by Anthology
Yep, she was hysterical.
And who could blame her? A reindeer had fallen from the sky and shifted into a man who rocked her world and was now sitting on her couch, drugged by his asshole friends.
Shoving the sweatshirt into the closet, she pulled on a thick, white sweater and navy leggings. She darted into the bathroom to brush her teeth and run a brush through her hair.
When she came back out into the family room, she saw that someone had added more wood to the fire, and Jack was holding a mug of coffee, urging Arian to drink it.
“I’ll do that,” she said, feeling the need to put herself between Arian and the others.
Jack stood and handed her the mug. “Are you sure you’re not a shifter, Charli? You’re very protective of Arian.”
She sat down next to her growling mate and said, “I’m just human, but it unsettles me to see you near him. I don’t know why.”
Rhys, who Arian had told her was the head of security and the lead reindeer on the sleigh team, said, “You’re fully bonded, so I suspect that has something to do with your emotions right now. I’ve heard that when males truly bond to their fated mates that they pass a bit of themselves on to their mates to strengthen the connection between the two. It might be an emotional connection. You’re probably feeling his wariness and anger toward us, and it’s making you uneasy.”
Arian’s eyes were bright gold when she looked at him, and when he opened his mouth to speak, she saw his fangs.
“Mine.” It was as simple word, but the tone and the rage-filled glint in his eyes told her that he would level a city to keep her by his side.
She blinked at the sudden surge of tears. “I know. Here, drink this.” She held the mug to his lips, and he held her gaze as he drank. “I don’t think his arms are working.”
“It’s a powerful drug,” Sullivan said. “That he’s even conscious right now is amazing.”
“You don’t have an antidote?”
“We’ve never needed one before,” Rhys said. “SC can fix him, though.”
Her heart skipped a beat as she thought about meeting Santa. The real Santa. Not a department store employee dressed like him, but the real deal. She wanted to pinch herself to see if she was asleep, but she didn’t want to look like a nut.
Something bright flashed outside and Rhys said, “That’s him. Jack, open the door.”
Charli took a deep breath and leaned over, kissing Arian on the cheek and moving as close to his side as she could. Arian growled softly, and she felt his calmness and decided that if he wasn’t panicking, then she wouldn’t either.
* * *
Rhys shook his head in amazement as Arian clearly calmed himself down and, through his bonded connection to the human, calmed her. He’d never seen anything quite like the human brandishing a frying pan at them. He truly believed that she would have fought with all her might to keep them from taking Arian. For a brief moment, he was jealous of his friend. Fated mates were not normal for their kind. He couldn’t even recall anyone in recent years having found his fated mate, let alone having fallen from the sky to the human world and landing in his fated mate’s yard.
That Arian was still conscious at this point, with the tranq drugs running through his system, spoke to his intense need to keep his mate safe. Guilt flashed through Rhys, because their presence had caused Arian to feel the need to defend his mate. He’d never really believed in fated mates, thinking them more a thing of legend than reality, but right now, he truly did.
SC arrived and within a minute, Jack was opening the door for their leader. SC was still wearing his traditional Christmas Eve uniform of a red velvet pant and jacket set, black leather boots, and white gloves. SC pulled the fur-adorned hat from his head when he stomped the snow from his boots and walked into the cabin.
“What’s all this then?” SC said. “I understand that we’ve got a quad with a fated mate.” Rhys opened his mouth to explain but SC held up his hand. “Let’s let Arian speak, shall we?”
SC strode across the cabin, his boots thudding heavily, and Rhys wanted to tell Charli that it was okay, but although her eyes were wide and her scent changed to one of mild fear, she didn’t move an inch from Arian’s side.
SC looked down at Arian and Charli. Rhys wondered what it was like to see SC for the first time as human. To have believed in him as a child and then to be told that he wasn’t real, and then now…to face the truth.
“I can see you’re furious, Arian,” SC said with a chuckle. “Let me get rid of the tranq drug and then we can chat.”
Rhys knew that at this point, the drugs had pretty much paralyzed Arian, but he was still growling and he was glaring at the four of them. Rhys would find a way to make it up to Arian and Charli. He didn’t know what he could do, but a sincere apology was the first step.
* * *
Charli tried not to stare, but Santa-freaking-Claus was standing in her family room. He was tall and broad – not the fat jolly figure she’d see portrayed on television – but a large, muscular male. His hair was white and thick, and his beard reached the middle of his chest. His eyes were deep sapphire with swirls of gold. He tugged the white gloves from his hand and shoved them into his pants pocket.
He placed his hand on Arian’s head and spoke a few words too soft for Charli to understand. Santa’s eyes flashed from deep blue to brilliant gold, and Arian’s whole body jerked and began to glow. The glow faded soon after it appeared.
“Arian?” she asked.
He turned his head and smiled at her. “I’m okay, sweetheart.”
Arian moved so fast that he was a blur. One moment he was sitting by her side and the next he was attacking Declan who had shot him. Charli stood with a gasp as Arian’s fist connected with Declan’s face and the big male stumbled backward.
“Don’t you ever shoot me again!” Arian roared.
Declan snarled and wiped at the blood running from his nose. “Sorry.”
Arian snapped his teeth together with a loud click and then turned, moving swiftly back to Charli. He pulled her from the couch and pushed her behind him as he faced his friends. She wrapped her arms around his torso and rested her cheek on his back. She’d never felt so safe.
Santa cleared his throat. “How about some clothes, son?”
There was another string of softly spoken words, and Charli felt a gust of frigid wind by her legs. She looked down, surprised to see what looked like ice crystals forming on Arian’s skin. The crystals connected, forming a web over his flesh. Before her eyes, the crystal webbing transformed into clothes. He was now wearing jeans, hiking boots, and a flannel shirt.
Rhys snorted with a grin. “I see you went with the mountain man look.”
“I go with what I see,” Santa answered with a smile. He clapped his hands together. “Right, so you two are fated mates. Congratulations. Now there’s the matter of your future together.”
Arian kept his hand on Charli’s waist, keeping her firmly behind him. “I won’t leave her.”
Charli peeked around Arian and saw Santa raise his brow. “I didn’t ask you to, and for the record, no male of worth would demand that fated mates be separated.”
Arian relaxed marginally. “When I requested on the website to stay here, it was denied.”
Rhys shook his head. “Did you think we would take your word for it? You’re a quad. You can’t just leave a message and expect that to be done. We had no way of knowing if you were safe or if you’d been compromised. Besides, what about your mom? What about the sleigh team and security team? We had to be sure that you knew what you were doing by requesting to stay here.”
“I should make more coffee,” Charli said, wanting to give the group some privacy.
“There’s no need, Charlotte,” Santa said as Arian drew her from behind him and settled her against his side.
“I, um, you know my full name?”
“Of course. I’m Santa.” He wiggled his brows and Charli laughed.
“Touché.”
<
br /> “We have to leave. At sunrise, my magic would only be strong enough to take me home, and I’m fairly sure you don’t want to spend the next three hundred and sixty-four days with these knuckleheads. You may stay here, Arian, with your fated mate, or you may bring her to North Pole City. You must decide in the next twenty minutes.”
Charli’s mouth went dry. “Leave? Forever? My sister and I are the only family each other have, I can’t just take off.”
Arian rubbed her arm. “I won’t take her from her sister, but I’d like to speak with my mother if I could?”
Rhys moved to the computer and began typing.
Santa looked at Charli with a curious smile. “There’s always next year, you know.”
“Excuse me?” Charli asked.
“If you change your mind, you can contact the security team, and they’ll make arrangements to pick you both up,” Santa clarified. “Let us know.”
Charli looked at Arian and then at Santa. “Can I…hug you?”
He chuckled. “Of course, Charlotte.”
She left Arian’s side and found herself wrapped in the warmest hug she’d ever had. Santa smelled like hot chocolate and sugar cookies. Within the confines of his hug, she could remember every Christmas morning she’d ever had and all the sweet memories that each one brought. She sniffled and rubbed at the tears in her eyes as she stepped back.
“There’s hope now, Charli,” Santa said.
“Hope?” she asked as Arian drew her back into his own arms.
“Hope,” Santa said, nodding.
“Thank you for the ornament. I don’t remember ever seeing any gifts from you after I became an adult.”
His eyes twinkled. Literally.
“I leave something for everyone, young and old, no matter the strength of their belief in me. Humans don’t notice the gifts I leave. They’re small tokens, like the ornament, full of magic. Normally, a human sees the gift, and he or she doesn’t recognize it as new. But I know.”
“Why did I notice it this time?”
“Because fate is a funny thing. Perhaps because this Christmas, you were meant to be in this place, to rescue Arian and become his fated mate.”
“Thank you for everything, Santa.”
“My friends call me SC, and you should, too. Be well Arian and Charli.”
Just like in the poem, Santa put his finger on the side of his nose and disappeared in a whoosh of snowflakes.
“Your mom’s online, Arian,” Rhys said.
He hurried over, bringing Charli with him, and for the next eighteen minutes, she participated in a video call to the North Pole. Arian promised to think about moving up there the following year, and Charli decided that she’d think about it, too.
Arian’s mother, Delaina, shared the same hair and eye color as her son. She had a sweet smile and pointed ears just like Arian had told Charli all elves had. She and Arian talked for most of the time about his decision to stay.
“I’m sad I didn’t get to say goodbye to you, Arian,” Delaina said, wiping away the tears on her cheeks.
“We said goodbye, mom. You came to the stables to see me before I shifted.”
“It wasn’t the right kind of goodbye. That was a goodbye along the lines of ‘see you soon.’ If I’d known I wouldn’t see you again, I would have hugged you tighter and given you the right goodbye.” Delaina looked at Charli as she sat on Arian’s lap and smiled. “Hug him once for me, daughter of mine.”
Charli’s eyes strung with impending tears. She didn’t want to leave her home because of her sister, but she was taking Delaina’s only child from her. It hurt no matter which path Charli chose.
Resting her cheek on Arian’s shoulder, she squeezed tightly and fought falling apart. As the minutes ticked down, she said goodbye to Delaina and then got off Arian’s lap to give him a few minutes of privacy, and walked toward the kitchen where the other men were standing.
She still didn’t much care for Declan, but the other men had been nice. Rhys motioned for her to join them. He gave her a pale blue business card. It looked blank, but when she moved her thumb across the surface, raised lettering appeared.
“This is a private website address. You and Arian can log on with the information and leave private messages for Delaina. I know he’s still a bit pissed at us for the whole tranq business and questioning your fated mating, but when he’s done being angry, he can message any of the team and SC, too. It might make it feel like he’s not so far away,” Rhys said.
Jack smiled sadly. “It’s beautiful in NPC. The mated males are given special housing, away from the single males’ barracks. You could find peace there. Happiness.”
“Not my sister, though,” she said, tapping the business card on the top of her other hand.
Declan shook his head. “No, because humans aren’t allowed in NPC unless they’re mated. But we could set her up with a special account to contact you, too.”
“I don’t know,” she said softly, watching as Arian blew a kiss to the laptop screen and then pressed a button on the keyboard.
“Don’t forget what SC said,” Sullivan said.
“About hope?” she asked.
“About us being here for you next Christmas Eve, if you want.”
Arian stood from the desk chair as the bracelet on Rhys’ wrist beeped.
“That’s our one minute warning. We must go,” Rhys said.
Arian hugged his friends quickly and said goodbye, and Charli and Arian stood on the porch while they gathered in the front yard and faced each other, with their shoulders touching as they formed a small, tight circle.
A brilliant light flashed and then they were gone. Beyond them, beyond the trees and the mountains, the sun was just starting to rise.
“How can people not see that bright light?” she asked as she stood in Arian’s embrace.
“Only those with a supernatural connection can see it. It’s hidden from humans.”
She turned in his arms. “I’m sorry that you’re losing your mom and your friends.”
“I’m not. The distance is far, but we can message with them anytime we like. I knew the moment I woke up that I’d stay here with you in your home.”
“It’s our home now.”
He smiled. “Yes, it is.”
He pushed open the front door and ushered her inside. She hung up her coat. Exhaustion pulled at her, and she could think of nothing better than climbing into bed with Arian and falling asleep. As if his thoughts were the same as hers, he lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bedroom.
“This is the first day of the rest of our lives, Charli. I’m glad you’re here with me.”
“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
He brushed his lips over hers as he lowered her to the bed. “That’s the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard.”
She giggled as he repeated what she’d said to him when he spoke the same sentiment. She slid under the covers with him, and he wrapped his arms around her, kissed her gently, and said goodnight.
As she drifted off to sleep, she thought about this being the first day of their lives together, and she was very thankful that she’d bought a cabin in the middle of nowhere.
Fate was a funny thing.
7
One Year Later
Arian held his daughter as she dozed in his arms. She wore the pink velvet dress that Charli had bought for her.
Charli walked out from the bedroom and slipped her coat on as she crossed the family room to where Arian stood with Hope and watched out the front window. It was four p.m. on Christmas Eve, and they were waiting for their pick up from North Pole Security. Arian was thrilled to be going home and sharing NPC with his mate and their beautiful daughter.
“Did you do your last check?” he asked quietly after he kissed Charli.
“Yeah, everything is packed,” she said as she leaned against him with a soft sigh.
“We can stay, love,” he said.
She looked up at him, blinking h
er beautiful brown eyes that were shimmering with unshed tears. “No, I want to go. I want Hope to grow up with her own people, and I can’t wait to meet your mom and see what it’s like up there.”
“It’s cold,” he said, grinning.
Her nose wrinkled as she smiled. “You’ll keep me warm. I’ll miss seeing Kerri, but I think that this place hasn’t felt like home since the night we met.”
He turned from the window and put his arm around his mate. “You’re giving up everything for me. Your home, your writing, your sister. I want to be with you, no matter where that place is.”
“I’m gaining so much more. I’m not losing anything but the ability to see Kerri, and she’s busy with school, plus Rhys said that I could email her and do the video chat whenever I like.”
Relief twined through him. “I just don’t want you to regret anything about our life together.”
“I promise I don’t.”
Emotion rolled through him. “I love you, Charli.”
“I love you, too.”
He pulled Charli close and kissed her. His beasts rose to the surface, wanting to put the baby in her crib and play with their mate for a while, but he knew that their time was short.
She smiled at him as he pulled from the kiss. “Oh, look! They’re here!”
He turned and saw the same four males who had come for him the year before. He and Charli walked to the front door, and Charli reached over, pulling the blanket closer to shield Hope from the cold.
The males came forward and grabbed the bags that Charli had packed. They’d been asked to limit their belongings to two suitcases.
“Well, well, introduce us properly to your little angel,” Rhys said, smiling broadly.
“This is Hope,” Charli said, beaming with pride.
All four males grinned at the little treasure Arian held in his hands. Because that was what she was – their treasure.