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

by Élianne Adams

  He dipped his head, taking the nub into his mouth, drawing it in, sucking, careful not to push her too far too fast. Her body tightened, hips rising.

  She laced her fingers into his hair, her nails digging into his scalp the moment his tongue flicked her clit.

  She brought his head downward, brought her hips up while he plunged his tongue into her loveliness. She rode his mouth, grinding against his face, giving both of them pleasure as he found a rhythm. Catching him off guard, she released an orgasm into his mouth. He lapped the juices from her slit.

  She thrust upward with a groan, soaking both of them again. Isaac moved up and over her, his composure fled the moment she’d climaxed in his mouth.

  Now he wanted one thing. Her. All of her. Claiming her. Bonding her. Making her his forever.

  — — —

  Cade’s body erupted in a myriad of sensations brought on by his lips, his fingers, his mouth, his very presence.

  His cock nudged at her entrance for a brief second before he pressed in with a thrust that forced the breath from her lungs.

  Her moan merged with a groan, becoming one sound as his cock claimed her body with the same passion he claimed her heart and his bear had claimed her panther. A swell of pain shot through her as he filled her. Her muscles spread to accommodate him, taking all of him in.

  Her body curved to meet every thrust, taking him in deep, then missing him as he pulled out, only to fill her again. She clawed at his back, seeking purchase from the passion that overwhelmed her. His fingers gripped into her ass, pulling her so close there was no space between them.

  A wave started at the very core of her being, undulating outward, carrying her on a tide of pleasure, pushing her further and further toward a place she’d not be able to return from.

  She wrapped her legs around his waist. “Isaac,” she moaned. “Help me, please.”

  His eyes focused on her face, his own features contorted by desire.

  “Tell me what you want.”

  “I want you. Always.”

  He drew back, almost pulling out completely. “Woman. You. Have. Me.”

  With one huge thrust, he was ensconced deep within, his hotness spreading within like liquid fire as he bit down on her neck, sharp incisors bonding them.

  She opened her mouth to scream the agony of pleasure and pain taking her away when Isaac’s mouth covered hers.

  He propped himself up on one arm, careful not to crush her while his body blanketed hers with safety and a bond that would transcend time.

  Hours later, when she woke, he was still next to her, watching her with those eyes that never seemed to miss a thing.

  “You knew, didn’t you? Knew it was me?”

  “My bear did. He’s not…” Isaac released a long breath. “He doesn’t always confide everything to me. At least, he didn’t used to. I’m hoping things are better from this point on.”

  “When did you figure out it, then?”

  “When you took off your mask, at the mansion.”

  “Could you have ever—” Cade couldn’t bring herself to say the words.

  He traced circle patterns on her hips, making her lose her train of thought.

  His fingertips froze. “Turned you in?”

  She nodded.

  “Never. Even if you weren’t mine.” His eyes flashed his bear’s, a golden white glow.

  Tears burned the bridge of her nose, only they weren’t tears of helplessness.

  “You owe me Christmas tomorrow.”

  “You can have all my Christmases. Forever.”

  EPILOGUE

  The Romanoffs and the Araya sisters were seated at the dinner table. One seat was notably empty. Jonah’s.

  Miriam Romanoff had invited another friend, Fiona, who was seated across from Jonah’s vacant spot.

  Christmas dinner—traditionally so—was ham and turkey.

  Miriam had placed Cadence’s seat across from Isaac’s. Isaac gave his aunt the eye. “So you knew?”

  “Maybe you were the last to know she was meant for you.” Mikhail Romanoff boomed.

  Cadence caught Isaac’s eye and turned a delicious shade of pink.

  “So how’s the case?” Aunt Miriam’s eyes twinkled.

  Cadence looked down.

  Isaac frowned at his aunt. Surely she didn’t know about that, too, did she?

  Nah, she couldn’t have.

  A part of him wasn’t convinced she didn’t, though she glanced away, not confirming the answer to the question he tried to pose with his eyes.

  “It’s slow going,” Isaac responded.

  Cadence looked up, a small smile on her face. Isaac gave her a wink.

  “So what’s the news?” he asked Laken and Ky. “You said you had something to tell us.”

  “Not until Jonah’s here,” Ky said.

  “Has Jonah called?” Miriam asked Mikhail.

  “Not me he hasn’t. Anyone heard from Jonah?”

  “I’m pretty sure I’m the last one he’d call,” Fiona said. A blonde beauty, as curvy as the Araya sisters, she grimaced. “He probably found out I’m here. That’s why he’s not.”

  “Oh, my. I don’t think he harbors ill will toward you, Fiona. It’s been a while since…”

  Since…

  Aunt Miriam didn’t say since when, but Isaac knew. Since Fiona broke his brother’s heart.

  He was pretty sure Jonah would have skipped if he knew Fi was here. But none of them had known. So where was his wayward brother?

  “Maybe he’s not coming,” Ky said. “Could be he’s caught in a case? Shall we share the news?”

  Ky rose, held his hand out for Laken to stand.

  Her cheeks pinked. “We’re having a baby.” She put her hands over her stomach that showed no signs of a baby yet.

  Cadence and Carina both simultaneously squealed, jumped up and ran around the table to embrace their sister.

  Isaac hugged his brother. “Congratulations.”

  Miriam’s hand was over the perfect O her mouth made. Tears streamed down her face.

  “I’m so happy.”

  Even Mikhail Romanoff, never at a loss for words, had nothing to say, just beamed happiness. Finally, he said. “I wish your father and mother were here, to celebrate this joy with us.”

  Isaac strode around the table, put his arm around Cadence, pulling her into an embrace.

  She leaned into him, while he inhaled her scent, without hunter’s block. He held her essence in his lungs, letting her aroma dwell in him, expanding his lungs painfully, but at the same time filling his heart in a way it had never been.

  ABOUT

  Shifters Forever After

  Shifters Forever After follows a group of polar bears in New York. Russian and rumored to be mobbed up, they are a powerhouse of shifters, determining the fate of many on the East Coast. Mikhail Romanoff, Layla’s father, runs this outfit with an iron fist.

  Amazon — B&N — iBooks — Kobo

  Elle Thorne

  Elle spends her time writing stories about hot men, sexy women, and the stuff that happens between them. On occasion, those men and women are aliens, shifters, demons. This makes them so much hotter!

  Newsletter — Facebook — Twitter — Website

  Snowbound at Solstice

  Mannix Dragon Shifters

  Lori Whyte

  Her Second Chance with Two Dragons

  Holly Deford is restless. She can't stop thinking about the past. One pivotal decision in particular haunts her: the moment she turned away from Ryder and Garryck, two sexy dragons who had wanted to be with her. What would she do if she ever had a second chance with them?

  Take it, of course!

  One snowy winter solstice, when their lives become tangled again and new truths are discovered, could be Holly's chance to find out what she has been missing. After all these years, could they still want to have her as their mate?

  Beware: This is a sexy holiday short story with a happy ending and explicit scenes of MFM m�
�nage between a BBW and her two hot dragons.

  ONE

  Holly Deford crossed her arms to cover her ugly Christmas sweater. Why hadn't she worn something else? She had smiled when she donned the bright red reindeer this morning, but in retrospect, anything else, even her holey plaid button-up, would have been better.

  Did she have time to grab her jacket from the back storeroom before her last customers arrived at the counter? It was a silly impulse that she shot down immediately, but Garryck Wyce and Ryder Wynters, two sexy dragon shifters, heated her blood and made her long for things that couldn't be. And ugly Christmas sweaters were called that for a reason. They weren't made to make people look their best.

  Why were the dragons even here today? Their usual day was Thursday. She knew that because she was here every single frigging day.

  Deford's was a convenience store, founded on the idea of catering to other people's convenience. Situated where the forested foothills met the mountains, they were on the doorstep to Dragon Country. Not many stores were nearby, so they stocked everything from basic groceries to hardware supplies. When her father owned and operated the remote store, they'd never missed a day of business. No one was ever turned away. Even at Christmas. Anyone could come by, knock on the door at the house, which was on the other side of the parking lot, and be served.

  Every year except this one.

  She was the last one standing and she was ready to sit down and kick up her feet for a bit. She was taking a holiday, the first one in years. All she wanted to do was hide in her room and read books.

  The first time she'd shut the shop doors was for her father's funeral, the day before Halloween. Sometimes she wondered if she shouldn't feel something about his death still, but she and her father had never shared a loving relationship. Her role in his life was more like that of an employee than a beloved daughter.

  Now, two months after his passing, it was the longest night of the year and Holly needed to find some light in her life. The two dragon shifters certainly brightened her day when they were around. She watched Garryck and Ryder wander the aisles just like she did every week. After all these years, she still couldn't believe those sexy men had ever been interested in her.

  That was a lifetime ago.

  Garryck turned to her, seeming to sense her lingering gaze. His dark hair curled along his collar. How many times had she imagined sinking her fingers into those waves? He smiled and winked at her, and her body heated and responded the same now as it had all those years earlier. Except any smiles she got from them now were merely sent her way out of politeness. She'd missed that chance.

  She glanced away, making a show of checking the till tape in the register. The numbers were exactly as they should be, but that wasn't the point. She just needed to hide in plain sight for a minute until her pulse slowed back to normal again.

  Other dragon shifters shopped at the store too, and they never affected her this way. These two, though, made her want... things. Always. It was crazy.

  She should find a man to wed. That was her father's dying command. She wrinkled her nose. He'd even chosen the man, but she would never marry Josh Oliver. Yes, he was the only semi-suitable single guy in the valley, but… Eww. When he moved here last spring, her father had taken to him like Mrs. Bennett setting her cap at Mr. Bingley. Through it all, he'd insisted that a man needed to run the store, and Josh would do. The blatant matchmaking had been mortifying on so many levels. The thought of kissing that mouth full of crooked, rotten and tobacco-stained teeth made her nauseous. He'd sneered at her jokes, made fun of her abundant curves, and ignored her attempts to make normal chitchat. At least she'd cleared up any misguided thoughts about a potential match, personal or business, within the first week after the funeral. The conversation had been awkward, since she knew the mountain man wasn't attracted to her either, but she felt she needed to make it clear she wasn't interested.

  Besides, how could any man turn her head when Garryck and Ryder made her heart race simply by being close?

  Her gaze bounced from mirror to mirror until she found them again. Ryder was bending to grab something from the bottom shelf. Wow. That man's ass… She swallowed the little whimper that fluttered at the back of her throat.

  Stop it, Holly. You'll only make a fool of yourself.

  The phone rang. She seized the receiver like a lifeline, welcoming any distraction from her two drool-worthy customers.

  “Hello?”

  “Dragon sssslut,” a man shouted at her through the small speaker.

  She jolted, but hung up without saying anything. Some of the older locals disapproved of shifters shopping at Deford's, and they had become more vocal since her father's death. At first she'd tried to engage the callers in conversation, attempted to explain that without dragon money the store wouldn't be able to stay afloat, but that didn't seem to matter.

  She searched for Garryck and Ryder. The last thing she needed was for them to have heard the prank caller. If they stopped coming because of some misguided notion that their presence was causing a problem for her, she didn't know what she'd do. They were her only glimmer of joy at the moment.

  Luckily they were on the other side of the store by the freezers. The old motor roared loud enough to have blocked the caller's words. Even with their powerful hearing, they wouldn't have heard.

  She hugged her shaking arms over her stomach and peered out at the empty parking lot. Night had already claimed the day. There wasn't a car in sight and she still didn't feel comfortable. Soon, she would be all alone in the woods, like she was every night. That's when the prank calls haunted her and made her worry. The place she'd called home her whole life was now hostile and unwelcoming. Since the calls started, she didn't go far without her shotgun, but that was not the solution.

  But she was at a loss for what else to do.

  She hoped to have the answer at the end of her holiday. Well, calling it a holiday might be overstating it. Staycation? Hibernating in her cabin? Hiding from the world?

  When the dragons arrived at the till, she pushed aside her unease and smiled at them. Why did they have to rival the heroes from the romance novels she read every night? Hot. Sexy. Muscled. The epitome of her every fantasy.

  “Hey, beautiful,” Ryder said. She glossed over the fact that he'd called her beautiful. He was a flirt. It didn't mean anything more than that, but his voice made her shiver. It was as smooth as the expensive Scotch whisky she kept in the locked display case behind the counter. He could easily have been a radio announcer for one of those late night intimate confession shows.

  “Did you find everything?” she asked.

  Garryck's eyes narrowed. He was too observant and always had been. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yep. Same old, same old.” She forced her smile to be bigger. She plucked a box of crackers from their basket and rang it in. When she reached for a jar of olives, Ryder caught her hand.

  “Hey, now,” he said as he cradled her hand in his. “What's going on?”

  She blinked down at where they touched. He was so warm… and strong. Even his fingers exuded strength. The things he could do with those long, lean fingers were probably enough to make her weep.

  She trembled.

  “You didn't put up any holiday decorations this year,” Garryck said. “Is everything okay?”

  She pressed her lips together and drew her hand back. “You heard I'm shutting the doors for a few weeks, right? So I hope you got everything you need…”

  “Holly…” Garryck leaned on the till, closing the distance between them by a few inches. It seemed closer than that, close enough that her body wanted to bend toward him like it was drawn by a magnet.

  Their gazes met. In that moment, she almost believed the three of them were the only people in the world. His attention didn't stray. If she didn't know better, she'd think he would be content to have stayed like that, peering into her eyes, forever.

  Ryder drew closer too.

  The intimacy of it was
overwhelming. Something suspiciously like butterflies fluttered through her stomach. In a different life, the one in her dreams, she would hurl herself at them about now. She shuddered, unable to shake the feeling that her father's spirit was hovering close by and preparing to gather an otherworldly army to haunt her if she gave in to temptation.

  The phone rang again. She jumped.

  “I'm fine,” she said as she snatched something from the basket blindly.

  “Are you going to answer that?” Ryder said.

  “No.” She shook her head vigorously. “It's almost closing time anyway. And then I'm locking up and won't be back until January.”

  Ryder smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. “That's good. You deserve a break. You need to take care of yourself.”

  She nodded blindly and keyed in the next item. They didn't say anything while she finished ringing up their purchases. After the last purchase was tucked into a shopping bag, Garryck handed her the exact cash—dragons didn't use credit or debit. There was something about the way he eyed her that made her pause before finalizing the transaction. Her Christmas sweater scratched the back of her neck.

  The men glanced at one another. Ryder nodded, then Garryck put his hand on the counter next to hers. She swore his heat seeped into her fingers even though they weren't touching.

  “Why don't you come back to Montrose? Come spend your holiday with us.”

  Her mouth fell open on a gasp. “I…”

  Ryder grinned at her. “I think we surprised her.”

  Her heart leapt at the idea. Luckily, her brain stepped in before she made a boob of herself. “Wow. Thank you. But I can't.”

  “Think about it,” Garryck said. A hint of disappointment tinged his tone. His hand slid over hers and this time there was no question of his heat enveloping her. Tingles sprinted up her arm. “If you change your mind, our invitation will still be open. Always.”