As usual, Christmas had arrived much more quickly than they'd expected.

With Malcolm in jail and Raul's hoard finally in his possession again, it seemed as if the usual work of running the Snow Castle should be easy to deal with. Of course Raul, who hadn't had a big family Christmas since he was a child, soon found out that it was a lot more work than he'd anticipated.

"Careful with the tree," he called out for what felt like the twentieth time that day.

A ladder carried by two workers just barely missed the string of lights he'd put up himself. Earlier, a different pair of workers had nearly managed to unseat the little dragon, which Claire had won at the auction, from its perch high atop the tree.

"Sorry, boss," one of the men shouted. "Nearly done now."

As Raul watched, a final string of lights went up to complete the hall's decoration.

They'd opted to have the tree in the large hall opposite the castle’s huge marble staircase leading to the guest wing. The ceiling was high enough here that they could string lights and decorations from wall to wall to form a sort of artificial starry sky.

There was also enough space that the guests could gather all around the tree, and there could be dancing if people felt like it. The ballroom had already been set with tables and chairs, and decorated for the elaborate Christmas dinner which the restaurant would serve tomorrow.

Everything was going as planned—but in the whirlwind of preparations that had eaten their time, Raul and Claire hadn't had much time to talk about their own plans for the future.

Maybe it’s for the best, Raul thought nervously. There was something he'd thought about—but it wasn't anything he dared to put into words yet. It might be impossible. Too much time might have passed. And if it didn't work out...

"Hey," Dylan said, stopping for a moment to look up at the ceiling in surprise. "Nice work! What did you want to talk about?"

“I’ve got our little surprise all figured out.” Raul dropped his voice when one of the workers wandered closer again.

Through the other door, several children swarmed into the room, followed by parents looking tired but happy, dusted with snow.

Quickly, Raul pressed a little box into Dylan’s hand. It had arrived in the mail this morning—just in time.

“This evening—you know where?” he whispered.

Dylan smirked. “You can count on me. But remember—no word to anyone that I’m involved in this.”

“I swear it on my dragon’s heart,” Raul said earnestly.

The rest of the day passed by in a flurry. There was so much to do that he and Claire only managed to meet up briefly. Their lunch together was disturbed after five minutes by her beeping phone and yet another catastrophe threatening to ruin the Christmas preparations.

“Is it okay if I leave you here?” she asked him with worried eyes.

Through the bond, he could feel her reluctance. He knew that she’d been looking forward to getting to spend at least half an hour together before tackling the chaos once more. But he could also feel her resolve—no matter how high the pressure, she always managed to wrestle things back into order.

She loved her job. And having seen how much children and adults alike were looking forward to their fairytale Christmas in the Snow Castle, Raul was beginning to understand where she found the strength to take on so much work.

He sent back a wave of love and reassurance.

“Go and deal with your Santa emergency,” he said gently. “I’ll see you tonight at our Christmas Eve party. Meanwhile, I’ve got what feels like another mile of fairy lights to untangle.”

“It’ll all be worth it,” Claire promised him, and didn’t resist when he pulled her into a quick kiss.

“Mm.” She sighed against his lips.

The golden bracelet around his arm pulsed with warmth. He breathed in deeply, inhaling her scent. She smelled warm, like vanilla and cinnamon—with a hint of his own shower gel, from when they’d showered together in the morning.

The memory sent a powerful wave of desire through him, and he saw her eyes widen in response.

Then her phone beeped again, and she cringed.

“Sorry. See you this evening. I love you.”

“Love you too,” he said warmly. He watched as she flushed a little with happiness before she remembered that she’d been summoned to deal with the problem of a Santa who’d gotten lost on his way to the castle.

He waited until she’d left the hotel restaurant, then pulled out his phone to text Mrs. Henderson.

Everything’s working according to plan. Tell her you found a back-up Santa in Christmas Valley when she arrives.

A few seconds later, his phone blinked to announce her reply.

Done. I’ll keep her distracted.

Thanks, he replied, then put his phone away again.

Just a few hours left until their Christmas Eve party. He couldn’t wait to see her reaction to his surprise...

***

It was dark outside. Above Raul, the moon was shining. Before him, the Snow Castle rose. Light was spilling outside from every window. Everywhere he looked, there were festive decorations: fairy lights on the balconies, candles at windows, colorful trees in the garden.

A short while ago, children had played here, while the adults chatted excitedly. But now, everyone was gathered inside, where Claire would have opened the evening’s party with a little speech before the kids would sing carols.

Raul checked his watch. At the same moment, a shadow slipped out of the castle, quickly running towards him.

Moments later, he could make out the familiar form of Dylan.

The boy high-fived him as soon as he was close enough. “Everything ready?”

Raul nodded and pointed at the storage shack behind him. “Everything’s done. All that’s left is our Rudolf.”

Dylan stuck out his tongue at him but then pulled the little box from his pocket, which Raul had handed to him earlier. He opened it, revealing a red nose with elastic strings tied to it.

Then Dylan put it on. As soon as he pressed a tiny button, the nose lit up in a bright red.

Just in time, Raul bit back his laugh. “Perfect,” he said. “Seriously, this will be amazing.”

“No word to anyone that I was involved in this,” Dylan reminded him, and then made his way into the shack.

He’d already shifted when Raul followed behind him. Instead of Dylan, now a young stag stood at the center of the shed, the bright, glowing nose still attached to his head.

And there, behind him, stood a small sleigh with their former sleigh driver Tom Walden, now dressed up in a Santa costume.

“Can’t say I’ve done this before,” Tom said, grinning at Raul, “but I’ve always wanted to fly. Couldn’t get me into one of those airplanes, but I figure a dragon is safer than that. We’ve always said that a dragon is good luck, here in Christmas Valley.”

“I promise I’ll keep you both safe.” Raul grinned back. “It would be terrible PR to let Santa drop from the sky.”

A few minutes later, they’d put the harness on Dylan. It had been fitted for ponies, but while the fit was not perfect on the body of Dylan’s stag, they managed to close all buckles and pull everything into place.

“Ready?” Raul asked.

The stag and their Santa nodded. Together, they pushed the sleigh out of the shed. It was filled with bags of little presents Raul had ordered from the people of Christmas Valley during the past week: small boxes of cookies, little toys and chocolate. It was enough that they’d be able to leave a gift for every child and adult.

Then their driver took his position on the sleigh, and Raul shifted.

Once more the wild joy of being a dragon rushed through him. Fire filled him, his blood sizzling with it, and he wanted to open his jaw and roar at the stars.

Instead, he carefully spread his wings, taking care to move slowly and silently. It only took one beat of his wings to lift off the ground.

He hovered in place over the sleigh, grabbing it with his hind legs, while he carefully wrapped the claws of one front leg around Dylan.

And then he rose and soared.

The driver let out a sudden, excited whoop, then clutched his hand in front of his mouth.

“Sorry,” he said—although he didn’t sound particularly apologetic.

Not that Raul blamed him, for now the same excitement was rushing through him.

Would it work? Humans couldn’t see dragons, that’s how dragon shifters had kept their secret for so long. If anyone looked outside right now, all they’d see was a flying sleigh with Santa in it, pulled by a stag—or rather, a red-nosed reindeer.

Dylan snorted in amusement, pretending to walk in the air, and Raul swerved and took them closer to the castle.

The balcony quickly came closer. It was decorated with bright lights, although the lights suddenly turned off as they approached. Inside, the party seemed to have just started. After the children singing carols, a DJ had taken over as planned.

And to the first notes of Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, Raul flew directly into view of the large windows.

At first, no one saw him. Then a first child turned around, dreamily staring out of the window while clutching a giant cookie.

The next second, the little girl’s eyes grew wide.

Through the window, Raul couldn’t hear her call out. But a heartbeat later, all of her siblings had their faces pressed against the windows, staring with shock that transformed into such perfect, innocent delight that Raul had to force himself to hold completely still.

They were not staring at him, after all. He was invisible. Today, Dylan and their Santa were at the center of attention.

More faces appeared at the window. Raul studied one after the other, until finally, he found little precocious Janice and her friend, who’d cried when she’d told him that Santa wasn’t real.

They both had their faces pressed against the windows, the tiny boy’s eyes almost comically wide, while Janice’s eyes were narrowed. But if she was looking for hidden strings holding the sleigh afloat, she’d be disappointed.

Grinning silently to himself, Raul landed the sleigh, ignoring their audience now that he’d achieved what he’d hoped for.

Their Santa stepped out of the sleigh, carrying the bags with presents, and dragged them one after the other to a door at the end of the balcony. There, he handed them quickly over to a hidden helper—Mrs. Henderson, who’d been one of the few to known about their plan, and who’d turned off the outside lights for their approach.

Should any curious children try and find the gifts, they’d be in for a disappointment.

Mrs. Henderson had promised to stash them all away in a cabinet used for cleaning utensils. And then, once the Christmas Eve party was over and all children were in bed, they’d carry them down together and place them under the huge Christmas tree in the hall.

It’s a perfect plan, Raul thought proudly once more, looking over to the windows where now the first adults had joined the entranced faces of the children.

And there—there was Claire, staring up at him with utter amazement.

I love you, he heard her amused voice through their bond. I can’t believe you got Dylan to agree to that.

Hastily, their Santa climbed on board once more.

“Ho ho ho,” Tom chuckled and loosened the reins, and Dylan obediently lifted his head high, his nose still shining brightly. He reared up, and then Raul beat his wings again.

As easy as that, they soared—and now the hum of excitement from inside was so loud that Raul could even hear it through the closed windows.

I love you. Happy Christmas Eve, he said silently to Claire.

Happy Christmas Eve, she returned, the bond humming with her delight. But don’t think this gets you out of the party.

Save a dance for me, he sent back as he soared.

And up there in the sky, where only Santa and his reindeer could hear, Raul parted his jaw, his dragon merrily humming You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout, I’m telling you why... Santa Claus is coming to town.

***

It wasn’t until one day later, late in the evening when the final diners had left the restaurant’s Christmas dinner, that Claire and Raul had time to sit down together. It was dark outside, and the castle had gone beautifully quiet as families had retired to their own rooms to spend the evening together.

“Merry Christmas,” Raul said quietly and pulled Claire into his arms, kissing her slowly and unhurriedly, the way he’d ached to do all day.

Claire sighed against his lips, all soft and warm. She looked tired, but her eyes were gleaming with that special glow they had whenever she looked at him.

“You’ve got tomorrow off, right?” he asked. “Mrs. Henderson will be around to deal with any emergencies?”

Claire nodded. “I plan to sleep in and take a long, hot bath with a book. And the rest of the day is for you.”

Raul’s smile widened. “In that case—do you mind if I kidnap you? Right here, right now?”

Claire laughed softly, already looking more awake. “Kidnap? What do you have in mind?”

“I want to take you flying,” he said mysteriously. “And I want to show you something. If you’re tired, you can sleep on my back. I’d never let you fall.”

“Fly? On a dragon?” Claire breathed, eyes going wide. Then she beamed. “I thought you’d never ask!”

Fifteen minutes later, they were in the sky. Claire was sitting on his back, wrapped in a warm coat, even though his dragon’s natural heat would keep her comfortable no matter how high he took her.

At first, her arms had been tight around his neck as she clung to him—but already a few minutes later, she’d let go and straightened, whooping as she looked out at the mountains falling away beneath them.

“This is incredible!” she shouted, and then laughed when he beat his wings and soared even higher.

A moment later, they broke through the clouds. Above them, the stars were shining brilliantly, the Milky Way a distant stream of glittering diamonds in the darkness of the night.

It will take about two hours, Raul said through the bond. So if you get tired, try to nap a little. You’re safe here on my back.

In response, she ran her hand over the scales that lined his neck.

“I couldn’t sleep,” she said, her voice hushed with awe. “It’s too beautiful. I want to remember this until the end of my life. The night. The sky. Nothing but my Christmas dragon and the stars.”

Raul sent back a wave of his love.

Every Christmas will be like this from now on. The two of us, together, forever.

Somewhere to their left, a star fell. Claire’s hand smoothed along his neck once more.

Forever, she said in his mind.

He was a little faster than he had expected. It only took a little more than an hour and a half until he saw a strangely familiar mountain range jutting up through the clouds from below.

A sudden unease washed through him. Maybe it had all been a terrible idea. Maybe there was nothing left to show Claire.

Or maybe everything would be falling apart, empty, soulless ruins, and she’d hate it...

“Is something wrong?” Claire asked.

Raul took a deep breath, brushing away the fear that had spilled through the bond.

We’re almost there, he said instead. Now hold on, we’re landing!

Despite his words, he sunk gracefully, taking to care to make certain that Claire was comfortable even at the steep descent.

A first mountaintop rose before him. It was covered with ice and snow—the sight still familiar, even after so many years.

He opened his jaw for a voiceless laugh—and then, just because he could, he sent a flame of dragon fire to singe across the ice.

For a moment, the icy flanks of the mountain range reflected the red light, the mountains around them glowing in shades of red, orange and pink. Then the flame went out, and he soared past the mountain, along a pass that no human had ever used.

He followed it for a few minutes, until suddenly, as if out of nowhere, a new mountain rose before them.

He raced towards it, then swerved to the left. After ten seconds, he swerved to the right. For another heartbeat, they were surrounded by stark mountain walls covered in glistening ice, so close that they nearly brushed the tips of his wings.

Then a valley opened up before them, and there, a little to the right, another mountain rose, its ice-covered top hidden in the clouds.

It had been so very long, but Raul’s body still remembered every nook and cranny of the valley and the mountains. Joy spread through his body—until he realized at last that something was different.

The mountain valley below them was silent.

With a frown, he dove towards it. Surely they could not all be gone...?

Then, one by one, little dots of light appeared out of the darkness. He kept descending, until at last, he could make out streets and buildings.

There were lights on in some of the houses. People were still living here. The town hadn’t died.

His dragon roared in joy, releasing another burst of flame.

Below them, more lights turned on. Still, what had once been a lively town now didn’t seem to hold more than forty, fifty scattered houses. Many houses remained dark as he flew across them, gardens overgrown, fences that hadn’t seen paint in a decade, windows broken.

“Raul? Where are we?” Claire asked from his back.

Raul hesitated a long moment, mournfully eying the dying town beneath him. Then he took a deep breath and raised his head.

Home.

He swallowed his dragon’s anger and grief at what had happened to the town his family had always protected. Life in a mountain town wasn’t easy these days. He’d always known that it didn’t look good for them.

Still, seeing it with his own eyes was worse.

He should have been here. He should have helped, somehow—even though he’d lost his own home along with his family’s hoard.

Then he shook off the grief. Regret wouldn’t change anything about what had happened.

Alistair and his terrible attack was the past. Claire was the future. With his mate and with his hoard, he had the power to change what had happened here.

If the people still trust me...

He exhaled another arc of fire. The ice and snow around them reflected the light, so that for a moment, the valley came alive, lit by the warm light of dragon fire.

And in that light, the mansion rose before them.

It stood on a ledge above the town, built into the side of the mountain that rose majestically above it. In his childhood, he’d thought of it as a castle. It had been built by his great-grandfather, and it had thick walls of sturdy stone, generous gardens with fountains, and most importantly, a large tower on which a dragon could easily land.

He’d thought that there was no place more beautiful.

Right now, his former home looked sad and small, dwarfed by the mountain behind it.

It was completely dark. There was no light in any of the windows. The formerly white walls of the mansion were a dirty gray and probably hadn’t seen a paintbrush in over a decade. Some of the windows in the tower were broken, and when he soared over the house to see the gardens, they were completely overgrown.

On his back, Claire was silent, and Raul felt some of his happiness deflate.

It was a terrible idea, he thought as he carefully landed in the garden near the house. He should have known that nothing of his childhood was left. This was no place for his mate or his children. This was a graveyard of the past. He should have buried it, together with his past...

“Is this where you grew up?” Claire asked softly, after she’d climbed from his back.

Raul shifted back.

“Yes,” he said, then hesitated. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have brought you here. I guess I just hoped it would... look better.”

Together, they walked through the garden until they reached the yard. It was covered in weeds. It was still too dark to see much, but after a moment, Raul found a dead branch and lit its tip with a small touch of dragon fire.

When he raised his torch, the empty windows reflected the light.

“There are hot springs in the mountain behind the house. We even had pools filled with hot, mineral water in the basement. Perhaps that’s why a family of fire dragons chose to settle down in the mountains long ago. It was lovely here in the summer. There are wild flowers blooming in the entire valley. The sun warms the mountains. You can walk for hours and explore. And when it grows cold in winter, we children would play in the hot springs every day.”

“It sounds lovely,” Claire said.

Raul laughed bitterly. “But that’s all gone, thanks to Alistair, and I can’t get it back. Sorry, I didn’t want to ruin your Christmas...”

“I think it’s still lovely,” Claire said firmly.

Surprised, Raul raised his head.

“It’s got charm.” Claire took the torch from his hand and strode forward, lifting it to take a look at the balconies with their wrought iron railings.

“Charm,” she repeated. “A lot of it. And from the looks of it, good bones. Hot springs in the basement and the mountain nearby, a lovely garden that admittedly needs the attention of a gardener or three, lots of paint and—let’s face it, we’d probably have to do a complete overhaul of all the rooms. Wallpaper, fixtures, wiring, plumbing... It would be a lot of work.”

“It would be,” Raul said carefully, barely able to believe his ears. “But...?”

“But I think it would be worth it.” Claire turned around, the dragon fire illuminating her face. Her eyes were determined, even though he now felt her amusement through the bond. “If that’s what you’re wondering. That is why you brought me here, isn’t it?”

Raul smiled helplessly. “It was a mad idea,” he admitted. “I didn’t even know if this place still existed. And I know that it’s not a fancy five-star hotel in Dubai, or the latest hipster resort in Iceland, but—”

“No but,” Claire said firmly. “I never wanted Dubai or Iceland! I wanted places with charm, run by people who genuinely care about making their guests happy. I love my job, but I love it because I can see that I make a difference. I can deal with not having weekends off or working over the holidays—but only if I feel like I’m valued. I’m not going to do it for a group of shareholders who couldn’t care less about what sort of vacation the children are having, as long as the numbers are right. I’m done with that. I want a place with personality.”

“Well—this place has history. And charm, as you claim,” Raul said, helplessly in love with the way her eyes shone

She was so brave and determined. Claire had always followed her dreams—while he’d nearly given up on his own dreams. But no longer. His mate would have her dream, he’d make sure of that.

“No,” Claire said, holding out the torch towards him like an offer, eyes gleaming at him. “Our dream. Our mountain resort. With hot springs to cure weary bones and gorgeous trails for hikers. Spa treatments, maybe, and a little restaurant that buys produce from the local farmers down in the town.”

Raul stuck the torch down into the snow. Then he took hold of Claire’s hands. When he drew her in for another kiss, it began to snow again—heavy, fluffy flakes of white that kept falling out of the sky, just as he remembered from his childhood.

“There’s nothing in the world I want more,” he said softly, and then he kissed her until she sighed. “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas,” she replied, wrapping her arms around him.

With a grin, he pulled her up into his arms.

“Now—do you want to see the inside?”