CHAPTER 20
Abigail
“First things first,” Jasper said, calling back over his shoulder as he darted back into the bedroom, “I’ll need you to carry these.”
He came back in carrying two massive sacks over one shoulder. Abigail gaped.
“You’re kidding! I won’t be able to carry those and hold on!” She was still trying to comprehend the idea that they were going to be flying up to the Heartwell lodge. That was more than enough for her brain right now, even with the coffee. Add two massive sacks of presents, and the only direction she would be flying was going to be straight down.
Jasper frowned. “No, not those. I’ll carry the presents. I need you to carry these.”
He held out the bundle he had been holding under his other arm. Abigail took it. “Clothes?” It made sense; he seemed to always be naked when he shifted from dragon to human. But, still…
“You didn’t think I was going to spend Christmas dressed like this, did you?” Jasper spread his arms and paraded himself across the kitchen floor, almost knocking the coffee pot off the counter with one of the sacks as he spun in a circle.
She looked him up and down, since that was clearly what he was after. He was wearing a navy sweater and dark pants. “Ah,” she said, unwrapping the bundle slightly. “Not Christmassy enough?”
Something glittered deep in the bundle of clothing. A warning gleam of tinsel and Christmas red, green and white.
Abigail met Jasper’s eye and grinned wickedly. “You’re trusting me not to throw this into a snowdrift in disgust while your back is turned?”
Jasper’s eyes sparkled. “You’ll have to decide which is worse: me wearing those for Christmas brunch, or me wearing nothing at all.”
Abigail pulled the sweater free and held it up. “Oh, God,” she muttered. “You know, that’s actually going to be a difficult decision.”
But it wasn’t. Her heart felt light. A few days ago, even the sight of the Christmas sweater would have made her flinch, but today the only thing it hurt was her sense of fashion. And for Jasper, she was willing to let that slide. Horrific as the Christmas sweater was, she stuffed it into a backpack with the rest of Jasper’s change of clothes.
“Now…” Jasper smiled at her, eyes glittering. Her stomach flipped over. She still couldn’t believe— no, that wasn’t right. With everything she had seen in the last twenty-four hours, she absolutely believed in magic. In shifters. In a gorgeous, caring, sweet man who could turn into a powerful dragon.
And, looking into his eyes, she knew he loved her. And she loved him back.
“Ready?” he asked, opening the front door. The world beyond was pure white, snow drifts piled up over the road and trees.
Abigail hugged the bundle of clothes to her chest. “Ready,” she replied, unable to keep the grin off her face.
Jasper threw the sacks into a snowdrift and leapt outside. One step, two, and he had stripped off his shirt and pants. He spread his arms, bare skin goose-bumping in the chilly air, and then changed.
Abigail stared, entranced. Scales shimmered under Jasper’s skin, and then his whole body shone with strange, magical light. Wings burst out of his shoulders and the light became brighter, almost blinding. Abigail shaded her eyes. She could see movement inside the light, Jasper’s body shifting its shape, becoming bigger.
Then the light faded, and a dragon was staring down at her with ember-bright eyes.
Abigail reached out. Jasper lowered his head, and she stroked him between his eyes, marveling at how smooth his scales were. He was right; his dragon was completely healed. Except for one scar on his top lip.
She touched it gently, and then looked deep into the dragon’s eyes. Jasper was magnificent. even the scar didn’t mar his dragon’s powerful beauty.
Jasper knelt down, so graceful it was like a courtly bow. Abigail took a deep breath.
This is it. I’m going to fly on a dragon.
Jasper had two lines of hard ridges running from his snout, up over his eyes and down his spine. She grabbed hold of the nearest one and pulled herself up just in front of his wings, where the two lines of ridges separated, leaving a broad space where she could sit and hold on.
Abigail settled herself as firmly as she could. Her heart was beating so fast, it felt like it was about to explode.
Jasper reached one clawed foreleg into the snowdrift to retrieve the sacks of presents and then swung his massive head around, a question in his burning eyes.
“Yes,” Abigail replied at once. “Let’s go!”
Jasper spread his wings, beat them twice with a noise like thunder, and leapt into the air. Cold wind whipped past Abigail’s face, but she was dressed warmly— and besides, she was too amazed to notice it.
The world dropped away as the dragon flew higher and higher, as graceful as a bird in the air. Mountains tipped and tilted as he changed direction and Abigail held on tight, but never felt unsafe. She knew her dragon would never let her fall.
She was flying. She was really, truly, flying.
Abigail let out a whoop of pure joy, then laughed as Jasper roared. The sound reverberated through her, making her blood fizz. They rose higher and higher above the mountains as dawn broke over the horizon.
Abigail closed her eyes. Memories were stirring inside her. What was this like? She felt the icy wind on her face and laughed, remembering. It was like when Jasper had taken her ice-skating. She had been scared at first, but Jasper had shown her she could trust him. He’d covered her eyes and guided her across the ice and it had almost felt like flying…
Abigail opened her eyes and gasped. The sky was a thousand shades of lavender and pink, and Jasper’s scales were reflecting the dawn light, shimmering like liquid gold. She had never seen anything more beautiful.
Jasper made a soft noise. Abigail followed the direction he was pointing his head, and saw the Heartwell lodge far below them. Jasper tilted his wings, wheeling slowly down towards the building.
Anxiety gnawed at Abigail’s insides, just for a moment. She didn’t want this magical flight to end. Then she saw something that filled her with wonder.
More dragons were flying up from the grounds around the lodge. One, two— three, the third tiny compared to the others, jet-black and rocketing straight towards Jasper and her.
“Jasper, look!” she cried out, but he had already seen them. He flared his wings out, hovering in the air as the tiny dragon swooped around him like a crazed missile.
Abigail laughed out loud, watching the child dragon play in the air. That must be Cole! she thought. His scales were a gleaming jet black, and his eyes were midnight blue. The bigger dragons glided up behind him, graceful and serene, but he was beating his wings as frantically as a hummingbird.
They must be Jasper’s sister and brother-in-law, Abigail thought, looking at the other dragons. One was silvery-white, but as the light caught its scales, it revealed other colors: pinks, greens, lavenders. The other dragon’s scales were a bold forest-green.
Abigail looked down at Jasper again, and his burnished, red-orange scales. She hid a grin. It’s a good thing I changed my mind about Christmas, she told herself. Jasper isn’t the only Christmas dragon in his family – together, they’re all the colors of the season, red, green and white!
Jasper’s family flew either side of him as they all returned to the snowy ground. Jasper peeled away at the last moment and landed behind the lodge. Abigail slipped off his back and turned around just in time to see him shift. The magical light of his transformation had barely faded before he swept her into his arms.
He was completely, gloriously naked. Abigail ran her hands down his back, enjoying the feel of his lean muscles under her palms. He made a rough sound in the back of his throat and pulled her closer.
“Cold?” she teased.
“Mmm.” Jasper nipped her lower lip. “I— oh, damn.” His gaze became distant. “Cole’s on the hunt. Where are my clothes?”
Abigail thrust the bundle into his hands, laughing. He dressed with frantic speed, hopping on one leg in the snow to pull on his trousers. Abigail stuffed her fist against her mouth, stifling an attack of unstoppable giggles as her mighty, powerful dragon got his head stuck in his shirt.
“Here, let me help—” She pulled the shirt straight and kissed him. Jasper’s hair was even more unruly than usual and she ran her fingers through it, drawing him close.
“Darling,” he murmured against her lips. “Look out!”
He picked her up and swung around as a black shadow charged at them from around the side of the house. Cushioned in his arms, Abigail barely felt the impact as the black dragonling launched itself onto Jasper’s back. For a moment, Jasper managed to carry the weight of them both; then they all fell in a pile into the snow.
“Cole!” Abigail heard Jasper’s exasperated shout, and then his laughter as the little dragon flapped snow into the air. Claws scrabbled against Abigail’s heavy jacket as Cole tried to turn himself right-side-up. He almost managed it, and then all three of them lost their balance again.
They rolled in a tangle of limbs and wings and suddenly there was a flash and instead of a jet-black dragon there was an adorable four-year-old boy snuggling up between Abigail and Jasper. He had a shock of black hair, and bright, mischievous eyes.
She blinked down at him. “Hello!”
The little boy blinked back, suddenly shy. “’Lo,” he whispered, and flung his arms around Jasper, who laughed.
“Cole, don’t be silly! This is Abigail. She’s going to be your aunt.”
Abigail met his eyes in shock, but the love in his gaze washed away her surprise. She wrinkled her nose at him. “Aren’t you meant to ask me, first?”
Jasper’s eyes widened. “I— oh, God. I didn’t, did I? I never actually asked you to marry me.” He reached over Cole to grasp her hand. “Abigail, will you—”
“Jas!”
A dark-haired woman ran around the side of the house, closely followed by a red-haired mountain of a man. Jasper groaned. Little Cole looked from his uncle, to Abigail, and back, a curious expression on his face.
Abigail felt another giggle building up inside of her.
The woman stopped beside them, panting slightly. She greeted Abigail with a broad smile. “Jas, is this— ?”
“Right!” Jasper announced. He stood up with one arm around Abigail and Cole slung under the other. “Opal— dearest of sisters— please take your offspring…”
He handed Cole off to Opal, and then turned back to Abigail, capturing her waist with both hands. “Abigail,” he said, his voice rough. “No— wait…”
He knelt down in the snow, staring up at her with eyes that burned with love. “Abigail, will you marry me?”
Abigail’s breath caught in her throat. To her horror, tears filled her eyes— and Jasper saw. A look of terrified consternation flashed over his face. He began to stand up.
Abigail put her hands on his shoulders, forcing him to stay on his knees until she could say the words burning in her heart: “Yes, yes! Of course I’ll marry you, Jasper. Yes. How could I say anything else?” She flung her arms around his neck as he stood up. “I love so you much.”
Then he was kissing her, and all her words, all the rest of the world, melted away. There was only Jasper’s soft lips against hers, his arms around her— and the magic that connected them.
She could still feel it, that mysterious gold-bright chain that bound them together. His heart to her heart, her soul to his soul. And now they were going to be married. She was happy in so many ways she had never dared to hope for.
Jasper kissed her again, hard, and then released her, letting his hands slide down her arms until he was holding both her hands. He looked over her shoulder, and then turned her to face his family.
“Abigail, I’d like you to meet my sister Opal, and her husband Hank. And you’ve already met this tiny menace, Cole.” He squeezed Abigail’s hands. “Everyone… this is Abigail. My mate and, soon, my wife.”
Abigail bit down on her lower lip. She was so happy, she thought if she let herself say anything, she would burst into happy tears. Opal came up and hugged her.
“Welcome to the family, Abigail.” She shot Jasper a sharp life. “Wife? I don’t see a ring on her finger, Jas. I thought you would have given her the pick of your hoard.”
“About that…” Jasper released one of Abigail’s hands and reached into his trouser pocket. His eyes smoldered into hers. When he pulled his hand out, he was holding the jasper heart she had given him. “Abigail, my love. Ignore my sister. I’m not going to give you just any old ring.”
Gold began to flow from the stone, curling through the air like ink in water. Jasper raised Abigail’s left hand. “You deserve no less than the heart of my hoard,” he said, and the gold flew onto her finger, twisting and turning into a perfect gold ring.
Abigail gasped as she lifted her hand to look closer. What looked like a pattern running around the outside of the ring was really a dragon. And not just any dragon. Her dragon.
“Jasper,” she whispered. “It’s beautiful.”
“It’s yours,” he said simply. “And so am I. Forever.”
Her heart swelled with more emotion than her body could contain. She took a shaky breath, still not trusting herself to speak, and looked deep into Jasper’s eyes. Did he know how overwhelming this was for her? After so many years without love, to feel so much of it, so quickly… she was drowning.
“I understand,” Jasper whispered, kissing her ring-finger.
And suddenly she wasn’t drowning; her body still wasn’t big enough to contain everything she was feeling, but that didn’t matter, because the invisible golden chain that connected her to her mate was acting as a river between them. Love flowed through it, his to her, and hers to him. She wasn’t drowning in it— she was flying, and it was so perfect she almost cried.
She felt a hand on her shoulder. Opal pulled her into a hug, then looked into her face hard. Abigail blinked. Had she started crying? God, she hoped not. The first time she met Jasper’s family. God, how embarrassing. She leaned back against Jasper, her knees shaking. Maybe she was flying, but she wasn’t very good at it yet.
“Sweetheart, you look exhausted.” Opal glared at Jasper. “Have you even fed her this morning?”
“Just coffee—” Jasper began. Guilt flashed through his eyes, too late to ward off his sister’s wrath.
Opal rolled her eyes. “Do I have to do everything? Come on. Time for breakfast.”
She marched off, snapping her fingers at the rest of them to follow her. Jasper ducked his head towards Abigail, concern in his eyes.
“I’m sorry— if this is all too much…”
Abigail laid her left hand against his cheek. Her ring shone in the morning light. “I’m fine. This is all wonderful.”
He still looked worried. Abigail bit her bottom lip, concentrating. The golden chain that connected them, that acted like a river…
She sent her happiness through it, bright and sparkling and endless. Jasper’s eyes flared, and he pulled her into a kiss that made their golden mate-bond sing.
“Uncle Ja-a-asper! Auntie Abigail!” Cole yelled from the lodge’s front door. “Come in for breakfast!” Abigail turned in time to see him exchange a whispered conversation with Hank. “Dad says if you don’t come now, I get to eat all of your food!”
“That sounds like a threat we should take seriously,” Abigail said, laughing.
“Very.” Jasper kissed her again, and then led him inside, where the others were waiting for them around a table piled high with food, and surrounded with laughter and Christmas cheer.
* * *
It was like no Christmas Abigail had ever experienced, and better than anything she could have imagined.
The Heartwell lodge was a beautiful building inside and out. Its huge, wood-paneled rooms with high rafters were all strung around with tinsel and lights, and Abigail strongly suspected it had been built deliberately with dragons in mind— when Cole shifted again and started climbing and flying around the rafters, she was sure of it.
Opal and Hank made her more than welcome, and by the time the breakfast dishes were put away she felt as though she had known them all for years. She held back when the family went through to the living room and started opening presents, until Cole ran up with a present in his hands.
“Do you want me to help you unwrap it?” she asked as the little boy wriggled onto the couch beside her.
“No, silly! It’s for you!”
“What?” Abigail turned the present over and checked the tag. Her own name stared back at her. From— “Hank?”
Opal’s broad-shouldered husband nodded at her. “Merry Christmas!”
“But how…?” Abigail met Jasper’s loving gaze. “You planned this!”
“I always hoped you’d spend Christmas here. Ever since the moment I met you,” Jasper said softly. “A real Christmas. With people who love you… and presents.”
“Thank you.” Abigail looked around the room, at Hank and Opal and Cole. “All of you. I never expected…”
“You’re family now, Abigail,” Opal said, snuggling into her husband’s side. “Get used to it.”
Abigail laughed. “I’ll try. It might take a while.”
“Take all the time you need,” Jasper said magnanimously. “To start with, all the time it will take you to open all these presents…”
Paper piled up around Abigail as Cole helped her unwrap her gifts. Pretty things, and silly things, and all… for her.
“Thank you,” she whispered to Jasper as Cole ran back to grab the next present from the pile under the tree.
“I know how much it means to you,” he whispered back. “From now on, every Christmas will be like this.” He reached under the tree and grabbed a soft-looking parcel. “This is for you, too. From me.”
But you’ve already given me so much! Abigail caught the words before they reached her lips. She could already tell how important gift-giving was in this family, and would never hurt her mate by saying anything that sounded like rejecting a gift. She pulled the paper away and her eyes widened.
“It’s a bit cheeky, I know…” Jasper leaned closer to her, wrapping one arm possessively around her waist. “I’m so glad it didn’t end up in the garbage.”
Abigail stroked the kitten plushie. She remembered stuffing it into her handbag before she left the apartment the day before. Jasper must have found it there. It still only had one eye and three legs, and its fur was sticking out in all directions, but her heart melted a little as she looked at it.
“I’m glad I didn’t throw it out, either. It deserves another chance.” A thought struck her, and she carefully balanced the toy in the Christmas tree, nestling it in between the other ornaments. “What do you think?”
“I think it looks very happy there,” Jasper murmured, and kissed her.