Sugar, Spice, and Shifters: A Touch of Holiday Magic

by Élianne Adams

  He looked different today. His jeans were dusty, and his white t-shirt soaked in sweat. Instead of giving her a slow smile that set her heart racing, he looked like he wasn’t seeing her. His eyes were unfocused, and he looked a little lost.

  Gretchen wanted to give him a hug and tell him everything was going to be all right.

  She gave herself a shake. She had no idea what his problem was, and it was downright arrogant to think she could solve it with a hug. Especially since he’d shown no interest in anything other than discussing books with her.

  Still, his woebegone look couldn’t be ignored. Maybe this was her chance to move from librarian to friend?

  Abandoning the trolley, Gretchen came over to him and after a moment’s hesitation, put her hand on his arm. It was firm, every muscle tense, and touching it sent a shiver through her. She swallowed before asking, “Are you okay?”

  He looked down at her, his eyes taking a moment to focus on her face. Then that smile came for a second, before being replaced by a frown. “I… I don’t know why I came here. You’re probably about to close up, right?”

  She had been, but Gretchen ignored that. Something was bothering him, and when he hadn’t known what to do, he came here. That thought gave her a stab of hope. “Not for a little while. Why don’t you sit down?” She led him to one of the tables in the centre of the room and pulled out a chair.

  He sat down, not even looking to be sure the chair was there. Gretchen sat opposite him, and rested her hand on the table. She itched to touch him again, but had no excuse this time. “What happened?” she asked.

  He stared at her, his expression hopeless for a second, then gave himself a shake. “It’s nothing, just an argument with my… uh… family.”

  Must have been some argument. “Christmas will do that to you. It’s always such an emotional time.”

  His stare was blank, and Gretchen felt a little silly. Just because she had issues with her family at Christmas didn’t mean everyone did.

  “Oh, my family doesn't do Christmas.”

  Gretchen’s eyes widened. “Not do Christmas?” she blurted out before she could stop herself. How could anyone not do Christmas? “Do you celebrate something else instead?”

  He shrugged. “No, they don’t celebrate at all. It’s not their thing.”

  At least the topic seemed to be drawing him out of his bleakness. “How about you?” Gretchen couldn’t help asking. “Do you like Christmas?”

  This time, his eyes looked deeply into hers as if he was searching for something. Gretchen was caught in their golden depths, unable to tear herself away.

  “I don’t know, I’ve never paid much attention to it,” he said.

  Despite her own issues with the family gathering at Christmas, Gretchen couldn’t imagine choosing not to celebrate it. It seemed kind of sad that someone had never even paid any attention to it. Did he know what he was missing?

  A glimmer of a plan edged itself into her mind. This was the perfect opportunity to ask him out. If she brought someone to the Christmas gathering, that would stop a lot of the questions, for this year at least. And it might distract Aunt Mary from talking about the job too much.

  That thought prompted her to ask, “What’s your name?”

  She’d been trying to find an excuse to ask his name all week, but hadn’t felt quite like she could just come out and ask. He didn’t even actually have a library card, just read books here, so she hadn’t even been able to look him up on the system

  He smiled at her. “Jayrian.”

  “Jayrian.” She’d never heard a name like it. But then, names were getting more original all the time. “I’m Gretchen.” She tapped the name badge on her chest.

  His eyes lingered there for a moment before returning to her face. “I know. You didn’t think I’d been coming in here for weeks and didn’t even know your name, did you?”

  Gretchen blushed. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of the fact that he had paid that much attention. To cover her embarrassment, she asked, “Well, Jayrian, did you want to look at some books? I found a couple of new ones for you.”

  His shoulders slumped. “What’s the point? No one listens to me anyway.”

  Gretchen frowned. “Is that what you were arguing with your family about? The books?” He was always looking for something new about old English and European legends. What was there in that to argue with his folks about?

  He shook his head. “No, it was about…” he trailed off, then his eyes narrowed and he looked at her more closely. “About the mining actually. Have you heard about that?”

  Of course she had. Everyone in Mungaloo had. “Yeah, they’re going to dig up the Dragon Scales. Such a pity, it’s so beautiful out there.” The whole town was divided about the issue. Some people said it was a crime to destroy such a beautiful natural structure while others were more interested in the business it would bring to the usually peaceful town. “Do your folks agree with it?

  “No,” he said quickly. “They don’t agree with it, but they do think I should stay out of it. That it’s none of my business.” His face closed up after the last sentence, and he gave a heavy sigh. “It doesn’t really matter right now anyway. Everyone is busy with Christmas, so nothing is happening anyway. Guess I’ll just wait and see, like everyone else.”

  The lost look returned, and Gretchen wished she could wipe it off his face. It made her sad, to see him so wretched. And it wasn’t like he even had the coming celebration to distract him. Her earlier thought returned. His comment about knowing her name helped give her the courage to ask.

  “Do you want to come and spend Christmas with my family, just while you’re waiting?” she blurted out before she could change her mind. He stared at her, his eyes wide, so she hurried to fill in the silence. “It’s no big deal really, just everyone getting together and eating and opening presents and talking. It’s okay for people to bring a partner, not that I’m saying you’re a partner of course, but…” she trailed off. Damn her racing mouth. Now she’d really put her foot in it.

  She looked at him, willing him to make a response. Any response.

  He looked at her, and opened his mouth, and even before he spoke, Gretchen knew he was going to say no. “It’s okay if you don’t want to,” she said quickly. “You probably don’t. Why would you want to come and spend the day with my family when you don’t even celebrate Christmas? It’s a silly idea, I shouldn’t have said anything.”

  “No,” Jayrian said firmly, putting his hand over hers. “It isn’t a silly idea. It’s a very sweet idea. I’d love to come with you.”

  Gretchen stared at him in disbelief. “Really?”

  Jayrian smiled. “Really.” Then his face fell. “I don’t have any presents.”

  “That’s okay. We do a secret Santa for everyone except the kids, and my presents can be from both of us.”

  He smiled. “I’d like that. If you’re sure it’s not too much bother.”

  THREE

  Jayrian watched Gretchen close up the library, meticulously checking each window, shutting down the computers, and putting things back in order.

  He shouldn’t have said yes to her offer. The elders had made it clear that making friends wasn’t allowed. They wouldn’t be impressed at him going to the human celebration with Gretchen.

  But she’d looked so disappointed, and when she’d said her idea was silly, when it was the sweetest thing anyone had ever offered to him, well, he hadn’t been able to say no.

  He’d had enough of people telling him his ideas were silly. He wasn’t going to let anyone else feel that way.

  “Are you ready to go?” Gretchen stood in front of him, squeezing her hands together. For some reason, the outward display of nerves was kind of cute.

  “Sure. Although I should probably change.” He looked down at his clothes, suddenly realising they probably weren’t appropriate for visiting. What was he going to do? He couldn’t just go home and change—this was the only set of human clothes
he owned.

  Gretchen looked him up and down too, only there was no sign of disapproval on her face. Her eyes widened a little, and her lips parted. His sensitive dragon hearing picked up her barely perceptible indrawn breath.

  To his surprise, he felt his face heat. He hoped she didn’t notice.

  Why did he feel like this? He’d been watching Gretchen for the last couple of weeks since realising that if the elders ever agreed to his plan, they’d need to find a human to wake Prince Taurian. Her position as the human’s keeper of lore would hold some weight with the elders. And she was sweet, kind, and knowledgeable. She’d never been angry when he’d asked her question after question on how the human’s computer system worked, or how to find the information he was after.

  She might not be a dragon, but it was her humanity they needed right now.

  He couldn’t afford to fall for her. Not now when time was so short. If by some miracle he managed to get the elders to agree to his plan, he needed to have a human he could recommend. There wasn’t time to find someone else.

  It would be an honour for her to wake the great prince.

  Yet somehow, the idea didn’t seem as perfect as it had earlier.

  He didn’t even know this prince. What if the dragon wasn’t good enough for her?

  She shrugged. “I think you look great. We do a pretty casual Christmas. They could probably do with a wash though, they’re a little dusty.”

  Her comment brought him back to the immediate problem. A wash was as difficult as new clothes. More difficult perhaps. He couldn’t go to her Christmas dinner. “I live out of town, it would take too long to go home and change. Maybe we can do this another time?” Even as he said the words, he knew it wouldn’t happen. He should never have said yes in the first place.

  Her face fell. “That’s a problem.” She stared at her feet for a moment, then took a deep breath and said, “You could come back to my place and wash your clothes there. I have a dryer. It will take an hour or so, but I have to get changed and get everything together anyway. If you want.”

  She sounded so hopeful, he couldn’t resist. “Sure.” He smiled.

  She smiled too.

  “We’d better get a move on then, if we’re going to wash and dry your clothes.” She held out a hand, and after a moment’s hesitation, he took it.

  A tingle of excitement ran through him as her fingers clasped his. He’d always wondered what it would feel like to touch a human. To really connect with one. The feeling reminded him he needed to keep his distance. This was a chance to get to know humans a little better, nothing more. But somehow, he found it hard to focus on that.

  She dropped his hand to lock the library doors, and he felt the loss. He watched her, drinking in the curve of her waist, and the way her brown hair fell around her shoulders. She looked up from the keys, and blushed when she saw him watching her. She gave him a shy smile, and Jayrian couldn’t help smiling back. The exchange sent a thrill through his body and made him feel good. Something he hadn’t felt in a while.

  She was different to the dragons. She really saw him, in a way he hadn’t experienced before. Maybe it was because he hadn’t known her his whole life. Maybe it was because neither of them had any preconceptions about each other.

  Maybe it was because she didn’t know he was a dragon.

  If she found out, she’d tell the other humans, and then no dragon would be safe again. That’s what the elders said. What all dragons believed. Jayrian wasn’t so sure, but he couldn’t tell her anything yet. Not without the elders agreement.

  Gretchen opened the door of a little blue car and reached across to unlock his side. “Sorry about the mess,” she apologised, picking up a stack of books on the front seat and tossing them into the back. She swept up some empty water bottles and pieces of paper, and they followed the books.

  “That’s okay.” Jayrian slipped in and did up his seat belt, checking it was secure as surreptitiously as he could. It wasn’t the first time he’d been in a vehicle, he’d taken a ride in the town’s only taxi, just to see how they worked, but this driving around in the big boxes of steel still seemed like a risky procedure.

  There was little traffic on the road though as they zipped through a few backstreets to Gretchen’s home. She pulled off the street and under the shade of a tree outside a neat little white house, with a blue door, and cheerful flowers out the front.

  “Come on in.” Gretchen unlocked the front door. “Sorry it’s a mess, I wasn’t expecting to have guests over.”

  Unlike her car, Jayrian wouldn’t have described her house as a mess. There were scattered piles of books in the corners and some cushions on the floor, but it smelt fresh and clean, and a breeze blew through the open windows.

  Jayrian was the one who felt out of place. He was dusty and sweaty, and though dragons didn’t smell as bad as humans, he was aware of an unpleasant odour from his own body.

  He was about to apologise when he heard a low growl and sensed movement in the room.

  Instantly, his senses were on the alert.

  The growl erupted into furious barking, and a little white ball of fur raced towards Jayrian from one of the other rooms, barking as hard as it could. It didn’t try to bite, just stood out of arms reach, the hackles rising all down its back. Jayrian bit back a smile.

  “Sugarpup, what’s up with you?” Gretchen scooped up the little dog, who gave a surprised yelp, then barked at him anew from her owner’s arms. “Sorry, I don’t know what’s up with her, she’s not usually like this with strangers,” Gretchen apologised.

  Jayrian knew what was up. He might look human, but the dog could smell he wasn’t as surely as he would be able to smell another dragon.

  Unless he could win her over, she’d keep barking until he left. And if Gretchen became suspicious, it could jeopardise his plan to convince the elders to trust her.

  “May I?” Jayrian held out his hands for the dog.

  The little dog pulled back, still barking furiously, and Gretchen hesitated. Jayrian couldn’t fault her for it. In fact, it just made him more certain she was the right person for this job. She was protecting her pup. She didn’t know him, why should she trust him?

  But her hesitation only lasted a minute. Then she handed the little ball of fur to him.

  Instantly, the dog stopped barking. Jayrian could feel her trembling all over and smell her fear. “Hey, little girl,” he said in his most gentle voice. He didn’t know much about dogs, but he guessed they were like most animals. He scratched her behind the ear. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you.”

  Gretchen watched them both for a few minutes, but since Sugarpup was no longer protesting, she assumed the dog was okay. “I’m just going to go find you something to put on while we wash those clothes,” she said and disappeared out of the room.

  The dog stiffened as soon as she left, burying her head in Jayrian’s arm, trying to pretend he wasn’t there.

  He gave a short laugh. “Don’t worry, I’m not your enemy. We can be friends, can’t we?” He tickled the dog under the chin.

  She looked up at him unwillingly.

  “Just stop the barking, huh? Otherwise, this is going to be a long hour while my clothes wash.” He bent down and put the little dog on the ground, still scratching her. As soon as her feet hit the ground, she scrambled away under the lounge chair.

  Jayrian sighed. At least she was quiet. Maybe she’d get used to him in time.

  What was he thinking? He wasn’t going to see the little dog again, so there was no need for her to get used to him.

  The thought was strangely depressing.

  “Here, this should do.” Gretchen returned, holding up a fluffy bathrobe. “Aunt Mary gave this to me last Christmas. I don’t know why I kept it, since I never use it, but it’ll come in handy now. If you want to go through to the bathroom and get changed, I’ll put those clothes in the wash.”

  Jayrian did as she asked, then handed her the clothes. He felt strangely n
aked even though he had kept his underwear on under the bathrobe.

  Which was silly, considering how little clothes dragons wore in their lair, even in human form. Clothes got in the way on the rare chance to shift into dragon form.

  Being naked here was different though. He’d quickly worked out humans were far more focused on protecting their modesty than dragons were. And being naked with someone only happened in a sexual relationship.

  Or in strange situations like this, apparently.

  Gretchen returned from wherever she’d disappeared with his clothes. “I just need to have a quick shower and get changed, are you okay here? Can I get you something to eat or drink?”

  “No, I’m fine,” Jayrian said. “I can wait here while you shower.”

  She smiled at him. “I won’t be long.” She disappeared again.

  She would be naked, in her shower. The thought warmed Jayrian uncomfortably. He shouldn’t be thinking this. He was finding out more about her so she could wake Prince Taurian, not be with him. Not that the two were necessarily mutually exclusive, but waking the prince did involve…

  He shut that thought down before it could go any further. He couldn’t afford it right now.

  To distract himself, he wandered around the living room looking at the piles of books.

  She seemed so knowledgeable about all the books in the library, he was curious what sort of books she chose for her own personal collection.

  He sat down on the edge of the lounge chair and picked up a few off the top of a pile.

  Stories. All of them. Some with half naked men on the cover, some with beautiful women with large chests. Still others with horses or dogs. Then, about half way down the pile, he found one with dragons on the cover.

  They weren’t real dragons of course, but painted ones, very unrealistic. But the wings, tails and horns were unmistakable.

  Unable to help himself, Jayrian opened the book and began to read.

  He had never thought to wonder how dragons featured in human fiction. He’d been too preoccupied with trying to guess what they thought from their legends—stemming from the time when dragons had lived alongside humans in Europe. If he’d been asked what humans thought about dragons, he would have guessed they saw them as scary. That was certainly what all the legends indicated.