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

by Élianne Adams

  “That dragon who confronted you today is a Trima dragon?” Gretchen clarified. When Jayrian nodded, she asked, “So what exactly did he want?”

  “He wants us to remove the magical protections on Prince Taurian’s Mesmer chamber so he can go inside and kill him.”

  His voice was dull and emotionless, but somehow, Gretchen didn’t believe that was because he didn’t care.

  “Why now?” she asked. “Why can’t you just continue to keep him out like you have for the last three hundred years?”

  Jayrian hesitated. “Can I trust you to keep a secret?” he asked. Then he sighed. “Not that you don’t already know far too much about dragons. You could already cause a lot of trouble for us.”

  Gretchen bristled. “I wouldn’t do that,” she insisted. “You can trust me.”

  She was surprised at how completely she meant it. But the thought of being one of the few people, perhaps the only person, to know about the existence of dragons in the Australian outback, was more than enough reason to keep the secret.

  The fact that her crush on this particular dragon was fast leaning towards fiercely protective was just an added incentive.

  She could feel Jayrian’s eyes boring into her, and she turned to look at him. The car bumped and rattled as it ran off the side of the dirt road, but she knew this section of the ground was flat and free of objects she could run into. She pressed the brake gently, slowing the car to a stop, not breaking eye contact with Jayrian.

  His eyes were a brilliant gold, almost glowing in the setting sun, their pupils narrowed to slits. Gretchen almost forgot to breathe. He had to believe her. She desperately wanted to know more. To be part of this.

  Even if it was dangerous.

  She’d always thought she was a bit of a coward, personally. She didn’t like to walk alone at night, and she always double checked the doors and windows at least three times. And she really didn’t want to leave Mungaloo to go live in the big city alone.

  But this was different.

  It was scary, true, but it also offered something her dull and staid life had never had. Adventure.

  No, this was more than just an adventure. This made adventures seem boring and ordinary. This was an incredible fantasy, as good as any she’d ever read.

  Jayrian took a deep breath. “We can’t wait any longer because Prince Taurian’s Mesmer chamber is underneath the Dragon Scales.”

  The pieces fell into place. “He’s going to be discovered when they start mining, if not killed.”

  Jayrian nodded. “We have to do something, and soon.”

  “You’re not just going to let the Trima dragons kill him, are you?”

  “Of course not. But we’re out of other options. Every dragon we send to the Dragon scales is killed.”

  Somehow, Gretchen knew he had another idea. “What are you going to do?”

  “It’s not up to me.” Frustration coloured Jayrian’s voice. “The elders refuse to consider any alternative options.”

  “But you’ve got one, don’t you?” She guessed that his option was dangerous. Her skin prickled with excitement.

  Jayrian hesitated. “There’s one possible way. The Trima dragons can detect any dragon we send and defeat them. But they would not…” he hesitated, staring into her eyes. “They wouldn’t expect us to send a human.”

  Gretchen sucked in her breath. “You want me to go?”

  His eyes seemed to darken, their gold flickering with dangerous fire. “You need to understand what is involved.”

  It all seemed so serious. And exhilarating. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what she could do to help a dragon prince, but she was sure it would be exciting. Gretchen nodded solemnly. “Tell me.”

  “The Mesmer sleep drains almost all of a dragon’s magical power and it must be replenished through contact with another dragon as soon as possible. A human could serve the same purpose but…” he trailed off, and to Gretchen’s surprise, his cheeks darkened.

  “What is it?” she demanded.

  His eyes whirled, going so dark they were almost black. “The dragon’s energy is replenished through sexual contact.” His voice was low and husky, and his eyes didn’t leave hers. “Dragons mate.”

  Gretchen felt a tingle all the way down to her toes, in places she had almost forgotten existed. “Oh,” was all she could manage. She swallowed. “Uh, so humans and dragons are… well, compatible… like that?”

  She was both excited and disappointed at the same time.

  This conversation, what he suggested, was like one of the set ups in her favourite romance books.

  The trouble was, she’d thought Jayrian was the hero. He was the one she wanted.

  Jayrian nodded, his eyes dark and stormy.

  “You want me to sleep with your prince?” She had to clarify this, to hear the answer directly from him.

  Jayrian hesitated. “The elders won’t agree to my plan, so it doesn’t really matter.”

  He was avoiding the topic. Why? Didn't he want her too?

  “They would rather the prince died?” she asked.

  Jayrian’s face paled. “I don’t know. I hope not. But we’re running out of other options.”

  Options other than her sleeping with the prince. Gretchen swallowed. She couldn’t forgive herself if this prince died because she refused to help. Even if she wasn’t too impressed with the idea of sleeping with someone she’d never even met. A dragon no less.

  Somehow, her concerns about Aunt Mary trying to convince her to take that job seemed a lot less pressing.

  SEVEN

  After their conversation about the Mesmer ritual, Gretchen had been quiet for the rest of the drive. Jayrian wasn’t sure if she would agree to his plan, or not.

  He couldn’t blame her, he wasn’t so sure of it himself now. She’d been just an ordinary librarian, one he’d only looked at with the view to waking the prince. Now that he’d grown to know her, seen how brave and sweet she could be, everything had changed.

  He wasn’t certain of anything anymore.

  And he didn’t really have time to consider it right now, because they were driving down the driveway of Gretchen’s parent’s property, and he needed to focus on being polite and not giving away that he was a dragon.

  He focused on his surroundings, trying to glean as much about Gretchen’s family as he could.

  In sharp contrast to the dry, arid area they had driven through, the property seemed lush and green. Trees lined the driveway with more dotted around the field beyond. Fenced paddocks in the distance had more green plants growing in low rows.

  How had the humans made everything so green?

  Goats put their heads over a fence and bleated hopefully as they drove past. Their paddock was the only bare one. They had eaten everything in sight. But there were some piles of hay for them, so they weren’t going hungry.

  They pulled up in front of the house, nestled in the midst of more greenery. It wasn’t as neat as the ones in the town. The once white walls were peeling from the hot sun, and leaves had built up in the gutters. An old couch sat on the veranda, sagging in the middle, the covers torn and stained.

  Gretchen must have had a happy childhood, living in this homey and welcoming house. That thought pleased Jayrian.

  She looked over at him as if waiting for something. He searched around for something to say. “Is this your parent’s place?”

  How lame. Of course it was. That was where they were going.

  Gretchen didn’t seem to think his comment was silly though. “Yes, it is. There’s always a bit of work to be done, but it’s home.”

  “It looks like a pleasant place to live,” Jayrian said gravely.

  Gretchen let out a deep breath, and smiled at him. She held out a hand. “Come and meet my mum and dad.”

  As they headed up the front steps, Sugarpup dashed around the corner and disappeared. Jayrian stared after her, worried. “Is she all right? Something might hurt her.”

  Gretchen, thou
gh, seemed unconcerned. “Oh, she’ll be fine. She knows her way around here.”

  She continued up the stairs and knocked on the front door, but no one answered. Jayrian could hear loud sounds inside. They probably couldn’t hear them knocking. Gretchen shrugged, pushed open the door, and went through.

  The noise was louder inside. A man sat on the couch, his back to them, staring at the television. No wonder he hadn’t heard the knock.

  “Hi, Dad.” Gretchen kissed him on the top of his balding head.

  He turned around, a welcoming smile on his face. “Greta! You’re early.” His eyes landed on Jayrian and widened. “I see you’ve brought a friend?”

  Jayrian tried not to blush at the look of surprise on his face. He felt like an interloper. He didn’t belong here.

  But the man stood up and offered his hand to Jayrian.

  The feeling of being an outsider disappeared. Jayrian smiled and shook her dad’s hand. “I’m Jayrian. Gretchen and I met at the library.”

  “Hi Jayrian. I’m Jake, Gretchen’s dad.” He turned to Gretchen and winked. “I always knew you’d find just the right guy there.”

  Jayrian felt his ears burn. Gretchen’s dad thought he was a potential mate.

  More than that, he thought he was the right mate.

  He should correct him, but he didn’t know how to do so without being rude.

  And a small part of him wished it was the truth.

  “Dad,” Gretchen protested, blushing. “Jayrian and I are just friends. His family doesn’t do Christmas so I thought I’d invite him over to experience it with us.”

  “Is someone here?” a woman’s voice called out from the kitchen. Footsteps sounded down the hall, and a large woman looked into the room. Jayrian was just out of her line of sight, but she could see Gretchen. “Oh, it’s you, Greta. Do you mind giving me a hand with this watermelon?”

  Her father cleared his throat. “Come in a moment, Marge. Gretchen’s brought a guest.”

  “A guest?” The woman stepped further into the room, and when she saw Jayrian, her eyes widened. “Well, well.” She seemed at a loss as to what to say after that.

  Unable to stand the awkward silence, Jayrian stepped forwards and held out his hand. “Hi, I’m Jayrian.”

  Gretchen’s mother took his hand and let him shake it, still looking surprised. Then she recovered. “Well, any guy of Gretchen’s knows he’s welcome here. And not just as a guest. You’re one of the family. So you can come on through to the kitchen and help cut up the watermelon.”

  The feeling of being an imposter returned. They all thought he and Gretchen were good friends, or even something more. Much as he wished that was true, they barely knew each other.

  Gretchen must have been feeling the same. “Jayrian’s just a friend,” she said quickly.

  “Of course he is, honey,” her mother said soothingly. “But I have three watermelons to slice and I need your help.”

  That he could handle. “You can rely on us,” Jayrian said. “Lead the way.”

  As they arrived in the kitchen and Gretchen’s mum began to cut watermelon, Sugarpup’s high pitched bark sounded outside, over the sound of a car. More people were arriving.

  Gretchen’s mother cut the watermelon faster. “Go see who it is, Greta. I need to finish this. Oh, and here, can you take this tray of watermelon out the side? Your dad set up the tables there earlier.”

  Jayrian could see the reluctance etched on Gretchen’s face. She looked around for an excuse, but there were none. With a barely audible sigh, she reached for the tray of watermelon.

  “I’ll get that,” Jayrian offered. It was the least he could do.

  It didn’t get Gretchen out of carrying anything though. Her mother loaded her down with a pile of mismatched plates and a handful of cutlery.

  Jayrian followed Gretchen as she headed out the front door, glancing at the dark blue four wheel drive that had pulled up behind their car, her brow furrowing.

  “It’s my Aunt Mary.” Her voice was unenthusiastic.

  Jayrian looked at the car, trying to see what bothered Gretchen. But it seemed like a normal car. And the woman who stepped out, though her perfectly neat dress and hair didn’t quite fit in with the surroundings, smiled welcomingly enough.

  Gretchen took a deep breath. “Hi, Aunt Mary,” she called out, her voice sounding cheerful despite her obvious concerns. “We’re just setting up around the back.” Without stopping to see if her aunt followed, Gretchen headed around the corner of the house.

  Jayrian followed.

  Several tables and chairs were set up in the shade of a big tree. Jayrian put the watermelon on one of them, then followed Gretchen back into the house. Aunt Mary stayed outside.

  More cars started arriving quickly after that, five in total, not including Gretchen’s.

  Jayrian stuck as close to Gretchen as he could. After her initial concern when the first guest had arrived, Gretchen seemed happy now.

  Her family all found seats in the shade, and heaped their plates with fruit and potato chips. Jayrian sat down next to Gretchen, overwhelmed by the huge selection of food. He didn’t know where to start.

  No one else had that problem. Voices raised in friendly conversation, the back and forth of a group of people who hadn’t seen one another in a while.

  “So, how long have you been hiding this delicious hunk from us?” Aunt Mary’s voice rose over the crowd. She looked Jayrian up and down, her expression appreciative.

  Jayrian felt his ears burn, and several other people laughed.

  Gretchen looked so upset, Jayrian thought she might cry. That made him angry enough to speak up. “Gretchen has no need to hide me. Or are you implying that if she didn’t, you would attempt to steal me from her?”

  This time, it was Aunt Mary’s turn to blush as everyone laughed.

  After a few moments of stunned silence, Aunt Mary herself started laughing, although a little more forced. “Are you from around here? You do realise Gretchen is going to be moving soon, don’t you?”

  “What?” Gretchen’s mother demanded.

  “Aunt Mary,” Gretchen protested.

  Jayrian looked around at them all. What was going on? Why would Gretchen be moving? He didn’t like that idea at all.

  “I found Gretchen a position as catalogue manager at the library in Yerlou,” Aunt Mary boasted. “It’s temporary, but I have reliable information that it will become permanent. She’ll be earning at least twice what she gets now, and there’s more potential for raises in the future.”

  She looked around, as though expecting acclaim for her announcement.

  And many of Gretchen’s other relatives did seem impressed. They were nodding and agreeing with her.

  Gretchen licked her lips. “Aunt Mary, I haven’t said I’ll take the position yet,” she objected.

  “Why on earth not?” Aunt Mary demanded.

  “I’m just not sure it’s right for me,” Gretchen said, her voice small. Her hands clenched into fists, and Jayrian could see tension in every muscle.

  She might face up to a dragon, but apparently dealing with her Aunt Mary wasn’t as easy.

  Aunt Mary’s eyebrows shot up. “Not right for you? What isn’t right about it? It certainly isn’t the pay. Is it because you’d have to move from Mungaloo? There’s nothing for you here long term, you know you’re going to have to move eventually, don’t you?”

  Gretchen looked like she wished a hole would open up in the ground and swallow her. “Can we talk about this later, after Christmas? I have a lot of other stuff going on right now.”

  Jayrian felt a stab of guilt. That was his fault. How could she even think of a new job when she had dragons to think about?

  He shifted his feet. Maybe she’d be glad to take the job to get away from him? He could hardly blame her if she wanted to. He’d caused her nothing but trouble so far.

  Aunt Mary scowled. “Don’t you realise a lot of people are going to want this job? I told you early so
you could get in before they advertised the position. If you don’t reply quickly, you’ll miss out. Come on, we’ll call Joel and sort this out. I have his home number.”

  “Aunt Mary,” Gretchen protested. Her voice trailed off, and she looked nervous and uncertain.

  “How about you leave her alone, Mary?” Gretchen’s mother spoke up, her voice hard “She’s said she isn’t sure the job is right for her, and she doesn’t want to discuss it right now.”

  “What, so you can talk her out of it?” Aunt Mary demanded, her voice full of venom. “You think you’re so much better than us, don’t you? Living out here in poverty for a cause. Really?”

  Jayrian almost took a step back at the rancour in her voice. They seemed like such a happy family, yet bad feelings obviously ran under the surface.

  “It’s not a cause,” Gretchen’s mum said firmly. “Jake’s allergies were getting so bad in the city, he could barely breathe. He’s much healthier out here, and that’s what’s most important to us.”

  “But that has nothing to do with Gretchen. She doesn’t have allergies. Yet you refused to allow her to come and live a normal life with the rest of us.”

  Gretchen’s father held up his hands as though trying stop the conversation. “How about we all just calm down? It’s Christmas Eve, we don’t need arguments today.”

  “There’s always some excuse, isn’t there, Jake?” Aunt Mary demanded. “Do you have any idea what Margaret gave up to come and live out here with you? She could have had a comfortable life without all the hardships she’s experienced. And Gretchen could have had a different life too. She could have gone to a good school and had riding and art lessons.”

  Other relatives nodded in agreement.

  Gretchen’s dad looked guilty at her last words. He glanced over at Gretchen, and Jayrian could see the regret in his eyes.

  Not so Gretchen’s mum. She stood up and pointed a finger at Aunt Mary. “That’s none of your business. Now are you going to drop it, or do I have to ask you to leave?”

  Aunt Mary stood up too. “You always thought you were better than us, didn’t you, Margaret? Because you weren’t concerned with things like money and the things it could buy. Well, you want to know something? You don’t have a clue how the world works. And you couldn’t fit into it even if you tried. Gretchen still has a chance. You need to stop sheltering her before it’s too late.”