Raul sat on his bed by the window, looking critically at a golden chain he’d draped over his hands. He lifted it this way and that, the rays of the late afternoon sun glistening on the precious metal.

It was fine craftsmanship. The gold was pure and heavy, and it had been handcrafted.

It would look beautiful on Claire. Still... Something was lacking.

He opened a box he’d put down on his bed earlier. Lined with black velvet, inside an assortment of gems gleamed: small sapphires, a large amethyst, a cluster of diamonds reflecting the light in all the colors of the rainbow. There was even a ruby of a perfect blood-red that had once belonged to a French Duchess, and which Raul had found at an auction in Dubai.

He held the ruby up to the chain. In the rays of sunlight, it gleamed like living fire, and his inner dragon shifted with pleased, possessive pride.

Rationally, the jewel was gorgeous. It even had history, which had always pleased Raul. Like any dragon, he was mildly obsessive when it came to his hoard, and he knew the history of every single necklace, gem and coin he possessed.

But then, it was not truly a hoard, and this was not truly a gift worthy of his mate.

With a sigh, he dropped the ruby and golden chain back into the box.

His family’s hoard was lost. Nothing he did would ever change that.

How can I mate her without laying my hoard at her feet?

He’d already begun to bond with a jewel when his father lost their hoard. He’d been very young, but there had been one uncut ruby that had always called out to him. It was like a song only he could hear, although all dragons were attuned to gold and gems.

Still, that one ruby had been meant for him. It sang with the same melody as the dragon fire inside him. And even as a dragonet, he’d curl up around it in his crib, soothed by the lullaby the jewel sang to him.

When he came of age, he would have holed up in a cave with the ruby for a week or two, cutting and polishing it himself and hardening it in dragon fire. It would have become his dragon’s heart jewel, perfectly attuned to his power. And with this mystical connection to his hoard, he’d have been able to use his full power, to shift and breathe fire as he pleased.

But his father had lost his family’s hoard in a brutal attack. And with Raul’s heart jewel gone, the focus of his dragon’s power was gone.

He wasn’t even a real dragon without it. How could he hope to mate, broken as he was?

She doesn’t even know that I’m a dragon. Perhaps if I never tell her...

But that was no way to start a relationship. Dragons were meant to be a secret—but a secret kept from humans, not from one’s mate.

I’ll tell her this evening, he thought, weighing another chain of gold in his hand. I have to.

This necklace wasn’t quite as heavy. It was hand-made as well, but not of quite as high quality. He’d made it himself, in fact. He’d worked together with his grandfather, who’d begun to teach him all about precious metals when Raul hadn’t even started to learn how to read.

There were little faults in the chain that were obvious to his expert eyes—but all the same, this necklace was the last thing he had left of his hoard. He’d worn it the day his father lost a fight against a mysterious attacker, losing their hoard and their land in the process.

It was a pitiful gift from a dragon to his mate—but it was the only thing of true worth he had—a worth that went beyond the precious metal itself.

And the thought of the gold warm against Claire’s soft skin soothed the dragon within him.

It was not perfect, but it would have to do. One day, he’d find something better to gift her...

Determinedly, Raul squashed the rise of a new wave of regret. If his mate would reject him, it would be no more than he deserved. But he’d have to at least try.

This evening, he’d planned a surprise for Claire.

When he left the castle, he gave the sky a critical look. It had been snowing heavily all morning, so much that he’d feared that he might have to postpone his plans for the evening. But sometime during the afternoon, it had stopped.

Now the ground all around was covered in a thick layer of heavy, white snow. It was still snowing very lightly—not enough to obstruct the view.

Just enough to be romantic.

He reached out for the little chain and found it still securely hidden in his pocket. In the distance, he could hear a cheer erupt at the frozen lake, where this afternoon, a famous ice skater was giving autographs and lessons for the younger children.

Claire had of course opted to stay around to observe. Her devotion to making sure that every single guest of the Snow Castle had the vacation of their life was awe-inspiring.

All the same, Raul couldn’t wait to whisk her away from all of this for an hour or two.

He grinned widely when he made his way to the frozen lake and saw his surprise arrive from the opposite side of the lake.

Claire hadn’t noticed it yet. Clad in her warm, purple parka with the fluffy white fur hood, she’d been cheering with the rest of the crowd as the woman on the ice turned impossibly fast in one final, beautiful pirouette.

Then the skater bowed, laughing as immediately, the children swarmed back onto the ice to surround her. Claire was watching proudly, a wide smile on her face at yet another event that had gone well.

Finally, Claire turned, and Raul knew the exact moment she saw him, because her eyes filled with heat and her cheeks flushed. She began walking towards him, raising her hand to wave at him with her fluffy mittens—but then she stopped, her eyes widening at the tinkling of bells.

From the right, a sleigh came forward. It stopped just between them. Usually, it was pulled by a group of ponies, taking their guests on short, scenic sleigh rides around the castle.

Today, the sleigh was pulled by two huge, impressive stallions. They were as white as the snow, with manes so long they almost touched the ground. Their manes and tails were wavy, and they had been decorated with tiny silver bells. Together with the bells on the harness of black leather, every time a stallion shifted, a musical tinkling filled the air.

“I thought I’d kidnap you from your work this evening,” Raul said softly.

He’d moved around the sleigh until he reached Claire, taking hold of her hands. She still wore her mittens, but with his dragon’s power of fire, she should soon feel comfortably warm despite the cold.

Suddenly he was glad that this was the one ability he’d never lost control of. He might not be able to focus enough to breathe fire or properly shift, but at least he was able to protect his mate from the cold.

“Would you like to take a sleigh ride with me?”

Surprise changed into amazed joy on Claire’s face. “There’s nothing I’d rather do,” she murmured. Then she reached out to gently stroke one of the white stallions. “What happened to the ponies?”

Raul grinned. “This is a special sleigh ride. Just for the two of us. We already know the castle’s grounds, after all. Today, Tom Walden here will take us out and show us the mountains. What do you think?”

“It sounds amazing.” With obvious delight, Claire tilted her head up to look at the mountaintops reaching up into the sky behind the castle.

“We won’t be back in time for dinner,” Raul said, “but I was promised that they’d keep some of the goose for us, and a bottle of champagne.”

“You’ve planned this very well, hmm?” Claire murmured, quite visibly delighted, her cheeks glowing. “Maybe I can win you over for the event management profession after all...”

Raul helped her climb into the sleigh. The seats were comfortable, cushioned with red velvet. White, luxurious sheepskin were thrown over them to keep them warm. There were heavy blankets of wool to pull over them, although Raul opted for one of the lighter ones, a quilt made from squares of red and silver, embroidered all over with little snowflakes.

After all, his mate wouldn’t be cold as long as he was by her side.

Then the driver gave the signal, and the stallions broke into an eager trot, silver bells tinkling as the sleigh began to slide forward.

Claire laughed, giving the crowd at the lake a final wave—and then, with a relieved little sigh, she nestled against Raul’s shoulder.

“I didn’t think I needed a break—but actually, I do. Thanks.”

Gently, Raul wrapped his arm around her beneath the blanket, holding her close.

“Everyone needs a break now and then,” he said. “Even you. Especially you.”

“You’re way too good to me,” Claire sighed. Then she gave him a little smile. “But I’m not complaining. It’s nice. I’ve never really had anyone care like this before. Mostly people think that if your work is fun and exciting, it’s not really work.”

“If you’re working day and night, for months on end, even the most excitement will eventually wear you out. And I don’t mind being the one to remind others of that.”

Claire tilted her head towards him. Her eyes were shining, her face warm and relaxed. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. The powerful dragon at the center of him was at peace, settling down in contentment. And the part of Raul that was all man—that part couldn’t stop thinking of the way she melted against him when he kissed her.

Every now and then, a snowflake landed gently on her face. It was completely silent, now that they’d left the lake and the castle behind. The snow swallowed all sounds, so that all that could be heard were the tinkling bells and the snorts of the horses.

Beneath the blanket, Claire’s hand found his. Gently, he twined their fingers. More heat rushed through him at the contact, and the dragon within him shifted with contentment.

“It’s so peaceful,” Claire said softly. He eyes were warm and wide as she watched the landscape around them pass by.

Their driver had taken a path that led up into the mountains. It was winding slowly around trees and large rocks as they made their way upwards. The horses seemed to have no problem with the incline; they were trotting at a steady pace, every now and then shaking their manes so that the bells resounded more loudly.

When they made their way higher up into the mountains, the path grew narrower. On both sides of the path, steep cliffs rose, the tinkling echoing harmonically as they kept going forward.

Finally, the driver turned around to them and gestured cheerfully to the wall of rock on their right. “You’ll want to keep your eyes to that side,” he announced mysteriously.

Together, they shifted. Claire was resting against his chest, and he held her close with both of his arms. The quilt covered them, the air beneath a cozy warmth thanks to his dragon’s natural heat.

There still wasn’t anything to see but snow-covered rock. The horses were going forward at a steady pace, one of them snorting and swishing his tail.

And then, with no warning, the rock to their right fell away as the horses pulled the sleigh out of the gorge they’d been traveling through.

The view was incredible. Raul heard Claire gasp, and tightened his fingers around her in response, brushing a kiss against her hair.

There, to their right, white spread below them for as far as they could see. They’d made their way higher up than he’d assumed. They were up in the mountains above the castle now. And there, far below like the most picture-perfect view on a postcard, stretched the Snow Castle and all of its grounds.

The sinking sun had turned the sky into an incredible tapestry of a multitude of colors. Bands of bright orange, pink, and deep, brilliant purple gleamed in the sky as the sun began to set behind the castle. The burning sky was reflected in the frozen lake below them, so that it seemed that people were skating on a mirror of rose-colored light.

Claire released a shuddering breath. “It’s perfect. Oh my God, this entire place is perfect. I’ll never see anything like it again in my life.”

“It’s perfect.” Raul’s voice was dark and full of emotion as he felt the connection between them pull on his heart until his entire chest was aching with the fullness of feeling.

Claire’s hair was soft against his cheek. She still smelled like the spices of the food stalls by the frozen lake, all warm and comforting vanilla and cinnamon, mingling with the crisp, cold mountain air.

Raul had never been meant for the cold—but at this moment, he knew that he could fall in love with winter itself, if he could just have Claire by his side at all times.

“This is what makes it worth it,” Claire said softly, an admission meant just for his ears. “All the work. The loneliness. The worry that no one would ever understand what my work means to me. But this is what I’m trying to give to all those people down there by the lake. Just one moment of utter perfection. Enough to go back to your job and your life after the holidays, carrying that one perfect memory with you in your heart, like a precious jewel, to give you strength when you need it the most.”

Raul took a deep breath at her words. The dragon within him had stretched in understanding. He knew about treasure, after all. And while the jewels his dragons preferred were physical, the feeling was exactly the same.

Bells tinkling merrily, the sleigh now climbed another incline in a gentle curve. They shifted a little to be able to watch the landscape of frozen trees and icicle-covered rocks passing by.

Raul reached into his pocket. He tightened his fingers around the gold, taking a deep breath. Before them, another mountain had appeared, an opening in the wall of stone beckoning. The path would lead them back down to the castle eventually. If he wanted to take his chance, it would be now or never.

“I never told you what sort of shifter I am,” he said softly.

Intrigued, Claire tilted her head, watching him attentively.

“You didn’t push and I’m grateful for that,” he said a little stiffly, still not quite sure how to explain his family’s disgrace to his mate. “The truth is that I cannot shift. I’m broken; I can't focus enough to control my powers.”

Claire frowned, immediately reaching out to take hold of his hands again.

“I don’t care,” she said. “Why would I? I’d love you just as much if you were just an average human like me.”

“There’s nothing average about you.” Raul drew her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles.

“Just as there’s nothing average about you, shifter or not,” she replied, her eyes filled with determination. She reached out to bury her hands in his hair, pulling him in for a kiss, and he readily obliged.

It was another moment of utter perfection. Until suddenly, there was a loud, frightened whinny.

A heartbeat later, the sleigh swerved dangerously. Claire cried out, her panic flooding through the connection between them—and then the world seemed to turn upside down as they rapidly slid straight towards the cliff.