by Zoe Chant
Treasure or no, her mate was all hers, and she’d find a way to make up for the loss of his childhood home.
“Now this is a special dragon,” the mayor announced.
Together, she and Raul turned—just in time to glimpse a tiny dragon catching the light, gleaming a bright red that turned to orange at his breast.
“This one was made by little Anna over there. She told me she glued a hundred different glass pearls to her dragon. Look how he sparkles.” Again the mayor raised the dragon up high. It caught the light, each pearl reflecting it back in a hundred different shades of red, orange and yellow.
Claire tightened her hands around Raul’s arm in delight.
“This one,” she declared. “This one is mine.”
“Oh?” her neighbor said—the same man who’d interrupted the mayor earlier, and who was apparently his son. He gave her a challenging grin as he raised his hand. “A hundred dollars,” he called out.
“Rude,” Claire said, glaring at him, a smile tugging at her lips. He'd clearly caught on to the fact that they were representing the castle this year.
“Two hundred,” she shouted in return, smirking at him.
He crossed his arms. “Five hundred.”
“One thousand,” she called out, raising her chin.
“Whoa, not so fast,” the mayor said, chuckling. “Give an old man time to catch up. So, the current bid is one thousand dollars—one thousand dollars from the Snow Castle, I gather?”
The crowd cheered when Claire nodded.
She could feel Raul’s warmth at her back. The auction had filled her with a rush of excitement—and even if it was just a game to drive her donation up, it had woken a hidden streak of competitiveness in her.
The dragon up for auction was clearly meant for her, after all. She couldn’t possibly let anyone else walk away with a gorgeous, fire-breathing red dragon.
As if he’d read her thoughts, Raul’s arms tightened around her.
No, Raul was going nowhere. He was right where he belonged—as was she.
“Two thousand,” the man next to her now called out.
She smirked at him. “Five thousand.”
For a moment, he hesitated. Had his children distracted him earlier, or had he heard how Raul had told her that she could go up to one hundred thousand dollars?
“Six thousand,” he then said, looking a little worried when Claire didn’t immediately speak up in return.
Claire could feel Raul trying to stifle a laugh, his body shaking faintly against hers.
“Ten thousand,” she finally called out.
The man released a relieved sigh and remained silent.
“Ten thousand,” the mayor said, his voice carrying over the crowd. A new wave of cheers erupted at the amount. “Do I hear another bid? No? Three, two, one... and sold! Sold to the Snow Castle! Congratulations! Now if you will please follow my elf here for the formalities—and we’ll continue with this fine specimen of a dragon. Crafted by my grandson Jonah, decorated with gold and blue glitter—and look at that! Little wings made from lace. Very inventive, Jonah.”
As the crowd applauded again, Claire found herself walking along with the elf who’d come to fetch her. It was a woman in her forties, curvy, with long, curly black hair.
“I’m so glad you could fit this into your schedule,” the elf called Marsha said, beaming as they stopped at another table, away from where the crowd had gathered. “Henrik told me he’d send a check, and to pick a dragon for him if his friend couldn’t make it—but it’s so much nicer for the children to see someone from the castle come down for the bidding. Especially someone like you.”
She gave Raul a little wink, and Claire found herself filled with surprise and a small hint of jealousy when she realized that this stranger had immediately recognized Raul. What would it be like to grow up, knowing that dragons were real? A childhood here in Christmas Valley had to be truly magical.
“It’s the eyes,” she then told Claire in a staged whisper. “Gives them away every time. If you know what to look for, that is. Of course, the mayor told me that Henrik had made sure that there was one of his kind around while he was gone. It wouldn’t feel right otherwise—there’s always been a dragon here. Even when Henrik wouldn’t leave his castle for years, at least we always knew he was still there.”
Once the paperwork was done—Claire sneakily adding another zero to the check she wrote while the elf beamed at her—she was handed her little dragon figurine, all carefully wrapped up in paper and stowed in a box.
“Now Christmas can come. That’s the most important thing done,” Raul said. He reached out for her hand, and she gladly allowed his heat to wrap around her. “Want to see the rest of the auction?”
Claire nodded. “I’d love to. I’m really glad you introduced me to this. I was so busy up at the castle that I had no idea what was going on down here. I would have hated missing this.”
As they returned to watch more dragons find a new home, one by one, the streetlights went out. At last, the small square was lit only by the millions of fairy lights up in the trees and decorating the houses. Then, every child produced a candle, which were lit one by one.
The effect was incredible. With the darkness of the winter night surrounding them, the cold air biting at their cheeks, suddenly they found themselves standing in a sea of lights. All around them, tiny faces were lit up with excitement.
Claire leaned into Raul’s embrace, imagining for a moment the wonder of raising a child in a community like this—a place she wouldn’t have to leave after a year, where neighbors would become real friends, and not just acquaintances that would forget her as soon as she moved on.
She wrapped her arms around where Raul’s arms crossed over her chest. It was still snowing very lightly, but far above them, she could now see the stars. With the streetlights turned off, they were brilliant and bright, and Claire suddenly found herself searching for a shooting star.
If I can have one wish, then it would be to find a home like this—a home with him.
Then, softly at first and then growing in volume, the children began to sing. The first verse of Holy Night filled the air, and sudden goosebumps appeared on her arms when right above her, Claire saw a bright light appear, trailing through the sky before it was gone again in the blink of an eye.
A shooting star...
She turned in Raul’s arms, looking up at his handsome face while the gentle voices wrapped all around them. The harmonies carried up into the night sky while she felt herself sinking into the warmth of Raul’s eyes. After the final note had faded away, he kissed her very gently.
She was so happy she suddenly had to bite back tears. When was the last time she’d felt so peaceful?
“It’s nothing,” she said at his questioning gaze. “I just saw a star fall. That’s good luck.”
“Did you make a wish?”
She nodded, not daring to give voice to what she’d wished for. Perhaps it was just a silly, old superstition... But she wanted her wish to come true, more than she’d ever wanted anything in the world.
***
After their peaceful evening down in Christmas Valley, Claire was buried under an ever increasing mountain of work.
“It’s like that every year,” she sighed. “The holidays always creep up on you. Just wait until New Year’s is done with. We should get at least a week of calm before Henrik and Dara return to take over.”
Raul grimaced as he heaved a pile of papers into a bag, sneezing at the cloud of dust that escaped. “Couldn’t they have hired someone else to deal with their old paperwork?”
“That's what they hired me for,” Claire said and laughed.
Raul grumbled, dusting off his jeans. “They could have hired a helper for you.”
“I think that’s where you come in,” Claire pointed out, then triumphantly placed another long-lost receipt in her small pile of things to keep.
“I’m just here as the resident dragon. No one mentioned m
enial work. Or dust.”
Claire grinned at his complaints, but then indulged him by coming over and pretending to brush the dust out of his hair.
Of course Raul immediately used the chance to wrap his arms around her, kissing her until she melted against his body, the paperwork forgotten for a few blissful moments.
Then a knock came on the door, and Claire hastily stepped back, straightening her shirt while glaring at him.
“Bad dragon!” she said. “Too distracting. They should have warned me. Never hire a dragon as a helper. That must be why Santa employs reindeer.”
When she opened the door, she was greeted by a figure of a Santa who mechanically waved at her and then began to sing We wish you a merry Christmas, the sound tinny but accompanied by blinking lights.
“Thought you could use some Christmas cheer,” the Santa then said in a muffled voice.
“Uh... thank you,” Claire said, still staring at the Santa, not quite sure whether it really was the Santa who’d suddenly talked.
Then, a moment later, the figure began to sway dangerously. Raul jumped forward and a second later, their accountant Malcolm was revealed behind the giant Santa, who was now resting on his side, held by both men, and still singing merrily.
“Maybe not in my office,” she said weakly. “Can you put him down here, outside my door?”
“Great idea! Greeting everyone with some Christmas cheer,” Malcolm said, sweating profusely.
More like an early warning sign for surprise visitors...
“Thank you,” she then said when the Santa was put in place.
“How are the preparations coming along?” Malcolm asked. “For the snowball fight in the maze? You’re both still taking part, right? Special prizes for adults, kids and teenagers to keep it fair.”
Raul grinned. “We’ll have to take care not to win—I think that would look bad. But no harm in joining the fun.”
“Makes you look approachable,” the accountant said, nodding eagerly. “Prime marketing idea. Not that I know much of marketing. But it’s a great idea. Wonderful, in fact. I’ll be there myself, trying to get some pictures—you won’t mind, I’m sure, and I’ll forward them all to you. You could use them in the next brochure for the tourism board—”
“That’ll be great,” Claire said warmly, trying to cut through his talk.
She still didn’t know what to make of the accountant.
He seemed to do his work well enough and had talked her through every problem related to the castle’s paperwork that had popped up. But in all other things, he seemed strangely manic. She still didn’t know much about him as a person—for some reason, he always managed to steer conversations away from him, and back to her and Raul, or the castle’s future.
It’s like he’s desperately trying to make friends. Which means I should be nicer to him... He probably doesn't have many, and he’s all alone up here at the castle for at least another week.
“Tomorrow at five. I trust you won’t be late,” Malcolm said brightly. “You are taking part, aren't you?”
Claire bit back any impatience. She should be more compassionate. It was probably the first event he’d taken part in.
“Definitely,” she reassured him. “Wouldn’t miss it for anything in the world! And we’re looking forward to seeing you there. You’ve been a great help finding a sponsor. The kids will be so pleased with those prizes.”
“And the adults,” Malcolm said proudly. “Real diamond snowflake pendant. Now don't work too hard today—busy day tomorrow for all of us!”
He jokingly wagged his finger at them, and Claire laughed obediently.
Then he was gone, the Santa outside her room breaking out into song once more.
She took a deep breath and counted to ten. The Santa was still going.
“I could just... vanish him,” Raul suggested.
“Our accountant? I thought you didn’t eat humans,” Claire said.
Raul laughed. “The Santa. And I wouldn’t eat an accountant. Best way to get heartburn.”
Despite her weariness, Claire snickered.
“He’s got a point, you know,” she then said. “We deserve a bit of a break. Lunch out at the frozen lake today? Maybe I can even find Dylan—ever since he’s made friends, he’s all but forgotten about his laptop. And his homework. But I guess spending time outside is at least healthier than just playing games all day long.”
“I can’t wait,” Raul said, his voice warm as he drew her back into his arms.
She shivered as he playfully growled against her neck.
“And dinner this evening. And then...”
“And then a bath, to get rid of all this dust,” she said, laughing when she shook her hair and Raul sneezed again at the cloud of dust that rose up.
Chapter Twelve: Raul
“Everyone ready? Now smile,” Malcolm Ryder shouted, waving to get the teenagers’ attention.
A second later, his flash went off several times. Raul found himself blinking in the aftermath, seeing nothing but darkness and bright dots for a moment.
As soon as he’d focused on their accountant-turned-paparazzi once more, the flash went off again.
Biting back a grimace, Raul forced himself to smile, demonstratively wrapping his arm around Claire.
“Okay, that should do for a start,” the accountant said, grinning too widely in the way that set Raul’s nerves on edge.
Maybe this is a dream come true for him. Maybe, secretly, he’s always longed to be a paparazzi trailing famous starlets instead of being an accountant...
The idea didn’t particularly endear Malcolm to Raul, but at least he seemed manic around everyone gathered at the maze today, and not just around his mate.
“Ugh,” Dylan said. “Isn’t it time to start? We’re already five minutes late.”
“First the children,” Claire reminded him. “Teenagers half an hour later—unless the kids finish more quickly, which I think they just might. Everyone’s so excited for this already.”
“Yeah, well,” Dylan muttered, shifting uncomfortably. “I’ll go and wait with my friends until it starts.”
“You know you could just join me and Dylan if you want,” Claire teased. “I bet you’d have a better chance with us around.”
“No, I’m good,” Dylan said hastily, then shuffled out of Claire’s reach as quickly as possible, joining a group of teenagers over to their left.
Raul smirked a little when he saw Dylan make his way right to the side of the girl with the hip-length braids he remembered from the snowball fight a few days ago.
“I think Dylan has a crush,” he mouthed to Claire.
She grinned in return. “Isn’t it cute? She seems quite sensible, actually—we talked a bit. She’s got a list of favorite colleges and was asking me about what it’s like as a woman in my line of work. I’m hoping it will do Dylan good to see that there are kids his age with plans. At least he might start taking his homework more seriously.”
There was a sudden murmur of excitement that grew in intensity as groups of children gathered at the entrance. Malcolm was already in position once more, his flash going off rapidly, so that Raul nearly missed the start signal. But then the children started cheering, and a moment later, everyone was rushing into the maze.
“They’ll send up fireworks from the heart of the maze when the winner is found,” Raul reassured a parent who’d begun fidgeting. “Don’t worry, with the speed these little rascals are going, I give them half an hour at most. And we’ve got watchers posted all over the maze. Anyone who gets hit more than three times is out.”
The man grimaced, nodding towards where a seven-year-old with her black hair in pigtails seemed to be lecturing a group of other children.
“Janice is so competitive,” he sighed. “I don’t know where she gets it from. Not from me, that’s for certain. She’s only seven. I should be the one lecturing her about homework. Instead, it’s the other way around, can you believe that?”
Ra
ul gave the man an encouraging smile. “Maybe she’ll make some friends in there today. You never know, she might end up having so much fun she’ll forget all about winning.”
Raul looked over to where Dylan was now excitedly gesturing at his crush. A moment later, they were both leaning over his phone, giggling loudly as they watched something.
“Not Janice,” the man said glumly. “And I volunteered to take part in the snowball fight for the adults. You bet she’ll have some words on my performance if I’m the first one out. And I usually am.”
“You know it’s really just an excuse for us all to have fun together, right?” Claire said, and then she gave him a wink. “That’s why the kids go first, so they’ll be tired this evening. And we adults get to have a party afterward. Free eggnog for every adult participant! And a masked ball on the balcony—masks provided. Bring your wife. Our local paparazzi over there will take more pictures you can share on Facebook to make all your relatives jealous of your fabulous adventures in our castle.”
“Boyfriend, actually,” the man offered with a tentative smile. “I’m never sure if it’s the right thing to try and keep dating... Feels like all my attention should be for Janice while she’s having such a difficult time in school. Not that you’d know it from her grades—but I’m worried she’ll miss out on friendship, with the way she focuses on her schoolwork.”
Raul looked towards where Dylan was now handing one of his earbuds over to his new friend, his cheeks flushed as she smiled at him.
“I wouldn’t worry about it,” he said slowly. “These things have a way of sorting themselves out. And you can’t make friends for her—all you can do is love her, and support her. Some kids just take a little longer to come out of their shell. But I’m very certain that she wants you to be happy too.”
“I’m in my thirties,” Claire added, “and my dad just married again. It takes some time to get used to it—even when you’re an adult. You’re always scared that someone will steal your parent’s love. But then a few weeks pass, and you get to know the new person in your dad’s life, and it turns out they’re smart, or funny, or maybe an even bigger fan of Survivor than you are. And then you realize that your dad’s happier than you’ve seen him in ages. Turns out you can’t really lose a parent’s love. It just grows bigger. There’s always enough for everyone. I promise.”