CHAPTER 19
Jasper
*
25 DECEMBER
CHRISTMAS DAY
“Thank God for interfering older sisters,” Jasper muttered, pulling a bag of coffee from the cupboard. Even though he’d barely spent more than a few hours in the cottage over the last week, Opal had kept the pantry fully stocked. Even the milk was fresh. Left to his own devices, Jasper knew, he would have been dining on stale bread and water.
No longer, though. Not with his mate here. He knew what she liked; he was already planning how to re-stock the pantry when the shops opened after the holiday. All of Abigail’s favorites. And some of his own. He was sure he would be able to win her over to them.
After all, he’d won her over to Christmas.
He glanced over his shoulder at Abigail. She was lying stretched out on the sofa in front of the fire in the front room. They’d barely been out of each other’s arms since the afternoon before, let alone out of sight. Except for certain vital, private functions, of course.
Jasper turned back to the counter and tipped coffee into the French press. A moment later, the soft patter of bare feet on floorboards warned him of Abigail’s approach.
She wrapped her arms around him from behind.
“Couldn’t stay away?”
“Mmmm.” Abigail held him tighter, pressing her breasts against his back. “Maybe. Congratulations, you’re more interesting than the sofa.”
“And I’m glad to hear it.” He twisted around and kissed the top of her head. “Coffee’s almost ready. How are you feeling?”
Abigail released him and walked around to lean against the counter. Jasper’s heart glowed as he looked at her. Though, really, it had hardly stopped glowing since he claimed her.
She was wearing a pair of his trousers, the hems rolled up around her ankles, and another of his shirts. The soft cotton hung over her curves like the garment was made for her.
“You look beautiful,” he told her, and she wrinkled her nose. “I told you, you don’t need to be embarrassed. Everyone’s going to know—”
“Oh God,” Abigail groaned, and Jasper laughed as she covered her face.
“Everyone’s going to know that you’re my mate. Trust me, you having to borrow my clothes is by far the least embarrassing way the Heartwells have been introduced to a new member of the family.” He poured the coffee and added a generous dollop of cream to both cups. “After Cole’s gone to sleep, maybe I’ll convince Opal to reveal the torrid story of how she and Hank met…”
“Opal’s your sister, right? And Hank’s your brother-in-law.” Abigail paused, a line forming between her eyebrows. “And Cole is… four?”
“And very big on jumping on people from roofs.” Jasper held her coffee out of reach until she kissed him, grumbling. “Speaking of which, I recommend hiding behind me at all times when we’re outside.”
“I think I can survive a four-year-old jumping on me,” Abigail retorted, blowing on her coffee to cool it. Jasper watched her lips, hypnotized. When she started to sip, he groaned aloud— making sure she could hear him.
A vivid blush spread across her cheeks. “Stop it. We’re going to see your family in twenty minutes.” She shot a glance out the window, into the pre-dawn darkness. Then her eyes crept back to Jasper. When she saw that he was still watching her, her blush burned even more fiercely. “Hey.”
She was frowning, but a pleased smile pulled at the corners of her mouth as she sipped more coffee. Jasper leaned back against the counter, preening. He raised his hands in surrender, and started on his own coffee.
Abigail’s eyes flicked over to him again, and he laughed out loud. “I shouldn’t have teased you. You’re right, we don’t have time. If we’re late, we’ll have a hundred pounds of juvenile dragon rage to deal with.”
“A hundred pounds? What sort of four-year-old weighs ninety pounds?” Abigail’s eyes widened. “Oh. Of course. You’re pretty massive as a dragon, so Cole…”
“…Is the size of a small pony, yes.” He waited for Abigail to work through this new fact. She grimaced, and then grinned at him.
“Maybe I’ll hide behind you after all,” she relented. She finished her coffee and licked her lips in a way that made Jasper wish they really did have more than twenty minutes before they were meant to meet his family. “We’d better get moving if we’re going to dig my car out…”
“We don’t need a car.”
She snorted. “I’m not walking— oh. Oh. That isn’t the only option, is it?” She put down her cup, wonder dawning on her face. Jasper’s heart glowed as he watched her, and he stopped resisting the impulse to pull her into his arms. She buried her face in his chest and groaned. “There’s so much I’m going to need to get used to, isn’t there?”
“Absolutely.” He kissed the top of her head.
“Will your wings be okay? Yesterday—”
“I told you, I’m a fast healer.” He straightened his shoulders, striking as heroic a pose as he could manage while still clasping Abigail to his chest. “Didn’t you check all my cuts and bruises already? I seem to remember you making a very detailed survey…”
“Mmm.” Abigail bent her head back and narrowed her eyes. She traced the mark on his lip with one gentle finger. “So, what? You’re keeping this one deliberately?”
Jasper caught her hand before she could pull it away. Her touch was too sweet to lose. Especially there.
The cut on his lip was almost healed— but unlike his other wounds, this one was leaving a scar. This had never happened to him before. He wasn’t doing it on purpose, no matter what Abigail believed.
But he knew what it was. He knew why it was, why of all the scrapes he had gotten himself into over the years, this would be the only one to leave a permanent mark. Because that scar on his upper lip was where Abigail had pulled a splinter from his dragon’s jaw, bringing his human side back from the edge.
It was a memory. A precious, beautiful memory, and one he was proud to keep on his skin.
“Every time I look in the mirror, I’ll remember what you did for me,” he said softly. Abigail’s eyes flicked to his, suddenly dead serious. “You saved me. First in the forest, and then when you brought me the new heart of my hoard— I didn’t even know that was possible. You showed me a magic I never knew could exist.” Abigail’s eyes filled with tears as he kissed the tips of her fingers. He waited until she had blinked her eyes dry before he continued: “Plus, I think it makes me look very dashing.”
“Oh, you— guh!” Abigail knocked her forehead against his chest, half-laughing, half-sniffing. “I knew you were doing it on purpose.”
“Maybe,” Jasper teased her. He bent his head against hers and inhaled, breathing in his mate’s scent. She was all soft curves in his arms, but he knew that even without her spiky armor, those curves hid a spine of pure steel. His to protect— and she would protect him, in return. His scar was a reminder of that, too.
He glanced up at the clock. His human side grated at having to let go of her, even briefly— but his dragon wanted to show off to Abigail, too. And now was its chance.
“Ready to go?” he asked, and Abigail’s eyes shone into his.
“Yes,” she said.