When they landed near Snow Castle, Angel realized what Henrik had meant by that.

The castle was busy. There were people everywhere: laughing children pelted each other with snow balls, while teenagers seemed to compete with each other in building the tallest snowman. Couples strolled through the snow clutching mugs of mulled wine or hot chocolate sold by one of the wooden stalls. There was even a sleigh drawn by eight fat, tiny ponies that was taking two families for a ride.

The faint sound of a carol filled the air. Everywhere she looked, ice was sparkling, wreaths of holly decorated doors, lights were gleaming in trees, and the clear, cold air smelled like cinnamon and vanilla.

“Welcome to Snow Castle,” Henrik said, looking pleased. “We’re always busiest during winter—I hope you like Christmas, because that’s what we do here.”

“This is incredible,” Angel breathed, looking up at the huge house before them. It really looked like a castle. It even had two towers.

And there, off to the side, not too far away, someone had built a smaller castle completely from snow. A group of children was spilling from its doorway as she watched, shouting and laughing as they were pursued by a team of parents with armfuls of snowballs.

“Let’s get you settled in,” Henrik said proudly, “and then I’ll let you explore.”

***

Half an hour later, Angel was strolling along the side of a frozen lake, hand in hand with Jonathan. The dogs had curled up inside the generous suite Henrik had given them. With their heads covered beneath their fluffy tails, both Lola and Diego had made it unmistakably clear that they’d had quite enough of adventure for the day.

Which was nice, because now, for once, Angel didn’t have to worry about Diego running off or Lola getting scared. It was only her and Jonathan—and the most incredible winter wonderland spreading before them.

“I skimmed those brochures the Mitchells had lying around,” she said, “but this is—I have no words. The pictures don’t do it justice.”

“It’s beautiful,” Jonathan agreed.

He had a far-away look. Angel wondered what he was thinking.

Before them, there was a stall where guests could rent skates. Next to it, another stall sold cotton candy in all the colors of the rainbow.

“It’s not too much?” Angel asked softly, remembering all of a sudden that Jonathan had slept in the ice for ten years. These had to be more people than he’d seen in ages.

Jonathan shook his head. “No, it’s...it’s nice.” He was silent for a moment, then tightened his fingers around Angel’s. “In fact, it’s good to be reminded of what I missed out on. I missed this. I didn’t even realize—but I did.”

“Want to try?” Angel nodded towards the stall handing out skates. “I warn you, I’m probably not very good at it. It’s been ages.”

“I haven’t done that since I was a child.” Jonathan laughed softly. “Why not. Let’s give it a try.”

“Just don’t laugh when I fall over.” Angel couldn’t stop smiling as she pulled him towards the stall with her.

She didn’t even care if she ended up flat on her butt on the ice. She was too happy. The speakers playing Christmas carols, the laughing children, the smell of sugar... It all brought back memories.

Strange how much easier and brighter Christmas was when I was a child.

She’d thought it was normal that growing up meant that the holidays lost their magic. The magic was for children, anyway—not for adults whose problems wouldn’t stop just because it was snowing.

Just a day or two ago she’d believed that a white Christmas with just the dogs for company and maybe an entire tub of ice cream was as good as it would get for her.

No magic, no excited children, no Santa. Just some peace and quiet and a rare moment to catch her breath, away from everyone who’d judge her for her failed career.

Of course, in response, fate had gone and dropped her right in the middle of what looked like Santa’s North Pole headquarters.

And there was an even greater Christmas miracle happening.

She looked at her hand in Jonathan’s, warmth rising up inside her.

Those breathless moments when they’d been skin to skin beneath the blanket still made something inside her feel tight with need. But in a way, it was even more reassuring to realize that there was more than just desire between them.

That Jonathan wanted this, too. Just spending time together.

“Ready?” he asked after they’d finished putting on the skates.

“I bet you’re a pro at this,” she couldn’t help but tease. “All this ice...”

Jonathan grinned, taking hold of her hand. Together they took the first step out onto the ice.

“I guess that’s an unfair advantage,” he admitted. “But all the affinity for ice doesn’t help if you’re unable to balance—whoa!”

They clutched at each other as their first step almost ended with them landing on the ice.

A moment later, Angel was giggling helplessly, still clinging to him, just as he was clinging to her.

“I see we’re starting on the same level after all.”

“I did say that it’s been a long time,” he said wryly. “Okay. We can do this. Want to try again?”

“Yes, please. Slowly!” She couldn’t stop laughing. “I can’t believe how much easier this was as a child.”

They managed several wobbly steps on the ice, sliding very slowly and still holding onto each other.

“There, see? You don’t just forget how to—”

Even as he spoke, Jonathan began to wobble.

A heartbeat later, they found themselves together on the ice once more, legs entangled as they clutched at each other.

Angel was still giggling. “This is embarrassing! Look at that five-year-old over there. She’s better at this than we’ll ever be.”

As if on command, the girl spun effortlessly around in perfect balance.

“Well, perhaps.” Jonathan grinned teasingly. “But there’s something to be said for making an utter fool of yourself on the ice.”

“There is?” Angel asked suspiciously.

A moment later, she found herself tugged close, Jonathan kissing her until she forgot all about the cold seeping in through her pants.

“Once you’ve hit rock bottom, you don’t need to worry anymore what anyone else will think.”

Laughing and shaking her head, Angel wrapped her arms around his neck. “Is that something you’re worried about?”

“Actually, no.” Jonathan gave her an unapologetic grin, then kissed her again.

“Oooh,” a group of teenagers said mockingly, making exaggerated kissing noises only to dissolve into giggles and hastily skate away.

Skating way more elegantly than anything she’d managed, Angel couldn’t fail to note.

Still, she was smiling when she finally got up, still clutching at Jonathan.

“They’re just jealous because they can’t fall as elegantly as I can,” she said, and then almost lost her balance again.

Her stomach was hurting from how much she’d been laughing, and she still couldn’t stop smiling. All they had to do was look at each other, and they’d start laughing all over again—only to hastily tighten their hold on each other when they fell over once more.

“This is a disgrace,” she declared happily. “You’ve picked the wrong choice, for an ice dragon.”

Jonathan shook his head, carefully releasing his hold on her shoulder to grasp her hand again.

“It was exactly the right choice.” He drew her fingers to his mouth to brush a kiss against her knuckles.

And a moment later, he began wobbling again.

“I’m glad,” she said fiercely when she somehow ended up in his arms once more—this time, miraculously still on their feet.

The teens were skating past them again, giggling loudly at their display, and Angel didn’t care one bit.

“One day this’ll be you,” she shouted as they zoomed past once more.

Still beaming, she then took a deep breath. “I haven’t had this much fun since—since before college, I guess. How about you?”

“Not since I was a child.” Jonathan carefully let go of her again, only holding on to her hand.

Slowly, she took a first step. Then another, and another. A moment later, they were skating across the lake hand in hand—still wobbly, but they were skating. And this time, they didn’t fall.

Half an hour later, much of the wobbliness was gone. They’d picked up a bit in speed, and they’d even figured out how to do a very slow turn together without falling over each other.

Despite the crispness of the mountain air, Angel didn’t feel the bite of the cold at all. Instead, she was warm all over from the exercise and excitement.

“That’s it. I think I’m done for today,” Jonathan finally declared.

His eyes were warm. They were still that eerie, clear color that reminded her of the glittering ice they were skating on, but his face was flushed, and he hadn’t stopped smiling.

In fact, he still looked a bit like an overgrown child, all of his former seriousness gone.

It was good to see him like this. So carefree.

Angel realized all of a sudden that she still didn’t know why he’d gone to hide in the ice. But whatever it was—right now, it looked like he’d woken up. Really woken up.

There wasn’t a part of him that wasn’t alive now.

Together, they handed back the rented skates. The woman at the stall gave them a knowing look.

“You two look like you need some hot chocolate,” she declared. “If I were you, I’d walk over to the maze. They’ve got a stall at the entrance—and this time of the day, it’s mostly quiet in there. The kids are all having a snowball fight in the snow castle outside.”

She winked at them, and Angel felt new heat rise up inside her. Was she that obvious?

But then, the Snow Castle probably had a lot of newlyweds and couples spending their first Christmas together. And as much fun as the lake had been, she wouldn’t mind some moments of quiet.

Just her and Jonathan. Jonathan, who still looked at her as if she was an actual angel. Jonathan, who was overwhelmingly handsome, smart and courageous. Who’d fought a dire wolf for her. And who’d still somehow felt the need to hide away from life in a cave...

“That sounds great,” Jonathan said, wiping the sweat from his brow. “Shall we look at the maze? I could use some of that hot chocolate.”

“Me too,” Angel said with a deep sigh.

Now that they were standing still, she could feel the cold biting at her exposed cheeks and nose again.

But hopefully, a maze would shield them from the wind. And maybe, if it was really as secluded as the woman had made it sound, she’d be able to get Jonathan to tell her more about his past...

The hot chocolate stall was manned by a college-aged girl with hair dyed a bright blue.

“Feeling experimental today?” she asked cheerfully. “Today’s special is hot chocolate with chili and saffron. Or, if you’d like something more traditional, my own favorite is the hot chocolate with mint syrup.”

“I don’t think I even know what saffron tastes like,” Angel admitted.

The girl giggled and leaned forward. “If you ask me, it tastes of nothing at all. All I can taste is the chili. But people love it. I think it’s because saffron sounds so romantic...”

“I’d love to try it,” Angel said. “I could use some heat. We must have spent an hour on that lake. My nose is all numb.”

“Then I’ll take the mint syrup. If you hate the saffron, we can always switch,” Jonathan offered.

“Sounds good.” Angel leaned against Jonathan as they watched the girl prepare their hot chocolate. They came in actual mugs, not paper cups. Mugs that had a picture of the Snow Castle on it.

“They sell them in the gift shop back in the castle,” the girl explained. “If you’d like to take one home. I know that’s what my family back home is going to get for Christmas.”

“You don’t live here?” Angel asked.

The girl shook her head so that her blue tresses flew from side to side. “I’m a city girl, but my best friend Tessa is from Christmas Valley. She got me this job—she’s been helping out here at Snow Castle for the past few years, ever since it reopened. It’s perfect, isn’t it? We’re spending the holidays together and making money! And I’m learning how to ski. Also, this place is awesome. Have you done one of the sleigh rides? Tessa’s helping with the ponies this year.”

“I saw the ponies,” Angel said wistfully. “I’ve never been in a sleigh before.”

“We only just arrived.” Jonathan wrapped his arm around her waist. “But we should look into that.”

“If our host can spare us.” Angel laughed, amused that Henrik had even found the time to come rescue them. “Henrik looked so busy—but now that I’ve seen just how big this place is, that’s no wonder.”

“Oh, you’re friends of Henrik and Dara? In that case, these are on the house. And I’ll tell you a secret... If you’d like some peace and quiet in there, take the first four turns to the left.”

The girl winked at them, then hastily returned to her job when a gaggle of excited children followed by a small group of adults left the maze.

Jonathan took hold of Angel’s hand again. She breathed in the steam that escaped her mug of hot chocolate. Hand in hand, they entered the maze that opened before them.

Unlike a traditional hedge maze, this one was made of ice and snow. The walls rose so high above them that it was impossible to look over them.

As soon as they turned their first corner to the left, it started snowing again.

But this time, it wasn’t the heavy fall of the blizzard. These were fat, fluffy snowflakes that danced in the air, landing on her upturned face before they melted.

Inside the maze, everything was quiet. After the excitement of the frozen lake, the silence was soothing.

Even though she knew that they were just a few steps from the entrance and the stall with the hot chocolate, it felt as if she was all alone in the world with Jonathan.

It was a good feeling. It was a realization that made something inside her relax. For once, all of her worries about her future were forgotten as she concentrated on the beauty surrounding her, the warmth of Jonathan’s hand in hers, and the tempting scent of the hot chocolate.

She took a cautious sip.

The hot chocolate was rich and creamy, with just the right mix of sweetness and bitterness. And after a moment, she could feel the heat of the chili—just enough to make her mouth and throat feel pleasantly warm.

“How’s the saffron?” Jonathan asked.

Thoughtfully, Angel licked her lips. “Don’t laugh, but I think I can taste it. It’s faint, but it’s like—a comforting warmth. I can’t really describe it. But it tastes like getting to spend a winter’s day with your grandma, all wrapped up in a blanket while snow is falling outside. Like comfort, love and adventure.”

“That’s a powerful flavor,” Jonathan said very softly.

Angel could hear a hint of wistfulness in his voice, and she leaned closer, their shoulders brushing.

“How’s yours?”

“It’s delicious. It tastes like childhood.” This time, there was an actual smile warming Jonathan’s face.

“Well worth waking up from the ice for?” she asked.

He shook his head. “No. I woke up for you. And there’s nothing else that could possibly compete with that.”

Angel felt heat rise to her face again. Before them, another opening in the snow wall loomed. It led to the left, and so they took it.

The maze was still completely quiet. Every now and then, they could hear a faint melody—Good King Wenceslas, she realized after a moment, probably carried towards them from the speakers at the frozen lake.

But except for the soft notes of the carol, there was nothing else that disturbed the silence as they slowly walked through the snowy corridor, sipping their hot chocolate.

The girl hadn’t promised too much. After all the excitement of the past few hours, it was good to be able to take a deep breath and remind herself to be grateful.

Angel might have completely butchered the simple house-sitting job and nearly lost the dogs of a pair of Hollywood billionaires, and she might have nearly ended up in the belly of a dire wolf.

But she hadn’t died. She was alive, and so were the dogs. She’d traveled to what felt like a magical winter wonderland—and she had Jonathan by her side.

Jonathan, who was a dragon shifter, and who’d slept frozen in the ice for a decade. And who’d risked his life for her, and for the dogs that didn’t even belong to her.

Who hadn’t let his dragon’s weakness after the long sleep stop him from facing a dire wolf twice. And who looked at her as if she wasn’t the disappointment everyone else thought she was.

“I still can’t believe it’s all real,” she murmured as they took the final, fourth turn to the left. “Nothing exciting has ever happened to me before.”

“At least you’re safe here. And the dogs are safe, too,” he said. “I wouldn’t usually trust another dragon so easily—but I do believe that Henrik wants to protect his own lands against the dire wolf. Which makes us allies.”

“I still don’t understand what’s going on with all of that.” Baffled, Angel shook her head. “There’s nothing special about me...”

“Oh, I’d argue with that.” Jonathan’s smile widened. “But perhaps the dire wolf would see it differently. In any case, perhaps it wasn’t about you.”

“The dogs then? That makes even less sense,” Angel replied. “Unless...”

They’d thought the storm had destroyed the Mitchell mansion. But maybe everything—the dire wolf, the blizzard—had been a diversion...

Jonathan made a thoughtful sound. “You say those people you were dog-sitting for are influential people. Rich people.”

Angel laughed. “Influential—yes, but I doubt that this dire wolf cares about which enemies Millennium Woman is going to fight in her next movie. Unless it turns out our wolf is one of those really crazy fans.”

“That leaves money,” Jonathan said.

“Hmm.” Angel hadn’t really seen anything worth stealing around the house.

And the Mitchells had reassured her that she didn’t have to worry about accidentally destroying an ancient vase or priceless Van Gogh painting.

This was their mountain retreat. A place where the Hollywood power couple could feel at home. It was a cozy, comfortable place—equipped with the latest tech, of course, but who’d go to all this trouble just to steal a simple flat-screen TV?

No. If the dire wolf was after valuables to fence, surely he’d have burgled the couple’s expensive Manhattan penthouse.

“I don’t know,” she said. “I didn’t see anything worth stealing. They keep their valuables in their other homes. This place has got security, of course, but I can’t understand why anyone would want to rob it.”

“Everything about this is strange,” Jonathan murmured. “Or maybe we’re wrong. Maybe it was an accident. Maybe that dire wolf is new in the area and was trying to stake his claim on the territory...”

“Didn’t you say this was Henrik’s territory?” she asked.

Who’d have thought that dragon politics were so complicated.

“This mountain is. Henrik’s claim stretches a little further—but not as far as the Mitchell house, or the cave where you found me.”

Angel sipped her hot chocolate again. Jonathan’s arm came around her shoulder.

She still wasn’t sure what to make of this. Maybe the dire wolf had been a coincidence. Maybe, now that he’d seen that he was dangerously close to a dragon’s territory, he’d leave the area.

Then it would stop being her problem—and she could concentrate on fixing other things.

Like the damage to the Mitchell house. And the fact that dragon shifters were a thing that existed.

And that I’m hopelessly in love with one of them...

Warmth filled her at the thought, together with a wave of embarrassment. What had she done to deserve a man like Jonathan? Her life was a mess. After this house-sitting gig, she’d have to return to living with her parents while forcing herself through that programming crash course.

Meanwhile Jonathan was warm, sophisticated, calm and strong, exuding a quiet confidence.

I suppose he doesn’t have a home right now either, unless you count that cave... But then, he’s a dragon shifter. He probably has friends and family all over the world. And a secret mansion hidden away somewhere.

She didn’t need a mansion. All she wanted was a life where she wouldn’t have to constantly live in fear of being unable to pay her bills, with a small place that was all hers, and a job where no one screamed at her and she didn’t end up crying in the bathroom on her breaks.

But was that the sort of life a dragon shifter would want?

Now that she’d seen what sort of life Henrik led, with a castle of his own and a winter resort that couldn’t be more perfect, she couldn’t help but think that Jonathan would want more than that.

More than me. He’ll want more than me. I’m not a shifter. I’m not even particularly successful at being an average human.

She’d never been one who got lost in impossible dreams. She wanted a safe job with benefits, not a castle.

But now, for the first time in her life, she couldn’t help but wish that she’d turn out to be a long-lost princess or the secret heiress of a media mogul, just so that she’d be worthy of someone like him.