by Zoe Chant
Angel frowned. “Didn’t you say your family wanted to arrive tomorrow?”
Jonathan shrugged. “From what Maya told me, at least. They’d planned to stay with her and Vincent tonight.”
Angel tilted her head, amused when she could hear the by now familiar voice of Jonathan’s mother outside.
She’d never known a person as energetic and spontaneous as Jonathan’s mother. She was tiny—at least a foot smaller than her son—but entered any room with the force of a whirlwind.
Being around Jonathan’s family was never boring. Which was a blessing, because Angel hadn’t ever felt awkward, even for a second, about not being a shifter at one of the family gatherings.
A moment later, their doorbell rang as if on command.
Jonathan shook his head, laughing. “At least they waited until we finished decorating.”
Angel bit back a smile. The floor was still covered in empty boxes—but maybe the bright tree would distract from the chaos.
“I guess we’d better let them in, before someone tries to use their dragon powers again,” she said cheerfully.
Jonathan hesitated by her side instead of hurrying for the door. “Ready for the holidays? If it becomes too much, just say the word and I’ll tell them to go take over Maya’s home again.”
At Jonathan’s throat, his dragon’s heart stone shone with a soft, gentle light. Outside, snow was falling again. Angel could see it start to pile up outside the window.
The music they’d put on while decorating the tree was still playing.
“To face unafraid the plans that we’ve made, walking in a winter wonderland...”
A woman’s voice sang the verse with cheerful longing, her voice smoky and warm.
“No,” Angel said, giving Jonathan a loving look. “You know I like them. And is it really the holidays without family around to drive you a little crazy?”
The doorbell rang again, and Jonathan chuckled.
He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her, his heart stone pulsing between them. From the corner of her eye, she could see the snow start falling more heavily.
“Hey!” Vincent shouted dimly from outside the door. “We know you’re there! Stop trying to turn us into ice statues!”
They were both laughing by the time Jonathan pulled back.
“Let them in,” Angel said, nodding towards the door. She couldn’t stop smiling.
There’d be time enough for evenings in front of the fire, just the two of them. A lifetime of it.
But today the house would be filled with music, laughter and excited voices. Today, she’d see Jonathan smile, reunited with his family.
Through the mate bond, she felt the warmth that filled his heart down to the last corner.
No more guilt. No more loneliness.
And while the snow kept falling outside, there was no more ice in her ice dragon’s heart.
From now on, winter would be a season of warmth and light—and all the love in the world.
Exactly how it had always been meant to be.
***
A note from Zoe Chant
Thank you for buying my book! I hope you enjoyed it. If you’d like to be emailed when I release new books, please click here to be added to my mailing list. You can also visit my webpage, or follow me on Facebook or Twitter. You are also invited to join my VIP Readers Group on Facebook!
Please consider reviewing The Christmas Dragon’s Love, even if you only write a line or two. I appreciate all reviews, whether positive or negative.
And keep paging through to read a special sneak preview of The Christmas Dragon’s Mate, the first book in this series.
***
More Paranormal Romance by Zoe Chant
The Christmas Dragon’s Mate. (Christmas Valley Shifters #1). A lonely bookkeeper in search of Christmas + a mysterious dragon shifter with a past full of pain + a beautiful snow castle hiding a ruthless enemy = one glittering Christmas romance!
The Christmas Dragon’s Heart. (Christmas Valley Shifters #2). A curvy hotel manager longing for a real home + a broken fire dragon shifter who hates Christmas + a lost dragon hoard = a magical Christmas romance!
Tropical Christmas Stag. (Shifting Sands Resort #7). She can bring music to his silent heart. He can make her sing.
The Bear Comes Home For Christmas. A curvy woman who's alone at Christmas + a hard-working bear shifter who needs to get in touch with his animal side + a cozy cabin in the middle of nowhere = a red-hot holiday romance!
A Snow Leopards' Christmas. (Glacier Leopards #6). Christmas is coming, and everything is going wrong...
A Mate for the Christmas Dragon. Jasper has five days to win his mate’s heart. Luckily, it’s Christmas, the most wonderful time of the year. Unluckily... his mate hates the holidays.
A Pinerock Bear Christmas. (Bears of Pinerock County #6). At Christmastime, anything is possible...
Mated to the Storm Dragon. (Elemental Mates #1). A curvy artist down on her luck + a dragon shifter running out of time + a powerful enemy with an ancient grudge = a romance as hot as dragon fire!
Mated to the Earth Dragon. (Elemental Mates #2). He's a powerful dragon shifter hunting a dangerous enemy. She's just hoping for a relaxing vacation. Only their love can save the world...
Mated to the Ocean Dragon. (Elemental Mates #3). As the last of the three elemental dragons to find his mate, ocean dragon Timothy is racing a clock, trying to find his mate before the enemy dragons find her first, and destroy the world—along with his chance at happiness.
Destined for the Dragon. (Lost Dragons #3) A dragon without a memory + a dragon hunter who’s beginning to doubt her mission = one breathtaking romance!
DefenderDragon. (Protection, Inc. # 2). A curvy backpacker who loses a shoe at a ball + a lonely dragon prince facing an arranged marriage to a princess he doesn’t love + magnificent castles and deadly assassins = one thrilling romance!
Bear Cop. (Enforcer Bears #1). A curvy baker with a troubled past + a protective bear shifter cop with a secret of his own + an accident that leaves them stranded in the wilderness = one untamed romance!
The Easter Bunny's Bear. A BBW bunny shifter with a pony farm + a lonely bear shifter hunting a dangerous werewolf + a criminal werewolf pack causing trouble = one steamy springtime romance!
And many more!
Zoe on Audio
Dancing Bearfoot – Audiobook - A single dad from the city + his daughter's BBW teacher + a surprise snow storm = a steamy story that will melt your heart.
KodiakMoment – Audiobook - Workaholic wildlife photographer + loner bear shifter + Alaskan wilderness = one warming and sensual story.
HeroBear - Audiobook - A wounded Marine who lost his bear + a BBW physical therapist with a secret + a small town full of gossips = a hot and healing romance!
***
Zoe Chant writing as Lia Silver
Laura’s Wolf (Werewolf Marines # 1), by Lia Silver. Werewolf Marine Roy Farrell, scarred in body and mind, thinks he has no future. Curvy con artist Laura Kaplan, running from danger and her own guilt, is desperate to escape her past. Together, they have all that they need to heal.
Prisoner (Werewolf Marines # 2), by Lia Silver. Werewolf Marine DJ Torres is a born rebel. Genetically engineered assassin Echo was created to be a weapon. When DJ is captured by the agency that made Echo, the two misfits find that they fit together perfectly.
Partner (Werewolf Marines # 3), by Lia Silver. DJ and Echo’s relationship grows stronger under fire... until they are confronted by a terrible choice.
Mated to the Meerkat, by Lia Silver. Jasmine Jones, a curvy tabloid reporter, meets her match in notorious paparazzi and secret shifter Chance Marcotte.
Zoe Chant writing as Lauren Esker
Handcuffed to the Bear (Shifter Agents # 1), by Lauren Esker. A bear-shifter ex-mercenary and a curvy lynx shifter searching for her best friend's killer are handcuffed together and hunted in the wilderness. Can they learn to rely on each other before their pa
sts, and their pursuers, catch up with them?
Guard Wolf (Shifter Agents # 2), by Lauren Esker. Avery is a lone werewolf with no pack; Nicole is a social worker trying to put her life back together. When he comes to her door with a box of orphan werewolf puppies and danger in pursuit, can two lonely people find the family they've been missing?
Dragon’s Luck (Shifter Agents # 3) by Lauren Esker. Gecko shifter and infiltration expert Jen Cho teams up with sexy dragon-shifter gambler "Lucky" Lucado to win a high-stakes poker game. Now they're trapped on a cruise ship full of mobsters, mysterious enemy agents, and evil dragons!
Tiger in the Hot Zone (Shifter Agents # 4) by Lauren Esker. In her search for the truth about shifters, tell-all blogger Peri Moreland has been clashing with tiger shifter and SCB agent Noah Easton for years. Now she and Noah are on the run with an unstoppable assassin after them and a custom-made plague threatening the entire shifter world!
Keeping Her Pride (Ladies of the Pack # 1), by Lauren Esker. Down-and-out lioness shifter Debi Fallon never meant to fall in love with a human. Sexy architect and single dad Fletcher Briggs has his hands full with his adorable 4-year-old... who turns into a tiny, deadly snake. Can two ambitious people overcome their pride and prejudice enough to realize the only thing missing from their lives is each other?
Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing, by Lauren Esker. Curvy farm girl Julie Capshaw was warned away from the wolf shifters next door, but Damon Wolfe is the motorcycle-riding, smoking hot alpha of her dreams. Can the big bad wolf and his sheep shifter find their own happy ending?
***
The Christmas Dragon’s Mate
By Zoe Chant
Special Sneak Preview
Her smile widened a little. “Dara Jenkins, nice to meet you,” she murmured. Then, slowly, she began to frown, as though her memories were catching up with her.
“The snow castle... it was all real then? The castle... the storm...” Suddenly she gasped, her eyes widening. “The dragon! You are... you are the dragon?”
For a moment, Henrik was taken aback. He hadn’t expected that.
She wasn’t a shifter herself—he would have been able to sense that. To ordinary people he was either invisible in his dragon form, or else they immediately forgot what they’d seen. It was an old defense mechanism, designed to keep dragons from harm.
But... Dara had seen him. And she had remembered him.
For one heartbeat, their eyes met. Henrik felt lost, as though he was falling into his mate’s eyes. Was this what it was like to meet his match? Someone who’d simply know him?
“Are you... a shifter?” Dara struggled to sit up. “It’s okay—my best friend is married to a shifter. But he’s—you know. A dog. Golden retriever. Likes to roll around on the floor and play fetch with the children. He didn’t tell me there were dragons!”
Henrik laughed softly. She had taken him by surprise—but it was a relief that she knew. He wasn’t quite sure how he’d expected this conversation to go, but definitely not like this.
“It’s a bit of a secret,” he said. “Even among shifters. I can’t believe someone told you that shifters exist at all, though; we’re all very secretive!”
Dara’s lips twitched. “I take it you’ve never met a golden retriever. They’re sweet, good-natured dogs. I’d trust them with my own children in a heartbeat. But never trust them with a secret.”
Henrik laughed again. “Well, I’ll remember that. Thanks for the advice!”
“You’re welcome.” Dara gave him an amused smile, then pushed away the covers—or at least tried to.
Hastily, Henrik reached out to steady her. “Not so fast! You almost froze to death in that storm. Please, stay in bed a while. Let’s take it slowly. I’ll go and fetch you some hot chocolate, how does that sound?”
“Or... a coffee?” Dara said pleadingly.
Henrik inclined his head, trying to hide his smile and not quite succeeding. “Whatever you desire.”
When he returned with a steaming mug, Dara was still in bed, though she had propped herself up against the pillows. She looked more awake now, and no longer quite as exhausted.
“A gingerbread latte,” Henrik said proudly as he handed over the concoction.
“Very seasonal!” Dara grinned at him, her cheeks flushing when their hands brushed for a moment.
If she knew about shifters—did she also know about mates?
Maybe it’s not the first thing I should spring on her. It’s probably bad manners to spring it on someone who can’t even stand yet.
Let’s show our mate our land first, the dragon within him whispered with all its possessive pride.
“Thanks,” Henrik said, a little belatedly. “These things are all the rage right now, or so I’ve been told. The people in the valley slip these things into my deliveries. I have gingerbread and pumpkin spice syrup. And an iPhone. And a CD from someone called, um... Taylor Swift? I think it’s their way of trying to get me to stay connected with the world.”
Dara sipped her coffee as she studied him. “You don’t get out much? Is it because the snow makes it impossible to drive? No, of course not—you’re a dragon, you can fly,” she corrected herself.
“The storm is my doing. Sorry.” Henrik grimaced. “It’s designed to keep intruders away. We dragons have a certain connection to the land we’ve claimed as ours. So whenever someone comes close, the snow and wind starts up, and people turn around and leave. The people from the village just leave my deliveries at the gate. I don’t get any visitors—well, my uncle visits sometimes, but then he’s a shifter too, and the land recognizes him as family.”
“Wow,” Dara breathed, her eyes gleaming at him. “I’m sorry, but this is so much better than getting drooled on by a dog shifter. You people got all the cool stuff, huh?”
A surprised laugh escaped Henrik. “I’m glad you think so! Most people would be scared, I think.”
“Well, if you wanted to eat me, you could have already done that.” Again, Dara blushed when their eyes met. “And I’m not scared of you. You saved me. And your dragon was beautiful! I’ve never seen anything like it!”
The dragon inside Henrik was preening at the praise, already filled with a possessive pride, now that they had found their mate.
“You haven’t seen anything yet,” Henrik promised. Exhilaration spread through him.
He’d been alone for twenty long years. No visitors. No tourists.
But all of a sudden, he couldn’t wait to show his mate his home and watch her fill it with her life.
An hour later, after she’d eaten some soup he’d heated and a sandwich he had prepared, Dara declared herself fully recovered and ready to get out of bed. Now, wrapped in her warm parka once more, she was staring with wide eyes as they walked together through the corridors of his home.
“It’s not an actual, real castle,” Henrik explained as they walked. “My great-great-grandparents settled here long ago. We always had a large family home—it’s a dragon thing, we’re very proud and protective of what is ours. But it wasn’t a castle—just your average dragon clan mansion.”
“Average mansion,” Dara said in a strangled voice as she looked down a large, winding staircase that led down to the first floor. The walls were decorated with paintings and old tapestries. Henrik had switched on the light, and all the chandeliers were glittering and gleaming. The sound of their steps echoed through the hallway as they walked.
Henrik looked sheepish. “For a dragon this is actually quite modest,” he said. “Anyway, it was my dad’s idea to transform it into what you see now. He added the castle part you see when you enter through the gate. It’s really just two towers, and then a stone front to make it seem like it’s a real castle. Because that was his idea, you see: people down in the valley were struggling to make a living up here. And we dragons always take good care of our land, and those who live on it. So instead of logging and hunting and mining, the valley transformed into Christmas Valley, and our home into Snow Castle. You
should have seen it—it was magical. Every winter when I was a child, there were hundreds of families coming here for a holiday. I had snowball fights with the children in the courtyard. We built snowmen. We spent hours playing in the snow castle—the actual snow castle! Everyone who came here was happy. And the valley thrived.”
“And now... now everything is empty.” Dara stopped, looking at the large room they had reached.
It had once been a ballroom. Dimly, Henrik could still hear the laughter as people twirled through the room to the sound of music, the tinkling of glasses and the cheers.
Now, dust was dancing in the air as he drew back a curtain. The balcony outside was covered in snow. Inside, the furniture was covered beneath sheets. Dara’s voice echoed eerily through the vast space.
His chest ached all of a sudden. It was empty. Too empty. This place should have been filled with life and laughter.
How could we let it come so far? his dragon whispered. We should take better care of what is ours... this is a jewel to show off, not something to hide.
Henrik swallowed. He’d had his reasons. At the time, he hadn’t seen any other way than to hide here with his pain. The solitude was the price he’d paid for what had happened.
But now that Dara had whirled into his life, all curious and bright-eyed as she explored, he could feel doubt well up in him.
Perhaps this place shouldn’t be locked away. Perhaps he did not need the loneliness. Why else would fate have sent his mate to him here?
“My parents died twenty years ago. It was... an accident.” Henrik swallowed heavily. “At the time, closing everything down seemed like the best idea.”
“I’m sorry,” Dara said quietly. Her hand touched his arm. “That must have been very hard for you. And this place must hold so many memories...”
For a moment, Dara was silent.