By the time they returned to Snow Castle, the sun was already low in the sky. To their relief, Clara and Mona were still there, currently decorating cookies for Dara, who’d left to tuck Leo into bed.

“We’re leaving tomorrow, first thing in the morning,” Clara announced. “Sorry, but we really have to.”

“No rest for the wicked.” Mona grinned. “And we had to make up a family emergency to cover our sudden escape from the press junket. I haven’t dared to check the celebrity gossip sites yet to see what they’ve come up with.”

“I guess we did lose a dog and have a house nearly destroyed,” Clara said. “We’ll just leave out the bit where our dog Diego turned out to be a known criminal called Sean.”

“Ugh.” Mona shook herself. “That’s it. No more strays for us. Maybe next time, we could just let Lola choose...”

“Lola liked that bastard,” Clara said wryly. “What if she picks another criminal?”

"What if you pick another criminal?" Mona gave Clara a pointed look.

A heartbeat later, the door opened, and in raced a tiny puppy, yapping happily as Lola followed behind.

"Stop! Not so fast!" Sarah gasped when she came in through the door, trying to grab hold of Lola's leash again.

"Oh! You're all here—I'm so sorry. Lola made a new friend, and then I couldn't figure out who the puppy belonged to, and a second later it was racing off, and Lola following—"

Sarah was still panting, and Angel had to bite back a smile as she watched Lola's latest dog-sitter try to grab the leash again—and fail when Lola jumped forward to race after the puppy once more.

Hastily, Jonathan closed the door just in time, so that the dogs were trapped inside with them.

"Lola, sweetheart—look what I've got!" Angel pulled the little bag with treats from her pocket, making them rattle.

Lola paid her no attention. Instead, she nudged the little puppy, which had finally stopped running, with her nose. The puppy flopped down on the floor in response. With a blissful expression, Lola began to lick the puppy's face.

"Seems as if Lola's made the decision for us," Mona said and laughed. "Though a puppy as adorable as that will have a home, Lola. I don't think we can keep it."

"We're definitely not keeping that puppy," Clara said immediately, her voice sounding strangely tight.

"But isn't it adorable?" Mona gave the old spaniel a loving look. "At least this time it's not a criminal out to rob us. Look at how cute they are together."

"It's not a criminal, no," Clara said slowly. She shook her head. She looked as if she couldn’t decide whether to laugh or cry. "Lola, where the hell did you find him? And where are his parents?"

A moment later, the door was flung open, and a teenaged boy stumbled in, looking completely out of breath.

"Damn it, Ethan," he gasped. "Just wait until I tell Mom about this!"

"Ethan?" Angel frowned. Then she looked at the puppy again. “Wait—do you mean—"

All of a sudden, Lola sat up with a confused bark. And where a moment ago, the puppy had been, a child was crouching. It was a boy, no older than five or six, with unruly black hair and a wide grin on his face.

"You aren’t supposed to shift and run without me!" the teenager said.

"You're too slow." The child stuck out his tongue. "Catch me!"

Then he shifted again, racing straight between Mona's legs and through the open door out of the kitchen.

Barking excitedly, Lola rushed after him—and Sarah, the dog-sitter, threw herself after the trailing leash, only to miss it by a hair's breadth.

"Oh no," Sarah moaned. "Sorry, I'll catch her. Don't worry!"

"I hate children," the teenaged boy said glumly. Then he shifted too, his clothes pooling on the floor as he joined the hunt in the shape of a Border collie.

A moment later, the kitchen was silent again.

Angel looked at Jonathan, then at Mona, who looked just as shocked as she did.

"I think," Clara said dryly, "we've just decided that no matter what, we'll definitely not let Lola decide."

"You could have warned me," Mona said. "What the hell just happened? Are you telling me that our Lola kidnapped a child?"

"I think you'll find that the child kidnapped our Lola," Clara pointed out.

"As if that's going to make a difference to a judge."

Angel smiled as she watched the couple playfully argue.

Despite their glamorous life that involved constantly jetting from one corner of the globe to the next to advertise their latest movie, Angel recognized something familiar in the way they interacted.

They communicated wordlessly with a single glance or a touch. And they always seemed to know what the other was doing or thinking.

Even now, Angel could feel the fragile beginning of a similar connection between herself and Jonathan.

The mate bond.

What would it feel like to be truly mated? To carry that connection with her forever, a bond as strong as diamond? To know that he’d always have her back—and to know that there were uncounted winters to come, during which they’d decorate cookies together, haul in a tree, and spend evenings in front of a fire sipping eggnog?

“Hey. You all right?” Jonathan’s hand gently slid up her arm, his fingers warm even through her comfy sweater.

“I couldn’t be better,” she said, leaning against him for a moment.

Angel smiled as she looked at the cookies he’d painstakingly decorated. There were the usual stars and trees—but there were also lots of dragons.

Angel decided then and there that they’d have to invest in dragon-shaped cookie cutters as well before the next winter.

Jonathan had been creative with the colored icing and sugar pearls. There were red dragons, blue dragons, rainbow dragons.

And there was one dragon he’d covered all over with simple white icing, decorating it with white and silver sugar pearls.

“It’s always the same. Never any wolf cookies,” Clara complained with a smile.

Angel laughed and quickly grabbed the ice dragon cookie before anyone else could reach for it.

“I bet you can find wolf cookie cutters online somewhere.” Angel tilted the cookie dragon, admiring the way the sugary pearls glinted in the light. “Anyway, this one is mine.”

“I made it for you,” Jonathan said, laughing softly. “And there’s a fire dragon for Leo.”

“It’s almost too pretty to eat.” Angel kept admiring her edible ice dragon. “A pity it wouldn’t keep.”

“Go ahead, try it. We’ve got enough cookies to last until Christmas now.” Jonathan leaned closer until he could whisper into her ear. “I’d rather taste something much sweeter myself...”

Angel felt heat rush to her face, glad all of a sudden that her skin hid her reaction.

Even so, Clara and Mona gave them a knowing look.

“I think we can finish off the cookies for tomorrow on our own,” Clara said helpfully.

“Just in case you two would like a stroll through the snow, or something.” Mona’s look made it all too obvious that she knew just what the something was that was on Angel’s mind.

***

Only a few minutes of cleaning later, Angel allowed Jonathan to pull her out of the kitchen.

Even now, when she’d spent all day by Jonathan’s side, their hands and shoulders brushing as they worked on decorating the cookies for tomorrow’s party, she still felt that constant ache for his touch.

Now that she knew what it felt like to fall asleep in his arms, to wake by his side, to have those powerful hands explore her body with such tenderness, she couldn’t help but want more of it. No matter how many nights they spent together, something inside her kept yearning for more.

Even now, with the connection between them still so fragile, she could feel the distant thrum of his own desire. Like a flash of lightning illuminating the sky, it brought with it a sudden vision: his hand sliding down her side as she arched, his tongue circling a nipple, the way his strong body tensed all over when he finally slid inside her...

She almost gasped out loud there in the corridor, then swallowed thickly. Was that her own subconscious teasing her—or had she caught a glimpse of Jonathan’s thoughts?

Does it even matter at this point?

They both wanted the same thing. She was barely able to keep her hands off him, but even though they were in the private part of the Snow Castle that was off-limits to guests, she forced herself to walk steadily by Jonathan’s side.

This is ridiculous. I’m not a teenager anymore.

Of course, even as a teenager, she hadn’t ever wanted anyone or anything with such desperate need.

Jonathan was the best thing that had ever walked into her life, and her heart knew that she’d have to be an utter fool to let him go.

She sneaked a small look at him.

Jonathan looked flushed. Against his pale blond hair, she could definitely make out the heat that warmed his skin.

Jonathan wanted the same thing she did. Which wasn’t just the sex—although the sex was mind-blowingly good.

If we both want the same thing anyway, then why not put an end to all this yearning?

By the time they stumbled into their bedroom, she could barely focus on anything but the way her body ached for his touch. She was wet even now, from nothing but the thought of him touching her. Her entire body was on fire with need.

“So, when you told me about what it would take for the mate bond,” she murmured.

Jonathan, who’d just turned around to close the door, nearly dropped the little basket of cookies they’d taken with them.

“Yes?” he asked, his voice rough as he looked at her from eyes that had gone dark with need.

Angel felt a smile tug on her lips. “I think I’m tired of waiting. I want you—now. I love the house, crazy turrets and weird butter churning collection and all—but I’d love you even if we had to spend the rest of our lives in a little mountain hut.”

“Really?” he said teasingly as he slowly came closer. “Because I know that I, for one, am really looking forward to a house with central heating. Anything that’s not a cave, really.”

She tilted her head at him. “And if I told you that I’ve always wanted to live in a cave?”

He was close enough now that he could rest his hands on her hips, then slide them slowly upwards, lifting her sweater.

“Then I think you’d change your mind after a day or two,” he said huskily. “Because as much as I love the beauty of the ice, there are definitely times when all I want is a soft, warm bed.”

He pulled off her sweater, then took a step forward. She took a step back, swallowing as his hands kept sliding up her back, finding and opening the small hooks of her bra.

Her nipples were already tight and aching when he pulled it off. She took another step back as he moved further forward—and then the back of her knees hit the bed.

With a gasp, she felt herself fall backward onto it.

Not losing a single second, Jonathan came after her, one of his hands to each side of her face as he kissed her.

Her heart was racing in her chest. She wanted him so much it was difficult to breathe. She was nearly dizzy with need, her heart thudding faster and faster, as if something inside her wanted to break free.

Dimly, she could hear something echo her heartbeat, like a distant drum.

Is that Jonathan’s heartbeat...?

Then he released her mouth to kiss his way down her breasts, and she forgot all thought. He took his time as he teased her, his tongue circling her nipples until she was gasping, his hands cupping her full breasts.

She squirmed beneath him, her panties already soaked—and at long last, he stopped teasing her.

Instead, he pulled down her pants, discarding them together with her panties on the floor.

Breathless, Angel used the moment to move further up onto the bed. When she looked up again, Jonathan was getting rid of his own clothes, flinging his shirt onto a chair.

Her mouth went dry as she watched the flexing of his powerful arms. The thudding of her heart was even louder now. Her need was a tight coil inside her, her inner walls already throbbing, remembering what it was like to feel him inside her.

And then, at last, he stripped off his trousers as well.

He was hard, and the sight of him took her breath away. He looked beautiful in the golden afternoon sun that fell in through the window. It glinted on his pale hair, his muscles shimmering with a light sheen of perspiration. Every ridge and muscle of his body was shown in sharp relief, like an ancient warrior hewn from marble.

But he wasn’t cold stone. He wasn’t ice—not anymore.

Right now, her dragon warrior ran as hot as dragon fire, and when he came towards her, her need for him was so intense it felt like a sharp pain.

“Claim me,” Angel said as she held out her hand.

She laughed softly as he took hold of it, then pulled him closer until he landed next to her on the bed.

The next moment, he had rolled them over. His hand ran down her body, his fingers finding her wet folds.

She gasped when he parted them, then ran his slick fingers back up to find her swollen clit.

“Impatient,” he murmured against her ear. She could feel him smiling.

She wanted to reply, but then he flicked the pad of a finger lightly against her clit, and instead she found herself crying out instead.

He kissed her again as his finger gently caressed her. Overwhelmed, she buried her hands in his hair, holding him close as she writhed beneath him.

No one had ever driven her wild as he had. With his wet fingers, he kept stroking her slowly, driving her higher and higher, then releasing her clit to slip inside her.

Breathlessly, she arched against him, her inner walls trembling around his finger.

Again he pulled out, teasing her again, her wetness clinging to his fingers. His mouth released her lips, slowly kissing his way down again while he caressed her, circling her clit again and again.

His tongue found her aching nipple. Suddenly she found that the wave of need she’d ridden was building higher and higher, carrying her further and further—and then, at last, it crashed.

Her climax came flooding through her with the force of a storm, carrying her away. She could hear herself gasping his name even as her body pulsed in ecstasy, again and again and again.

His finger was still on her, teasing her even through her climax. He didn’t even give her time to recover before he moved further down, at last taking his hand away—but only to replace it with his mouth.

Where his fingers had been demanding, his mouth was relentless. While she was still shuddering, his tongue found her oversensitive clit, circling it while she clenched her fingers into the sheets.

Crying out once more, she arched into his touch—and then he sucked around her clit, and she found herself flying once more.

It felt as if the pleasure would never end. She hadn’t known that it was possible to draw out orgasm that much.

When he moved over her at last, she wound her arms around his neck. She could hear her breath escaping in little gasps. Her body was still throbbing with the pleasure he’d been giving her.

Still, there was an even greater pleasure in feeling him hard and hot against her thigh. This close, skin to skin, she could feel the pounding of his heart in his chest, hear his own labored breathing.

And when he finally slid inside her, she could feel the way his body tensed.

More than that—through the connection between them, she could feel a dim echo of his own pleasure.

The drum of his heartbeat resounded in the distance. At every thrust it became louder and louder.

Pleasure ran through her once more, the tight coil of need in her stomach aching despite her earlier climax. With every thrust, waves of pleasure ran through her—but it wasn’t enough. Not yet.

His mouth found her throat. His lips were hot against her skin, the scent of his hair surrounding her. He smelled of the wild, free wilderness of snowy mountaintops, of crisp, clear air and white-blue glaciers. He smelled of warm, masculine musk, the heady spice of male desire.

Where their skin touched, she could feel little pinpricks of heat, like energy sizzling between them. His heartbeat was so loud now that it drowned out all other sound, the maddening pleasure within her throbbing in time to his pulse.

She clung to him, gasping, her nails raking across his skin as his teeth grazed her throat, his entire body tensing.

At his throat, the opal on its silver chain was glowing. It was as brilliant as his eyes—and there, right before her eyes, the small crack in it began to vanish. Instead, the light shone even brighter, until she realized that it was swelling together with the overwhelming pleasure she could feel through the bond.

It grew and grew, until she had to close her eyes at the intensity of it.

And then she felt him coming inside her. Dimly, she heard him call out her name, but her body was already helplessly pulsing around his, the pleasure of the climax that flooded through her so strong that she had to close her eyes and hold on to him.

Even with her eyes closed, she could still see him—and in her ears, she could still hear the beating of his heart. Loud and fast, it carried her with him.

And when it finally began to slow down, she realized that she could still feel him.

Right there, inside her heart.

There was a warmth there that hadn’t been there before. It burned like an ember, a small kernel of heat.

From its center, she felt a wave of Jonathan’s love rush through her. It wrapped around her like a warm blanket.

And the small crack in his dragon’s heart stone had completely vanished. The opal was flawless, gleaming like sunlight on ice.

Exhausted, breathless, and completely, utterly satiated, she snuggled against him when he gently pulled out and turned to his side.

She could still feel him in her heart.

It was as if before, there’d been a veil in place that had kept them apart. Now, that veil had been lifted. Now she could truly see him.

Not just face to face—but heart to heart.

And down to the bottom of his soul, Jonathan was hers. Just as she was all his, and would be, forever.