
“Not touching him makes your ears worse? I’m Declan, by the way,” he said.
“I guess so. It’s crazy, though.”
“No,” the man said. “It’s actually not crazy at all. I’m Roi. How about you ride him?”
“What?” she asked.
“It’s not too far of a walk from here, but if not holding onto Mire makes your ear pain worse, then climb on his back.”
She looked at Mire, and he snuffled and stretched out on the ground. It was possibly the strangest thing she’d ever done, but since Mire had shown up at her door that morning, everything had been strange. She climbed onto his back and hugged her arms around his neck, gripping his sides with her knees. He lumbered to his feet and walked, his body swaying as he followed the guys to whoever their boss was.
Trying to think about anything but her throbbing ears, she said, “So this shifting thing?”
“Yeah?” Declan asked.
“It’s not just Mire, because you guys aren’t surprised by it.”
“No. We can all change into animals.”
“The four that Mire mentioned?”
“Yep.”
She let that roll around for a moment. “My dad?”
“He’s a shifter, too, but he can only change into three animals, not the reindeer,” Rhys said.
“Does that mean I’m part shifter? I’ve never felt like changing into an animal or anything.”
Roi smiled at her. “Females aren’t shifters; they’re elves.”
She sat up so abruptly that she slid right off Mire’s furry back. She squeaked in surprise as she landed in a snow drift. Snow slipped under her coat, and she shivered. Mire groaned, rumbling a question at her.
“I’m fine, I’m fine. It’s just…an elf? Like ears and everything?”
She held out her hand, and Roi helped her to her feet. She shook the snow from her clothes and shivered again.
Rhys cleared his throat. “We’re nearly at the boss’s house. Let’s table this conversation until we get there.”
She climbed back on Mire, leaned forward, and said into his ear, “I don’t want you to think I’m still mad at you. I’m sorry I called you a liar. I was scared and confused.”
He growled gruffly, and she felt like she could understand what he said, that he forgave her.
“Thanks,” she said, dropping her head against his neck and closing her eyes. She could probably fall asleep from the easy way his body moved, almost like swinging in a hammock.
In the North Pole.
“We’re here,” Declan said.
Noelle slipped down from Mire’s back and straightened, stretching and then shivering. The front door opened, and a pretty woman with long, blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes smiled at her. She looked to be in her early thirties. Noelle stared at her, feeling like she’d met her before, even though she was pretty sure she hadn’t. As she stared, the woman’s body shimmered, and she became older, with curly, white hair and a sweet smile.
All at once she was certain she did know who she was, but it didn’t seem possible. The woman looked exactly as Noelle had pictured Mrs. Claus looking, when she was little and her mom had read her holiday stories at Christmas. Noelle’s ears ached sharply, and she let out a whimper and clapped her hands over her ears.
“I’ve got you, sweetheart,” Mire said, lifting her into his arms.
She blinked tear-filled eyes at him. He’d returned to his human form. He lifted her up and carried her onto the front porch and into the house of the woman who looked like Mrs. Claus.
“I’ve lost my mind entirely. Tell me the truth. I died on the trip to see my dad, right? Or I hit my head and I’m having severe delusions.”
The woman chuckled. “Oh, I like her already.”
“Her ears hurt. Where’s SC?” Mire asked.
“Right here.”
Noelle turned her gaze toward the deep voice. SC stood next to a wide stone fireplace with one arm propped on the wooden mantel that was decorated with pine boughs and strands of cranberries and popcorn. He had white hair and a long beard, and he was tall and broad shouldered.
He also had freaking rosy cheeks and a damn twinkle in his eye.
“Hello, Noelle,” he said.
She whispered to Mire, “Is that who I think it is?”
“If you think he’s Santa, then yes.”
“He’s not real, though. I mean there was a St. Nicholas, but he didn’t live in the North Pole and have reindeer and a sleigh. Am I rambling? I feel like I’m rambling.”
“I’m very real. I’ll prove it.”
Mire set her down on her feet and she said, “How will you do that? Touch your nose and fly up the chimney?”
He extended his hand to her, and she stared at him and then looked at Mire.
“Go ahead, Noelle. It’s okay,” he said.
She pulled off her gloves and flexed her cold fingers, and then she crossed the gleaming hardwood floor and took his hand. As their hands connected, a scene popped into her mind of a Christmas when she was seven and she’d tried to stay up all night to see Santa. It was like watching a movie of herself. She’d settled on the couch with her flashlight and her favorite teddy bear, staring into the fireplace, determined not to fall asleep. Her eyes started to droop, and sure enough she’d fallen asleep, teddy curled in her arms and flashlight falling to the floor. In the vision, she watched Santa appear in a whirl of snowflakes. He put his hand on top of her head and smiled down at her. He put a candy cane on the floor next to the flashlight and put a doll under the tree. He was gone in a whoosh of snowflakes, and she remained asleep, with a smile on her face.
As the vision ended, she blinked at the tears that filled her eyes. “Oh gosh, you really are Santa, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
She touched her wet cheeks. “I remember that Christmas. I woke up when Dad was leaving in the morning to go back to work, and I was so sad. Then he showed me the doll and said it was a special gift from you. I still have her in my apartment. No one believed that I’d been left a gift from Santa, but I was positive my dad was telling the truth. My mom said that Dad had left the toy for me, and not Santa, but I didn’t believe her.”
“Adults don’t see Santa’s gifts,” Mire said. “Only children can see them.”
She let go of Santa’s hand – the real freaking Santa – and turned to face Mire. She felt overwhelmed. Everything that she’d believed was a lie.
“Why does this place feel like home to me?” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.
“Because you belong here,” Mire said. “With your dad, and with me.”
She threw herself into Mire’s arms, not surprised when he caught her and held her close.
“It’ll be okay, sweetheart, I promise.”
As fresh tears fell, she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and hoped that he was right.
Chapter 6
Mire inhaled Noelle’s sweet scent, which was mixed with the salt of her tears. He didn’t like her crying, but he liked that she turned to him for comfort. He cupped the back of her head with one hand. He placed his other hand on her lower back and drew her even closer. For a brief moment, it felt like they were the only two in the room.
And then Declan cleared his throat. “Why didn’t you know that Tobias was in the house with her when he was there at Christmas?”
Mire looked at SC, who was frowning.
“I don’t know. I should have been aware of one of our people.”
“Did your dad spend every Christmas with you?” Mire asked.
“Yeah. He’d come in early Christmas Eve morning and leave before dawn on Christmas Day.” She sniffled and linked her fingers behind his neck.
“Interesting,” SC said. “But irrelevant at the moment. Tobias is still unconscious, and we have a situation to deal with.”
Mrs. C said, “Come sit down so we can chat.”
Mire tried to move, but Noelle wouldn’t budge. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
“You’re naked,” she whispered.
“Oh, right.”
“You forgot?” she leaned back and gave him an arched brow.
“Yeah. You were upset, and I wasn’t thinking about myself. Nudity isn’t a big deal for shifters.”
“Still,” Rhys said. “Pants would be nice.”
“You can put on this pair of Santa’s pants, I just finished mending them.” Mrs. C said, gesturing to a pair of pants on the coffee table.
Mire released his hold on Noelle and picked up the pants. He tugged them on and then led Noelle to the couch and sat next to her. Mrs. C offered hot chocolate, and Noelle took a cup topped with whipped cream and dusted with cinnamon.
“Oh, man, this tastes like a hug in a cup,” Noelle said after she sipped the hot liquid.
“Thank you, dear,” Mrs. C said.
SC cleared his throat and said, “Your dad is a good man, Noelle, but I need to know how much you know about our people and where you are.”
She cupped her hands around the steaming mug and inhaled deeply. As she exhaled, her shoulders slumped a little. “I only know what I’ve learned since I got here. I had no idea that my dad was anything other than human, that I was anything other than human, or that you and Mrs. Claus were real.” She tilted her head and rubbed one ear at the top and winced. “My mom said that I was born with deformed ears. They were pointed at the tips. She took me to a plastic surgeon when I was six to get them fixed. They don’t look normal even now, but I keep my hair long to cover them.”
Mire looked at SC. “When I shifted, her ears hurt.”
“Do they hurt now?” SC asked.
“A little. They’ve been bothering me since I got here, but when Mire changed into a bear, they felt like they were on fire. It’s better now that he’s human.”
SC hummed. “I’ll see if there’s anything we can do to help.”
Mire put his arm around Noelle’s shoulders, and she leaned into him with a barely audible sigh. He asked, “What happens now?”
SC and Mrs. C exchanged a look. She smiled, and he nodded. Mire knew they weren’t psychic, but he suspected that being together for as long as they had been, they could nearly read each other’s minds.
“We have a date with the sleigh tonight,” SC said. “You have duties to attend to, but you have several hours to spend with Noelle before you go.”
“Go?” she asked.
“It’s Christmas Eve, sweetheart,” Mire reminded her.
“Oh. Geez, I have no idea what time it is.”
“Just after eleven a.m.,” Rhys said.
“You have a lot to discuss,” SC said.
Mire stood and said, “Do I need to pack?”
“Why would you pack?” Roi asked.
“Because she’s mine, and I want to be where she is. Wherever that is.”
“If she wants to stay, she can. You don’t have a lot of time to plan, though.”
“What’s going on?” Noelle asked as she stood.
“I’ll explain when we get back to my room.”
“Is my dad in trouble because of me?”
“He is,” SC said. “But I don’t want you to worry about that. When he’s awake and healed, I’ll deal with him.”
Mrs. C joined Noelle and Mire, and Mrs. C hugged her. “You’re a lovely woman. I’m so glad to meet you, and I look forward to getting to know you.”
“Me too. Thank you.”
Mire turned to face his friends. “Sorry I tried to take off your heads earlier.”
Declan shook his head. “I have to learn not to get in between fated mates. This is the second time I pissed off a couple. At least Noelle didn’t have a frying pan.”
Mire laughed, remembering when Arian’s mate, Charli, thought that Arian was in trouble and had come to save him, armed only with a frying pan. Mire made sure that Noelle was bundled up, and then they said goodbye, heading out into the cold. There were a million things he wanted to tell her, but he couldn’t really think past the overwhelming urge to take her immediately to bed and never, ever leave. Not even to do the Christmas Eve run.
* * *
Noelle looked around the room that Mire called home, in the building he referred to as the “barracks.” All the unmated men in North Pole city lived in the barracks, which reminded her of a hotel, with its long, interior hallway and rooms on both sides. Mire’s large bed, with a carved, wooden headboard that matched a nightstand and dresser, sat in one corner. The room was nice, but it wasn’t spacious, and it didn’t have an ensuite bathroom. When she mentioned this, he told her abo
ut the shared bathroom down the hall.
He growled softly, and the sound shivered down her spine. Whatever part of her was connected to him and this place recognized the sound as one of arousal. She wanted to talk to him about his life, and what it would mean if she chose to stay, and why she’d been told they didn’t have very much time. But instead, as she turned to face him, all she could think about was making love to him.
She unzipped her coat and pulled it off, dropping the gloves and hat with it. He stared at her in mute surprise with his brows lifted. But then she reached for the hem of her sweater, and she saw his eyes flash to gold and heard the purr of his beasts. He moved so fast she gasped when he was in front of her, his hands pushing hers away and his mouth lowering to brush her lips.
She opened to him eagerly, sinking her fingers into his thick, soft hair. His tongue swept into her mouth, and she groaned at the way her stomach twisted when they kissed. He lifted her against him and walked several steps until she felt the bed hit the back of her legs, and then he set her down, pressing her against the soft blanket. He kissed her, delving his tongue into her mouth to stake a claim that she was more than willing to give.
He pushed up her sweater and broke the kiss, gazing down as he bared her stomach and lace-covered breasts. He hooked his thumbs under the cups of her bra and pushed them up over her breasts, sucking in a sharp growl when her nipples hardened under his gaze.
“Beautiful,” he murmured.
His fingers trailed light paths on her skin, making goose bumps appear in their wake. He brushed her nipples with his thumbs and then lowered his head, licking first one and then the other, before sucking one into his mouth. She wiggled on the bed as heat filled her from his sexy touching. He tended to her other nipple with a rumbling growl in his chest, and she laughed as it vibrated against her.
“That’s such a sexy sound,” she said. “I feel like I know what you’re thinking.”
“Only sexy thoughts.”
“Of course.”
He flicked his tongue along her skin, slowly dropping down to circle her navel and kiss across her belly. He unfastened her jeans and pulled them off her body along with her panties, and then he was on his knees between her legs, his eyes glowing gold and a sweet, sexy smile on his face.