Everyone loved the holidays. Even dragons.
Eoin was forced to use a flashlight to search through the many trunks and the occasional cardboard box that filled the room to the ceiling. Electrical wiring didn’t reach the many attics of his old stone castle. In the far back of the room, the light skimmed over the top of an ancient pine trunk with cast iron straps. “A-ha.” Stepping over the obstacles, weaving between the ones he couldn’t and slamming his forehead on a low beam, he crossed the circular room. He fell to his knees in front of the trunk and popped it open.
Well, he tried to pop it open. The latch stuck. “Mother…of flying fairy farts.”
Angie, his mate, had been encouraging them to both clean their language for some unknown reason. She swore ten times worse than his. He might have to resort to swearing in something other than English. Old Norse had some manly guttural words he liked.
He focused on his hand, forcing a partial shift. Teeth clenched, he watched claws grow from his fingertips. He would think after all these centuries it wouldn’t hurt to compel a such a simple act, but no. It still stung like a motherfucker. He hissed and shook his hand once done.
Using his claws, he pried the lid loose.
Dust flew in his face and he sneezed. He waved the air in front of him clear of glittering particles. Inside, he found coils of Christmas lights. Well, more like tangles of Christmas lights. He hooked a claw under a wire and lifted the mass. Reds, greens, and white huge bulbs hung from the extensions. “Yes.” He knew he owned Christmas decorations and had them stored somewhere in one of the attics. It had only taken him five days to find the right one.
He closed the trunk, hefted the heavy box onto his shoulder, then carried it to the ancient wooden staircase that led to the room below. It creaked under his combined weight with his burden. He tested each step before descending. Eoin had been stacking the Christmas paraphernalia he had found above in the room underneath. There was decades’ worth of crap he had to sort through.
He kicked something hard and tripped, almost tossing the trunk filled with breakable colored lightbulbs across the room. Only his quick shifter reflexes and some creative juggling prevented the trunk from crashing on top of the other boxes. He set his burden next to his pile and rolled his strained shoulder. That juggling act would hurt later.
He returned to the object that he had tripped over so he wouldn’t repeat that performance. It was a corner of cast iron. There was only a single bare lightbulb hanging overhead so he couldn’t make it out properly. Using the flashlight, Eoin examined the solid metal object closer. It was black and had gilded bright gold curving vines. Green holly leaves and red berries were painted on the surface.
A Christmas tree stand. He hadn’t used it in ages and couldn’t even recall where he’d obtained it. He blew the dust off the surface and tucked the stand under his arm before proceeding to the foyer.
The huge area sprawled from the front entrance. The ceiling and doors were high enough to accommodate his dragon form. He and Angie left the foyer empty since he had a bad habit of stepping on the furniture. Light streamed in from the windows on each side of the room and if he wanted, he could shift and light the candles on the old light fixture hanging from above.
Today, the entrance hall was no longer empty.
An evergreen tree lay across the stone floor and filled the air with its festive scent. He set the cast iron stand dead center of the room. It had taken him all morning to find and retrieve the tree. A dark forest surrounded his and Angie’s home. One that sane people avoided since it was his hunting grounds. The woods were old and deep and the trees in the center of the forest grew strong and tall. This Christmas tree wasn’t even the biggest, but it was the greenest and the sweetest smelling. He grinned as he ran his gaze over his prize.
Angie walked through those doors from work every evening. Tonight, the first thing she would see was his dedication to making their first holiday together special.
Christmas was very soon. He counted on his fingers. Wait, was it Wednesday or Monday? He searched his pockets for his cell phone to check the date and came up empty. Shit, had he lost it again? It was a good thing his mate was more modern than he. She had a little symbol on her phone that found his every time he lost it, which was more often than he cared to admit. Stupid things were worse than television remotes. Anyway, Christmas was soon.
Angie had said she would help him prepare for the holiday, but her back scratching shop, Scratch Your Itch, kept her very occupied.
They hadn’t even decorated their castle. His job wasn’t so demanding—as an artist, he made his own hours, so he’d decided to surprise her.
Eoin scanned the mess of pine needles and cones scattered across the stone floor. A small branch hung from a crooked chandelier. Had the top of the tree snagged it? Didn’t matter.
This would be the best Christmas ever.
He and Angie had been together for less than a year, but their mating was solid. He didn’t doubt they’d celebrate many holidays here, but this was the first. It had to be extra special. This instinctual urge came from his marrow. He needed to make this place not just a shelter for her, but a home.
Eoin grabbed the tree’s base and attached the stand to the trunk using old iron spikes. He had no need of a hammer to slam them deep. He just used his bare palms. Once the stand was secure, he moved to the center of the trunk and began to slowly lift by pushing as he moved his hands down along the trunk. Small branches scraped his skin and pine needles fell loose, trying to blind him. He shook his head, clearing his vision, and managed to thump his nose against a medium-sized branch. “Mother trucker, that hurt.” But he was almost there. The tip nearly reached the ceiling.
Just another couple of feet, then he could give the tree one big shove so it could balance on the massive, solid stand.
But the stand had other plans and pivoted on a corner, forcing the trunk out of his hands. The rough bark scraped over his palms as it rolled back onto the floor.
He managed to dodge being crushed by throwing himself to the side and landing on a pine cone. His left kidney protested. Sharp branches poked through his T-shirt and he groaned as he crawled out from under the tree. That could have gone worse. Angie would have returned home to find her mate bludgeoned to death by the Christmas tree.
He wiped his jeans free of debris and pulled off his T-shirt to examine the small bleeding cuts on his torso. All things considering, he’d come away unscathed. Hands on hips, he stared at the problem then finished undressing. As in all major challenges in his life, he should have known to shift to his dragon form.
Scales covered his flesh as his body elongated. Large, webbed wings sprouted from his shoulder blades, and he experienced the sweet agony of joints popping as his body reshaped itself into a black dragon. Eoin, harbinger of smoke and fire, grasped the trunk of the tree in both his clawed hands and set it up right without effort. He grinned sheepishly and wiped his hands clean. Sometimes a dragon forgot his own strength.
The double front doors of the castle swung open. An angel in dragon form strode in. White, glossy scales covered her tiny, slim body and she had long feathers growing from the ends of her wings. She stole his breath every time. Her steps faltered when her gaze fell upon Eoin.
He stretched forward and ran his muzzle along hers. “Hello, sexy.”
Her eyes narrowed as she stared over his shoulder. “What are you doing?” She shifted to human form and dressed in clothes she kept in the foyer for this reason. There were dark circles under her eyes. Though she had been sleeping more than usual lately, she still seemed exhausted. If she were human, Eoin would worried that she was sick.
“Surprise.” He spread his arms out toward the massive evergreen.
She gave him and the tree a slow blink. “What’s this?”
“A Christmas tree.” He went down onto all fours and crept toward his mate. There was no smile or sparkle in her eyes. If anything, Angie appeared to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders. He nudged her.
“Oh.” She gave him a watery smile and stroked his scaled muzzle. “I thought you were working on a new project for Lorenzo.”
The curator for New Port’s art museum had been badgering Eoin for new work to exhibit, but that could wait. It was the holidays, after all. He had more important things to do, like return the sparkle to Angie’s eyes. “I will consider this research.”
“Looks more like procrastination.”
He rested his head by her tiny human form. She was always much smaller than him, even as a dragon. “You don’t like it.” It had been a long time since he had courted anyone. Angie was from the modern age and he could be doing this all wrong. He’d tried to read some of her girl magazines once. What a disaster. He shuddered.
Eoin would just try harder.
“It’s very pretty.” She slowly walked around the bare Christmas tree. Her gaze traveling to its great height. “And big. How did you ever find it?”
“Deep in the forest, where even the wolf shifters don’t travel. There are still secret places that modern men have not touched. I flew it home.” He flexed his wings, but she ignored him.
“Must have been quite a sight. Bet it will be on the evening news. The press will love that.” She dragged a foot over the stone floor, clearing a clean line through the fallen pine needles. “I hope you don’t expect me to sweep the needles. I have enough on my plate as is with the shop.” She spun to glare at Eoin. “Did you know that Josh had the audacity to complain that I was scratching his back too hard?” She paced between the fireplace in the tree, throwing her hands in the air.
“The nerve.” He knew this game. She came home and vented about her day, then he would take her to bed and make her feel better. He liked this game.
Angie owned the only backscratching salon catering to shifters in the city. Being a dragon gave her unnaturally sharp fingernails. She was booked solid for weeks in advance. She still paced. “I told him if his hide was so sensitive, he should hire a human to scratch his back.”
Eoin shifted back to his human shape since he couldn’t hold and caress her as she needed while he was a dragon. Only when it came to Angie did his violent nature fade. Her slender fingers could ease the raging fire in his soul to a slow burn. He would have sat in at her salon and coerced the shifters to behave, but she forbade it, stating that he scared her customers away.
He waited as she spat out her words and stormed around him. He was a hunter. He knew patience.
“Then Ryota canceled his next two appointments.”
He opened his arms.
She slipped into their circle and rested her forehead against his bare chest.
He held her tight, so small and delicate, but strong enough to withstand his power. “Who cares?” Eoin would eat Ryota the next time their paths crossed.
She snapped her teeth at Eoin, exposing her dragon nature. “I care. If the alpha stops using my services, the pack will wonder what’s wrong and cancel their appointments too.”
He chuckled and ran his finger along her jaw. The next time she snapped her teeth he wouldn’t be so quick to dodge and would let her sink her bite into him.
“Put your clothes on. I’m not in the mood to play.” Though her words were sharp, she kissed him on the cheek.
On the cheek? Were they brother and sister? “Give me a couple of minutes and I could change your mind.” He rested his hand on her throat, a possessive gesture.
Fingers tightened on his wrist, but it wasn’t the hold that stopped him. Her sigh was weighted with fatigue. “You’re very good at that.” Her voice was husky on her next question. “Did I ever have a chance at resisting you?” Angie’s lashes lowered to soften the shadows against her skin, a blush heating her cheeks.
“No.” Leaning forward, he nipped his mate’s mouth.
Her nails dug into the tender skin of his wrist yet her body strained toward him when he began to move away.
Eoin had spent months learning his mate’s likes and needs. Still, she surprised him. It’s what made him love her even more. Closing the small distance between them, he bit down on her lush bottom lip again, the pressure gentle but firm. He tugged at her flesh and enjoyed the sensation.
She rolled onto the tips of her toes, her fingers trailing over his chest as she reached for his shoulders. Her response ignited his possessive nature, making him want to devour and worship her in equal measure. He hadn’t known how to cherish another before Angie. Now he knew it was about taking care of her, giving her what she needed, showing her how important she was to him. She was his world.
Releasing her lip with slow consideration, he rumbled his satisfaction as her body pressed along his from head to toe.
Her muscles relaxed as she melted into his arms. Her small hands traveled along his flanks then around his waist. With wickedly sharp nails, she squeezed his butt cheeks. “Did you happen to make any dinner? I’m starved.”
“You’ve been starved every day this week. Don’t you take a lunch break? Maybe I should bring you meals.” Angie had had an issue eating prior to their mating. However, her issues had seemed to fade away once he had claimed her.
“I eat. Trust me, I eat. There never seems to be enough food.”
He ducked his head, pressing their foreheads together. “Sorry, I didn’t make anything. I lost track of time.” Damn, he knew he’d forgotten something. The tree had been his sole focus and he had forgotten to provide for his mate. No wonder she was so unhappy. “I’ll go hunt.”
She grimaced. She still acted more human than dragon. The thought of raw meat turned her stomach, but she tried. “Let’s order takeout instead.” So it wasn’t her eating disorder returning. She still preferred Eoin’s cooking, but had been experimenting with restaurants recently.
“Why don’t you draw yourself a bath while I fly to the city for Chinese?”
She listed all the items she wanted ordered, counting them off on her fingers.
He scratched his chin and assessed her slender form. Where did she put it all? “Maybe you should call ahead with the order. I’m most likely to forget something.”
“Smart dragon. I knew there was a reason why I chose to mate you.” She smiled and raised up on tiptoes to press a heated kiss full of promise to his lips. “After we eat, you can wash me.” She squeezed his ass cheeks again.
He lowered his gaze, tracing her collar bone with his nail. “Will you to that thing with the sponge?”
“Yes. Food first.”
The wind had better be in his favor and the restaurant cooks quick.