It was still snowing gently when they stepped through an arch that had appeared at the end of the snow corridor.

Jonathan had expected another corridor leading them deeper into the maze—but instead, it seemed that the girl’s instruction had led them to a dead end.

But what a dead end it was.

Before them spread a small square, surrounded by walls of ice on every side. In the light of the gentle winter sun, the ice sparkled and gleamed.

And at the center of the tiny square, someone had carved an angel out of ice.

No, Jonathan then realized. This hadn’t been the work of human hands.

This was the work of a dragon. Henrik himself must have created the statue out of ice.

The angel was perfect down to the last, tiniest detail. Long strands of hair draped her body, looking as soft as silk. At her back, glorious wings spread, every single feather perfectly formed.

And in her hand, she held a bowl of ice. It was filled with an assortment of seeds and nuts. As they walked closer, they saw that a tiny bird was sitting in the bowl, pecking at the seeds.

Their approach made it take flight in alarm, although it didn’t fly far. It landed on the tip of the angel’s wing, chirping in reproach at them as it watched them suspiciously.

“Sorry,” Angel said, laughing. “Go on, get those seeds before your friends arrive.”

With another suspicious chirp, the bird hopped a little closer. Its head turned back and forth.

Then it spread its wings, taking flight again to circle the statue once before returning to land on the rim of the bowl.

Still keeping an eye on them, the tiny bird began to peck at the seeds once more, gorging itself on the feast someone must have prepared for it.

The snow had stopped falling, Jonathan realized all of a sudden. A moment later, the sun suddenly gained in intensity, as if a cloud had moved past it. Sunlight made the angel gleam, the light reflecting off the ice walls all around them until it felt as if they were standing in a room made out of crystal and light.

“It’s beautiful,” Angel said softly, raising one of her hands to shield her eyes from the light as she looked at the statue. “Everything here is so peaceful.”

Jonathan took a deep breath. Angel was right. Everything here felt perfect.

He could feel the touch of Henrik and his mate in everything, down to the smallest details of the Snow Castle. They’d created a real home here. A beautiful place that suddenly called up a yearning in him that he’d thought long past.

A yearning for those simple days of his childhood, the magic of the holidays, the excitement of waiting for the presents Santa would bring.

As a child, everything had been so easy. But then he’d grown up. He hadn’t felt this magic in a long time. He hadn’t thought that he’d deserve to feel like this ever again, after what he’d done.

But then Angel had appeared. And she hadn’t only woken him from his slumber, she’d also brought back the magic. The joy was spreading through his heart even now.

“Out here, everything feels so simple. Like all the things I used to worry about don’t really matter,” she said.

Angel took a deep breath.

He watched as she tilted back her head, smiling at the winter sun shining down on them. Then she turned back towards him, nodding towards a bench that stood near the ice wall, facing the sculpture of the angel.

“Want to sit down with me?”

It was easy to simply nod and follow her. It felt like the most natural thing in the world to wrap his arm around her shoulder and feel her snuggle up against him.

She felt right in his arms. As if they were both exactly where they were meant to be.

Which they were, of course, because they were mates.

If only he’d be able to forget about the past. About the terrible disappointment he was. Even now, he couldn’t help but feel the stab of guilt in his heart.

He shouldn’t be here. Not after what he’d done. He’d made a deal, after all...

“Now I freely admit I don’t know anything about dragons,” she said softly, “but I know they don’t hibernate. And you were just about to tell me what happened back then when that wolf interrupted us.”

Jonathan took a deep breath. He kept looking at the statue of the angel, gleaming in the sunlight.

His dragon was at peace. Surrounded by snow and ice, his dragon was in his element. Little by little, he was regaining the power that had been drained during their long sleep.

It was Christmas, his favorite time of the year. His mate was by his side. They were staying in a beautiful winter resort. It couldn’t be more perfect.

And he knew that he didn’t deserve any of this happiness.

“You said you ruined someone’s life,” she said. “That doesn’t sound like you. I haven’t known you long—but you risked your own life for a dog.”

Jonathan swallowed. Even now, he couldn’t forget the expression on his sister’s face.

“My sister, Maya,” he said. “She found her mate. Another dragon shifter—from one of the oldest and proudest lines. And one of the richest. One of the few families left that hold on to old traditions.”

“Like what?” Angel asked.

“Like an elaborate wedding gift. My father emptied our family’s hoard, sending boxes of gold and diamonds and rubies to Vincent’s father. He was her intended—a good guy, for all that he came from that strict family. I never doubted that he loved her with all his heart.”

“And then? It wasn’t enough?”

Jonathan shook his head. “It was enough—just barely. In return, the gift they sent our family was one of the largest diamonds in existence. A thousand years ago, it was worn by a king. One of Vincent’s forebears won a battle against that king and his knights, and ever since then, that diamond was a part of their family’s hoard. You can’t imagine how great an honor it was to have them entrust us with that jewel. And while my sister and Vincent were busy planning their dream wedding, my father set me the task of guarding our hoard. I stayed in our cave day and night, sleeping in the entrance. No one could have made it past me without waking me. In fact, I was feeling pretty lucky that I missed out on all the drama of where to seat which guest and which wines to choose.”

“So where did it go wrong? Did Vincent’s family call the wedding off after all?” Angel asked curiously.

“No. It went ahead as planned. Until the day of the wedding. My sister was supposed to wear that diamond. Meanwhile Vincent would wear some of the jewelry our family had gifted them. Only the diamond was gone.”

Even now, the memory of following his father into the cave he had guarded day and night made his heart clench with horror and shame.

The diamond had rested in a place of honor, right at the center of the sparse pile of gold that had remained after they’d sent Vincent’s family most of their jewelry as a gift.

Only on that day, the golden box that had held the huge diamond was empty.

Angel frowned. “It was just—gone? But how? Did someone sneak past you?”

“Neither shifter nor human could sneak past a dragon guarding his hoard. I would have sensed them.” Jonathan smiled bitterly. “It’s impossible. Our hoard is a part of us. We’d guard it with our life. And of course, once it all came out, Vincent’s family accused me of stealing it. It makes sense, of course. Either I’m a traitor with no honor who stole from my own family, or I’m a dragon so lazy and weak that I’d let someone steal one of the world’s largest diamonds right from under me. Either way, it meant that my family was done in dragon society.”

A horrified look spread over Angel’s face. “But what about your sister and Vincent? Weren’t they mates?”

“His family didn’t care,” Jonathan said bitterly. “Vincent’s father is very traditional and strict. He didn’t want my dishonor to taint his family’s name. Of course, Vincent loved Maya—more than he loved his father’s fortune. They planned to run away together and start over somewhere new. Which obviously would have meant even more scandal for Vincent’s father. So when he found out about what they’d planned, he offered me a deal. Accept the shame and dishonor of having failed to guard my family’s hoard, and retreat into the ice.”

Angel reached out for his hand, entwining their fingers. Gratefully, Jonathan felt a gentle warmth spread through him once more, banishing the ice that had surrounded his heart for so long.

“That’s horrible,” she said. “And heartless. He asked you to turn into ice, in return for letting your sister marry his son? What an absolute bastard. I hope your sister told him to stick his diamonds where the sun doesn’t shine!”

Silently, Jonathan shook his head. “She doesn’t know,” he admitted after a pause. “No one else knows. That was part of our deal. I leave. I accept all the blame and all the shame. It seemed a small price to pay for my sister’s happiness. And my family’s honor. Especially since it was my fault. I didn’t steal that diamond—which meant that someone stole it while I guarded it. And a dragon who cannot defend his own hoard is better off dead.”

“Nonsense,” she said firmly. “Who cares about some stupid diamond? Or an asshole dad who cares more about money than his own son?”

“Some do,” Jonathan said softly. “Not me. Believe me.”

Angel tilted her head at him. “That’s right... I’m not only out of diamonds to offer your family, I’m not even a shifter.”

“But you are my mate. And you’re funny and smart and brave. And breathtakingly gorgeous.”

Even now, when it felt as if he’d just ripped his own heart out of his chest to show her all the ugly, dark scars his past had left on it, he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

Her hair gleamed, the sunlight giving it a sheen of warm chestnut. A few snowflakes were still lingering on the tight curls.

Her brown eyes were dark and soft as she gazed at him, her mouth still set with determination, as if she was ready to go and tell Vincent’s dad what she thought of him.

And she probably would, Jonathan realized. As much as Angel was down on herself, he’d never seen her hesitate even once when something concerned the people—or pets—she loved.

She’d charged straight into a blizzard for a lost dog. He didn’t doubt that she’d also charge straight at one of the richest and most powerful dragons in the world to defend his own honor.

The thought made Jonathan smile. It was a welcome relief from the weight he was carrying on his shoulders.

He hadn’t even realized just how much of a weight it was—but now Angel knew, and she didn’t seem to care that he was the lowest of the low, at least in dragon society.

A dragon who can’t guard his own hoard is the sort of dragon who wouldn’t defend his own mate.

At least that was what his grandpa used to say. Jonathan could still hear him say it, pressing a small, golden coin into his hand every time Jonathan came to visit, teaching him how to build his own hoard.

Of course, it had been easier as a child. It had all seemed like a game.

He’d thought that he’d have to defend his treasures against human knights with shining swords and lances. Then he grew older and realized that those kings and knights only existed in stories these days, and that humans had forgotten that dragons were real.

But his grandpa had taught him well. Even now, looking at his mate, Jonathan couldn’t help but feel the ever-present worry that one day soon, he’d fail again.

And what if the next time, his failure wouldn’t cost him a diamond, but his mate’s life?

“The only thing of value my mom ever owned was her wedding ring,” Angel said wistfully. “And even that was a cheap one, as wedding rings go.”

“But she loved your dad?” he asked.

Angel nodded, some of the worry leaving her face as she relaxed. “It wasn’t always easy for them. We always had to worry about money a lot when I was smaller. Now they’re doing sort of okay. But even when they argued every now and then, they always made it through. They’re the sort of couple who are also best friends.”

“That’s what counts,” Jonathan said. “Tradition is all very well—but not if it comes at the cost of your child’s happiness. Believe me, I’ve learned that lesson well. I’ve been asleep in the ice for ten years. And it wasn’t a diamond that woke me. It was you. You, just as you are.”

A reluctant smile spread on Angel’s face as he watched her. Instead of talking, she tightened her fingers around his, and he felt a new wave of heat rise inside him.

“This is going to sound silly,” she said, “but in a way, I feel the same. Like I was asleep before, life slipping away from me. I tried to follow my dreams and it didn’t work out. I was so low I was ready to settle on a safe, boring career, hoping that maybe I could find a safe, boring man, just so that I wouldn’t feel like a failure anymore.”

“Nothing about me is safe,” he said, his voice rough.

“And nothing about you is boring.” She leaned forward, her eyes gleaming at him.

At that moment, she seemed like the most alive thing he’d ever laid eyes on—all heat and warm, pulsing blood, the opposite of those wasted years trapped in the ice. She was beautifully, gloriously alive—and his body was aching to make her his.

His mate. Now and forever.