Chapter 5
Holly’s nerves were strung tight as she waited for the computer to shut down. Saturday night had come and gone, and it was nearing 4:00 a.m. She could faintly hear Vaughn, Jack, and Ivy out in the bar cleaning up. As soon as they were finished, she and Vaughn were heading to his friend’s cabin, the same one Jack had taken Ivy to.
Holly had packed for the overnight trip before she’d come to work that night. Vaughn had told her to bring hiking boots so they could explore the woods around the cabin. She hadn’t been on a hike since she was a kid and her favorite grandfather had taken her and Ivy camping, and she found herself looking forward to it.
She shook herself out of her reverie, realizing the computer had shut down completely and she was staring at the dark monitor.
The door opened and Vaughn smiled at her. “Ready to go, beautiful?”
She picked up her backpack and stood, returning his smile. “Yep.”
When she joined him at the door, his expression slipped some. “Everything okay?”
Sometimes when he looked at her like he was now, she felt like he could read her innermost thoughts. “I’m just being ridiculous.”
“How so?”
“I’m worried.”
He arched a brow. “You’re not worried about me, are you?” He cupped her face and moved close. “If I didn’t make it clear before, I’ll say it again right now: I’m yours and you’re mine, and I’m not going anywhere. You are well and truly stuck with me, Holly. If I’ve made you feel like there’s even a shadow of a chance that we won’t be together forever, then I’m the one who’s failed.”
“No.” She gripped his wrists and kissed the inside of one palm. “It’s not you, it’s just me thinking too much. Whenever something good happens to me, I always spend a lot of time worrying about it.”
“Worrying doesn’t fix things, though.”
“Maybe not, but it’s kind of what I do. I’m a worrier.”
“Don’t worry about me or us, okay? I’m crazy about you, and I can’t wait until you’re really mine so we can start the next chapter of our lives together.”
“What do you mean by ‘really mine’?”
His eyes smoldered and a smile quirked the corner of his mouth. “The sooner we get to the cabin, the sooner I can show you.”
Images of them naked and writhing together flashed through her mind, and Vaughn closed his eyes with a hum that sounded like a soft growl. He opened them after a beat and kissed her. “You smell so good when you’re turned on. I can’t even describe it, but it’s like melted sugar.”
She’d never had anyone say that to her before, but she liked it. Her cheeks heated, and he chuckled.
“How do you always know just what to say to make me feel better? You’ve been doing it ever since we met. You’re right where I need you to be at the perfect time, with the right words to set me at ease.”
“Lucky, I guess. In fact, I feel especially lucky to have you in my life. That I can ease some of your worries just by being around makes me feel like the king of the world.”
She could relate. He made her feel amazingly special, too.
“I’m ready to go,” she said.
He slipped her pack from her shoulder and put it on his own. She grabbed her coat, and they headed through the bar and out into the cold night, where his truck was running. The warm cab was inviting, and she sat on the passenger side with a sigh, grateful he’d warmed it up before they left. When he was behind the wheel, he said, “It’s a few hours to get to the cabin. I have supplies, so we don’t have to stop until we get there.”
“I’m so glad you suggested this.”
“Me, too.”
She was definitely ready to see where their short time away took them. She didn’t know what would happen, but in her heart she knew it didn’t matter as long as they were together. It was hard to explain how quickly things had changed between them, but it felt right.
Vaughn had her heart, and she wished she hadn’t waited so long to give it to him.
* * *
Holly woke as the truck bobbed to the side, sliding her against Vaughn. She yawned and sat up, looking out the windshield to see they were heading up a mountain. Snow had fallen recently, but the path up was marked by trees on either side.
“Have a nice nap?” he asked.
“Yeah. We’re close to the cabin?”
“Yep, just up this road.”
“Why does your friend have this cabin?”
“Tom and his wife, Neve, lived here. Her cousin Ellie lived in the same town as you and worked at the flower shop across the street from the bar. Neve’s pregnant, so she and Tom decided to move back to his hometown, which is actually where Jack and I are from, too. They keep the cabin for vacations, and they offered it to us to use whenever we wanted to get away from things. It’s rustic, so just candles and oil lamps, but there’s a generator for the refrigerator and water heater.”
She blew out a relieved breath. “I’m glad to hear about the water heater. When you said rustic, I was picturing walking outside in the snow to use an outhouse.”
He laughed loudly, and she loved the sound. “I absolutely wouldn’t bring you someplace like that. It’s nice to get away from modern life, but there’s definitely a limit to how much I’d be willing to give up.”
“Me, too.”
The truck bumped and jostled along the path until they stopped in a clearing where a cabin sat nestled among trees. With the sun streaming through the trees and bathing the cabin in golden light, it looked like a painting. Vaughn stopped the truck near the front porch.
“Give me a minute to clear a path.”
She nodded, watching as he moved to the porch and retrieved a shovel, making quick work of the snow to clear a path to the front door. He opened her door and helped her out, grabbing their bags and taking her inside. It was cold in the cabin, so she decided to keep her coat on for a while longer.
“There are candles and lamps in the kitchen. I’m going to start a fire.”
She walked into the quaint kitchen and found the supplies, lighting several lamps and setting them in the family room while he brought in wood from a box on the front porch and got a fire going.
They carried their things back to the master bedroom. “Will it get warm enough back here?” she asked as she put her bag on a small chair in the corner.
He opened a closet door. “There’s an electric radiator. They have it rigged to run off a car battery. It’ll warm up the room, and we can use the fireplace for the family room and kitchen.”
“Oh, good. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get to sleep in my coat and gloves.”
He set up the radiator and turned it on, then straightened with a smile. “No worries. I promise I’ll keep you warm no matter what.”
“That I believe.”
When they’d finished unpacking, Vaughn made hot chocolate using a hanging pot over the fire. They sat on the couch and talked, sipping the sweet brew and getting to know each other. When they were hungry, he showed her how to cook in the fireplace using a cast-iron grate, where he seared thick steaks while she tended to potatoes wrapped in foil in the coals.
“It’s sunset,” he said, lifting one of the red gingham curtains to look outside. “Want to go for a walk?”
“In the dark? What about wild animals?”
“I talked to Jack and also Tom. Although Jack saw a bear while they were here, it’s not around anymore, and Tom said there aren’t any predators that call the mountain home. We won’t go far, just into the woods a little to talk.”
She looked at the toasty warm fire. “We can’t talk here? You know, by the fire?”
He grinned. “Trust me?”
She didn’t miss a beat when she answered, “Of course.”
“Then let’s go while there’s still some light outside.”
She hurriedly dressed in her hiking boots, warm coat, hat, and gloves. Although Vaughn put on hiking boots and his coat, he didn’t bother with a hat or gloves.
“Won’t your ears freeze?”
“I’ll be fine. The cold doesn’t bother me as much.”
“Why is that? What are you, an Eskimo?”
He laughed. “Maybe. One of the many mysteries of me.”
She followed him out onto the porch with a snort. “You’re adorably mysterious.”
They walked off the porch into the snow and headed slowly to the trees. Where they grew more closely together, there was less snow, so the walking became easier. The sunset colored the sky gold and orange, and she inhaled the scent of the woods and fresh snow. Although home wasn’t that urban, it didn’t quite smell as wonderful as the woods did.
Vaughn stopped walking and turned to face her, taking both of her hands in his. “I have something to share with you, but I need you to do two things for me.”
“Okay.”
“Keep an open mind, and don’t freak out.”
“Why would I freak out?”
“Give me a sec.” He paused for a moment and inhaled deeply, then said, “Do you remember the woman who came to see you on Christmas Eve named Clarise?”
“Of course.”
“Her name isn’t really Clarise. I call her Mrs. C, but you’d know her better as Mrs. Claus.”
Holly blinked slowly, then scoffed. “Seriously?”
“It’s true,” he said earnestly. “Her husband is Santa Claus. I call him SC, and he’s my boss.”
“What are you, an elf? Where are your pointed ears and shoes with bells?” She tugged her hands free of his, exasperated by his craziness.
“I’m very serious. I’m a shifter. I can change into four different animals, including a reindeer. SC is my boss, and I’m one of eight reindeer who drive his sleigh.”
She rolled her eyes hard enough to make them ache. “Who are you, Rudolph? This is nuts. People don’t turn into animals, and Santa – excuse me, SC – is a myth.”
He let out a low sound from his chest and she froze, staring wide-eyed as his eyes turned from hazel to bright gold. He was growling like a bear, and as his lips parted, she could see fangs.
Fangs!
Her breath caught in her chest.
He shook his head and said with a growly voice, “I’m not an elf, I’m a quad shifter, meaning I have control over four animals: reindeer, polar bear, artic fox, and snowy owl. Mrs. C sent me to your bar because she believed I would find the one woman on the planet meant for me there, my fated mate. You’re her. I brought you here to show you my truth before things went any further in our relationship.”
She swallowed hard over the sudden lump in her throat.
“I don’t… it’s not possible.”
“I’ll show you that it’s very possible, but I just asked you a few seconds ago to keep an open mind and not freak out. You look like you’re thinking about running away, and I don’t want you to do that.”
What is he, psychic?
“You want to show me what?”
“One of my animals.”
Skeptical thoughts crashed through her mind with his words. People absolutely never changed into animals. That was crazy.
“Come on, Holly. You know you’ve felt drawn to me since we first met. You’ve tried your hardest to keep me at arm’s length, but you weren’t able to. Why do you think that is?”
“Lust.”
“Love, damn it,” he growled. “And it’s neither of those things.”
“So what is it?” she asked, throwing up her hands. “You’re asking me to believe that Santa and people turning into animals are a real thing.”
He let out a deep sigh and shrugged out of his coat. “Seeing is believing, Holly. Just promise you won’t run. It’s too cold for you to be out here for long, and it’ll get dark soon.”
He jerked his shirt over his head and dropped it onto his jacket on the ground. “Promise, Holly.”
“I promise.”
She fully expected him to be joking, to quickly put an end to things, but he continued to watch her intently as he stripped out of his clothes. She tried not to ogle his body, but he was positively the sexiest man she’d ever seen in clothes. Out of them? He was stunning on a hundred different levels, stacked with muscles and covered with sun-kissed skin. Just the sight of him in all his mouth-watering perfection made her whole body shudder.
He inhaled and snarled softly. “You smell fucking amazing.”
“What?”
He tapped his nose. “I have enhanced senses, and right now I’m picking up how turned on you are.”
She wrinkled her nose, tempted to sniff the air herself. “I am not.”
“Liar,” he murmured and then winked. “Now pay attention, beautiful. I’ll be able to shift back pretty quick, but in the meantime, I’m still me in my shift. I might look like an animal, but the thoughts are all human.”
Unease slipped through her, and she wondered how far he was going to take things. He clearly believed what he’d said, or he wouldn’t have stripped completely, but it couldn’t possibly be real. People didn’t turn into animals, period.
He cleared his throat. “I think I’ll change into the reindeer, since you’re so certain SC isn’t real. The polar bear can be pretty intimidating, so I’ll save that big fellow for another time. Ready?”
She stared, not daring to blink or breathe, and nodded sharply.
For a heartbeat, nothing happened, and she let out the breath she’d been holding.
But then something did happen.
His body changed swiftly, short brown fur replacing flesh, hooves replacing hands and feet.
She sucked in a sharp breath and blinked rapidly, very certain she hadn’t seen what she’d just seen. People didn’t change into animals, but Vaughn had changed into a reindeer.
Holy freaking crap!
He shook himself out and snorted, his breath billowing from his nostrils like smoke. She felt rooted to the ground, fear and disbelief twining inside her like a storm. Part of her wanted to run, to do the exact opposite of what she’d promised. But she couldn’t actually make her legs work. She was staring into the eyes of a reindeer that moments earlier had been a man, the man she loved.
She’d believed he was teasing her about his home with Santa, but now that she’d witnessed one part of his story with her own eyes, she had to figure out if she was going to believe the rest.
Do elves exist? Is there really a Santa Claus who brings gifts to the children of the world?
She lowered her head and closed her eyes as tears stung them. The ground crunched, and she knew Vaughn was moving close. He gently bumped her hand with his muzzle, and she pulled off her glove and touched him, then opened her eyes and lifted her head.
“You were telling the truth,” she croaked with a raw voice.
He grunted, and it sounded like “Yes.”
She lifted her hand and touched one of his antlers. He tilted his head to allow her to grasp it, and she squeezed gently, still in awe of what she’d seen.
“You were right when you said I couldn’t keep away from you. I tried because I wanted to focus on the bar. I told Ivy I didn’t have time for a relationship, but I wanted you even when I wouldn’t let myself admit it out loud. Can you change back now? I want to talk. Really talk.”
From one moment to the next, Vaughn went from reindeer to man, then scooped her into his arms. He carried her into the cabin, seemingly unaffected by the cold and his nudity. He kicked the front door shut and set her on the couch, kneeling in front of her and unlacing her boots. She wiggled from her coat, tossing her hat and gloves to the side along with it. He joined her on the couch, pulling a quilt over his lap to cover himself.
“What do you want to know?”
“It’s really true? Santa and Mrs. Claus, and the reindeer and elves?”
He nodded. “Elves look human, not like they’re depicted in human stories. They’re not particularly short, but they do have pointed ears. All the females in NPC are elves, and males are either shifters or elves. Some shifters, like me and my friends, are unique and have four animals. My dad is a shifter, but not a quad.”
“And your mom is an elf? And your sister?”
He nodded.
“Can you take me to see NPC?”
“Not until dawn on Christmas Eve. NPC is magically closed and protected three hundred and sixty-four days a year. It’s only open for twenty-four hours. Our people can magically transport, but only when the city is open. If we aren’t back in NPC by dawn on Christmas Day, we’re stuck in the human world until the following Christmas.”
Her mind spun as reality set in.
“You came here because Mrs. Claus said you’d find your fated mate at my bar, even though you were going to be essentially trapped here for a year? Away from your family and friends?”
He nodded.
“Where did your apartment come from? Is Jack a shifter, too?” Her hand flew to her mouth as more questions filled her mind.
He took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“There are eight quads on the sleigh team. I’m the Comet position. Jack is the Donner position. And yes, he showed his shift to Ivy when they came to the cabin.”
“She didn’t tell me.” A little bit of hurt filled her.
“Jack made her promise not to. That was two weeks ago, beautiful. You were so intent on keeping me at arm’s length that Ivy wasn’t sure when or even if you’d let your heart go enough to let me in. It’s against our laws to just share our shifts until we’re certain we’re with our fated mate. She couldn’t tell you because it wasn’t her secret to tell, it was mine.”
She stared down at their linked fingers, aware of the warmth emanating from him. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Say you’ll stay with me.”
“Where?” Her mind flitted to the bar and the years of hard work she’d put into it.
“Wherever you want to be.”
She frowned. “You would stay here, in my world?”
“Yes, if it’s what you want.”
“What about your family and your job?”
“I want to be in NPC, Holly, but where you are is home for me. If this is where you want to be, then I will happily work by your side at the bar. My family will understand, and so will my friends.”
She realized then that Ivy was planning to move to NPC with Jack. They’d used the guise of his job, but they weren’t simply relocating to another city, they were going somewhere magical. A place that, if Holly and Vaughn didn’t follow, would be magically closed for most of the year. She wanted to ask Ivy about her decision and why it was so easy for her to want to leave, but immediately she knew why – her pregnancy meant their baby wasn’t entirely human. Wouldn’t Holly do the same to protect a child of her own? And didn’t she want Vaughn to be safe, too?
A headache bloomed, and she leaned back against the couch and closed her eyes. “I don’t know what to think.”
“We don’t have to make any decisions anytime soon.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles, sending a shiver down her spine. “Sorry for what?”
“For being a jerk outside.”
He chuckled. “It’s okay, beautiful. I was laying some heavy truth on you. Your whole life, you’ve been told that what I am and where I live is fantasy. It makes sense that you’d push back against things until you could see it with your own eyes.”
“I’m pretty tired,” she said.
He nodded, and she could feel his eyes on her as she got up and left the room. Although the bedroom was being heated by the electric radiator, it wasn’t nearly as warm and comforting as the family room and being with Vaughn, but she needed time to come to terms with what he’d shared and what it meant for their future.
She’d never expected to ask the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with to give up his world for her, but if he stayed here, then she was doing just that. He wasn’t asking her to walk away from her life here, but if they stayed, what did that mean for him?