by Anthology
Midnight Before Christmas by Renee George
Midnight Shifters, Book Five
When a dragon shifter rescues an ice princess, their passion is hot enough to melt glaciers!
When Max Gray is sent on a secret mission to Minnesota, the dragon shifter blows his supernatural cover to rescue champion figure skater Rachel Campbell. Even though Max must investigate Other Worlder vigilantes to insure his queen’s safety, Max can’t resist Rachel. Their passion is hot enough to melt glaciers. But when Rachel’s parents are put into deadly jeopardy, they must work together to save both humans and Other Worlders in time for Christmas.
1
His black hair, cut short on the sides, and messy long on top, highlighted his unusually bright eyes. Over six feet tall and built like a linebacker, he’d have stood out in any room. When he shed his winter coat and placed it over his stool, Rachel Campbell’s stomach performed a double axel followed by a camel spin into a death spiral, moves she was all too familiar with. After all, she was the featured figure skater for the Super Celebrities of Ice tour. The tour had ended mid-December, which meant she’d had zero excuses for not going home for Christmas. But it didn’t mean she couldn’t get drunk with her best friend first.
“Here you go, Rachel,” said Dawson Lars, the owner of Lars’ Bar. He handed her two Silver Lake Ice Teas, a local version of the classic cocktail.
“Thanks, Daws.”
“It’s good to have you back.” He smiled, his hazel eyes crinkling at the edges.
He was a pleasant man in his early forties. Tall, thin, with blond hair like many of the men in Silver Lake, Minnesota, a town predominantly settled by Norwegians.
Rachel smiled at him politely. “Thanks.”
She took a long, deep sip of the lemony drink, maneuvered her way through the local crowd, and back to her table.
“Oh my God, Ray-ray. Do you see that hunka-hunka at the bar with the dark hair, the chiseled jaw, and gorgeous eyes? He is divine.” Her best friend Callie smoothed her voluminous blonde hair then nudged Rachel’s shoulder. “I’d totally hit that.”
Instead of screaming, “Mine!” Rachel forced her expression to stay neutral and passed Callie the second drink. Friends since middle school, Callie had always been a bit of a horn-dog. It had nothing to do with desperation. She was one of the most beautiful women Rachel had ever seen, models and actresses included. Callie just liked men... of all shapes, ages, and variety.
In the past, Rachel focused on training and winning championships, so she’d never fought with Callie for the attention of any guy. Callie, who looked like a tall, warrior princess with big boobs had tried figure skating, but she’d never had the same passion for it as Rachel did.
At times, Rachel envied Callie’s Amazonian beauty. Unlike her friend, she’d been saddled with thick thighs, wide hips, short legs, and a small chest. But her build made her powerful and gave her a low center of gravity. Perfect for explosive jumps on the ice, not so perfect for attracting men.
“He’s cute,” Rachel said with a shrug. No way was she going to let her friend know how he made her heart race. Callie might not have been competitive about figure skating, but she was certainly competitive when it came to men.
“Do you know who he is?”
Rachel shrugged. “I just got back, girl. How am I supposed to know? Have you seen him around before?”
“First time.”
The man turned toward the center of the barroom and swept his gaze over the tables and booths. His eyes connected with Rachel’s for an instant and her insides went slushy. Oh, man. He could thaw an iceberg. She smiled, trying for cool confidence. He quirked a brow, then swiveled back around on his seat and sipped his beer.
“Are you okay?” Callie asked.
“Uh...yes,” Rachel said. “Why do you ask?”
“You were smiling like a constipated baby.” Callie tilted her head sideways at Rachel. “You sure you’re okay?”
“Yes. Jeezus.” Great. She’d tried to for confident, but had only managed to appear gassy. No wonder he’d looked away. “I need another drink.”
Callie laughed. “Especially if you’re going to explain to your parents why you’ve been back in town for two days and you haven’t been home.”
Rachel sighed. “I can’t take Mom criticizing my failures at the World Championships last year. I’m too old for competition.”
“So old. Twenty-six. You’re practically a dinosaur.”
“In the skating world, you betcha.” She smiled as her Minnesota accent crept in. You could take the girl out of the north, but you couldn’t take the north out of the girl.
“If you hadn’t tried to land that quadruple toe, triple lutz, and double salchow.”
“I landed that with one foot.”
“That’s not what the judges said.”
“The judges were assholes.”
Callie smiled. “You really should have won.”
“Hellz yes.” They clinked glasses and drank up.
“Look Ray,” her friend said, exchanging one painful subject to another. “I can understand freezing your mom out, but what about your dad?”
“He lets Mom walk all over me. I think that bugs me even more than her behavior.”
“Well, tomorrow you deal with them. Tonight, we drink!” She raised her hand and gestured to the waitress lifted her glass and showed two fingers.
The first drinks they’d had earlier had been strong, and the second one was already making Rachel feel fuzzy and warm. A third would probably put her under the table. She didn’t protest though. If she was going to face the parents in the morning, she’d need some liquid courage tonight.
* * *
Max Gray sipped his beer, unconcerned by most of the crowd. He’d been sent by his father to Silver Lake, Minnesota to investigate an anonymous tip that the Children of Caledon, a fanatical terrorist group had formed a faction in the small town. His cousin Benie and her husbands, the Triune of Caledon, were the rightful rulers. Yet, supporters of King Garrick continued to cause trouble. The man was dead, and still he made life hell for everyone.
Max knew well the cruelty of Garrick. When Max was barely seventeen, he’d been captured and tortured. Frustrated by Max’s silent refusal to give up his family, the barbaric king removed Max’s tongue so that he would never talk again. Luckily, one of Benie’s husbands, Ian Arent, a mad scientist of sorts, had figured out a way to give Max back his tongue.
Yet, he still had to beg Father for this solo assignment. Max needed to prove once and for all that he was just as tough, just as capable, and just as good a shadow warrior as his brothers. He needed his father to see that he was equal to Destan and Eustan.
When his gaze landed on the beautiful and familiar-looking brunette with dark brown eyes, he didn’t linger. He felt a strong pull of desire toward her, and that confused him. No matter. He was here to discover who or what in this town was working against the crown. His father had instructed him explicitly not to engage with the targets. Observe and report. No matter how much Max wanted to be in the thick of the action, he wouldn’t disobey or disappoint Father. Not again.
He’d heard rumors of strange activity at the bar and in the nearby area, but in the two nights he’d been here, he’d neither witnessed nor sensed any abnormalities. He wondered if the tip had been real or if someone had called it in just to throw the Shadow Warriors off the scent. His gaze wandered to the curvy, petite brunette with hips that could explode a volcano and eyes that pierced his soul.
His cock grew hard just thinking about her.
Fuck, he was in trouble.
* * *
A man stumbled over to their table. Oh, God. Not him. Thomas “Tommy” Ritter was broadly built across the shoulders with narrow hips and long legs. She’d known him since elementary school, and he’d been a jerk since day one.
“Hey, Cals.” He leaned over and gave Callie a kiss on the cheek then spared a glance for Rachel. “What are you doing back in town? I
thought you doing some big time show.”
“I’m back for Christmas with the folks.”
He leered at her. “While you’re here, I’d love to show you some real moves on the ice.”
Tommy was the star of the town’s amateur hockey league. There were some who thought he’d go pro after high school, but he hadn’t had the guts to escape small town life.
Sometimes Rachel felt sorry for him, but not tonight. He peeked down Callie’s blouse and then raked his gaze over Rachel’s hips. He was so damned skeevy.
“Go away,” she said.
The smile slid from his face. “You’re still a bitch, Rachel.”
“Come on, Tommy.” Callie’s voice was strained. “Leave her alone. She’s not in the mood.”
A salacious grin returned to his face. “I can help your mood, baby.”
“You sure can,” she said sweetly. “By disappearing.”
“Rachel,” Callie warned.
She ignored Callie and made a shooing motion. “Buh-bye.”
Tommy grabbed her by the shoulders and yanked her to her feet.
“Hey!” She tried to kick him, but he held her so tight she could barely move. Cold fear zipped up her spine. For a split second his eyes seemed to change color from green to red then back to green. “Get your paws off me, creep!”
“Watch your mouth ice princess.”
“Tommy!” Callie smacked his shoulder. “Put her down!”
“Shut up, Cals. This ain’t about you.”
“Is there a problem?” growled a low male voice.
Rachel, wide-eyed and trembling, turned her head. Tall, dark, and brooding from the bar stood close enough that she could feel the heat from his skin against her shoulder. Up close, his eyes were the lightest shade of gray she’d ever seen. The man’s intimidating gaze pinned Tommy’s.
“Release her.”
Tommy let go of her and the momentum sent her careening into Callie. Her friend grabbed her and steadied them both.
He winked at Rachel. “I’ll catch you later.”
The ominous way he said “catch” made Rachel shiver. Tommy had always been cocky, but now he was downright scary. She rubbed her arms to alleviate goose bumps.
“Are you all right?” the dark-haired man asked.
“Yes, fine.” She watched Tommy stop to talk to a man she didn’t recognize, and then leave. That douchebag was just one more reason on a long list of reasons she hated visiting home.
Callie thrust her hand out to the new guy. “I’m Callista Waithe.” She leaned forward to give him a nice view down her low cut blouse. “My friends call me Callie. You want to be my friend?”
The man took Callie’s hand and gave it a brief shake. “I’m Max. Nice to meet you.” He hit her best friend with a beaming smile that created deep dimples in his cheeks. After, he turned the full force and charm of that handsome face on Rachel. She damn near swooned. “And you are?”
“Rachel Campbell.”
“Ooo!” Callie said. “Drinkies!”
Her bestie took drinks from the barmaid’s tray. She handed one of the tall glasses to Rachel.
“Here you go, Ray-ray.” She clinked their glasses. “To being home.”
Rachel turned toward Max, but the gorgeous man had simply vanished. She swept her gaze around the room. Gone. Damn it.
She slumped back into her chair and mumbled, “To being home,” before taking a long sip of the tartly sweet drink. Without enthusiasm, she added, “Yay me.”
2
By Gods, the short beauty was gutsy. The way she’d stood up to the bully named Tommy had been oddly sexy. He was supposed to be keeping a low profile. But when the man grabbed her, Max couldn’t stop himself from intervening. His father wouldn’t have approved of him stepping in on a bar fight, but something about the lovely brunette had been so familiar, important. When he’d gotten close enough to touch her, it had taken all his willpower to keep his hands to himself.
Then he’d remembered her.
The woman was none other than “Frosty” Rachel Campbell, a silver medalist in the last two World Winter Games and a three-time world champion figure skater. She had a reputation for being cool on and off the ice.
Danger, the crazy kind, rolled off Tommy in waves. He was a predator. But was he an other worlder? A Child of Caledon? Maybe.
Thinking of the mission, Max followed him out of the bar.
The earlier snow flurries had turned into a freaking blizzard. Max pulled his coat up around his ears. He ducked behind an old truck and observed Tommy join a group of men huddled near a luxury SUV. The huge flakes of falling snow made it impossible to get a good look at any of them. When they disbanded to different areas of the parking lot, but didn’t get into any vehicles, Max went on high alert.
For the longest time, nothing happened. He couldn’t keep his mind off a certain feisty woman. It had been a long time since Max had held such a beauty in his arms. Too long. Another pained memory surfaced. His first and last real crush had led him into a deadly trap. His father killed her for it, and Max never forgot the lesson. Don’t trust your dick, he told himself. He shook his head. With Rachel, it was more than lust. She had an indescribable allure.
Was she other? Would she know about his kind?
After another thirty minutes passed, the storm finally died down to a light dusting. The tiny flakes reflected moonlight as they sifted to the ground. The front door of the bar opened, and Rachel, pale and sweating, stumbled out into the parking lot. When Tommy jogged toward her, Max resisted the urge to intervene. Unless she was in real danger, he couldn’t risk blowing the assignment. His father had named his group of agents “shadow warriors,” not “in-your-face warriors,” and if Max didn’t get this right, he might be an “out-of-a-job warrior.”
* * *
Rachel swayed as the cold air blew across her hot, hot face. The third cocktail had slammed her really hard after just a few sips. She’d started to feel light-headed, and the inside of the bar had taken on a dream-like appearance. Callie had gone off to flirt with some young stud in a dime-store cowboy hat, so Rachel was on her own. She needed fresh air. She inhaled deeply, smiling as the snowflakes melted on her face. The snow was the one thing, other than Callie, that she really missed about Silver Lake. The freezing temperatures invigorated her. They always had. Her head cleared a little as her core temp lowered, but she still couldn’t seem to concentrate. So, when someone took her arm and led her further out into the parking lot, Rachel didn’t fight.
Her tongue felt thick against her teeth. “I don’t feel well.”
“You’ll be fine. Just fine,” a voice said, but it sounded wrong, almost metallic.
“Where are we going?” she asked. “What’s wrong with me?”
“Devil’s breath,” was whispered in her ear. “It’s a sweet little drug that makes stuck-up girls like you more compliant.”
“I don’t... I don’t understand.”
“You humiliated me, bitch.” The person holding Rachel turned her until she could make out a face. Tommy.
He laughed as he turned her in a circle, reminding her of a children’s party game. When he stopped, nausea came with the dizziness. She managed to steady herself and saw at least twelve other men surrounding her. The drug made it impossible to see any of them clearly. Her legs gave out, and she sank to her knees. The snow seeped through her jeans, but she barely felt its biting cold.
He paced around her. “You think you’re some kind of star, Rachel. But not here. In Silver Lake, you’re nothing.”
The sharp sting in her cheek told her she’d been slapped, but she felt too sluggish to move.
“Take your clothes off, Rachel.”
Her mind screamed no, but her body wasn’t listening. Some other force controlled her. She took off her coat and drew her shirt over her head. She managed to cover her breasts.
The men surrounding her guffawed. “Don’t flatter yourself, Rachel. I’m not going to fuck you.” He leaned down. His
eyes were the russet color of a sunset. His teeth were jagged and pointy. Rachel couldn’t comprehend what she was looking at. Tommy … but not Tommy. “I’m going to strip your flesh from your bones and feast on your carcass.”
Reflexively, Rachel’s head snapped back. The light airiness of the cold breeze surrounding her made her feel as if she were levitating. There was a crackling in her head like falling frozen tree limbs, then her mouth opened and a piercing shriek ripped from her throat.
“Damn it!” Tommy shouted, his hand flying to his ears as his knees buckled beneath him.
The rest of men in the circle dropped to the ground, too. Rachel felt drained. She tried to focus her fuzzy vision on Tommy as he rose to his feet and closed the gap between them.
He raised his fist. “Fucking bitch.” His hands were misshapen and clawed. To surreal to be real.
A growl tore form his lips, and he shoved her. She slammed into something solid and two strong arms wrapped around her chest. She vaguely recognized the voice. Max. Her champion. It was two against a dozen.
“There’s too many,” she said. “Too many.”
“Don’t worry about them.” She heard ruffling as if someone shook out a sheet, and then Max said, “Hold on, Rachel.”
Before she could even wonder what he meant, the ground was ten feet below her and her feet dangled in the air. She looked down and saw twinkling Christmas lights, glittery mounds of snow, and itty bitty houses. Despite the odd view, she felt safe and protected.
That was her last thought before she passed out.
* * *
Max cradled Rachel in his arms. When she’d screamed, the noise had nearly burst his ear drums and froze him in place. After he could move again, he’d bolted right into the thick of it to save her. Halfway to his rental cabin near the lake, she’d passed out.